Chapter Twenty-Five
"What a dimwit!" Ruth Fisk exclaimed as she was sat in her dormitory.
Lucy has just explained everything that went on. Her friends were naturally stunned by it. The blame was solely rested on Victor Crabbe's shoulders as it was his fault the girl fell in. They didn't exactly like Eileen but none of them would have wished such a traumatic experience on her. Charity Burbage had gave the girl twenty house points for showing such quick thinking and bravery. Lucy was slightly embarrassed by it despite the pats on the back, she just did what she thought any good person would have done.
"I called him a stupid boy" Lucy admitted with a sigh.
"That's the nicest thing you could have said to him! Lucy, you don't need to feel guilty for calling a stupid boy a stupid boy" Ruth assured her.
She had a massive guilt complex however. It was one of her biggest problems and it was getting her nowhere. It was admittedly something that Argus Filch liked to take advantage of. Lucy giving a small shrug as she leaned back on her bed with a slight huff. Lucy hoped that Eileen would at least recover quickly, apparently she was on the mend.
"You know...I'm beginning to think you really are a saint. You saved a girl's life yet all you can focus on is calling somebody a name in a fit of anger. Victor could have killed her" Victoria reminded her firmly.
"I know but I don't think he meant to" Lucy replied.
Her friends groaning in response. Whether he meant to or not was besides the point. If she died, it would have been the bully's fault! He only felt remorse because he was caught in the act and his little prank didn't go his way. He did lose Slytherin fifty house points for his serious misdemeanour. His wealthy pure-blood parents being the only reason he wasn't being punished further.
"The Crabbe family are a bitter twisted family, Lucy. Don't give their little brat another thought" Ruth said.
"I hope they let Eileen's father visit her" Lucy spoke up; saying her thoughts out loud.
"I'm sure they will. Now stop worrying"
Lucy giving a small nod however she still felt something wasn't right. She was told by Ollivander that her wand only chooses witches or wizards who are wise. As she always seemed to feel things deep down, she sensed whether somebody was right or wrong. Whether the person was really what they looked to be on the outside and well she didn't doubt Victor Crabbe was a bully. She just knew somehow that his strings were being pulled.
...
A shaking heap of robes seemingly lay on the floor in the Slytherin common room. On closer inspection, you could see it was a first-year boy cowering in front of Tom Riddle and his gang. Victor Crabbe had lost them fifty house points and brought more attention to the fact that some of the pure-bloods are being treated like mere dogs. Tom was a clever boy, he knew the parents would twig onto the fact that the pure-bloods who aren't in close contact with him are the targets. So the fact Victor did this angered him for that reason. Walburga Black yelling nasty insults at the scared boy. As she pointed her wand in his direction...
"He dare bring attention to us for a stupid prank!" Walburga shouted in fury.
"I-I...I only meant to get her a-a bit w-wet" Victor shuddered.
Druella usually being the quieter one of the two stepped closer. She grabbed onto the lad by the tuft of his hair. His eyes full of fear as he never saw her so angry before.
"You only meant to get her a bit wet? Well I hope it was worth it...Severus Prince will only allow his daughter to be mocked so many times before he comes knocking round like Irving Malfoy!" Druella snarled.
Letting him go when she heard him whimper.
"And trust me...he's more terrifying than we are" Walburga chimed in.
Victor placed his hands on his head again. Sinking his face into the floor as he thought about having to face him. The common room was filled with fanatic Slytherins students as they all stepped around Victor. The first-years learned who was in charge very quickly. It wasn't Horace Slughorn, he was 'Head of Slytherin' in name only. For he had no idea of the evil which laid dormant in his students and he wouldn't until it was too late. Betty Fisk watching in horror as she learned this wasn't the house of her parents' generation.
"Spit it out! Say sorry!" Nott shouted as he pointed his wand towards the boy.
"Sorry...I'm so sorry!" Victor cried out.
"Sorry what?" Tom asked quietly as he bent down to the boy's level.
This confused Victor as he shakily asked..."Sorry...What do you want me to say? I don't understand"
"Sorry, Lord"
His title of 'Lord' did indeed start out as a way to humiliate those that crossed him. It didn't hold the same power it would in this moment in time. Tom stood back up as he waited for the boy to repeat it in front of everyone. This was the first time he dared call himself something above 'Leader'. Victor breathing nervously as he managed to say...
