WARNING: Attempted Sexual Assault. It is midway through involving Malfoy. I will put 3 stars where it begins and ends if you do not want to read it.
Chapter 4: May 7th, 1943
It had been 2 months since the almost kiss and we were getting close to exam season. We tended to skirt around each other but flirt at the same time. Tom's damn followers, or previous followers, kept giving me the stink eye as well as half the school girl population. It was really annoying having to keep a watch out for people who could try and curse me. The latest girl was a 7th year Ravenclaw called Millicent Bagnold and her gang of giggly girls. Coincidentally, the Minister of Magic between 1980 to 1990. She had mousy blonde hair; watery grey eyes; short and a little bit overweight. Basically, the opposite of me. One of the girls with her used the slicing spell to cut open my bag causing everything to fall out. I sigh and use a spell to put my bag back together before collecting all my things. I reach for the last book, but someone grabs it before me. I look up. Tom. I sigh again and put everything in my bag as Tom puts the book in my bag as well before taking my bag to put it on his other shoulder. "Who was it this time?" I shake my head.
"Doesn't matter." I answer. "They'll have graduated in a couple of months anyway."
"Please," He pleads quietly. "It matters to me." I sigh again.
"Millicent Bagnold and her gang." I say after a few moments. "She's a future Minister of Magic."
"So, I can't maim her?" I give him a look. "Too soon?"
"You maiming someone is progress from murdering."
"I still haven't killed anyone." He protests.
"And you are not going too." I say, giving him a pointed look.
"Only for you, Reine." He replies with a disappointed tone to which I roll my eyes as we turn the corner.
"Geriatric psychopath." I mumble under my breath and he turns his head towards me.
"What was that?" He asks with narrow eyes.
"Nothing, dear." I answer as I pat his bicep in a soothing manner. He furrows his brows and pokes my ribs which makes me flinch in discomfort. "Fine. I may or may not have called you a Geriatric psychopath for being disappointed in not murdering someone." He snorts and rolls his eyes.
"I'm liking these nicknames for me." He replies, and I shake my head with humour. "Come on, we have Ancient Runes." We walk into the classroom with a couple of minutes to spare. We take two single desks in the corner at the back. The class starts filing in a few moments later. The class was mainly made up of Ravenclaws but there were a few Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. We were the only Slytherin's in this class – Thank God. Evelina Speziale, a Ravenclaw who I became friends with through this class, sits down on the other side of me. She was also one of a few girls in our year who didn't hate me because of my friendship with Tom. Wait…Since when did I have a friendship with Tom? I shake the thought out of my head and greet her.
"Buon pomeriggo, Eve."
"Buon pomeriggo to you too." She replies with a grin. I was one of the only people in this school that also spoke Italian – Eve is Italian. "Hello, Tom."
"Hello," He greets, politely. Another thing, he didn't really talk to anyone apart from me. A bit of a loner, I guess? Although, what would that make me? I don't really talk to anyone either.
"How was Potions with the Gryffindors?" I ask with a smirk, knowing the answer.
"You know how." She answers with a roll of her eyes. "Most of them are rowdy and half of them didn't even do the homework. It was easy." Professor Naaji walks into the classroom, cutting off her rant.
"Textbooks, out class. Turn to Chapter 18 and we shall begin."
After Ancient Runes, we go to Care of Magical Creatures and Charms before walking to dinner. Tom and I part ways to sit with our friends. Well, pretty sure they are not really friends in Tom's case. I sit between Rachel Burke and Anastasia Rosier – another 5th Year. I plate my food before beginning to eat. "Reine, how have the school girls been treating you today?"
"Starting off blunt, Denise Greengrass." I tease the 6th Year before sobering up. "Honestly, it's been awful. I've had my bag split open 4 times today. I've had my work ripped up and ink pots spilt all over it. Luckily, there are spells to undo those things, but someone approached me in the hallway earlier. A Hufflepuff 4th year at that and tried to duel me. I sent her on her way, but this is getting out of hand. Why can't I be Tom's friend without people trying to humiliate and ridicule me at every turn? It's exhausting." Rosier pats my shoulder with sympathy.
"Maybe you should stop being friends with him?" Iris Lestrange, 6th Year, suggests and I shoot her a look. "Okay, bad suggestions but what can we do? Us 6th Years don't share any classes with you, and while the 5th Years are with you with most your classes, you are the only one who has taken Ancient Runes and Arithmancy out of all of them." I massage my head in frustration.
