Venenum
By Koryander
Chapter 16. Austrelaps - I heard you.
Tom Riddle never felt fear, hesitation perhaps, but never fear, because few things in both the wizarding and muggle worlds could threaten his existence, especially now with the creation of his Horcruxes. However, as he watched the diary, his Horcrux going into a kind of frenzy startled him, watching the diary absorb his memories and the writing repeat Granger's name, to the point where the ink ran down the pages like blood. He closed the diary abruptly, his hands and breathing trembling.
It tooktakes him a while to steady his breathing and to control his own thoughts, staring at the diary in his hands. Tom opened the diary again, hoping it hads calmed down, as after all the diary's sentience was improving as he added new memories.
Are you feeling better? He asked.
I'm sorry. Tom could imagine the tone of his own voice the diary would use as it pulled itself together from the spectacle it had caused. I think I had an overload of information and feelings for a moment.We think about her a lot, don't we? Diary asked. The things you did...Tsc...Tsc...Tsc...Tsc... You liked it. You want to do it again. I know. I feel it.
Tom raised an eyebrow at the words written on the page. His own Horcrux was studying him, not in an aggressive way - because they both had the same goal, always, and he was the creator - but it was not like Tom was hating it, after all the Horcrux was a part of himself, so it would behave the way he would behave, which actually pleased him. For a fleeting moment he thought the Horcrux was getting defective, but knowing that everything was in its proper place cheered him up.
She sounds very interesting. Could she be an ally? Perhaps - the diary answered itself - She's seen a lot of things about us. Oh, I'd like to feel her. The diary got excited. The diary's sentience worked from touch, so the diary wanting her touch was a simple fact that it would like to read her.
Talking to the diary was like talking to himself, they both had the same line of reasoning - something Tom really liked because few people around him could follow his thoughts - besides, it was a debate without rules and without judgements about assumptions, ideas and paths to run down.
She could be a formidable ally, yes, he thought.
Tom lifted his gaze and stared at the ceiling of the hiding place in the Secret Chamber, leaning back on his arms on the bed with the diary in his lap. A sigh escaped him, his thoughts racing in an attempt to understand Granger.
Of course, the memory of their time together was coming back to mind as well as all other things. There was something about her that disturbed him. The constant hesitation, how she always managed to deflect focus off of her to divert it on something else, even her conviction with which she defended Dumbledore, as much as he loathed it. But the fact that she didn't say anything to Dumbledore about everything that happened to them made Tom think that she was probably rethinking her judgment of the illustrious professor of transfiguration, which Tom really welcomed.
And then there was more: the book she so desperately wanted back. What did she want with it?
What are you after, Granger? he thought. What do you want? What can I offer you?
He must offer her something to tempt her. The Knights wanted power, some special place in the world he intended to build. They were influential, but too slow to realise they were following just another young man the same age as them, but this man was smart enough to know he was destined for great things and that those who would not join him the first time he offered, would not get a second chance to do so. Tom was not usually merciful, not without an interest behind the act. Everyone had a price and he wanted to know what Granger's price was.
There was the small annoyance that she was tied with him in academic rank, but his annoyance was not something s, for sure. It was her intelligence and power, he liked that, he coveted that. She'd better be an ally... Otherwise, oh, what a waste. Of course, those who were not on his side, were against him.
But then, again, he didn't like to share anything, yet he would make an exception for her, just so he could study her better.
Something told him that she was hiding something, a secret, as simple as it was, but it was there. His intuition had never been wrong about these things, and Tom found it hard to believe that it was something simple, after all, a person as emotional as she was could not hide when she felt she was in danger.
His gaze returned to the diary. Perhaps this was the moment to test other abilities of the diary.
If she came into contact with the diary, it could certainly influence her mind. What worried him was Dumbledore's annoying ability to stick his nose where it did not belong, and Granger's perception of him. Moreso, her being in the Gryffindor House placed her practically on the other side of the castle, and this did little to further his plans, and their casual encounters in classrooms were insufficient. But, Tom paused, if there was one thing he was sure of, it was Slughorn.
If he was correct, which he was, Slughorn will invite her to the Club and most likely to some of the separate classes he gave to favourite students.
That will give him time with Granger. Tom didn't want to use the diary aggressively on her. During the short time he spent with her throughout the holidays, the reactions she showed him made her gain some credibility in his eyes, but if he was to consider her as one of the Knights then he needed to understand her as a whole.
He closed the diary after writing goodbye on it.
On his way back to the dungeons, he stopped for a moment to observe the rain that was falling. If he concentrated well, he could hear the Grey Lady's chant. Her voice sounded like a murmur rich in rhythm, but one that conveyed loneliness and sadness. She was a ghost who, unlike Myrtle, should be feared. While she could be a shy and taciturn ghost, hiding in the Ravenclaw Tower, and gentle when necessary, it was said that she sometimes frightened - even if unintentionally - students when she floated around.
Tom looked at the expanse outside the Castle, a strange feeling was alerting him, however he was unable to interpret that feeling before Algie Longbottom appeared in the corridor.
"Riddle...? What are you doing? Rounds are over."
Tom scanned Longbottom from the top to bottom quickly before replying.
"I know, but I was trying to convince Peeves not to set a trap for the new students in the morning."
Algie didn't seem to realise that it was a lie, quite the opposite, since it was something Peeves was sure to do.
"Thank you, then, Riddle."
Algie thanked him for his diligence and Tom watched as he made his way to the Head Boy's dormitory, or so it seemed, but Tom's keen eye suspected his path was on the way to the Head Girl's dormitory, which was not so coincidentally in the same direction.
Tom, of course, had noted Longbottom's rosy cheeks and the fact that he seemed overly surprised by Tom's presence there, almost as if he had been caught doing or planning something inappropriate. It seems the Head Girl will have a private visit tonight.
That night, when he lay down and finally relaxed his body he dreamt of her. Either because in his subconscious his thoughts were filled with her or for unknown reasons.
