The Other Castellan

Tom Marvolo Riddle

Chapter 28: Tom Marvolo Riddle

Lucas buried his face in his hands. He had to fix this. He had to. It was partly his fault they were in this mess, after all. If he hadn't put the diary in the Chamber of Secrets, it would never have gotten strong enough to repossess Ginny. The diary was still in the Chamber. Fuck. How was he supposed to get there? During the night, maybe? It usually worked. And he had Celestial Bronze. If that didn't work Greek fire definitely would. Granted, he'd have to make some, and some of the ingredients were hard to get. Like bitumen, also known as asphalt. Or sulphur.

"Are you okay, Draco?" Daphne asked.

"We're screwed," Lucas declared.

"So... you don't have anything that can destroy it beyond repair?" Theo asked hopefully.

"Well," Lucas said, "I do, but I'm not sure it will work. I also have another solution - Greek fire, but I'll have to make it, and some of the materials are crazy hard to get."

"What are the materials?" Pansy asked, setting down Soul Splitting and Its Many Uses.

"Well, there's nectar, which is a type of healing potion;" Lucas listed, "alcohol, which shouldn't be too hard to come by; a pitch from old torches, which is basically a resin that comes from torches; quicklime, which is created from burning a source of calcium carbonate, like chalk; bitumen, which is basically asphalt; sulphur, which requires sodium thiosulphate, which requires sulphur; and a catalyst, such as electricity," he finished. "And those are just some of them. There are more."

Theo stared at him. "Do I want to know why you know how to make these ingredients?" he asked.

"I had a chemistry textbook that I borrowed from a friend," Lucas said.

"Chemistry," he repeated.

"It's the study of matter and its behaviour," Lucas explained. "It's similar to potions and alchemy."

"But isn't that supposed to be hard?" Daphne asked. "I mean, don't they start teaching it in 9th or 10th grade?"

Lucas shrugged. "I guess," he said. "I just never found it particularly hard. Come to think of it, Potions isn't too hard for me, either."

"And you won't burn down the castle with this 'Greek fire?'" Theo asked.

"Um." Lucas thought about it for a moment. "I don't think so?"

"You don't think so," he repeated flatly. "How sure are you that it won't burn Hogwarts down?"

"Twenty-five percent?"

"Try your first solution first," Pansy interrupted, sighing. "Whatever you do, don't burn the castle down."

Lucas huffed, rolling his eyes. "Arson is half the fun, Pans!"

"Don't call me that," she said. "My name is short enough; I don't need you shortening it even more."

"Fine." He grasped the handle of his pistol. It had to work. If it didn't... Well, the Muggle-borns might as well as already be dead.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If he was being honest, Lucas didn't like exams. They were long and draining, and they required a lot of patience, something Lucas had very little of. However, they were always at the end of the year, which made it much better. But, still. Exams were horrible.

So Lucas kept studying. And studying. And at breakfast, three days before the exams would start, McGonagall made an announcement.

"I have good news," she announced. Instead of falling silent, as they should have, the Great Hall erupted with even more noise.