A Badger With All The Snakes

Chapter Twenty

The group had decided to tell the professors. Once again, everyone's parents were all sitting around Dumbledore's office.
"What is the meaning of this? Why are we here for the second time in three days?"
"I'm beginning to think that this is going to be a recurring thing for our children."
"Let's let them talk. Tom, Mattheo."
Tom stepped forward, clearing his throat.
"Right. Ever since my second year, and Mattheo's first, our parents have been trying to contact us. We have burned, shredded, and sent back the letters that they have sent us. Not opening a single one. The start of this term, I received a letter from the Minister. He had said that our parents had escaped from Azkaban. They don't know how, but he assumes that they had help from the outside. I haven't received anything else from them since."
The parents all stood silently, then all hell broke loose.
"Why wasn't anyone told of this sooner?"
"What exactly are teenagers going to do against two of the most powerful dark wizards in our time?"
"We need to start preparing our children for what is to come."
"Preparing them? We should be getting far from here. Far from the Riddles. Where our children are safe. Crossett, your daughter is dating one, you want her to be killed?"
"I trust those boys with my life. As for the safety of my daughter, leave it to my wife and I, Nott."
"This friendship needs to come to an end. Immediately. I do not want to come into this office and hear that my daughter has been found dead because of them."
"Your daughter has been best friends with the Riddles since before my daughter was. You're going to rip them apart. Three days ago, we were all saying that we were glad that they had each other."
The bickering between the parents continued. Maddi looked at Mattheo who seemed to be talking to Tom through legilimency.
"What do we do? I can't put her in danger. I won't."
"I know, I know. We need to come up with a plan fast before everyone's parents make up their minds."
Before either Riddle brother could speak to defend themselves, Maddi beat them to it.
"SHUT IT! Thank you. I'm going to say something. I understand where you are all coming from, I do. People have tried and tried to warn me that Mattheo and Tom were not good people. They are. They are not their parents, they have proved that. I get that you want to protect your kids. They're my family, I want to protect them too. Even Mattheo and Tom. Theo and Enzo, they are the two funniest boys I know, they are also the sweetest people, if you need them, they will be there. Blaise, he will listen to you if you need to talk to someone, he gives the greatest advice, half of it he doesn't listen to it himself. Draco may seem cold and heartless when you first meet him, but he genuinely cares about the people he loves with everything that he has. Pansy is my best friend, she has always been there for me when I needed her, and I will always be there for her. Tom has been like the older brother that I never knew I needed. He has put up with all of us for as long as I can remember. Mattheo, I honestly would not be here without him. I don't know who I am without him, without them. I know that this is mainly about Mattheo and Tom, but none of us would be the way we are without them. So if you're going to make them stop being our family, then you are going to have six of the most broken teenagers ever to be in the wizarding world. If you knew that this time was coming, why let us continue to be friends, best friends? There hasn't been problems before. Why now?"
After MJ's speech the parents were silent. They all looked to one another before realizing that their children would do anything to stay together. Theo's dad, dropped his hands to his sides, made eye contact with his son, Theo beseeching his dad not to do anything to make him resent him.
"Madalie is right. We have all had the Riddle's in our homes, around our kids, not once have we had a problem with that before. Not once did we question that. I will not be the parent to make my son hate me for ruining his friendship with two of the best friends that he has ever had."
"Nott's right. We all used to be like that ourselves. No one could tear us apart. This is what we wanted. We wanted our children to grow up together, to be family, like we were. Its clear that this is the same for them."
"Then let's settle this. From now on, we don't question the bond between our kids, instead we encourage it. Merlin knows the world could use friendships like theirs these days."
The friends were speechless before Enzo let out a dramatic breath.
"Oh thank god. Whew. I thought I was going to have to disown my own father for a second."
"I thought I was going to have to disown my father. Scared the shit out of me."
"Way to go Maddi. Who knew Hufflepuff's could be just as brave as Gryffindor's."
The group laughed and once again were in another group hug.
"Promise each other that whatever happens, our friendship will always last. That we will always be together."
"Promise."
"We're not going anywhere anytime soon."
"Girl if you think you can get rid of me that easily you are crazy. I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life."
"I'm with you forever."
"I promise too. Now can we stop hugging? This is getting weird."
"Nope."
"Not a chance."
"You're stuck with us."
"Sorry brother. I'm not letting you get away anytime soon."
"How many times am I going to have to say this? We are going to end up in a ditch somewhere because we forced Tom to be in a group hug."
Draco's theatrics caused the group to laugh once more.
Breaking apart, Theo and Enzo still had their arms around Tom, who looked ready to kill them any second.
"Nott, Berkshire. Get. Off. Me. Now."
"Run Theo."
"Hey wait don't leave me! I thought I was your best friend!"
"Help!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Oh shit! Theo! I'm going to kill you!"
"Run Enzo!"
The remaining group laughed till they couldn't breathe, following their crazy friends down the corridor. Their parents and professors saying goodbye and leaving.
They would be okay. Everything would be fine.
Wouldn't it?