Chapter Twelve
The two week break felt very quick for the students back home. Though to the two Slytherin students who remained at Hogwarts, it felt as if time had stopped. The 'Hogwarts Express' pulled into the school on the 2nd January 1939. The first-years were now much more relaxed about school. Tom watched as the students poured back into the common room, back in their school uniforms. Eileen Prince's hair was back to it's usual long length as her step-mother had fixed it for her over the break. She didn't dare look at Tom as she retreated to the girl's dormitories. Tom clicking his fingers when Abraxas Malfoy walked in. He for once didn't look happy as he ignored Tom for the first time. Walking up to his dormitory as if he didn't seen him sitting there. This blatant act of feigned ignorance made Tom rise from his chair as he followed Abraxas to the dormitory.
"Malfoy" Tom called; standing in the doorway; he looked livid.
"Tom" Abraxas spoke back with a sense of annoyance in his voice.
"What is making you act like this? We have been conversing frequently over letters these last two weeks. Now you act like you don't know me...Why?"
Abraxas was debating on whether to tell him the truth or not. He turned around and he could see Tom looking irate. Abraxas recalled those many letters indeed as he clicked his tongue. The truth was that Abraxas' father had asked who Tom Riddle was and went digging. He went spare at his son when he discovered that he was a boy who lived in a muggle orphanage.
"You are not a pure-blood" Abraxas told him. Those words seemed to pierce what little heart Tom had.
"Says who?"
"My father. He noticed your name on one of our letters and was curious. He says there is no wizarding family with the surname 'Riddle'"
Tom placing his hand over his heart. He was hoping this wouldn't be discovered by his little group. He had been expecting it at some point but just not this soon. He was known however to have the gift of the gab. So he changed his expression to a look of deep regret. He still didn't quite know where he came from yet. He hadn't tracked down either of his parents' names yet. He just knew (thanks to Dumbledore) that his father has never been to Hogwarts due to the surname 'Riddle' being on none of the Hogwarts books.
"I don't know who my parents are, Abraxas. I never hid the fact I'm from a dirty muggle orphanage. I grant you it's not something I'm proud to admit however I'm not...I'm not a mudblood" Tom managed to say with a burning hatred.
"My father says there can be no way of knowing"
"My middle name is Marvolo. That's not a muggle name, you do agree to that?" Tom questioned with a small hint of desperation.
He suddenly felt like the little power he had with the Slytherin students was slipping from his fingers. He was already lectured to by the seventh-year student Charles and his potions master, Horace Slughorn. He could take no more humiliation. He felt exposed.
"Marvolo may or may not be a muggle name, Tom. I can't quite say" Abraxas admitted.
"Listen. I understand your father's concern. The Sorting Hat however has put me in Slytherin for a reason. I can talk parseltongue...I haven't told anyone yet but I hold you and your family with such high respect" Tom began, trying to butter him up as he added..."I believe I'm the heir of Salazar Slytherin"
"You can speak parseltongue?"
"Oh yes. I realized it while you were at home. I always knew I could talk to snakes, I have always known but I didn't have a name for it until now"
"If you are the heir of Slytherin. It changes everything"
"I'm aware. Now please don't ignore me like that again. Because I can easily make Avery, Nott, Lestrange and Prince ignore you...For daring to show me, the heir of Slytherin, such disrespect!" Tom spoke; shouting the last sentence.
Abraxas was now the one who suddenly felt small. He just nodded, not looking in his eyes now.
"If I thought there was a chance you were the heir-"
"Yes. Yes...Forget it" Tom interrupted. Not wanting to hear him grovel.
...
Everyone was back to their usual school routine in the day that followed their return. Lucy was currently sat in the hallway with Argus as the two of them were playing the muggle game of marbles during her morning break before lessons began again. Though of cause it had to be ruined as Walburga Black came over and gave the marbles a quick kicking; spoiling it.
"Oi!" Argus hissed up at her; getting up suddenly as he got out his list. Putting another tick next to her name.
"Oh no...Not the dreaded list! Please don't Argus!" Walburga shouted in a mocking tone.
Her friends giggling in the background. The only thing saving her from a forced caning was the fact she was a girl. Argus would simply not punish girls, he always left that to Oakleigh Burton. He just sat back down and helped Lucy place the rest of the marbles back in the little pouch bag.
"You remind me of Kreacher...Except I like Kreacher" Walburga added after a few moments; her friends giving another giggle between one another.
"Squibs are worse than house-elves...They don't even have magic" one of girls spoke up with her arms crossed.
