A few days later, Thad was in the library, thinking about the past. He looked around at the familiar bookshelves. He heard whispering behind him and turned around. He saw Bethany leaning over a spell book. He found her intently whispering to herself as she read the book, concentration and worry written on her face.

"—have to find it! It's the only way Thad will turn to me!"

Oh, please don't tell me that she's trying to make a Love Potion! That's all I need right now: a love-sick girl problem along with my mad brother/non-brother issues.

Thad quietly walked toward Bethany, his footsteps making no sound. "You know that isn't going to work, Bethany," he said gently.

Startled and ashamed, she looked up at him. "Thad, why don't you like me?" she asked him, a slight pout on her lips.

He marveled at the seventeen-year-old girl's pouting and wondered what was wrong with her. "I love another, Bethany," he told her, "and you and I would never make a good pair anyway."

"Am I not beautiful, Thad?" she asked innocently, looking up into his eyes.

Thad sighed. "Yes, Bethany, you are beautiful, and that is a problem for me," he told her. "I know you are beautiful—desirable even, but I cannot ever love you or anything like that. My heart is already taken." He spoke with such an open honesty that he shocked himself: he was talking to only the most cunning girl in the school!

"With Rosebud," said Bethany coldly, tensing away from Thad. "And why are you so 'in love' with her, Thaddeus? She does not meet any of the criterion of a suitable wife for you."

Absolutely shocked, Thad almost grinned. I bet you've made a list, haven't you, Bethany? he wondered to himself. "I love her," Thad said simply. "That in itself is enough."

Bethany turned back to Thad, her eyes full of longing. "And I love you," Bethany told him.

Barely able to keep from smacking himself in the face, Thad shook his head. "I told you that I am taken," he repeated to the Lestrange girl firmly. "You need to find yourself a nice young man that will love you and make you a happy home."

She looked at him, then came to stand at his side. "But it won't be happy," she told him, her arm stealing around him. "I don't love them: I love you," she murmured, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"We would never work, Bethany," Thad told her, feeling her hand on his back. "Homes are made to stay together: ours would not."

Bethany looked into Thad's eyes, shaking her dark hair over her shoulders. "Thad. We come from the two strongest families in the Wizarding World. Father and Mother believe that, together, you and I could create the most powerful family in our world. Don't you have any desire to be the best, Thad?"

Thad moved so that he was directly opposite from Bethany, taking her by the wrists. "To Rosebud, I am the best," he told her sharply. "You and I will never be." She looked up worriedly into his frowning face, and he added, "Besides, arranged marriages almost never work, and I will not be a Lestrange puppet."

"It worked for Grandmother and Grandfather," Bethany replied stubbornly. "We could make it work if you would give it a chance."

Thad released Bethany and stepped away from her. "It is not possible for us to become a family. I want to marry for love, and I do not love you." He articulated the last few words very carefully.

She looked at him silently, hurt. "But I love you," she told him again. "I can't stop that feeling."

"You must not think of me in that way, Bethany," Thad told her quietly.

"Then I won't ever marry, Thad," she sighed, looking sadly into his eyes.

Thad had never seen her show her feelings so openly, and was not sure what to do. "You'll be all right," he said finally, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure there are other pureblooded boys out there for you."

Bethany stared into his eyes, noting how his wavy black hair fell across his forehead, almost into his eyes. "But, Thad," she breathed, stepping forward suddenly. Reaching up, she smoothed his hair back, drawing him down to her. The moment her lips touched his, she felt great happiness, and pressed herself closer to him.

Thad tensed suddenly, and Bethany gasped as the feeling of happiness left her. A moment later, she found herself sitting on the ground by one of the bookshelves, pain running through her head. "Thad," she began, but he scowled.

"Don't you ever try that again," Thad snarled, and Bethany became wide-eyed at the sight of the wild anger that he was barely keeping under control. She realized that he had purposely cut off all his good thoughts when she had touched him.

"I'm—sorry," Bethany said, her hand going to her head, which was beginning to pound. He must have thrown me away from him, for I don't remember pulling away. I wish he would understand that I love him.

Finally, Thad sighed. "Come on; I'll escort you back to our Common Room," he said, turning to leave the library.

James stopped quickly, and the two girls smacked into him, making Vi gasp. "Vi, hush," James hissed. "Someone's coming!"