When he woke up, he felt that he dreamt about her, but he did not remember much details. In any case, it was strange for him, as his sleep was usually dreamless.
o0o
Ectur Prewett stood on the second floor of the Castle and stared at the rain without seeing anything. His mind was too far away to register that today was going to be a rainy, uninviting weather day, Summer was really saying goodbye and Autumn was making its presence felt every day, the foliage was falling faster and faster. Still, none of this was picked up by his mind, not with much interest.
"What's wrong?" Ignatius -Ig- asked.
"Nothing." He muttered to his older brother, in a clear voice for him to leave him alone.
Ig raised one of his red-headed eyebrows at his brother's behaviour. He looked at Ectur's expression in detail, recognizing that dreamy look and sigh.
"Oh, no. I know that look."
That sentence causes Ectur to look at his brother. Ig was relatively taller than him and it was not that Ectur was short, but in general they shared the same traits, apart from height, Ig's lighter eyes and hair that was less red than his own.
His brother crossed his arms in front of his chest, making the arm muscles stand out. His brother was losing his youthful features to become more masculine, this Summer holiday was a precursor to such changes that were also extending to him and all the sixth and seventh-year boys.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ectur blurted out of the conversation.
"You don't fool me, little brother. I'm your big brother, I know you well." Ignatius pointed out the obvious. "That look there- " he pointed to his brother's face " -is of someone in love. Who is the girl?"
Ectur sat up, letting one of his legs stretch out as he bent the other and propped his forearm on his knee.
His relationship with his brother was very good, they rarely fought. Their fights had remained in their childhood years, but even in such times, they were more friends - playing and having fun together more than arguing. The two knew they could count on each other in any situation, so much so that Ectur felt the pain for his brother's arranged marriage alongside him, and as the good friends they were in addition to being brothers, they often shared the concerns they had.
So when Ignatius observed the look on his brother's face, he knew then that what he had said earlier - as a joke - was actually very serious. His brother really liked someone and that made his smile drop and the look of worry came to the fore. He squinted his eyes, putting together the puzzle that was Ectur's behaviour, finally realising.
"Oh, is it that Hermione?"
Ectur cringed the moment he heard Miss Granger's name. Not for nothing, but he really wasn't in the mood to have his brother mocking him.
"Ectur, you know very well about that." Ig scolded him.
Both brothers had already talked about the idea of nurturing a feeling about another person, especially when their parents seemed to have a strict idea about who their children could relate to. The Prewett family was still a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and they didn't want to hurt someone they possibly liked.
"I know, right," Ectur replied. "But, I could talk to mum and dad. They might like her. Dad would probably like Hermione." He justified himself.
"What? You're going too fast!"
"Look, I'm not saying I'm going to...I don't know...propose to her. It's not that. I'm just liking her and I didn't want to feel like it's wrong somehow."
"You know that- " Ignatius could not even finish speaking because Ectur interrupted him.
"I don't want it to be like it is for you!"
As soon as the words came out, Ectur regretted it and they both knew that it should not have been said. Embarrassed by his sudden outburst, Ectur lowered his gaze and muttered an apology. Ig, at first surprised, relaxed seconds later and placed a hand on his brother's head, ruffling his hair as a sad but brotherly smile broke out on his face.
The condescending look Ignatius gave made Ectur feel even more ashamed, and forced out from him a vocal apology.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's not like I want to be in this situation too." Ig tried to smile.
"You're never going to talk to her again, are you?" Ectur asked.
They had talked over the Summer about this. Ig had met a girl, a muggle girl, at Christmas last year. Ever since then he had kept her in his head - how she smiled, how her voice sounded, and how good she was at ice skating. That was until their parents found out about it.
"It'll be better for her, I think." Ig sat down next to Ectur. "I don't know if she would understand how we are." He looked down at his wand.
"I'm sorry," Ectur asked once more, but Ig just shook his head.
"You know that...you can count on me, right?"
Ectur looked at him and confirmed with a nod. That was all he needed from Ig.
Ignatius made a sound with his throat. "Okay. Good." He stood up and took a deep breath, put his hands on his waist and looked in any direction other than his younger brother's face.
"Okay, um... I support you, okay? But if you miss Quidditch practice, I'm done with you, understand? I'm the captain now, my name is on the line."
Ectur smiled at the abrupt change in conversation, his brother wasn't a big fan of melodramatic moments, so he always took the conversation to a lighter tone in the end.
"Okay, okay. I get it." He stood and raised both hands to declare innocence.
"Why don't you… I don't know, woo Hermione? Don't tell me you need some advice?"
"Okay. Enough." Ectur stopped him, he knew Ig was already starting to mock him. "I have to go."
"Don't forget the practice!" Ectur heard Ignatius shout, as they both went their opposite ways.
As he made his way, Ectur thought about meeting Bilius and the possibility of seeing Hermione as well created a spark within him. She hadn't shown up for breakfast and neither the first or second class, if perhaps she wasn't there for lunch, he would ask Enid or one of the girls to check if she was all right in hiding in the girl's dormitory.
As he was turning in the hallway, he collided with Mary Runcorn.
Mary Runcorn had light and slightly curly hair, her eyes were brown and her nose was slightly snubbed with a few freckles spreading to her cheeks, which were slightly pink when she noticed against whom she had collided.
The alchemy and potions books she was carrying scattered on the floor. Mary bent down to collect them with the help of Ectur, who kindly held out most of the books to her.
"Thank you." She murmured, shyly. Putting the books in her bag. Embarrassed, she fiddled with one of the locks of her hair, avoiding looking at Ectur, otherwise, she was liable to stare at him. Nevertheless, she couldn't resist especially when she noticed that he was smiling at her.
"You're welcome." He replied cheerfully and that made her legs go wobbly. "I hope you have a good day, Miss Runcorn. See you later!"
Her twin brother would probably laugh at the whole situation and blame her for not being able to start a proper conversation, especially since she kept staring at his back like a lovesick fool as he walked away .
