T W E N T Y
Childhood Secrets

I watched over Tom's shoulder as he brewed the apparent 'Elixir to Induce Euphoria.' The smell tickled at my nose, causing me to sniff.

Realizing I was about to sneeze, Tom whirled around with a warning glare. "Don't you dare sneeze on me Lightly." I glared at that, turning away from him letting out a small sneeze.

"I was not going to sneeze on you." I turned around to face Tom once more, who only rolled his eyes going back to potion making.

"Yeah, well I don't know with you. You tend to lack manners." My mouth fell agape at that.

"Said the boy who was snooping around the girls bathroom." I scoffed, Tom's head frantically looking around to make sure no one else heard.

"Shut it, Lightly." He snapped, realizing no one heard my previous comment. "I already told you I had reason to believe there was suspicious activity going on in there." He continued brewing the potions.

"Yeah, I'm sure you were hoping that activity included seeing some girls underwear." I mock sighed, "Honestly Tom if you were that desperate-" I was cut off by him.

"If you say one more word..." He trailed off in a warning tone, me holding my hands up in surrender.

"Fine whatever." I paused. "Pervert." That made him growl, and turn to look at the professor.

"Professor." He called, me unsure of what exactly it was he was doing.

Professor Slughorn turned from looking into some other Slytherin's cauldron, facing us. After the incident when I first got here, I still wasn't allowed to touch a potion by myself.

"Ah, Tom m'boy." Slughorn gave a jolly smile, walking over. "How's the potion going."

"Fantastic sir, but I feel as though Rhiannon," He motioned to me. "Isn't particularly understanding how to do it by just watching, perhaps it would be more efficient if I instructed her on what to do?" The innocent question was thrown out there, much to my annoyance.

Tom knew well that I did not want to do it. Especially when I would be taking orders from him.

"Splendid idea, Tom." He patted him on the shoulder. "Just make sure to keep a close eyes on her, we all know you," He pointed to me with a raised brow. "Are quite troublesome when it comes to brewing potions." He laughed, Tom joining along giving me a smirk.

My cheeks heated in rage, and I clenched my fist, but gave the Professor a false smile all the more.

"Darcy!" A Gryffindor female called out her partner, as she put the wrong ingredient in.

Professor Slughorn gave Tom a sorry look before trotting over to help the girls.

"Screw you." I groaned at Tom's smirking expression, taking the ladle from him.

Tom stood close behind me, so close that I feel the warmth of his body on mine. The close proximity caused me to take a small intake of air, feeling my soul trying to stir from within me.

"Now," Tom breathed down my neck, leaning over in front of me to point to the potion text book. The feel of his arm brushing against me sent shivers shooting down my spine originating me to close my eyes for just a second. "We're going to finish this off, so add some Wormwood." His lips were next to my ear.

Gulping, I grabbed the Wormwood tossing it into the cauldron. "Good, now stir it six times anti-clockwise." Tom's warm breath fanned across the side of my face.

As odd as it was I couldn't help admire the minty smell to his breath. I mentally slapped myself for being so weird, who freaking thought about the smell of someone's breath? Especially when that person happened to be Voldemort?

Don't be so creepy, Pandora.

I was quick to stir the potion six times anti-clockwise, causing for it to turn sunshine yellow and let off a happy smell. Tom smirked, taking a step away from me. With eyesight like mine, I was just able to notice the slight flush to Tom's cheeks and the widening of his irises.

Before I comprehended what I was doing, my eyes had met those of Tom's. We both froze unable to look away, my soul rustling and my grace shifting in its sleep. I knew well that if I were to continue looking my eyes would begin glowing the natural gold color of a Nephilim.

A sudden reckless idea hit me. What if I just told Tom? What if we both just ran away and traveled the world? I was ready to do it, I wanted to tell Tom; everything.

"Tom." I stated in a soft voice, tilting my head to get a better look at his beautiful irises.

"Yes?" He breathed out, just as enthralled with me.

Opening my mouth I was ready to spout out all my secrets. Just as I was about to tell him of my true heritage, a voice caught our attention.

"Ah, Tom! Wonderful potion as always!" Slughorn boomed, looking into our cauldron.

And like that whatever spell we had cast onto ourselves was washed away. Snapping out of it, I looked away from Tom heart pounding and blood rushing through my veins. Tom was quick to gather himself, giving a tight but charming smile toward the Professor.

