Slughorn has just finished lecturing about the Shrinking Solution when Professor Dippet knocks on his door. Getting a confused frown, he says "Start on your Potions, class. I'll see what the Headmaster wants."
Tom and Evelynn share frowns once the door is closed, and Evelynn murmurs "You don't think…"
Tom glances at the door, then nods and says "I do."
To Tom's utter amazement, he can actually see the urge to kill Albus Dumbledore with her bare hands written all over her face. And, Merlin, its breathtaking - not like everything else about her isn't. He murmurs "Calm down while you get the ingredients, Evelynn. I'll set up our station." While her desire to end Dumbledore is amazing to the point of arousing, its not particularly appropriate for now. As it is, he's got to think of the snake-faced monster the Horcruxes turned him into in order to deal with his current problem.
By the time Slughorn comes back in, Evelynn's got the ingredients and they're just starting on the Potion - and now its Slughorn that looks furious as he comes over, confirming their suspicions. Dumbledore did something, and its getting Tom involved - probably something to do with his father and Uncle's deaths, despite all the evidence pointing towards each other. And the detail that it happened in the middle of the day, when there were classes to go to.
"Tom? Can we speak with you in private?" The carefully-controlled tone of Slughorn's voice says he's practically spitting fire…but Tom isn't the person he'd like to be spitting it at. As if they needed any more confirmation of their suspicions.
Tom glances at Evelynn for a moment, who says "I'll be fine. Go on, Tom."
The sight makes Slughorn want to smile for a brief moment - he was getting worried about Tom for some time before Evelynn showed up, as he spent more time with his nose in a book than literally anything else. Learning is all well and good, but there's more to life than just learning. And then Evelynn showed up out of nowhere, got Sorted into Slytherin, and within a month one was almost never seen without the other for very long. Both hard workers, both incredibly brilliant - she seemed to bring Tom out of his shell, if only because Tom was so curious about her, and he seemed to help her settle in after the attack that nearly killed her. To say he was relieved would be a massive understatement.
And then the situation catches up with him - the Aurors are here to question Tom, thanks to Albus going to the Ministry and accusing Tom of having something to do with the deaths in Little Hangleton a week ago. Unfortunately for Albus, the Aurors explained everything - Albus went to the Ministry saying he's sure Tom Riddle jr. had something to do with the deaths in Little Hangleton, which legally obligated them to investigate the avenue.
First, they went to the town itself - which turned up nothing, not a memory of the boy or any trace of his magic whatsoever. The only magic they could find, in fact, was that of Morfin Gaunt - shocking, truly. He only Hexed Riddle Snr. at least once a week for decades, after all.
So now, they have to question Tom no matter how much neither of them actually believe he had anything to do with the deaths.
Neither Slughorn nor Dippet is impressed or amused by the move, accusing Tom - a fourteen-year-old! - of murder, but the Aurors are legally obligated to investigate the avenue of questioning so nobody can say they overlooked or dismissed anything. Which is why, as much as it almost physically galls him, they're getting to question Tom at all - with Dippet and himself present, of course, since an Auror can't question a Minor without their guardian present. In Tom's case - and everyone else that lives in the Muggle World for whatever reason, such as not having any Magical relatives that can take them in - that's the Headmaster and their Head of House.
As it is, Dippet has to order Dumbledore to leave - the man seems intent on being there when Tom's questioned, and Tom can only be thankful the man is not his Head of House at the moment. He'd have them just drag him to Azkaban in a heartbeat if he could, no trial or even checking of his wand - luckily, he's looked and that's not something that is legally allowed. Evelynn nearly sagged in relief at the information, and not without good reason. Fudge tried to do it to her, after all, and they're sure Dumbledore did it to Sirius Black to keep him out of the way.
As it is, Tom's got no illusions about Dumbledore not pushing for Veritaserum and checking his wand if he were allowed to ask anything.
