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Chapter 7
The first night of his detention with Professor Davis was, in Tom's opinion, not a total disaster. He'd asked her about endorsing his moving up a grade. "You know Mr. Riddle, I am very disappointed in you." She'd said shaking her head slightly. "Professor, I know what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have let what Francis said affect me in that way. I'm really sorry." He said with his head hung low.
"I'm sure you are, Tom, but that doesn't change the fact that broke someone's jaw, luckily you were both mended quickly." She'd told him. "Now, for the week you'll be doing lines. I want you to write until I tell you to stop, 'I will not resort to muggle violence no matter what it said.' Do you understand?" Tom had been expecting something more along the lines of having to do manual labor. It's what Mr. Edwards would have done. "Yes Professor." Tom answered and sat at his usual desk, pulled a piece of parchment and his quill from his bag and began to write.
Tom was still writing but in a dazed sort of way, almost as if the movements of his quill on the parchment were an involuntary action, when Professor Davis spoke again. "My goodness, I lost all track of the time! That will do for tonight Tom, you may go." She told him wearily.
It was well after midnight and he was very hungry. When he got to the Slytherin common room Arthur was still waiting up for him. "Blimey! I was beginning to think she was going to keep you there all night!" He said stifling a yawn. "She lost track of time." Tom said just before a loud rumble came from his stomach.
"You must be starved! Here, Professor Gregory had the house elves send you some food." He told him pointing to a small table and chair in a corner. "Thank God! I'm so hungry I could eat that chair." He smiled pointing to a chair by the fire that he could have sworn just moved at his words.
"I'm going to bed. You eat and come up when you're done, night." He called heading towards their dormitory. "Night." Tom said just before he took a huge bite out of an extremely wonderful tasting turkey leg.
He'd eaten his fill and drained his cup of pumpkin juice and leaned back to enjoy the silence. He must have fallen asleep because he began dreaming of the beautiful woman again.
"My son, my wonderful son." She said stroking his cheek. "Mother." Tom said as tears of love ran down his face. "I have so much I want to ask you. But I just want to enjoy having you here with me right now." He said hugging her. "There will be time again soon for us to talk Tom. Right now you need to wake up, it's time for class." She said starting to sound like someone else.
"Tom, c'mon mate! It's time for class." He heard more clearly this time. It was Arthur shaking him awake again. "Did you sleep out here all night?" He asked. Tom nodded, not bothering to tell Arthur that he'd just stated the obvious. He got up and dashed for to change into clean robes as fast as he could.
The day went on as it usually did, homework being handed back. Studying more on the previous subject or starting a new one. More homework being assigned and going on to the next class to do the same thing all over again.
Lunch was exceptionally satisfying to Tom. Apparently Professor Gregory wasn't as forgiving as Professor Davis was. Tom had seen Francis in class but he hadn't really noticed anything strange until now. Francis was walking stiffly into the Great Hall, a look of sheer disgust on his face.
He went to his house table and wincing sat down to eat. "I heard Professor Gregory made him clean the girls lavatory on the second floor last night. And he made him do it without magic. Guess he found out what Francis called you and told him he should learn what it was like to be a muggle." Arthur laughed.
Despite himself Tom had felt sorry for Francis. He knew all too well what it was like to clean a loo with his bare hands. He thought about it for a short time and an eerie smile began to form on his face. "Fancy a bit of a go?" He said turning to Arthur. "By all means oh great leader, after you." Arthur said with a bow and a sweeping motion of his hand.
They started for the Ravenclaw table and were about to have a bit of fun at Francis' expense when Tom chanced a look at the staff table. Professor Dumbledore was sitting, the tips of his long fingers together. He was watching Tom and Arthur closely. Tom muttered a curse under his breath and kept moving right past Francis.
"What was all that about?" Arthur asked. "Dumbledore was watching." Tom said stiffly. "DAMN! And here I was ready for a bit of fun. He does know how to bring a chap down doesn't he?" Arthur said muttering. "We'll have our fun, just not yet."
