𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 || Tom Riddle

five

"Class," Professor Slughorn announced importantly on the first of October, "I am pleased to inform you all that my annual Halloween Soiree will be held three weeks from today! I do hope to see some creative costumes this year for those that are invited!"

His tone dropped, "Though Sir Cadogan would like me to remind you to please not impersonate him again after that fiasco three years ago. We all know his ego is rather fragile,"

A few of the students sniggered at that.

Slughorn, ever the grand exhibitionist, passed around a small blue vial to each person in the class.

"If you are chosen to attend, the blue liquid I am passing out now will turn your potion at the end of class a bright orange."

Mary, Diana's friend that sat beside her, raised her hand. "Professor, what if someone was invited but they brewed their potion incorrectly?"

"Well, we would get that all sorted out," he assured her, waving her off. "You needn't concern yourself with all that, Milly," There was an unmistakable emphasis on the "you."

Mary did not bother correcting him on her name. She knew he was not vouching for her potion making skills.

Knowing that she herself would be invited, Diana felt the need to say something to her friend. "It's pretty rude for him to announce this in front of the whole class like this,"

"Wouldn't it be funny if no one's worked?" Mary mused as she diced her aloe trimmings.

"What if mine didn't work?" asked Diana with a grin. Maybe that would give her a good excuse not to attend, as long as Slughorn didn't notice. She could always say that she didn't know her presence was accepted and, darn, if only she could have made it!

Diana pushed the small bowl of grated horn of oryx behind a large jar of toad eyes. As she continued following the rest of the instructions, she noticed Tom appear beside her desk.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Diana snapped.

Tom had reached around her and dumped the finely grated powder into the cauldron before she could realize what he was doing. She had never seen anyone interfere with another person's potion before.

"You needed to add that, and in a minute it would have been too late," he explained in chastising tone, setting the empty bowl back down.

"Why don't you mind your own business? I was purposely leaving that out."

"Do you have a death wish for us all? Without that ingredient a toxic fume would have been created that would have poisoned all of us," said Tom. It was a lie, but who cared?

Diana returned to her textbook for reference, her finger carefully tracing the lines of text. "It doesn't say anything about that here under the warnings and guidelines,"

"Of course not. It's not very well known."

"So how did you know about it?"

Good question. Why did she ask so many questions? She made his mind work more than most of the professors at this school. Tom supposed it would have been boring, though, if she were as easy to manipulate as the others.

"I read about it in the paper once," he fibbed. "It was in the news a few years ago. A man died and killed six others when he forgot to add in the horn,"

Diana strongly suspected Tom was fibbing. He had wanted to correct her and he was surprised when she had gotten mad so he lied to cover his tracks.

"Such an obscure and dangerous bit of information. We must make sure Professor Slughorn knows about it, for safety purposes," she said slyly, sliding her chair back from the work station.

Tom considered letting her go ahead and tell him. He might not have known the truth and gone along with the story himself. Although if Slughorn knew the potion without the horn was actually benign then Tom would look like a fool. A fool or a liar.

"If you tell him, you may have to tell him why you didn't add it in the first place,"

"Well that's simple- I forgot."

"Or you don't want to attend the Slug party," he said with a knowing grin. "You know, I've never known someone so intent on avoiding being the guest of honor at a party,"

"Wouldn't you rather I sit it out? Don't you want that role?"

"Is that what you think I want?" Tom asked with a smirk, stepping a bit closer to her.

Diana looked down at her desk and then back up at him again. What did he want? He certainly seemed to be interested in her.

Before she could answer there was a hissing and a putrid burning smell. Both spun around. Tom's potion was bubbling over.

"MacNair, I told you to watch that," spat Tom, rushing back. "Reducto,"

"Tom, what is going on over here? Is everything under control?" asked Slughorn, jogging over.

"Yes, of course," he replied.

It wasn't long before everyone's potions were completed. It looked like a hot, milky substance at the end. Then, as Diana poured in the blue vial, it predictably turned a bright orange, thanks to Tom.

Slughorn had been standing at her work station, watching. "Oh, splendid! Marvelous, Miss Silverthorn!"

She gave a weak smiled and thanked him. There was no use being upset, she wouldn't have gotten out of this anyway. Even if the potion hadn't worked, Slughorn would have still told her she was invited and insisted on her coming. She ought not be too upset with Tom. She was sure he was only trying to help.

She turned at looked back at him. He had managed to get his potion steady, and he had achieved the bright orange as well.

She walked back to him this time. "I suppose," she began steadily, "If I have to go to this thing, I might as well have a date,"

Tom adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, pulling them back down to his wrists. He couldn't hide the satisfied smile gripping his cheeks. "I'll let you know if I hear about anyone in need,"

---

An owl assigned with the mission of delivering a special note to Diana swooped in and arrived at the Ravenclaw table.

"Diana," it began in beautiful cursive letters, "I would like to invite you..." it trailed off then. Confused, Diana turned the paper over. There was nothing else written.

Then suddenly, more words began appearing. Tom was utterly detached from the conversations around him as his gaze was rigidly fastened to the girl's reactions to his magic.

The words that materialized on the page in shimmering silver letters were, "to solve a riddle,"

More appeared:

"What knows all but cannot speak,
Sometimes holds gaps but cannot leak,
Can show you the world but cannot see,
Has no arms or legs but spines number many."

Diana pondered this for a moment. She could feel Tom's eyes watching her, and she wanted to arrive at the answer quickly.

Trying to recall a creature that had many spines, she wondered if she had ever come across something like this in one of her classes or in a book. Then, it clicked.

"Library?" she whispered to it.

Very slowly and gracefully, the final words unveiled themselves on the bottom of the page.

"Will you attend the party with me?"

Diana looked right up at Tom, whose eyes were glued on her with a wide grin looking highly pleased with himself.

She mouthed the word. Yes.