๐ถ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐! ๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐บ๐๐๐พ๐ ๐ป๐๐๐พ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ๐๐พ๐
โ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐๐
"It is vital that you concentrate!" I chirped as I pranced around the room, my eyes darting from the small groups of students who were desperate to perfect the new jinx I chose for the DA. "Ventus can be a powerful jinx, one most death eaters would not expect." I added, before correcting a third-year's posture and wand movement. I chose Ventus for today's DA meeting, a jinx that causes a strong blast of wind to shoot from the tip of the wand.
"We will use that to our advantage. Using this jinx could send your enemy flying!" I added, cheering at Ginny who made a fourth-year Hufflepuff fly across the room, and catch him with the jinx, demonstrating a perfect example of wind control.
I stopped to watch the girl as Ron stood beside me, looking at his little sister with pride. "Yes, Ginny! Brilliant." I cheered. The girl beamed at me, as she slowly lowered the boy. Ron then chuckled at my words, making me raise a brow.
"Brilliant? You've been spending too much time with Harry." The ginger continued to laugh as we walked away, heading towards Dean and Seamus. Dean noticed me looking towards them and smiled while waving.
I grinned back and waved until my attention was diverted from him by Luna. "Y/n!" Her dreamy voice called for me. I turned towards the Ravenclaw and noticed Neville trailing after her. Luna gestured Neville forward with a kind smile.
Neville sent a small smile toward Luna and then turned to face me. "I'm sorry to ask this of you Y/n..." Neville began, his head hung low in embarrassment. I smiled at the pair, and before Neville found finish, I spoke. I had a feeling I knew what he was about to ask me, and I did not mind at all.
"No need. I'll gladly help you." Neville beamed at my words and began to profusely thank me, as Luna stood there with a smile and a far-off dreamy look in her eyes. Today's lesson was about to end, so I thought for a moment about when I would be free to help him. "How about twelve thirty on Saturday?"
Neville nodded and thanked me once again before he and Luna left along with everyone else in the group. People slowly filtered out of the mirrored room, waving goodbye to Harry and I, thanking us. I grinned at Harry once it was just him and I.
"You seem to really enjoy teaching them." Harry smiled, as we also left. The door to the room of requirements closed, and we decided to walk towards the astronomy tower, where we would open another book.
The corridors were dark, so Harry and I cast Lumos to light the way. I chuckled at the Gryffindor's statement. It was true, I've found myself falling in love with teaching "Like father like daughter I suppose." I giggled as Harry scoffed at my words.
"Snape most certainly does not like teaching." Harry grumbled, his resentment for my father showing through the malicious tone in his voice. I smiled at this, I've always known most of my friends do not like my father, but that's never stopped me from being friends with them. I know that my father is harsh on his students for a reason, to push them to succeed, to sort out the capable from the incapable. Although his hatred for Harry is more... personal.
"He does. It's the students he doesn't like. He finds many of them unbearable to be around." I laughed as we neared the entrance to the stairway, that spiralled up to the Astronomy Tower.
As I began to walk up the stairway, I heard something fall, the loud crash of metal ringing out from the end of the hallway. The one Harry and I just left. We both instinctively drew out our wands in defence.
"Who's there!" I yelled, fear pricking at my skin, making my mind rush with adrenaline. The dark hallway, the blue light of the Lumos charm, the metal crashing. Everything took me back to the Ministry of Magic. The Department of Mysteries. The archway. Sirius. "Have you got the map?" I whispered to Harry, who looked equally as alarmed.
"No." He whispered back. His eyes locked onto mine. As if our eyes could talk, we nodded, understanding each other's next moves. We walked down the hallway, wands at the ready, scouring for the source of the noise.
As I neared a pillar, I saw what had fallen, a large metal candelabra, spilling melted wax and burnt-out candle sticks across the floor. I glanced around, pointing my wand wherever I looked. Nothing. Nothing except that smell. He is here.
He is infuriating. I know damn well that he is here. They all are. My face contorted into hatred. "I know you're here. Do not follow me. Go back to the common room." I spat under my breath. I could feel them tense up.