"Rosebud stepped on my foot!" Vi protested, and Rosebud clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Honestly, hush," Rosebud whispered. "It's two Slytherins."

James and Vi gave Rosebud awkward looks, and they fell silent beneath the Invisibility Cloak, pressing themselves against the wall. Vi's mouth dropped open when Thad and Bethany came around the corner, Bethany's eyes blazing.

"...understand if I hate her," Bethany said without a care. "She's my least favourite Mudblood."

"And she's my favourite," Thad replied just as easily. "Not that I know many of them. I barely put up with the Head Girl herself."

Vi fumed, and Rosebud put a hand on her friend's shoulder, not daring to look at James. The Gryffindor boy had his hand over his mouth, trying desparately not to laugh out loud.

Bethany smiled. "I know none of them," she reported proudly. "I can't stand them."

"It gets easier as time goes by," Thad explained. "It is hard to go against what one has always been taught."

"Which is exactly why Lestranges do not compromise," Bethany said with a grin.

Thad frowned. "I did not compromise. I made a choice, Bethany, and I will stand by it." He left her side, and James was shocked to see Thad go up to a portrait of Salazar Slytherin.

Vi scowled in annoyance as Thad spoke to the Founder in Parseltongue. Rosebud smiled slightly, loving to watch Thad be himself. The three Gryffindors stared in surprise when a passage opened up in the wall.

Thad jumped down into the passage and Bethany followed, falling against Thad. He scowled at her when he pushed her away. "If you do that again, you will have a hard time getting to the dungeons without being caught. Now move along."

Bethany slapped Thad across the face and ran away down the passage, making Rosebud gasp in anger and dart forward just as the passage closed. She stomped her foot in annoyance and repeated something she once heard Thad say.

The portrait smirked at her. "Why the swearing, Mudblood? And you should be more careful when you have the Cloak on. It does not make you inaudible, you know."

Rosebud looked at Salazar Slytherin in annoyance. "So how many of us are there?"

"Three," he reported. "All Gryffindors. Two Mudbloods, you and the Head Girl. And the oldest Potter."

Vi suddenly appeared from beneath the Cloak. "Oh, shut up! I've had it with you blasted idiots tonight. All you screwy Slytherins!"

James snorted and pulled the Cloak off, hanging it over his shoulder. "You're not normally here, are you?" he asked, but it wasn't really a question.

When Slytherin said no, Rosebud smiled slightly. "Are you only here until Thad finishes his patrol?"

"It seems you are learning the Riddle boy's ways," the portrait replied.

Scowling, Vi said to James, "Did he answer the question or not?"

"He said yes," Rosebud said. "Say, go find that stupid thing we came for."

James told Vi he'd do it and hurried off into the library. Rosebud turned back to the picture and asked, "Do you know if there's any chance that Thad's family will understand his beliefs?"

Vi rolled her eyes. "Is that something you should ask Salazar Slytherin, Rosebud?"

"It was a simple question," Rosebud huffed at her friend.

"Without a simple enough answer for the simple-minded," Slytherin added spitefully.

"You—you horrible, despicable, up-yourself—" began Vi.

Rosebud turned to her friend and snapped, "Hush!" When she turned back to Slytherin, she said, "I'm not simple-minded. If I were, I would have followed the Gryffindor crowd and shunned Thad and the Slytherins. But I'm not. And I don't."

Salazar was amused. "I see," he said condescendingly. "As for Thad's family, Tom, Horatio, and Dirk will most likely refuse to accept Thad's view of their world. The other boys could go either way, and I do not know what Silvanus will think. He is unpredictable. Estella and her daughters will be 'kind,' perhaps, if Tom doesn't frighten them into agreement with him."

"Thank you for letting me know," Rosebud said, and Vi looked away, crossing her arms.

"Hah," said Slytherin, and Rosebud looked awkwardly at Vi.

A sound came from down the corridor, and another portrait appeared along the wall. "Are you annoying Godric's students again, Salazar?" asked a young woman's voice.

Rosebud clapped her hand over Vi's mouth and whispered in her ear, "Don't say anything to upset him."

"Does that mean I can't speak?" Vi retorted, watching Slytherin argue with the newcomer, Helga Hufflepuff.

"If that's what it takes," Rosebud teased her friend. "Just listen. You'd be amazed at what you can find out when you listen. That's what Thad told me."

