"Dying is a Delicate Moment"
A fanfic by Agara
"Kill me. Kill me if you ever loved me."
And he kills her.
CHAPTER SEVEN : CLUB
Thoughts are written in italics
Big Line : New POV
OoOoOo : Same POV / Time lapse
Song : Club by Lomepal
15.11.1942
"I've contacted one of the editor at the Daily Prophet, no article about anyone other than Tuft is going to be released in the two weeks to come." Thorus explained, standing, both of his hands resting on the wooden table beneath him. "Unless something important happens."
In front of him, Edmund Rosier shifted awkwardly.
"Is your father going to do something important Rosier ?" Abraxas sneered.
Not again.
The latter opened his mouth, ready to spat at Malfoy but Antonin put a hand on his shoulder from stopping him do to so. "No. You don't need to answer."
Then Tom clapped his hands, slowly and loudly. The seven boys stopped talking.
"Well done boys. And me, who thought, you could put your families quarrels aside for more than…" He checked his watch. "24 minutes. I can honestly say that you are progressing. Last time you had managed only twelve minutes. If you keep that pace maybe in a month or two we will be able to have a normal conversation for more than an hour."
Tom knew they all valued his opinion, and he could see at this moment in their eyes the shame he had brought upon them.
"Thank you Thorus. You are the only sensible one here today it seems. Your information is very valuable and instead of provoking Rosier about his father's behaviour, maybe if all of your fathers did something important the same day it would force the Daily Prophet to actually write something about them."
They all nodded, understanding perfectly what Tom was implying. It was nearly lunchtime so Tom dismissed them. The eight Slytherins took their bags, and left the room. The seven boys were walking in front of him. It took a couple of minutes to reach the big arteries of Hogwarts from the room they held their meeting. Abraxas and Dolohov seemed to have lost their mutual resentment.
They all turned to the left, in the main corridor.
Well, look who is here.
15.11.1942
They had run into each other couples of minutes prior. She had been walking down the halls in order to get to lunch whereas he had got out of his transfiguration class. Once he had seen her, he had taken her by the arm telling her that he would escort her to her destination.
"Kids under 13 years old are not allowed to travel on their own kiddo." He had told her.
They now arrived in the main hall. Students were running in every direction and it was quite hard for the both of them to get through those waves of kids.
"Have you read the last article from Dedal Sphields ?" Pollux said.
"The one about protective runes ? Yes it was really interesting !"
Wait a few weeks and you'll see that everything he wrote is wrong.
She took a quick glance to her right and saw Isodor and Edgard. She knew the other boys were not far behind.
"What are you wearing tonight ?" She heard Milton ask not far behind her.
"The emerald green cashmere robe my great uncle just sent me from Paris. And I was wondering about the dragon hide shoes. Should I wear the grey tie or the black one ?" Abraxas wondered. "What about you ?"
"Well… I just wanted to change my shirt … ? I'm not so sure now..."
Hermione smiled to herself.
Please never change Milton.
"Milton ! You should make an effort for merlin's sakes. If you keep not taking it seriously Slughorn is not going to invite you again."
Come again ?
"And you are taking it too seriously ! It's just some poshy dinner !" The small boy retorqued, offended. "It's the fourth since the beginning of the year ! I didn't bring that much fancy clothes."
The fourth ? They've been to four dinners ? Four fucking dinners ?
Please don't tell me that you're talking about the Slug Club.
Please don't tell me that you're talking about the Slug Club.
Please don't tell me that you're talking about the Slug Club.
"You are well aware of the club's dress code." Abraxas concluded.
Fuck.
What are you going to do ? Think Hermione for fuck sakes.
Hermione started to panic.
How come it had started already ?
How come you're not invited ?
Who did Slughorn invite ?
Her heart rate sped. Her fists were clenching. Yet, she still walked as if everything was fine.
How come tonight is already the fourth dinner ? How come he had already hosted four and still didn't invite you ?
