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Chapter 8: Intervention
[Tom POV]
Obtaining her file from the Headmaster's office was as easy as stealing candy from a baby. All he had to do was bring up a couple of dunderhead students who were causing havoc on campus to the Headmaster and asked to view their file so that Tom could brief them on the severity of their standings in school.
Trusting his most prized student, Headmaster Dippet had willingly obliged to Riddle's request and brought forth a parchment with all the students' records. When the old man had turned around to tend to his tea, Tom had selected Houa Songly's name and a file popped up. He magically scanned it into a parchment before pretending to entertain the Headmaster in conversation over tea.
Squib? Ministry of Magic Protection Charm?
The model student tossed the copied file on the coffee table as he leaned back on the linen couch of his room laughing maniacally later that night.
After what had occurred in the room of requirement, Houa Songly was far from being a Squib, that I am sure of.
None of the spells he had unleashed upon her had worked, especially an Unforgivable curse in which there is absolutely no protection spell for regardless if the Ministry of Magic is involved or not.
Dumbledore did not do this. The damned man has not lost enough screws in his head to come up with such a flawed cover up. Regardless if it is the work of that Muggle Studies Professor or not, that old man is still involved and it's only a matter of time until he discovers something to link back to me.
Tom's mind ran over details he has gathered so far.
1. The Girl had arrived in the middle of the night in a blinding light, something neither apparating nor portkey can produce.
2. Claimed she is a Squib who recently developed magical capabilities, an interesting if not rare anomaly that has never happened before in the history of magic. He will have to order his Knight or someone to hack into the Ministry of Magic to see if there were such cases ever present and to trace the Songly Girl's records as well as her Aunt.
3. Ah yes, the Aunt. Though his Knights reported the Vomit Girl meeting with her Aunt soon after her recovery, no actions have been taken against him yet. Knowing the frantic Girl she must have disclosed what occurred in the Room of Requirement to her Aunt.
Why haven't they brought it up with the Headmaster? In Tom's opinion it wouldn't have mattered anyway since he had all the proof to back himself up as well as the Headmaster's trust. They wouldn't have succeeded.
But that only meant one of two things: Either they have no proof Or they have something to hide, which means they know something of great importance. Something connected to me.
4. Though he has yet to try the other Unforgivables, if Cruscio did not work on the Girl, he doubts any other spells or curses will and in this case most likely not on the Aunt too. Hence he would have to take a different approach if he wishes to find out what it is.
Tom smirked. Luck was on his side once more it seems.
5. His Knights had informed him that Madame Cara treated Miss Songly with potions draughts instead of wand magic, meaning anything ingested can and will have the desired effect on her.
Which brings Tom to this point now.
The veritaserum will be completed within one lunar cycle.
Though Tom won't be able to use it on the Muggle Studies Professor because any assault on an instructor would alert the Headmaster to bring in Aurors for investigations, a student is a different matter.
There were no issues there and he has countless ways of keeping the Girl's mouth shut even without obliviating her.
He'll send his Knights to fetch the more difficult to obtain veritaserum ingredients and snatch the rest from Slughorn's storage.
With a flick of his wand, a green fire ignited at the corner of Miss Songly's file and spread throughout the parchment surface until not a trace of it was left behind.
The young Dark Lord caught the soft brown eyes in the girl's photo just before the file disintegrated completely and his thoughts wandered back to that strange moment where he felt as if he was the Girl being strangled in pain.
An ability of her perhaps? Whatever it is, I will have to observe and see what else the so-called Squib Girl is capable of in class.
Though he could easily assist Slughorn after school, pretending to organize and restock potion supplies, Tom didn't want to risk the Professor's suspicion of him stealing anything. Therefore the best time to gather the ingredients would be during class when the Professor was busy helping other students and where he can obviously pin the raid on other students.
He was taken aback when the Squib Girl waited last to gather her ingredients. Seemed too much of a coincidence as if she knew what he was up to. That's why he had sought to distract her and see if she would slip anything while he tuck the white chrysanthemum and other ingredients away secretly.
Her combative response had confirmed that she indeed knew something about him.
With keen eyes he watched Miss Songly throughout the period and noted not once had she reached for her wand to cast any spells on the brew, having left all wand magic to Mr. Longbottom.
Now that he thought about it, the frightened Girl also didn't remove the stick charm on her chair before. She may have not known the counter spell being a Squib and all, but later when he accio her wand, she didn't even reach for it nor asked for it back from him as if having it was useless to her during their confrontation in the Room of Requirement.
