Dark Dynasty || Tom Riddle

vi. thief's hands

The feast was coming to an end when Tom got up from his seat, his plate barely touched. Quite contrary, the other boys possessed an extraordinary appetite, devouring the food like a pack of wolves. Little Abraxas Malfoy looked like he was about to puke. "What a pleasant evening this has been, lads, though I am afraid I must attend to my duties now." Tom gave Victoria a curt nod. "Miss Greengrass," he said to which she replied with a nod of her own.

The sky above had darkened to a deep blue. Midnight was approaching and Victoria was surprised she enjoyed the feast enough to forget about time.

Tom turned to walk away but then stopped short and faced them again with a scowl. "You're making a fool of yourself, Nott," he reprimanded William who was stuffing his face with his fourth chicken joint, grease spread all around his mouth. "Not only are you embarrassing yourself, but me as well. There's a lady present," Tom said calmly but sharply.

To her surprise William, ill-mannered loudmouthed William, flinched visibly, wiped his dirty mouth and muttered a mortified apology. "It won't happen again, my-," he broke off suddenly. "-my friend," he recovered poorly.

As soon as Tom realized he was being watched he put on a reassuring smile and said, "It's fine. Just be more cautious from now on." He left, dark robes flaring behind him.

When he was out of earshot Victoria turned to her seatmate. "Is this normal behaviour for him?" she asked making her voice sound bored, picking apart a piece of bread, even if she thought this small piece of information to be vital.

"For Tom? He's the greatest out of us all," said Kenneth Mulciber nervously, very much evading the question.

Victoria smiled lightly while keeping her eyes fixed on the bread crumbs on her plate. "I see," she said and grabbed the napkin of soft linen. Them not telling her anything told her more about Tom Riddle than their words could. As the boys exchanged uneasy looks Victoria decided Riddle would have her undivided attention from now on. What did she say to unsuspecting Anthony Haywood just a few hours ago? It is always of advantage to be aware of your potential allies. Or your enemies.

❦

Victoria felt like a duckling when the entire house followed the prefects to the Slytherin quarters. Truth be told, she needed the guidance, but following — in every sense of the word — had never been her style. Tom on the other hand, leading the group, obviously enjoyed his task as the unsuspecting children looked at him with big admiring eyes.

Being prefect, Victoria realized, meant being in a position of power. She could use the admiration and respect, even the fear or the love that comes with it for her own means. It is a shame that one can only be appointed prefect in fifth grade. I missed my chance. Headgirl must be sufficient then, she thought.

The portraits on Hogwarts' walls chattered excitedly amongst themselves and said their greetings when the students walked by. Some even went as far as rating the children passing. Apparently, Angelique Thorne would prove to be very gifted at Charms, but do poorly in Herbology and thus received the score of six point 35. And if Quintus McCarthy were anything like his older brother Quartus, the Potions teacher should be preparing for the worst. Many portraits regarded Victoria who they had not seen before with surprise and very few recognized her, comparing her to relatives that had visited the school decades ago.

Tom, a girl who compensated her lack of height with a clamorous voice and another boy guided the lot down a set of stone steps which descended deep into the dungeons. The torches on the wall were not lit but Victoria saw the tops still smoldering as if they had been extinguished only a few minutes ago. She supposed the older students wanted to scare the rookies a little as a way of greeting.