Her eyes were focused on the end on the corridor. Her palms were a little sweaty. Yet, she acted as if everything was fine.
You've been here for two months, busting your ass to get invited in those fucking parties and yet you're not getting in !
She was mad and confused. She had thought the day Slughorn would decide to plan his first dinner she would be at the top of the guest list.
"Ok, you're not listening." Pollux told her.
"Sorry what ?" She rose her head to meet his eyes.
He laughed. "What were you thinking about kiddo ?"
"Nothing ! Let's go eat, I'm starving."
Hermione, you need to get things done.
Pollux left her with a smile at the end of the Slytherin table. She sat down next to Milton.
"Hi Grace !" Isodor greeted her.
"Hi ! Haven't seen you all morning, what have you been up to ?" She replied to all the lads, a knowing smile on her lips.
"Just playing Quidditch." The boy answered automatically.
Sure you were.
She nodded casually as if she was believing his lies and she knew she was convincing in doing so. She took a small bite from her plate.
Thorus, in front of her, seemed quite focused on his shepherd pie.
Do you think he still feels guilty ? Of course he does.
Use it.
"Thorus ?" She asked. "I'm going to study History of Magic tonight, would you like to tag along ?"
He rose his head and swallowed loudly.
"Hum.. I can't tonight." He gave a quick look at Milton. "I have a dinner."
Of course you do. I guess all of you do.
The question real is : why are you not invited Hermione ?
OoOoOo
19.11.1942
Four days.
Fours days you've been wondering why you were not invited to the Slug Club.
Four days you've been trying to find out why.
Fours days, and you're still fucked.
Binns was rambling in the background. His stern voice was putting each Hufflepuff and Slytherin to sleep. She was sitting in the middle of the room, next to Belone, who was napping soundlessly. An heavy rain was pouring outside and dark clouds were announcing a storm in the next few hours.
She stared at the papers in front of her. The doodles were here. The same one she drew a couples of weeks ago : "s" shaped but bolder and larger than the last time. She quickly got rid of the quill she had in her hands. She didn't even realise she had been drawing them.
OoOoOo
19.11.1942
Isodor sighed loudly, his eyes still focused on the charm book in front of him. Hermione rose her head and looked at her friend. She didn't know if she had to speak up and help him or just ignore him. She opted for the latter and went back to her own homework.
Does Slughorn think I am too damaged by the war to go out in public ?
Isodor sighed. Again. She stopped reading and cleared her throat. He rose his head, smiled and carried on. She wondered if she helped him with his homework would he be keen to speak to her about it ? So, she whispered his name.
OoOoOo
19.11.1942
Her stomach had been rumbling since 9AM. She had gotten a part of her appetite back, not enough to eat a proper meal though. She knew Milton had two free periods right now, same as her. She headed down the common room and found him sat on the couch, reading a novel. Once he saw her, he rose to from his seat. She knew he would be up to for an early lunch. So at 11:35 AM they went to the Great Hall. The giant room was almost deserted. They sat down in front of one another, he took a bite of chicken.
Well Milton, time to talk.
OoOoOo
19.11.1942
Mr. Wink, the charm professor was explaining the wand movement for the silencing charm. In front of her, Cygnus and Isodor did not seem to listen to a word he was saying. She leaned slightly towards them in order to catch up on what they were saying. It was mainly about Quidditch, girls and brooms.
She looked around her, seeking a reason to ask them a question.
Maybe you should add a Black to your informer's list.
OoOoOo
19.11.1942
Thorus was quite surprised when she sat down next to him in Runes. He weakly smiled, afraid to screw up again by talking without thinking first. She responded to his smile. She felt he was uneasy and she knew he still felt guilty about what had happened. He would do almost anything for her to forgive him completely. So she seized the opportunity.
Let's see Thorus. If you give me valuable information, I might reconsider my anger towards you.
