Chapter 8: The Bargain

October 9th, 1943

Tom found her curled up in a corner in the second-floor girls' lavatory, just as he had suspected. She clutched today's paper in one hand, with her mother's book lying on the floor beside her. Her expression was blank; she gazed at the ceiling, her dilated pupils appearing almost lifeless.

After the incident last year, he had closed the Chamber and established a modified intruder charm that would only alert him to someone entering the perimeter. Almost everyone avoided the bathroom after Warren's death, and he knew he was being paranoid, but he couldn't risk anyone coming close to the Chamber's hidden entrance.

He couldn't understand why she had chosen this specific place to hide and mope.

Following the attack on Diagon Alley, news of Seager Burke's capture and subsequent demise at the hands of Grindelwald had swept through the castle the next morning. Students whispered about the late wizard's involvement with Grindelwald's movement and his connection to the new Gryffindor student. Tom knew she would be hiding somewhere, given her past reactions to people discussing her parents. And especially now, with the entire school talking about her past, Tom knew she would be mortified.

But what he hadn't expected was for her to be so emotionless, not even reacting when he stepped right in front of her.

"Burke?" He asked tentatively, walking closer. Tom didn't want to ask if she was alright and risk having her talk about her feelings. "You can't be here. A girl died in this place last term."

"Did you kill her?" She asked bluntly, her eyes still fixed on the ceiling, and Tom thought his mind was playing tricks on him, completely taken aback by her reply. It would be impossible for her to know.

"You're in shock because of your father's death..." He attempted to redirect the conversation.

Her head turned down to look at him directly, yet her face remained blank, even though anger was simmering in her eyes.

"Do not presume to know how I feel," she hissed with disdain.

"Why are you asking that?" He retorted. "Where did you hear such a thing?"

"It doesn't matter. I wasn't even sure, but I can see it now by how you're reacting... you really aren't the person everyone thinks."

Burke sighed, and Tom noticed her grip on the paper intensifying. Silently, Tom reached for his wand, ready to Obliviate her if necessary, but her next words made him pause.

"I don't care about her death; I didn't even know her... I just want to hear you say it. Did you kill her?" she probed again.

Tom hesitated, his hand still clutching his wand.

"What is it to you?" he asked, pacing in front of her, trying to guess her angle.

She turned her head to the side, her eyes now focused on her mother's book.

"I want to kill him," she mumbled so softly that he thought he had imagined it.

Tom cackled, unable to contain his disbelief. "That's absurd."

"I know," she replied, releasing her grip on the paper as both her hands pushed her hair back from her face. She breathed slowly. "But he has taken everything from me..." Their eyes locked again; her gaze filled with unwavering determination. "I want him dead."

"He is the most powerful dark wizard alive," he scorned, "and you are just some foolish girl."

"I have something he wants," Burke claimed, and her eyes drifted to the book again. "He doesn't know it yet, but it's only a matter of time before he tries to find me."

"What do you mean?" Tom asked, his curiosity slightly piqued. "What exactly is supposed to be in that book? I thought it would just be your mother's memoirs or something insignificant."

"My mother betrayed him. She had information he wanted, about something he has been trying to find for decades, but he couldn't get it out of her... then he forced my father to try to find it, and Dad got close, but not close enough."

Burke took out her wand and levitated the book in front of them as she also rose from her position on the ground. "This is the only thing that remains of her, and I can't help but think that it has to be more than just some nonsense."

She walked toward Tom, the book floating between them. "The note you gave me yesterday," she added, "you said you had solved the charm. Is it true?"

Tom's lips tightened, and he paused before he replied. "Yes."

Burke nodded with anticipation. "Alright, then tell me what you want now."

He narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "What I want?"

"I'm not as foolish as you think. I know you want something from me. You can't honestly expect me to believe that you helped me out of mere curiosity and the goodness of your heart," she said with a twisted smile that he would have never expected from her.

