There is no embrace in the world more grotesque than that of a warm fireplace – and it makes dead tired. Death might be forever in my bones, but right now no memento mori, as loud as it may be, could cloud the realization that certain moments are worth living for.

"What are you staring at?"

A perfectly valid question that makes me tilt my head in amusement.

Elliott and Leonora have been cackling and waiting at the dark wooden counter at the other end of the tavern for a few minutes now, while Harper and I have merely placed our orders with them. So for a moment with just the two of us, I guess I found myself surrendering to the illusion that the orange light this crowded, noisy pub is bathed in, could let me look right through her dark eyes into her soul.

"You've changed something about yourself earlier, but help me out …"

She winks, ruffling her loose hair in demonstration. "Does that ring a bell? The updo the wind left me with was no longer presentable."

"Well, you would know," I tease her, causing her to grimace in response.

"Tell me …" She is already leaning in a little closer to me, and one thing is for sure. This uncomfortable corner seat I endure only for her. "What are we researching next?"

I know exactly what she is referring to. I know she has the Restricted Section of the library in mind, and I might as well inform her of my plan yet, but I prefer to see another impatient look on her face.

"Well, next," I hence ponder aloud, "we could discuss the extent to which a hair change would suit me."

"Very funny, Tom." She rolls her eyes laughing as Leonora and Elliott finally fight their way back through the crowd to our table.

"As I said," Elliott picks up on Harper's remark right away, "he definitely benefits from my sense of humor."

"Whatever you say," I retort. "But for this …" I point to the four Butterbeers the two of them bring along, "I indeed have to thank you."

Elliott just gives a friendly wave of his hand, then he sits down with Leonora right across from us and chuckles. "We know what happens when an impatient snake like you has to stand in line and wait."

Snakes, lines … What peculiar words. One stands for cunning, the other either for blood or gatherings of people with a common goal.

I nod innocuously. "Patience is a virtue – but certainly not one of mine …"

Leonora nods and proceeds straight to telling us about how impatient she too can be at times, but my mind is already wandering into the darkness.

Elliott knows many things about me. However, he does not know that I can converse with snakes. No one knows that, except for Dumbledore. I told him when we first met, to my great regret.
The surprise on his face, his whole reaction at these words, was like a warning. A hint to never tell anybody ever again. There is, of course, nothing to excuse. But I've kept quiet about it ever since.

So far, I have always had to regret revealing too much about myself. When confronted with my past – or the way I have dealt with it – people would always react with troubled suspicion, or worse, with misplaced sympathy, even pity.

Neither of which I have ever seen on Elliott's face. Nor on Harper's – that is what I appreciate about them. And I wish to keep it that way.

"Sometimes you really seem out of it," her voice now reaches me gently through the fog of my mind.

I lean back a bit and raise my brows. In fact, I do not have the slightest idea what their conversation was about.

"We want to toast!" Leonora initiates me and raises her Butterbeer.

My eyes surely hold a glint of mockery as I smirk. "Excuse me, but … what exactly needs to be celebrated?"

"Well, life!" she informs me, as their three drinks are already clinking.

With fatalistic equanimity, I comply. "Well then – to life."

After the first sip already, everybody is looking at me attentively.

"So? Still just butter and sugar?"

I take a deep breath and nod, but why be coy about it …

"Frankly it's a little bit better than I remembered."

"Triumph!" Harper exclaims, winking at Elliott. "I knew we could get him excited about this today!"

"A schelm, who thinks evil," I dryly say. "You seem to have planned experiments with me …"

"Only for the sake of science." Harper nods gravely, imitating the voice of a journalist. "Can a Butterbeer bring a grim smile to Tom Riddle's face? Initial results show: Yes!"

"And now what?" I ask. "Is your study complete?"

"For now," she confirms, grinning. "The next toast can be for Leonora and me."

"How come?" Elliott asks.

"It's our anniversary today," Leonora explains. "So to speak … It was four years ago when we became friends."

"That's right," Harper says, "and we've been just that ever since, even though we're in different Houses."

"Adorable," Elliott agrees. "Can you illustrate that for us? Do you regularly arrange to meet for breakfast in the Great Hall?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, we do," Harper says, laughing to herself as I'm shaking my head in disbelief. "What's so funny about that?"

