Anything from the Harry Potter Universe belongs to JKR. Other than that, I made it all up. Angst/Anxiety/Drama. AU. Enjoy.
Previously on A Riddle With Another Name: A Prince Among Gryffindors
Because he really didn't have a purpose in the library other than run down Zach, Aiden and Trevor, Bert softly shared his thoughts and opinions before heading for the door. "Nice to have met you Eileen. Well done lads. Now get your arses up. It's almost time for your next class. I'll see you at dinner."
As they quietly gathered their belongings, Zach, Aiden and Trevor grinned at each other. Bertie had been nosing.
In the back of his mind, Trevor was wondering if Bertie would be as welcoming when he invited Eileen to the Gryffindor common room to study. After a few seconds thought, Trevor decided both Bertie and Jackson would be alright with it.
Eileen spoke up. "If everyone is packed up, we should get to Transfiguration. Professor Dumbledore has set clear parameters regarding being late to class. I for one do not care to be the first Ravenclaw to lose House points."
With Eileen preceding them out the door, Trevor held Zach and Aiden back a few steps to make a few statements.
"Who is brave, brilliant and pushy?"
"Eileen," answered both his mates in unison.
"Correct. Still think someone has to be a beauty to be interesting Aiden?" Trevor remarked softly, quickening his pace to catch up with their brave, brilliant and pushy new friend.
/
/
A/N: For those who don't remember, Eileen Prince is Severus Snape's mother. She married the muggle Tobias Snape. I extrapolated a bit making her friends with Gryffindors. My thinking is, if she would marry a muggle later in life, she wouldn't have a problem being mates with members of another house during Hogwarts. Information states Eileen could have been in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. I chose Ravenclaw for my purposes.
A Riddle With Another Name: Chapter 7: Riddle's Rules
The afternoon classes had passed without incident. If it can be called without incident with a furious Tom sitting away from his gang in every class and then again at dinner. Tom's behavior was giving all his villains including Nott and Avery pause. None looked forward to an evening with an out of sorts Tom Riddle yet most wouldn't dare approach their master to find out the problem frightened he might be the one to catch the brunt of Tom's fury. In fact, when Tom got into a fury, no one was allowed to approach him. Riddle's Rules.
Six pairs of eyes were now trained on Avery. If anyone could approach Tom and come away unscathed, it would be Avery. Actually, Avery knew the rules better than most. He was also aware of what everyone knew. He was the only one, excluding Nott, who had a bit of leeway, and Nott was questionable. Another one of Riddle's Rules.
As far as Avery could see, they could all sit around cowering or he could approach Tom and kiss up. Avery wasn't a fool. He knew there were still hard feelings about the things that had taken place at the Black Lake. Not that he gave two shites what the others thought, but it was only right that he had theirs backs even though they hadn't had his. He was second in command under their master. He needed to act like it.
Avery sighed. He'd been around Tom long enough to know the things that bothered him most. Initially, Avery thought it might be about Robbins getting Tom's face, but he knew better. Tom didn't give two shites about either Jackson or Bert. The only other thing it could be was the incident with Slughorn. It was Avery's thought that old Sluggy was the cause of Tom's fury. Even though Tom had started the interaction which caused points to be taken from Slytherin, Horace had injured Tom's feelings by snapping back in front of his followers. Avery would bet ten galleons Tom wouldn't come out of his snit until he got back at his pet professor.
Avery got up slowly. The last thing he needed was to be hexed because he came at their leader in what could be perceived as a threatening manner. Piling a plate high with Tom's favorite foods, Avery placed the food down in front of his master speaking softly.
"I've fixed you a plate Tom. I realize you have things on your mind, but I have to be in the Transfiguration Office in ten minutes and didn't want to leave you without some kind of sustenance."
Avery held his breath as Tom turned to him with a deadly stare. "That's why you're my number one wizard. You will always look out for your master unlike those other bastards who don't care if I starve."
Not wanting to be confrontational, but needing to protect the rest, Avery quickly explained. "They all know the rules master. When you have something on your mind that doesn't pertain to them, they dare not approach you. It is one of your well established Riddle's Rules. It is my duty to ensure you have what you need."
Picking up a chicken leg, Tom nodded at his right hand wizard. "Thank you Avery. Now get on your way. Dumbledore said 4:00 pm sharp. He's probably standing by the office door tapping his foul foot. When your detention is over, come to my room. We have things to plan. You may also let the lot of them know I had nothing but the highest praise for your efforts. Go."
