Thanks for the reviews everyone! From this chapter on, the plot is going to start thickening ;) Enjoy!
All belongs to JK Rowling!
Potions class passed rather uneventfully and Lyra was immensely relieved to find that she was still able to brew her potion correctly; despite having skipped a year of school. Of course, Elaina had helped, seeing as she had ended up as her partner after Rosalie had become fed up of bickering with Elaina and stalked off to partner up with a Ravenclaw girl.
Despite her best intentions, Lyra had been unable to stop shooting sideways glances at Tom. To her immense surprise, he had partnered up with a Gryffindor, who just happened to be the other new transfer student from Durmstrang. For some reason the image of the prince of Slytherin himself working with a Gryffindor just did not compute.
As the class drew to a close, Lyra felt the familiar surge of anger and discomfort she was beginning to associate with Tom. Saying goodbye to Elaina, Lyra walked over to where Tom and the Gryffindor boy were packing up their things.
"Ready, Riddle?" Lyra asked coldly, and Tom looked up at her.
"Yes, let's go." He said, picking up his potions textbooks and nodding goodbye to the Gryffindor.
"See you on Thursday, Riddle." The boy said, nodding at Lyra.
Lyra forced a smile before quickly turning her back on him, leading Tom out of the classroom and into the busy hallway.
"So." Lyra said, turning to face him once they were outside, "What do you want to talk about?" She asked dryly.
"Would you mind if we found a more...quiet place to talk?" Tom asked and Lyra shrugged.
"Okay, where?" She asked.
"Follow me." Tom replied, turning on his heel and leading her down the busy corridor, not bothering to check if Lyra was still following him.
Lyra paused, thinking of how satisfying it would be to just ditch him while he wasn't looking. But then again, she was never going to get any information about his quest for immortality if she avoided him. Sighing, Lyra ran to catch up to him, falling into step beside him.
"In here." Tom said, pulling open the door to an empty classroom and Lyra followed him in.
Tom locked the door behind her and Lyra turned to look at him quizzically; a shiver of fear running down her spine. "Think I'm going to try to escape, do you?"
"As a matter of fact," Tom replied dryly, "I was more concerned about others trying to come in, but I see you really do not trust me at all. Why is that?"
Lyra laughed, "You invaded my mind over the breakfast table." She stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Really, you expect me to trust you after that?"
"Don't lie." Tom snapped, and Lyra stared up at him in shock. "You have disliked me since the moment we met. Why?"
Lyra felt her throat close in on herself; had she really been so obvious?
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Lyra replied, crossing her arms, "You were the only one - out of all those ridiculous purebloods - who was polite to me."
Tom was silent for a moment, a dangerous look in his eyes, "I see."
"You don't believe me." Lyra stated dryly.
Tom was silent for a moment, his dark eyes boring into hers. "No, I don't. However, I am prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt."
Lyra laughed darkly, "How generous of you, Riddle, to give me the benefit of the doubt when I have done nothing wrong." She replied scathingly.
Tom sighed, "I have little patience for this kind of-"
"I have little patience for people who do not respect common boundaries and then justify their actions by means of false accusations!" Lyra cried, her anger boiling over. "What did you expect would happen? Did you think I would just allow you into my mind and then beg you to keep what you saw private? You're an arrogant fool, Tom Riddle!"
A look of pure hatred filled Tom's face for a moment before he composed himself and regarded Lyra coolly, "As I said earlier, I apologize for my actions. They were...unjustifiable."
"Wonderful." Lyra snapped, "I'm glad we're on the same page. Now would you please let me out of this classroom?"
Tom looked up her and down for a moment, before pointing his wand at the door, unlocking the lock with a click.
Lyra pushed past him, pulling open the door and walking away from him without a look back.
Tom remained in the classroom for few minutes after Lyra had left, waiting for the fury she had evoked in him to pass. As nervous and uncomfortable as she seemed sometimes, it was clear that she was not afraid of him. In fact, she delighted in infuriating him; that much was obvious.
If anything, the events of that morning had done nothing but consolidate his belief that she was not to be trusted. Fear had been written all over her face when he had announced he knew she had disliked him from the beginning. Lyra Reed was harbouring secrets.
All throughout lunch and Ancient Runes, as Tom attempted to focus on the professor and on taking his own copious notes, the pale face of Lyra Reed resurfaced time and time again - a face so eerily familiar that it grated on Tom's nerves. By the time class had ended and it was time for dinner, Tom had formed a plan and he felt only smug satisfaction as he walked into the Great Hall and took a seat beside Eridanus Avery.
"Avery." Tom said, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Riddle!" Eridanus cried, "Are we still-" The timid boy paused, looking around cautiously at the other students at the table.
"Are we still meeting tonight at the usual time?" Eridanus finished in a whisper, shooting a wary glance at Rosalie, who was eating dinner alone a few places down from them.
