Chapter Thirteen~ A True Friend?

About a week or so after Hermione got out of the Hospital Wing, Harry told them all something that made Riley feel her heart freeze in her ribcage. It was while they were in the Common Room he told them about finding a diary in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and being shown a vision—from a student named Tom Riddle. Now as they walk outside with the snow having melted from the Christmas snowstorm he explains,

"It was Hagrid. Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."

"It can't be Hagrid, it just can't be!" Riley said in shock only he shook his head in dejection as if he didn't want to believe it either, but whatever he had seen had convinced him.

"We don't even know this Tom Riddle. He sounds like a dirty, rotten snitch to me." Ron said making a face so that inside Riley bit her tongue hearing him talk about her friend so as Harry told him,

"The monster killed somebody Ron, what would any of us have done?"

"Look, Hagrid's our friend, why don't we just ask him about it?" Hermione suggested only Ron snorted saying as they continued onwards with a dramatic tone,

"That'll be a cheerful visit! 'Hello Hagrid! Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?"

"Mad and hairy? You wouldn't be talking about me now would you?" a sudden voice asked so that they all stopped short seeing Hagrid of all people before them so that they all stammered out,

"No!"

"What's that you got Hagrid?" Riley asked tentatively so that he looked at the pot he was holding before he shrugged telling them easily,

"Oh, It's a- Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent. For the Mandrakes, you know. Now, according to Professor Sprout, they've still got a bit o' growing up to do. But, once their acne's cleared up, we'll be able to chop 'em up and stew 'em, and then we'll get those people down at the hospital un-Petrified. In the meantime, though, you four had best be looking after yourselves. All right? Hmm?" they all nodded before they heard huffing and puffing and turned to see Neville coming running over so that Hagrid said,

"Hello Neville!"

"Harry—I don't know who did it, but you'd better come! Come on!" he seemed so nervous and afraid that the four quickly raced to follow him all the way back to the Gryffindor Tower, then into the Common Room where he lead them to the boys dorms where they discovered Harry's dorm destroyed completely and a total mess.

"It had to be a Gryffindor. Nobody else knows the password—unless it wasn't a student." Riley said stepping carefully over the mess as she watched Harry looking for something as Ron wondered,

"Whoever it was they must have been looking for something." and as Harry got up he nodded saying as he exhaled,

"And they found it. Tom Riddle's diary's gone." at this Riley suddenly connected two and two—Tom Riddle had a diary! Eyes widening in amazement, she felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach as Hermione turned to her asking,

"Are you alright?" she nodded putting on a fake smile saying,

"It's just amazing that someone tried to break into the dorm." she lied easily so that Hermione agreed, but as they left the dorm Riley went up to hers saying she had forgotten something. With no one else there, she looked around for the piece of paper Ginny had given her. She spent a good while looking for it but wasn't able to find it and frustrated pulled at her hair saying,

"So you're the Tom I was friends with in my dreams." then looking around feeling lied to and wounded because of it she said softly,

"You lied to me Tom, how could you?" with that she left the dorm to return with her real friends. The day quickly came to an end and when she found herself in her dorm to go to sleep she actually was afraid to—worried she might see Tom and have to deal with him. Yet unfortunately she fell asleep and found herself looking at Tom grinning at her. By now they were accustom to meeting but Riley said to him,

"Go away Tom." looking bewildered, he asked her sounding confused,

"Why ever for?"

"You lied to me!" she snapped so that he raised an eyebrow as she spat back at him,

"You had a diary, one that Harry found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom which I could have used to help you! No! Instead you lied to me using me to just force information out of me!" he frowned before looking away as she stepped over and slapped him across his cheek causing him to turn towards her and with a rage unknown to her he grabbed both her wrists and snarled in her face,

"You will regret that!"

"I thought you were my friend Tom! I thought we were friends!" Riley said trying not to cry but it was useless now that he was seemingly trying to crush her bones—and she was only dreaming!

"Friends don't lie to friends, friends don't hurt their friends the way you did!" Riley continued as she started to cry so that she felt weak and giving up rested her forehead on his shoulder feeling him stiffen under her. They were still for a moment before he let her go and did something that amazed her—he wrapped his arms around her saying to her softly,

"You are—perhaps indeed—my only friend Riley." sniffling, Riley moved closer to the embrace hearing his tone drop an octave or two as he said into her hair,

"But do not hate me for what is to come—I must finish my legacy of work."