my riddle to solve (tom riddle)

twenty

The picture attached is how I imagine the fort that Sage takes Ophelia to about halfway through the chapter :)

Truthfully, I hadn't ever expected to see this boy again. I had figured that him and his father were some sort of bounty hunters, most likely after the Numus. I had acted incredibly foolish, trying to block that night out of my mind. Riddle had even mentioned recognizing one of the Numus men, which I should've questioned him about.

Mr. Bryant seemed completely oblivious that I was the girl he had abducted a few months ago, which I was incredibly grateful for. The last thing I needed was to have to explain that whole fiasco to my parents. Cian on the other hand, most definitely knew who I was. He also now knew my real name, seeing as my father had introduced both Raymond and I as we sat down.

As I picked at my salad, I desperately tried to avoid looking up. It didn't help that I was sitting directly across from Cian, who hadn't taken his eyes off me since I entered the room. None of the adults picked up any of the clues, and they continued on their conversation as normal. I forced myself to speak up every now and then, wanting to not appear suspicious. Raymond knew me well enough to know that something was wrong, and he kept sneaking me worried glances throughout the meal.

After what felt like a decade, Tippy finally brought out the platters containing dessert. I seized the opportunity to escape the table.

"I think that I'm quite full already. Cian, would you like to see the gardens? Raymond and I will show you," I offered. The boy's mother spoke up before he had the chance.

"That sounds lovely! Cian has quite a fondness for nature, don't you Dear?"

"Yeah, alright." I stood up abruptly and placed my napkin attop my plate, Raymond doing the same. I quickly walked out of the dining room, and I didn't stop walking until I was outside. Raymond was jogging to catch up with me, while Cian lagged behind.

"Okay, something is clearly off. What is it? Are you alright?" I finally noticed that my hands had started to tremor. I bit my lip and shook my head. I wasn't quite sure what to say to him.

"Would you fancy a smoke?" Cian had suddenly appeared next to us, holding out a box of cigarettes towards Raymond.

"No, I don't really smoke unless I'm drunk."

"What about you? Would you like one, Diane?" His tone was incredibly accusatory, but of course I couldn't blame him for that. Part of me felt guilty for deceiving him that night, even though I knew I hadn't really done anything wrong. It had been him and his father that had taken me hostage in the first place.

"Raymond, there is something that you should know about." I chose to speak to my friend, figuring it would be easier to talk to him. "The night of Halloween, I sort of got caught up in one of Riddle's schemes. Lestrange, Adelaide, him, and I went into the Forbidden Forest in an attempt to, er, collect something for him."

"Oh, I've heard this story before. The whole werewolf thing, then the Grindelwald guys, and you ended up being knocked out and taken by some kid and his father," Raymond listed off nonchalantly. I looked up at him in disbelief.

"Who told you all of that? Riddle basically threatened our lives if we told anyone," I admitted in shock.

"Adelaide did. I thought you knew that I knew?" I shook my head, which was now filled with worry. He frowned as he ran a hand through his hair. "Hang on, if you thought that I didn't know, why didn't you tell me? I'm your best friend, Ophelia!"

"I know, I know, I feel awful. But I really didn't want you wrapped up in all of Riddle's plots. It was bad enough that Adelaide had to be involved," I admitted.