A Win-Win

February 24, 1945

Tom knocked sharply on the door to Raoul Beaumont's London brick townhouse. He was still in shock somewhat about everything Horton had told him, but mostly he was just surprised that someone as inconspicuous as Raoul had been hiding something so undeniably interesting the entire time they had known each other. Tom had to admit, Raoul's story intrigued him, the potential conspiracy that led to the death of his family, the concept of revenge.

Raoul answered the door, looking groggy. "It's one in the morning, Riddle."

Tom wasn't interested in beating around the bush: "Put the team back in the Tournament, or I'll tell the executives at MAGI everything you've been up to."

Beaumont looked at him blankly for a few seconds and then slowly opened the door a bit wider. "I suppose you should come in."

Tom followed cautiously behind the sponsor as they stepped into his house, ensuring that his wand was in easy reach in case Raoul tried anything. He led Tom into the sitting room and poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey while offering Tom one as well. He shook his head.

After a long drink from the glass, Raoul said: "So…you and Rosemary spoke, then."

"Yes."

"How did that go? Does that mean what I think it means?" Suddenly, there was a mischievous gleam in Raoul's eyes.

"What? No." Tom gave him an incredulous look. "That's what you're concerned with right now?"

Raoul smirked. "I knew she'd tell you eventually. Though I'm impressed that she held out this long."

"Miss Horton is quite adept at keeping secrets," Tom said half-bitterly, mostly thinking about how she had misled him about her feelings for Cramer and his suspicions that she had yet to tell Cramer about her infidelity.

Raoul gave him a strange look, but changed the subject: "I also knew you would come here eventually and hold this over my head. I've been watching people for years, Tom. I see certain things in you. In fact, I believe that I know you better than most other people might. I knew that this information would be too good for you to pass up if you ever found out about it – hell, if I was in your place, I would be doing the same thing."

Was that true? Had Tom been that obvious? Then again, he supposed that Raoul had experienced more of the range (albeit a slim one) of his emotions than most others, likely second only to Horton. Perhaps it wasn't that far off to assume that Raoul indeed knew him quite a bit better than those Tom interacted with on a daily basis.

"Really, you remind me of myself in a way: your agenda is the only one that matters and you don't stop until you get what you want. That's not entirely a bad thing, though I suppose it can quickly devolve. Unforeseen consequences tend to arise when your actions are driven by primarily selfish reasons. It can work out sometimes, however…" Raoul seemed to realize he was rambling and slowly trailed off. Tom didn't take much notice however; he was too busy being rather stunned at the man's quite accurate perceptions of him.

"I didn't even send word to Thibault in Sponsor Relations," Raoul continued with a sigh, picking up a piece of parchment containing the composed letter from the coffee table and showing it to Tom. "I figured you'd find a way to stop me."

"Why did you even try to tell me that you were pulling us from the Tournament, then?"

"Several of the competitors on our team informed me they were canceling their contracts with me this morning – I figured it was worth a shot on the off-chance you didn't fight me on it. Plus, it's quite entertaining to see you all worked up." Raoul's face split into his irritating, toothy smile.

Tom shot him his most intense glare.

"I'm joking, Tom. I, not unlike yourself, often act according to my own self-serving agenda. I'm not sure when it finally clicked, but at some point I realized how valuable an ally you could be. You can go places I can't, you're one of the most remarkably clever people I've met – and strategic, too. But I knew I couldn't just ask for your help…I made a promise to myself long ago that I would not involve anyone without their full awareness of what they were getting themselves into. As you chose to involve yourself by actively digging into my past, I can absolve myself of any potential guilt. It's a win-win, see?"

So the entire thing had been a ploy to push Tom into discovering Raoul's story? To get him on board with his plans to take down MAGI? Once again, Tom was admittedly quite impressed with his sponsor that evening. Still, as intrigued as he was by Raoul's intentions, what would be in it for him if he decided to help (besides satisfying his curiosity on the matter)?

Tom held up his hand. "Hold on now – I never agreed to help you, you know…In fact, I'm the one with the information you want kept a secret. You should be the one placating me."

Raoul smirked. "Hear me out; if anything I believe I know about you is correct, then I think you'll agree to help me."