Avery stopped at the end of the table to softly whisper a few remarks. "Everything should be fine while I'm serving Dumbledore's detention as long as none of you do anything stupid. I'll see you back in the common room. None of you are to leave this table until our master leaves. Try to get it right."
/*/
Malfoy watched Avery walk away, and as any good coward would do, he began making spurious comments to his back. "Look who thinks he's become our leader. He needs to be taken down a peg or two."
Nott took offense. "Shut the fuck up Malfoy. You speak quite boldly when you are facing Avery's back. I say, tell it to his face. As I told you this morning, you run that cakehole too much without an ounce of courage to back it up. I suggest you shut it. If you have something you'd like to say to me, say it now. Don't wait until I walk away. Here's what you can do to keep yourself busy. Fill three plates to take back to the common room just in case Tom or Avery wants a snack later. Make sure they are wrapped well." Getting to his feet, Nott leaned over to growl in Malfoy's face before walking away. "Do it now."
The rest of the group had been so intent on Nott's diatribe they hadn't noticed that Tom had left the Great Hall. They were allowed to go about their business.
/*/
Avery's action had calmed the volatile wizard down a bit, but he was still angry. He needed something to do that would help clear his mind. Tom Riddle decided that something would be to visit The Chamber of Secrets. However, thinking about the Chamber reminded him he was furious with the loose lipped professor who had shared its existence. Shrugging off all thoughts of Horace Slughorn, Tom headed for the second floor girl's lavatory. He didn't usually visit the Chamber at this time of day. Too many silly witches running about, but at this moment, he needed the solitude of the Chamber and the company of his pet Basilisk. He might even lay out in his diary a few more of his personal, private thoughts. Taking the stairs two at a time, Tom called the Disillusionment spell when he reached the second floor. Tonight he would idle his time away with the lovely Basilisk who was always ready to serve the heir of Salazar Slytherin.
As Tom Riddle stealthily entered the lavatory, he made sure all stalls were empty before approaching the faucet. If he was a caring person, he wouldn't have come back to the place where he had watched that Myrtle witch die, but Tom Riddle wasn't a caring wizard. The best he could say about the dead witch was she shouldn't have been in the lavatory so late at night. Tough luck for her.
He'd had a very close call getting the Basilisk back into the Chamber before Dumbledore and Dippet had come charging through the door after hearing Myrtle's screams. Of course Dumbledore and Dippet had hushed it all up and put Myrtle's death down to an unfortunate accident. Anything to protect the good name of Hogwarts and his favorite pet imbecile Hagrid. Dumbledore and Dippet were as useless as the simpleton Hagrid.
Standing at the faucet, Tom spoke the word open in Parseltongue. Five minutes later, he was greeting the Basilisk feeling satisfied he knew something neither Dippet nor Dumbledore knew about.
/*/
Alone in the Chamber under the watchful eye of his Basilisk, Tom retrieved his diary from its hiding place. Pulling it to him, he began to relax as he wrote out every thought that had crossed his mind over the last several days.
1. He would get back at old Sluggy for disrespecting him.
2. He would get back at Sluggy for taking points.
3. He would get back at Sluggy for implying he wouldn't pass his NEWT's.
4. He would have Avery and Nott call Robbins out for daring to challenge him.
5. He would track down and kill the person who had stolen his family locket.
Anger and fury returned as Tom thought about the thief who had dared take the locket from his so-called mother even through a sale. Not only had Merope Gaunt been weak but she had been stupid as well to have given up her birthright for a pittance. Stupid bint.
Tom was so incensed he threw his quill across the room hitting the Basilisk on the nose. As the serpent raised it's head, Tom hurried over to pet it and retrieve his pen. "I'm sorry friend. I didn't mean to hit you. I would never purposely injure you."
Tom sat back down and looked over his entries. His mother and the Gaunt locket. He knew the story backwards and forwards. The bloody muggle had left Merope pregnant and penniless. To Lord Voldemort, that was no excuse. Merope was a witch with a wand which she should have used to curse the muggle husband and provide for herself. Silly, stupid, weak bint.
Tom was nearly foaming at the mouth as he closed the diary still thinking about his mother and his lost treasure. However, after a few cleansing breaths, Tom calmed down knowing even though the locket had been spirited away, no bloody miscreant had gotten the Gaunt ring. He had that and would never let it get away from him.