In fact, Tom had not anticipated this conversation. He knew she wasn't fooled by his false persona, but it hadn't occurred to him that she might be playing along, knowing he would put her on the spot when the moment came.

He decided that it didn't matter anymore; it was clear they were both done playing games.

"Herpo the Foul," he replied, raising his chin. "You and your father robbed his grave."

Burke nodded, understanding passing in her eyes as she scanned her surroundings. "I see, so you murdered that Muggle-born girl to make a Horcrux... I might have underestimated you, after all."

"I didn't set out to murder her specifically," he couldn't stop the words from coming out, his frustration growing. "It wasn't planned. She was simply a casualty."

"So, you didn't want to kill her?" she said, lifting her eyebrows, and he didn't like the implication.

"I don't care about that stupid mudblood!" he said, raising his voice, and started pacing again. "As far as I'm concerned, it's just one less mudblood to worry about. And if I can use her death for something meaningful, then even better."

Tom paused to look at Burke, expecting her to recoil, but the girl didn't even flinch; her eyes were fixed on him with curiosity. He was certainly not prepared for her next words.

"Funny thing for a half-blood to care about."

In a matter of seconds, Tom had closed the gap between them, his wand now positioned under her chin. But Burke didn't even blink. The only reaction he got was the sound of the book falling to the floor as she lost her concentration on the levitating spell.

"I'm the heir of Salazar Slytherin," he revealed, unable to contain himself, his words filled with venom. He grinned when he finally got a surprised reaction from her, albeit brief.

"That doesn't change who you are."

"You don't know who I am."

"You're a half-blood, and you say you are the heir of Slytherin. You were raised in a Muggle orphanage. What else am I missing?" Her voice was also dangerously loud, and Tom wanted nothing more than to Crucio her in that moment. But he managed to restrain himself, knowing that he could hurt her more with his words.

"Better than being the daughter of two pathetic traitors who never cared about you. Even after going through a full-on trial with the Ministry, even after being granted chance after chance, they still chose Grindelwald over you," satisfaction filled him when he noticed her eyes welling up, yet unconsciously he started lowering his wand. "It doesn't even matter that they betrayed him at the end, and if only, they did that because their own necks were on the line."

Burke shook her head, her face now contorted with grief.

"You don't know... you don't know anything," she kept repeating, as she took step after step, moving backward.

Tom grinned. "You see, Burke, you're not the only one who has been snooping around."

Burke was still shaking and walking backward, and Tom raised his wand again as a warning. "Now don't make me Obliviate you. You want something from me, and I want something from you. It doesn't have to be difficult."

She finally stopped, but her breathing was still agitated. "I'm not the one making this difficult," she said after she had calmed down enough to talk. "What exactly is it that you want from me?"

"I need the incantation."

"And what makes you think that I have it?"

"I read the report from Gringotts on the things your father stole from the expedition in Greece. There were hundreds of parchments, all of his life's work." Tom explained, his voice also calm now that she was willing to listen. "Aside from creating the first Basilisk, his Horcrux was the biggest magical achievement in ages."

"I know that." Burke replied with annoyance. "But I'm sorry to disappoint you; there were no instructions on how to create one. At least none that I saw.

Burke then avoided his gaze, and Tom noticed she was also picking at her cuticles as she usually did when she was nervous.

"You are lying," he accused her, his eyes narrowing and anger coursing through his veins. "You are hiding something."

They glared at each other for what seemed like ages, and eventually Burke sighed in defeat.

"I'm not lying... but we did find something else," she began with hesitation. "At least my father thought it was..."

"What?" Tom pressed on with frustration.

She looked apprehensive, sighing constantly, her mouth opening and closing, as if she was struggling to find the right words. "It's possible we found his Horcrux."

Tom's breath caught in his throat, and he could barely mutter, "Where is it?"

"My father hid it."

"Where?!"

"In Germany, it's in a vault in my grandparents' house."

