From an external perspective, Tom Riddle was casually sitting at the library, studying. A book lying down on the table between his elbows, his forehead resting on his joined fingers, he seemed to be reading a particularly complex passage. He was so focused on the text that no noise made him look up. He looked just like a normal seventh-year student, studying. But Tom Riddle was not a normal student. In fact, he wasn't reading at all. Tom was plotting his next move.
Yesterday morning, Theodore Lestrange made him realize what was the only way to obtain the precious information from Yasmina Shafiq. Seducing her was not a brilliant plan in itself. It was actually pretty basic. After all, it was not surprising - Theodore could not come out with a brilliant plan by himself given his rather limited intellectual capabilities. However, since Shafiq was the total opposite of girls swooning over him, she knew he would not try to charm her. Shafiq was so certain of her insensitivity that she would not see it coming. That's what made this plan so perfect.
He closed his eyes, thinking.
Seducing women was a piece of cake, especially here at Hogwarts. Girls were so predictable. They only needed a smirk here, a wink there, and a touch when necessary. Tom has mastered this game years ago when he was only a boy. The more the years went by, the easier it got. His charisma reached everyone in these walls – girls, boys, even teachers.
Tom had used this tactic several times in the past. It was crazy how only a kiss could make girls reveal crunchy family secrets. He smiled. This strategy coupled with precise intimidation or innocent charm has allowed him to know everything that was going on inside this school. Each secret could have its usefulness at the right time. Knowledge made him powerful, more powerful than any other person in this castle.
This is why he needed to learn what she was hiding, especially since he had overheard Dumbledore tell her that she should absolutely not reveal this secret to him.
Now, where to start?
Certainly, he could not go into their apartment and kiss her. This would not work with her. She was not that naïve and was already suspicious of him. Moreover, Shafiq was short-tempered enough to jinx him without any second thoughts. He needed a better plan.
He had to be patient.
Somehow, Tom knew he had to apologize to her. It was very uncommon for him, unthinkable even. He never apologized for anything. Yet, alone with her in their quarters, that might be possible. He had to make her believe that he want to be an amiable colleague, a friend, maybe. Her guard would go down, and then he could start the next phase.
Tom mindlessly played with his black stone ring, a cunning look in his eyes. His plan was flawless.
0o0o0
"What the hell is this?"
Yasmina approached the book to her face and tried to decipher the rune inscribed on the page. She grunted and browsed into the gigantic manuscript to find a lead that could help her write this time-consuming essay.
The Head girl was sitting at the table of the apartment, her eyes moving back and forth between the two volumes. After flipping pages for almost ten minutes, she finally found what she was looking for. She wrote two paragraphs, but her quill stopped briefly when she heard the portrait open with its usual screeching.
Yasmina ignored the Head boy, but he went straight for her. "Can I talk to you?"
"Make it quick, I have to complete this essay."
He slowly sat down in front of her and took his time before talking; doing the exact opposite of what she had just asked him. She sighed and wrote another sentence on her parchment.
"I want to apologize for my obnoxious temperament these past few weeks."
She knocked over her ink container and its content spilled all over her parchment. But she didn't mind trying to minimize the damage on her already average essay. Her eyes darted to the Head boy, wide. "What?"
With a flick of his wand, the ink disappeared and her essay was saved. "I'm serious. I'm sorry."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you deserve an apology."
She frowned, unable to believe a single word he said. "Why do you do this? What's in it for you?"
He sincerely laughed. Yasmina had never seen his black eyes so cordial. "Nothing's in it for me, Shafiq. You are Head girl and I'm Head boy. We will have to work together and cohabit all year long. It would be easier if we could just get along."
She felt incredibly uncomfortable. Tom Riddle was seemingly honest in his apology. She had never heard him apologize to anyone before. Why was he doing this now?
"Don't overthink it. You know I'm right about this."
He was right indeed. She had dreamt of having a normal colleague for Head boy for weeks. Her smile faded when she remembered his wand on his throat and his dangerous threats. Her eyes grew colder.
"What about Dumbledore? I know you have not forgotten this."
"You're right, I have not. But I'm tired of trying and honestly Shafiq, I have better things to do than to focus on Dumbledore."
She blinked. "I don't believe you. You always get what you want. What's different this time?"
He sighed, slouching back on his chair, focused on the ceiling. "I'm leaving this place in less than a year and I won't ever hear of Dumbledore again. I don't care about him and I feel our professional relationship is more important to my day-to-day life than his precious secret. I don't ask for much. I just want us two to be cordial."
