Cornelius took a fearful step back from Eleonora, and she let out a laugh.
"Be careful," she told him, her melodic voice sweet in contrast to the deep contempt in her eyes.
"Get out of here, before someone fires both of us from our ministry jobs," Evander growled, not wanting to be seen abusing his ministry power to infiltrate an event solely to come after Cornelius.
Eleonora moved away from him, and he hurried out. Isidore's eyes followed him, leaving Cornelius with a chill down his spine as he escaped them. He had no destination in mind- he just wanted to flee.
"Oh my goodness," Eva breathed, tension releasing from her body as she leaned against the wall. Eleonora approached her, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
"He's gone, Eva," she said.
"Yeah but, you were all so scary!" She responded. She had never dealt with family drama on that scale, being a half-blooded girl of a middle class family. In addition, she was not a Slytherin. She was just glad the others were able to intimidate Cornelius, because she didn't know if she had it in her to be that angry.
"I'm shaking!" Eva cried, which lead to Eleonora offering her arm.
"Geez, you look like a newborn fawn," Eleonora told her as she steadied the shorter girl against her.
"Well, I promise I'll explain everything to you guys later. I wasn't lying to you, but not being honest about who I was. I'm sorry about that," Eleonora told them all, hearing Eva's thoughts. Eva couldn't stop picturing the much darker personality she just witnessed, let alone the power she possessed. It scared her.
"Mr. Lestrange, it's nice to see you again," Eleonora said, turning to face him.
"You know each other?" Tom asked, quite surprised at this revelation. The two of them nodded, and Evander answered, "I was friends with her mother during my time at Hogwarts. Theodora was fond of her too. I've known Eleonora since she was a baby."
"And he's helped train me on controlling my magic. "
Eleonora frowned a little, and Evander realized she was hearing whatever was running through his brain.
"Listen, Isidore-" Evander began, but was stopped by Isidore saying, "it's alright. Really."
"You sure?"
"None of this is your fault. I saw the memories, I know you were a victim as much as my mother," Isidore said, unable to imagine the emotional pain that Evander has been through his whole life.
"Well, you'll be happy to know that I have a plan. Now that I broke into his head, I think I know how to get her out of Azkaban," Evander said with a confident nod of his head.
"Oh, that's smart!" Eleonora said, having already seen all the possible outcomes of Evander's plan unfold in her mind.
"We can't talk about it here," Evander murmured, his eyes scanning the hallway as if they were being watched.
"Then where?" Eva asked.
"You'll see me at Hogwarts soon enough. I'll be there for business. I'll request to see you all through the headmaster. I'll make it work."
"When do you th-" Isidore began, then went silent.
"You hear that?" He asked Tom, who was the farthest away from them all in the other hallway. Tom turned to look behind him, and the sound of small feet scuffling rapidly against the wooden floors grew louder.
Evander moved his wand, still illuminated, toward the sound. Within two seconds, a small black animal scurried into the light.
"A niffler!" Eleonora yelped, since pieces of jewelry were being left behind in its wake.
"Wait, those look like the earrings you always wear," Tom said when he saw the ruby earring the little animal just dropped at his feet. He picked it up, taking a closer look at it to confirm.
"It is!" Eleonora cried, launching herself at the niffler as it scurried by. She missed, and it did a figure eight around Eva's legs, causing her to cry out.
"Get him!" Eleonora yelled, following the niffler's path down the hallway. Everyone scurried after her, darting around as it ran in random directions.
"Shit," Isidore cried as it leapt onto an ornate table with antique vases. Each one that it hit threatened to tip over, then they saw a black blur as it leapt into one.
"It's gonna fall!" Eva cried as the vase with the niffler rolled off the ledge. Evander moved quickly, sliding on his knees as it fell into his arms.
"I got him!" Eleonora called, reaching in to remove the niffler. Its little legs kicked to and fro as she held it, then it slumped a little at her disproving frown. Eva reached into his pouch, pulling out a variety of gold chains, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies.
"Where's the other earring?" Eleonora asked, turning him side to side. Evander brushed his knees off, then let out a sigh and said, "hand him to me."