"I'm just gonna have to deal with them as they come, I suppose." I say with a shrug. "Hey, I'm gonna go to the dorms, I'm not hungry." I lie as I stand up.
"Are you sure? You've hardly eaten anything?" Burke asks, and I nod before walking away from the dining hall. I was halfway to Slytherin Dormitories when I'm pushed against a wall with a wand at my neck. Abraxas Malfoy. The two behind him were Mulciber and Nott. I roll my eyes.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" I question as I raise an eyebrow.
"What did you do to him?" He asks in anger and I frown.
"Who?" I question back, and he pulls me forward before smashing me back against the wall. Ouch.
"Vol-Riddle." He states. "What did you do to Riddle?"
"Nothing." I answer as my frown deepens.
"You've done something to him." Malfoy sneers at me. "What was it? A spell? Blackmail? Sex?" I snort at the last one.
"I've done nothing." I repeat for him, slowly. "And I would never offer myself for premarital sex. That's disgusting." A little lie. I haven't had sex, but I don't mind if it's before or after marriage.
"Because the French have a very strict moral code." Malfoy disagrees.
"You should know. You go back far another, you're French yourself." I retort which was not the right thing to do as his wand pokes deeper into my neck.
"Mulciber, Nott, subdue her." He orders and they both press me into the ground as Malfoy grabs my upper thigh. I do the only thing I can do – Scream. They all curse and perform the silencing curse on me as tears roll down my face. "Isn't she just a beautiful crier?" I kick out at him but he's too strong for me. "This will teach you for ever messing with me." He rolls up my skirt and undoes his belt buckle. I silently scream at him in horror. He was about to unzip his pants when he's hit with a stunning spell and the other two falls down as they're hit with stunning spells. I immediately sit up and roll down my skirt to the original length. I sit there in shock when Burke and Avery appear in my view.
"My god, those bastards." Avery curses and takes off the silencing spell. "I saw them all leave and were concerned. I did not think those boys could commit such a crime."
"We told Tom to get the Professors." Burke adds in. "We figured he would probably kill them, and they deserve to rot in Azkaban until death for what they just tried to do. Make them suffer." I nod and stand up in a daze.
"Reine." Avery continues, gently. "I think you've gone into a bit of shock. What do you need?" I gulp as I feel fresh tears form.
"Mama." I answer which is the time the Headmaster and Professors arrive.
"My dears, what has happened?" Dumbledore asks in a soothing voice, but I can't bring myself to even speak.
"Michelle and I will happily tell you and show our memories, Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster," Burke answers. "But I think Reine really needs a calming draught and Mrs. Géroux before she can even think about talking." Professor Dumbledore gazes at my trembling form for a moment before nodding once. "I would recommend tying those three bastards up. The name being well deserved."
"Albus, please will you accompany Miss. Géroux and Madam Causer while I take Miss. Burke and Miss. Avery to my office." The Headmaster commands. "Professor Merrythought, Professor Kettleburn, please tie these three up and put them in a secure room away from Miss. Géroux. Mr. Riddle, I know you and Miss. Géroux are good friends, you may accompany her to the Hospital Wing." Madam Causer steps towards me, and gently places her hand on my back and arm to guide me towards the Hospital Wing. I don't shake her off even though I don't want to be touched. At all. I hear Professor Dumbledore and Tom having a heated whisper behind me while we walk to the Hospital Wing, but I can't make out the words. We arrive, and I sit on a bed, and down a glass of Calming Draught before lying back under the covers. I close my eyes and within 10 minutes, I feel calmer.
"Do you have a vial?" I ask Dumbledore and he pulls one out from somewhere. I put my wand to my head and pull out the memory before placing it in the vial. "That's it. That's what happened. There should a pensive you can access somewhere."
"There's one in my office adjoining the transfiguration classroom." Dumbledore explains. "I will be back shortly." I nod and bury under the covers as Dumbledore leaves.
"You comfy there?"
"As I'll ever be." I reply.
"Okay. I'm going to ask a couple of questions." He starts. "You don't have to verbally speak. You can shake or nod your head." I nod once. "Did Malfoy follow you?" I nod. Yes. "Did he try to duel you?" I shake my head. No. "Did he attack you?" I nod. Yes. "Did he physically attack you?" I nod. Yes.
