Riddle And Grindelwald

22. The Scapegoat

Genevieve didn't sleep that night, as her thoughts were on the poor dead girl that she'd left, lying on the bathroom floor.
The next morning she couldn't eat anything, as she felt stick with what she'd been a part of, so she just pushed her food around her plate.
Breakfast was interrupted by a 4th year Gryffindor girl, who came running into the room, screaming that she'd found a dead body.
Genevieve tried to act as shocked as the rest of the students, but she wasn't sure that she had succeeded.
The staff sent the children to their common rooms and cancelled all lessons that day, in respect to the dead girl, who Genevieve found out was called Myrtle.

Tom received a summons from Professor Dippet that evening, and Genevieve chose to accompany him, as she didn't want to be parted from him.
"Do you think he knows it was us?" Whispered Genevieve, as they made their way through the school.
"Of course not" said Tom quickly.
"Then why has he asked you to come to his office?" Asked Genevieve.
"Probably to ask me if I've seen anything suspicious, as I am a Prefect. Or maybe he wants to answer the letter I wrote to him. Who knows".

Genevieve waited outside the headmaster's office, while Tom spoke to him alone.
The meeting only lasted a few minutes, so Tom was reunited with Genevieve quickly.
"Well?" Quizzed Genevieve.
"It was about my letter. Dippet says that with everything going on, he can't let me stay at Hogwarts during the summer holidays, because it's too dangerous. So, I will have to return to the orphanage" revealed Tom.
"Oh, I'm sorry Vee" replied Genevieve softly.
"I guess I was expecting this, especially after the death of Myrtle".

Genevieve would have replied, if they hadn't turned a corner and walked straight into Dumbledore.
"What are you two doing, wandering around this late?" Questioned Dumbledore.
"The headmaster asked to see me" answered Tom.
"And I wanted to walk with him, so that he didn't have to make his way through the school alone" added Genevieve.
"Well, hurry off to bed. Best not to roam the corridors these days. Not since..." Dumbledore faltered, but Genevieve knew what he had been meaning to say.
"Yes, sir" replied Genevieve politely, before heading off to the dungeons with Tom at her side.

"Dippet told me that the Ministry of Magic might consider closing Hogwarts, because of that girl's death" revealed Tom, once Dumbledore was out of earshot.
"What are we going to do?" Asked Genevieve.
"We've got no choice. We have to tell them who the heir of Slytherin is, and reveal how that girl died" answered Tom.
Genevieve frowned, "I don't understand".
"You will. Just follow me, and keep quiet" instructed Tom.
Genevieve did as she was told and followed Tom into the empty Potions classroom.
They kept the door slightly adjar and waited for several minutes, for a figure to walk past them.

The pair then followed the figure at a distance, through the twisting dungeon tunnels.
Once the figure had entered a room at the end of the corridor, Tom removed his wand, before throwing the door open.
"Evening, Rubeus" said Tom calmly.
Although Genevieve didn't know exactly what the plan was, she removed her own wand, and stood by Tom's side, blocking Rubeus's exit.
The large boy in front of them, stood defensively beside a big box on the floor, but he didn't remove his wand, because he didn't need to. In a fight, he could easily use his size to overpower Tom and Genevieve.

"What are you doing here, Tom?" Questioned the boy, who's name was Rubeus Hagrid.
"It's all over. I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop, and I can't allow that to happen" admitted Tom.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Rubeus.
"I don't think you meant to kill anyone, but monsters don't make good pets. I suppose you just let it out for some exercise, not expecting it to kill another student"
"It never killed no one!".

"Come on Rubeus. The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do, is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter, is slaughtered" said Tom.
"It wasn't him. He would never hurt anyone" insisted Rubeus.
Genevieve felt sorry for Rubeus, for he obviously felt deeply attached to whatever monster he was hiding. And she hated that they had to make him the fall guy for a crime they committed.
But the alternative was her and Tom getting sent to Azkaban, or the Ministry closing Hogwarts, so she had to let Tom use Rubeus as a scapegoat.

"Stand aside, Rubeus" ordered Tom, as he pointed his wand at the box beside Rubeus.
"No!" Shouted Rubeus.
"Stand aside!" Instructed Tom.
Rubeus refused to back down, so Tom waved his wand, causing the box lid to explode open.
Genevieve screamed as a spider the size of a large dog scuttled out of the box.
She leapt to the side, as did Tom, and the spider zoomed past them.
Tom turned and pointed his wand at the spider, but Rubeus leapt on him, pushing him to the ground.
"Get off me, oaf!" Demanded Tom.
"Nooo!" Yelled Rubeus.

Genevieve couldn't allow Tom to get hurt, so she pointed her wand at Rubeus.
"Don't make me hurt you. Let Tom go" instructed Genevieve.
Rubeus looked up at her and saw the fire in her eyes.
He sighed and got off of Tom, raising his hands in the air in surrender.
Tom grabbed hold of his wand that he'd dropped when Rubeus jumped on him.
He then stood to his feet, and pointed his wand at Rubeus.
"You're going to be expelled for this. Come on, we're going to take you to the headmaster, so that you can confess your crimes" announced Tom.

Rather reluctantly, Rubeus began exiting the room, with Genevieve and Tom's wands pointed at his back.
"Are you alright?" Whispered Genevieve.
"I'm fine" muttered Tom.
"You've got a cut above your eyebrow" informed Genevieve.
"It must have happened when I hit the floor. Don't worry about it though, it doesn't hurt"
"Do you want me to heal it?"
"No, leave it. It will make me look like even more of a hero to Dippet, who is going to be so grateful to me, for stopping these terrible attacks once and for all. When we get to his office, let me tell the story the way I want to"
"Whatever you say. I will follow your lead"
"Good".