She rubbed her temples, thinking. "I will try being more… cordial. But I don't forgive you and most of all, I still don't trust you."
"I don't ask you to."
Yasmina looked down on her work to avoid having to face his insistent gaze. She grabbed her quill and went back to work, giving him a clear signal to leave her alone. She sighed when she realized that he was not going to go away.
Riddle made absolutely no movement toward his room. He took out parchment paper from his bag and started writing what seemed like a letter. She bent her head a little, trying to read upside down, but stopped when he raised a brow at her. She went back to her work in silence, trying to ignore the Head boy in front of her.
No matter how many times he apologized, she would still be on her guards around him. That fool had threatened her and she was not going to forget it soon. Her hand instinctively reached for her wand.
When he put down his quill and folded his letter several minutes later, she looked at him. "Do you really believe that this... partnership is going to work? We can't stand each other. I won't befriend you tomorrow, you know."
"I already have friends, Shafiq. I just need a colleague. And even if you spent most of your time shouting at me, I still believe you are a valuable counterpart."
She stared at him, impassive. "You think I'm valuable?"
"You're intense, creative. You're clever, less than me, of course, but still clever."
There it was again, his intolerable vanity. "You're not cleverer than me," she could not help but snap back.
"Perhaps," he lied brazenly. "But I still have better grades than you."
"Well, I bet I can beat you at the next Transfiguration practical exam," Yasmina said without thinking, strung in her Head girl pride. Perhaps an honest defeat would deflate his insufferable ego.
He scoffed. "You wish. And Dumbledore is definitely not neutral ground."
"At least he isn't under your charm like all the other teachers."
Yasmina was a good student, but she knew that Riddle was better than her. He had perfect grades at his OLW's where she could only get one O in Transfiguration and E's everywhere else. Yet, Dumbledore seemed to seriously distrust Riddle and this could turn to her advantage.
He grinned. "You might be right. What is at stake for the winner?"
"Two weeks of patrols," she answered after a pause.
"A month."
"Three weeks."
He finally rose from his seat, smirking. "The game is on! I better leave you to it, then. After all, you'll need all the time you can to win." He seemed incredibly pleased with himself as he walked up to his room and close the door.
This was definitely not the night she had expected.
0o0o0
The seventh years sat down together at the Gryffindor table for lunch. Fortunately, they had their Friday afternoon off. In theory, this period was dedicated to homework, but they all suspected that it was in fact a time to recover from the Transfiguration class. Yasmina sat between Mary and Thomas, while Hadrian and Eve were installed in front of them, facing the rest of the room.
Hadrian poured some water. "I'm getting used to this four hours class of Transfiguration."
They all nodded silently, busy eating. Thomas masticated his sandwich and slowly swallowed, his brows frowned. "Yet, I still can't understand why Dumbledore wants us to be able to transfigure each other into ostriches."
Mary giggled. "I heard him tell Professor Merrythought that when he was a first-year at Hogwarts, students could not take two steps without being turned into ostriches."
They all chuckled. Yasmina could not get her head around the fact that someone once transformed Professor Dumbledore into a gigantic bird. Suddenly, Eve and Hadrian stopped laughing, their eyes fixed at her in consternation. She felt self-conscious. "What?"
"Hey, Shafiq," said Tom Riddle's voice right behind her.
She turned around and he was standing right there, next to the Gryffindor table, too far away from the Slytherin one. His green tie clashed at the red and gold table, but he didn't seem to mind. He appeared less cold than usual, almost friendly.
"Hi." Yasmina finally answered after long seconds of silence.
He charmingly smirked. "Are you feeling alright? You seem to have your head in the clouds."
"What?"
"You forgot your bag in the classroom."
He raised a brown leather bag in front of him and she recognized it as hers. "I thought you might need your books if you want to compete with me."
His honest action puzzled her. "Why didn't you hide them?"
"I felt it was unfair."
"Since when do Slytherins are afraid of being unfair?"
"You are so prejudiced, Head girl." He winked – actually winked – at her and went back to his table.
She watched him walk away, her bag still in her hands, brain-dead.
"Was he flirting with you?" said Thomas in disbelief, bringing her back down to earth.
"What? No, he wasn't. Are you out of your mind?" The Head girl threw her bag under the table.
Mary and Eve exchanged a knowing look. "Yes, he was."
"For God's sake, he only brought back my bag. You would have done the same."
Eve and Mary giggled. Yasmina angrily prick a cherry tomato with her fork, but the two girls' laughter only increased. Eve took a glance at the Slytherin table. "Well, if you don't mind, I will forget my bag next Friday so he can flirt with me instead. Come on, Yasmina, have you seen that smile?"