"Like Ell said," I reassure her, though rather cynically, "adorable."

"And what are you two, then?" Leonora asks. "The two of you are double trouble as well, aren't you?"

"We are," Elliott promises. "Almost turned out differently, though."

The ladies look at us promptly, so he keeps talking, obviously wanting to make this banal story really exciting once again.

"If it wasn't for Tom, I probably would've been expelled in year one," he says somberly, almost whispering, "and after the first week at that."

I stifle a laugh so as not to ruin his punch line, but it's hard as hell given the sheer stupidity.

"What happened?" Leonora asks as though she is about to uncover a terrible secret.

Elliott clears his throat. "The night was dark," he begins, "not even the moonlight could reach the bottom of the Great Lake. You know – there are windows set into the dungeon walls through which we can peer into the shallows of the Grindylows' world."

"And there you go, revealing where our common room is," I note with a tired smile.

"We won't tell anyone," Leonora is quick to say. "But have you ever seen the giant squid?"

Elliott nods, acting as unimpressed as he can. "Now and then, oh sure, yes …"

"Carry on," I try to speed up the history lesson.

Elliott nods. "Anyway, ladies, the events of that dark night occurred barely a week after the sorting ceremony. Mr Riddle and I had never exchanged a word until then. Well, in fact, he hadn't exchanged a word with anyone …" He pauses and shrugs, looking at me. "He just doesn't like to spill the beans, I guess. However, he turned out to be a very observant night owl."

Harper gives me a cheeky look at these words – she, too, knows that by now …

"What happened, then?" Leonora urges.

"Well, everyone in Slytherin was blissfully dreaming. You have to imagine the dormitory as completely quiet – no audible breathing, absolutely not a sound. But I – I couldn't fall asleep, and I heard a very strange squeaking …"

Harper and Leonora hang on his lips, he can tell stories like no other. But I know the outcome, of course, so I just sit back with a grin. He is leading them on a completely wrong track – as if we had already buried a body together when we had just arrived at Hogwarts.

"Of course I had to look into it, and I certainly had my suspicions." He nods and takes a deep breath. "What kind of pets did you two bring?"

"Oh, come on!" Leonora exclaims. "How can you change the subject just like that!"

"Well," he sighs with a wink, "trust me, it has to do with that dark night."

I bury my face in my hands, trying not to laugh just yet …

"All right," Harper quickly says. "We both have owls. Now go on with your story!"

"Fine, fine, do you know what Tom brought?"

They both shake their heads.

"Nothing at all," he enlightens them. "Tom didn't have a pet, of course." He grins at me. "Poor Tom …"

"You were soon able to provide plenty," I retort.

"Indeed, I was." He grimaces and turns back to the ladies. "You know, I had two white mice with me."

"Are they even allowed?" Leonora asks.

"The caretaker was busy, he just waved me through."

"All right, so what?" Harper asks. "What do two mice have to do with dark nights?"

"Well, this is where the squeaking comes in again," he reveals. "In Diagon Alley, I was told that my mice were two females. But it turned out that wasn't quite right. They started a big family!"

The girls burst into laughter as Elliott grins and takes a sip of his Butterbier.

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind," he then proceeds to admit. "But there I was – with 15 animals instead of two. The caretaker would have murdered me, but simply ignoring the problem was out of the question as well – it would soon have resulted in an even more exponential increase in family size …"

"So what did you do?" Leonora asked, slightly worried. "Please tell me you didn't –"

"No, no, I'm a Slytherin, but I'm not heartless," he immediately interrupts her with a wink. "I snuck into the common room, with my mice – only to find that Tom was there, too. He was obviously just as unable to sleep, and he kept the fireplace flickering on and off with eerie glances. Until, that is, he and I came up with a solution for the pet family. We sold them in the whole castle, little by little, for a few galleons. In secret, of course … If Tom hadn't helped me – I would have lost my nerve."

"So that's how you met?" Harper grins at me in disbelief. "Is that really true?"

I nod. "He was hopelessly overwhelmed and oddly funny. I had to help him."

Elliott was, basically, the only one I've ever helped. But don't they say you should try everything once in a lifetime anyway?

The guests, too, seem to be guided by this maxim, as merry as it is in here. Only one person's mood is spoiled by the sight of our table.

"Leonora!"

