What a Riddle

Christmas Madness

Aunt Cissy sent word that she and Lucius would be away for a business trip with the Crabbe's and Goyle's and therefore the four of us would be the only second-year Slytherins staying for Christmas. Not many Slytherins had stayed there were maybe one or two older students still there.

It was quiet and usually filled with snowball fights. One night Draco and I lost Crabbe and Goyle (most likely pigging out) it was getting late and Draco was confused as we hung out on the black furniture near the fire. 

We walk out to go find the duo "Crabbe. Goyle. Where have you been? Pigging out in the Great Hall all this time?" Draco calls out as we see them with the Weasley who's a head boy.

"Come on you nitwits" I call to them as well.

Draco's eyes narrow in on the Gryffindor "And what are you doing down here, Weasley?"

"Mind your attitude, Malfoy. You want to show a little bit more respect to a school Prefect!" All Weasley's seem to be as fiery as their hair.

"Come on, boys. Weasley thinks he's going to catch Slytherin'sheir single-handedly." Draco says sarcastically as we head back to the common room.

Once inside I plop down on the large black couch before Draco grabbing a discarded Daily Prophet "Listen to this... 'Arthur Weasley, Head of theMisuse of Muggle Artefacts Office,was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car. "Weasley has brought the Ministry intodisrepute," said Lucius Malfoy, agovernor of Hogwarts. "He isclearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrappedimmediately."' setting the paper down before showing me the moving photo on the page. "Arthur Weasley loves Muggle somuch he should snap his wand inhalf and go join them. You'dnever know the Weasleys werepurebloods, the way they behave.Embarrassment to the wizarding world. All of them."

I notice Crabbe squeezing his fist in anger before Goyle elbowed him slightly.

"Alright there, Crabbe?" I ask my brows furrowing

"Stomachache," he growls lowly. He doesn't sound alright.

"Well, go to the hospital wingand give all those Mudbloods a kickin the arse for me! You know, I'msurprised The Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet. I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hushit all up. He'll be sacked if itdoesn't stop soon. Father alwayssaid Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place." I go impassive I know Draco doesn't believe that about Dumbledore. Dumbledore occasionally offers guidance to both of us.

 "You're wrong!" Goyle yells out and I look at him surprised by the outburst. Usually, they were quiet as a doornail when and especially when Draco talks. 

"What? Did you say that I waswrong? You think there's someonehere who's worse than Dumbledore?" Draco leans forward as I study the two boys. Crabbe's eyes flashed worriedly.

"Harry Potter," Goyle says quickly. Draco laughs and falls back onto the couch. 

"these aren't Crabbe and Goyle are they" I whisper in Parseltongue to Medusa. Goyles eyes flicker to me indicating he had probably heard what I said or at least part of it.

not one bit. I'd bet a juicy rat that it's Weasley and Potter Medusa slithered out and rested on my lap

Crabbe looks uncomfortable at the sudden appearance of Medusa and that's what confirms what I thought.

"Good one, Goyle. You'reabsolutely right. Saint Potter.He's another one with no properwizard feeling, or he wouldn't goaround with that Mudblood Granger.And people actually think he's theHeir of Slytherin and twin to our dear, Flor." he grins and nudges me jokingly. 

I smile. Draco is clearly fooled by the polyjuice potion. "Clearly everyone needs to brush up on the family history. At most, we're distant cousins. Sharing some relation to the Gaunt's" I choose to look at Goyle who was most likely Harry Potter. 

"Then you must have some idea who's behind it all?" Goyle asks trying to ignore my piercing gaze.

"You know Flor and I haven't, Goyle. Howmany times do I have to tell you?But my father did say this much:It's been fifty years since theChamber was opened. He wouldn'ttell me who opened it -- only that they were expelled -- but I know this: the last time the Chamberof Secrets was opened, a Mudblooddied." He said darkly "Flor here may be related to the Gaunt's the only family to have direct descendants from Salazar but she's got too much of her Hufflepuff Mother in her," Draco says cheekily and I roll my eyes. "So it's only a matter of timebefore one of them's killed thistime. Possibly Granger"

Crabbe's (Weasley's) fist rose. If Weasley and Granger don't get together I got to slap some sense into Weasley. 

"What's the matter with you two?You're acting very... odd." Draco was getting suspicious.

Both boys begin to panic and run out of the room. Draco looks baffled.

~~~

Charon sent another note this time to the boy's side of the Gryffindor tower. I was getting tired from all the looks Potter would send me.

meet me under the staircase to the astronomy tower was all I wrote. Draco wanted to practice quidditch by himself seeing as I had wanted to 'study'.

So here I stood in the shadows of the stairs. Hidden from view from passerby's. I probably stood there for about five minutes till Potter was poking around.

"You have questions and I'm tired of your staring at me" I emerge from shadows. Potter jumped slightly at my sudden appearance across from him.

he studied me for a moment "who's Tom M. Riddle?"

"That would be my father," I say blandly 

"This belonged to him" Potter pulled out a small black book "there's nothing written but it belonged to him" and there in gold was written, Tom M. Riddle. he tried to hand it to me. "It should belong to you"

"I rather not own anything belonging to him" I look at the book neutrally

He looks at me strangely before putting the book back in his back pocket. "The owl's yours isn't"

I nodded "Charon"

"why'd you send the note about the basilisk?"

"Figured I cut your search short. I could and I suspect you can hear it through the walls. You and your friends seem to like getting into life-threatening situations. I thought I'd at least help you prepare what you're facing"

"You're a Slytherin, why don't you want anything in return" Potter took a step back suspicious.

"You forget that Draco mention that I have Hufflepuff tendencies" I roll my eyes "and I'd prefer my schoolmates unharmed, it messes up my study habits"

Potter still looked unsure "and being a parselmouth?"

"inherited" I glance out the window "got it from my father"

"how'd you know it was us," Potter asked

"You learn a lot more if you pay attention to your surroundings and the people you hang out with" I smirked "you simply didn't quite act enough like Crabbe and Goyle to fool me"

Potter nodded "and being cousins"

"Distant cousins" I corrected "The Gaunt's and the Peverell's are connected by marriage. Then the Potter's. Your ancestors married into the Peverell family... That's the basics it's a bit more complicated" I summarized

"So not quite family," Potter said slowly

"but still family" I nodded "confusing isn't... now shoo before we both sully our reputations"