Tom's mind raced. If what Burke was saying was true, if Herpo's soul remained trapped there, it would be possible to communicate with him and discover the incantation he needed.

"You will take me there," he demanded in a rush.

Burke looked shocked and gasped. "You're mad. Absolutely mad!" Tom almost felt insulted.

"I don't care what you think of me," he said. "You will take me there."

"And how exactly do you think I can manage that?"

Tom lowered his wand for the second time that night, placing it back into the inside pocket of his robes. With one graceful movement, he pushed back a single curl that had fallen in front of his right eyebrow, having come out of place from his perfectly combed hair during their heated discussion. He straightened his back and smiled at her with feigned charm. "I'm sure you will think of something. And in the meantime," he added, summoning the book that had fallen to the floor with his bare hand, "I'll keep hold of this."

"No!" she said, rushing toward him, but his deadly stare made her reconsider.

"You take me there, and I'll give it back, and I'll open it for you. That's the deal."

They continued to stare at each other, but Tom knew that she would agree; she had no choice, especially if she wanted to find out what was inside her book before Grindelwald came looking for her, although Tom thought that was a ridiculous notion; as long as Burke remained at Hogwarts, she was probably safest from the dark wizard. Unless, of course, he took control of the British Ministry of Magic. But Tom could tell that Burke was deeply afraid of Grindelwald, even if she preferred to hide beneath her feelings of anger and revenge, feelings that, odd as it seemed, Tom had to admit he could at least understand.

But he wasn't about to reveal these observations to her. Tom needed her to take him to Germany, and he didn't care if this placed her in any sort of danger.

Neither Burke nor he said another word that night, and with one last glare, she spun around and walked out of the lavatory, leaving Tom all alone, feeling victorious. Even if he hadn't exactly planned for this, things had gone much better than expected.

…….

Ada was shaking, primarily in anger, as she walked through the hallways, trying to find her way back to the Gryffindor common room. She felt increasingly foolish, mentally chastising herself for even finding him attractive. Riddle had treated her like a fool. He had never snapped at her like that before, and it completely took her by surprise.

Another part of her, one she was trying to deny, knew that she was also shaking in fear.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to her escape from Bergen-Belsen last summer, where she had been kept in a tower for almost an entire month, under surveillance by Grindelwald's followers and their Nazi allies until her father was able to rescue her. Although the only reason he had to rescue her was that he had allowed her to be taken in the first place.

Ada recoiled at the conflicting feelings she had for her father, and she wondered if something was wrong with her because she couldn't feel sad about his sudden death. Of course, she had felt slightly shocked, though a part of her knew it was always a possibility. But mostly, she felt alone, technically an orphan now, just like Riddle…

She continued her path, consumed by her thoughts. The corridors were empty, and she guessed everyone was probably having dinner in the Great Hall. Ada felt relieved; the last thing she wanted was to face her peers' judgmental stares.

The events that took place after the attack on Diagon Alley seemed like a complete blur. Ada barely remembered how she had returned to the common room with Robert, relieved to find Emily, who had informed them her mother was safe. Dumbledore had appeared, announcing that all visits to Hogsmeade would be canceled, and that additional security measures would be implemented in the coming days. For some reason, Ada felt as if the professor's gaze had lingered on her longer than on the other students.

The atmosphere remained tense throughout the night, making it difficult for Ada to fall asleep. She kept having nightmares, where she was trapped in a dark room with no windows and no door, a place she couldn't recognise. Then she woke up to the news on the front page of the Daily Prophet. The whole school now knew who her parents were and what they had done.

Ada dreaded facing Marie and Robert, and she was unsure about her future at Hogwarts as a whole. On top of that, she now needed to figure out how to sneak out of the castle with Riddle and find a way to get to Germany. Anxiety pumped through her veins at the thought of encountering her grandparents, and she wasn't sure if they would contact Grindelwald and give her away.