OoOoOo
19.11.1942
Four days.
Fours days you've been wondering why you were not invited to the Slug Club.
Four days you've been trying to find out why.
Fours days, and you're still fucked.
She settled behind her usual telescope. She liked astronomy classes, watching the stars and thinking. She was used to having Isodor next to her during this lesson, so when she heard someone sitting besides her she said, sarcastically "Tonight, you're gonna listen and not copy off my note, chaton."
"Chaton ? You are calling Avery "kitten" ? Tom mocked.
She turned around abruptly and blushed lightly.
Maybe if you obliviate yourself you might forget you called, by mistake, Voldemort "kitten".
"Where's Isodor ?" She asked, nonchalantly.
"I asked him to switch seats with me." He answered honestly.
Why ? He's never sat next to you before.
"Fine. Suit yourself." She settled for, faking indifference.
He adjusted his equipment, took a parchment from his bag then leaned comfortably in his chair.
"Still wondering Hortense ?" He spoke up.
"What ?"
"Come on. Don't play naive. You have spent your entire day questioning, not so subtlety if I may add, the lads. "
She gave him a pointed look.
"You thought you were subtle ?" He chuckled. "You might need to reconsider your moves Hortense."
She kept glaring at him.
"And yet you have missed asking the right people."
He got quiet for a few seconds, building the suspense or just enjoying seeing her this confused.
"You talked only to boys about it. Were your female friends not available for your interrogation or have you not even thought about sharing your interrogation with the fairer sex ? And me who thought you were not stupid. If you had asked them, they would have told you that they were not invited to our little gatherings either."
She felt stupid. They were in the forties and Slughorn was quite old school.
"And to be totally honest, I am hurt you did not come to see me. I thought we were friends Hortense." He mocked her.
Friends. Yeah right.
"Friends ? We barely talk." She spat.
"And you want that to change ?" He smirked.
That is not part of The Plan.
OoOoOo
20.11.1942
She would have never thought she would be glad she had talked to Tom. She felt quite conflicted about that, but he had given her the answer she had been looking for for days now. She knew she had to do something to get Slughorn to invite her. But what ?
Last night, when she had got up to her dorm and crawled under the sheet but she had not been able to sleep. Her brain had been mulling over it. In spite of getting a good rest, she had a little idea of what she could do to get it.
During her first period, Divination, she had ordered a special gift for Slughorn via the Owl Post.
While working on her brewage, in her two hours potions class, she had smiled at the professor, more than she usually did. She also had laughed louder at his lame jokes and praised his humour.
At lunch, she had got closer to the professors' table and had given the large potion teacher an article she had found intriguing and that might be interesting for him. He had thanked her, talked a little and gave her a little tap on the shoulder.
Tom was watching her, and he had his peculiar smirk on his face. It seemed as he was enjoying seeing struggling to get in. She tried not to get bothered by that.
OoOoOo
23.11.1942
She went to the Great Hall for breakfast. She sat next to third-year slytherin girls. None of the boys were there yet. She took an apple from the silver plate in front of her, poured a glass of pumpkin juice and waited. Tom arrived first. He sat right in front of her and filled his plate in silence.
Hermione heard flapping. She rose her eyes to the enchanted ceiling and saw Owls entering the big room. An elegant brown bird dropped a package before her eyes. She delicately took the box, fed the owl and the animal went away.
"Fancying crystalized pineapple ?"
It was the first time one of them talked in the last five minutes. She looked at him, not sure what to answer.
"Funny, those are Slughorn's favorite. What a coincidence." He continued, impassible.
He drank a sip of tea. "One could believe you have something in mind."
Keep teasing Riddle.
"How slytherin of me." She replied.
He smirked.
She finished eating, if anyone could call an apple a real meal, just when the other boys entered the room. She gave a quick smile at Milton and Isodor and headed towards the door.