Vi frowned and looked back at the two Founders. Helga was just saying, "Because you're not wired that way, and you need to be reminded of kindness and friendship every day!"

"Wired?" Slytherin said.

"Sorry," she replied. "It means something like 'programmed' or 'controlled.' Or something like that. It's so hard to explain Muggle figures-of-speech to you."

"I wonder why," Salazar said smugly. "If you had gone along with my plans, you would have ruled the world with me."

Hufflepuff glared at him. "A tyrant has no co-ruler. And you would have destroyed all of my friends!"

Salazar sighed. "I would have chosen better for you than you chose for yourself," he told her. "You are better than the Mudbloods, and by my plan, not only this school, but this whole world would be rid of them."

Vi crossed her arms and scowled. "I'm so sorry I didn't just drop dead the instant I set foot in Hogwarts," she snapped at Slytherin. "I'm sure that would have pleased you and your cheery little descendants!"

"Possibly," Salazar replied with an infuriating smile.

"Oh, you—" Vi stomped her foot in annoyance, and Hufflepuff grinned.

Frowning, Rosebud said, "You can't win with him, Vi."

"I know," Vi said, clear irritation on her face, "'cause he's Slytherin personified."

Giggling, Rosebud looked down the corridor to see James hurrying back. "Couldn't find it," James said.

"What are you looking for?" asked Helga.

James jumped at the sound of her voice, and finally replied, "Vi left her Herbiology essay in one of the research books. She might have to redo it if we can't find it by Monday."

The picture frowned. "Do you know what book it is in?"

Vi quoted the name of the book, and Salazar said, "One of the Ravenclaws checked it out earlier today."

"That's too bad," Helga said. "But if one of them finds it, they'll most likely return it to you. Is your name on it?"

"Ye—oh, no!" cried Vi. "This is bad! I doodled something nasty on there!"

"Behold, your name is mud," Rosebud teased her friend.

Vi scowled. "I can't believe you think that's funny," she grumbled. "You wouldn't if you knew what I wrote. I was thinking about you and all this moronic stupidity that's going on, and I drew Thad killing Ophicus. And I drew you saying, 'My hero!' I swear I was going to re-copy the essay, but—"

"I do believe there are no longer standards required to acquire the position of Head Girl," Slytherin said.

Vi didn't understand him, and Rosebud didn't offer to enlighten. "Lovely," she said. "I'm just going to go hide. Why do you always embarrass yourself?"

"It's a Gryffindor thing," James said, and Salazar agreed.

"Oh, well," Vi said. "It could be worse."

Rosebud nodded and the three Gryffindors threw the Cloak over themselves, hurrying off quickly.

"Thad, what on the earth was she doing with you?" Rosebud asked her husband the following night.

Thad touched Rosebud's cheek lovingly. "I was telling her some hard things, darling. I told her that I was not available to her and that she needed to find someone else." Thad hugged his little wife gently. "And how did you know about that?"

Rosebud blushed. "Erm, uh, James, Vi, and I were underneath the Invisibility Cloak," she explained. "We were looking for something that Vi lost." Thad nodded in understanding, and she looked up at him. "Is it right to feel sorry for her, Thad?"

"I think so," he answered, knowing she meant Bethany. "But don't show her that you're sorry for her." He was getting used to Rosebud's Gryffindor ways.

"Why?"

Thad sighed. "Must I explain? On the way back to the Slytherin Common Room last night, Bethany told me that she would hate you forever. She said she'd always think of you as the girl that stole me from her. And—"

"Thad, that's foolishness!" Rosebud cried. "That's not true!"

He nodded. "I know, but I wouldn't tell her that either. At this time, the last thing she needs is sympathy."

"Has Dirk really written your father?" she asked him worriedly.

"I don't know. I haven't gotten a threatening letter from him yet, so I think perhaps not." Thad grinned.

Rosebud huffed at him. "You think this is a game, but this is dreadfully serious!" she told him.

"I know," Thad soothed her, kissing the side of her forehead, "but I try to not take it too seriously. Father scares me just a little—actually, make that a lot. But that's not the point. Don't dwell on it, darling. If there's trouble, I'll deal with it when it gets here. We don't need any more trouble than what's already on its way; don't make any more by worrying about it."

Rosebud sighed and laid her head on Thad's shoulder. "I'll try not to. But I keep wondering what your father will do to us when he finds out."