"And that wink!" Mary added, ignoring her boyfriend's disdainful exclamation.
Yasmina put down her glass on the table. "I don't know what's wrong with him, ok? In a week, he went from a misogynistic moron to a regretful moron."
"What?" Eve exclaimed.
"Yes. He came to me yesterday and apologized for being a jerk in the past few weeks. We talked without arguing and then he left. That's all. He's just trying to be cordial with me to make up for the past weeks."
Neither Eve nor Mary added anything, but the Head girl clearly saw them exchanging a knowing look, a small smile on their lips.
"Come on, he's not flirting," Yasmina repeated, astounded that no one seemed to agree with her. "Tom Riddle doesn't flirt with girls. He manipulates them."
Eve shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I don't mind him manipulating me."
"Eve!" Hadrian and Yasmina exclaimed in disapprobation while Thomas and Mary laughed frankly. The concerned send them a complicit wink.
After the lunch break, they all went upstairs to the library and settled down together on a big table. Sighing, they opened their books and dipped their quills into ink. If today was productive, they would have at least a day off this weekend. This prospect motivated Yasmina who started drafting her Defense against the Dark arts essay.
By the end of the afternoon, they all had completed their most urgent homework. Yasmina closed her books loudly in relief. At first, when she saw the librarian walk towards them in a rush, she thought it was because of the noise, but she was wrong.
The librarian cleared her throat and addressed all the students in the library. "Headmaster Dippet requests that everyone comes to the Great Hall now."
Without explaining further, the librarian left the library with small quick steps, visibly nervous. In an unusual silence, students from all houses grabbed their books and their bags. The five Gryffindors exchanged a look and followed the rest of the students downstairs. They joined several Ravenclaws coming down from their tower, but none of them knew what was going on. Her heavy bag on her shoulder, Yasmina looked around her for answers, but everyone else seemed as clueless as she was.
She knew something was off as soon as she entered the Great hall. There was a lingering tension in the air. At their table, the professors were hastily discussing, worrying wrinkles on their foreheads.
They sat down and waited, trying to read on their Headmaster's lips. He was saying something to Dumbledore and a second later, the Transfiguration professor left the room. Even though her face reflected calmness, Yasmina could feel her heart pounding rapidly and her mouth drying up. As a Head girl, she had to appear composed. She even smiled reassuringly to a group of nervous first years sitting nearby.
When the Headmaster finally stood up a dozen minutes later, the murmur of conversations immediately faded away. He pinched the bridge of his nose, visibly looking for the right words. "Good evening. I – I am saddened to inform you that a terrible event took place this late afternoon in London. The forces of Grindelwald have attacked the Ministry of Magic at rush hour. We have very few details for now, but we have decided to inform you before you learn the news in the papers next morning." He paused for several long seconds. "We know that several of you have family members working for the Ministry. We are currently gathering information and professor Dumbledore has been sent on site. We know for sure that Grindelwald has now left the Ministry without being arrested."
Dippet sighed and took off his glasses.
"I have to tell you that several casualties have been reported. I strongly suggest that you write to your loved ones tonight to make sure that they are safe. Do not hesitate to come to any teacher if you need any help during these difficult times."
As if this speech drained all his energy, the Headmaster fell back in his seat, looking a thousand years old. No student dared to say a single word. And then, seconds later, panic arose.
Yasmina's father worked at the Ministry. He was a consultant for the Wizengamot and often worked on Fridays afternoon since it was the best moment of the week to hold casual meetings. Was he safe? How could she know, so far away from London? Yasmina felt trapped and claustrophobic in the castle, so far away from her family. For all she knew, he could be one of the casualties.
She had to send a letter to her parents. Now.
She rose abruptly, knocking over her empty plate, and left the Great hall in a hurry with dozens of concerned students. She heard someone call her name, but she ran forward.
She stopped halfway to the Owlery and entered a deserted classroom. Yasmina rummaged through her back and took out parchment, ink, and quill. Her hands were shaking with adrenaline, making it even more difficult to scribble a few legible words. "I heard about the Ministry. Are you safe? Y."
The Gryffindor folded the parchment, threw her quill back into her bag, and started running again. Merlin, she was not in good shape at all.
Air burnt through her lungs when she pushed open the wooden door of the Owlery. The family owl wasn't in sight, so she grabbed the first fluffy bird she found and tied her letter to its leg. The owl seemed a bit shaken of being abruptly woken up like this, but somehow, it seemed to understand the urgency of the situation. It immediately flew out of the window and when she couldn't see it anymore, Yasmina realized that she hadn't breathed in a very long time.