OoOoOo
23.11.1942
Two hours of transfiguration had been the longest Hermione had ever experienced. Whether it was seeing Dumbledore parading in front of his students or just learning the same subject she worked hard on a couple of years ago. He gave them an essay to write.
"Wait up !" The professor had said. "Do not forget the essay on animagus for mid december. I am giving you plenty of time, so I am expecting some quality."
Just remembering this, Hermione sighed. She liked transfiguration, at least when McGonagall was teaching it. She had weeks to complete this assignment and she had more important business to get to for the meantime. She took her bags and walked down the halls. She turned left, into a deserted corridors.
Slughorn had not been reacting the way she had hoped this past week, so she figured she had to make her own luck. She opened her bag, ready to take out the bit of enchanted parchment, when she heard his loud voice. She rose her head and saw Slughorn strolling in front of her alongside another student, a seventh year Gryffindor.
Speaking of the devil.
"Good morning Professor !" She smiled.
"Good morning Grace ! How are you doing my dear ?" He cheerfully answered. He gave a nod towards the older student, dismissing him.
Hermione waited a couple of seconds just for the Gryffindor to get far enough.
"Did you know that this student, Heslphius Hemsdale, had been spotted by the Puddlemere United ? Apparently they just signed a contract for next year, but it is still a secret, they ought to let go one of their other players. You didn't learn it from me." She winked.
The way he smiled hearing the gossip brought satisfaction to Hermione. They chatted for a little bit longer, then she headed towards her theoretical defence against the dark art lesson.
OoOoOo
23.11.1942
Hermione tried to focus on her potions, but she kept sending quick glances at Tom. The minute he had entered the classroom he had seen the open box of crystalized pineapple on Slughorn's desk. Even though he had known from the minute the owl dropped the box this morning that she would use it as a gift to their potions' professor, he still looked quite surprised. Had he imagined she would gave it to him later ?
Without Snape as a professor she found potions to be a relaxing subject. Of course, being 3 years older than anyone else in the room and mastering each potion perfectly certainly helped too.
Two hours after the class had officially started, Slughorn asked them to bring their phials to him. The crystal containers started filling his desk. Hermione took as long as she could to thoroughly clean her table and bring him her potion. She wanted to have time alone with him, laugh a little, and give him the hint that she knew about the club and that she wanted to get in. But apparently Tom had decided that his potion lab needed to be immaculate too.
What a coincidence.
There was just the three of them now. He had a light smile on his lips, but his amusement turned into taunting.
"Professor !" He declared. "Thank you so much for the last dinner, it was a very pleasant evening. I have just received the invitation for the next gathering. I wanted to offer you some of your favorites treats, crystalized pineapple as a gift, but apparently you do not need more."
He shot a knowing looked at Hermione.
He got closer to the door but turned around just before leaving. "Just to be sure sir, it is the last dinner before your annual christmas party, isn't it ?"
"You're quite right Tom." The professor smiled.
Just before leaving the room Tom winked at Hermione.
Well, time to bring out the big guns.
26.11.1942
"She is a half-blood mate. Respect yourself." Edmund chuckled.
"A girl is a girl Rosier." Edgard replied.
Tom rose his eyes to the sky, already bored by the conversation. They were sat at the back of the room for their weekly monday class of history of magic. Abraxas, behind him, snorted at their conversation.
Edmund turned around. "Oi Malfoy ! You don't have a say in this conversation."
The blond boy raised an eyebrow, wondering what his friend meant by that.
"You're soon to be married, you're already dead in the game." Edgard explained.
"More girls to us then." Milton smiled.
"That's right Milton. Go get them, ace." Isodor patted him on the shoulder.
They kept going like that for the next ten minutes before one of the lads began talking about Quidditch.
Tom turned his head to the right, in the direction of Grace. He was used to her listening to every words they were saying even though she tried to be discreet. But today she was too focused on her book to even acknowledge them.
