Chapter 33

“Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat” said Dumbledore simply. HP2~~~~~~~~~

Tom inhaled and exhaled deeply as he pondered all the possibilities to find the sword."Accio sword" he tried several times, replacing "sword" with other names.Nothing happened."It couldn't be so easy" she sighed touching his arm to comfort him."We can't swim down there so we need to find another way" he turned to the woods and started to hiss loudly.Evelyn shivered when later she saw a long snake approaching them.Tom kept hissing until the snake slithered into the lake.They waited for several minutes until it came back and spoke to Tom. From his face Evelyn understood that that plan failed too.Tom kneeled and caressed the snake as it was a dog, to Evelyn's horror."We couldn't expect to find it so quickly" he said suggesting to go back to the castle to think better about it "Something or someone should be keeping it safe. Maybe it is held by some of the water creatures".She agreed "Should we try to contact the merpeople?"."The lady of the lake could be a mermaid".Evelyn grimaced at that "You are welcome to deal with merpeople. I'd rather stay away from them".He rolled his eyes "I don't like mermaids. Because I have someone much more beautiful".She narrowed her eyes "Funny. I know muggles believe that mermaids are beautiful creatures like that portrait in our bathroom, but if you check the portraits of the real mermaids they look quite scary"."I know. So let's make a list of all the details we got. So we can try to have a clear image of this puzzle" they went back to the library and Tom started to scrabble down everything they learned that far."Weren't you looking for the sword on your own for your uncle years ago?" Tom asked suddenly glancing up at Evelyn, who was just watching him writing.She shrugged "Yeah, but I managed to find only copies. My uncle is used to sell plenty of fake swords. And no hint of the real one in this castle, although it must be here"."Hmm" he checked what he had written, then he got another question "Do you remember that sentence in latin?"."The one talking about being a true Gryffindor would allow to get the sword?"."That one. Maybe we need a Gryffindor to succeed".It didn't make sense to her "A Gryffindor? Who?".He thought about it, then smirked "The Head Boy. Prewett. He has a crush on you".She watched him flustered "What does this have to do with our quest? I should use him? Why don't we try with a girl? That McGonagall is pretty smart too for being a true Gryffindor"."No, I think she's not" he said quickly "I would bet he has more chances to be the one we need. Or do you know other Gryffindors with some special talent?".Her mind was blank "Slytherin had his heir. We can't be so lucky to get also a true Gryffindor" she bit her lip thoughfully "Unless we don't take into consideration just student. I would bet on Dumbledore, for instance".The idea didn't please him "Dumbledore? We can't trick him"."You're the Heir of Slytherin. I wouldn't be surprised if the true Gryffindor is someone you dispise" this time she was the one to smirk.He sighed standing up and rolling his writing "Anyway, you are the one who can play him. Why don't you use his beloved half giant to persuade Dumbledore to take out the sword? You know that Dumbledore suspects of me since I made expel his favourite pet"."If we want to involve someone like Dumbledore into this, we should try to bring him to oir side instead of using misdeeds and violence".Tom turned more acid "Then why don't you try to flirt with him? Although I'm sorry to say that he has different tastes, so you have no chances"."What the hell are you talking about?" She snapped."Him and Grindelwald" Tom said in a whisper "Didn't you get it? Haven't ever wondered why Dumbledore always refused to fight Grindelwald when he would be a good match for the dark wizard? Because he is a coward? Or there was something bigger between them? Something big enough to make Dumbledore hide in this castle instead of doing something against Grindelwald to stop the Global wizarding war".She stared at him with shock, but he looked deeply convinced of what he was talking about "You can't be serious"."Then find me something to prove that I'm wrong. You admire Dumbledore because he looks so good and kind. But trust me, he has secrets worst than mines" he hissed bitterly.Evelyn didn't know what to think "So does it mean that you don't believe that Dumbledore could be a true Gryffindor?"."I didn't say that. I'm just saying that I disagree with trying to befriend him. We can't trust him. In a blink of an eye he could manage to make me expelled"."You're freaking scared of him" she stated frankly "Does he have proofs to do that?".He inhaled with anger, but swallowed it, replying in a whisper "He managed to keep the half giant at Hogwarts instead of letting him go to Azkaban. Because he realized he couldn't trust my version of the facts. I'm sure he's just waiting for the good occasion to turn it against me"."I don't see all this hostility against you, Tom. I think we should try to get his help. Otherwise we can just give up on finding the sword for now and focus on the other relics".He pondered her idea, then agreed "Alright. But you deal with him. And if you put us in danger you will pay for it. I try to focus on the other relics in the meanwhile".Evelyn felt grateful and impatient to give a try to her plan. "Did you know that Dumbledore can speak to the merpeople?".He just stared ather blankly, then admitted "No, I didn't. How do you know that?".She shrugged "I read it somewhere, maybe on an interview on the newspapers or behind a chocolate frog. I just recalled it now. And it fits with the hints we have. Gryffindor. The sword. The lake. The merpeople... Why would someone learn to speak with merpeople?".Tom shrugged "As I speak to snakes?"."Being a Parselmouth is a blood stuff. It's something you inherited by being a direct descendant of Salazar" she explained "Dumbledore isn't related to merpeople so he learned their language. While Parseltongue can't be learned".Tom smirked "I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore descends from a freaking fish" he moved closer to her "How can you turn me up so violently and a moment later make me so angry and then aroused again?".She gave him a bad look "Maybe it's not me. But you who are crazy"."I don't think so" he hissed confidently "Shall we go down into the dormitory? Maybe we can spot something helpful from the windows".Evelyn scoffed "You can't push into that trap so easily".

