Dippet's speech is as long as ever, boring to the point the elves might fall asleep before they send food up to the tables. The entire Hall is decorated with green colours and snakes ornment on the banners hanging in the ceiling. Slytherins have won the house cup again this year. Thanks to Riddle for the third time in a row. Their table sit proudly, eyeing every other students with a silent glee, especially Grynffindors. The little lions seem murderous right now. And when Eileen herself felt the side of her face sting fervently, she had found Parker and Co throwing curses and knives at her with their burning gaze. She innocently waves at them, nourishing more hate in those boys who she knows couldn't do anything anymore without being roasted by their own head of house.
Dippet of course, has to mention the multiple incidents, the death of poor Clearwater whose corpse was found near the third floor corridor, Hagrid's expulsion, and of course, Riddle's miracles that helped preventing another accidental death. Look at him, standing up in hidden delight to the applause of the whole castle (minus the pouting lions.) Eileen wants to rip off that pretty face and let the world see what that bastard really is. Then finally, after ten minutes of bla-bla from the headmaster, Armando Dippet sits down and three hundred plates appear out of nowhere in front of everyone. Their last meal before heading back home.
Eileen spends the whole ride home in the train praying whatever existing god to make it go faster. Not only they are too close to each other in those uncomfortable seats, but the company they are with is more than unpleasant. Without Riddle around with the rest of his masculine croonies as there is not enough space to welcome the slytherin Satan's party, the girls had their own compartment to enjoy with one other bitch Eileen couldn't stand at all. She is an uperclass woman from their House, who seemed to have taken great interest in the little group closest to Riddle's. Now that Satan's spawn was in the entire spotlight since the last incident, everyone in Slytherin grew more and more intrigued and enclined to get along with the one who could become a great figure in the future, although the sociopathic teen dictator has already engraved his way to the top since year two amongst his peers.
The girl is loud. Laughing when she doesn't have to, complimenting Sadell and her statut more than she has to. Eileen is completly invisible, and that's for the better. Now she just has to try and muffle the annoying cackling noise while getting a little bit of sleep against the window. Whose idea was it to follow Sadell in the compartment already? Oh, right. She didn't have any choice in the matter.
A god must have heard her prayers then, because all of sudden the door slides open and two other figures shows up in the frame. One, Eileen recognizes as a fourth year Ravenclaw. The other though, is totally unknown in her memory register. She just knows he is an upper year slytherin.
"Eldwins, a pleasure to see you there."
"Rutchard. Not a surprise to see you here," Sadell replies neutrally, still with a hint of irony. "You promised to talk about our families' matter after all."
"True, true. But I always enjoy your company, no matter what the subject is. So, shall we?"
He asks because he spots the only seat available across Floquet who can read his face like an open book. Before Sadell could say anything, and really, Eileen already knew what the other was about to say, she stands up straight and starts to grab her luggage above the couch.
"I will see myself out. Enjoy the ride everyone!" Eileen chanted, maybe a bit too cheerfully. The following second, she leaves the compartment and closes the sliding door behind her. Sweet Jesus in pajamas, finally free!
Almost skipping her way through the narrow lane of the train, Eileen bypasses dozen of cabins before one catches her attention through the small window. She doesn't knock before opening the door and blinks in surprise at what she is witnessing.
"Eileen!"
Myrtle. Myrtle Warren.
"Huh? Myrtle, you know her?"
"She looks older than you..."
The shy, bullied, whining Myrtle Warren, in company of two, three... four kids her age and from two different houses? She has to scrub her eyes hard to check if she was seeing things right.
"This is Eileen Floquet, my very first friend and the one I consider my guardian angel. Come in, Eileen!"
"..."
"You friend? A Slytherin is your friend?! Wow."
"Isn't she the one everyone has been talking about lately?"
"N-Nice to meet you..."
"Don't be shy, she doesn't bite, do you Eileen? Come, come! The more, the merrier–"
Slam.
