To Answer A Riddle [Tom Riddle Era / Harry Potter]

Entry #8

November had slowly taken the place of the sunnier months. Where there had been sun and heat, now was wind and cold. Luckily, there hadn't been any snow yet. The term was slowly ending, and all students were quite tired of studying for the different exams.

Tom and Elliott were sitting outside, with their back leaning on the rock wall of Hogwarts. It was relatively cold, but they were hidden from the violent wind by the school's building. they were completely alone. No student ever passed by. Books were laid down on their lap. They turned the pages as their eyes ran through the text.

Elliott didn't think it was a particularly good idea to read their forbidden books they had stolen while on school grounds, but they had nowhere else to go to do so. After Elliott's incident, the ghosts of Hogwarts had been put on watching duty in the night. Slytherin's ghost was not one you'd want to mess with, so the only times they had to read the books were if they had a free afternoon like they had now.

Elliott was reading the cursed book from before, but this time with his gloves on. The nurse had said that even if his injuries were healed, if he were to be hit with the same curse again, his body wouldn't be able to recuperate. He'd die for sure. He had to be careful when he touched the cursed book.

His treatment for his wounds had ended about a month ago, though he had to sometimes go to the infirmary to check on his healing process. He hadn't any bandages on his body now, yet the scars hadn't disappeared. Luckily, they were mostly hidden by his clothes and gloves, except for the one on his cheek, but it was not very apparent.

"How did your divination exam go?" asked Tom. He didn't lift his eyes from his book, Secrets of the Darkest Art, but Elliott knew he was waiting for his answer.

"Not so good." The blonde sorcerer sighed. "I think I might fail this subject too."

"Another one?" Tom frowned. "How many does that make?"

"Huh... Well, there's transfiguration, I still can't find constellations in Astronomy so I'm doomed for sure, and I messed up my concoction in Potion making."

"You passed Charms?" asked a doubtful Tom. Elliott smiled.

"Yeah! I won't have a grade as good as yours, but I sure made it. Thanks for your help, by the way. I sure wouldn't have passed without you."

Tom had helped Elliott practice his spells after the class and helped him achieve the ones he had never managed to do before. It had taken some time, but Elliott finally got the hang of it.

"No problem." Tom turned a page of his book. "I just don't get it."

"What is it?"

"I know you're better than this. I've seen you use spells that no student other than you knows, some much more advanced that what we're dealing with for these exams. Why don't you get good grades?"

Elliott laughed sadly.

"Well, I guess practice makes perfect," he answered with what he wanted to be a careless attitude.

"Practice...? What the hell do they make you learn in Beaux-Bâtons?"

Tom seemed surprised, and Elliott laughed again.

"Don't worry, I didn't learn that in Beaux-Bâtons. Their program is pretty similar to Hogwarts, except it's in French."

"...Then how'd you learn such things?" Tom had completely let go of his book to talk with Elliott. If there was one thing Tom was passionate about, it was obscure or advanced spells and the quickest way to learn them.