"Thank you, sir." He nodded, placing his hands behind his back in a posh manner.

British people just always sounded so polite.

"Here is a small vial for the each of you." Slughorn pulled out two small empty vials, handing one to each of us. "You may take some of the potion you have successfully created." The head of Slytherin nodded with a jolly smile, walking away.

Tom wasted no time in collecting his sample, me not far behind. "What was it you were about to tell me?" Tom questioned with genuine curiosity, placing the vial in the pocket of his robes.

"I can't remember." The sad excuse left my mouth lazily, causing Tom to glare.

He huffed, looking as if he was in an internal debate with himself. Finally he exhaled a breath, looking to me calmly.

"How about this, I will tell something about myself and in return you will do the same?" He tried, looking unsure about this himself.

I shrugged with a smile. "Sure, why not." I nodded.

Tom looked to be thinking of something, before a small look crossed his eyes. "When I was living in the orphanage," Tom started looking me in the eyes. "I drew in order to pass the time."

It wasn't a huge secret or anything, but it was good enough for me. "So you're an artist?" I rose a brow, tilting my head.

"Something like that." He nodded before looking to me eager. "Your turn."

"Well," I smirked. "I can play the piano." That caused Tom to furrow his brows.

"Really?" He said in disbelief, making me narrow my eyes at him.

"Yes, you jerk, really." I scoffed, making him chuckle a bit.

"Most pure-blood families don't bother with instruments and the sort when they can just cast a simple spell to make them play themselves." Tom pointed out.

"Yeah, well mine's different." I smiled at him, thinking of the time my friend Alexius found out I could play piano.

Alexius is my best friend, practically brother at this point. He was an Antichrist, which was basically the opposite of a Nephilim. He was a demon-human hybrid instead of an angel-human hybrid.

"Class excused!" Slughorn called, me making my way back to the common room and Tom going with his followers.

For some odd reason thoughts of Alexius made me remember the time my powers had truly manifested for the first time. It was two years after my father had died, I was eleven at the time sitting in my room glaring at my homework. Before eleven years old, I had simple powers; nothing too destructive. However, during the age of eleven my powers seemed to just hit.

***

Eleven year old Pandora Claire sat on her bed, a fierce glare drawn on her face. Her eyes rested on a small pile of pages sitting innocently enough on her desk. Pandora hated homework, she hated school in general.

Why her uncle Balthazar still made her go was beyond her. She imagined her homework bursting into flames, and burning until there was nothing but ash left. She wished that she could go into school tomorrow and tell her teacher she had accidentally burned her homework.

Pandora laughed bubbly to herself at the image, clutching her stomach falling back onto her mountain of pillows. Unbeknownst to her, due to the young girl's laughter the wind in New York City had picked up dramatically.

The usual cloudy sky had transformed into nothing but sunshine, not a cloud in the sky. On lookers watched the weather transform in amazement, nothing like that had ever happened before.

On Pandora's pink desk, lay the papers smoke arising from them. The little girl stopped laughing looking back to her homework with a small smile. The smile was wiped off her face, replaced with a look of awe as her papers exploded into flames; quickly burning into nothing but ash.

Somehow, her desk managed not to catch fire, the flames simply staying in the place her homework once lay. Realizing she was the cause of the flames, Pandora wondered how to stop it. She didn't ponder for long because the flames on her command burned out, making her eyes widen.

With another thought, the flames came alive once more burning in the same spot. Pandora furrowed her brows, making the flames die. Again Pandora thought up the fire alive, except this time she wanted her entire desk to burn.

She jumped when her desk burned with the flames, yet on her command nothing was actually ruined from them. She smiled making the flames stop, amazed at her new power and happy all the same her homework was now gone.

Pandora giggled to herself wondering what other things she could do. Looking around her room, she came up with a sudden idea. Immediately her bed began floating up with her on it. Pandora had always been able to levitate stuff, but only little things like pencils and books. Never her entire bed.

A second later she made it go down, the bed dropping to the floor on command. Balthazar flipping through the television downstairs bored, looked up at the ceiling upon the sudden loud thump.

Worry etched onto his face and he looked to the stairs ready to teleport up to his nieces room if necessary. "Pandora!" He called in a nervous tone.

"Sorry, I dropped something!" He heard her reply, not realizing it was a lie.