Tom looked at him impatiently and Raoul began to speak:

"I've suspected for quite some time that Grindelwald has several allies within MAGI. They'd have a lot to gain, you see, if wizards took supremacy over muggles – an enslaved, unpaid workforce for their manufacturing centers, for one. So, when an informant notified me that Grindelwald's attention would soon be turned to Britain, where MAGI's headquarters reside, I figured it was time to leave Paris and move to London. And then our old friend Dumbledore enters the picture. Now, we know that he's obviously involved with the Ministry and Hogwarts in terms of safety planning. However, we also know that he's been working as a consultant in Spell Mechanics for MAGI." Raoul stood and began pacing across the sitting room floor, in front of the fireplace. Tom had never seen him so engaged and contemplative. "Of course, what I want to know is: what does this mean? I learned long ago that there is no such thing as a true coincidence. Does the Ministry suspect that MAGI is involved with Grindelwald as well and placed him there as a spy? Did MAGI bring him on to keep a closer eye on the Ministry, hopefully learn something they could relay to Grindelwald? Is Dumbledore somehow involved – a double agent for Grindelwald's side, so to speak?"

Tom was sitting on the edge of his seat, absorbing every word that Beaumont said; his mind was spinning. In that moment, he probably respected the man more than ever before. Beaumont had always been mysterious, but even Tom had to admit he was impressed.

"This is where you come in, and I have a feeling you won't object to this particular request: take an afternoon or two and spy on Dumbledore for me."

Tom sat there for a few seconds, attempting to process everything Raoul had just told him and his thoughts on the whole matter.

For him, things had changed quite a bit over the last month or so. He was beginning to truly enjoy the camaraderie of the Knights and his confidence as a leader had grown exponentially. Tom was actually beginning to wonder: could he someday make his political ideals reality? He no longer wanted to defeat Grindelwald for the sake of the Tournament, though this was of course still a factor – he wanted the victory for the pride, the power, and the reverence that was sure to come with it. Wizard-kind all over the world would praise his name and respect his opinions. He would be unstoppable.

And here, out of seemingly nowhere, was an actual opportunity to bring down Grindelwald – and maybe even Dumbledore, too. Apparently Raoul had been right about him: this was an opportunity Tom simply could not resist. A chance to discover Dumbledore's secrets and, if Beaumont's last theory was correct, initiate his downfall as one of the most abhorrently respected members of wizarding society? Of course he was willing to help.

"What have you found out so far?"

Raoul frowned slightly. "Admittedly quite little. He is a very difficult bastard to read."

'Tell me about it,' Tom thought.

Then he realized: "This is why you were discouraging me from sneaking out of Hogwarts, wasn't it? So Dumbledore would be around more?"

Raoul nodded.

He really had underestimated the sponsor.

"I could have been spying on the pathetic git ages ago, you know."

"Yes, well, my agenda isn't the only one involved and I wanted to make sure that yours wouldn't somehow interfere. I also wanted to make certain you were capable of controlling yourself."

"Of course I am," Tom said in irritation, his temper already rising to the surface.

Raoul looked at him knowingly.

"I wouldn't involve you in this if I didn't think you could handle yourself – I mean, if things went south, you could certainly outduel any of them. But if you think Grindelwald is a monster –"

"I think Grindelwald is pathetic," Tom interrupted firmly.

Raoul smirked. "Well, he is a Cornish Pixie compared to the pack of wild Nundu that is MAGI. You need to tread carefully with this work, Tom."

He thought this might be a bit of an exaggeration – he wasn't afraid. Even so, he kept his comments to himself. There were a thousand questions bubbling to the surface of his mind, but one seemed to burn a little brighter than the rest:

"Why did you tell Horton? Weren't afraid of getting her involved, were you?"

The sponsor raised an eyebrow at him and tossed him an amused look. "Are you jealous you weren't the first to know?"

"No," Tom rolled his eyes, annoyed at both Raoul's comment and the fact that he had evaded the question.

"I have my reasons, none of which concern you," he told Tom.

What reasons? He knew this would certainly continue to eat at him.

A few seconds of silence passed between them before Raoul said: "You must give me your word that you will not act on whatever information you find before consulting me first."

Tom took a moment to consider this, knowing that it would be damn near impossible for him not to act if he discovered something truly incriminating about the man he loathed more than anyone else in the world, but he finally nodded. "You have my word."

