The Dark Mistress

Two weeks have passed since the Katie Bell incident, more and more attacks occurred afterwards, alarming the entire school. The Headmaster made a public announcement to all students and staff that a curfew was placed and all students must be accompanied by a Professor, Headboy or Prefect when out past curfew, going to class, and even toilet breaks during class.

"Hermione, are you seriously okay? You don't look well at all." Ron questioned his fellow Gryffindor worriedly. Hermione merely nodded her head as her eyes seemed to be hazy and a clear film covered over it.

Pansy Parkinson and Stella walked into the class, earlier than usual as they normally would arrive either right on time or slightly tardy. Pansy's eyes traveled from Draco who was busy talking to Crabbe and Goyle over to Stella and then back onto Draco and finally lasting on Stella.

"Why are you two wearing couple outfits?" she questioned the female next to her.

"What do you mean?" Stella questioned back, looking down at the outfit that Draco had chosen for her in the morning. Pansy pointed up at Draco, motioning that his outfit is very similar to what the other was wearing.

"...Draco Malfoy! Is this why you wanted to choose my outfit this morning!" Stella yelled out in slight agitation, causing all attention to be drawn onto her. From the loud shouting, Draco's eyes landed on the female in the center of the room staring up at him angrily.

"Oh. What a surprise. We're matching." Draco chuckled, pretending as though he didn't know anything about it. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now!"

Hermione walked past the young Gaunt almost ghost like, taking a seat in front of the classroom silently and flipping her textbook out. Seeing this, Stella's anger simmered down as she walked up to the table that the young Gryffindor female sat at.

"Is she alright?" Stella questioned, smiling at the trio all while pretending to look worried at the muggle born witch. "She doesn't look well."

"Not sure...she's been really strange lately. Whenever we ask, she doesn't answer or she just responds weakly." Ron replied, setting their books down onto the table. 'Of course she's strange, she's a few hours into losing her life.' Pansy made her way up to Draco, taking a seat next to him as he stared at the interaction between his beloved Stella and the Golden Trio.

"Perhaps I'll go freshen up with her in the girl's lavatory." Stella suggested, taking a strand of the other's curly hair and tucking it behind her ear. "Maybe she'll feel better."

"Do I hear you need to use the restroom?" the Gryffindor's head girl questioned, looming over them.

"Yes Please." Stella smiled sweetly. "The closest one is fine, since class will be starting soon."

"Are you sure? That's….her bathroom." referring to Moaning Myrtle.

"It'll just be a quick splash on the face." Stella replied, linking arms with Hermione who looked at her weakly. Shrugging, the head girl led the two females out of the classroom and towards the second floor female's lavatory. Harry watched them suspiciously, not trusting Stella at all, knowing too well that she was a master manipulator.

"Did you see that?" Pansy questioned, linking arms with the unhappy Malfoy.

"I did...why is she close with Granger?" he questioned, not ever remembering Stella initiating a convo with the smartmouth before.

______________________________________________________________________

"I'll wait for you two out here. Just scream if something happens."

The two second year females entered Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, standing in front of the ring of faucets. Hermione turned towards Stella, her face looked haggard as if she had barely slept within the past few days. Stella smirked at the female, inching close to her as they locked eyes. "Hi Hermione."

"Stella...?" Hermione questioned, her eyes finally showing some light as the clear film passed. "Was there something you needed? Wait...Why are we here?"

"Actually yes I did need something. I was wondering…." Stella started before changing to parseltongue. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she replied back to the female in parseltongue, not ever remembering having that ability. Stella's emerald green eyes morphed to reptilian looking with a vertical slit for the pupil. "Good...good."

"Your eyes...YOUR EYES!" Hermione shrieked, grabbing at her own head, her entire body quaking with fear.

"Silence." Stella hissed.

"What's happening?! I heard yelling!" The head girl bursted in, her eyes catching sight of what was happening. "You...YOU!"

Stella turned towards the head girl, she quickly whipped out her wand and growled out, "Obliviate." Bright light flashed in front of the Gryffindor senior before knocking her out momentarily.

"Geez…" Stella sighed, returning her attention back onto Hermione. The young Heiress grabbed the other's chin with two fingers, her eyes piercing through the other's once again.

Speaking softly but also with a hinge of allure. "Enter the chamber, give life to Him and never return to the surface."

Hermione's dark orbs fell hazy as if there was a clear film over them once again, looking close to puppet eyes. "Open." The floor beneath them rumbled as the sinks pulled away from each other, revealing a dark tunnel. Hermione turned towards the tunnel slowly, disappearing within the Chamber of Secrets passageway as it closed behind her.

"W-What happened?" a voice croaked out.

"Oh! You're awake!" Stella's eyes reverted back to normal when she turned around to feign worry. "You slipped and knocked your head hard. Are you okay?"

"I think so...why are we here?" she questioned, rubbing her head gently. Stella held onto the Gryffindor female, helping her out of the female's lavatory. "Granger said she wasn't feeling well so you escorted her back to the common rooms. I said I had to use the restroom, and this was the closest one. So you led me here."

"Oh I see." she smiled, following the Slytherin female back to her class.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry immediately questioned, not seeing his friend come back with the two.

"Oh, she wasn't feeling well so I escorted her back first." the Head Girl replied. Harry sighed in relief before taking his place back next to Ron as the lecture commenced. Stella sat next to Draco, smiling at him innocently when he looked at her suspiciously.

"What are you plotting?" he questioned, leaning to hold onto her hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she replied, locking their fingers together. Draco knew something was up, she never initiated intimate acts with him on purpose.