"Okay, be careful!" He warned, becoming interested in the television when he flipped to a porn channel.

Pandora peeked out her door, making sure her uncle wasn't coming before shutting it once more. She laughed to herself, amazed at what she could do. She looked to the pile of ash that was once her homework laughing all the more.

With her laughter the sun shone even brighter, heating up the cold fall of New York city. People stood in the warmth in shock, it felt like summer. Pandora in the midst of her laughter caught sight of the bright sun.

She stopped laughing tilting her head, slowly walking to her bedroom window looking out in confusion. She placed a small hand on the window stunned at the warmth which seeped through her skin upon touching the window. New York was never this warm in fall; never.

A sudden thought occurred to her, but she shook it off deeming it as silly. There was no possible way this could be her doing. Could it?

Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Pandora imagined heavy rain clouds. She could see the grey clouds carrying water, the grey clouds which would make for a nasty hurricane. Clouds that brought with it cold and nothing more. Puddles of water which lay in the streets of New York during the rain, the winds strong breeze that made umbrella's fly away.

Menacing lighting that if a person was struck with would die instantly, and booming thunder that sent chills down everyone's spine upon hearing.

And alike to magic, the sunny sky was no longer. Clouds came from no where, lining the skies for miles with nothing but darkness. Pandora closed her eyes focusing on the darkness of a storm, a storm that could rival that of hurricane Irene.

Deadly dark clouds swirled above the city, and winds picked up drastically. People quickly took to shelter, fazed by how fast the whether could change. At first rain hit the windows of the condo lightly, and then it began sounding like bullets.

Balthazar was drawn away from his porn, watching the rain scream against the windows harder than ever before. He tilted his head in confusion, knowing this couldn't be a natural occurrence. It wasn't possible for any storm to evolve this quick and completely be missed by the whether channel.

Standing, Balthazar made his way to the window looking outside at the fast-fall of the rain. He jumped as thunder boomed across the city with such a loud force it shook the very walls of the condo.

He shook his head seeing a huge lighting blot strike the ground, wondering what supernatural force could possibly cause this sort of a storm.

'Perhaps Thor has decided to visit Earth', Balthazar amused himself with such thoughts.

In her room, Pandora opened her eyes which were glowing bright gold. She smiled looking to her back seeing white wings which over the years had adapted to a golden threading along the edges. It had been a while since she allowed her wings to come from the natural spiritual matter to physical.

She stretched them behind her casting a shadow along the wall, her eyes nothing both gold in the irises. Her body began to glow brightly from her angelic grace running through her veins; in that moment Pandora Claire looked like a true angel.

She turned to the chaotic storm she was causing, a grin at her powers. This was what her father meant when he said she would be one of the most powerful creatures to ever exist. However, her powers were only just beginning to manifest.

Pandora made her wings go away, yet her irises still burned gold along with her angelic grace running through her veins. All of the sudden it was like everything for Pandora froze to deafening silence.

Then, everything came alive.

Pandora heard what sounded like a priest giving some sort of prayer in Latin, and suddenly she could hear everything.

She could hear the police sirens going off fifty miles away, the church bells on a church all the way in Alabama, car alarms, honking, screaming, music, barking, anything and everything she could imagine. With her eyes she could see straight through her own skin like some sort of x-ray, straight down through the flesh and to the bone.

She could see every fiber that flowed through the air, the molecules which made up her settings. However, her hearing suddenly picked up on something odd. Something painful.

Voices. Voices ran through her mind speaking in a language which was not English by any means, but a language she was easily able to understand. Though, every time the voices would say a word it sent a rolling pain through her head.

The voices were loud and echoing through her mind at unprecedented speeds. Pandora groaned, falling to her knees clutching her head. Certain words the voices carried stuck out to her most.

Things about a rebel named, 'Castiel' or the 'Winchester's' raced through ringing. Unable to bear it the little girl screamed out, crying for help. Lights burst, and the ground seemed to shake from an apparent earthquake she caused.

The already deadly storm, seemed to get all the more chaotic multiple lighting strikes happening and thunder booming about. Downstairs Balthazar looked up to the stairs hearing Pandora's cries of agony.

It didn't take him long to figure the storm was from her and the thump he heard prior was most likely not her dropping something.

"Shit!" He cursed, teleporting up to her room.

