Imperium - t.r.

Chapter Seventeen: Tom's Plan

The freezing December air had finally set in. The tumultuous blizzards had trapped everyone in their Common Rooms. Their schoolwork, as well as breakfast, was sent to them via the passageways the house-elves use. Even though the cold was biting for everyone, the Slytherin dorms got the brunt of it. Everyone was huddled together, wrapped in blankets and their winter coats. It was eight in the morning and warm breakfast foods were filing in through the passageways. The sighs of content filled the room as they poured the warmed milk and hot pumpkin juice into their mugs. The Knights sat on the floor, huddled by the fire, taking their plates of sausages, eggs, toast, and beans into their laps. Tom sat on the couch, a sheet of green wool draped over his lap with a book hovering in front of him. 

    Uriah, Angelo, Juniper, and Anastasia sat around a small fire cast by Anastasia as they ate.

    "I heard you're going to be dispatched soon," Juniper said.

    "Sometime in January, if I'm correct," Anastasia replied. "Thank Merlin that we have the winter break off."

    "Are you going to stay here?" Uriah inquired.

    "Yes, Angelo, Jasper, Hagrid, and I will be staying as far as I know," Anastasia said. "How about you?"

    "My mum's ill with scarlet fever," Uriah sighed. "Doctors have told me to stay away, so I'll probably be here too."

    "Nonsense! You should come with me and Mildred to my house for the winter break! I've already asked my dad and he said I can invite anyone I want! He has the room!" Juniper smiled before she turned to Anastasia. "You and Angelo are welcome too! And Jasper and Hagrid!"

    "I'll be alright, but thank you for the offer," Anastasia replied. She looked over by the main fire, catching sight of Tom on the couch. She got up wordlessly and grabbed a plate of beans and toast before settling down next to Tom. "Here. Eat."

    He looked at her and took the plate into his lap silently. She shivered a bit before joining him under the blanket and leaning against his shoulder, gazing into the small bit of fire she could see through the Knights' heads. His heart jumped up to his throat, unprepared for this new public display of affection. The warmth of her and the serenity in her eyes made his cheeks flush with pink.

    "Hey, I have a mission for you," he said to her.

    "Yes?" she inquired.

    "I want you to find a way to make contact with Grindelwald," he whispered to her.

    "What? Why? I thought you didn't want anything to do with him!" she said in a hushed voice.

    "Not exactly," he answered. "I just don't think that some networking would do us any harm."

    "Networking? Is that what you're calling it?" she asked.

    "I just want you to keep tabs on him for me," Tom replied. "To see what works and what doesn't in his little revolution."

    "You want to use his army as a tutorial?" she scoffed. "For what? How to raise an army?"

    "Yes," Tom replied, not a teaspoon of mirth in his voice. He was completely serious.

    "What would you need an army for?" she chuckled.

    "A revolution of my own... one day," he smirked.

    "Alright then," she said with a slight chortle, trying to give off a sense of nonchalance to mask her rising worry. "How do you want me to infiltrate?"

    "I don't know, figure it out," Tom sighed.

    Anastasia thought hard, there must be some avenue to get in touch with him. Wait... isn't there a Rosier that was one of his trusted acolytes? When Grindelwald said to have an answer by the Rosiers' Winter Ball, did he mean for her to make contact with one of his acolytes? Well, only one way to find out.