Tom felt a familiar flicker of annoyance at the boy's inability to be inconspicuous, "Did I give any indication that it would be otherwise?" Tom asked, his voice dangerous.
Eridanus looked fleetingly up into Tom's dark eyes and then looked down at his plate, "No, my Lord. I'm sorry, my Lord."
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that outside of meetings?" Tom snarled, genuinely annoyed now at the idiocy of the boy.
"I'm sorry, my- Riddle." Eridanus stuttered, his hands shaking as he quickly looked away and tried to pour himself some soup- a feat which proved to be quite difficult with shaking hands.
"Well look who's already in the doghouse?" Cygnus sneered, laughing as he and Abraxas settled into the seats across from Tom and Eridanus.
Eridanus looked up, blushing, "I am not-"
"Save it, Avery." Abraxas said, smirking, "One look at Riddle's face and we knew you'd already screwed up."
Cygnus laughed, causing Eridanus to glare at him, and Tom to turn his dark gaze on Cygnus.
"You're seem to be acting as if you were faultless, Black." Tom snapped, and Cygnus's laughter died in his throat. "I would not be so overconfident if I were you. If I remember correctly...you too have been less than perfect recently."
The smile on Cygnus's face evaporated and he nodded. Abraxas, for his part, became very interested in his food, refusing to look up to meet Tom's gaze.
Pathetic, Tom thought, disgusted. They were nothing more than cowards even if they did have slightly more intelligence than Avery. For the millionth time, Tom wondered whether he would be better off without them. Unfortunately, as much as he resented their company, Tom could not deny that having followers was useful.
"How was Herbology?" Tom heard Lyra ask and subtly turned his head to watch her take a seat next to Rosalie. He watched, a mild smirk forming on his face, as he saw Elaina refuse to sit next to Rosalie and inwardly laughed at the look of distress on Lyra's face when she was forced to choose between which of her new friends to sit with. She was inordinately distressed by being forced to choose, Tom realized; in fact, he'd never seen a Slytherin care so much about ensuring her friends' feelings were not hurt. The girl was peculiar indeed.
"So Tom." The syrupy voice of Druella Rosier said, jolting Tom from his thoughts. "I heard there's a rumour going around, that you have aspirations to be the future Minister for Magic. Is this true?"
Tom snapped his gaze away from Lyra to look at the inane girl in front of him. What an unfortunate waste of a human being, Tom thought absently as he looked the Rosier girl up and down.
"I don't answer to rumours, true or false." Tom replied.
"So it's true then?" Olive asked, batting her eyelashes and resting her chin on her hands. "You're just too modest to say it, but it's true, isn't it."
Tom's face twisted into an amused smirk; the girl thought he was modest...his acting skills really were as phenomenal as he'd hoped. "As I said, I don't answer to rumours." Tom replied cryptically.
"Oh come on, Tom!" Druella whined, "Just tell us. You can trust us, you know."
Tom resisted the urge to vomit at her syrupy tone and looked up in annoyance as Rosalie burst out laughing.
"Oh come on, Rosier." The redhead sneered, "You really think the oh-so-mysterious Tom Riddle is going to confide in you? You can hardly keep your mouth shut long enough to listen to anyone, let alone keep a secret."
"What do you know about-" Druella began, but Tom ignored her, glancing instead over at Lyra, who having decided to stay seated next to Rosalie was surveying the scene with mild interest. Feeling his gaze on her, Lyra looked up and their eyes met. He felt her hatred for him hit him like a physical slap in the face and forced himself to smile, despite the fury he felt running through his veins. Showing his anger would only please her; he would not give her that satisfaction.
"I'm afraid I really must get to the library before it closes." Tom said, breaking eye contact with Lyra and standing up despite the protests of Druella and Olive.
"You're always at the library." Olive protested.
"Yes, well, if I am going to become Minister for Magic I need to study, do I not?" Tom snapped, leaving them to gasp and gossip about this new information as he made his escape.
Really, the stupidity of the human race never ceased to amaze him. It had taken relatively no effort at all to convince the entire population of Hogwarts that he was nothing more than a brilliant, charming, handsome young man, destined for greatness. Of course, Tom knew he was destined for greatness...just greatness of a different kind than that which his fellow students and professors were imagining.
Turning right, away from the library, Tom ascended the steps quickly, reaching the seventh floor in no time. Looking around first, to make sure no one was there, Tom began pacing in front of the wall across from the tapestry that hung on the wall.
I need a place to meet in private. I need a place to meet in private. I need a place to meet in private.
Like an answer to a prayer, a large wooden door materialized in front of him and Tom slipped inside the familiar room. As usual, the Room of Requirement had created for him and his gang a living room type environment, complete with couches and a fireplace. Tom walked over to the fire, warming his hands as he waited for the Knights of Walpurgis to arrive.