It's true, she had liked him since the third year and in a few ways, she had already tried to declare her love for him, all of course fruitless. Still, Mary couldn't eliminate that feeling.
While in the Great Hall, Ectur found Bilius talking to Lyall Lupin, they greeted each other and chatted for a while before Ectur asked Bilius.
"Have you seen Hermione?"
Bilius and Lyall promptly denied.
"I haven't seen her since last night to tell you the truth."
In the distance they saw Enid coming towards them, but with hurried steps and looking worried.
"Enid!" He stopped her. "What is it? What's wrong?" Ectur intercepted her and asked, beside him Bilius formed a barrier so Enid couldn't bypass the.
Enid was a little startled, avoiding making eye contact, she bit her lower lip to try to hold back her words and looked around, waiting for the rest of the students to move away.
"Enid...?" It was Bilius' turn to inquire and put pressure for a reply.
"There's a problem happening." Her gaze was tense.
"What problem?"
Sighing, she replied.
"Look, don't tell anyone. Please." She pleaded. "Don't spread the news."
"We're your friends, Enid. We would never do that."
Enid held the gaze of the two in a way to ensure the truthfulness of the words.
"Hermione is missing."
"What?!" Bilius and Ectur said in unison.
"Shhhh! Keep it down!" She caught the attention of the two, who stopped for a moment.
"The Hogwarts beast is back? So is it true that it really exists?" Bilius asked.
The idea that the Hogwarts monster was really real and that in the end it hadn't been expelled as was said and was now taking new victims, chilled Ectur inside.
"We don't know. For all that it could be, Hermione could be anywhere." Enid replied. "Dumbledore asked me to gather the prefects, so we can do some searching, I'm going to meet everyone in the Deputy Headmaster room now."
She barely finished speaking and started walking.
"Wait, we're coming with you!" Ectur spoke up.
"No way! No one must know about this yet, Ectur. You promised."
Enid didn't even wait for a response before walking towards the Deputy Headmaster's room, leaving Bilius and Ectur behind, who watched her walk away.
Bilius and Ectur exchanged glances, before running towards Dumbledore's personal office.
o0o
That morning when he woke up, Tom did his entire morning routine. He felt truly good, even in the face of recent events. Tom was ready for anything, putting his good boy mask into practice very well again, keeping his emotions in check so that no one had a clue about his thoughts, about his opinions.
It was a strangely rainy day, which was practically turned dark by the grey clouds that hid the sky, the sun was very weak and didn't even appear properly, it was a bit windy too.
While eating breakfast at the Slytherin table with his housemates, he cast well-disguised glances at the Gryffindor table, not finding the reason for his search, which made him look more brazenly and detailed, squinting his eyes when he didn't see Granger at the table.
Tom wondered if she would miss breakfast, from what he witnessed, she was an early riser and very well-organised. It didn't seem to be typical of her.
But the realisation of her absence in class was unsettling, to say the least. The absence increased from their last conversation. She was not in Herbology class, nor was she in Arithmancy class.
During Herbology class, he questioned what she could possibly be doing, spending most of the class distracted on speculations. It was not as if the lecture in Herbology class was very interesting, but Tom was not one to dismiss such a subject entirely. Plants had the power to kill, plants had the power to save, and a good portion of potions used some sort of plant, whether dark magic or not.
In the Arithmancy class, he felt uneasy, a feeling which carried over and grew in Transfigurations Only being soothed by the thought that she might possibly be preferring to keep Dumbledore away from her...
Tom kept his eye on Dumbledore, trying to pick up any sign that he knew anything, he did the same thing with the other Gryffindors, but especially with Weasley and Prewett, two people with whom she seemed to have a greater bond of friendship. But most of the time it was disappointing because they were - in Tom's view - boring and poorly intelligent. Just thinking a little deeper about them, Tom felt the beginnings of an inconvenient headache. He was still trying to understand what benefit Granger could see from their presence. It must be exhausting and irritating to have them close.
Between breaks, he chatted with the Knights about the next meeting they would have.
Nevertheless, he watched, of course, Alphard Black slipping away here and there. Since the event involving Alphard and Walburga, caused precisely by Tom, Alphard had been avoiding direct confrontation. Every time he was in his presence, Alphard lowered his eyes and Walburga learned to keep her mouth shut. And of course, the situation didn't get any better for the muggle girl - whatever.
But it was at another point that Algie interrupted his reading about Magical Relics.
"Riddle."
He lifted his gaze from the book. "Yes?" Inwardly, he rolled his eyes at the interruption from his reading.
"Dumbledore is summoning all of us prefects to his room," Algie explained.
Now that did get his attention, leaving him on alert. What could Dumbledore possibly want?
Tom walked alongside Algie to Dumbledore's room, frankly surprised to find the other prefects, including the Head Girl there. Such a situation made him wary, because this was unusual, which meant something was up. He took the time to observe the confused looks of the other prefects as well as to analyse the attitude of Dumbledore, whose body seemed tense. With his hands behind his back, Dumbledore walked around.
"Headmaster Dumbledore...?" Enid's voice sounded, hinting at the start of the conversation.
"I thank you for your presence." Dumbledore began. Tom kept his posture upright, trying to predict where this conversation would go. "For answering my call."
Who in their right mind, being a prefect, would deny a request from Dumbledore?
"I must ask for your help, as responsible students, for a mission that brings me sorrow if what I fear is correct." Dumbledore continued. " Miss Granger is missing."
Tom Riddle blinked repeatedly, trying to adjust to what he had heard. "What?" he inquired vehemently, for a moment surprised and probably showing more of that emotion than the other prefects. "When?"
The fact that Enid and Algie Longbottom expressed nothing made him realise that Dumbledore had spoken to them earlier.
It didn't make much sense to Tom that she was gone, gone like that when he saw her yesterday when she made it explicit to him that she didn't intend to say anything about what happened to Dumbledore, but it also explained her disappearance this morning. For all he understood, Dumbledore must have already looked to see if she was in the Gryffindor dormitory and someone must have alerted him to her absence in class, which meant that Dumbledore was possibly keeping a close eye on her.
