ɢᴇᴛᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴄᴀʀ, reader x tom riddle

03.

I WAS FAR ENOUGH FROM THE GROUND FOR IT HURT LIKE HELL WHEN I LANDED BUT NOT FAR ENOUGH TO BREAK ANY BONES.

When I got up–a little dazed and confused–I noticed that the castle seemed different. There wasn't anything noticeably off about Hogwarts, but the air seemed a little thicker and its atmosphere felt darker.

I was alone in the halls, but I felt footsteps approaching me. I turned to face the sound and there was a teen my age dressed in Hogwarts robes. He was admittedly handsome—dark locks that sat perfectly on his head, not a strand out of place, his sharp jawline that could cut you, defined cheekbones that added to his allure, and killer eyes that would put you in a grave if you made eye contact.

"Excuse me do you happen-"

He walked right past me and continued walking up the stairs. He stopped halfway and looked up. There stood Professor Dumbledore, looking noticeably younger, and in his night robes. He was also with four men from the ministry, carrying a stretcher that was covered by a sheet.

As the men walked by me, I saw an arm hanging off the side, its skin pale and sickly looking. Someone died. Before I could process anything, the boy and Dumbledore started talking but I couldn't hear them. I walked up next to the boy as I realized he was probably Tom Riddle.

"What are you doing up so late Tom?" The professor asked, watching the path the men had taken the body.

"I wanted to know if it was true. The attacks I mean." He responded, his voice elegant and deep, matching him perfectly.

"It seems so. Do go to bed, Tom. It is late and dangerous to be out at this time."

Riddle nodded his head and bade the teacher good night. He turned and walked down the stairs but instead of heading to the Slytherin Common Room—like his robes suggested—he walked towards an empty classroom in the corner of the castle.

Inside the Class was a tall student, hunched over a large wooden crate and whispering something to the box.

"I know it's you Hagrid. You're the one behind all of these attacks. You and your filthy creature that you keep in here." Riddle pointed his wand at Hagrid as he turned around to face him.

"It wasn't him I swear!" Hagrid exclaimed, putting his hands protectively over the open crate.

"Who are they going to believe? A top student head boy prefect or some low life who's on the verge of failing school?"

"Aragog would never hurt a fly!"

With that Aragog, a giant spider, went running out of the box and out of the open window. I watched as he ran towards the Forbidden Forest, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

In a flash I was back in my dorm room sitting at my desk, diary open in front of me.

So, it's Hagrid. He's the one behind these attacks again.

I scribbled furiously, my head spinning and heart hammering.

It seems so. That's why he doesn't have his wand anymore.

But why would Dumbledore let him work here?

Hagrid was always a favorite of that pathetic man.

It all started to click in my brain. Hagrid loved all sorts of creatures and Dumbledore did seem to favor him. I snuck back to the Common Room, avoiding Filch and Mrs. Norris. I placed the diary in the trunk at the edge of my bed and got ready to sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about what Tom had said and never felt more grateful that I was nothing less than a Pureblood.

The next morning when I awoke, my room was in complete disarray, which it had not been hours before. My trunk had been torn apart; its contents spilled all over my floor. Clothes in my wardrobe had been taken out and dropped on the floor. Various papers were everywhere, and it was apparent something was stolen.

I had locked my door when I went to bed, so it was unnerving how someone got in. When I put everything back in its place, I noticed the diary that I had been writing in last night was stolen, along with my personal journal.

I was going to find whoever did this and absolutely positively murder them.

I didn't get very far in finding out who had broken in but did narrow it down to a slight category of it having to be a Slytherin. The other three Common Rooms were easy to sneak into but ours was different. The prefects, I included, placed charms on the entrance that would prevent non house members from coming in. We only took the charms down when we threw parties which happened to be quite often.

I didn't really have the energy to give Veritaserum to every Slytherin and then interview them, so I simply asked around until I got an anonymous tip that it had probably been a male. Their tip said, "My friend has been acting really weird today, so I think he took your journal. He's usually happy but lately he's been quiet and constantly tired."

Based off of the handwriting, I assumed it was a younger student because they hadn't quite perfected using a quill like we did in our fourth year. So, all I had to go off of was a fourth year or younger, male, and a Slytherin. There were still too many to ask so it would have to wait. Right now, I just need to focus on the upcoming essay exam Professor Moody would be giving us even though Triwizard Tournament applications will be starting soon.

♚♞♟

"For today's exam I would like you to write an essay on your opinions about werewolves. I will not give you a lower score based on your opinion so write freely." Professor Moody announced, pacing the classroom and tapping his wand on desks of students who weren't listening. "However, if you don't back up your points with evidence, I will give you a lower score. You can use the books I let you get from the library as evidence. The essay must be at least 70 centimeters long. You may begin."

Werewolves are a debatable subject in the Wizarding community. Some wizards and witches think werewolves are dangerous and should be shunned while others think they should have equal opportunity to have jobs and such. Personally, I think each werewolf is different. An example of this is Remus Lupin and Fenrir Greyback. Mr. Lupin used to be our teacher here at Hogwarts last year. He was one of the best teachers I've ever had, and he was a caring and kind person as well. When you compare him to the other werewolf, the two are drastically different. Greyback goes around attacking innocent children and turning them into werewolves. In cases like this, Mr. Lupin should be accepted by society with open arms and Greyback should be in Azkaban for all those he harmed. I've seen countless articles about Greyback's attacks in the Daily Prophet and this only further proves my point. It's not safe to have a werewolf who attacks people in society, but it is completely and utterly safe to have a werewolf who is in control of his transformations and deals with them in a safe manner. Werewolves are also humans. They aren't only the beasts they transform into every full moon. I'm sure Mr. Lupin isn't the only werewolf who....