Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my beta Earwen Telrunya. Without her help, the chapter wouldn't be half as good as it is.
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ABOUT THE BARMAN
Monday 28th August, 1944
Tom Riddle and Abraxas Malfoy sat in the Three Broomsticks, both enjoying a mug of butterbeer.
"My Lord," Abraxas suddenly hissed.
Tom fixed him with a sharp glare, Angry at Abraxas for interrupting his thoughts..
"How many times have I told you Abraxas, Do not call me that in public. Not yet anyway," Tom said furiously.
"I am sorry my l-Tom." Abraxas corrected himself quickly.
"Hmmm," Tom said raising his eyebrow. "What is it you wanted?"
"I just wanted to say – hey! Isn't that Professor Dumbledore over there? With that pretty girl and the bartender? At the bar."
Tom looked towards the area of the bar where Abraxas was gesturing to and saw that indeed it was his transfigurations teacher. He watched as Dumbledore shook hands with the black-haired barman, who looked a lot like his Professor – apart from the fact that the barman had black hair and wore an expression of disdain. He then let his eyes wander to the girl standing next to Dumbledore. She had pale skin, which made it look like she hadn't spent much time outdoors lately and dark brown hair that fell in ringlets down her back. Her amber eyes seemed to glow as she stood there, a slight frown on her face as she watched Dumbledore and the bartender.
"Abraxas, what is the name of the barman that Dumbledore is speaking to?" Tom asked. One of the only reasons that Tom kept Malfoy with him was because he was very well connected and seemed to know whom everyone was – well, the important people anyway.
"I don't know," Abraxas admitted, sullen faced. But then his expression cleared. "But who do you reckon that girl is? She's beautiful…I wouldn't mind having that in my bed."
'The only thoughts occupying this brainless idiot concern sex and gold, which is why I keep him around anyways, no brains to try and overthrow me.' the Slytherin smirked at the ridiculous though of the idiot sitting opposite of him trying to overthrow him, after all he was the great Tom Riddle and the last descendent of Salazar Slytherin himself.
Tom finished up his butterbeer and put the mug on the table. "Abraxas, make sure you find out who that bartender is by tomorrow afternoon." Tom said quietly, setting some gold down on the table to pay for the drinks.
"Yes Tom," Abraxas answered, gulping down the rest of his drink, then copying his fellow Slytherin. "But Tom, why are you bothered about that old barman anyway? You've never given him a second thought all the other times we have been here."
Riddle shut him up with a pointed glare, silently conveying the message. Malfoy had been around him for a long time now and Tom wondered if he was ever going to learn not to question him.
He was observant and certainly no fool. The arrogant Tom merely thought the only intelligence Abraxas possessed was obtained through study and memorising of simple lines, no more.
When Tom had first come to Hogwarts, Malfoy had been one of the first to mock him for his blood heritage. But he had soon discovered that not only was Tom very powerful, but also dangerous.
He had Tom doing all his dirty work and when the time was came Abraxas would reveal his true colours and stab him in the back, so to speak. Then he would claim the title of Dark Lord, having all the gold and power one could imagine.
"Malfoy, you better send me the information by tomorrow night," Riddle hissed dangerously and with one last glare he marched out of the pub.
Oh when the time comes, Riddle, you'll know who's really in charge, thought Abraxas darkly, before getting up and stalking out.