Masquerade¹ → Tom Riddle [Rewritten] ✓

CHAPTER NINE

"Evelyn?"

Her eyes fluttered open, scanning the room as soon as she could see clearly; she was still in the dungeons and stood towering over her was none other than Tom Riddle. "W-what happened?" She tried to sit up but her attempt was futile.

"I heard a thud after you left so I thought I would investigate, you're lucky I did or who knows what would have happened to you."

Evelyn thought she ought to thank him, while she was sure nothing bad could have happened to her, she still felt as though she owed him something. "Well, thank you, Tom."

"You really ought to go to the Hospital Wing..." He stared at her whitewashed face, "Madame Truckle could surely do something to make you feel better."

"I'll be fine," but as she tried to sit again, her head spun.

"At least let me walk you to your common room,"

Evelyn closed her eyes, finally finding enough strength within her to lean herself against the dungeon wall. "I can walk myself."

Tom looked her up and down, "I do rather doubt that." Evelyn hated to admit that he was likely right, she could barely see one foot in front of her, making her way up the Ravenclaw Tower would be almost impossible alone.

Neither Evelyn nor Tom said another word for several uncomfortable minutes. By the time Evelyn finally spoke again, she had managed to lift herself to her feet, "Come on then," she glanced blankly at him before making her way leisurely out of the dungeons. Although she could still not yet see properly, her vision was clear enough to manoeuvre her way around any obstacles she might stumble upon on her journey up to the Ravenclaw Common Room.

"So," Tom took a deep breath, "how did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

"I can't say it was something I look forward to doing again, too many people." She thought about how trapped she had felt on the circular table, students sat all around her, house-elves rushing in and out of the Office, it was certainly not an event she could say she would recommend.

"I have to agree with you there,"

"I don't know why Professor Slughorn invited so many of us, and such a peculiar combination of students too."

Tom stopped in his tracks. "Didn't you realise it?"

"Realise what?" She turned to face him with a furrowed brow.

"Everyone there had something he considered interesting about them, didn't you hear him spending half the night asking about hidden artefacts or famous relatives?" Tom found it almost impossible that a Ravenclaw had been unable to identify that fact.

Evelyn thought about the students she had seen around the table, "Mary?"

"Her father is an investor, did you not hear her talking about those silver leafed tree seeds?"

"Arnold?"

Tom sighed, "his parents work at the Ministry."

"Amoria?"

"Well her Mother plays Quidditch for England."

Evelyn looked him up and down, "well what about you then?"

"I suppose it could have been a number of things, my dashing good looks, my academic abilities, my sheer charm..."

She rolled her eyes, "of course." She wasn't sure if she was indulging in his little fantasy or of Slughorn may very well have selected him for those reasons.

By the time the pair arrived just outside the Ravenclaw Tower, Evelyn felt far better than when she had left the dungeons. Her vision had cleared up again and her head no longer felt as though it was being beaten.

"When you need me, you throw me away. But when you're done with me, you bring me back. What am I?"

Evelyn turned to see the knocker speaking, she thought deeply for a moment before the answer came to her, "It's an anchor." As soon as she answered, the door opened slightly, allowing her to enter the Common Room.

"Peculiar..."

She turned to see Tom still stood behind her, "pardon?"

"You simply answer a riddle and the knocker lets you in, surely that means that anyone could enter the Common Room, not solely Ravenclaws."

"Well I suppose you would be correct," Evelyn had never truly thought about that fact, "but why would anyone want to enter a Common Room that wasn't their own?"

Tom smiled. "I'm sure people would have their reasons. Anyway, you ought to get to sleep, I'll see you around, Evelyn."

Evelyn gave him a small smile and made her way up to the Ravenclaw Common Room. As soon as she entered, she was approached by Lily, "Evelyn!" She called out with a smile, squeezing her best friend with a smile. "How was it?"

Evelyn considered telling them about her fainting, she truly did, but she couldn't find the words. She knew it would just worry them, especially Lily, and she didn't want that for her friends. "It was okay."

Sara sighed in the corner, "just okay? We need details!"

Evelyn glanced over at Sara who was now stroking Midnight peacefully, "well, we all ate dinner and dessert and spoke about our families."

"Who was there?"

"Me, Arnold, Amoria, Mary, Tom..." She trailed off as she took a seat on the end of her bed.

"Did you find Tom simply as impossible as I did?" Sara asked, clearly still frustrated at her failed attempts to communicate with Tom Riddle.

Evelyn found the lie slipping off her tongue before she had even noticed, "absolutely, he's a nightmare." But she knew that wasn't true, she had found it difficult to interact with Tom, but no harder than talking to anyone she barely knew. Evelyn wasn't a fan of how easy lying had come to her, especially to her best friends.

"I haven't even spoken to him in all my years here but by the sound of what you two are saying, I am very glad I haven't!" Lily moved over to Sara's bed, picking up Midnight in her arms as though he were a baby.

"Do you know when the next meeting will be?"

Evelyn had almost forgotten that there would be another one. "The letter said they would be fortnightly but I don't know if I really want to go to another one."

"Oh Evelyn you have to! It's such a great opportunity, you can use it to make connections and it's always useful to be well connected! I wish I had been invited!" She threw herself down on her bed after dropping Midnight carefully onto the floor.

"Maybe next time you will be!" Evelyn doubted this, Lily wasn't exactly the most well-connected individual, but she wasn't about to break her best friends' spirits. The trio went to sleep without another word, Evelyn not even bothering to change out of her knitted dress before she snuggled up under her covers.

Although Evelyn hadn't planned on attending the next meeting, by the time it had ended she was certainly glad she had. Professor Slughorn had booked the Great Hall to host a Slug Club Christmas Party and as much as parties were not something Evelyn enjoyed all too much, Christmas was. She couldn't wait to see how beautiful the Great Hall would look after it had been decorated, but as she stared up at her ceiling, she realised "I can't go to a party without a dress,"