Tom realised the class was over when Thorus, next to him, rose from his seat and started gathering his belongings. He heard Edmund telling the lads about their Quidditch practice and inviting them to see the team. Rosier even turned around and asked Grace, but she politely declined by telling him that she needed to go to the library. After that, she left the room.
The eight Slytherins directly steered to the Quidditch pitch. Despite the thick fog covering this part of Scotland, Edmund and Edgard seemed thrilled to play. A small boy, barely 12 years old, shyly approached Tom as he was walking in the corridors.
"Excuse me." The little boy whispered.
Tom lowered his gaze. The boy appeared impressed by Tom's stature. He glanced at him but quickly looked the other way.
"Yes ?" Tom replied in a steady voice.
"There is a problem on the first floor."
Tom frowned his eyebrows. He gave a little nod to the lads and followed the first-year on the floor above. Once he arrived, he saw Peeves bothering a group of young Ravenclaws.
"Peeves, you know I will not hesitate to call the Bloody Baron." The prefect spoke up.
Peeves turned his head towards him, shrugged and left the boys alone. The way that Peeves didn't protest more gave Tom the hint that he was up to something. He didn't wait for the boys to thank him that he was already following, discreetly, the ghost. He arrived in front of the library, quickly scanned the surroundings and found no trace of the poltergeist. He followed the only path he could take : the library. He pushed the door open.
The smell of parchment and old books tackled his nostrils. He stepped into the room. Students were working on their essay, on the right, study groups were gathered to talk about transfiguration. And where Grace was supposed to be, she wasn't. She had the habit to sit on the left corner, next to the window. Even if it had been only a couple of months since she arrived, Tom knew she would not change her seat.
He had already forgotten about the Peeves' issue, and was now trying to figure out why she had lied. He walked around the library, just to make sure she was not seeking for a book. And, as he had predicted, she was not.
He headed towards the exit to join the lads on the Quidditch pitch.
She is up to something. Well, I already knew that. But let's be honest, her behaviour had been rather odd for the past few days.
Tom had expected her to follow Slughorn like his shadow the past weekend in order to get in. But she didn't. She had had her head down her books all saturday and sunday, declining every invitation to hang out each of her classmate had made her.
He was walking alongside the courtyard now, a light rain wetting his hair.
Tom had not expected her to give up that easily.
He shook his head.
She did not give up. He was sure of it. She was always disappearing somewhere. He had noticed that each wednesday night she was nowhere to be found. It was not as if he had looked for her, but he had wondered about her whereabouts. And the fridays. Every friday, they all had a free period right before their double potion class, and every friday, she fled somewhere no one knew where.
Since the moment he had seen her in the great hall, on the 2nd of May, he had known she hid something. Her story was not coherent.
He couldn't deny the fact that she had lived through a war.
He couldn't deny the fact that she was more experienced than everyone their age.
However, he couldn't help but notice her attitude towards the deputy headmaster.
He is supposed to be the only one able to defeat Grindelwald. So why does she resent him ?
He couldn't help but notice that she appeared to know Hogwarts quite well for someone who had just arrived.
It took me more than full year to know this castle. How come she manages to find her way that easily in only three months ?
Tom arrived on the Quidditch bleacher and sat next to Milton. The shorter boy asked him about what the first year wanted and Tom briefly explained, his mind still focused on his french classmate.
I know she is a spy.
OoOoOo
26.11.1942
Tom left the astronomy tower. The sky had cleared and the full moon was visible among the stars. A chill breeze passed through the trees below them and produced a dreadful noise. He put both of his hands in his pocket to warm them and started going down the stairs.
"Didn't you fancy switching seats with Isodor this week Riddle ?"
Grace was walking next to him. He found it strange because she had not spoken a word to him in the past three days.
"Why would I do that ?" He asked.
She gave him a look he had never seen before. She seemed puzzled.
"We are not friends Hortense." He continued.