Tom who suddenly realized how long he'd been down in the Chamber, put the diary back in its place before hurriedly gathering his things. It was past time for him to do rounds. Perhaps he'd catch some unfortunate students somewhere they weren't supposed to be and hex the bejesus out of them. That thought of causing some pain made Lord Voldemort smile.
/*/
Dinner at the Gryffindor table was lively. At the senior students end, Bert and Jackson were humorously discussing Zach and Trevor's decision to call Bert Bertie without being invited.
Bert was chuckling between bits of sausage. The two little bleeders have so much nerve it's unnerving. There was me standing there calling myself checking up on them and they were checking me. Aiden is the last of the bunch, but with him being the introvert of the group, I think he'll ask to call me Bertie."
Jackson's face was crinkled up in a grin. "Perhaps he will ask to call you Bertie, but I don't think he's an introvert. How could he be hanging with Glover and Wood? I think he's just slow about coming into his own. He'll probably become the worst of the three."
Bert shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. We'll see. Another point of interest I learned earlier is that Glover, Wood and Walsh have befriended a plain, little witch from Ravenclaw named Eileen Prince who is going to try out for Quidditch. I don't think the blighters will ever stop surprising me."
Jackson squinted at Bert. "You're shitting me. They've not only befriended a Ravenclaw witch, but one who will be trying out for Quidditch. We'll need to keep our eyes on those three or they'll soon be inviting Slytherins to our common room."
Bert laughed. "Yes maybe. That would be after they hex their arses into submission. I was going to do a bit of studying after dinner, but I believe I should be out on the Quidditch field checking to see if our First Years can even stay on a broom."
Clapping Bert on the shoulder, Jackson gave a thumbs down. "You go babysit Mr. Quidditch king. It's right up your alley. I'd like to see their faces when they find out you are an outstanding Quidditch player. I will be studying with my Fifth Year raven haired beauty. I'm hoping to be schooled in the niceties of romance. I'll see you back in the common rooms.
"I don't think anything will put Zach or Trevor off guard. See you later mate." Bert remarked, waving at Jackson's back.
/*/
At the farther end of the Gryffindor table where the First through Third years sat, the conversation was just as lively. Zach and Trevor had everyone enthralled with their plans to fly their arses off and be offered top spots on the Gryffindor team.
Someone asked Aiden if he would be trying out as well.
"I'm not a flyer. I'm more the manager type. I'll be keeping my eye on Zach and Trevor to make sure they're eating right and getting enough sleep."
Everyone laughed with one second year replying that it appeared Aiden was afraid to get on a broom.
"Well yes, there's that. I like my lovely, pink bottom in one piece. My mum and dad would never let me live it down if I killed myself falling from a broom ten feet in the air."
More laughter.
Everyone was still laughing when Zach got all serious. "We may be having our little joke, but until I've ridden a broom and not fallen off from ten feet in the air, I'll refrain from any serious comment on how great a flyer or player I'll be. I read about a student who flew well but couldn't control the broom and ended up being a manager."
Everyone turned to look at Aiden before breaking into laughter over what Zach had just said.
Aiden rolled his eye at the table in general. "Laugh it up mates. It won't be so funny when I'm the only one left alive for second year."
The table was still buzzing when Bert walked up. "Why are you lads still here? I thought it was your intent to rule the Gryffindor Quidditch team. You can't rule a team if you're late to the practice. Get up and get out to the field. Now." He added before walking away.
Zach, Trevor and Aiden scrambled to gather their things. The others at the table followed behind them intent on finding out who would be falling off the broom from ten feet.
/*/
Samantha Glover had good news for her daughter Zaria. The grandfather had given permission for Zaria to visit Saturday and Sunday. Zaria was all smiles when her mum relayed the information.
"I'm so happy that grandfather is allowing me to visit. We'll have a lot to talk about because I think he misses Zach as much as I do. Maybe he has some other small bits of magic to teach me."
Samantha gave Zaria a stern look. "You are being allowed to visit love. I don't want you pestering grandfather about teaching you magic. You'll learn when you learn."
"But mum, I have to keep up with Zach. By now, he probably knows tons of new spells. Anyway, grandfather loves to teach us magic. He thinks Zach and I will be powerfully magic when are trained up. I think so too. I want you and father to be proud of me."
Samantha pulled Zaria into a hug. "Don't fret over small things Zaria. Your father and I have been and always will be proud of you and Zach. You are my two perfect children."
Zaria grinned. "You're having me on mum."
Zaria's comment surprised Samantha. "Why would you think that love? I am proud of you."