"Anything?" Harry spoke in a hushed voice. I spared the group one final glare, before turning to Harry with a small smile.
"Nothing." I walked away, holding my tongue as I practically ran up the Astronomy Tower. I sat myself at the edge of the tower as Harry emerged at the top. My legs dangled off the edge, the harsh slap of freezing wind hitting my legs.
"Here." Harry handed me a navy blue book, almost black. "I think you should open it." I sent Harry a nervous smile, the feeling of the leather against my fingertips washing away all previous anger I felt for a particular group of Slytherins.
I took a deep breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth, and I opened the book.
แดสแดแดแดสแดส แด๊ฐ:
๐ฏ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐น
Merlin, help me. I flipped the page and began to read aloud, as Harry peered over my shoulder. "September 1943." I read, before taking a moment to mull over the date. "Tom Riddle would've just started his sixth year." I muttered in realisation. This book, and potentially the other books were written when The Dark Lord was our age. "There's a list..." I breathe out.
โข Fฬถiฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถSฬถlฬถyฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถrฬถiฬถnฬถ'sฬถ ฬถAฬถsฬถsฬถeฬถmฬถbฬถlฬถyฬถ ฬถCฬถhฬถaฬถmฬถbฬถeฬถrฬถ
โข Fฬถiฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถTฬถeฬถsฬถtฬถ ฬถSฬถuฬถbฬถjฬถeฬถcฬถtฬถsฬถ
"They are all crossed out." Harry pointed out, as we both stared at the list. He pulled away, as I set the book down between us. "Which means he completed them..." Harry added, his eyes looking out over the moonlit landscape.
"That room we found must be Slytherin's Assembly Chamber." I added, the pair of us slowly piecing together the contents of the list, careful not to overlook the smallest of details. "And the test subjects..." I swallowed a sob, my mind flashing with all those names.
"The muggles." Harry finished my sentence. "Which means 'Recruit worthy subjects' must be his death eaters." Harry sighed, as his hands rubbed together in his lap. His head turned looking around the darkness of the night, watching the trees away in the wind and the stars twinkle in the sky.
Without another word, I picked up the book and flicked through a few pages. Each month from September 1943 seemed to have a list of objectives the young Dark Lord had set for himself. I continued to flick through pages until I landed in February 1944. I nervously glanced at Harry, who was already looking at me, with a deep breath I began to read out the list.
โข Fฬถiฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถMฬถuฬถdฬถbฬถlฬถoฬถoฬถdฬถsฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถuฬถsฬถeฬถ
โข Fฬถiฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถaฬถ ฬถsฬถuฬถiฬถtฬถaฬถbฬถlฬถeฬถ ฬถwฬถiฬถfฬถeฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถbฬถaฬถrฬถeฬถ ฬถmฬถyฬถ ฬถhฬถeฬถiฬถrฬถ
โข Uฬถsฬถeฬถ ฬถSฬถlฬถuฬถgฬถhฬถoฬถrฬถnฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถfฬถiฬถnฬถdฬถ ฬถoฬถuฬถtฬถ ฬถhฬถoฬถwฬถ ฬถtฬถoฬถ ฬถmฬถaฬถkฬถeฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถmฬถ
"Them?" Harry muttered in confusion after I read out the last item on the month's list. He sat back with a sigh. "Now I know why Dumbledore had asked me to get to know Slughorn." Harry added, seemingly things began to add up for him, contrastingly nothing made sense in my mind.
"Must've been why." I added with a sigh. "'Find a suitable wife' that must be Mattheo's mother." I commented on Riddle's slightly derogatory task on his list. Harry hummed in acknowledgement. We both paused for a moment, trying to gather our thoughts. Attempting to make sense of everything.
"What do you know about Mattheo's mother?" Harry wondered, looking to me for an answer. I thought for a moment, realising that I knew nothing of her. I've never heard a name, her blood status, or anything about what house she was sorted in.