Tom's attitude must have caught the attention of Dumbledore, who looked directly at him.
"All indications are that from last night."
"Has the Hogwarts monster returned?" Eugene Runcorn asked.
That made Tom shudder inside. The Basilisk had attacked Granger? Impossible.
"I want to believe it hasn't," Dumbledore replied to Eugene but kept his gaze on Tom, who remained unmoved by the direction of the conversation.
"I would like you to assist in the search for Miss Granger's whereabouts, Mr Pringle is already doing his bit for the areas forbidden to you in the Castle. Your help will be of great importance."
"The other students, do they know that?"
"I must say the answer is no, Mr Abbot" Dumbledore explained. "Our intention is not to create an unnecessary fuss, at first we will keep this matter between us. If nothing is resolved..."
"We will do what we can to help, Headmaster Dumbledore." Algie Longbottom spoke up, getting a nod from Dumbledore in response.
The prefects were dismissed to begin their search, however, when Runcorn opened the door to Dumbledore's room, everyone was amazed to find Prewett and Weasley there.
While Weasley stayed behind, Prewett moved forward, bumping into some perfect to get closer to Dumbledore.
"Is it true?" He asked Dumbledore. "Hermione is missing?"
This surprised everyone slightly, the news had barely reached the prefect' ears and it had already leaked out.
"Mr Weasley, Mr Prewett."
While Bilius Weasley swallowed dryly and approached Dumbledore, Prewett didn't seem bothered by the others' presence there, forgetting even the correct etiquette.
"Where did you get this information from?" Tom questioned Prewett in a firm voice, which got his attention momentarily. And it did not go unnoticed that Enid grimaced upon hearing the words.
"It doesn't matter." Ectur replied, which almost earned a retort coming from Tom, if not for Dumbledore stopping him with a gesture of his hand.
As always, in Tom's view, Dumbledore seemed malleable, biased and partial when it came to his beloved Gryffindor students.
"Is that true, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Ectur continued. "If it is true, we can help. We can help look for her."
Dumbledore placed his hand on Ectur's shoulder, looking proud of the member of the Gryffindor House. Of course, Ectur Prewett seemed to be synonymous with what it was like to be a Gryffindor with his chivalry, impulsiveness and courage.
"I'm afraid that's true and I'm sure Miss Granger would appreciate your concern, but the right thing to do now is to prevent more students from being hurt if it's something serious. Therefore, we are warning the Headmasters of the Houses to order the students back to their Communal Hall."
"But, Headmaster... She's our friend." It was Bilius Weasley who spoke up.
"I understand, Mr Weasley. Your loyalty is commendable, but we value everyone's safety." Dumbledore concluded. "Mr Longbottom, please escort Mr Prewett and Mr Wesley to their proper dormitory."
"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore."
With that, they all headed towards the door, leaving to go about their business, but before Tom could leave, Dumbledore called out to him.
"Mr Riddle, may I have a word with you?"
With polite words and forced courtesy, Dumbledore, to Tom, was a Snake disguised as a Lion. Good thing he knew how to handle snakes very well.
"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Tom turned, walking back to the centre of the room as the door closed.
Whenever he was in Dumbledore's presence, Tom was conscious to remain alert, mindful of everything he spoke and did. He could not afford to leave a gap for Dumbledore to investigate him further, he could not relax, not in his presence, not with him. After Myrtle Warren's death, Dumbledore remained far more perceptive of what he was doing. It was very clear to Tom then that Dumbledore had always known or suspected his bloodline. He could still remember Dumbledore's expression when he first met him and had said that the unique ability he had to be able to talk to snakes was dark, of course now it all made much more sense and there was no Salazar Sonserina descendant besides him.
"Tom." Dumbledore's voice sounded a little more serious. "This is a conversation that will remain between us. Last year, you encountered the monster that was terrorising the students - Aragog."
Tom's jaw locked as he stared at Dumbledore, he was sure of where this conversation was going.
"If there is another incident like that, Hogwarts will have to be closed. Are you aware of that?"
"I know, Headmaster Dumbledore. It would be a horrible thing to happen." Tom controlled his tone of voice, his words, his emotions. Dumbledore was surrounding him, giving him a warning and putting him against the wall in the hope that he would slip up and give some information.
Was Dumbledore thinking he had something to do with Granger's disappearance? Why?
"Miss Granger is a friend. I intend to do what is necessary to find her." Tom continued.
Something in his words must have surprised Dumbledore.
"I was not aware of your friendship with Miss Granger."
"We discovered, while talking, that we have some things in common." Tom imposed a limit on Dumbledore's probing. He wouldn't let him stick his nose where it didn't belong.
He couldn't wait for the time to leave that room, and his unease should have shown through, hence why Dumbledore released him a moment later.
As he left the room, he took a deep breath. The fresh scent of rain entering his nose, calming him temporarily.
Damn it, Granger. Where are you?
Tom stepped out in search of her.
o0o
"Come on, Algie," Bilius grumbled.
"No." Algie promptly denied. They had been doing this for a good two minutes.
"Come on, we want to help." This time it was Ectur.
"You heard Dumbledore," Algie explained. "By the way, how did this news reach you?" He asked, frowning. Bilius raised one of his eyebrows as if to say 'really?'
The realization soon fell on Algie. "Shit. Enid..." He sighed. "Look, I know you guys want to help, but I can't break a rule."
"You're not going to break a rule," Ectur said.
"Not if you say we ran and you didn't want to jinx your friends."
"That's the dumbest excuse I could give." Algie rebutted with reasoning.
"It's so dumb, it seems true. After all, you do have a good heart, don't you?" Bilius raised both hands in a gesture that meant 'it's very simple'.
"Imagine if it were Enid? Or Fred? Or one of the two of us?" Ectur pointed to himself and to Bilius. "I know you would."
Algie closed his eyes and put his hand to his forehead, then pressed with his thumb and index finger the tip of his nose.