The rest of the day went much like the morning. Nearly boring Tom to sleep. They went down to dinner together, 'Where did the time go?' Tom thought. All too soon he was back with Professor Davis who was looking quite a bit angrier then she had the night before.
"Well, Mr. Riddle, I've just been informed of not only what Professor Gregory has been making Mr. Adalbert do. But also what Mr. Adalbert said to provoke you." She started, "So you too will be cleaning the girls lavatory on the second floor. However, you will get to use magic to do so. I may not agree with Professor Gregory's methods but I certainly don't condone what Mr. Adalbert said to you." She finished pointing to the door.
They walked in silence Professor Davis leading the way. When they reached the bathroom Tom thought he'd heard something but brushed it off as his imagination. They walked in to find Francis on his knees cleaning the floor with what looked like a toothbrush.
"Ah, Professor Davis. I thought you might be here tonight." Professor Gregory said sardonically. "Yes Professor, I thought it only fair the pair of them clean together. Although I am allowing Mr. Riddle to use magic." She answered looking directly at Francis who's jaw had just dropped open.
"Not a word Mr. Adalbert!" She spat. "As I told Mr. Riddle, I may not agree with the actual punishment I also do not agree with what you said to him. Calling him a half-breed. Honestly, if it weren't for muggles Mr. Adalbert wizard kind would have died out centuries ago!" Tom was astounded. He'd never met anyone who'd gotten that angry over name calling before.
"I believe your Mother was a muggle Professor Davis?" Professor Gregory said pointedly. The meaning of her anger was now crystal clear. "Yes, she was. My father was the last in our line, had he not married my mother the family name would have died with him." She answered a little more than angry. Tom heard Francis mutter something under his breath. Professor Davis' eyes lit with anger, "No Mr. Adalbert he couldn't have married a pureblood, you see, my father was an outcast in the wizarding world! He, unlike some, enjoyed interaction with muggles. And because of that no pureblood, as you called them, would have him!" She finished, her eyes blazing with anger.
Francis did not mutter another word but instead went back to his work. By the end of the night although Tom was a bit tired, Francis was more stiff than he'd looked at lunch. Tom didn't have the heart to have a go at him.
He walked back to the Slytherin common room with Professor Gregory by his side. "Professor, why do the purebloods hate the rest of us so much?" He asked, the question had been eating away at him for some time. "Well Tom, the purebloods are something like that Hitler fellow. He believes that the only 'people' who deserve anything are pure whites or Arian's. Some of them, wizards that is, will stop at nothing to rid the world of what they believe are an 'undesirable element.' Do you understand?" Tom nodded. "With that said, you must understand however, as Professor Davis said before, if it weren't for wizards and witches marrying muggles wizard kind would have died out a long time ago." He told him.
"But why? Why did they have to marry muggles? What happened to all the generations of pureblooded wizards?" Tom asked. "That is actually quite simple an answer. Think of it this way, if all wizards and witches kept marrying each other over the centuries then there would be a lot of very mentally unstable magical folk running about. There's a word for it, what was it? Oh yes, inbreeding. We sort of ran out of pureblood families that haven't already married into each other. As a matter of fact Professor Davis is my cousin. Her father was my mother's sibling." As though a funny thought had occurred to him, Professor Gregory began to laugh.
Noticing Tom's look of bewilderment Professor Gregory said, "I was thinking about an American wizard friend of mine who told me that some muggle Americans have interbred with their families. It's actually rather disgusting if you think about it. 'Hello, I'd like you to meet my cousin/wife." He said with a slight shudder.
They had reached the portrait guarding the Slytherin common room, "Well, goodnight Tom. I'll see you in class tomorrow." "Goodnight Professor."
A S/N: Ok before anyone goes agro on me about the whole "American Inbreeding" thing. It DOES happen and has, as a matter of fact, happened to a very dear friend of mine. Her great-great grandparents were first cousins. That's where I got the "I'd like you to meet my cousin/wife" statement from. Toodles for now :o)