Tom agreed to let her try her theory, although he didn't want to be involved.In public they acted as they had some distance, hoping that so Evelyn could approach the professor without much suspect.Evelyn started to avoid or failing at his lessons, then she asked Dumbledore for some private lessons just before one important exam.She was surprised by how simply he agreed with her request."It's normal that after such an intense year you feel so exhausted and things slip out of your fingers" Dumbledore said happily when she sat in front of him looking mortified, not for her exams but because Tom was the greatest manipulator, not her.She tried to be affected by his positiveness, but felt nervous to finally face him alone."I know I can't afford to take some rest now. But if I fail my last exams..." She sighed "I couldn't forgive myself"."Exams are not so important in life" he gave her a deep look from behind his halfmoon shaped glasses "I was very ambitious too when I had your age. Now I laugh about it. Exams don't change your life, they can just make it bitter for a while. But your future don't depend on it"."Yeah, but if I fail, I can't take them again and I'll have to keep the failures until graduation. It will be like all the efforts I've done so far are wasted".He pondered her words and nodded "You're right. But to be honest, I don't fear for your Transfiguration final results. You shouldn't have much troubles. I met only few wizards with the ability of changing their hair color without wand and spells".She gave a small smile, touching the tip of her dark hair "My family was used to think it was a curse. For a period of time I believed that too. Only my uncle always appreciated my ability".The professor's eyes shined "Caracturus has always been fond of you. By the way, I'd like to contact him for some special old wine he was used to find and sell at a very fair price. Do you know if he's still involved into wine trades?".She smirked at his confidential tone "I can ask him"."That's very kind of you. It's been a while that I don't have contacts with him. I hope that time healed our old fights. He strongly supported me to become a minister, but that job never interested me"."He never liked the latest ministers, that's why he hopes for you. You could support his shop, he thinks, allowing him to widen his trades while the current minister is so very strict and imposed so many taxes"."Your uncle is a good man who works with ancient objects and dark stuff that in the wrong hands can be very dangerous. It's not your uncle's fault, but it's of the weapons he can trade".Evelyn was grateful that speaking of someone familiar to her had led them to her mission. She pondered her next words "He is very careful with dark items now. He is more interested in historical objects"."And you are helping him finding them here?".She gaped at what she felt like a direct menace and turned into a flattering smile "I didn't find much. Not stuff that can be bought and sold. And surely not the items he's looking for so desperately. Like some Founders' relics".Dumbledore looked down at his wand smiling "I remember a friend who bought a diadem from your uncle, believing that it was Ravenclaw's one. Instead it became in interesting toy for a Halloween party"."He had sold a lot of copies. But never dealt with the real ones.They are all lost, aren't they?".Dumbledore sighed tiredly "I don't know much about it. The Founders lived centuries ago so what is truly left of them is this castle. Some items passed to their descendants until we lost trace of them. The old vaults of Gringott could contain more treasures than all the money it has"."So I should suggest to my uncle to seek in there? He hates that bank since he saw his savings running out in a blink of an eye"."I'm not sure he would get the permission to visit that bank's secrets. To be honest I think the real relics are hidden in places we would never think of".Evelyn swallowed hard "Like under the Great Lake?"."Or under the floor you are walking on now" Dumbledore joked, ignoring the stress that had made her voice tremble "Usually things we find the most incredible things when we are not looking for them"."Tell it to my uncle, sir. He would die waiting for his beloved treasures to come out of nowhere" she sighed with a smile.He chuckled, giving her a knowing look "I believe he already found a lot of treasures in his life. It's just that he didn't realize it or doesn't brag about it".