"Sorry, Lord"
This resulted in cackling from Walburga and Druella. Tom put his hand up as if to say enough. Making the girls stop laughing as they just had smug grins instead as they walked over towards the empty chairs near the fireplace. Betty was curled up in a ball during this as she wished she was in Hufflepuff with her sister. All of the first-years were scared beyond belief. Orford Umbridge sat besides Betty as the shaken girl cried into her cousin's side as he held her for comfort. She learned the hard way that leaving the room when Tom was giving out one of his so-called lectures was the best option.
"Somebody quiet her down" Druella spoke up as she glanced in their direction.
"She's not use to seeing this" Orford told her in a firm tone of voice.
"No. Well I wouldn't expect somebody who has links to sweet little Hufflepuff to enjoy such perfect punishment"
"Now, now, Druella. There's no need for that sort of chatter" Tom intervened.
This made her instantly cower as she shut up. Sinking deeply into her chair as her pointy shoes faced the ground. Tom forced Victor back on his feet as he shoved the boy towards the dormitories. He rushed up towards his room to escape further scolding's. Walburga looked quietly but intensely towards the first-year Fisk girl while her friend Druella suddenly lost her poise.
"Girls...Can I ask something of you two?" Tom questioned.
Druella and Walburga nodded straight away. Walburga standing up as if he was a wizard of great reverence. He began to ask quietly that to avoid further suspicion that they must befriend Eileen Prince again. To avoid her writing to her father like Abraxas Malfoy. Nobody wanted Severus Prince to come and collect her, thus casting further assertions.
"Befriend her again? She's a liability, Tom" Walburga insisted as she held onto his arm.
"I don't doubt it but we can't afford another Abraxas Malfoy situation. She has too many great connections for us to lose her" Tom replied.
Walburga stomping her feet in a fit of childish rage. She twisted her hair around her finger and began flickering her eyelashes. Tom barely reacted to this strange bit of behaviour. The teenage girl leaned in closer to the boy as she asked...
"Aren't my great connections better?"
"It's not about better. It's about the cause and what we must do to achieve it. We all got our part to play, Walburga" Tom answered.
Making her breath in slightly before agreeing to his request.
...
Eileen left the hospital wing the following early morning. She ambled through the hallway with the intent on writing to her father. She wanted to be home-schooled like Abraxas and was willing to beg him to take her away from Hogwarts. She opted for the library to avoid Druella seeing what she was writing. As she got out a parchment and quill with ink and began writing...
Dear Father,
Irving Malfoy was right about Tom Riddle. He's an evil child and his friends aren't much better. Please let me come home, Slytherin isn't the same. Horace Slughorn is too blind by Tom's fake charm to see it. He wants our future children, father. He says his plan will last for generations. He hates muggles and muggle-borns to a point where he doesn't care if they die. He wants to murder mere children...children younger than us. As for those pure-bloods and half-bloods who disagree, we will be treated as no better than squibs and half-breeds.
Eileen paused as she heard footsteps coming. She closed her letter to look behind herself. Druella and Walburga had found her after being told she left the hospital wing. Tom didn't want to risk this very event and he sent them down to talk to her, he did have legilimency and knew she had been thinking about it for days. The girls had fake smiles on their faces.
"We were so worried about you" Druella uttered in a fale tone of compassion.
Something she lacked for Eileen in reality. Walburga was merely doing this to get in Tom's good books. Everyone had guessed by now she had her eyes set on him in hope of marriage for when they get older. They sat on either side of her with more fake but nervous smiles.
"So worried for me, were you?" Eileen asked rhetorically
"I know we haven't been very nice lately but we truly do care. Why else are we here? Victor is sorry too, he really didn't mean to. He's only eleven, Eileen" Walburga answered.
"I know. It's not Victor I have an issue with"
"Tom is really sorry too. He knows he took it too far but when you been abandoned like him. It's difficult...he's just a misunderstood boy really. He's never had friends before so he doesn't always know what to say"
"He wanted muggle children dead. Did you know that?" Eileen questioned in disbelief.
"He didn't mean it. He would never do such a thing...We are worried about you writing to your father. He's a very scary man...as much as we respect him. We don't need you to go to him. We can resolve this ourselves" Druella pleaded.
She gave a sigh as she relented, seeing their scared faces. Placing the letter in her robe pocket and promising to destroy it.
...
TBC