Chapter 19

"On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student... on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls"HP2

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The bullying problem softened in the following days.Tom didn't say clearly that he would have helped Evelyn. He had just helped her sneak away from the Slytherin dungeon without getting caught and then she noticed the little changing.It wasn't recovered between them tho. She couldn't easily forgive him his harsh words. He decided to follow a dangerous path in his life and she didn't want just to follow him as she was only his pet. They needed to find an equilibrium if they wanted their relationship to survive.

"I'm sick of seeing you angry at me" Tom complained following her after their reunion with the professors and the othr prefects."It's not my fault" she said blankly.He grabbed her arm and made her turn to face him "I want this to work, but you take any chance to turn against me. I hate it. What's wrong if I want to know more about you and your family? For my whole life I tried to learn about my own family, just to be endlessly disappointed. At least your family is far more interesting. But if you hate me because I'm nobody for you, then just leave".She frowned at his way to twist the facts thay turned them against each other "I don't care about your past, your family, your lack of money. In these last weeks you turned my world upside down, you fought to win me as I'm a trophy, you made me do that against my cousin, you found the Chamber, you forced me to make that..."."Forced?" He interrupted her "I asked you. I didn't rape you, Evelyn. I just wanted you. You don't understand how it was for me to slid down the tubes to find myself alone facing the basilisk. Do you think it was easy for me to tell you that I almost feared to die? To die before I was able to make a horcrux? That's why I was so impatient to live something new with you just as I'm impatient to make a horcrux"."And why didn't you tell me about it, before asking me to be yours just because you've found out you were the Heir?"."I did. I talked to you also before making it. I shared my emotions with you, but you seemed so indifferent. As you would rather have me dead in the Chamber".He kept turning around the misunderstandings. Evelyn wondered why it was so hard to be honest with him and for him to do the same "I wasn't indifferent, I was freaking out because of what we were going to do! You were so lost in your self acclamation that you didn't realize I wasn't ready for that. You mistook the order of the things to be done. You had to tell me about your adventure in the Chamber first, then I would probably have been the one to assault you".Her words surprised him "Seriously?".She felt blushing "Yeah, you fool. Or better, if you allowed me to follow you into the Chamber, the fear would have made me do it. But you gave me no choice as usual and that's what is really pissing me off".He pondered her words, then said softly "Alright. So if I admit that I made some big mistakes and if I promise you that I will ask for your advice before taking any decision, will you give me any chance?".Evelyn stared at him asking the question to herself "Yes, I think I would".He nodded carefully, then added biting his lip with uneasiness "And you would agree to try again... would you allow me to get you into bed again?".The idea made her nervous, but she knew she couldn't avoid forever the handsome boy in front of her "Only if you respect your other promise"."Of course. I won't hurt you again, I swear"."So can you also swear that you're not making all this drama just to get me into bed with you again?"."Yes, I can swear. But I warn you that I'm not very inclined to delay it any longer" his provocative look made her legs feel weak."Delay?" She repeated shocked."Yeah, I can't delay it" he raised his hand to touch the hair on her shoulder, then whispered hotly "If only you can understand how much I want you".

And so it happened again.When Evelyn imagined to get some distance to be free to think clearly about their relationship, instead she found herself in bed with him. And as he promised, he made that second time perfect.She had no regrets. She felt that her life was meant to live just to experience at least once something so powerful and so enjoyable.It made them grow closer, healing the fights they had in the previous days. She would easily grab his arm while walking in the crowded corridors and he would wrap an arm around her shoulder.

She felt happy. But her happiness was clouded by fear.Because she knew that his main thought wasn't for her, but for the Chamber. He could respect his duties, taking away points to the Hornby girl for bullying a mudblood. But his belief was that the muggle borns had to leave the castle. And Evelyn feared he would use his extreme ways to do that.She also suspected that his affection and attentions to her were because he tried to hang to the little humanity was left into his soul.He, the most brilliant student ever, a model student, so handsome and kind, poor, but brave, so clever but so lost, was meant for greatness as he could fall into some disgrace instead.Evelyn closed her eyes and allowed him to explore her neck with his lips. She could feel his needs, but her gloomy thoughts wasted her emotion.Tom moved back frowning at her "What?".She sighed heavily "I was thinking about the Chamber and the fact that you want to go back in there"."So?"."I'm worried, Tom. You could have not coming back the first time. You faced a basilisk and just one look and it could kill you..."."Don't think of how it could have been. It didn't happened. And I made it, safe and sound" he bit the bottom of her neck making her wince with pleasure.But she didn't allow him to distract her too much "Yeah, but what if something goes wrong this time? I couldn't bear it"."You should trust me. I'm always careful"."I know but what if that's not enough? I'm just scared, I'm sorry. Now that I feel so happy with you, I can't stop thinking that there's some tragedy around the corner and I wouldn't be able to deal with it".He took her face into his palms and said confidently "I won't let it happen. You won't be alone"."You can't know. You're too precious to waste your life for just a wrong step"."But I can't ignore my duties as Heir of Slytherin. I must kill all the mudbloods in this castle".His firm sentence risked to bring them back to their war."That's another trouble" she said patiently stepping back "Kill? Tom, what do you think it happens when students start to die in this castle? Salazar Slytherin wanted the castle to be free from muggle borns, not to kill them"."How could you know what he wanted?" He snapped."Because it makes sense, Tom" she raised her voice "You can scare to death muggle borns with your beasts and they will leave the castle thinking there's a curse against them. But if you kill them, the Ministry will close the school and we will all pay the consequences. Are you impatient to go back to your orphanage until you're seventeen?".He leaped with anger at her words "Of course not!" Then he valued her plan and turned softer "Alright, you are right. I just need to practice with the basilisk so it won't kill. Just a reflexion of its eyes can petrify the victims".She nodded "That would be enough"."After all the mudbloods will be petrified, the basilisk will stay safe in the Chamber, until other mudbloods will dare to step into the castle again" he concluded."That's a better plan" she smiled "But can you totally control the basilisk's will?"."It obeys me. It won't dare to look at me nor to hurt me. I will lead it to the mudbloods and have fun" he moved closer to her to live the fun that he mentioned.