His eyes widened upon the havoc he saw. He rushed to her side which was withering on the ground. She clutched her ears, obviously trying to drown something out. Balthazar panicked unsure of what to do for her, Gabriel usually knew what to do in these situations.

"Pandora what's wrong?" Balthazar shouted, pulling her onto his lap clutching her to his chest.

"The voices! They're so loud and angry! Make it stop, Balthazar. Please!" She screeched, in a language which wasn't English, but a language Balthazar understood just as well if not better.

Pandora was speaking Enochian, the language of angels.

It was because of that language Balthazar knew Pandora had just connected with 'angel radio' as he called it. Angel Radio was essentially a mind-link every angel had with every other angel. Nephilim were included in this link when their powers began manifesting.

"Focus, Pandora. You need to zone it out, make the world smaller." Balthazar hushed the young child.

Pandora took a deep breath and zoned everything out except for her uncle and her. She saw only what she wanted to, taking a relieved breath when everything slammed to a close. It didn't last long though, for just a second later Pandora suddenly saw only golden chaos.

It was like she had been thrust into the heart of a tornado. Howling winds whipped her back and forth, sending her tumbling all over. She flipped and spun, her screams lost in the ripping winds. An image suddenly burned its way to the forefront of her head. A simple image of a carriage being pulled to the Palace of Versailles.

The ground came faster than expected, Pandora stumbling when the ground was suddenly just there. Pandora took deep breaths, trying to steady her breathing after the chaos which ensued around her.

She looked around wildly seeing people dressed in very old fashioned close and speaking in quick French. She had appeared in the shadows of the large palace away from anyone's view. After catching her breath, the eleven year old began to think.

She had to blend in, that was a given. The last thing she needed were people trying to burn her alive for conspiracy of being a witch, or worse being recognized as a Nephilim.

'If I can make a storm worse than Irene, than I should be able to create a simple dress.' Pandora thought to herself, focusing on changing her clothing.

And as quick as lighting her house-clothes were switched to an eighteen hundreds styled peasant dress with a long cape covering most of it as well as her head. Pandora looked down to her shoes in disdain seeing as they were possibly some of the ugliest shoes she had seen, not to mention how uncomfortable they were.

Looking back at the bustling people, Pandora tried not to cry. She had no clue how to get back and she was all alone. Unfortunately, her emotions betrayed her and tears slid down her face as she silently sobbed.

~

"Wake up! Girls wake up!" A female's voice shouted waking me from my deep slumber.

I yawned wiping the drool which was over my mouth. Rolling over in bed, I faced the doorway where the head girl; Aurora Sander, stood a frazzled tired expression on face.

"WAKE UP!" She shouted, waking all of us up.

The four of us mumbled in confusion, Lavender taking the lead looking to the Gryffindor head girl of Hogwarts.

"Aurora, what's happened?" Lavender questioned, immediately darting up from her bed wide awake.

She pulled on her school robe over nightgown, slipping her feet into some slippers.

"I don't know exactly, I just know it's bad." Aurora stated, a worried expression on her face. "Professor Dumbledore woke me up and told me to gather all of Gryffindor house to the Great Hall."

"Let me help you." Lavender hurried to the head girl, who gave her a thankful expression.

"All of you to the Great Hall now." Aurora Sander told us sternly, before her and Lavender left to wake the others.

Groggily, I jumped out of bed bringing my hands up to quickly make a braid out of my hair. It was a messy braid, but it was better than embarrassing myself with bedhead. Pulling on a warm robe over the nightgown, I quickly jammed on some wool slippers Dumbledore was kind enough to make me.

Making my way out of the dorm room, I quickly went down the stairs joining the other droopy-eyed students, yawning loudly.

My eyes found Walter's bedhead, sleepy figure rather fast as neared the exit. Jogging to catch him, I spun him spun around to face me.

"Any idea what's going on?" I asked, him giving me a tired shake of the head.

"Not a clue." We left the common room, making our way to the Great Hall with the others.

Once Gryffindor made our way into the Hall, we noticed both Hufflepuff and a majority of Ravenclaw were already there. The teachers stood up front, all looking particularly saddened. Gryffindor was quick to sit at the table nearly falling asleep, from the silence of the Great Hall. There was only one last house we were waiting for.

