Extreme Ways ( A Tom Riddle fanfiction )

Chapter 4

"I trust that you also noticed that Tom Riddle was already highly self-sufficient, secretive, and, apparently, friendless? He did not want help or companionship on his trip to Diagon Alley. He preferred to operate alone"

-HP6

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Evelyn was sitting alone at breakfasts, mentally repeating an advanced lesson she was had been studying the previous day.
She got distracted by someone who sat next to her.
"Good morning" a lively voice said.
Evelyn turned to see a housemate who never talked to her before and that was acting comfortable like they had always been close friends.
On Evelyn's other side sat Kat, who gave her a kind smile. Evelyn felt a bit relieved since she always respected her even if she didn't dare to look friendly to her in public before.
"It's gonna be a good day, don't you think?" Adelaide Weiss gathered some food in front of her "It's a shame we never talked before. I'm Adelaide. But you can call me Adele".
Evelyn shook watchfully the hand her housemate extended to her "I'm Evelyn".
"I know. The girl who can change her hair colour. It's so pretty cool. Do you think I can learn that too?".
"Perhaps" Evelyn couldn't understand why someone like Adele who could get easily popular was wasting time with the freak.
"You are the best of our year from our House. Would you like if we study together sometimes? Maybe I'll understand why I can't get high grades even if I try. I don't want to start my school career so badly".
Evelyn took it as a challenge and smiled "Okay".
"Amazing!" Kat giggled, but Evelyn thought she was kinda funny.
Being less alone was better than she believed.
They started by studying together in the library, then they got used to walk together also in public.
Milly noticed that soon of course, but her attempts to hurt Evelyn's new friends failed.

Evelyn smiled when she saw a familiar owl flying towards her while having breakfast.
She caught a red box feeling her cousin's nasty look on her, but she didn't care and unwrapped the paper, letting something fall into her palm.
"What's that?" Adele asked narrowing her eyes.
Evelyn smirked evilly "Something useful".
She admired the device into her hand. Power was so fascinating.

Since it was Saturday they had free hours.
They walked together outside with most of the students.
"So who sent you that?" Adele asked noticing that Evelyn was so taken by her new device.
"My uncle" she said proudly "He owns a shop in Knockturn Alley. No, not Milly's dad".
"The Burke's shop?" Kat asked.
"Yep"
"Lucky! Even if that place is kinda scary" Adele pretended to shiver.
"Just because it's called Knockturn".
"Just because the wizards who go there are suspect" Kat echoed.
Evelyn shook her head but laughed.
They reached the quidditch pitch and sat on the benches.
"What are we doing here?".
Adele straitened herself in a solemn posture "My favourite hobby. Boys-watching".
Kat laughed "It will become my favourite too".
Evelyn simpered. She didn't have any interest for quidditch players.
"Look at that one?" Adele pinched her arm and pointed towards the other side of the benches, where a group of boys were sitting too.
"Who?" Evelyn asked confused.
"That blond angel, you do need eyeglasses?" Adele snapped "He's Vincent Fawley. The most handsome boy in Ravenclaw. And in the whole school I'd say".
Evelyn spotted the one Adele was referring to "Fawley?".
"He's the Minister's nephew. And he's so gorgeous".
"He's not a player?".
Adele smirked "He prefers playing with girls' hearts. No, he comes to support is best friend, Neal Fortesque".
Evelyn followed her finger and scanned a browned hair boy who was holding with a broomstick "He seems so cute too".
"And he's cocky as hell. But you can eye-stalk him while we admire Vincent" Adele suggested.
"Oh Vincent" Kat pretended to swoon then laughed.

When they stepped back into their dormitory, Evelyn instinctively felt that something was wrong.
She walked to her room and gasped at the sighed of her ownings all messy around the room.
She nervously picked them and kneeled by her empty bag, fumbling with the zippers of secret pockets.
"What the hell happened?".
"No no no" Evelyn repeated desperately, then searched in the whole room, guessing with dread what was missing.
"Evelyn, I call the prefects. We'll find who did this".
Evelyn already knew and wasn't surprised to hear that one Ravenclaw girl had been bribed to allow a student from another house into that sacred place.
She just had to find the responsible and try to deal with her.

Milly had left hints so Evelyn could easily find her in an empty corridor in the dungeons in the late afternoon.
The Slytherin girl was standing next to a fire that was illuminating the place, her finger playing with a picture.
"Oh, the family is not reunited" Milly welcomed her with a cocky voice.
"What do you want?" Evelyn stared at her as a predator, her target was that picture that meant everything to her.
"I want to annihilate you" Milly hissed with hatred "I hate your acting as a cool girl hanging around with those two silly chicks. I want to teach you once and for all that you must not irritate me, you freak".
"I didn't do anything to you, Milly. You have no reason to bully me".
"Anything? No reason?" Milly repeated with a higher tone "You exist, you little thielf!".
"You're the only thielf down here" Evelyn attacked back "Give it back. Stop being so cruel to me".
"Or what? You go to call mom and dad? My mom and dad?".
"Please, Milly, stop it" Evelyn begged making her cousin mischievously grin.
"Better, but not enough".
Milly threw the picture into the fire and raised her arms to stop the screaming girl from saving it.
"This is what you deserved" Milly hissed blocking the struggling younger girl and pushing her away.
Evelyn almost fell, but she pointed back to the fire, when suddenly she saw her cousin freezing and falling to the floor.
Evelyn looked bewildered, unable to get what happened but jumped forward to take the picture from the flame, getting seared.
Riddle came out from a dark corner. He had his wand in his hand so she guessed he was the one who petrified her cousin.
Evelyn took her wand and fixed the picture, then put it safely into her pocket.
"Allow me" the boy said taking her arm and healing her skin.
She scanned him perplexed "You didn't need to help me".
"You looked like you needed help. I felt you. At least you have a picture of your parents. I understand how that picture is precious to you".
She remembered that he was an orphan too and had pity for him. But she wasn't good at finding good words for comforting people.
"Will she remember this?" A lot of ways for gettig revenge flashed into her mind.
"I can make her remember it as a dream, but you'll have to act as it never happened".
She looked at him surprised "It sounds a fair deal".
He waved his wand whispering advanced spells that shocked her even more.
"Done" he concluded putting away his wand "Time to go. I don't wanna be late for dinner".
They walked together in some secondary corridors, then Evelyn had to walk up back to her tower.
They said bye like nothing happened, but before the boy disappeared behind the next corner, she called him anxiously.
"Riddle?".
He turned with a questioning look.
Evelyn felt uneasy. She hated that someone else was involved into her familiar troubles, but he was right. She needed help. And bitter years made it hard for her to show gratefulness. But she forced herself to say those two words, really meaning them.
"Thank you".
He stared at her for a bit, she was sure she caught a spark of amusement, then he nodded and an instant later he was gone.