"Go, now." He spoke, much like a father giving his children a loophole to escape some maternal punishment.
Bilius and Ectur smiled at him and ran off, leaving Algie in the corridor that led to the Gryffindor Tower. He turned his back to the Tower entrance.
Meanwhile, Tom Riddle found Enid on the first floor, searching just as he did. The corridors of the Castle were empty, the Headmasters had already placed the students in the Common Rooms. The rain didn't seem to let up and the sky looked increasingly grey and dark as the afternoon wore on.
"Enid." Tom intercepted her path.
"Tom?"
"I understand it was you who communicated the news to and ."
"Tom..." She tried to clarify, but Tom stopped her.
"It's fine. I don't care about that and I don't even intend to tell Dumbledore." He smiled, reassuring her momentarily so he could inquire further. The fact that he said he didn't intend to tell Dumbledore what she did made her relax a little. Perfect, he thought. "I know you two are friends."
"Thank you, Tom." She murmured.
"Oh, come on, Enid. We're a team, aren't we?" His slight smile was fake, but it was unnoticeable to her eyes. "I'd just like to ask you, how did Dumbledore know about Granger's situation? I mean… Well, someone must have told him, right? Someone must have figured it out."
"I know, right?" She agreed, not realising that slowly Tom was taking away information that she, as Head Girl, was privileged to receive. "To tell you the truth, Dumbledore initially called me to have me ascertain whether Hermione was in the Common Room or the Dormitory. In fact, I had not seen her get up for breakfast. When I replied no, he had all the other prefects assembled."
"If we knew who had communicated to Dumbledore, we could ask that person what she or he had seen."
"I believe Dumbledore has already done that."
"That puts me at ease then." Tom replied though he felt unsatisfied with the conversation. "We have to go, time is running out."
As Enid walked away, Tom thought about what he would do. He thought about casting Appare Vestigium, but it would be of little or no use in a magic school, obviously. And Dumbledore probably already used some variation to find Granger, which he couldn't.
He looked to the side, seeing that he was alone, he cast the spell. It was a spell that could very well be mistaken for Serpensortia due to the summoning of the snakes, however, it was much darker and more obscure, difficult to perform and few were aware of its use - if not, only Salazar Slytherin himself. It was convenient to have access to Salazar Slytherin's personal office within the Chamber of Secrets, where Tom expanded his magical knowledge with the books and notes about spells and potions. Some hadn't even been divulged, perhaps for fear of reprisal, perhaps not, he did not care. Dark Magic or not, Tom did not see much purpose in separating spells that should or shouldn't be used as the Ministry dictated, magic was magic and to him that was all that mattered.
From the tip of his wand a blacklight emerged, from the shadows came ringed serpents in red and black unfurling from each other, hissing as their tongues moved. This spell was like for tracking, the intention of the witch or wizard had to be clear and whatever was asked for had to be physical, touchable and possess magic. It was much easier to control snakes on what they had to look for when the caster understood what they were saying. But of course, even that spell had a limit to its range.
"I am your master." Tom spoke in parseltongue. The snakes turned instantly upon hearing the hissing.
"Parselmouth " They hissed.
"I want you to find someone for me." He ordered. The snakes knew who it was, the intention was clear. Their tongues swayed in the wind as they picked up heat and essences, mostly magic.
They took their time, there were many magical beings around, many smells to be picked up, but something caught their attention. Normal snakes tended to like rainy and humid environments since amphibians and rodents were their food, but snakes like these - the base of this spell - did not feel these needs nor were influenced by the weather, their only weakness was the counterpart of who created them.
Following the orders of the sorcerer who summoned them, the snakes crawled towards the rain, beyond the Castle, into the green area. Tom was feeling strange for a moment, his brow furrowed. For all he knew, Granger was at the Castle, but apparently everyone was wrong, he thought about what he might find if he followed the snakes he summoned and in the end, decided to see what awaited him.
"Is that true, Ectur?" Bilius asked, incredulous.
"It's a possibility." Ectur cringed at the thought, but if he stopped to think about it, it made sense. "Well, last year Myrtle was killed there..." He swallowed dryly. "If it's someone who did something to Hermione, maybe there could be some symbolism behind it?"
"It's Myrtle's bathroom, Ectur. No one goes there for any reason." Bilius pointed out the obvious.
And it was true, nobody went in the bathroom where Myrtle Warren died, firstly because it became forbidden, secondly because nobody wanted to come face to face with her ghost and thirdly, who in their right mind would want to enter a place where a murder took place? All right, apparently everything had been solved, but come on? It did not make much sense to Bilius.
He may not be first in his class, but he was not an idiot to that point.
"Maybe Mr Pringle hasn't looked there already?" Bilius suggested.
"We won't know, because until then, we weren't even supposed to be outside the Common Room." Ectur kept walking. "Come on, Bilius." He gestured with his head for Bilius to follow him.
Taking that back, Bilius considered himself an idiot up to that point, because he was accompanying Ectur to Myrtle's bathroom.
They were on the second floor of the Castle, and every so often stopped to hide when they found a prefect in the same path as them. They tried some classrooms, some bathrooms - which were not forbidden - but there was no trace of Hermione's presence. Frankly, none of them wanted to believe that anything that happened to Myrtle was similar to what could have happened to Hermione, they had too much faith and credibility in her to think she couldn't defend herself, but if she couldn't, then it was because it was really serious.
Bilius was taken out of his thoughts when Ectur stopped and he bumped into him. Ectur took a step back, unintentionally stepping on Bilius' foot, who muttered an 'Ouch!'
"Shh, look!" Ectur pointed to the horizon, barely paying attention to Bilius' complaint. Bilius stopped for a moment, looking intently at what Ectur was pointing at. It was Riddle, running in the rain.
"He found her." He muttered. His words seemed to rouse Ectur from his trance, who soon started running towards the stairs to the first floor.
On the way they bumped into Eugene Runcorn, Mary Runcorn's twin brother.
"W...What are you guys doing?!" Eugene shouted.