The door closes before Myrtle could get up and grab Eileen in this infernal trap. She escaped hell two minutes ago, she's not going through another torture like that. With a sigh, she begins to walk ahead the long corridor again. She hasn't noticed how close from the first exit Sadell chose the compartment until Eileen walked past the thirteenth door. She hopes the next door wouldn't open on Riddle and his clique. Enough trauma for the end of the year, thank you.
Luckily, it isn't Tom Riddle she comes across when a door opens on her right. But the identity of the figure remains no less surprising. "You...?" Alphard Black sputters in shock.
Yes, Alphard Black. Alone in what appears to be an almost empty compartment behind him, with only his thoughts to enjoy the welcome calm until London. Great. In fact, it was more than perfect because he has everything Eileen was searching for: peace and quiet. That's why instead of answering, the slytherin girl flashes him a wide, awkward smile which seems to do the opposite effect she desired.
"What are you doing...?"
Ah.
"Trying to get inside?" she attempts.
"...No. Absolutely not."
"What? Why?"
"Just because. We don't want any disturbance in there. Go back to your master Eldwins."
Oh, now Eileen knows what the matter is with that big muscle head. She watches as Black hesitates to leave the front of the door that leads inside, unsure if Eileen would jump at the opportunity to invade their space. Which, actually, she would.
"Go away," he grunts with a slight irritation.
"Why? Am I going to disturb your reading of erotic muggle books?"
Instead of being outraged, Alphard only stares at Eileen sharper. "You're one to talk. And it's not erotic."
"My bad, if I knew you were more into porn I wouldn't have pried into your little business."
This time, his mask fades away quickly as he sputters with indignation. "You're so...!"
"Hmm?"
"... I give up. You're weird, Floquet."
"So I've been told a thousand times. Now, can I come in?"
There is a small pause where Alphard looks at her oddly, as though trying to unravel a secret layer she might be hiding behind her own mask. The stare lasts an eternity. So long in fact, that Eileen has to display her discomfort with a rising of her eyebrow. It works, as the other slytherin finally averts his eyes but only to shot a quick glance her way again.
"Why are you not with the others?" he ends up asking almost instinctivly. "Why are you here instead of being with them like you always do?"
"I just didn't feel like it.
And really, there is no other reason than this. But Black doesn't look like he wants to believe her excuse. "You..." he starts. "I don't understand why a person like you–"
"Like me?"
"... A crazy, lazy-arse, plain girl like you are doing with Riddle," he finishes bluntly. That may be the first real interaction both of them have since their last encounter. And out of everything he could have asked, he chose this subject. Eileen can only stare in subtle shock while regaining her senses in deep reflexion.
"Why are you asking?"
"You just... don't seem to fit. With them."
"Sooo, am I to stay alone and do stuff only a crazy-arse person would do instead?"
"That's not what I'm saying. You're not like them– I mean... I hate myself for saying that but you seem to be a nice person."
She doesn't know what to say to this. Fortunately, Alphard is inclined to fill all the blank pauses of the discussion. "Riddle's band... They are no good. They hurt people. I know it might sound strange coming from a guy you don't even know. I just want to warn you before it's too late: get away from them. From Riddle. Only bad things will happen if you stay."
"I know."
He blinks.
"What?"
"I don't plan to stick with a bunch of mini murderers forever if that's what you're worried about."
Eileen sighs. She doesn't know what she is doing right now, talking about Riddle to a stranger like Orion's cousin all of sudden, but she feels like that boy was safe to confide in.
"Although I don't know what is the matter with you worrying over me like a mother hen when you should ignore the slytherin's dog like everyone does, but I know what I'm doing. And before you think of me as a suicidal, depressive emo witch, I already have a plan to run away as soon as—"
Her greatest mistake, she is about to learn, was to have not taken her hostile surroundings into account. Because before she can finish her sentence and notice Alphard's suddenly darkening expression, a voice rises in her back.
"Run away, Floquet? From who, I wonder. You wouldn't survive more than an hour in the wild alone."
Eileen tenses as Riddle's voice appears far much closer for her well-being. She can feel her blood freeze in her veins, while Black is already regaining some natural composure.
"Riddle."
"Alphard," Riddle smiles, "I told you to stop with formalities. We know each other enough to dismiss such decorum between us."