"You're right." She replied. He saw realisation in her eyes, not anger or disappointment, just true awareness.
She gave him a quick nod and joined Milton. He did not know what to think. First, he just realised he had been harsh to her not that he minded, and second, she didn't seem to care at all.
OoOoOo
27.11.1942
Tom woke up earlier than usual. He got up and went to the bathroom to get ready. Once he got back to the dormitory, his roommates were all soundly asleep. He, of course by inadvertence, dropped his shoes on the floor, producing a loud noise.
"The fuck !" He heard Isodor shout at the opposite of the room.
Tom smiled. He liked bothering them.
On his way out, he slammed the door behind him.
"Fuck you Riddle !" Antonin screamed.
Tom grinned.
He made his way to the dining hall were Abraxas and Grace were eating. The silence between them was frightening. Tom figured that they had sat in front of each other by habits rather than by wish.
He sat next to Malfoy and started eating. He liked the fact that none of them talked. He didn't need to be bothered early in the morning. The blond boy just started his second plate of scrambled eggs when Grace just finish her small bunch of grapes.
Still not eating I see. She ought to eat more.
Minutes passed and not a word had been said. Their peaceful, as Tom thought, breakfast got interrupted by the daily mail delivered by the owls. A copy of The Daily Prophet dropped right beside his plate. Abraxas got a few letters from his family members.
And for once, Grace got something other than her morning paper. She had correspondances.
This is new.
OoOoOo
27.11.1942
He stirred his potion clockwise and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
He leaned in his chair and took a good look around the class. He noticed that Walburga Black was almost at the same stage as he was. Behind him Thorus and Abraxas were more focused on bickering insignificant details than the actual potion.
In front of the class, Grace was silent and concentrated on her work. She had not played her usual role today : no flutter of eyelashes and no exaggerated laugh on lame jokes. Something was not right.
How come she went from being Slughorn's pet to this ?
She was writing notes on a parchment even though it was not necessary given that the professor was sat in silence at his desk.
From this moment on, Tom noticed she did not stop writing for the rest of the class.
What are you writing Hortense ? Or who are you writing to ?
He waited for the students to leave the classroom and gave Abraxas a little nod. The blond Slytherin understood and waited for Tom outside the classroom.
The started walking in the corridors and turned on the left when everyone kept going straight. The passageway was empty.
"What do you have got for me ?" Tom asked him.
"Nothing much since last time." Malfoy answered.
"Are you saying to me that no one answered your letter ?"
"Yes they did, but it matches with what she had told everyone."
Tom got frustrated and exasperated.
"What about the paintings ?" The prefect sighed.
"What about them ?"
"You are supposed to be monitoring her Malfoy and you are telling me you that have not noticed that she keeps talking to the bloody paintings ? You are useless."
He left his classmate in the hallway and went to the Great Hall for lunch.
OoOoOo
28.11.1942
He was alone in the common room. All of his fellow Slytherin had already gone to bed. He was installed in one of the comfortable couch, a copy of Hogwarts : A History. He figured out he needed to read it again, he must have missed something.
The door to the common room opened quietly, but, with the silence that was settled in the room, Tom heard it. He moved his head towards it and saw Grace trying to sneak in discreetly.
"It is after curfew Hortense." He said, using his prefect voice.
She jumped a little and but once she saw him, her face became impassive again. She did not respond and headed towards the girl's dormitories stairs.
Remember Rule n°3 Hortense.
"5 points from Slytherin." He told her with a stern voice.
She turned around.
"You can't do that."
"I am prefect, of course I can."
"As a matter of fact you can't. Only the HeadGirl and HeadBoy can do that. You can only give me detention Riddle."
His jaw tensed and he grinded his teeth.
"Detention then."
She froze.
"Unless…" He dragged this word for a little while. "You tell me where you were."
She descended the step she was on, and started walking towards him, a small smile plastered on her face.