"Smashed my head against the wall." I elaborate no further.
"Did he inappropriately attempt to assault you?" I nod once and turn my head away. "Hey, look at me." I ponder a moment before turning to look at him. "Thank you. I know it was hard to tell me." He kisses my forehead, sweetly. "I'll go and get Madam Causer to examine your head." He moves to stand up and I grab his arm, shaking my head. "Don't want me to go?" I nod and to my relief, he sits back down and calls out for Madam Causer who comes bustling in. "Reine said that – that person smashed her head against the wall. I thought it would probably be a good idea to check it over."
"Thank you for telling me, Mr. Riddle." She replies as she whips out her wand and runs it over my head. "Her head seems to be okay, but she does have a mild concussion. I will need her in for overnight observation." I vehemently shake my head. I don't want to stay here on my own.
"She doesn't want to be left alone in a room with no one there." Tom supplies for me. "Even for a moment." He pauses. "I was coming to your office to get you but Reine didn't want to be alone even at a short distance."
"That would make sense. She wants someone she trusts with her." Madam Causer agrees. "She trusts the Professors and her friends, so, that's some people who can be around her. I'll talk to the Headmaster about the Professors keeping an eye on you for shifts for the night before you go back to your dorm." I nod once, and she bustles away again to her office for another Calming Draught, I suppose. Or maybe a sleeping draught? Professor Dumbledore comes striding in once more and sits down next to me.
"Thank you for the memory, Miss. Géroux." He thanks with sympathy. "I have showed it to the Headmaster who has compiled it with the memories of Miss. Avery and Miss. Burke. They've both been escorted to your dormitories. All of the students are not allowed out of their respective dormitories at the moment." I nod once. "Those boys are still tied up and unconscious. Professor Merrythought and Kettleburn are keeping a very close eye on them." He pauses for a moment. "Franҫois and Delphine Géroux are on the way as we speak. We are to meet them in the Headmaster's office."
"I am not allowed to leave, Professor." I say with a raise of an eyebrow and his eyes twinkle before going into Madam Causer's office. He comes out a few moments later and nods his head. I throw the blanket off and sit up. I swing my legs to around to the side and stand up. "Can I bring Tom?"
"Of course, Miss. Géroux." Dumbledore concedes with his eyes being abnormally bright and twinkling madly before heading for the door. I narrow my eyes at him thoughtfully before walking side by side with Tom to catch up with Dumbledore. We make it to the Headmaster's office and go up the already open stairs. I hear familiar voices cursing in French which makes me smile before it drops. Dumbledore opens the door and lets Tom and I in. I sigh in relief.
"Mama. Papa." I greet before cuddling into Mamé with Pepé stroking my back – soothingly.
"I want answers." Pepé starts. "I want to know who did it. I want to know if they had signs before and why did you not do anything about it. I want action."
"There names are Abraxas Malfoy, Thomas Nott and Michael Mulciber. Slytherin. Malfoy is a 5th Year, Nott and Mulciber are 7th Years." Dippet explains. "The only one who has had behavioural problems before is Nott and it shows in his grades. Malfoy and Mulciber have had detention only once which was in 2nd Year. None of us had any idea."
"That could just mean that we haven't caught them before." Dumbledore points out. "As a tendency, people do not commit big crimes without having done smaller crimes."
"A fine point, Albus." Dippet agrees. "We should question the students in the morning. We don't say who the victim is, but we say that a girl was almost sexually assaulted earlier by Malfoy, Nott and Mulciber. And we ask any students who could be victims to come forward. Not in the hall in front of everybody but in private. My office will be open from Breakfast to dinner for the next week for that purpose."
"It's a good idea." I voice as I lift my head from Mamé's shirt. "No one would come forward in public, but they would in private to a trusted mentor." I gesture to Dippet and Dumbledore.
"Then we shall do it." Dippet states, firmly. "The Aurors have arrived to take the three away and administer veritaserum for their confessions before going to trial. Because you are a minor and Malfoy is a minor – the trial will be soon. Mulciber and Nott's trials will come later as they are both adults." I nod. "Now, perhaps, you should go home and go to sleep in your own bed for the weekend as it's friday." I nod again but before I could move – the fire in the fireplace burns green and a man with long white-blond hair steps through. I gulp. A Malfoy.
