Perfidy | Tom Riddle |

10.

"We've been seeking her for weeks and she shows up out of the blue of all places Hogwarts." Malfoy plopped down into the common room couch and steadied his head on Avery's shoulder.

"But why. It's not a coincidence that she's here." Lestrange jerked his head over to Riddle, "Are you still suspicious of her ?"

"After the events that have transpired today in the dining hall, one thing is certain." He placed his hand over his shoulder and squeezed it very lightly, "She's trained in the Dark Arts and could be valuable to us."

"You want her to join the Knighthood? A woman? After what she did to you?" scoffed Lestrange.

"She will receive what's coming to her for her actions Lestrange but anyone could see she has power, a power I can use. With the amount of magic she absorbed from that man any ordinary wizard would be dead by now not lying in the infirmary with a nose bleed." But she wasn't any ordinary wizard now was she. No, there was something she must be concealing, there's no way that Riddle hadn't encountered her before. He along with his "friends" had been looking all over for powerful wizards and witches to enlist their ranks but none could satisfy his expectations.

"Might I suggest something for once," Rosier stated while coming into the common room from his dorms. "She's lying in the infirmary completely weak and vulnerable now is the most flexible time to enter that pretty little head of hers and get answers to all your questions."

"For once you essentially have a good suggestion; Merlin did you bump your head or something?" Mulciber rushed over to his side and examined Rosier's head, "No bleeding I see, yup he's gone mad lads."

Rosier struck the boy aside and began to laugh "Oh fuck off Mulciber. But seriously when do you think there'll be another chance like this. She could wake up any minute. What do you conclude Riddle?"

He took a second to himself, self-debating if Rosier's idea is a pleasant one or not. He stood up and walked over to face the group along with Rosier who was still standing.

"Rosier's right, in the meanwhile I require you to all gather information about her, I want to know everything you can obtain about her. We'll meet back here at midnight."He took one more look at Rosier and offered an appreciative nod then walked away to enact the plan to enter her head.

"Is she alright Madam Podmore?" Dumbledore asked for the 3rd time in the few hours Lyra had been unconscious.

"Honestly Albus I wonder how she's still alive. Never have I in my 20 years seen anyone, much less a 16-year-old girl absorb that much dark magic and perform such a precise healing spell." Madam Podmore stood in between Lyra and Samuel who were both unconscious, resting in the infirmary beds. Looking over at Samuel "As for this gentleman, I truly ponder how he hasn't gone crazed or deceased."

"I feel Madam Podmore I believe we'll be welcomed with many surprises with this young one. For now, let's allow them rest and update the headmaster." he gestured to Podmore to join him.

Standing behind a corridor Riddle saw the professor and nurse walk out for some unknown reason, perfect timing to dig into Lyra's mind. He double-checked making sure no one was nearby to intervene and entered the infirmary.

Riddle stood above her bed for a few minutes glancing at her, with a million questions he'd promptly have answers to. He observed the multitude of scars that were presented onto various parts of her arms, both caused by the abuse she was faced to suffer at the orphanage and one's she received in her part of the war.

Without a moment of hesitation, he tried to prod himself into her mind, but the sole thing he became greeted with was a migraine spreading across his head. He shook himself out and tried once more but this time with an abundant amount of force and was welcomed with an even stronger skull pounding head pain.

Furious, he was furious, what secrets was she exactly hiding for the barriers of her mind to be this powerful, even while she was unconscious. Not leaving without some sort of answers he shifted his attention to the man neighboring her. With quick ease, he engaged in his way into the man's memories and focused on the ones regarding her. Riddle had witnessed all of it, from the moment the two met, to their walks and conversations in Diagon alley, partaking a meal together and even a kiss occurring between the two during a drunken night.

As he pulled himself out, the last memory he observed particularly nauseated Riddle. But he learned absolutely nothing about her other than she indulges a similar hobby as Malfoy to drinking an entire liquor cabinet.

Lyra had not once revealed any information to the man who lusted after her. Barely knowing anything about her the weak wizard developed a slight attraction towards the witch, but one, she obviously to Riddle did not seem to share back.

Storming out of the infirmary he did a few rounds as his prefect duties, rewarding any house out past curfew aside from his own with dentition and deducted house points. Before making his way into the common room, he had stood in front of the astronomy tower clearing his head with a cigarette. Growing more and more agitated with the countless mysteries divulged about this Lyra character.

"So Riddle what did you find out, did my marvelous plan work?" Rosier gleed with a gratifying feeling.

"No, it did not. The barriers around her mind are nothing like I've seen until now. Her brain is sheltering her even in a most venerable state. I even dived into the man's memories who knew her and nothing was revealed." Trying to change the topic of his failure, he glimpsed at the boys sitting around him, "What have you learned about her?"

Clearing his throat, the attention drew to Nott, "Her name is Lyra Lenkrov, 16 years old, born and raised in a muggle orphanage in Russia, while she was young she was taken under the wing of a witch who raised taught her all types of magic, supposedly that woman died this summer." he glanced over to Avery who continued, " She was allegedly hidden away by the witch, hence why no one knows of her, reaching out to my cousins in Russia, there's no paperwork or trail of her there at all."

"No records of her in the muggle and wizarding world, that makes things all the more complicated." groaned Mulciber. " I mean we can always ask her about it and be straightforward."

"Oh ya let's go talk to a dangerous, power-oriented witch who arose from nowhere and interrogate her all about the wonders of her childhood over some tea and cigars. Maybe we can enjoy a picnic at Malfoy's gardens while we're at it." Lestrange stood up aggravated preparing his way towards Mulciber and smacked the back of his head.

The friends began to bicker and throw insults at one another which shifted their focus away from Lyra. "Enough!" Riddle announced which quickly shot fear into the two arguers and those around them. Without any word he stormed off into his dorm and slammed the door behind him.

He glanced over to his nightstand, pacing towards it, "Alohomora." the drawer opened itself up for Riddle to reveal a leather-bound diary, the first Horcrux he had successfully managed to create months ago with the murder of muggle-born Myrtle Elizabeth Warren. The first death that would one day lead to genocide in those of muggle-born.