Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Chapter Thirteen - The Sacred Twenty-Eight

Rose awoke the next morning with a pounding headache. She had certainly paid the price for stealing and drinking nearly an entire bottle of wine the previous night.

"Well well well," cooed Isabel. "You rolled in mighty late last night."

Rose groaned and rolled over and pulled the covers up over her head. She was glad that it was a cloudy day, so the water from the Black Lake did not reflect the sunlight into their dorm.

"I say, someone must have been sneaking around with a certain Head Boy last night," teased Mary.

"Such a Riddle, that is," teased Isabel, "wonder who it could be."

"Alright, alright!" boasted Rose. "I was out late with Riddle and I'm massively hungover, so if you both could lower your voices that would be greatly appreciated."

"Where on earth did you go to get that drunk?" questioned Mary.

"The Room of Requirement," said Rose, pulling the covers off of her face. "I stole a bottle of wine from the kitchens."

"How lovely," said Isabel. "And Riddle joined you? I didn't see you at dinner."

"I ate later than everyone else," said Rose. "After drinking the wine."

"Well you and Riddle must have had a lovely night," said Mary. "I'm glad you two seem to be on better terms."

Rose had forgotten all about her Knight of Walpurgis recruitment task temporarily with their passionate night at the forefront of her mind. She rubbed her hand over her tattoo and it did not even twinge. Rose wondered when the first meeting would be. She had a sinking feeling that it would be soon.

"Things are always weird between us," said Rose finally. Isabel and Mary just stared at her.

"Rose..." started Mary nervously. "I spoke to Cadmus about Riddle's little... club."

Rose's attention snapped towards her best friend.

"He told me everything."

"Everything?" asked Rose, trying to gauge their reactions.

"Yes, and I'm not sure that you fully understand what you have gotten yourself into," she said, Rose waited for her to continue. She looked at Isabel who clearly was aware of the conversation about to take place.

"Rose... what do you know of The Sacred Twenty-Eight?"

"Umm," Rose wasn't sure how to answer the question. Her family was not part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, nor was her biological parents. Then again her father was not British, so she honestly didn't even know her own blood status. She wasn't sure of all of the families on the list, but she knew that it was a very important status depending on your views of blood purity.

"The Sacred Twenty-Eight are British families who are still truly, one-hundred percent pure blood. Isabel's family and my family are part of that list. In fact, my uncle Cantankerus Nott is the author of the Pure-Blood Directory. So, as I'm sure you are aware my family holds blood purity to extremely high standards."

"As well as mine," chimed in Isabel.

"So, basically Cadmus told me that Tom believes one day there will be a war on Mudbloods and Muggles and... he needs all families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight to band together once that time comes."

"From the look on your face, I take it you weren't aware of that?" asked Isabel.

Rose was somewhat aware. Tom had always been very vague with her, but she knew that he believed in pure blood supremacy, even though that was extremely hypocritical due to the fact that his father was a Muggle.