Turned - Tom Riddle

Chapter Thirty Six

"This is your room?" her mother asked as she observed the moving photograph that Elizabeth pulled from her pocket. It had been in her pocket ever since Slughorn had called them to the Common Room. She had only then gotten back from having the set of film developed.

"Yes," she whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her mother. She was showing her the pictures while her father was at the Ministry working. "Mom," Elizabeth set the photos down and looked up.

"Yes?"

Elizabeth never wanted to ask too much from her parents, not after everything their family had been through. "Would it be too much trouble if I... stayed at Hogwarts?"

"Elizabeth, my darling, you know we can't risk your safety, not again. If whoever, possibly Grindelwald, and you cross paths, there is no telling what could happen. You have a negative connotation on your name and Grindelwald has already tried to recruit others from Baxtart's," she explained.

But Elizabeth knew for a fact she was safe. Tom would never hurt her as long as she knew more than him. "Mom, everything that's happened could have been accidents," Elizabeth tried to calm her mother down.

"Accidents? What about the boy, Klaus? He was murdered by one of those spells that was concocted at that school. It's obvious that whoever the murderer is, is using someone from Baxtart's as their supplier for knowledge," her mother was fuming.

Elizabeth had a tear in her eye. She couldn't leave Hogwarts. Not after everyone she'd met and everything she'd gone through there. She knew what she had to do, and she hated herself for even thinking of it. "Alright, mom, I'm sorry," Elizabeth gave her mom a hug. "I have to pee, I'll be back in a moment," she stood and walked around the corner to where the lavatory was.

Her mother picked up the photographs, she saw one of Walburga and Elizabeth standing together in front of the Quidditch pitch, a game going on behind them. The next was an action shot of all of Elizabeth's friends laughing while sitting around the fireplace in the Room off Requirement.

"Oh, Elizabeth," she whispered, forlorn at the sight of how happy Elizabeth was. It was only one month of school until the year was over. Just one month. Her daughter had survived six years at Baxtart's, she could survive one month at the safest school in the world.

Elizabeth hated herself as she peeled around the corner, making her mother think the thoughts she did. She had never set her parents under the Imperious curse before, but she needed to stay at Hogwarts.

-

"Beth are you alright?" Matilda nearly tackled her as she entered the castle. To her shock, over ten people were waiting for Elizabeth. Matilda, Melissa, Walburga, Joshua, Bonnie, Henry, the Hufflepuff girl from the first day, Asher, and even two Gryffindor girls she'd never talked to before.

"I'm fine, everything's fine," she reassured them.

"We were all so scared, we thought they'd do the Cruciatus curse on you," Walburga told her.

"They would never," Melissa defended.

Walburga patted her shoulder, "Sorry, Melissa, I forgot your mother works for the Ministry."

"Forgot you come from an insane family," Melissa scoffed and walked away.

"Melissa, come off it," Matilda shouted, bounding after her.

"What's wrong with her?" Elizabeth prodded, confused about why Melissa was acting so cold.

Walburga shrugged, "Her mother is one of the most notable on Grindelwald's case, so there's been a lot said indirectly towards her. Especially after your arrest-."