Slytherin house paraded in the Great Hall wearing looks of disdain for being awoke in the middle of the night. Tom for the first time I had ever seen was wearing something other than school robes, his pajamas.

However, somehow his hair still looked perfect. He waltzed in looking vaguely annoyed about being awake, but calm all the same. Finally, when everyone was seated the Headmaster stepped forward.

"Students, the tragedy I am about to tell you will shock you. Myrtle Warren, second year student from Ravenclaw has been found dead." Gasps and sobs filled the Hall.

Ravenclaw looked to each other, multiple students beginning to cry.

"Well shit." I muttered under my breath, knowing this was the exact behavior I'm suppose to rid Tom of. "Goddamn it, Tom."

Looking to Tom, I saw he remained stone-faced.

"Classes will be cancelled tomorrow in honor of Myrtle. From now on no student is to be wandering about the castle by themselves, and it is with a heavy heart I must inform you that if this situation is not resolved soon; Hogwarts will be forced to temporarily close." That comment made me look to Tom.

He appeared to be shocked, his eyes widening and face contorting. We met eyes from across the Hall, and I simply rose a brow at him looking away.

"Return to your dorms immediately, and stay with your house!" Dippet finished his speech, the entire Hall leaving in sobs.

Lavender and Walter simply looked shocked as we walked back to the dorm.

~

After a day of awkward silence in the common room, I made my way around the school hoping not to get caught by anyone of authority.

A small aching feeling in my stomach told me Tom was up to no good. Rolling my eyes at the thought I padded along, keeping a watchful eye out. Before I could comprehend, Tom's figure swiftly turned a corner; he strode like he was determined about something.

Silently, I followed his fast past from afar, him luckily not noticing me. We walked across the corridors for a few minutes, before Tom suddenly stopped; his brows furrowed no doubt in thought.

Exhaling a breath, he continued wand in hand as if ready for an attack. I didn't realize exactly what it was he was doing, until he led me down to the dungeons and stopped by a small door.

Understanding finally what was happening, I froze in my spot. "Oh, fuc-" Tom slamming open the door cutting me off.

"Evening, Hagrid." Tom's cool voice cut in, me being able to see everything from the open door. "I'm going to have to turn you in Hagrid." He said in false disappointment, like he didn't want to.

"I don't believe you meant it to kill anyone, but-" He was cut off by 'Hagrid.'

Getting a good look at Hagrid, my eyes widened upon seeing that he was a half-giant. I recognized the Gryffindor robes and yet for some odd reason couldn't remember actually ever seeing him in the common room.

Despite the height difference, Tom still look threatening, imposing his authority aura all over the place.

"You can't!" Hagrid cried out, "You don't understand."

"The dead girl's parents will be here in the morning, the least Hogwarts can do is make sure the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered." Tom stated, his voice cool showing he was not going to budge on the case.

"It wasn't him, Aragog never killed no one; ever." Hagrid tried reasoning, begging Tom to listen.

"Monsters don't make good pets, Hagrid." Tom tilted his head in mock sympathy, basking in the irony of his words. "Now stand aside!" He commanded, pointing his wand at a box next to Hagrid.

"No!" Hagrid yelled, but Tom only ignored him waving his wand toward the box.

Tom's spell hit the box harshly, making it fly open. Out came such a creature, that it made me want to smite it then and there. It was a large hairy body with long legs and many eyes. It was a huge spider, something that actually made me raise my hand ready to blast it into oblivion.

The spider crawled through the door in a fast movement, and came barreling toward me making me jump out of the way with a small yelp. Luckily, Hagrid's cries drowned out my yelp. Tom unfazed by such a scary sight rose his wand a determined expression.

He sent another forceful spell at it; however, he missed by mere inches, the spider moving so fast that it was gone by the time Tom came stumbling out of the room wand raised. Hagrid was right behind him yelling for Aragog.

Tom turned sharply, wand raised threateningly toward Hagrid a gleam in his eye. "I can't let you go, Hagrid. They will have your wand for this, you'll be expelled." He warned, with a false sense of sadness.

"After you." He pointed to the corridor, pressing his wand against Hagrid's back as they moved.

I moved into the shadows just in time, so they missed me. I gave Hagrid a sorry look, determined to truly make a difference on Tom. I knew he had to become Voldemort, but that didn't mean he had to kill so many.

With a small breath, I quickly jogged my way back to the common room.