Rosemary awoke that morning to a soft knock at the door. "Coming," she groaned quietly, wondering what sort of sinister person might wake her at this hour.

What time was it, anyway? She glanced at the clock on her wall while she dressed and was surprised to see that it was already ten – she had slept right through breakfast. Well then. Apparently whoever had woken her was actually entirely justified.

Rose opened the door to find no one there, but at her feet sat a small neatly wrapped parcel stamped: Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary and she could see the corner of an envelope sticking out beneath it.

She knew right away what the package contained; Rosemary had slipped the list of ingredients Tom owed her for the ruined potion under his door last night before she went to bed. She opened it anyway to confirm that everything was there, and it was. But how had he gotten it all so quickly? How did he get out of the castle? And, perhaps most importantly, where had he gone last night after she told him Raoul's secret?

He never ceased to be mysterious – that was for sure.

The letter, however, was not from Tom. She turned the envelope over in her hand and recognized her father's handwriting in the golden ink immediately. One of the school's house elves must have brought it to her room after she missed breakfast:

Dear Rosemary,

According to the Prophet (though with Ulrich Pitts writing the Sports and Games sections they are hardly an authority on the matter), the upcoming match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin is expected to be one of the best of the year. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that your mother and I are planning to visit the school to attend! Perhaps I could pull a few strings with Headmaster Dippet and after the match, your mother and I could take you and Warren to dinner in Hogsmeade to celebrate the victory that Ravenclaw surely has coming. How does that sound?

See you tomorrow.

Love,

Dad

As opposed to what her father had apparently expected, the news certainly had come as a surprise. Her heart sank. How was she going to tell her parents that she and Warren were through?

Maybe she didn't have to say anything at all. She and Warren hadn't exactly talked things out…he had never confirmed that they were actually over. Perhaps she could just lie and claim that he was busy after the match.

No. How could she possibly do that to Warren? Hadn't she put him through enough already? The last thing she wanted to do was involve him in another of her lies.

Thankfully, she had a day ahead of her in Hogsmeade with Faye and Becca to take her mind off this dilemma, at least for the time being.

She met the two of them outside near the school gates. Thanks to the ever-increasing threat of Grindelwald, everyone was required to travel in groups of three or more to the small town. Rosemary, Faye, and Becca planned to set out early, hoping to make the most of what would likely be their last trips to Hogsmeade if Dippet continued to follow Dumbledore's strict safety protocols. This meant beating the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-years to The Three Broomsticks.

"It's good to see you, Becca," she smiled at the raven-haired Slytherin. It was true – as long as it had taken Rose to warm up to the girl Markus had cheated on her with, it was far past her now. The weeks she had gone without speaking to any of her old friends had made her far more appreciative of all of them, including Becca Orion.

"Mhm."

Rosemary was surprised at the lackluster greeting, especially given the fact that it was coming from someone who had spent the better part of the year prior trying to get into Rose's good graces. Although she was curious about Becca's seemingly chilly demeanor, she forced it from her mind – there was no time for such trivial concerns when she had to worry about her parents coming tomorrow afternoon or Warren or what Tom did with the information she gave him.

However, it continued to bother her as they made their way into Hogsmeade. As they chatted, Rosemary couldn't help but notice that Becca responded easily to Faye, but reserved only one word comments for anything that Rose said.

As soon as they were seated at The Three Broomsticks and received their drinks, her mind was pulled in a completely different direction when Faye casually asked: "So, are you and Tom sleeping together? I mean regularly, now that Warren's out of the picture?"

Rosemary, who had just taken a sip of her drink, nearly spewed it across the table. "Faye," she hissed, looking around frantically to make sure no one had heard, especially Tom and his group of Slytherins that had arrived shortly after them and were being seated on the other side of the bar. "Shut it!"

"Oh, come on, it's all in good fun. We all know you're utterly mad for each other."

"That's not true," Rosemary said defiantly.

Regardless, she could no longer deny her feelings for him. The sensation was always there, even when she was angry with him, giving her flutters in her stomach and raising her body temperature a few degrees every time he was near. Sometimes, when she let her thoughts wander off a bit too far, she even found herself wondering what it might be like if they got back together. Before, they had been nothing short of perfect for each other, but would that change based on what she now knew about him? He was unpredictable, not to mention rather violent. Though she believed that he still held a certain tenderness for her (at least in a purely sexual sense), she wasn't sure if she could ever fully trusted him. What would happen every time she did something he didn't like? Would he ever become violent toward her?