"I am not familiar enough to do this, Riddle."
The other stays undeterred. "And I will respect your principles. For now. And– Eileen Floquet."
The girl gathers all of her strength not to jump at the call.
"Fancy meeting you here. I wanted to talk with you actually."
Oh, hell no. Over her dead bo– No, nevermind.
"Sorry, I'm already engaged in conversation with Alphard right now–" she misses the way Alphard stutters at the use of his first name. "So maybe another time?"
She still hasn't turned to the slytherin prefect, making sure to keep her back straight to him. Riddle's playful tone doesn't change.
"That's too bad. This is a really urgent matter, in fact. Black can meet you again very soon, I promise."
"No, but..."
"He's right," Black announces suddenly and totally ignores the alarmed, betrayed expression Eileen sends him with all her might. "Let's chat another time. It was nice talking to you but I have to go join my friends."
"You don't have any frie—"
"Good bye, Floquet."
It's his final answer as he get back inside the compartment and shuts the door firmly in front of her outraged face. The audacity! With a defeating sigh, Eileen slowly pivots her body towards Riddle, who simply stands there, waiting in cold silence. She growls.
"Are you happy now?"
To what he answers by an innocent smile who could have fooled the greatest villain of all times. "Whatever you mean?"
"...Tch."
"Let's go."
She doesn't know where he's leading the way to, but Eileen can only have bad feeling about it. Being alone with Tom Riddle right after fighting him and admitting her knowledge about the monster he tried to hide for a year is a big no-no. But what can she do here, secluded on a train that would not be stopping before another two hours? Unless she could apparate in another continent whenever she feels like it, there is no way to escape what is coming. Now, she knows what she would be studying for summer.
They only walk a bit further down the lane before Riddle opens a random door and invited himself in. The prat doesn't wait for the chatting firsties to understand what's happening as he starts ordering them around.
"We need this compartment."
None of the kids move right away, of course. They don't even know what to say to the important figure that just showed up in their private space without any reason. Feeling bad for them, Eileen barges in.
"Hey, don't feel obliged to obey this breathing antagonist. We will go find another–"
"Now."
The tone in his voice isn't leaving any other suggestion than to get the fuck up and leave. The little band of firsties execute the order quickly, faces as pale as death. Riddle goes straight for the window seat, leaving Eileen no choice but to make herself as comfortable as possible. After stocking her luggage up on the rack, she chooses to take the seat in the middle, opposite to the mini psychopath. Better have the exit close in case he intends to let his murderous impulse go wild.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"I think you already know."
She scoffs. "I don't. In fact, I thought you were done mingling with me since you decided not to kill me yet. I was pretty intent on watching our paths diverge now that you got what you wanted."
The word "Horcrux" hungs in the air between the two. The glint he suddenly stares at her with lets Eileen know she added to much details on the last sentence. Oh, well. Whatever. The guy already knows she knows, doesn't he? Or maybe not to a certain extent... in which case Eileen has once again screwed up everything and has to wait for a patient death from now on.
"Oh, Floquet. We have a lot to discuss."
"...Like what."
The way she uselessly tries to divert his attention as her anxiety grows stronger only makes him more amused.
"Like how I might have an idea of what is wrong with you. Of what might be your weakness– or weaknesses."
There is absolutely no way Riddle figured the truth out about Eileen. The brat might be the smartest man alive beside Dumbledore, he still couldn't possibly guessed the real mystery surrounding her like a coat. So sure of having the advantage over Riddle, she leans over her knees and gives the other a false, intrigued smile.
"Oh, really. Since you're so intelligent, let's hear you out then."
He smiles back. The next few words flowing out of his perfect lips have Eileen completely frozen to the core:
"You are a dimension traveler."
Her smile disappears as soon as he says it. And that is a big mistake in presence of the master of pretense here, so Eileen is quick to pass that off as a confusion. She can't say if it worked though, as Riddle pursues with more vigour.
"You are clearly not Eileen Floquet. At least not the Eileen we know. Someone else is occupying this body and whoever you are, you're not from here. Not from this reality."