"How dare you!" Malfoy exclaims to Dippet in anger. "The Malfoy family has been going to Hogwarts for generations and my son has done nothing wrong."
"Nothing wrong?!" Pepé shouts angrily. "He was found red-handed by fellow Slytherins – attacking my daughter!"
"You!" He yells at me and strides towards me in fury but Mamé points her wand at him.
"You take one more step and I will diffindo your neck before you can even put up a shield charm." Mamé threats which stops Malfoy in his tracks.
"Who do you think you are, woman?" Malfoy shouts the question at her.
"That woman is my wife, Malfoy." Pepé states. "Have some respect. Géroux, Franҫois Géroux. This is my wife and the love of my life, Delphine Géroux. Your boy has messed with the wrong family. I will see that he is locked up in Azkaban for the rest of his life without ever seeing his family again. The rest of the Malfoy clan is formally marked as an enemy to the Géroux clan from this day forward." A black swirl forms between Pepé and Malfoy before it disappears. "I suggest you go and see your son in the Ministry's cells, it's going to be one of the last times you can." Malfoy sneers at all of us before walking back through the flames. "We'll be going back to Géroux Villa now, but we would like to extend an invitation to Mr. Riddle." Everyone turns to look at Tom who frowns a little. "Your family would like to see you again and considering it's a Friday and what has just happened, I think it would do Mr. Riddle well to spend some time away from Hogwarts. I can have them back before breakfast on Monday. Armando? It's your choice." Dippet muses for a few moments.
"I think that would be the best thing." Dippet agrees. "My floo will be open at 6:30am on Monday. Do not be late." We all gather into the fireplace and floo to Géroux Villa before stepping out of the fireplace.
"What an asshole." Mamé mutters and leads all of us to the kitchen. "I was in the making Coq du vin. I have enough for everybody if you would like some. Franҫois also made madeleines earlier. They are in the…Frigo?" She trails off, frowning.
"Fridge?" I offer as an English translation, and she nods.
"Fridge." She agrees. "Would you two like some? You both are far too skinny! Do they even feed you at Hogwarts?" I wasn't always skinny. I became thinner when I went on the run with Harry, Hermione and Ron. I can't exactly tell them that, can I?
"I'm not that skinny." I mumble in protests and Mamé gives me a look.
"I reckon if you showed me your torso, your ribs will be sticking out." She counters, and I say nothing to that. She was right. "Exactly. Now, you two sit down." We obey and sit next to each other at the table while Mamé and Pepé bustle around the kitchen.
"Are you even hungry?" I ask in a whisper.
"Not particularly." He answers back, quietly. "But it would be rude to decline, right? Considering we're too skinny." I roll my eyes.
"It's not exactly our fault. It could just be genetics." I point out and he frowns. "You know, possible inheritance from one of your parents."
"We didn't really learn about genetics in the Orphanage. It was a Christian establishment. Science was forbidden in all forms."
"So, you never learned about Darwin or Mendel? Hämmerling was this year, I think? I do believe The Avery-MacLeod-McCarty experiment is next year though."
"I learnt the basics about Darwin and Mendel, but they told us they were wrong." He replies.
"That's a complicated matter." I start. "Darwin was correct in his conclusion of how natural selection worked within species as was the lines of evidence in used to support the theory, but he was wrong about the mechanisms of variation among individuals. Mendel's pea pod experiments aided in the discovery of dominant and recessive genes, but this discovery only works on most sexually reproducing organisms. He could not explain patterns of inheritance from non-sexually reproducing organisms among with a few other sexually reproducing organisms. However, Darwin and Mendel both laid down the foundations of genetic research and are considered the pioneers of their time." Tom was looking at me with an intense, intrigued face. "What?" He shakes his head.
"Nothing." I narrow my eyes but Mamé and Pepé come in with plates of coq du vin before I can press him for answers.
"That's a lot of food." I murmur at my over heaped plate.
"You are too skinny." Mamé counters and sits down opposite me with a much smaller load on her plate. Tom and Pepé had similar loads on their plate as mine. "Please, dig in." We eat in silence as we devour the food. Before I knew it, my plate was empty. Damn, I can put away food. "Someone was hungry." I smile shyly at Mamé and shrug. "Thomas, Franҫois called ahead to your family with the…"
"Telephone." I finish for Mamé.