"Rosebud!"

"I know, Thad. I'm still in the 'Trying' mode."

"Thaddeus." Dirk entered Thad's dorm room.

Thad sighed and reached for his wand, which he kept on his bedside table at night. "What do you want, Dirk?" he said shortly.

"I wrote Father tonight. You'll hear from him tomorrow." Dirk turned and marched out.

The bed curtains swung open on the other four beds. "Well," said Ignatius in exaggeratedly haughty tone, "somebody's got a scorpion down his robe."

The other five boys laughed, and Octavius asked, "Thad, why is he so set against you?"

Thad sighed, then replied, "Do you remember Dirk's familiar?" The other boys all rolled their eyes in remembrance. They had all been very proud of Ophicus, the serpent, at first, but when they realized how dangerous and unpredictable he was, they avoided him. The boys were glad that Thad had finally destroyed Ophicus and saved the Gryffindors that the serpent had attacked.

"Well, anyway," continued Thad, "when I killed Ophicus, I think I may have destroyed the decent part of Dirk."

"Either that or buried it really, really deep," snorted Ignatius.

Thad shook his head quietly. "He hates me because I killed his familiar. I knew how close he had been to his familiar, but I never thought his revenge would go this far."

Matteus frowned. "What do you mean by 'this far'?" he asked. "Didn't Dirk attack you just after you destroyed Ophicus?"

"Yes, we dueled in the Gryffindor Common Room while the Head Girl looked on, unable to prevent or stop it," Thad said with a grin. His smile then faded. "By 'this far' I meant what Dirk did a few days ago."

"And what did he do?" Derek inquired.

Thad stared up at the ceiling. "He sectumsempra-d me," Thad said finally, and his friends gasped, and Scorpius sat up in shock.

"Just because you and your family differ in beliefs does not have to mean that you get ostracized!" Scorpius snapped. "Why do families have to be so retarded?" Suddenly, he realized that he had been much too outspoken for his comfort and instantly disappeared under his blankets again.

Thad quickly understood that Scorpius had an issue with his family's beliefs. I wonder if he has a Mudblood girlfriend too...

Matteus asked, "What is wrong with having a Mudblood girlfriend? I don't get it."

"Oh, puh-lease," said Derek, rolling his eyes. "We're all pureblooded Slytherin boys, and we don't know why a Mudblood girlfriend is wrong?"

"It's not wrong," said Ignatius, and received strange looks from the three other boys. "It just doesn't happen very often to one of us. I've never had a girlfriend like that."

Octavius snickered. "I'm shocked, Flake (that was Ignatius' surname). I thought you'd dated every girl in the school!"

Ignatius grinned. "Nope. I'm still looking around. I think the girl that I'm searching for is avoiding me." He shrugged.

"What will your father say, Thad?" Derek asked him.

Thad looked at his friends. "Father is going to be absolutely furious," he told them in a quiet voice. "He will threaten me, of course, and will harm me, most likely, if I don't listen. I can't listen to him, boys." He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "He might even try to kill me."

The other boys gasped in horror. "All over your lovely girl, Thad," said Derek. "I feel sorry for you and her. What will he do to her?"

"Oh, nothing, probably."

"You don't seem to know anything about what your father will say and do, Thaddeus Riddle," said Matteus.

"Matteus, Father is wholly unpredictable, and only Mother knows him well." Thad laid down the facts as plainly as he could. "There is no telling what Father could do, but I hope that you four will understand where I stand on this issue and not go against me."

There was a long silence, and then Derek said, "I will stand with you, Thad."

"And I," answered Matteus.

"I'm with you, Riddle," grinned Octavius. They looked at Ignatius.

"Oh, yeah, count me in too—for richer, or poorer!" Ignatius pretended to sniff, as if he were crying.

"Oh," groaned the others. "Go to bed, Ignatius," said Thad in a patronizing tone. He did not have to ask Scorpius: Thad knew the Malfoy boy already agreed. Six bed curtains shut at the same time, and the boys went to bed.

Thad received a letter from his father the next morning, but saved it until he met Rosebud in the Chamber that night. "Do you want me to read it aloud, Rosebud?" he asked his wife.

She looked up at him, then back down and nodded.

Thad read very carefully, and tried to not accentuate the words he thought might hurt Rosebud.