I'm already watching him, but now the others also look around to see Raymond, Leonora's brother, running toward us with a bleary-eyed expression. She barely has a chance to greet him – he loses no time to speak his mind, and loudly so.

"What the hell are you doing here? And how do you look? Aren't you wearing a skirt?"

She shakes her head in disbelief. "Calm down, Ray, it's not like I'm naked! And I have every right to be here with my friends."

"Oh no!" he protests. "Leo, you certainly don't have any business being around Hogsmeade this late at night, it's not appropriate at all!" For a moment he eyes Elliott, then clear disgust crosses his face. "And certainly not with Slytherin scum, they're surely not your friends. We're leaving, right now!"

She sits on the outside, which makes it quite easy for him to simply drag her along.

"Ray, wait a minute!" Harper shouts, immediately going after the two. "You're overreacting, leave her alone!"

Elliott and I also begin to follow them, as Raymond truly is not that gentle on his way out.

"Don't be so rough on her!" Harper demands.

"Yeah, let her go!" Elliott, too, rushes after them to stop Raymond. "And what's so wrong with Slytherin, huh? Does a hero like you think you're better than us just because you wear red?"

Raymond stops abruptly to waggle a finger at him. "Leave my sister alone, consider this a warning!"

"Ray," Harper tries to reason with him again, "listen, you're drunk – you'll think differently about it once you've got some sleep. Just leave Leo with me and –"

"With you?" he frowns. "You've introduced her to those two snakes in the first place!"

Elliott dryly remarks, "We do have names, actually."

"You're friends with Riddle, that's all I need to know," Raymond retorts, then he turns to Harper again. "Do what you want, keep such company. After all, you're already dressing yourself in trousers, just like a jezebel, but Leo –"

"Don't talk to her like that," I let my voice cut across his.

I wanted to stay out of it entirely, but here we go …

"Like you even care!" he snorts angrily.

I lower my gaze to him, calm, with no visible emotion. "I do."

People sometimes seem paralyzed when confronted with stares. And indeed he swallows. Even though he tries his best not to let it show in any way, he is not entirely comfortable. Because he cannot possible read my intentions. Lions may hold strength, but snake venom will always be more efficient.

"Come on, Leo," he finally urges his sister, tugging her along. "We're done here."

Leonora turns her face to us as they begin moving, forming silent apologies with her lips, yet she is not the one to blame. Elliott waves at her with a pained smile before the pub door's bell rings for her not so voluntary farewell.

Then he blows out his cheeks and shrugs. "Not quite according to plan …"

"No, indeed," I agree.

"I'm going home as well," he sighs. "Will you be good without me?"

"Barely." I smile wearily. "Do go ahead."

We say goodbye to him, then Harper and I decide to not go home – so soon we find ourselves right at the bar counter. We order again, and she obviously wants to talk about anything but the topic at hand. Until at last she sighs, holding anxiously onto the wooden counter.

"That was horrible," she mumbles. "Ray was so rude to you, I really didn't know him that way."

"He was rude to you, Harper."

"Yes, also … Thanks for defending me. But I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"I wouldn't be."

She draws in a deep breath, then she toys with her hair, lost in thought. I could watch her do that forever.

"Tom, be honest," she then abruptly says, "what is it with you boys dreading women in pants?"

"In general?" I grin. "No, no, I'm from London, I wash my hands of it. It was obviously a nightmare for your Raymond – but as far as I'm concerned …" I smile wryly. "Rather the opposite. You look marvelous in them."

"Well then," she sighs, slightly flushing. "He's not my Raymond … By the way …"

I nod, seemingly indifferent. "Good."

"Yeah, good," she repeats, rolling her eyes with a smile before stifling a yawn. Looking at her I cannot help it either, but she soon proceeds to asks, "Will you walk me home? We should get back, shouldn't we?"

I stand up and reach my arm out to her. "We should, yes. And since we were interrupted in our planning earlier – I'd be more than happy if you and I took a nightly stroll to the library again."

"It's been a while since we've done something forbidden," she says.

We both smile at each other, about to be in the midst of conspiracy again. "Do you know what a Horcrux is?"

"No, never heard of it," she confesses, "but maybe I'll learn something about it tomorrow night?"

"Yes. Tomorrow night is perfect."

"Very nice." She nods. "I'm looking forward to it …"