And then there was the other question: did he still have feelings for her? Or did he simply view her as another lover? She might have realized over the last couple of weeks that she still had feelings for him, but that certainly didn't mean they were reciprocated. He had agreed with her quite quickly that their sexual encounter had been meaningless.

But even if he did still feel something for her, what would it matter? Their relationship was destined to fail from the get-go, thanks to her parents' austerity. She could deal with her parents being angry about her breakup with Warren, but could she actually deal with them completely disowning her? While they had never been close, Tom's shift in personality had forced her to consider the future more than she perhaps had before. Wouldn't she regret losing her family? What if their relationship exploded and she had nowhere else to go?

As though Faye could read her thoughts, she smiled and said: "Right, Rose. You keep telling yourself that."

"I wish you'd just stop wasting time and get back together with him already," Becca snapped and pushed her chair away from the table. "I have to use the ladies."

Rosemary watched in confusion as she stormed away from the table. "What's gotten into her lately?"

Faye rolled her eyes. "I have no idea. Well, I do, but it's absolutely stupid. She thinks Markus is envious of Tom's living up the single life and feels like he's missing out. I think all this talk of you cheating on Warren reminds her that Markus cheated on you with her and might be up to the same again with some other girl."

Rosemary sat for a couple of seconds in shock. Faye was right, that was a stupid thing for Becca to be upset with her about. Even if what Becca thought about Markus was true, it certainly wasn't Rosemary's fault – if anyone but Markus', it was Tom's. She finally managed: "I don't know, I thought Markus really cared about her. I'm sure they'll work things out. And what do you mean 'all this talk'?"

"How do you possibly expect me to keep all of your juicy drama to myself? It was all I could do to only tell Becca. I'm surprised the whole school doesn't know by now anyway – Warren must be a true gentleman, not wanting to ruin your entire reputation and all after what you did to him. But who knows, maybe it was the best mistake you ever made. Speaking of…Don't turn around, but your dirty little secret is looking your way."

She blushed, feeling his eyes on the back of her head, as she remembered once again that he had yet to fulfill the rest of his side of their agreement. Admittedly, she rather looking forward to the moment he chose to do so.

In a way, it made her feel dirty and twisted that she had traded information for sex. Wasn't she better than that? But Rosemary knew deep within her that this was overly optimistic: she had already come to the conclusion that she was just as twisted as Tom, after all. Though she suspected she had a bit more of a conscience about it; Rose couldn't imagine using the Cruciatus on anyone, unlike Tom. Then again, was cheating on someone really any better? Wasn't that essentially emotional torture as much as the Cruciatus was physical torture? She, like Tom, had simply given into her desires far too easily. And she had done it again, selling out Raoul for another night-long fling.

Though the guilt ached at her, it was in truth a rather dull ache that was considerably displaced by her excitement. She didn't have a clue when Tom intended to reconvene and finish what he started, but she hoped it might be soon. Just in case, she had worn her favorite lingerie under her clothes that day and perhaps she would wear another of her best sets tomorrow, too. In fact, she desperately hoped it would happen tomorrow, after her parents left. It would give her something to take her mind off the certain version of hell that would be let loose on her when she informed them about her split with Warren.

"Oh. No, nevermind – he's not looking at you. He's glaring at me."

"What? Why?" Rosemary couldn't help but feel at least slightly disappointed that Tom's attention hadn't been on her.

"I may or may not have called Katherine Gettes 'the new Rosemary' after the Ball last week."

"What? What in the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I was really, really drunk alright? And, let's face it – I was right. He asked her for a reason and you know that just as well as I do."

"How can you be so casual about it? You're the one who spent weeks ignoring me because you were all terrified of him – now you're giving him shit at parties?"

She shrugged. "He's mellowed out quite a bit, especially since you two have been getting it on now and again."

"Not 'now and again' – once," Rosemary corrected.

Well, at least for now…

She couldn't help but wonder: did she really have that much influence over him?

"Or maybe he's just happy with the Knights. Markus says their meetings have been going really well."

"The Knights?"

"Damn my big mouth. Yes, that's what they call themselves: the Knights of Walpurgis. Dolohov thought of it apparently."

"The Knights of Walpurgis." She laughed quietly. "I like it, it's clever."