She took a deep inspiration and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She had the feeling deep down that her father was safe. Yet, she couldn't help but think about the worst. What would happen to her family if her father was one of the several casualties of the attack? She dug her fingernails into her palms when she felt the panic regain control of her body.
Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. Father was not a target. She thought, barely controlling her breathing.
She took a glance around her and noticed at least ten students sending their owls out in the evening sky. The Owlery has never been that crowded. All these students were scared for their loved ones. They all had the same hazy look in their eyes, overwhelmed by anxiety. Nobody was talking, nobody was crying, but they all shared the same torpor, the same lethargic numbness.
The Head girl managed to find her way back to her apartment, wandering the corridors filled with anxious students. She had never seen the castle that agitated. "Augurey" she mumbled to the painting that swung open onto her apartment. The Head boy stood up as soon as she passed the portrait.
"I saw you leave the Great Hall."
Yasmina ignored him and went upstairs to her room. She grunted when she saw her bed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to relax until the owl came back. She went back into the living room and sat on the couch before rising up again and wandering in front of the shelves, looking for a book to occupy her distracted mind.
Riddle was still standing at the same place. "You seem upset. Do you know someone working at the Ministry?" He asked, looking more preoccupied with a stain on his sleeve than by her worries.
She stared down on him with evident aversion.
"Of course I am upset!" Yasmina exploded, angered by his lack of manners and empathy. "A psychopath has blown the Ministry up. Meanwhile, I'm stuck here between these four walls, not knowing if my family is safe. I don't know if Mary's family is unscathed or if Hadrian's mother is hurt. Thousands of wizards work there. Aren't you upset?"
"I am, but I don't know anyone who works at the Ministry."
"Not everything is about you, Riddle!" She pointed an accusatory index at him. "Maybe you could try being a little more compassionate for once! Don't your friends' parents work at the Ministry?"
Yasmina resisted the urge to jinx him. He must have felt it because he backed down. "You're right. I didn't think about that." In a second, his precedent boredom was replaced by genuine concern. He reached out to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Can I help you with anything? Have you tried contacting your family?"
"I already sent a letter and I'm waiting for an answer."
"Can't you try to call them via the chimneys network?"
She shook her head. "No. My house is not connected to the network."
He seemed surprised."Really? Why not?"
Before she could explain, the portrait opened and Eve's head appeared in the hole. Tom retracted his hand abruptly as Eve took a glance inside and noticed her friend. She sighed in relief. "I looked for you everywhere! How are you?"
She ran inside and hugged her. Yasmina shrugged. "I don't know. I wrote a letter to my father. He was probably there… at the Ministry."
Yasmina felt the tears coming up and quickly looked away. She didn't mind crying in front of her best friend, but in front of Riddle was a completely different story. Eve guided her to the couch and they both sat down. The more she thought about it, the more she felt distraught.
"Your father is an incredible wizard. I'm sure he will be alright. Let's not worry before having news. I can wait with you here."
Riddle simply nodded to the both of them and left. As soon as the portrait hole closed, Yasmina turned to her friend. "How is Mary? How is Hadrian?"
"Mary's parents were on vacation in Ireland, so they were far enough. As for Hadrian, I guessed he wrote a letter to his mom. He left the Great Hall just after you did and I haven't seen him since."
"I'm sorry I left so abruptly. I am so worried."
"It's okay, everyone is."
The two girls discussed the events at length. Minutes became hours and when Yasmina came back from the apartment's kitchen with crisps, it was already past midnight. She handed the crisps to Eve who dug in the bag with appetite. It was late. Weirdly, the more hours passed, the more relieved Yasmina felt. She thought that if something disastrous had happened to her family, she would have been informed by now. She guessed that the owl was on his way back from London and that she would get an answer soon.
Eve loudly yawned and the Head girl chuckled. "You can go, Eve. I will be okay. No news is good news, right?"
"I don't want to leave you alone."
"I assure you, I'm okay. You're tired. Go sleep and as soon as I have news I will send you a word."
Eve stood up and stretched. "If you insist. But I'm coming back here tomorrow morning and send me an owl if you have any news."
"I promise."
Eve hugged her again and left.
Yasmina went back to the couch and waited. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She occupied her mind with a book about magical villages around the world and almost succeeded in thinking about something else than Grindelwald's attack.
She has been reading for about an hour when a beak knocked in the window. The Head girl rose from her seat so fast that she almost fainted. She threw her book away and ran to the owl. Yasmina opened the window, forcing against the rusty hinges to let the owl inside, accompanied by a freezing Scotland draft. She detached parchment from its leg and opened the letter with trembling hands.