Eleonora held out the niffler, and Evander took his legs, turning him upside down. He gave him a shake, then loads of coins, jewelry, and gems plummeted to the ground. Evander gave the niffler another light shake, and coins poured out of the pouch along with the glint of a large object. Eleonora jumped back as it crashed down with a loud thud, right where her feet had been merely a second before.
"OH my- freakin'- was that a gold bar?" She exclaimed, and Evander nodded his head with another shake.
Tom and Isidore backed away quickly as the largest hoard of gems and money fell to the ground. Eva and Tom had never seen a niffler before, and their expressions clearly showed it.
"The earring!" Eva called out, bending down to pick it up among the mounds of treasure.
"Thank God," Eleonora cried, taking them into her hands. She pulled disinfectant out of her pockets, and Isidore piped, "you came prepared."
"I can't take this anymore, of course I came prepared," she grunted, scrubbing them clean. Evander held the niffler in his arms, which had finally calmed down, and they looked over to see her fastening the second earring in. She let out a sigh of relief, saying, "silence is golden."
Isidore snorted, then they all looked at him. He shrugged, saying, "ironic, given where you're standing."
Eleonora snorted with laughter, punching his arm and exclaimed, "so corny!"
He winked, loving how she always fell for the puns he made no matter how much she tried to pretend they weren't funny. It was definitely something he liked to exploit with her, and each reaction was just as entertaining as the one before.
"Oh, how are we going to clean all this up?" Eva whined, shocked by the mess that laid at their feet.
Evander looked at his watch, then said, "I'll take care of this. Clearly this little guy was having his fun during an auction of precious metals and jewels, so I'm sure the family in charge would like to know."
"How did he get from Hogwarts all the way here?" Eleonora asked.
Tom's eyes narrowed when he saw the shine of silver on the niffler, then he approached it and leaned closer. He reached, tugging on what was a small name tag around its neck.
"His name is Lester, and belongs to Rubeus Hagrid," Tom said, then looked back at everyone.
"Isn't that a student? His name sounds familiar?" Eva inquired.
"He's a friend of William's. The half-giant kid," Isidore mentioned with a nod. Tom's eyes flicked ever so slightly, and Eleonora took note of it.
"You know him?" She asked, and Tom gave her a well-rehearsed innocent shrug.
"I've never spoken to him. He seems alright," he answered. She nodded hesitantly, and found her focus now on Evander as he jumped to catch the niffler as it squirmed out of his arms.
"He's salivating over this stuff, we've got to get him out of here," he grunted, hugging the niffler to his stomach tightly.
"Should we take him back to school?" Tom asked, and Evander nodded. He then looked away, hearing footsteps approaching.
"Evander Lestrange? What are you doing with mounds of gold around you?" A woman's voice coaxed. She stepped into the hallway, her dark hair blending in with the surroundings and clothing she was wearing.
"Morgana, we all hunted down thief you've been searching for," he said, holding the niffler out for her to see. Her dark red lipstick revealed her smile as she bent to scratch its head gently, and a large stone pendant fell forward from around her neck. In fact, all her jewelry pieces were remnants of alchemy. The bracelets clanged against each other, their color standing out against her tan skin.
"Oh, he's too cute. I suppose he's off the hook," she said, striking blue eyes shifting up to meet his. Her voice and smile alluring. Evander simply smiled politely, saying, "can I offer you any help with getting everything in order?"
"It's your day off, honey. I'll take care of it. You all should enjoy yourselves downstairs."
"Thank you, Morgana. We'll be going."
Evander gave her a gentlemanly bow of his head, and the group followed after him. They made it downstairs, and Evander scanned the room for signs of Cornelius.
His expression darkened, and Eleonora asked, "what's wrong?"
"My brother brought his friends. You guys aren't safe here."
Evander nodded to a few different men and women who were indeed behaving suspiciously, dispersed in all directions. They had blended well among the mounds of people, each politely conversing while making suspiciously observant sweeps of the room with their eyes. And to their dismay, they all locked on Evander.
"I don't know what he's planning, but they work for him and definitely know who Isidore is."
