kneel | Tom Riddle

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𝟒| 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬

"Tom, why do you look so surprised?" Seraphina frowned when she watched him reading attentively the notes she wrote about his family, "You already knew your father wasn't the one who possessed magic," she looked around the Great Hall, relieved they were almost alone in their free period.

"I suspected it," he corrected her looking at the paper, "So you found someone named Marvolo and he's my grandfather. Is he alive?"

Seraphina shrugged looking at the names she wrote on the parchment that morning, "I'm not sure, but your mother had a brother and they all belonged to a very ancient wizarding family, the Gaunts."

Tom's hazel eyes sparkled, not to the possibility of having a family, but at the thought of having a powerful linage, "It's hard to believe my mother was a witch. Why would she die giving birth to me, then?" When he frowned, Seraphina wanted to smile at how human he looked at the moment. It was a rare thing to see him showing a genuine expression, "That's too weak for a witch, don't you think?"

"Right, I'm not sure about the details, Tom. But there's something else you should know," he raised his eyebrows looking at her scared face.

"What?"

Seraphina knew the information she was about to give him could change everything, but he had the right to know, "Your mother's heritage and the Gaunts' bloodline are connected to someone really important," impatience was written all over his face as he heard what she had to say, "Salazar Slytherin."

Tom got up from the table with his eyes widened. Once again, it was rare for him to show any kind of emotion, but the information he just heard made him lose his mind. Seraphina watched him storm out of the Great Hall in a rush, making her bury her head in her hands and groan. She could feel it. Bad things were coming.

•

Tom missed the rest of the classes that day, he didn't have lunch or dinner and Seraphina couldn't help but worry about him. The moment he left the Great Hall she could see something in his eyes. Something that made her scared for what Tom had in mind.

But she was uncertain about what he was thinking and she felt like it was her obligation to find out and help him.

Seraphina never truly understood why she was always by Tom's side, even when she realized he was only using her. But she felt like it was the right thing to do. Despite everything he does, when she was with him she felt complete. Unlike everyone else, he always understood her, even if he rarely showed any kind of emotion, but he listened.

She owed the boy a lot, she thought. Anyone would find her devotion to him stupid, but she didn't care.

Leaving the Charms class, at last, she didn't waste any time going towards the Common Room, where she hoped to find Tom. In her way towards the dungeons, she found Avery with Rosier, "Oh, princess, are you in a rush?" Rosier tilted his head to the side when she moved between the two aristocratic boys, so she was walking between the two of them.

"Have you seen Tom?" she asked.

They shook their heads, "If Riddle is hiding, the only person who could possibly know his location would be you."

Seraphina rolled her eyes when Avery spoke. The boys knew how close the girl and their lord were, it couldn't go unnoticed, "He missed his last classes."

"Now that is a surprise," Rosier said, obviously surprised Riddle would miss his classes, he never does that, not even when the rest of the gang ditch the day of school to go to Hogsmeade, "What happened?" he asked.