"Darling,
Your mother and I are safe. I left the Ministry earlier today and I feel incredibly lucky. I was home when the attack happened. Your mother was at her friend's on the other side of London. We are both unscathed. As you know, your brother is still in Cairo with your grandparents.
With all that is happening, maybe Hogwarts will become a target. Please, stay safe and don't put yourself in unnecessary danger.
Darling, feel free to write to us more often in those uncertain times.
Love,
Dad"
Safe.
Her father was safe. Her whole family was safe. Yasmina let out a loud, deep breath of relief. She hid her face behind her hands and took a couple of seconds to simply relax her body and appease her mind. Her attempt to meditate was interrupted by the owl who had flown on her shoulder and which was trying to attract her attention by chewing her long hair.
The smiling Gryffindor gave the owl water and it ate some biscuits while writing to Eve that her parents were safe. As soon as the owl flew outside, Yasmina lay down on the couch and closed her eyes, exhausted. She hoped that her friends' families would be as lucky as hers.
When Yasmina woke up, it was still night. She didn't know if she had fallen asleep or if she had simply passed out; the emotions had drained her. She sat on the couch, yawning. Her long hair was tangled and her robe crumpled. She knew she had to go into her bed, but she couldn't find the energy to stand up. Yasmina felt as if she had drunk a whole bottle of firewhisky by herself.
"I could use a drink," she mumbled. Maybe a drink could help her fall asleep until morning and ease the tensions in her neck.
She looked around in search of a beverage stronger than pumpkin juice and met the mocking gaze of Riddle sitting in the armchair nearby, an open book in his hand. She gasped in surprise – he was so silent she didn't even know he had come back.
She uncomfortably swallowed, knowing that she had been extremely vulnerable just a few minutes before. She had been careless. If he wanted, he could easily have used Legilimens against her while she was sleeping. However, his apparent calmness and playful grin eased her worries a bit. He did not seem threatening.
"I'm sorry to tell you that the Head's apartment doesn't provide liquors of any sort. You would have more luck in the Slytherin common's room."
"What a shame."
He laughed while she rubbed her eyes and yawned again. The Head boy pointed at the letter lying on the floor next to the couch. "I took the liberty of reading your letter. I am pleased to see that your family is safe."
"Me too. They were far from the Ministry when it happened."
"Even so, their blood should have protected them."
Yasmina snorted in disbelief. "Grindelwald has killed pureblood before."
"Yes, a terrible waste in my opinion." He said while stretching and placing his book on the side table next to him.
Yasmina noticed his abnormally casual look. He was only wearing a white bottom-down shirt and black pants. He had taken his jacket and his shoes off. His green tie was undone and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Even his hair, usually perfectly placed was a little bit messy. He was so… not Tom Riddle-y.
She quickly looked away when she realized she had been staring for a while. He noticed it but remained impassive. Maybe he was so used to being stared at that he didn't care anymore. Still, his eyes shone with an attractive satisfactory light. She felt like a moth.
"You… Grindelwald… Do you think he's using… Does Grindelwald thinks..." She sighed and hid her face behind her hands. "Never mind. It's late and I can't think properly."
Of course, her brain could not let her align intelligent words when those dark eyes stared at her like that.
"Yes, it is late," he admitted with a knowing smile.
And of course, he knew that the time had nothing to do with her mushy brain. What was wrong with her?
Yasmina avoided his piercing gaze and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already four in the morning. He looked perfectly awake. "Do you ever sleep?"
He sneered. "I do sleep. But I arrived about an hour ago and I wasn't tired."
"You don't seem to sleep a lot. And what were you doing out so late?" She stared again at his casual look.
"You seem awfully interested in my personal life."
"I'm not. It just seems… unhealthy."
"Are you concerned about my well-being? That's new," he teased, playful.
She threw him a cushion. "Stop dreaming, Riddle. I have enough on my plate already to be concerned about your well-being."
"Well, I care about yours. And I'm pleased that your family is safe and unscathed."
She stopped moving, absolutely shocked by his words. "What?"
"Come on, don't make me repeat it. It was a one-time thing," he said, rolling his eyes.
Yasmina knew that he was just saying things like that to please her. She could discern the discomfort on his face, hidden behind his teasing grin. Tom Riddle didn't care about anything but himself.
Yet, the effort deserved to be recognized. Even if she knew deeply that she would never befriend him, she understood why everyone at this school was appreciating him.
Tom Riddle was definitely a mystery.