Becca rejoined them at the table, which brought their conversation to an abrupt halt. Rosemary thought of bringing up Markus to Becca and assuring her that Markus wouldn't dare to fool around behind her back, but instead found her mind wandering:

Was what Faye said true? Did Tom ask Gettes for a reason? A reason that potentially had something to do with his feelings for her?

For the remainder of their afternoon in Hogsmeade, Rosemary couldn't help but notice that smiling had become far easier.

She had returned to her dormitory for the evening when she heard the second knock on her door that day. Her heart quickened, sure that it was Tom. Rosemary dashed across her bedroom to the bathroom, where she spritzed a bit of perfume on her neck, and quickly checked her hair in the mirror before finally opening the door.

"Warren?"

"Evening," he greeted her. "Can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Of course," she nodded, standing aside to let him in and then closing the door behind him.

For a few long seconds they just stood there, in the middle of her bedroom, avoiding each other's eyes. But soon, she couldn't take it any longer: "Warren, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you…"

"I know." He nodded and gave her a small, sad smile.

"How have you been?"

"Oh, you know. I've been better." He smiled again, though it seemed a bit less forceful than the first time. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

She nodded. "Me too."

He moved to sit on the edge of her bed and she joined him. "Rose, I can't lie…I was very upset when you told me…well, it doesn't matter. But…I love you and you told me you loved me too."

How could she forget? It was certainly not her finest moment, mistakenly telling him that she loved him right before divulging her dreadful secret regarding Tom. Still, though the guilt continued to eat her alive, she was happy that Warren had come to talk to her. She doubted he would ever be willing to salvage their relationship (which, in some ways, wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing), but perhaps rekindling their friendship was on the horizon at least.

What she wasn't prepared for, however, was what Warren said next:

"Based on that alone, I think it's worth another go."

"Really?" she asked him in genuine shock.

He nodded. "Just…please promise you won't see him again." Rosemary watched as his eyes wandered up to her door, surely contemplating the fact that Tom's door was just on the other side. Obviously you have to work together in your Head Girl duties…and Potions…but other than that…"

Rosemary could tell how difficult it was for him to talk about, a strange sight to observe with the usually confident and self-assured Warren. She placed a hand on his arm. "I won't. I promise."

Her heart deflated a few seconds later when the implications of her promise truly sunk in. No more Tom. Was this just another big mistake?

She supposed she would have to take that chance. He found it in his heart to forgive her for something unforgivable. Surely she could find it in herself to give him a real try this time: she owed at least that much to him. But could she really, truly ever grow to love him?

No. At least not in the same way that she had loved Tom. Would she ever love anyone as much as she had loved Tom, though? It sounded awful, but wasn't Warren the best of the subpar as far as this went? Wouldn't she rather be with him than end up completely alone (or, more realistically, allowing her parents to choose for her)?

She pulled him into an embrace. Even though she wasn't completely thrilled to be dating him again, at the very least she had made up with one of her oldest friends.

"My parents are coming to the match tomorrow," she told him. "I don't know if it's too soon – I mean, if you still need some time and whatnot that's fine…But do you want to join us for dinner in Hogsmeade?"

"That sounds great. I'd like things to go back to the way they were – pretend this entire thing never happened."

It was generous, she knew. Yet she couldn't remove all of the cynicism from her voice when she echoed him: "Sounds great."

"It's never the changes we want that change everything." ― Junot Díaz

So I just spent my night watching Dogma while consuming far too much alcohol and Ben and Jerry's. I know the news this morning was a devastating hit for millions of people, myself included. I think everyone in the HP fandom felt like they lost a family member today. It is a truly beautiful thing that Alan Rickman touched so many people's lives. RIP to the King of dripping-with-sarcasm wit.

Anyway...before I start crying...

Thanks so much for reading! And thanks to Oksanallex, Alice Helena, Blerb, x2leoj, RainbowKitteh13, gr8rockstarrox, Zircon Iris, Lady Ravanna, marly4077, Mrs. WaylandOdinsonBlack, RosiePosie15, Queentakesjack, and four Guest users for your reviews as well!

One quick announcement - I've decided on a final face claim for Tom! Check him out, along with Rose, other characters, quotes, and pics that have inspired my writing at www. pinterest (dot com)/MsRoseHorton.