The Room Much Required

2. Suspicion


Tom Riddle's high, cold commanding voice rings out from the head of the table he is seated at and the seven students who surround him go silent instantaneously.

"If you are all done acting like children," he says dangerously, "I believe I have called you all here for something rather important."

Lestrange raised his hand at once, but Tom took his time in paying him any attention. Instead, he looked around at the varied expressions on the faces of those who sat before him and observed, with mild pleasure, that each and every face was underwritten with heavy tones of fear and respect. Good.

"Now. Nott, when did you say you saw the Ravenclaw enter this room?"

"I-it was, er, nearly a week ago, sir," he stammered, and little beads of sweat blossomed above his upper lip despite the freezing temperatures.

"Explain yourself, and stop quivering like a filthy muggle!" he roared, and Nott shrunk a little deeper into his seat hating himself for opening his mouth in the first place.

He took an excruciating moment to collect his thoughts, and then began again.

"It was nearly a week ago, and she was passing by the corridor with a huge stack of books in her hand. One of them slipped out of her hand and she bent low to pick it up, placing the others on the floor…when the room revealed itself to her. Only, it didn't look quite like what it looks for us, like what it appears to be this very moment…" He waved a hand around the large room with the black marble tiling and silver and green draping.

"What did it look like?" Riddle asked softly, his voice turning more frightful with every word he uttered.

"I couldn't see quite clearly," he stammered again.

"I don't believe you!" Riddle screamed then, ready to rip Nott's throat out in frustration.

"Sir, the girl went in and the room vanished before I could do anything," he stuttered helplessly. "But it looked like she was seeing it for the first time, too; her jaw nearly dropped with wonder and she did look rather suspicious as she walked in."

Riddle played with his gold ring as he carefully considered Nott's words. If they were true, it posed a serious threat to his room and a plan of action must be set in motion immediately.

"Alright," he finally said. "I'm giving you two days to fix this. Find the girl and bring her to me at ten in the night. I will be waiting by the abandoned corridor on the third floor."

Nobody had a chance to respond before Riddle left the room within seconds, and Nott looked around his class mates with terror in his eyes.

"What happens if I don't find her in two days? I don't even remember what she looked like!"

The eerie silence wasn't a very comforting answer.


Entered in:

The Twelve Days of Christmas Style Challenge, Era Fics #2 – Riddle Era