my riddle to solve (tom riddle)

twenty-four

It soon became painfully obvious that incredibly sinister things had taken place down here. Piles of human bones, rocks covered in blood splatter, and large rats scurrying about made my head spin and my blood curdle.

I had spent enough time around Lestrange to pick up on the fact that he used humor to cope with difficult situations. Just like that night in the Forbidden Forest, he rambled on about silly pranks and juvenile stunts.

I think that I was finally starting to understand why Adelaide had fallen for the green-eyed boy. He was easily able to change from a serious subject into something light and humorous, and she laughed at nearly every one of his jokes. When he looked at her, I could tell how much he admired her, and for more than just her beauty. Even now, they held onto each other's hands as if this were just a casual stroll in the park.

"Abraxas, my mother is absolutely fuming over the fact that she has not yet received an invitation to your Christmas Eve gala. By any chance, is Mrs. Malfoy still bitter about catching the two of us on her heirloom sofa?"

"She still feels the need to bring it up every time I ask for anything, but I doubt that she would exclude your entire family because of it. Probably just an issue with one of the owls," he assured Camila. I knew that the two of them had a bit of a fling over the summer, and it was very reassuring to see that the blondes had managed to stay close friends.

"Camila, are you still dating that one boy? The Gryffindor?" I remembered Abraxas mentioning him during that one trip to Hogsmeade, although I had forgotten his name.

"Matthias? I broke it off with him a few weeks ago. He was a bit too full of himself for my tastes," she explained with a laugh.

"Riddle didn't want her with him; he has a thing against Gryffindor's," Rowle chimed in. My brow raised slightly as I spoke to Camila again.

"You broke up with him because of Riddle?"

"Well, I was planning on ending things with him anyways," the blonde girl shrugged. It was quite bizarre, how they all let Riddle have such a control over their lives. Sure, he could be charming and came from a powerful family, but there had to be more going on within his group. I suspected blackmail of some sort was what kept all of them in line.

"Greengrass, come look at this. You're good with plants." Lestrange had stopped in front of a wooden door as he beckoned Camila over. The girl knelt down next to him and examined the black vines peeking out from underneath. They curled around her finger in an attempt to pull her closer.

"Devil's Snare. There's no way it just sprouted up down here; someone had to plant and nurture it. I would bet my left arm that whatever else is behind this door is something of a great value." Sebastian bounded forwards happily, pulling out a small cigarette lighter from his pants pocket. He flicked it open, and allowed the flame to hiss at the vine. The boy channeled a bit of magic to his fingertips, causing the flame to grow to an enormous size. He quickly tossed it under the door, and was met with the awful sound of the plant screeching and fighting for its life.

"I will never complain about your foul cigarettes ever again," Camila promised him as Adelaide moved forward to rattle the door open. The Devil's Snare had quickly amounted to nothing more than a pile of ashes and a cloud of smoke, clearing the way to reveal a large wooden chest.

"Ha! The fools didn't even lock it!" Inside of the chest, lay dozens of stolen wands in all sorts of shades and sizes. The others pushed and shoved so that they could find the ones belonging to them while I stood off to the side. Something about this particular chamber was bothering me. Despite the massive fire that Selwyn had started moments ago, the place smelled strongly of blood.