"Whatever it is, I hope you know I'll stand by you. You can always count on me. "

Stella had honestly considered telling Draco all about it because she knew he would never tell anyone, especially since it regarded the man he looked up to so much. However, the less he knew about her identity the less danger he would be in. "I'm sorry Draco….one day...one day I'll let you know. Once I figure everything out."

Class ended fairly early since curfew had been set. All the students filed out of their classroom by respective houses, either following the Professor to their next class or following the Head Boy/Girl back to their common rooms. Stella who finished her classes for the day filed in line to go back to the dorm rooms whereas Draco followed the Professor to his next class of the day.

"I'll meet you in the Great Hall for supper okay." Stella smiled, waving the Malfoy off.

"Don't get lonely without me." Draco chuckled, holding his hand up to say see you later.

Wanting to know the answers to all of her questions, Stella thought it would be best to make a quick trip down to the Chamber of Secrets before dinner time during this transition. After all, it would be easy to sneak away from her massive group of students and sneak back in when the last round of students travelled to the dining halls for dinner time. As they passed through Moaning Myrtle's lavatory, Stella quickly slipped past her housemates and entered into the dark room.

'Open for me'

Upon arriving, a certain poofy haired girl walked around the statue of Salazar Slytherin for a way out, not quite understanding how she got there.

"Hermione, glad you could drop by." Stella grinned, holding her arms out wide as if welcoming her.

"Stella. Just what is going on?" Hermione questioned, her face full of terror once she saw the Slytherin Female. "Who are you? Who are you really?"

"Shh Mione. Everything will be okay, just relax.." Stella whispered, walking over to the female and sitting her down. "You're the brightest witch here. Don't worry, everything is just fine." Ripping the diary from Hermione's hand, she flipped it open and smiled. Hermione had poured so much of her life into the diary that she could not fight what was in control of her. The young Gryffindor female's eyes blurred and the last thing she saw was a tall man emerging out of the diary.

Tom Riddle looked around him, touching his body and analyzing each and every detail around him. "My love." he smiled, his deep voice echoing the large chamber as he stalked up to the black haired female. Stella placed her wand in front of her defensively, narrowing her eyes at the male who had caused all of this.

"I want answers. I want them now. Who is Stella Gaunt? Who am I? Where did I come from?" she demanded. The young male sighed and nodded his head as he originally promised to tell her everything once his body had been reformed.

"Our parents were brothers and sisters, making us cousins. In the Gaunt family, we tend to indulge in incest to keep the purity of our blood. However, my mother had me with a filthy muggle man causing your father to be enraged as there was no other male to keep the Gaunt bloodline "pure". So, the madman decided to preserve it by mating with you, of course I couldn't let that happen. I decided to kill him before you got your first cycle but he used you to shield him the first time I used the Killing Curse. When you died at the young age of 12, I turned you into an Inferius with the resurrection stone." he started, pulling out a cloth and revealing Morvolo Gaunt's ring inside. "But because an Inferi is devoid of life, I transferred my pet snake, Nagini, into you, to birth you life. You were then reborn into a baby and Lucius raised you since my departure."

"So, what you're telling me...is that Stella is just a puppet? Then what about me? What about where I come from?" Stella gasped the moment Tom placed the ring on her finger, inside her mind the remaining memories of her real life shattered as Stella Gaunt's life took over.

"I wouldn't say that….I don't know what you're talking about Stel. You're Stella Gaunt of the Gaunt Household, heiress to Salazar Slytherin. Born to be the purger of all the dirty blood in the wizarding world. " Tom frowned, brushing his finger over her bangle, knowing exactly well what type of bangle it was. "You contain a part of me, if you die….I too will feel immense pain physically."

'Dearest Stella, I'll save you, wait for me…'

'Tom, why does daddy hit me all the time? Did I do something wrong?' a young girl questioned, trying to cover up all the scratch marks on her body.

'Draco, I asked you to watch over Stella. Why is she covered in bruises?' a younger Lucius questioned his son who rolled his eyes.

'My apologies Father.' young Draco spoke back to his father, looking at the ugly looking female whom his father gave all his attention to. Images of Draco watching his friends kick and hit a young Stella whenever his parents weren't present floated around Stella's mind. His lips curved downwards in a deep frown as he wanted to tell the people to stop but couldn't bring himself to do so. The young Stella's emerald eyes gazed upon the Malfoy who mouthed her 'Sorry' as he turned away with a painful expression.

"Is that why when I was a baby, I was half snake half human?" Stella questioned, her eyes dimming as they now bore a yellow hue to it.

"Precisely." Tom smiled. "Your father, Morfin Gaunt, was a mentally deranged man that often beat you for showing weakness. What he didn't know was that your magical abilities were suppressed due to his constant torturing."

Stella chuckled at the ring in her hand,'Deathly Hollows', she thought to herself.

"I'm your horcrux."

"Correct my love, still as smart as before." Tom replied. "This diary is also a horcrux, it preserves all of my teenage memories from Hogwarts until the day of your rebirth. I learned everything that has happened through this mudblood, Hermione Granger. Though she did put up a great fight, quite hard to possess if I do say so myself. Rather saddened that she's a mudblood, her vast knowledge is absolutely shocking."

The Dark Lord's 16 year old self held onto Stella's hand, tugging at the bangle on her wrist gently to try and pry it off without hurting her. "Together, we will retake the world for us purebloods."

"Riddle, don't joke with me. You're merely a half-blood." Stella smirked, regaining all memory of her past and current life; her once living memory before entering the book sealed away into the deepest part of her brain. "The only pureblood in here is me."