Having memorized her entire class schedule from the copied file, Tom found it dubious that almost all her classes require no magical casting at all, say for potion which could be easily mended as long as she has a willing partner.
It is absolutely repulsive how such a filthy creature could walk on campus without possessing a single drop of magic in its blood. The young Dark Lord nearly spit, disgusted at the possibility of the Songly Girl actually being a Squib and how he would revel in the annihilation of such a being.
He'll just have to be patient. There are plenty of opportunities to test his theory out since they shared four classes together: Potions, Divination, Care for Magical Creatures, and Astronomy.
The first opportunity came in Care for Magical Creatures when the new Girl had raised her hand to answer Professor Kettleburn's question on the nine tailed fox. Not once had she ever voluntarily allowed herself to be called upon so she must be interested in the subject.
Let's see what our little Squib is truly capable of...
While the rest of the class had looked on in complete oblivious amazement, Tom had watched for signs of Miss Songly's abilities. To outsiders, the entire taming had appeared as though the fox adored the Girl and festered down as she approached.
But the Head Boy knew it was otherwise. He had seen the expressions on both Houa and Artemis, each changing and in deep contemplation. It was almost as if the two were communicating telepathically. And when the Girl expertly plucked the dark grain he shot at the furious creature, Tom felt anger boiling underneath his skin once more.
Just how much does this Girl know about me?!
His phantom eyes mirrored her dark bronze eyes now, both realizing they know more about the other than they ever let on.
As Professor Kettleburn dismissed the class early, Tom watched the Girl run off the stage pushing through the crowd of students to get to her desk for her items.
He signaled his Knights with a nod of his head as the room began to disperse.
I won't let her escape.
[Houa POV]
Oh no…no no no!
Houa recognized those bloodlust eyes. It was the same eyes in that terrible room he took her to. He was going to get her again!
I can't wait for the crowd to clear. I have to go now!
Squeezing past her classmates she saw visions of students being stressed for their upcoming exams, making out with one another, thinking about food, and others that she could care less for.
She ran as fast as her feet could carry her to the back of the room where her school bag and robe was, dodging several students though most have exited the room already, excited to have ended class early.
Arriving at her desk, Houa found her books, bag, and robes glued to the desk even when she tried to pull it off with all her might.
She gazed around and spotted the Head Boy approaching closer, the room nearly empty except for say two other students.
Forget it!
Choosing to abandon her stuff, Houa began towards the back door only to see a Slytherin boy with silver blond hair and green eyes standing by it staring back at her daringly.
The Hufflepuff walked backward towards her desk, her steps stumbling in realization.
I'm trapped!
There were two doors to enter the room, one in the back and the front, but the front is where Tom was coming.
Though she was not facing the oncoming Head Boy, sharp pain edged along her skin told her the Head Boy was quietly getting closer, like a cat cornering a mouse.
Houa's breath increased as memories from that abominable room returned. The air became heavy quickly, trying to squeeze her lungs.
Her back hit the chair of her desk.
No! I won't go to that room again! I won't give up!
She made a move to grab the movable chair in an attempt to flung it at whoever approached her just as a hand slammed down on her desk clearing all the heavy energies from her field and filling it instead with excitement, admiration, and curiosity.
Houa jolted back from sound and looked upon the person responsible for it.
"Why hello there, I don't believe I met you yet?" he smiled at her.
Her breath became even as she stared into the handsome face of a boy with mesmerizing hazel eyes and elegant dark brown hair.
She shakes her head seeing Tom from the corner of her eyes, his aura getting darker as he approaches.
"Pleased to have you in my class," the Gryffindor stuck out his hands towards her, "Rey Tadeas Potter."
Her breathing accelerated again and her heart hammered even stronger in her chest, but this time for a different reason all together.
Wait, what?! What did he just say?
She didn't even realize she had repeated his name again out loud instead of in her mind until the handsome student tilted his head and grinned, "Yes that's me, and you are?"
In that moment a dark shadow plundered into their energy field announcing their owner's presence beside them and...
Announcing the beginning of what would be an arduous history of archnemesis...
TBC
Mr. Potter makes his grand entry! What's going to happen?
Note: A white chrysanthemum symbolizes "Truth" in the language of flowers. I made it up as one of the ingredients for the veritaserum potion.
Thank you to all those who stopped by.