"Yes, telephone. They are expecting you to floo in around 8:30pm, so, we have just enough time for dessert." I glance at the clock – 8:11pm. "Excuse me while I get dessert. Reine, can you get the dirty dishes?" I nod and gather them up, taking them into the kitchen. I put them into soaking hot water. "After Thomas has gone, do you mind if we have a small chat later?"
"Of course, that's fine." I reply as I get four smaller plates down for dessert. I put four madeleines on each plate with a dollop of homemade cream and jam on the side. I grab two plates while Mamé grabs the other two and we walk into the dining room. I put a plate in front of Tom and myself before sitting down. We all tuck into dessert with no madeleines being left on any plate by the end. I look at the clock – 8:27pm. I collect up the dirty dishes and put them into the soaking hot water which Mamé charmed the sponge and tea towel to clean and dry. I go back to the table where everyone else was standing up.
"It was so nice to have you for dinner, Thomas." Mamé was saying as she stood up. "And we shall see you on Sunday for a late lunch at Riddle Manor. I believe the chef is preparing Beef Wellington which I haven't had for so long."
"Thank you for having me, Mr. and Mrs. Géroux." Tom replies and shakes Pepé's hand and gets a small hug from Mamé.
"Reine, could you lead Thomas to the fireplace, please?" She questions, and I nod but with a frown. Doesn't he already know where it is? Tom and I walk in silence into the living room where the fireplace was.
"Mamé being strange." I mutter as we stand in front of the fireplace.
"French thing?" He teases with a smile which makes me snort.
"I've got to stop using that excuse." I reply. "I'm giving people the wrong impression of French people."
"You are." He teases again with a bigger smile. That smile made him seem so much more…Tom and not Voldemort. I smile back. He hesitates for a moment before deciding to wrap his arms around me in a hug. Instinctually, I hug back without thinking. He was warm, and I felt safe. "Are you going to be alright?"
"Of course." I answer. "I'm with my great-grandparents."
"You know that's not what I meant." He murmurs into my hair.
"I'll feel better, once they're in Azkaban." I mutter back, and he tightens his arms around me.
"I want to kill them." He replies.
"I know." I say with a soothing tone. "But you can't. They deserve to suffer for the rest of their lives in Azkaban. Don't give them an easy way out."
"I won't." He whispers in my hair and he places a kiss on my head before stepping back. I pick up the floo powder and hold it out to him. He takes a handful and steps into the fireplace. "Riddle Manor." He throws the floo powder down and disappears in green flames. I walk back out into the dining room where Mamé was sitting but Pepé wasn't there.
"Franҫois has gone to his office, so, we could talk privately." Mamé explains and I nod.
"Do you think we could have this talk in my bedroom?" I ask. "I'm really tired." Mamé nods and I follow her to my bedroom.
"This will be your room until you go back to your own time." Mamé states. "Or until we go back to France."
"This is actually my room when I stay in villa on Holiday." I murmur. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
"Right, firstly, the backstory that I gave my son, Maurice, your grandfather, was that your father and Franҫois were cousins and we are your closest living relatives." She says, and I nod with a smile. "Secondly, what is going with you and Thomas?"
"What?" I ask in shock and wide eyes, and she gives me a sassy look.
"You two look at each other like…" She trails off with a smile. "When Franҫois and I started courting, and we couldn't believe we were actually courting."
"We're not courting." I protest with a frown.
"I didn't say you were but only the way you two look at each other." She counters with a soft smile. "The way he looks at you…"
"He's grateful." I cut in. "I gave him his family back, it's gratitude. Nothing more." She narrows her eyes before her face relaxes.
"If you say so." She agrees. "But I would say that if you were courting, it is okay. You're allowed to have feelings. He was not the same man that he was back in January and that's because of you."
"I didn't really do anything." I disagree, and she hums before leaving my room but not before giving me another pointed look. I change out of my uniform and put on a nightgown before climbing into bed and turning my lamp off. Mamé was wrong. Completely wrong. I frown as I mule for a few moments. Maybe she wasn't. I curse out loud before groaning and letting my head hit the pillow. I'm so screwed.