Serpentine [T.M. Riddle]

Emergence (Part II)

There are some delicious rumours that Tom's in line for becoming a prefect next year, and while naturally he knows it to be true, he still pretends to be humble to fellow Slytherins and say that 'he has an equal chance as any other'. Preposterous. No one else can even see his level, much less reach it. That's saying nothing on how easily wrapped around his finger he has Slughorn. That man would allow Tom to sit in on his NEWTs level classes, if it were legal.

The law continues to work against him. But at least the thought makes him feel better about only being allowed in fifth year potions. If he continues to excel as he has, he has no doubt that he'll be allowed to skip it entirely next year. Merrythought and Alder are already impressed with his progress, so if Tom plays his cards right, he might be able to do similar with their classes.

Something to work towards. Alongside deciphering this accursed Parsel. A mere thirteen percent (if that) of the diary of his ancestor is translated in full, though the more he works at it, the easier the rest is to decipher. The problem is, of course, that his main assistant in translating the damn words is stuck thousands of miles away from him. Did she really have to drop out of Hogwarts like that? Inconveniencing him with this distance when before she was a glance away.

...So she could help him with this translation, naturally.

At a time like this, his Transfiguration assignment is not nearly as enticing. He taps his nail against the table, and re-reads the Parsel instead:

Where pure waters run.

A poem, if he had to guess. A lot of Parsel translates that way: into something floral and romantic. Not structured. Ximena mentioned many great Maya poets wrote in Parsel ("It was considered very stylish at the time.") He continues.

Where pure waters run, I will show you the way.

He circles the word that's meant to represent the self, 'I'. Writes a question mark beside it. Every other time 'I' appears in the diary, it's written differently. Why the change?

Just something else to ask Ximena about in his letter. Maybe if he had asked any of this sooner, he could have discovered the Room of Requirement much earlier: this paragraph is directly sandwiched in between mentions of a secret room. It could only be a clue as to its location.

Ambrose croaks from beside him, perhaps reminding him that his transfiguration homework still needs polishing. He quiets him with a pellet treat.

He's unsure of how long letters take to be delivered to her because she always seems to take her sweet time with writing back, if at all . Her father seems to have a similar habit, though all of his letters are delivered by a barn owl ('his name is Rubio') whose stare makes Tom uneasy. Sure, he's not owed their constant thoughts and waking moments, but the issue of the diary and Parselscript has become phenomenally critical to him.

If, perhaps, he could share why this was so, they might rush their own research for him. In thanks. In gratitude. In...Understanding. The need to know where you come from. That you're worth something. That there are people waiting for you.

Tom shakes his head of the thought because he is worth something. He doesn't... He doesn't need this legacy to prove that. To himself. Or anyone. He's never had anyone waiting for him and he doesn't want...

He looks over at his textbook and sighs. Then, he opens up to the right page to begin reading,:

Transfiguration in nature is as easy as a hen's egg hatching under a toad...

-

Practice charms are easy with Hedwig. Her dark magic flows well with his and she never hesitates to correct anything perceived as 'wrong' or 'fucking awful, Tom, did you go blind over the weekend?' It's competition, certainly, but not the same type of competition as with the other Slytherins. In a way he cannot yet explain. Perhaps it's the comfort in knowing that Hedwig does not wish to get the best of him.