She doesn't know what to say. The shock is swallowing all the words that want to get through her lips, but the only sound Eileen utters is her irregular breath.
"A time traveler wouldn't have changed this much," Riddle goes on, "I don't talk about personality only. I mean your Magic. Something have changed in it. The nature of your spells are unfamiliar, irreguliar, like your entire core shifted into another's overnight. It's stronger than before, I can't deny this fact. It's fierce. Like the new persona you wear so naturally one could believe you grew up this way– But I know you didn't. There was a time where you couldn't even lift your wand properly for the simplest spell to cast. Now look at you, throwing Magic at will as if it were a part of your own body."
"... You're wrong."
She says it in a whisper.
"And there also is one issue I can't discard on the matter... A Time Traveler wouldn't keep a younger appearance. You would've been much older, it doesn't coincide except if you could learn how to fight in such a short period of time. An unlikely suggestion, given who you are. Or, well- who you are supposed to be. So the only other option is: you come from another Dimension similar to this one where Magic does exist, where we exist too. One in which Time is apparently ahead of ours.
"What are you–"
"If not then why being suddenly so cautious of me when I hadn't done a thing against you until now? Why looking at the world with so much apathy like you do every day of your life, as if you already peeled the whole knowledge of its entrails? Why trying to hide your power? How can you seem to foresee certain things that's going to happen in the future no one knows yet?"
"You're wrong! I don't..."
"You told me that day- You said I was about to kill Myrtle again. I never killed anyone before the Clearwater boy, but you already have this information, don't you?"
"No! I never...!? What?!"
Did she really say that? She hasn't all the recollection of that chaotic afternoon in the bathroom. She was so out of it after being beaten to death by the same murderer so close to her right now. Could it be she said something while being nearly unconscious at that moment?
"I was actually going to murder her, before coming for you too. I don't know how it happened in your reality, but that was it. That's when you screamed those incoherent words at me right before you passed out."
No way. No way...!
"You might not be aware of it, but you also said the strangest thing in front of Sanderson's petrified body that night. I won't go into details, but thinking about it made me realize one truth about you, Eileen Floquet. You know things. In the present as well as in the future, in a similar way to that of a person gifted with Sight. But you can't be a Seer. Because Seers are practically squibs you know–"
"Will you just SHUT UP?!"
Eileen wants to deny all of it. The only problem is that beside the extrem dismay she is looking at Riddle with, the slytherin can't do anything else to counter his more than accurate theories. Even if the smart-ass believes Eileen comes from the same magical universe but only ahead of time, the term of "dimension" remains rather factual.
It's crazy.
How did he come with that outcome by himself?! There is a limit of being a freaking genius here.
"Listen, Riddle. You are entirely wrong."
"Am I?"
She has the urge to rip that smirk off his pretty face.
"I am nobody and I will do anything necessary to stay that way. Your attention on me is not welcome. You'll never get the answers you want, simply because your little theories are all bulllshit! So I'm warning you, stop stalking me starting from today. Stop prying into my life as if you were a part of it. Stop talking to me and for the love of God, stop fucking trying to force stupid answers out of me 'cause I swear to Salazar himself that I'm going to murder you if you don't. Understood?!"
Eileen doesn't wait for the other to react to her burst of panicked anger. She's already up at the door, forcing it open in order to get away from the most dangerous teenager of all times as soon as she can. Unfortunately, the door doesn't bulge one bit despite all the strength she put in it. Out of fury, she turns around to glare at the triumphant Slytherin.
"Open the fucking door."
"Mind your tone Floquet, and I might be willing to accept your request."
"You're kidding me?! Do you think you have the right to—"
"I have every rights after sparing your and Warren's lives, don't you think? I could just rearrange my decision and finish the job whenever I wish so. How do you think I should do it? Lure Warren in the Forest knowing she has every kind of loving fantasies for me and stab her in the belly in the middle of a hug?"
"Don't," Eileen fumes in a sudden rage.
"For you, I might be a bit more creative. First, I would let you starve in the Chamber until you become crazy and ready to spill all of your secrets. You would be barely fed, just enough to endure the torture as long as possible. Then once I have everything I wanted, I would wake the basilisk up again to take care of you."