Waiting was the hardest part.They had planned everything in details, but when Evelyn was left alone in the lavatory the worst began. Tom went back into the Chamber to face the basilisk, to set his wicked plan. Evelyn had to cast spells to cover his back and make sure nobody would find the entrance of the Chamber.It gave her time to think. About her relationship, about her confusing feelings for a boy who was so confusing and evil. She hoped that it was only some teenage crisis, that he would give it up for her. But they started to mess up with something much more bigger than them. And she felt scared.Finally Tom emerged from the passageway to the Chamber and the sink moved back to its place.Evelyn sighed relieved and when he moved to hug her tightly all her fears vanished for a moment.

Something weird started to happen and rumours spread between the prefects. But it couldn't be linked to the basilisk."What's going on?" Evelyn asked Tom, who seemed the only one not caring about that."What are you talking about?"."Stuart said that it's been some nights that something is happening in his floor. Food disappear from the kitchens and the house elves are starting to revolt"."Stuart? Do you mean Cowley? Since when did you start to call him by name?" He hissed with irritation " And I have nothing to do with it"."Really? Isn't it that you are feeding your pet, putting us all in danger? Also we both know what there is in that damned kitchen" she said firmly."Really. I have nothing to hide from you. The basilisk feeds himself with the rats in the Chamber. Why don't you ask your dear Stuart if it's not him who steal sweets from the kitchens?"."Don't play jealous with me" she menaced "We have to focus on serious stuff. If it's not you, then who is having fun at our backs? If you don't care, then I'll have to go to patrol down there so you will have to deal with your plans alone"."Alright. I'll deal with it" he snapped deeply annoyed "I'll be the one to patrol with the Hufflepuffs. Although I can't bear their prefect girl. She's just annoying as your dear Stuart. But she can surely be a nice pet to play with".His smirk played with her jealousy. But she didn't dare to complain anymore. She was also jealous because he had the fun of investigating and wasn't allowed to join him.

She waited for some news until night, but nothing. In the morning Tom just hurriedly said that he was following some trails.But in the following nights he didn't come up to update her and she felt deeply frustrated. And jealousy filled her mind with doubts.Until one morning Tom whispered in her ear that he needed to talk to her later, after their classes. And she had to wait for hours before that moment came. She had almost run out of her patience."I found out who is stealing food from the kitchens and why" Tom announced her after locking themselves in the Room of Requirements."What are you waiting for? Tell me!" She snapped impatiently."It's Hagrid" he said with disgust "He's growing little werewolves"."Werewolves?" She repeated with incredulity."Yes. I can't understand why the teachers are so fond of that beast who clearly enjoy playing dangerous games and keeping bad pets into this castle" he was shaking his head with bitterness."Werewolves like puppies?" She hissed shivering at the idea."Yeah, I think so. He should have got them from the border of the forest and he's feeding them here"."I saw him earlier at lunch. You didn't report him yet?"."I have other plans for him. He can be useful to cover my own work".Evelyn gazed at him, unsure if to agree or disagree "So how did you find out? Where does he keep them?"."In his dormitory" he said smirking "I needed the help of the Gryffindor prefect. She is more skilled than I imagined".He was playing with her jealousy again, she realized."And I have been waiting without knowing how to be helpful" she sighed.Tom stepped closer catching her by surprise "So you now know what it means to wait. While the person you want is wasting time with someone else. It's annoying, isn't it?".She shot him a challenging glance, realizing what his game was. He had his revenge."Yes, very" she confirmed to end that and crossed her arms "So how much do we keep it secret? I hate werewolves. Just one bite and they condemn you to their miserable way of existence"."Nothing will harm you, not as long as I'm alive" he said with a tender look "We will report him, hoping this time the teachers will expel him".