[1] prophecy → tom riddle [EDITING]

Chapter Forty-five: The Stressing Couple

In the time the Hogwarts students had been back at school a lot had happened in the eye of Tom Riddle.

After Quidditch trials started up, the four new team captains were announced and left people shocked, not only was Arkin announced as the Slytherin team captain, but for Gryffindor, Olivia was announced as their new captain, and of course, Emory and the rest of Gryffindor were overjoyed.

And within the quidditch world at Hogwarts, Slytherin was already winning this year's house cup.

His followers grew as he taught those about his mission that had been handed down to him over the past centuries by one of the greatest sorcerers known to wizarding-kind, but to Tom, he was an ancestor, a rather long line of 'great's' that led up to the word granddad.

The organisation known as the Death Eaters to those who joined in with the vicious acts that took place had grown, not only spreading across multiple houses throughout Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but it had also grown into the wizarding community.

Outside of school a large number of muggleborn wizards and witches had been murdered in cold blood, all just because they were born to muggle parents and their wizarding ancestors mixed with muggles.

Fear was riddled in every muggleborns' system, all at the hands of Tom Riddle and his group of pure-blooded followers, yet the leader himself was just a mere half-blood.

Talk of his organisation had reached the school and that was the only thing the young students seemed to talk about.

Of course, those who were members in other houses of the organisation joined in amongst the talk, yet the entire Slytherin table avoided it, well, all except for Ophelia Lockwood, who was none-the-wiser than the rest of her house table.

The eerie silence as her fellow house mates ignored the topic of this hidden organisation killing those innocent people made her suspicious, she knew something was wrong and when she turned to her twin cousins, two boys she had put a lot of faith and trust in, she knew something was wrong, they turned her away and told her to shrug it off.

And so, she did the one thing she knew she had to do.

She contacted old friends who now worked at the ministry, over the Christmas holidays they discussed the ever so mysterious murders and they came to the conclusion, those who were in Slytherin were involved in this new group, after all, the most murders took place when school was out.

Ophelia knew she had to be wary around Tom Riddle, she knew he was up to something, and so, she worked with two of her closest friends every chance she could get so this whole situation could be restored and no one else had to die.

Ophelia recalled her conversation with her friends from just the other week, she pictured herself and the two others pacing around the small London flat as they thought of ways how to catch Tom out.

She heard the sound of Archer biting yet another nail which caused her to freak.

And then she recalled the conversation she had with the two.

"We know what he's doing why can't we arrest him and send him to Azkaban? We did it with Lyra, why can't we do it with Tom?" Ophelia yelled as she threw her arms out, knowing that if she didn't she would rip her hair out.

"Ophelia, please calm down, we can't do anything, we have no evidence against him," Archer tried to sooth Ophelia as he spat out the nail he had just bitten from this thumb, "we need Tom to confess, or we need someone who is working for him to admit to it."

"Archer's right, Lia. If Tom is behind this, he'll do anything in his power to ensure he never gets caught, if this organisation he runs has a loyal following, which by the looks of things does, then I highly believe he'll have followers doing the dirty work for him and will cover for him if they get caught," Morgandy walked over to Ophelia and wrapped her arms around her, "I know it tough not being able to do anything when you know, but we need to keep things normal, as if we don't suspect a thing."

"Yes, and that means you are to still act as though you love Tom, you don't change your attitude, if you are going to, make sure he can learn to trust you, see if he'll spill anything," Archer looked Ophelia in the eye as he held his hands as though he was praying, "Tom will no longer be able to read your mind, your Occlumency is too strong for him to read now. No one, and I repeat, no one, can know about today's conversation, not even Dove or Nicole, their Occlumency is weak and Tom will do anything in his power to keep you from knowing."

Ophelia nodded her head as she held onto Morgandy's hand.

___________________

Ophelia awakened from her miniature daydream to her boyfriend calling her name, she turned to look at him and could clearly see that he was annoyed.

He rolled his eyes and tutted, "Ophelia, I must insist that you pay attention to me, your first potions exam is tomorrow, and you know how much you struggle with practical's."

Ophelia lifted her head off of her head revealing an imprinted mark of her hand that had reddened the area as she was leaning on it for so long.

Tom looked at her and then to her cheek, he reached out his hand and started to run his hand around the side of her face.

"Ophelia?" Tom looked at Ophelia, "are you okay?"

Ophelia nodded her head, "of course, you know me, I stress too much."

Tom smiled to himself, "and you have to stop, don't forget to regulate your breathing, remember in and out," Tom placed both hands on either side of her face, he leaned in, his lips connecting with her forehead.

He did this on purpose, he knew house much it relaxed her, and he knew when she was relaxed she'd usually let go of her Occlumency.

But she resisted, and Tom grew angry.

"Ophelia, are you sure everything is okay? You seem different, not yourself," Tom said.

She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was angry and that he knew something was up, but she put on a fake smile and sat up.

"Tom, I promise you, everything is fine," she smiled as she removed his hands from the side of her face, she clasped them together and kissed the back of his right hand, he could soothe her by kissing her forehead, but she knew that kissing the back of his hands would instantly calm him, "if something was wrong, you know I would tell you."

Tom sighed and nodded his head, "I know, I'm acting up, I'm worried about you, I stress when you stress."

"Well you shouldn't, just remember in the next two months, we won't have to worry about school anymore," Ophelia smiled up to her boyfriend.

"Ah yes, this school year has gone so fast, we started our final year just under eight months ago, who knew we'd be here now?" Tom laughed as he looked towards the entrance to the main hall.

"Well, I certainly did, however, I didn't think I'd be here with you of all people," Ophelia let out a small chuckle.

Tom looked at her with a stern look, "you wouldn't be here without me."

Ophelia began to laugh harder.

"You think I'm being funny? I've helped you whilst you've been struggling with potions, one lesson with me and all of a sudden you're top of the class, higher than me!" Tom protested.

Avery slammed his books on the table as he joined the young couple.

"Harlen, please tell me that Ophelia wouldn't be here without me helping her with her potions work," Tom looked up to Avery as he sat down.

"Oh, hey Harlen, how are you doing? Stressed? Oh that's awful," Avery faked his conversation with the two, which caused Ophelia and Tom to look at him strangely, "but, no Tom, Ophelia would be top of the class without you, after all she is using Archer Carr's notes."

"Archer, from the year above? Emory's friend?" Tom lifted his eyebrow as he looked back to Ophelia was a confused look.

"Yes, Archer from the year above, professor Oliphant's friend!" Ophelia lifted both of her eyebrows as she emphasised on Emory's formal name at the school.

Tom shrugged it off and turned to Avery.

"Talking about professor Oliphant, we have him next, and we probably should start to head up to the room of runes," Avery sighed as he stood back up and picked up his ever so heavy ancient runes books.

The couple looked at each other and they too picked up their books and head out the great hall towards the moving stairwell.