"You're a fucking psychopath."
"And you are not Eileen Floquet."
She's had enough.
"And what if I am not?! What will change in your bloody perfect existence if I'm not the feeble girl Eileen was before?! That girl wasn't even in your life to begin with, she is the nobody I inspire to be from the very beginning so just leave me the fuck alone and go on rampage to conquer the bloody world for all I care!"
This is the first time she burst out of anger against Tom Riddle. The first time her mask she has perfectionated since all this time shatters in a blink of an eye just because he got almost everything right about her. He succeeded in making her react, and now Eileen is even more frustrated to have played the bloody slytherin devil's game.
"There, you are finally showing your true colours."
She grits her teeth.
"I was wondering when that would happen. It was easier than I thought."
Okay. It was time to finish this.
"Riddle," Eileen breathes in the calmest tone she could. And given the situation, it is kind of miraculous she hasn't gone in full panic mode yet. "Let me out. Please."
The last word was the most difficult thing to pronounce, but she still managed to say it. Quietly, he stared at her as if trying to see into her soul. The red glow in his eyes, a sign of evil and the most destructive black magic he had recently experienced, sends a terrible shiver down Eileen's spine. Without even moving one bit, Riddle simply smiles in a way that soothed some worries out of her. Hesitantly, Eileen reaches the handle again and with a little pressure over it, the door slides easily to the side.
Not wasting any second, Eileen rushes outside. Just when she is ready to vanish in the aisle, Riddle calls out her name one last time.
"See you in September, Floquet. I hope you enjoy summer."
Without replying, she turned on her heels and went off to recover from everything that had just happened in a random compartment where, to her great consolation, no one utters a word the whole ride.
If it wasn't for the timid sixth year hufflepuff who woke her up, Eileen would have remained on the train until they reached France. It even occured a question she's never thought of before: where does the Hogwart Express goes after London? Does it return to Hogsmeade? Does it stay in a train wharehouse until September?
Getting off the train, Eileen experiments a scene that disturbs her a bit for the second time. The parents mingle with the children in a cacophony of excitement, joy and affection. Some hug each other and ask a thousand questions, others meet their children's new friends and still more distinguished ones chatted cordially with other adults whose faces were as frigid as theirs. Like the Blacks' patriarch with Greengrass' mother amid the chaos of the reunion.
She tries to evade everyone who are far too busy with their reunions to notice her and Eileen takes that opportunity to cross the dock in order to get inside the station hall through the magic barrier's portal and then to exit the old building in less than two minutes. Alas, her path is soon obstructed by a shadow of a tall woman wearing a red uniform that consisted of a suede skirt reaching below the knees, an elegant white shirt with subtle frills over the chest, all covered in a long crimson coat with the collar turned up at the nape of the neck.
Her impeccable chignon looks as tight as her lips, pursed in a straight line. Eileen recognizes her right away as one of her mother's personal maid. And by far not one of the warmest towards her progeniture. Eileen looks perturbed by her sudden apppearance because they usually pick her up outside the train station to apparate home discreetly.
"Hello, Mademoiselle Floquet. As London is still not safe at the moment, Lord Floquet instructed to pick you up inside since the Ministry temporarily allowed Apparition from the station."
London's situation didn't faze them last time when they dropped her off in a street 15 minutes afar from King's Cross station though.
"Please, hold my arm for a minute."
She extends her arm so that Eileen can grab it, just in time for Myrtle to call out her name from the opposite direction.
"Eileen!"
For heaven's sake. Now is not the moment to get chubby with the overjoyed ravenclaw when there is a woman here ready to tell everything she sees to her father, especially when what seem to be her parents are right behind the girl, looking curious about wohever their child is about to introduce. No. Nope. Fuck that.
Quickly, Eileen holds onto the woman's arm with a little too much strength. The latter recites French words in a whisper and the two get suddendly pulled into a magical vortex that makes the world around them look like a giant spiral. Myrtle's startled face fades away as Eileen disappears in the void.