"Tell Dumbledore we're going to the lake." Bilius replied. "I think Riddle found Hermione!"
Bilius and Ectur left Eugene behind.
Tom ran, the rain getting him all wet. His clothes were sticking to his skin and his Slytherin robe was becoming heavy from soaking the water - nothing that was horrible, but annoying. The snakes he summoned were leading him into the Great Lake, the water droplets were preventing him from seeing clearly, but he noticed the body on the banks of the lake. With a gesture, he made the snakes dissipate like ashes from a blue fire as he neared the area.
His breathing was quickening, the adrenaline in his body rising. She was lying on the banks of the Lake, her face staring at the rain and the cloudy sky, her eyes closed, her body partially in the waters of the Lake. Tom ran to her, pulling her body out of the water, he knelt down, at first surprised to find her like this. Her wand was in her hand.
He lowered his face so he could hear if she was breathing. Her breathing was shallow, but still. What had happened?
Tom touched the skin of her face, brushing away the strands of hair that stuck to her face, then ran it over her cheekbones feeling how cold she was, her lips were turning purple, she was probably starting to get hypothermia. On the tips of her eyelashes, drops were accumulating and dripping down the side of her face, making it look as if she was crying.
He held her body, partially lifting her chest, while supporting her head so it wouldn't hang down. He shook her gently to make her wake up.
"Granger! Granger!" Tom called out her name a few times. He heard her mutter and watched as her eyes worked behind her eyelids in an attempt to wake up. Whatever had happened had exhausted her.
From the movement of her body being shook, the locket attached to her neck hung a few inches off the ground, drawing Tom's gaze. He felt the weight of the locket, feeling the metal - initially cold - against his palm. Did his magic react to the locket or was it the locket that reacted to his magic? He could not tell, all he knew was that the energy was warm and inviting to him. But he also felt it was protective and dark. Something based on Dark Magic.
Playing with Dark Magic, Granger? Hm…
Tom was ready to carry her in his arms, when in the distance he heard Prewett's shout calling her name. He was running towards them, Weasley right behind.
Prewett skid over, stopping opposite of him and pulling Hermione out of his arms, almost pushing him in the process. At first he looked at Prewett, indignant at his attitude, then he wondered, what the hell are they doing here? And then came a bit of anger, especially when he saw Prewett smoothing her hair over and calling her name like a fool. Tom curbed his desire to grab Granger, even though it would seem childish to the point of the two of them fighting over her like she was a doll.
Prewett practically ignored him as he put one of his arms behind her back and another under her legs, carrying her like a bride as he stood up.
Tom stood up as well, tilting his head down a little as he stared at the scene, his dark hair sticking to his forehead, obscuring half of his face. More sensitive and attentive people would notice the change and the feeling that something was starting to go wrong. Tom's dark magic was starting to rise, like tentacles of temptation, the urge to hurt something or someone ominously emerging.
He definitely did not like Prewett's nor Weasley's interference and he was about to make a move when he saw Granger's eyes open. She blinked a few times, looking at Prewett, and Tom could tell for sure that she mumbled something, before closing her eyes again.
Her wand slipped from her hand, falling into the gravel, but Prewett and Weasley did not notice, as Prewett carried her back to the Castle with Weasley's help, but Tom did. He knew, she would never be without her wand, ever. So he bent down and picked up the wand, placing it in his robes before following Prewett and Weasley, watching.
When they arrived near the entrance to the first floor of the Castle, Dumbledore and Dippet were accompanied by Matron Derwent, with the prefects and Mr. Pringle. Tom noticed the sigh of relief Dippet released, just as Dumbledore seemed to relax. Matron Derwent soon arrived near Prewett so that she could check on Hermione.
"Let's get her to the Hospital Wing." Derwent, with the help of Mr. Pringle took Hermione and Tom's gazed followed the last of her.
He, Prewett and Wesley took shelter from the rain.
"I must say I'm rather proud of you, prefects." Dippet begun. "Excellent work."
It was noticeable that Dippet was very anxious for things to turn out favourably. No one wanted to be the Headmaster whose school closed during his ruling.
"Mr Prewett and Mr Weasley- " Dumbledore called out "how about we talk in my office?" It hadn't been a suggestion, though it was worded gently as a question.
There seemed to be a clear understanding between Dippet and Dumbledore, that Dumbledore would now act as the Headmaster of Gryffindor House, while Dippet would release the prefects back to their Houses.
Prewett and Weasley stiffened their posture the same instant they heard Dumbledore's words, following him after Dumbledore had cast the Hot Air charm on them so he could dry them off.
"Tom."
Dippet turned to him after releasing all the other prefects to return to their Common Rooms, which also meant that classes were over.
Tom turned to face Dippet, he was still wet from the rain, the water pooling at his feet and forming a small puddle, water droplets falling from his raven hair. Tom ran his hand through his hair, pushing back the dark strands away from his forehead.
Tom really did not esteem Dippet, even if it did not appear so to outsiders as a result of his public personnage, he was only able to endure his presence. However, based on the fact that Dippet was chosen as Headmaster of Hogwarts, he did not underestimate Dippet's power. No one who was in such a high place was weak, Dippet was quite suspicious by nature, however when he trusted someone he became influenced and manipulatable, even a bit naive and that seemed to be his defective personality trait. He valued order, discipline and wizard culture highly. His loyalty was to Hogwarts. He also favoured status, be it blood or position.
One of Tom's greatest triumphs was that he had gained Dippet's trust.
Dippet had him in such high regard that he often didn't question him at all, absorbing every word Tom had to say, because before asking Dumbledore to stay at the school for the Summer holidays, Tom had turned to Dippet who seemed to really consider it, even stating to him that he would give special permission if school was 'safe' - Hmm, that's my luck.
It was then that he had asked Dumbledore, because Tom had known that the only person who had any other great influence over Dippet was Dumbledore. But what was the point of looking back now? His holiday had been even relatively good, because of a certain girl. Granger.