"There's one already headed our way," Eva squeaked, seeing one of the men wasting no time to make his way toward them. Evander promptly gave them a push, leading them to the front door, and stepped outside with them.
"You guys apparated before?" He asked, then Tom answered, "no."
"Congratulations, you're about to. All of you grab my arm," Evander said. Within a few seconds, they were standing a few blocks away.
Tom swayed a little, falling against Eleonora with a strong dizzy spell.
"I got you!" she yelped, stumbling at little as his shoulder bumped hers.
"You okay?" Eva asked, and he blinked a few times to avert the image of his surroundings spinning.
"Really dizzy," he groaned, and Evander offered a frown as he checked their surroundings.
"I didn't want to go too far since it was your first time. You're handling it rather well."
Tom shook his head a little, seeing his surroundings beginning to stabilize. He continued to lean on Eleonora, shutting his eyes to wait for the side effects to pass.
"Alright, unfortunately, this is where we have to part ways for now. Those people have a bone to pick with me, and I don't want any of you caught up in this. Those are my brother's body guards, but also his black market employees outside of the ministry."
Evander turned to Isidore, not really sure how to part with his son. Especially after the events of the night. He couldn't imagine the confusion and pain Isidore had felt.
"I know you have no reason to trust my words, but I promise I'll be back. You'll see me soon. I have so much to say, but I'm afraid I can't right now."
Isidore nodded, albeit sadly, and said, "it's alright. Maybe it's better that we talk later. I'm a little tired with everything I've heard… I need some time to think."
"That's perfectly understandable, but know that it'll all work out. I promise," Evander said with conviction. His eyes were determined, and Isidore wanted to have complete faith that things would work out for them. But he couldn't— not when every time he got his hopes up, things just fell apart.
"Alright."
"Head down this street. It'll lead to the main road and get you back to school within 10 minutes," Evander said, pointing behind him.
"And, I'm in such a rush— I completely forgot to ask your name," he added, looking at Tom.
"Tom Riddle."
Evander's eyes studied Tom's face for a moment, and he extended his hand. Tom clasped it with a firm shake, and Evander said, "I met your mother once. She seemed nice."
Tom looked surprise, and had every right to be. He had no idea what she really looked like or who she was; at least, not until he saw Cornelius's memory.
"She's Ms. Gaunt's— Theodora's— cousin, right?"
"Yes, I met her when she came to watch a Quidditch match. Theodora really cared for her. My condolences, she would've been a wonderful mother."
Tom didn't know what to say, or how to feel. Here was a person, standing in front of him who not only knew of his mother, but had met her. It was a start to finding answers for the many unanswered questions he had about his family.
"Thank you, Mr. Lestrange," he said solemnly.
Evander frowned with a nod, then looked back at the others.
"We're going to save her," Eva chimed, and they all turned to her. She nodded confidently, and said, "we'll get her out of Azkaban. I'm glad that stole Eleonora's earring, or we would've have found you when we did."
"I am too," Eleonora agreed.
"Who knows how things would have changed if we hadn't run into you," Eva added.
"I wouldn't want to think about it," Evander replied with a shudder. He looked around for a moment, his mannerisms still showing his anxiousness. It was obvious they were being followed, possibly from other agents hidden in the shadows around them.
"All of you, return to Hogwarts safely. They're after me."
He then leaned down a little, lowering his voice to say, "it was nice meeting you Tom and Eva. Nice to see you again, Eleonora and Isidore."
"Likewise," three of them said, then he politely turned and headed away. Isidore was far too young to remember him, but Evander would never forget his time spent with the baby Theodora had. He had always wished it had been his son, and now felt an odd sense of joy mixed with sadness from knowing the truth.
They both did.
(Tom's diary):
February 16, 1940
Where do I even begin?
"That poor Isidore— it's just one train wreck after another with his family." That's what Eva said to me before bidding me goodnight. But she's right. He can't seem to catch a break.
And I can't believe the damage a little niffler can do. Merlin's beard— we chased him once we got back, again. He took a flying leap from Isidore's arms for a shiny trophy in the hallway. It was a good 20 minutes of running all over Hogwarts. I'm exhausted. But he's been handed off to William, who took him to the Gryffindor common room to find Rubeus Hagrid.