Evelyn understood that she would get nothing useful from Dumbledore. But she was satisfied for giving it a try.She reached slowly her tower, accompanied by her thoughts, when she noticed someone behind a pillar.She stopped, her jaw dropping, as she saw Tom just in his white shirt and his robes hanging from his arm. With his other hand he was untying his tie."What are you doing?" She asked when he finally noticed she was there and staring at him.He looked deeply frustrated. He approached and when he was close enough he replied whispering "I tried to befriend the Grey Lady. But when she saw I was a Slytherin she flew away. So I was trying... Well, I don't know"."You were trying to seduce her by undressing yourself?" She snapped shocked."Oh, come on, you can't be jealous of a ghost!" He scoffed to her reaction "How did it go with the dumb?"."We spoke. But from his words it seemed he doesn't know anything about the sword nor the other relics" she said, adding mentally that probably her own uncle knew more than him."Useless, as I supposed" Tom let escape a mischievous smirk, then replaced by a provocative one "Well, we both failed. Don't we need some comfort?".Evelyn shot him a tired look, but he looked so damn gorgeous that she couldn't say no.

He took her hand and pulled her into the Room of Requirement, that looked again in the way she was used to like it.Just stepped into the room, she noticed a vase of blue flowers next to the door."Did you truly take care of them for me?" She said with surprise.Tom smirked hanging his robes and his tie on a hook "Isn't it evident?".She lightly touched the flowers. They were real, as real were their adventures with the Founders, centuries earlier.Evelyn sighed at her memories "I wish we placed some kind of detection spell on the relics so we could find them easily now".Tom placed a hand on her shoulder "We didn't think of seeking the relics then. Should we go back there to do it?"."I don't want to go back there. I said goodbye to that time and I meant it" she replied firmly turning to him, the sight of him just in his shirt was overwhelming, his gorgeousness was able to make wither the most beautiful flowers.Tom agreed with her words "We will find them. No hurry".

In the following weeks they made no pregress in finding the location of any relic. They spent hours analyzing every hint they had, but they weren't rewarded.The final exams kept them busier.The greatest goal for Evelyn was to succeed in Apparitions and finally she passed the exam.Then they had to plan their summer holidays.He had no more a orphanage to go back to. Milly's parents happily agreed to host him.Evelyn feared that now that he was seventeen and was free to use magic out of the school, he could be tempted to use dark magic again. And she wasn't able to stop him.

Tom passed his exams getting the highest grades in all subjects. Evelyn was satisfied with her owns.They left the castle together and were going to spend the holidays together. Evelyn often looked back at the castle, nostalgic at the idea that the next time she would have stepped in there would have been the last one. She was facing the world as an adult for the first time. And she was scared.Milly's parents welcomed them warmly, they also planned a late birthday party for Evelyn, inviting relatives and friends from her childhood that she forgot. It was like beeing amongst strangers who knew too many embarrassing anecdotes from her childhood. Her teenage years turned all around the school and specially around Tom, who was like the center of the world to her, in the middle of a family and a society that she didn't belong to anymore.Her other uncle Caracturus didn't join the party. He knew he wasn't welcome. So Evelyn was the one who had to go to meet him, in his unique shop.She was looking forward to meet him. She had a question that tormented her for months. But she had to wait to get a moment with him without Tom around.When finally the occasion came, she eyed her unaware uncle and asked softly "Can I ask you something?"."Fire away" he was examinating his latest acquisition."Do you remember that old, golden locket that you didn't want to sell?" She said in a very low whisper.He shrugged "I saw many golden lockets"."Yes, but didn't you say that one could have been Slytherin's one?" She insisted, finally seeing a light into his uncle's eyes."Oh, that one. Yes, I remember it. When you were little you liked playing with that heavy thing. It had Slytherin's mark on it".That revelation made her speechless. She didn't remember that. She just knew that locket was familiar, but she never imagined she held into her hand something that belonged to Slytherin."Do you remember also how you got it?" She asked after a while."Hmm, yeah, an unusual way. Why are you so interested?" Caracturus narrowed his eyes at her."Because I'd like to know more. Since you said it was something I liked when I was little" she simpered."I wish I had kept it for that reason" he said with a sigh "I got it some months before you were born, just before Christmas. A young girl dressed in rags needed gold and she wanted to sell it, saying it was Slytherin's. You couldn't imagine my joy when I proved it was authentic. It was priceless. But we were already in bad times then and she agreed to take only ten galleons for it. It was the best Christmas present ever. Although then I felt a bit pity for that girl. You see, she was going to have a baby...".Evelyn tried to control her emotions. She was sweating cold, her head was spinning dizzily. It was like every single pieces was going into the right place to form a dark puzzle."But then you sold it" she said with a hoarse voice."Yes, and it saved my shop" he moaned with sadness  "I didn't want to sell it, but I had no choice. It was like selling my soul. I rarely held such valuable things into my hands in my whole life".Evelyn avoided to ask who was having it. She already had too much to deal with."Thank you, uncle".She walked away, his eyes chasing her "Are you alright, Evy? You are so pale you look about to faint".Evelyn swallowed and forced a smile to him "You just told me I was used to play with Slytherin's locket. Of course I'm a bit shocked. I'm fine, uncle. Really. I just wish to find it someday".Her uncle nodded doubtfully and walked away on the opposite way when she turned her back.But she turned again and when he couldn't notice, she raised her wand against him, whispering coldly "Obliviate".