i am lord voldemort • Tom Riddle

IX

Tom had a problem. Several, actually, though one was arguably far more pressing than the others. That infernal basilisk was beginning to grow restless. Reckless was more like it. Several hundred years of sleep would do that to a massive serpent, evidently. He continually recoiled at Tom's attempts to rein him in, and was growing more brazen in leaving the Chamber to explore the castle through the pipes. Something had to give.

That was the larger issue, and by far more difficult to resolve. What was doable was to figure out the Imperius Curse business. Tom left Ophelia in the corridor, citing some assignment he'd forgotten- though he was sure she hadn't believed him, but she seemed so lost in thought that she didn't argue the point.

He forced his features into an approximation of earnestness as he turned the corner to catch up with Augusta. "Crouch?"

She halted, just long enough for him to come astride, prompting curtly, "Yes?"

"You left before I could mention that Algie Longbottom came by the library in search of you only a few minutes before you yourself arrived." Ruffling his hair, he added, "I just thought would like to be aware."

She hissed out an irritated breath. "I swear, if I don't micromanage his every step he starts wandering around like a lost puppy." She darted a quick side glance at his face. "Thank you for telling me."

"Are you heading off to Hogsmeade?" he probed casually.

She shook her head. "Apparently not, if Algie and everyone already returned to look for me. At least I got to spend some time there, I guess."

"Buy anything in particular?" he asked, waving pleasantly at a group of Hufflepuff second years.

"I intended to buy a new set of quill's, but I don't think I got around to it." Wrinkling her nose, she sighed, "I must be going senile."

"I have a few spare, if you need them," Tom offered courteously. "How peculiar that you can't recall, though. What do you remember last?"

Or who, he really wanted to know.

"I think I walked out of the Three Broomsticks, and then-" She froze, eyes narrowing with barely contained suspicion and malice- "And I swear, if Algie spiked my butterbeer again and that's why I can't remember anything, he's not going to live to be old enough to Apparate far enough away so that he's safe from what I'll do to him."

Despite assuredly being raised on Occlumency, Tom discovered with satisfaction that her mental shields were hardly uniform. They rose and fell randomly to the flow of her thoughts, waxing and waning like a tide. Sometimes there, sometimes not. It was painfully easy to rifle through her thoughts and images as they streamed through her mind. It quickly became evident Augusta saw absolutely nothing. Probably Imperiused from behind on her way out of the Three Broomsticks, because that's when her memory fogged, if he had to take a guess.

Business done, Tom wished her luck in finding her friends and parted ways at the next intersecting corridor. Later, he'd ask Avery or Knott if they noticed anything suspicious while they were there, though Tom was beginning to seriously doubt they would have. If Slughorn had indeed been getting a pint, as Ephiriam so plaintively mentioned before, anyone willing to use an Unforgivable Curse on a student right in front of a professor was not about to be caught by a couple of sixteen year olds.

Ophelia hadn't been the least surprised when he told her Augusta had been Imperiused.

One thing Tom knew for certain: not once did she ask who sent the message. She knew, and as the stakes increased, Tom was beginning to suspect he knew as well.

III

The day had started off promising, but, as promising things are oft to do, it fell apart swiftly and without much precipitance. In all honesty, when he first heard the words that altered the evening, Tom was taken over more with annoyance than concern.