They head to an abandoned classroom, where the Aurors proceed to interrogate him while unsubtly playing it off as 'asking a few questions' - were Slughorn not already furious, he'd be more so. Its almost laughably easy for Tom to play the Aurors, explaining how he's never actually met Tom Riddle Sr. or Morfin Gaunt, never even been to Little Hangleton before. And those answers would stay the same under Veritaserum to - one of the reasons Evelynn wanted to go take his relatives out, he'd guess. He claims he was planning on going there to find any family he might've had left after graduation, after finding a newspaper detailing the arrest of Marvolo and Morfin Gaunt - and he doesn't miss the look the Aurors share, a look that he probably wasn't supposed to notice at all.
Aurors Moody and Shacklebolt share a look, and silently agree to get the hell out of here - this is a waste of time, just like they knew it would be. The fighting between Morfin Gaunt and Tom Riddle Sr. has been going on years, long before this child was even born, there's absolutely no reason why they should be questioning a fourteen-year-old child that has never even set foot in Little Hangleton, much less murdered two people in the area. The 'tip' they got was just an old man trying to stir up trouble, nothing more.
After they confirm that, yes, Tom was in classes all yesterday and so couldn't have gone and killed two people he never even met - and mention that Thomas and Mary Riddle are alive - they move for the doorway. Time to get out of here, down a Headache Reliever each to get rid of the building migraines they can feel coming on from the whole ridiculous situation - questioning a child, really - and close this open-and-shut case for good.
And then Tom asks "What, exactly, did you think I did?"
Moody says "Absolutely nothing, lad. We just had to cover all the bases. Standard procedure." A lie straight through his teeth, hopefully he'll buy it. Honestly, accusing a child that hasn't even gotten to O.W.L. year is ridiculous.
Tom internally smirks at their uncomfortable squirming, and presses "But you had thought I might've done something, right? Is there a way to prove I didn't? I don't want anything on my record." And that is most certainly true - the last thing he wants is some mark on his record, especially when he didn't actually do the deed. Its why Evelynn went and used that Hex on his father and Uncle in the middle of the night with her Time-Turner, for Merlin's sake - so that nothing could be traced back to either of them!
Dippet nods, and says "There is a way, actually. Tom, may we see your wand for a minute?"
A large part of Tom, the possessive and defensive part nurtured at Wool's, rears its head in his chest right then - it wants to deny any contact with his wand, wants to snap that its his and nobody else's. And nobody but him or Evelynn gets to touch what's his. The other part that wins, however, recognizes what Dippet wants to do - Priori Incantem.
So, while it goes against so much of his very being, he hands over his Wand so they can see the different spells he's cast in the last few days. Nothing noteworthy appears, exactly like Tom knew it wouldn't - he and Evelynn have only been practicing the spells taught in class ever since she Hexed his relatives for just that purpose! - and Dippet and Slughorn look equal parts relieved and furious. Tom gets herded back to Potions class by Slughorn, who's muttering about ridiculous accusations - so, that's how Dumbledore did it. He went straight to the Aurors, not even stopping to consider the detail that he was innocent.
Were he not furious about the lengths Dumbledore is apparently all-too willing to go to in order to get him arrested and thrown into Azkaban, it would actually be laughable - as it is, Tom is stone-cold furious. The man tried to get him thrown in jail on a feeble suspicion! Nothing but his own biased opinion and the vaguest connection to him! Honestly, its so far past ridiculous that its bordering on mental.
Still, he's free and clear, and there's nothing Dumbledore can pin on him - not through the memories of anyone in Little Hangleton, not with Priori Incantem…not with anything. He can only hope, for now, that this stunt gets Dumbledore in trouble somehow or other.
When he gets back in the classroom, he instantly notices its more freezing-cold than usual - and Evelynn is all but decimating her poor Daisy roots as she chops them rather furiously. And he thought she was angry back in Diagon Alley that day… This surpasses even that, she looks positively murderous.
He makes his way over, quickly relieving her of the knife she's using - using in a way that speaks of years of experience - and murmurs "Its fine. We're fine." He stirs in the roots, even as Evelynn starts violently shaking the bottle of Wormwood and thoroughly juicing the rather unfortunate leeches. Dear Merlin and Morgana, Tom's very sure she's actively plotting Dumbledore's gruesome death - beautiful, absolutely breathtaking actually, but not something they can do right now. The thought that he'd be the one to talk someone else down from murdering Albus Dumbledore viciously is an outlandish thought, but Tom gets the feeling its exactly what he's going to be doing after class.