At the end of it all, despite Tom not respecting Dippet, the Headmaster had fallen for his mask and controlled behaviour as the 'Golden Boy'.
In response to Dippet, Tom gestured with his head, thanking him for the acknowledgement, this seemed to satisfy Dippet who copied the movement back to him.
"Get some rest, Tom."
"Thank you, Headmaster Dippet."
Going opposite ways, Tom headed towards the Dungeons, drying himself off on the way, using the same charm Dumbledore had used moments ago. Arriving in the Slytherin Common Room, a good portion of the older students were on the ground floor while the younger ones were on the first floor.
His Knights, noticing his presence, exchanged glances between each other. Malfoy had a look that asked what had happened and why the students were told to remain in their Common Rooms. And of course, they thought they could get that information from him, because although it was a tiring type of job, being a prefect had its advantages.
Tom did not deign to take a second look at his companions, however, it did not go unnoticed that Alphard was standing aloof, sitting on the bay window, staring intensely at the Lake as if intently avoiding his gaze. Let him have his dramas, Tom rolled his eyes, but smiled internally in contentment at Alphard's behaviour. It was somewhat funny.
Alphard looked at the reflection of the window showingTom Riddle walking up the stairs to the dormitory. He thought of Hermione, hoping she was alright. If Riddle was back from his prefect duties then it was likely that she was fine. He had noticed her absence in class and had been worried and had wondered at that time if he should notify Dumbledore, as the professor had asked him a while back to keep him informed about her and due to recent events, he had seen no other way out than to bring her absence to his attention.
Things were getting intense very quickly and it was getting hard to keep control, because no matter how guarded he was by the Head of Gryffindor House, Tom Riddle was always present and it was almost impossible to fool him.
Alphard didn't quite understand what was going on between Riddle and Hermione, all he knew was that they were dancing in a precarious harmony of dominance.
He was startled to see a fin swiftly pass by on the other side of the window, snapping him out of his thoughts. A mermaid was swimming near the surface of the Lake.
Tom made his way to the dormitory and when inside the room, he began to take off his clothes, starting with his green tie. Even though he had dried his uniform, he left the clothes there for the elves to pick up and clean, his mind strongly conveying that no matter how dry they were, they weren't really clean. He put on his bathrobe and headed to the bathroom, taking a hot shower to remove the chill from his skin, after that he put on his grey uniform trousers and white shirt, running a hand through his hair to shake off excess water and finally sat down on the bed. His wand lay next to him while in his hands was Hermione Granger's wand. He ran his fingers over the wand, turning it from side to side, curious at how the energy of the wand seemed the same as his own and yet still managed to be different.
Tom thought about the pros and cons of having her wand in his possession. As he had it in his hands now, it was a curious bauble, to say the least. Maybe he would play with her, maybe he would make a trade. But seeing her wand, having it in his hands, reminded him of the reason for her having been near the Lake. What had happened? It had clearly looked like she had been attacked by someone.
Who had dared to hurt Granger? So many questions were running through his mind.
As a manifestation of his unease, he was fiddling with her wand, passing it from finger to finger in a rapid manner. Something was wrong, that was for sure. He just didn't know what it was. He still couldn't grasp it.
o0o
The following night, he watched her lying on the bed in the Hospital Wing, asleep or nearly so.
Tom had spent the entire day with the desire to see her and questioning what had happened, but he waited, writing down the important things said in class, doing his job as a monitor, denying any information he deemed important to his Knights and making it clear for them not to pester him.
At night, after his rounds and feeling that the excitement in the Castle was finally over, with everyone probably asleep, he left the Dungeons with a clear goal. Now, he found himself here, looking at her.
He bent his body, bringing his face closer to hers. Even in the darkness with only the night blue light entering the windows of the Wing, Tom could see that she was already feeling better. The colour of her skin had returned to a peachy shade with a slight pinkish tinge. Her hair was spread out on the pillow in a leonine manner, rebellious as it always was.
Suddenly she opened her brown eyes, wide with surprise. The action had slightly startled him as unexpected as it was, however it did not affect him outwardly.
"Boo!" He whispered, with a mischievous smile at her frightened and fearful expression.
Hermione froze, startled by his proximity and at him being there. Tom turned away from her, and she noticed his chest shaking as he laughed genuinely. She looked up at him, confused as she tried to take in his presence. Obviously, when she had woken up earlier that morning, she had felt overwhelmed by the new information she had from witnessing his birth and a part of his childhood, and followed by visits from her and Tom's Housemates, topped off by Dumbledore's enquiry.
While on one part she was happy and grateful for the visits she had received, she - very, very vaguely - reported what had happened, filtering out information depending on her target audience. The most allowed disclosures were made to Dumbledore, however the actual story was heavily censored, not because she didn't trust him, but she needed time to collect and interpret the events and her own thoughts. But in the end, she also knew that she wanted to face Riddle.
Hermione watched him walk away with his hands behind his back, turning around to settle in an armchair near the bed she lay on.
"You're an anxious person, you know that?" One of his eyebrows was raised in a mocking manner.
She puffed her chest, straightening herself on the bed so she could face him, her hands gripping the blanket as she stared at him, her mouth sealed as she still didn't know what to say. So engrossed in trying to understand him.
Something in her expression seemed to bother him to the point that he was compelled to continue speaking, as short of words Tom was.
"I brought flowers for you." Tom said. "As well-wishes for your swift recovery." He cast a glance at the table beside her bed, noting the vase with a rather extravagant bouquet, which was surely from Prewett. "But it no longer seems necessary." He looked down at the flowers in his hands.
"Give it to me." She asked, reaching with her hands to take the bouquet, much to his surprise. She took the plain bouquet. "Thank you." She murmured, looking at the petals.
His eyebrows drew together. "Did you hit your head?" He asked.
"No." Hermione replied, not quite understanding why he would ask such a thing. However, a little fascinated by his strange chivalrous behaviour. That certainly was not something she would expect coming from Tom Riddle.