"Yes mum, I know you are, but you said we are your two perfect children. We are your only two children."
"Careful love. You are far to young to be throwing semantics at your mum. Now show me what you've learned about the history of magic."
They were just about to start when Daniel appeared at the door. "What's this about semantics?"
"Your daughter thought it humorous to correct me. I can overlook it this time because I know she is excited for the weekend, but I'm fairly certain she won't be so bold in the future. Right sweetie?"
"Yes mum. In the future, I won't say it out loud."
Both Daniel and Samantha laughed as Daniel pulled up a chair to hear what Zaria had learned from Bathilda Bagshot."
Zaria smiled at her mother and father. She was so lucky to have such wonderful and caring parents. A not so nice thought flashed through her mind causing a slight shiver to run through her body. It was the best day of their lives when Tom Riddle, Sr. ran out on them.
/*/
Zach, Trevor and Aiden had settled in the farthest corner of the Gryffindor common room to discuss what had gone on at flying practice. True to his word, Aiden had declined to ride a broom. However, after a bit of prodding from the Quidditch Professor, he climbed on a broom and surprised to himself. In fact, he had flown almost as well as Zach and Trevor who had taken to the brooms as though they had been flying for as long as they had been walking.
Zach and Trevor had jumped for joy when the professor invited all three to try out for Quidditch. Aiden still wasn't convinced Quidditch was something he wanted to pursue, but was sure Zach and Trevor would never let him hear the end of it. If the truth was told, now he had ridden a broom he felt more confident. Perhaps he would try out.
With their turns over, Zach, Trevor and Aiden sat in the stands watching others have a turn on the brooms. By others they meant Eileen. They quieted down immediately when Eileen took the broom and flew higher and faster than anyone else before her, including the three Gryffindors. Trevor embarrassed himself by standing up and clapping when Eileen returned to the ground. With a beet red face, Eileen turned to face Trevor and give a little wave.
"You didn't stand or clap for us, but Aiden and I aren't interesting," whispered Zach.
Trevor ran pink for a few seconds before giving a cheeky reply. "I'm glad you realize your place Glover. I can only say. You'll probably get interesting by end of term, if the Slytherins let you live that long."
Zach gave Trevor a friendly punch on the arm but quickly turned back to the field when a familiar voice began to speak.
/*/
"What the what? What did the professor just say?" Asked Aiden.
Zach was first to reply. "She said she is not a professor and should be addressed as Madam Hooch. She is our flying instructor and will be our Quidditch referee then she introduced the Captain of the Quidditch Team Bert Robbins."
Bert grinned in their direction.
Trevor sighed. "I thought that's what she said. We'll be toast if we make the team and mess up. Bertie will have all our arses."
"You're right about that mate. Just one more thing for him to fault us for," added Aiden.
Zach and Trevor corrected Aiden. "Us? What us? You're not even going to try out. There won't be anything for you to mess up."
They were still grumbling back and forth when Bert addressed them specifically. "Hey you Gryffindor lot. Stop your grumbling and pay attention. I'm giving instructions on when the Quidditch try outs will be."
"Okay Bertie."
"We're listening Bertie."
"That was Zach and Trevor Bert."
Bert laughed out loud. "Thank you Mr. Walsh. If it was Zach and Trevor who weren't listening, perhaps you can repeat what was said."
"Yes sir. Madam Hooch said she isn't a professor and should be addressed as Madam Hooch. She is our flying professor and will be the Quidditch referee then she introduced you as the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. You introduced yourself and said Quidditch try outs will be Saturday morning at 9:00 am on the pitch. Then you said, hey you lot."
Bert laughed even louder before complimenting Aiden. "Well done Mr. Walsh. Perhaps you will relay it all to your mates." Addressing everyone in the stands, Bert told them he would see those trying out Saturday morning. "Good luck to you all. Now off to your common rooms."
Zach and Trevor remained sitting for several more minutes with their mouths hanging open before Zach made a comment. "You were actually listening. Perhaps you would do better as a manager. You're still going to get a good cuff upside the head for ratting us out."
All three took a second to wave to Eileen as she passed.
When Eileen had gone, Aiden smiled at his two mates. "Really, a cuff is it? Try it and I'll tell Bert."
The three Gryffindors smiled at each other then hurried away when Bert shouted for them to get going.
"He was shouting at you two," cheeked Aiden as he hurried away.
Zach and Trevor ran to catch up. They definitely didn't want the Quidditch Captain on their arses.