Hopefully. Who knows if William managed him.
Speaking of Hagrid, I've heard rumors of him caring for magical creatures at the school. I wonder how that's working out for him. Or if it could be useful for me.
Eleonora almost seemed to be the most surprised of all of us with the events of the night. Understandably so; Evander Lestrange had always been a person who showed her kindness when no one would, yet he had the power and prestige someone in his family was expected to.
Although— that was all on the surface. In reality, he was the child of a prostitute. A kind woman, forced to sell herself just to keep her and her younger siblings alive. Although it wouldn't exactly go over well now, a single 16 year-old girl bearing a child in 1908 did not help her reputation. So she begged Lucien Lestrange for help, for the sake of their son. His help came in the form of control, and thus began Evander's strained relationship with his half-siblings. They were jealous of his superiority, and he was tormented for it.
To the point where Cornelius took away the girl he loved. This was Cornelius's one win against his brother. Evander— who had everything— had nothing without Theodora Gaunt.
And just for good measure, he used a forbidden spell that made Evander the father of each of her children. The Lestrange family is well-known, and he absolutely anticipated exposing his wife as adulterous and his brother as the scumbag trying to steal his wife. Evander would have no credibility, and definitely no respect; and ultimately, no job.
I did some research this evening, when I returned. Evander is indeed high up in the ministry. I even found out he's been offered the position as the Minister of Magic.
"I regretfully must decline, for now. I'm very immersed in some work with the Department of Mysteries. And that's all I can say."
He's lucky he said that. If Evander had been the Minister of Magic, Cornelius would've pounced at destroying his career by exposing the three children.
Interestingly enough, Evander knew my mother. But he made no mention of my father. I would assume that there's a reason for that. He did seem to be hiding something when he was speaking to me. I have found no records regarding the Riddles at this school, and am starting to wonder if he even came here. Evander didn't volunteer an answer. Perhaps I can pry it out of him in the future.
Now, as for Eleonora, I am surprised to hear she's Merlin's descendent. Although, form what I've seen, it makes sense. She promised to explain more to us when privacy would be ensured, so I'm afraid I'll have to wait to write anything about that. I let my guard down earlier, and she read my thoughts about how impressed I was with her true talent with legilimency. Thankfully, she couldn't hear me when I was assessing her strength later. She would make a valuable asset. There's another reason why I believe that: I saw a different side to her. She already knew Cornelius had no way out of the mess he's now in, and politely yet very threateningly announced, "checkmate," the way you would in a game of chess as you prepare to take your opponent's king. She's sharper than she lets on, and definitely has the mind of a tactician.
She seemed to take Cornelius's insults about her change in appearances personally— like she had heard them before and it struck a nerve. But they didn't scare me. I was startled, but not afraid. She still looked very human, and dare I say, pretty.
Isidore, Evander, and apparently Eleonora have some deep-rooted pains that motivate their actions today. I wish I could exactly predict how they'd act upon them.
At what point is someone seen as a villain rather than a hero?
A/N: Hello again, and thank you for reading!
As you can probably tell, this story isn't catered to focusing on one person in particular, so that you get a feel of everyone from a neutral point of view. But because this is centered around Tom Riddle, I will include diary entries if he isn't the "star" of the chapter so you can hear what went through his brain. Which is why this one was a bit long. And they may seem repetitive, but I figured a summary can't hurt because outside of my head, all this drama might be confusing.
I kinda like Lester. He's a good little niffler. For me, not for them. He's a pain for my characters. xD
One more thing! I will start adding some moments from Theodora and Evander's Hogwarts days. They're vital characters, and I think I've established the important stuff, so now I can touch on that some more. As I've mentioned, this has been pre-written, but I've gone back and rewrote the beginning few chapters to make more sense. But I have (and am fairly satisfied) with my snippets of Theodora and Evander from the past. They were my favorite things to write. I'll probably upload one of those since it's already done with this chapter.
See you all soon. :)