Argus' face went red. They knew just the right words to demean him. Lucy could sense this as she stood up herself. Her black hair still in plaits as it always was, making the slightly older girl turn her attention her for the first time. She knew a little about Lucy Norris.
"Yes?" Walburga asked with her own arms now crossed.
No answer came as Lucy was trying to think of the right word (or words). She just got out her wand and without really thinking, she shouted...
"Flipendo!"
Making Walburga fall backwards and land onto the floor. Lucy felt her hand shaking as she put her wand back in her pocket. She never used a offensive spell before on anyone outside of class however the way Walburga spoke to Argus had made her so uncomfortable. Lucy felt the older girls' eyes on her and they looked furious. Argus grabbing onto her arm as he stood in her way.
"That was a very grave mistake" Walburga warned her. Standing back up from that stun.
"I didn't see anything" Argus spoke up; attempting to defend her.
"It doesn't matter about witnesses you imbecile. Headmaster Dippet will use the prior incantato on her wand and will see what spell she used last" Walburga hissed.
Marching past them both as she was on her way to find him. Tom Riddle and those like him would do anything to get rid of the muggle-born students. This was just a small way of discrediting one in Walburga's eyes. Lucy felt her hand shaking in her pocket. She hated the feeling that she gave one of the bullies ammunition. Argus keeping his hand grasped around her wrist.
"You will just get a warning...It wasn't bad enough to warrant anything else" Argus assured her.
"R-Really?"
"Yes. Trust me"
...
Lucy found herself worried for the entire morning. She could barely concentrate as she sat in the 'History of Magic' class. Cuthbert Binns droning on about the soap blizzard of 1378. Her fears were confirmed as the door opened with her 'Head of House' Charity Anne Burbage standing there. She said...
"Sorry to disturb your class Professor Binns. May I borrow Lucy Norris for a few moments?" Charity asked.
Some of the students looking in her direction as something slightly interesting was finally happening in this class. Lucy knew this must have been coming. Binns just nodding as he told her...
"Yes, go ahead"
Charity looking at Lucy as she urged her to come on. Lucy getting up from her desk, leaving her things behind. Her wand still her robe pocket as she followed her outside. The droning voice of Binns carrying on his lecture as the students turned back to the front. Lucy knew this must be about casting flipendo on Walburga Black.
"I think you know what this is about. You cast flipendo on Walburga Black earlier this morning. Headmaster Dippet will not take it any further as he knows and I know it's deeply out of character for you, Lucy. As your 'Head of House', I have to give you a warning and I have to take ten points from Hufflepuff. Though because you haven't done anything like this before, that's as far as it goes" Charity explained.
"She...She was saying nasty things about Argus"
"I don't doubt she provoked you, Lucy. Though the fact was that only you cast a spell, not Walburga. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I'm sorry"
"Well that's why I'm speaking with you in private. You're a lovely girl, don't let her spoil it. I'm speaking to you with your best interests at heart. Keep your head down, work well in lessons and keep to your friends, not your enemies"
With that, she was sent back into the classroom as she sat at her desk. That just made her feel awful. Walburga knew exactly what she was doing. Myrtle giving her a small smile. She knew how it felt to get into trouble here, Horace Slughorn gave her detention after all.
...
"Professor Burbage is right. Don't let Walburga get under your skin" Ruth Fisk was saying. Lucy had told her three Hufflepuff friends in the common room about it.
"She was talking about Argus and said he was like a house-elf. I couldn't just let her walk away. She speaks such bile" Lucy replied.
"I know. She's spoken to me before. Said I'm a disgrace to my Slytherin family because of me being in Hufflepuff. You know the Black family are one of the worse families. They marry one another to keep the bloodline pure too" Ruth expressed.
Victoria and Poppy creased at the thought. Now wizards and witches do end up marrying relations sometimes however the family connection are usually so far removed that it doesn't matter. The Black family however are known for marrying first and second cousins, they take it too far.
"It's why they are so messed up according to my mother. You can't find many outsiders in the Black family. Those that do are ostracized from that family" Poppy chimed in.
"So don't let her get to you. Just let me know if she mocks you or Argus again. You can vent to me...Anything to avoid you being expelled because of that banshee. She's not worth the bother" Ruth told her firmly.
"She makes Eileen Prince look approachable" Poppy said.
Making Victoria and Ruth laugh. The mood finally lifting as Lucy relaxed. Maybe she was overthinking everything. Ruth got out her timetable as she started to look through it. The mood was light-hearted for the rest of the night as the girls went on to talk about more casual topics.
...
TBC