Minutes before the ornate clock the room had provided chimed eight, the door to the room opened to admit Cygnus, Abraxas and Eridanus. Tom looked up, disinterested, as the three boys found their way to their usual places on the couches. Tom drummed his fingers on the mantel of the fireplace, anxious to begin. He had much to accomplish this year.
A few moments later, the door opened again to admit Cepheus Lestrange and two sixth-year boys, Cetus Nott and Jeremiah Burke. Tom felt his chest tighten as the head of the overly-sociable Gryffindor who had insisted on becoming his partner in Potions appeared.
"What is he doing here?" Tom snarled, stepping away from the fire to fix Cepheus with a look that would frighten children.
Cepheus met his eyes bravely, "He insisted, my Lord." He replied calmly, "He was already aware of our organization when I met him in the hallway tonight. I thought it best to bring him to you so that you might take the appropriate actions."
Still distrustful, Tom scanned Cepheus's face for any signs of dishonesty, finally turning to face the Gryffindor boy.
"How did you discover our group?" He asked the boy sharply, walking towards him.
True to his house, the Gryffindor boy smiled bravely at Tom, "I overheard them talking about it." He replied, pointing towards Cygnus and Abraxas, whose faces turned white.
"My Lord, I-" Cygnus began, but Tom held up a hand.
"Silence." He snapped, turning back to the Gryffindor. "And what did you hear, exactly?" Tom asked.
"All I heard was that the meeting was tonight and that the group was only composed of those with direct ties to the ancient pureblood families. I am a pureblood...my Lord...and with your permission, I would like to join this group." The boy finished, bowing his head respectfully.
Tom considered him for a moment, "It is highly unusual for a Gryffindor to want anything to do with the traditions and values of pureblood society, let alone actively seek out membership in a group comprised entirely of Slytherins." Tom said, and the Gryffindor boy nodded.
"Yes, my Lord. I am aware. However, it was only due to an unfortunate mistake that I was even placed in Gryffindor in the first place. You see, I was not aware of what each house represented when I arrived here. So, I had decided it would be good to ask a few students for their opinion on which house was best. I ended up sitting with two Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff on the way here and they told me that the majority of the school thought that Gryffindor house was the best house of them all. Wanting to be in the best house, I insisted that the Sorting Hat place me there, despite its protests that I would be better off in Slytherin. So you see, I am not really a Gryffindor at all." The boy finished, and Tom examined him carefully.
"Conan Devlin." Tom said, "This is your name, correct?"
The Gryffindor boy nodded, "Yes, my Lord."
"Well then, Devlin. If you are to join this group, you must first prove that you are worthy."
"How so? My Lord." Conan asked.
Tom hesitated, looking around the room at the other Knights. His gaze falling on Cygnus and Abraxas, Tom smiled viciously.
"Black. Malfoy." Tom snapped, "Which of you do you think should pay for your indiscretion?"
Cygnus and Abraxas exchanged a terrified look and Cygnus stood up quickly, stumbling forward. "My Lord, it was Malfoy who began the conversation. He should be the one to pay."
Tom looked at Abraxas, "Is this true, do you believe you should be the one to bear the punishment for this infraction?
"I-I-I am sorry my Lord. Yes, my Lord, I will pay." Abraxas replied, bowing his head, his hands shaking from fear.
Tom wrinkled his nose in disgust at his weakness and turned to Cygnus, catching a smug look of triumph on his face before he had time to hide it. Tom felt a current of rage pass through him.
"Black." He snapped, on your knees."
Cygnus looked up at him in utter terror.
"What are you waiting for?" Tom snapped.
With trembling legs, Cygnus knelt down, looking up fleetingly at Tom.
"Now, Devlin." Tom said, turning to look at the Gryffindor, who was clearly trying not to betray his fear. "You want to be a Knight of Walpurgis?"
"Yes, my Lord." Conan replied, his voice wavering only a little.
"Do you know how to perform the Cruciatus Curse?" Tom asked, a hint of a smirk on his face.
At the mention of the curse, Conan's face went white and he nodded mutely.
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" Tom asked, stepping back and watching with an evil smirk as Conan slowly approached Cygnus.
His lip trembling, Cygnus looked up at Conan, pleadingly. If Conan felt any pity for him, he hid it well as he lifted his wand slowly and pointedt in Cygnus's face. A moment of silence fell over the room before Conan cried "Crucio" and the room filled with blood curdling screams.
The other Knights covered their ears and after a moment, Tom came up beside Conan and nodded. At once, Conan lowered his wand and Cygnus gasped for breath, clutching his sides.
"Well done, Devlin." Tom said quietly, and Conan looked over at him, his breathing rapid.
"However," Tom said sharply, turning away from Conan to survey the room, "I cannot trust you yet."
"My Lord, what will it take, for you to trust me?" Conan asked, bowing his head.
Tom turned to him, a smirk twisting his handsome features.
"Have you heard of a girl named Lyra Reed?"