Warning: Slight sexual reference in this chapter.

Chapter 11:

Tom had missed breakfast, and his stomach was rumbling with discomfort. It was well worth it however, for the valuable intel he had gained. He made his way to Professor Merrythought's classroom, where he and the rest of the Slytherins in his year would be learning alongside the Gryffindors that morning. He was sure to encounter Nicole. As elated as he was about the news he had received from Benny, he couldn't help but feel betrayed by her. She had shared his secrets without his consent, and to someone he's never before met.

He had seen her as his confidant, a trustworthy ally who idealized him. If this were so, how could she have contacted Benny behind his back? Why would she keep this from him? Why would she keep anything from him? He thought he knew her, better than anyone. He entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom quietly, most of the other students had already taken their seats, Abraxas pulled out his chair and he sat down soundlessly not daring to glance over at Nicole.

Professor Merrythought was always a cheerful witch, she seldom was found in a bad mood. It was that perky kind of cheery, as if all were right with the world. Tom couldn't relate. She spoke with enthusiasm about their coverage of magical maladies, how they were going to discuss diseases, developing cures, and other uninteresting things. Surprisingly, the class went by rather quickly, it ended with her asking her students to write two feet of parchment on a curable magical ailment. Tom glanced over at Nicole, who was packing up her books sluggishly, as if she wished to linger a while longer.

"Off you are now, both of you," Professor Merrythought chimed in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Nicole smiled and nodded, Tom walked outside the door, lying against the wall, waiting for Nicole's exit.

"How did it go?" She asked, closing the door behind her. "With Benny, I mean," she looked excited.

"How did you know we were going to…"

"He owled me, week before last; said he'd meet with you in the library," she explained. So now she was owling people under his very nose?

"He had some interesting theories," Tom stated thoughtfully.

"Did he?" Nicole didn't seem too surprised.

"Odd, how he'd help a Slytherin with such a matter," Tom continued, he just now began to wonder Benny's motivations.

"Morals are for Gryffindors," Nicole smiled serenely. "Well most anyway. He does what he's paid to."

"You paid him?" Tom was liking this less and less.

"Had to take a good chunk out of my mother's savings, twenty galleons," she admitted sheepishly.

"Twenty galleons!?"

"Benny insisted had I not been a family friend the rates would have tripled, what with the risk he was taking, being associated so closely with, well, with what it is," Nicole stopped, the halls were empty, although there was always a chance they were being watched. "But I know him well enough. He's quite a talent for making a profit." She tried to justify it, but Tom remained unconvinced.

"He practically robbed you," Tom replied, "Why is it you didn't tell me about this before?"

Nicole sighed. "I didn't want to excite you," she answered simply. Tom raised a brow. "Imagine if you'd known since May that Benny was doing research, it would have driven me positively mad!"

"I don't want you keeping secrets from me, ever."

Nicole looked up into his eyes. "I was only trying to protect you." Tom found this amusing, though his expression remained unchanged. Her, protect him? It was he who should be protecting her. "I won't keep secrets from you again," she kissed him softly on the cheek; he slipped a note into her hand.

"Meet me here tonight," he turned to leave towards his next class. He wondered if she too knew where the come and go room was, and what it was capable of.

She did as she was told, unsurprisingly. At quarter past nine he saw her figure come into focus, she glanced first over at the tapestry, and then towards Tom. "What are we doing here?" She asked, thoroughly confounded.

"You mean, you don't know?" Tom found this rather hard to believe. Nicole shook her head. "It was your friend Benny who introduced me," still Nicole's expression remained blank. "Very well then, I'll show you." He thought very carefully about the room he wished to appear.

It should be small, comfortable, and no damned poorly knitted rug either. It needed to be a place where he could discuss his findings with Nicole. Yes, that would do. He concentrated on this thought, and began pacing back and forth. Nicole gazed at him curiously, but said nothing. A door began to spring from the ground. It was quite tall compared to the door that had appeared before. Nicole gasped in shock, and Tom concealed a grin.

"Thought for sure you would have known," He shrugged, opening the door, Nicole followed him wordlessly, closing the door behind her.

The room was far different than the one Benny had devised. The ceiling was tall, a brightly lit chandelier hung from the center of the room. There was a set of Victorian era furniture, and closed emerald green curtains giving the illusion of windows.

"He took you here?" She looked around in awe.

"Yes, the come and go room he called it," Tom relished in knowing things she did not.

"What did he tell you?" She turned to him, clearly itching with excitement.

"I was getting to that," he sat down onto one of the armchairs, gesturing for Nicole to join him, she sat on the sofa; it was stiff and uncomfortable as if it were merely there for show. "Now mind you, this is all heavily theoretical, but Benny seems to be onto something. He claims the only logical identity to the monster is the basilisk, and that it travels through the pipes, and the entrance to the chamber is in one of the lavatories."

"You want me to check the girl's lavatories then."