Thaddeus:

I have been informed that you have not obeyed my commands when I told you to leave that Muggle-born girl alone. Dirk wrote me that you and she were seen together in the library. I order you to put a stop to this nonsense immediately. None of our family has Muggle blood in it and I expect you to follow that example.

This girl you have been so enamored of is not of our kind and she is not good enough for you. I demand that you break your relationship immediately, no matter what level you are at. Thaddeus, you are a Riddle, and we are elite in this world. We want no connections from the Muggle world to hold us down or back.

If you do not obey me instantly this time, and I find out, then I will take drastic action with you that I've never taken with any in our family. I have given you a full warning, and I expect you to heed it.

Tom Riddle

Thad looked up to see a concerned Rosebud. "Well," she said, "Are you going to heed it, Thad?"

Shocked, Thad shook his head. "No, Rosebud, we are married. I love you with all of my heart and I am not about to let Father tell me that you, my little Blossom, are not good enough for a Riddle."

"But what might he do to you, Thad?"

"He says that if he finds I have not listened to him, he would take drastic action. Well, darling, he is not going to find out. I think it would be a good idea if we tried to be a little more careful about what we do in public, but I will not allow threatening behavior from my father to interfere with our relationship." Rosebud smiled at him encouragingly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"And neither will I," she whispered, leaning into his chest. Slipping her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"I love you, Rosebud," he murmured to her, kissing her again and again.

"Now what's this?" Thad and Rosebud jumped away from each other, reaching into their pockets. Thad's little sister, Arianna, looked straight at Thad, ignoring the threat of their wands. "Don't you know better than to snog your girlfriend in public places?"

"Arianna, it's midnight! Midnight is not public—especially here in the Chamber! What are you doing down here?" asked Thad crossly.

"May I remind you that you are supposed to be up on the surface, in bed? You are at Hogwarts, remember? Ooooh, the Head Boy's setting a bad example!" Arianna laughed, smiling at Rosebud, and Rosebud smiled back.

"According to him, Arianna, he is 'a Slytherin who doesn't bend to rules.' And there's a good reason we're down here right now," said Rosebud. "This is the only time that Thad and I can talk alone. If we do it in the day time, we would get caught. What we do makes it very obvious who we are to each other. But Thad is right; why are you down here?"

Arianna turned to Thad and sighed. "I couldn't sleep. Father is raving downstairs because you disobeyed him, Thad. He isn't happy at all, and nothing Mum says will quiet him. I came down here to rest, but..."

"—but we were here," finished Rosebud. "Well, when you go back to your house, stick cotton in your ears and you won't hear much at all."

"Rosebud, you don't know my father," said Arianna. She sighed, then gasped. "You had better leave now! Others may come down here to escape from Father or to retrieve me. You should probably leave now."

Thad looked at his little sister, his eyes darkening. "Sis, you had better stop following Rosebud and me everywhere we go," he hissed at her.

"I'm not following you," she hissed back. "Why would I follow you and her anyway when I know all you are going to do is snog her face off!"

Thad's face turned red, and Rosebud quickly took him by the arm and led him away to the entrance. As they were leaving, Thad said, "It's a good thing that you took me away from Arianna or—I swear I would have cursed her!"

"It's not all you do," said Rosebud with a grin.

Thad shook his head at his girl. "I wish that she would not keep popping up when we are trying to meet secretly!"

"Oh, Thad, don't worry," Rosebud soothed him. "It will be fine."

"I hope," said Thad wryly.

"Oh, don't be so negative, Thaddeus Riddle!" scolded Rosebud.

Thad stopped and looked at her sharply. "Now you're the carefree one, darling. Enjoy it." He led Rosebud out of the Chamber and back to her tower. "Love you, dearest," he told her with a loving kiss. "Good night."

"Good night, Thad," answered Rosebud. "I love you too. "

"Are you going to write him back?" Ignatius asked Thad.

Thad shrugged. "Don't know," he said. "Perhaps. I am not sure what I'll say, though."

"I'm glad I'm not in your place, Thad," said Ignatius, shaking his head. "I haven't the faintest idea of what I'd do under such pressure."

"Don't remind me," replied Thad. "Are you going to get another girlfriend soon, Nathan?"

"I don't—don't know how I can," began Ignatius with difficulty. "I can't date the next girl without hurting Saelia, and I don't want to do that."

Thad gave Ignatius a strange look, then shrugged and said nothing.