"As if I cared about a detention." She laughed. She stopped in her tracks and they glared at his each other for a couple of seconds before she turned around again and climbed the stairs.
"You'll tell me later when and where I am supposed to go for this detention Riddle." And with that, she disappeared in the darkness.
Rule n°4 : You do not get to play me.
OoOoOo
30.11.1942
On this friday morning, the sun was shining and the snow on the ground seemed even whiter than usual. Enveloped in a warm coat, gloves and scarf, Tom was walking near the black lake. He enjoyed being alone during his walks, it allowed him to think. And on this friday morning he had a lot a thinking to do.
He looked at his watch and noticed that it was nearly time for his first period : transfiguration.
He sat next to Antonin. They had moved on from Incarcerous even though most of the people in the room were not able to conjure a step 4 rope. They had all year to master it Professor Dumbledore had said.
While writing what the latter was saying, Tom's mind got somewhere else.
Since this summer he had been thinking about it. He had been studying every book, each article ever made on it. He was 100% sure it was somewhere in this castle.
"Tom." Antonin said.
He looked at his friend.
"Class is over." Dolohov continued.
This sort of situation seemed to happen more than usual lately. He nodded, got up and followed his classmate for one hour of theoretical DADA.
Grace came to theoretical classes. She even participated during those. But since the incident in september with Dolohov she had been avoiding practical classes.
Tom knew that she had messed up during this class, she had been overwhelmed and had lost the control.
That was your first mistake Hortense.
So there he was, on his wooden chair, a quill in his right hand, and a brain, kilometers away from the class.
This morning he had been also thinking about his meetings with the lads. They were all pureblood, from the most sacred lineage, and yet, when Tom speaks, they all listen.
OoOoOo
30.11.1942
Tom entered the potion classroom and sat behind his usual potion lab. On the blackboard behind their professor was written Strengthening Solution. He opened his potions book and looked through the ingredients : salamander blood, powdered griffin claw, ect..
Once every student was sat, Slughorn cleared his voice.
"Now that everybody is here, Slytherin is the house of ambition and cunning and one of you proved everyone that it was true today. I'd like to congratulate Grace for her amazing work on her Runes article".
Excuse-me ?
He rose his head his head and stared at her. She had a modest smile on her lips but he could clearly see that it was all pretending.
"If anyone in this class is familiar with Dedal Sphields work you may know that two weeks ago he released an article about protective runes. And our dear Grace here, had worked for an entire week, day and night if I may add..." He giggled. "In refuting everything he had published."
She did what ?
The professor laughed for a little while.
"Of course I've helped her in her research, I've given her the names she should contact, gave her articles she should study. "
Grace discreetly rolled her eyes, obviously he had not helped as much as he thought.
Is that what the correspondences were all about ?
"... everyone in Runes Periodical had been captivated by it, it will be published tomorrow…"
Is that why she had spent her entire week writing ? For this article ?
"... and that's what I told her ! ..."
It still does not explain everything. And why would she write this article ?
"... That is why she wrote this article. Marvelous."
I probably should have listened.
"... Marvelous ! To finish, I am extremely proud to be counting Grace as a new member of my dinner list. I look forward to having you for the special Christmas Party."
He just realised what the professor had said. And Grace looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.
Well, you have done it Hortense. I knew you did not give up.
You have tried everything to get in. But apparently you figured out that what Slughorn likes above everything is a celebrity.
Not one that is ephemeral, like you used to be at the beginning of the summer.
And you have become a celebrity Hortense. Well played.
Everyone in the class applauded and she looked proud.
But there is still one question left : why did you want to get in the club ?
30.11.1942
Step 5 : Done.
Authors' Note :
Hi guys ! So apparently now we take a mpnth to upload a new chapter...
We are going to try to upload sonner next time ! So we're really sorrry for the dealy !
You can follow our Tumblr : agarariddle-andhernachos
Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews
Love
- Agara
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