"Nothing, unfortunately. He has never mentioned her. At least not to me." I shrugged, looking down at the list again. "Not to mention, this must be the time when Tom and the Half-Blood Prince began to use Muggleborns and Half-bloods for his experiments..." I shivered, not from the cold.
"Myrtle." Harry sighed. He then took the book from my grasp and flipped through a few more pages. "This one is April." He commented before showing me the list. This one was rather short compared to the others which usually consisted of three to five items.
โข Fฬถeฬถeฬถdฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถ ฬถsฬถnฬถaฬถkฬถeฬถ
โข Mฬถaฬถkฬถeฬถ ฬถ6ฬถ ฬถmฬถoฬถrฬถeฬถ ฬถoฬถfฬถ ฬถtฬถhฬถeฬถmฬถ
"Whatever 'them' is, Tom has made 6 of them." Harry added, his voice cracking with stress. I take the book back from the boy, looking closely at the words. Then it clicked. It began to make sense for me, well sort of. There are still some uncertainties, yet we are closer to figuring out this web of mysteries.
"He's made 7. Riddle wrote, 'make 6 more of them'." I pulled out the first book, flipping through the names of muggles until I found the sort list of witches and wizards he's murdered while in Hogwarts. "See. There are only 7 witches and wizards after hundreds of muggles. Whatever this thing is, it involves them. It involves their deaths." A shiver went down our spines, as we looked into each other's eyes in fear. It dawned on us that those horrendous, evil tortures were not for fun or practice, they were sacrificial.
Harry and I turned to the last entry in this book. "July 1944." I muttered, my eyes trailing down to the list.
โข ๐๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ญ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ.
Harry quickly stood up, walking frantically away. He began to pace around the room, his hand tugging at his short black locks, his teeth biting at his lips until they bled. "You find out what you can about Mattheo's mother. I will see what I can gather from Slughorn." Harry spoke up after a few moments.
I nodded, looking at my friend with concern. His head suddenly jerked to the side, making me raise a brow. He muttered something to me, but I didn't hear, and in a flash, the boy ran down the stairs out of sight.
Confused, I attempted to follow him, yet I managed to lose him. Strange. Slowly, I walked back to the common room. As I entered the chilling space, the familiar sneer of the fire washed over me, making me realise just how exhausted I was.
"Y/n!" My name is called from the corner of the room. In fright, I glanced over to the large glass panes that looked out into the Black lake. Them. Draco, Blaise, Theo and Mattheo sat there with guilty yet saddened faces. I crossed my arms as a frown tugged at my lips.
"We want to apologise for spying on you and Potter. It wasn't our intention, I swear to Merlin." Mattheo stood up, slowly walking over to me, his hands waving around frantically as he desperately tried to explain himself. "My point is, I'm sorry. We are all very sorry." He added as he gasped from lack of air.
Soon the boys joined in, the pure sincerity and panic in their voices softened my angered heart. Once upon a time, I would've bet my life that these four boys had never even thought to apologise for their behaviour, let alone actually say the words sorry.
"It is alright. I believe you." They all sighed from relief, their worried faces replaced with small smiles or tired relief. "Let's head to bed, and stay in bed this time. You all will fall ill if you keep up your ridiculous sleeping habits or lack thereof." I ushered the group up to the boy's dormitories, watching them until they disappeared.
"Goodnight, darling." Mattheo whispered with a smile. Mattheo leaned on the doorway to the boy's dormitories, his brown eyes looking down at me with a slightly tilted head. His hand was stuffed into his pockets as one leg crossed the other.
I smiled up at him, my eyes looking up at his face, which was beautifully illuminated by firelight. My hand fiddled with my fingers behind my back, so I stood straight in front of Mattheo. "Goodnight, Mattheo." I muttered, my eyes darting between his. Damn, his eyes. Damn his beautifully soft eyes.
Tension filled the air, as my heart began to race. Unable to take the intense eye contact, and needing to escape the heat that was building rapidly between us, I looked away with a shy smile. Mattheo chuckled lightly, before slowly slipping up into his room.
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