"And I shall check the boy's," Tom sighed, it hadn't taken him nearly as long to explain this as he had thought.

"It's nice here," Nicole stated suddenly.

"Yes, I suppose so," replied Tom in a rather bored manner, the room hadn't struck him one way or the other.

"I much prefer it to the kitchens," she continued. "It's so much more private." Tom nodded; he too enjoyed their momentary isolation.

She sat up in her seat, "Come sit with me." He obliged her, not sure what exactly she was playing at. She put her head on his shoulder. "We should stay here tonight."

Tom suddenly felt something harden between his legs, he had the urge to lean over and kiss her, but he did not. "We can't," he whispered.

She looked down at the floor. "I know," she sighed. They sat there for a few more minutes in silence; it felt as though it were an eternity.

Nicole finally rose to her feet, letting go of Tom's hand reluctantly. "Good night," she spoke softly.

"Good night," Tom repeated. She disappeared from the doorway, and Tom was left alone.

The two of them spent the next several weeks searching for anything out of the ordinary in the school's lavatories, but with no success. Tom was examining everything, from head to toe. The stalls of the bathroom, the pipes from the sink, and even conspicuous looking cracks in the wall with no success. This wasn't his only concern at the moment, however. Ever since Benny had mentioned the basilisk's ability to live for hundreds of years he had been obsessing over his own life, and how to keep it going forever.

He had successfully gained access to the restricted section, charming Professor Merrythought into writing him a pass for an 'extra credit' assignment. There were a few methods it seemed of procuring immortality. There were sorcerer's stones in which he'd be dependent on a stone for all of eternity, and unicorn blood which would curse his very existence.

There was always a catch to these sorts of things. Then, he found it. A whole section on what was called a 'horcrux'. It was a type of dark magic that required murder. It was the equivalent of ripping apart ones soul, and stuffing a few pieces in a jar. Sounded a bit barbaric, then again, who needs their entire soul anyway?

While he was contemplating exactly what action he should take to make a horcrux of his very own, Nicole was still busying herself with locating the chamber.

Halloween was fast approaching, and it was then the two had decided to meet up and compare. She couldn't bear disappointing him.

She found herself in the first floor girl's lavatory. She was looking over each of the toilets thoroughly, though careful not to touch anything. She moved then to the sinks, lying on her stomach, examining the patterns of the pipes.

She heard a shrill giggle behind her. She got up suddenly, startled, and banged her head up against the sink. The laughter increased in volume. Nicole looked up to see a young girl with a Ravenclaw tie, who looked absolutely beside herself. Nicole could hardly blame her; she imagined she did look rather odd lying there on the floor. Nicole managed to stand, rubbing her head.

"What were you doing on the floor?" the girl asked, her laughter subsiding.

"I was looking for something," Nicole answered truthfully.

The girl pushed up her glasses. "Did you find it?"

"No," Nicole shook her head. "What's your name?"

"Myrtle," the girl replied simply.

"It's nice to meet you Myrtle, I'm Nicole," she extended her hand but Myrtle looked at it with disgust. "Oh, right," Nicole went to wash her hands, having been on the floor it was understandable. She turned the tap, pouring some soap onto her hands.

When she had finished, she turned towards Myrtle, drying off her hands. "Very well then, shall we try again?"

Myrtle grudgingly shook her hand, as if she feared somehow it still might be contaminated. "Did you do that?" She asked pointing to one of the taps on the sink.

"Do what?" Nicole looked back at the tap, examining it closely. Scratched on the side of one of the taps was a tiny snake. "No," she answered casually, even though she was nearly bursting with excitement. "I best be off now," she took her eyes away from the tap and onto Myrtle.

"It's not as if I wanted you to stay," Myrtle murmured clearly offended, but Nicole had not heard her for she had already exited the lavatory, in search of Tom.

It was nearing five o'clock, classes had ended and it weren't as though she could converse with Tom during dinner. Halloween was just two days away, but she doubted she could wait even that long to tell him what she had discovered. She decided to check the library. She began to walk rather quickly down the hall, ending in more like a run.

When she reached the library she was nearly out of breath. The librarian glared at her; apparently it was rude to breathe too loudly.

"Sorry," she slowed herself, looking around to see if Tom was anywhere in sight. It was a few moments before she saw him come out of the restricted section of the library. She tried to make eye contact with him, but the library was full of students and he wouldn't dare acknowledge her under such circumstances.

He went to leave, probably to retire to the Slytherin common room. She couldn't keep this from him, she just couldn't. She went after him, careful not to go so fast as to look conspicuous, but not slow enough to allow him to leave. It was increasingly difficult to juggle the two as Tom's pace quickened.

"Tom!" She yelled, as soon as they were out of hearing distance from the library.

He turned, looking around to see if anyone else was watching. "What is it?" He moved closer, seeing the sense of urgency on her face.

Nicole took a deep breath, "I found it."