Extreme Ways ( A Tom Riddle fanfiction )

Chapter 35

"Tom Riddle would certainly have understood Helena Ravenclaw's desire to possess fabulous objects to which she had little right.
"Well, you weren't the first person Riddle wormed things out of. He could be charming when he wanted..."

HP7

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The summer passed without big events. Evelyn kept an eye on Tom, but hardly ever caught him in misdeeds. It was like he was truly keeping his word to her to make their relationship work.
Letters came from Hogwarts and they both got their pins as Head Boy and Head Girl, which meant getting more responsibilities as adults.
Starting their seventh year was bittersweet. It was their last year at school.
Evelyn felt envious of the first year students who looked so young and so fascinated by everything, adventures were just ahead.
While for herself she kept seeing darkness in her future.
Tom never gave up on seeking the Founders relics, although most of their plans failed. There were so many mysteries in that castle that he didn't want to graduate and leave it. Evelyn could understand him: he was the Heir of a Founder after all, that castle was incredibly special to him.

On her side, she didn't want to leave the castle without solving her own secret quest. Books and papers didn't help her getting more hints.
If she needed more information, she had to ask to someone who could have witnessed or heard anything useful to her.
While Tom turned determined to deal with the Grey Lady, that Evelyn failed to make speak, she decided to try with the other ghosts.
They tried to befriend the Fat Friar of Hufflepuff to learn that Helga's cup was surely inherited by her descendants, so they checked the family trees just to find that many were potentially keeping the cup.

After a patrolling shift next to the Gryffindor tower, Evelyn eyed a ghost that a Prefect indicated as the ghost of the Gryffindor Tower.
"Sir Nicholas?" She called running after the floating pale figure. She learned that that ghost didn't enjoy being called Nearly Headless Nick, as he was known amongst the living.
The ghost turned with a friendly face "Yes?  Can I help you?"
Evelyn almost expected that he would move his head to show that he was almost beheaded, but luckily his head was in the right place on his neck. She didn't want to face something creepy like it would have been facing the ghost of Slytherin who was always covered in blood and dragging his heavy chains.
"I'm fascinated by your story. I've been told you were a knight" she said with a flattering smile.
"Oh yes, my name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy" he replied proudly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you properly" she slightly bowed "I don't want to leave this school without knowing a bit more of the ghosts who always watched over us students".
"You're so kind, girl. I see you're a Ravenclaw. What a pity you are not living in my tower. Your kindness would have made you a great Gryffindor" he winked at her.
She forced a wider smile "We are almost neighbors anyway. Can I ask you if you witnessed the golden ages of Camelot?".
Nick sighed "I heard a lot of it. I'm not surprised if the word knight reminds you of Camelot".
"And of Merlin" she added gathering all her courage to clear what she wanted to know "Did you know him or do you know someone who was close to him and that I could talk to?".
Nick tilted his head a bit in a thoughtful way. Evelyn tried to ignore the red cut that opened on his neck, showing flesh.
"Hmm, yes. I know a knight who was close to king Arthur and so also to Merlin" he finally announced "Sir Cadogan!".
"Sir Cadogan?" She repeated, happy for that news but unsure if she ever heard that name before.
"Yes. He knew Merlin, he was one of the Knights".
"Knights" Evelyn repeated, thinking of Tom's knights "And where can I find sir Cadogan?".
"He's close. He's on the seventh floor" he explained her in details where to find his portrait.
Evelyn wondered how it could have been so close to her and she never imagined she had to care of the portrait of the silly knight riding a pony against a dragon.
"Thank you, sir Nicholas" she said with all her heart, agreeing to entertain him a bit longer, pretending that she was more interested in his story.
Then she rushed passed her tower and finally stopped in front of the portrait she was looking for.
"Are you sir Cadogan?" She asked loudly to catch the attention of the lively knight who ignored her previous long staring.
He jumped and turned at her "At your service, gentle lady. Yes, I'm sir Cadogan of...".
Before he could chant his whole life, she interrupted him politely "I've been told you were one of the knights of the Round Table".
He looked surprised at her words, but swelled his chest with pride "Indeed I was. Shining days of chivalry...".
"So did you know Merlin?" She fired away.
"What a useless question is that? Of course I knew him" he spatted.
Evelyn felt happy, incredulous and offended at the same time. She forced a friendly smile "I'm sorry. I'm just curious. Since nobody knows what happened to him, I was wondering if he was trapped somewhere here, in the castle".
He scoffed at her "How can a castle trap someone so powerful like him? Gentle lady, I believed you were smarter".
Anger started to boil into her veins. She tried not to focus on how to curse a bloody painting. So she ended up acting as Tom would have done "I'm just wondering. So what could have happened to him?".
He sat on the grass, tried to be comfortable with his uncomfortable armour "I have no idea".
She rolled her eyes. That conversation was getting insane. She was talking to a painting, after all. It wasn't the same like talking to a ghost "So, kind knight, you dare to correct me when I could be right. What else could have happened to the great Merlin? Do you know anything about his greatest desires?".
"I knew Arthur very well. But Merlin was the real king" he said enjoying his own words "Do you know what was Arthur's biggest quest?".
"Making Camelot rule the world?" She asked confused.
"No" he said harshly "The Holy Grail! He lived - and died - looking for that precious thing. But he couldn't find it. So it became Merlin's quest".
Evelyn recalled all the things and legends she heard about that Grail, but she believed it wasn't a relevant detail. And she remembered other names linked to that quest, not Merlin's.
"So did Merlin ever find it?".
Again the knight reacted making her feel stupid "If he did, it was on his biography, right? If it's not, then it's because we don't know what happened".
She frowned a little disappointed "So you don't know what happened to him? Is it because you died before him, right?".
She felt mischievous to mention him his death, but she wanted some revenge.
"I died in the most honorable way" he defended himself, jumping up and pointing his small sword at her, as if he was able to threaten her somehow.
"Death is never honorable" she whispered tiredly, those words weren't hers.
Sir Cadogan narrated his incredible and eroic story, but she barely reacted mechanically to his enthusiastic speech. Her mind was trying to sort out the new hints she got.