Sure enough, its exactly what he's doing after class, hiding the two of them away in an abandoned room in the Dungeons instead of heading to lunch and proceeding to attempt to charm Evelynn out of her anger once she learns what the old man did. Not that any of his charisma ever truly enchanted her before now - he knows, he tried before the summer. Hell, he tried during the summer a few weeks after learning everything about Evelynn. It never really worked - it amused her to no end, she'd respond with some witty comeback, but he never managed to reduce to her a stammering mess like he can almost everyone else. Her blush, for all its appearances whenever he flirts with her, is entirely separate from her filter over what she says.
It actually takes Hedwig arriving in a burst of white and cold and landing on Evelynn's shoulder to sing for Evelynn to calm down. Rather, for her to start making some kind of plan to get him out of the way, rather than just storming into his office and hitting him with one or more of the very Withering Curses she was under when she first arrived. While Tom would dearly love to go Curse Dumbledore right this instant, he's clear-headed enough to know they need to think long-term. Something that'll take him out of the field and stick. And, incidentally, that either cannot be traced back to them or they cannot be faulted or charged for.
Hm…charged for. There's an idea. "Evelynn?" He waits for her to look at him, and asks "What do you think about taking Dumbledore to court?"
Evelynn's eyes light up at that, and she grins and says "I think it sounds wonderful, Tom. We'll need to wait for him to do something big, though. I'm willing to bet he'll have some story ready to talk him out of any trouble this might bring him." Unless we bring his past into it...wait, that might actually work.
She'll need to keep some stuff in the Room of Requirement, just in case, but if he does try something she'll throw the book at him so hard it'll leave him black and blue.
Tom nods thoughtfully, and says "Unless he tries something obvious, such as gaining custody of one of us."
Evelynn hums, then says "He might try it as soon as you get your Lordship, you know. I've no doubt that you'll change your last name, at least, to either Gaunt or Slytherin, and he'll panic in a heartbeat."
Tom nods, and says "I'll do that this weekend. I was thinking Slytherin. Tom Marvolo Slytherin."
Evelynn hums, and murmurs "It suits you."
Tom grins, then suddenly spins Evelynn around so she's trapped against his chest, thoroughly at his limit of self-control and patience after having to keep himself in check all through class and talking her out of her fury. "Tom! What in the world-" He cuts her off by kissing her neck, moving upwards when she tilts her head to the side.
One of her hands finds its way into his hair, tugging at it and all but urging him on since Evelynn's words are currently failing her. Eventually, though, she manages to get out that they need to head to lunch before it ends, since they've still got classes.
Damn, she's right. And, unfortunately...Transfiguration is one of them. They might need to use the Time Turner for that one, if only to give Evelynn some time to cool down from Dumbledore's outrageous stunt before heading to that particular class.
AN: Hey, everyone! Hope you like the chapter, and Dumbledore's royal screw-up. Did he seriously think, even in canon, that Tom - and Evelynn, here - wouldn't have covered his tracks? I seriously think he was actually stalking Tom at that point in canon, since he was the only person to suspect Tom Riddle Jr. of having any involvement in his relatives' deaths. And, incidentally, the only thing I remember about anyone seeing Tom was that he was a young boy with dark hair - and that fits HOW MANY PEOPLE in Britain alone? Seriously, there is something just wrong with Dumbledore on so many levels. And knowing about his 'previous' obsession with the Hallows - and his relationship with Grindelwald, who was so obsessed with them that he used the symbol as his own personal one! - I personally find it MUCH more disturbing that he took such an interest in the last of the two Peverell lines known about in canon. Grindelwald slaughtered thousands, if not millions, in his quest to get the Hallows. Dumbledore ended up surrounded by impressionable children - call me paranoid, but something smells really fishy about that. And seriously disturbing, when you take into account Aberforth's description of their youth.
Anyway, enjoy! More chapters coming soon!