"What happened, Granger?" Riddle asked and she stopped fiddling with the petals immediately.
"I don't know." She replied genuinely.
" Preposterous!" He complained. "I know you're lying. I'll ask you one more time. What happened?"
"I don't know!" Hermione raised her tone as well. "I don't even know why you care." She rolled her eyes.
Tom avoided her question with another question. So frustrating.
"Did someone attack you?" Tom asked. She stopped, remaining silent. Touché, Tom thought. "What happened?"
She had to admit that he was being very nice to her, by Voldemort's standard and this was not the way he would react normally. Usually, he wouldn't object to getting her to talk in any way possible, even if the method made her scream.
"I don't know."
Hermione knew Tom could see that she was starting to get nervous and uneasy at his presence and enquiry. Her hands opened and closed involuntarily as if she missed her wand.
"Look, I don't know what happened." Hermione replied frankly. "I have no idea, I can't even explain it." She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain. I don't know..."
In her mind, she still couldn't absorb everything that had happened. Things were getting more and more crazy, out of logic, dangerous... Her mind could barely interpret the image of him as a baby, as a child, nor the death of his mother.. It was not something she woke up to feel good about, no matter to who the person was. And now, face to face with him, her eyes tried to find the similarities to the child she saw him being in those memories that were not hers. She could see that he had matured and grown, but she could not find the purity she saw in the baby and the hopeful longing she saw in the child. She saw the Voldemort in the young adult standing in front of her.
He had changed. Life had changed him. People made him change. And while that terrified her, elsewhere she cries out of grief.
Hermione lowered her gaze and unconsciously hugged the flowers.
"I know you're lying." She heard his voice, attractive, tempting, an accusing low pitch. "I know. I could look for the answer, you know. Right there in your mind."
"Why do you care?" She braced herself like a lioness.
He got up from the armchair, moving closer to the bed, moving closer to her again. And this was one of the differences between Tom and Voldemort. Tom was physical and used bodily intimidation, while Voldemort would focus on psychological terror.
Tom propped one of his arms on the headboard of the bed and leaned towards her.
"Do you think you can fool me? You think I don't know there's something weird going on? Hm, Granger, I expected more from you. You think... that I don't feel the dark magic?"
He raised his hand and with his magic, he was calling out the necklace she hid under her flannel pyjama shirt, but before he could touch the locket, she stopped it with her hand, keeping it away from him and causing the locket to hover between the two of them, still attached to her neck.
Tom smiled at her. The locket's magical energy was reacting.
"Reacts to mine and your magic, why?" he asked, far too interested in the mystery and why Hermione was so protective of it. He was already cornering her.
"Secrets, Riddle. We talked in the tent that we would keep our secrets." She made sure to remind him.
His green eyes grew intense, but to Hermione's relief he sighed and turned away. But not before he ran his hand through her hair, feeling how silky it was despite the volume, and made it fall across her face, which Hermione pulled away quickly so she wouldn't lose sight of where Riddle was.
He sat in the armchair again, giving her a look she couldn't interpret. Hermione knew he wouldn't let it go, he would try to pester her about it.
Tom propped his arm on the arm of the armchair and closed his fisted hand so he could rest his chin up and watched her. She was putting the medallion under her pyjamas, which made him look in that direction; Hermione understood that he was noticing that she wasn't wearing an undergarment, because more or less he probably could see the outline of her breasts. This made her feel self-conscious very quickly, and she tried to discreetly puff her top so it would not rest so close to her skin, but she knew Tom was further aware of her state from the way he stared at her.
"When will you be discharged?" he asked, which caused her to squint at him.
Really, Tom? She frowned, noticing that he had changed his approach. Going back to acting like a normal person, which was odd. "In the morning." Hermione replied.
"Hm. That's good." He muttered and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Alright, what do you want?"
Hermione saw the side corner of his mouth go up a little bit, so when he moved and his hand went towards the inside of his robes, it left her alarmed. From there, he pulled out a wand and she readily recognised it.
"My wand." She lifted one of her hands in its direction.
"Tsk-tsk." Tom made a negative movement with his index finger.
"Give me back my wand." She ordered.
"What's the rush, Granger. I'll give it back- " He replied, much to her frustration " -in the morning."
"You'll just have to pick it up." Tom continued.
"I'm not going back to the Dungeons." Hermione quickly replied which made him roll his eyes.
"You don't have to go there. Just meet with me." He replied so simply.
"And what's in it for you?" She doubted the simplicity of his words.
"Nothing." Tom looked at her. "Absolutely nothing."
"Doesn't sound much like you."
"We're partners, aren't we Hermione? We have a secret." Tom stood up. "By the way, congratulations on the tie."
That almost seemed genuine, almost. He didn't look happy, she realised.
"Thank you." She played along with him. " I still want my wand." She continued.
Tom laughed, in that way that only he could. Like he thought she was a bit silly and naive. Hermione had not noticed when he had managed to get back close to her. He touched the flowers that Ectur had given her.
"He's your hero, eh." He changed the conversation. "Prewett."
Hermione didn't know what to reply when he turned to her.
"Who attacked you, Granger?" He asked, his expression changing so quickly she wasn't prepared, his voice soft and serious.
She lowered her gaze, her mouth making an expression that looked like a smile, but certainly wasn't. Hermione wouldn't tell, obviously, not because she doesn't know who it had been and even if she did, she wouldn't tell. She felt his presence even closer.
It was intense just him being in the same room as her, his presence would in any case be noticed for miles, but he still managed to be sneaky when he wanted. What makes you so different, she asked herself. What is going on in your mind?
She took his hand, which drew Tom's gaze into her touch. Her fingers touched his, her brighter skin against his paler tone.
"Thank you" She whispered, as she could not say it louder, but her voice was clear. "Tom." She tried his first name. "I know it was you who found me first." She says. "I heard you then."
They stared at each other, their breathing the only sound.
How funny, he thought. He felt strange.
Austrelaps Superbus, also known as Lowland Copperhead. The sixteenth most venomous snake in the world.