She was about to reach the South Wing, where her common room was located, when she felt someone watching her and heard faint steps nearby. Spinning around with her wand raised, Ada paused when she saw Maureen Williams trailing behind her, the girl's face filled with uncertainty.

"What are you doing?" Ada asked, her wand lowering slightly.

"I could ask the same of you," Maureen replied with suspicion.

Ada crossed her arms. "Have you been following me?"

Maureen sighed. "I only saw you coming out of the second-floor girls' lavatory," she said, "and then I saw Riddle coming out of there too."

"And? Why does that matter at all?" Ada snapped, not in the mood to deal with anyone's accusations.

"A girl di.."

"Yes, I know a girl died in there," Ada interrupted, her voice filled with frustration. "And I know you think that Riddle did it. I have been trying to speak to you about it for days now, but you keep avoiding me."

Maureen hushed her and looked around with fear, until she confirmed they were still alone. "Not here," she said, then grabbed Ada's arm and pulled her into the nearest door she could find, leading to a large closet filled with cobwebs and dusty books.

"The night that Warren died, I was making my rounds on the second floor. I heard a scream," Maureen's eyes looked terrified as she recalled her memories. "I rushed to the lavatory, but then I saw Riddle coming out. At first, I thought maybe he had gone there to help too, but something seemed off..."

Ada raised a hand between them, stopping Maureen's story. Riddle had essentially confirmed to her that he had killed the girl, even if it was unintentional. He had also claimed to be Slytherin's descendant, which was odd, but she assumed he simply felt slighted that Ada had called him a half-blood.

"Listen, Maureen, it doesn't matter anymore," Ada began, but the other girl was now trembling.

"No, you don't understand! He is very dangerous! I don't know what sort of sick game you're playing with him, but you need to stop it now if you can!"

"I'm not playing any games," Ada said, but she knew she couldn't fully explain the situation to her. "I was hiding out," she sighed, already regretting her words, "because of the news of my father's passing, and Riddle found me and was… consoling me about it."

"I don't believe that." Maureen insisted. "Look, Dumbledore asked me to find you and take you to him. I don't know what's going on with Riddle, Grindelwald, and your father's death. But I can see something is up, and I don't like it."

"Nothing's going on!" Ada exclaimed, growing increasingly agitated.

"Either you tell me right now what you know about Riddle, or I will be forced to speak to Dumbledore and tell him you've been sneaking around with him after curfew!" Maureen was now screaming hysterically, and Ada feared someone might hear them despite their hiding spot. "I've seen the two of you! And I'll have you know that Dumbledore doesn't trust Riddle either. He pretty much suggested that to me when I told him about my suspicions last year! He will not be empathetic to your situation, so you'd better explain yourself right now!"

The thought crossed her mind only once, and Ada knew she had no choice. Gripping her wand tightly, she petrified Maureen where she stood. The girl's eyes kept moving around in fear as Ada assessed her.

"You could never understand," she said to Maureen, knowing she wouldn't get a reply. "I know what he has done, but I don't care. I need his help."

It was true that perhaps there were other things she could have tried, and maybe even someone like Dumbledore might have helped her if she had explained. But a part of her couldn't trust the professor, given that her own parents had never trusted him. Even though she also couldn't fully trust Riddle, at least he wouldn't judge her. Riddle didn't care about her past or her parents. He had his own purpose, and he seemed very determined. In a way, Ada could respect that, even if she thought that creating a Horcrux was a foolish endeavor.

Ada felt like they had an understanding of some sort, something she had never experienced with anyone before. She had never had anyone need anything from her.

"I'm sorry, Maureen, I wish it didn't have to be this way…"

But that was a lie she told mostly to herself, trying to alleviate her heavy conscience.

The truth was that Ada didn't really care about this girl whom she hardly knew. She was merely an obstacle in her way now. Thus, Ada flicked her wand again, a brief flash of green enveloping the Ravenclaw girl, erasing her memories of the night and her suspicions of Riddle.