Extreme Ways ( A Tom Riddle fanfiction )

Chapter 26

" Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends"

HP1

~~~~~~~~~

Merlin was the most famous wizard of all times. Everyone agreed on that. But there were many mysteries around him. He was sorted in the Slytherin house, but he believed that wizards had to leave peacefully with muggles. That was why he was Evelyn's favourite wizard.
Since she was sick of playing games to tease Tom, she started to ignore Avery and any other boys who tried to make advances to her. And she focused on a new, ambitious goal.
Tom had found the Chamber of Secrets, also thanks to her. She wanted to achieve something greater: finding Merlin's tomb. Or at least know what happened to him.
There were many records around the greatest wizard of all times, but little was known about how he died and where he was buried. Legend said that Merlin turned very old and someday he simply disappeared. His magic was so powerful that he became magic and he vanished in an explosion of energy.
Evelyn's uncle said that it was only a legend, that in the most ancient families of wizards it was said that Merlin disappeared because he fell trapped somewhere, maybe in the legendary Cursed Vaults.
Tom didn't have much interest in those Cursed Vaults. Evelyn believed it was because he secretly feared the word "Cursed". But they believed they had found one of them when years earlier the key he had found in the library led them into a strange place that trapped them and almost killed them. They had called it the "Vault of Fear". She never forgot the pure fear she felt in there, but it was also the first time she felt truly attracted by Tom.
She had no intention at all to find that Vault again. But there were other four Vaults and she hoped to find some hints about them, because she believed that if Merlin could have been trapped somewhere, it would have been in there. It was common knowledge that Merlin studied those Vaults in his life. But nobody knew if those Vaults won over him and trapped him in there.
The Vaults were said to have been created by the Founders of Hogwarts. So Evelyn started to focus on the Founder's Tower. It was a secret tower that she found thanks to Tom.
It was creepy for her to go back in there without him. But she wanted her own life goal.
She visited the Tower whenever she had some free time, examinating the large study with old tomes of writings in ancient English. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere, so Evelyn couldn't stay long in that place without coughing.
She avoided the latest Slug Party, she couldn't bear one glamour evening in the same room with a breathtaking Tom, who probably would have brought his Black girl out of spite.
Evelyn enjoyed the company of the portraits of the founders. She felt small and insignificant amongst them, but at least she was paying tribute to them, while everyone else was too busy to stop and thank the memory of the founders for creating that wonderful castle that was their home.

Evelyn focused on Rowena Ravenclaw, a beautiful woman she had to portray in the latest school plays. The dusty painting was more loyal to the feature of the real Rowena. She wore the famous lost diadem, that looked like the one that once Helena Ravenclaw described to Evelyn.
Evelyn felt so proud of being into her House.
Her eyes noticed something she didn't notice before on the side of the woman in the painting. Some writing in an alphabeth unknown to her. Evelyn looked closer, when suddenly everything turned dark and she felt herself falling.

It didn't last long. She just had the time for a short scream when she felt her back hitting the ground.
She blinked and watched around herself. She was in the open air. In front of her just a wall of stones. The sun was setting behind high mountains, but the sky was turning cloudy.
The place was totally unfamiliar.
She stood up hissing for the ache at her back and patted her uniform to clean it.
Some noises alarmed. She looked for a place to hide, but there were only trees.
Before she could understand where the menace was coming from, she saw a wand pointing against her.
Her eyes widened in fear as she raised her hands to surrender.
A wizard was scanning her, something was familiar in his feature, but before she could understand why, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the hill through the trees, while other noises of steps rushed around them.
The wizard stopped only when they reached a safer place to hide, then he focused on Evelyn.
She took out her wand to keep herself ready to any battle with the unknown enemies.
The man frowned at her "So you are a witch? Why on earth didn't you use your wand before? I was about to obliviate you!".
Evelyn felt bad for being scolded in that way by a stranger.
"And what is it that you're wearing?" He added nastily.
She focused on his clothes, that looked very old fashioned.
"Are you a Scottish lass?" He kept talking. He also had an old fashioned accent.
Evelyn shook her head.
"Then you can reply to me?" He insisted.
"I don't understand what's going on" she confessed scanning the man's feature to try to understand why he looked familiar.
"That's a bad thing" he smirked "You won't survive long if you can't understand something so obvious".
Other noises distracted them. The man jumped out ready to attack, but he stopped.
Another wizard came to meet him "Salazar, there's another group!".
Evelyn froze at those words. Salazar? Nobody would ever name someone after the most famous Salazar in history, unless...
"Seriously? Do you think it's the right time for having fun with females?" The other man snapped when he noticed her.
"Shut up, Godric. I came across her while I was doing my duty. She looks weird for being a spy, but she is a witch" Salazar said shooting her a mocking glance.
Evelyn felt about to faint.
"She looks sick" Godric pointed out "Let's go back to the camp. The muggles won't fight much today. And you..." He pointed his wand against Evelyn "Need some less suspect clothes".
He transfigurated her school uniform into a dark green dress. A very old fashioned dress. Medieval.
Before she could clear her confused mind, Salazar pulled her up "No time for sleeping, dear. Let's run!".
They ran throught the trees against, until they reached a glade with some huts.
Evelyn felt a rush of energy around her as they walked through an invisible wall that was protecting the camp.
"So lost girl, who are you?" Salazar asked as soon as they were safe in the camp.
"Are you Salazar Slytherin?" She asked bewildered.
"I am" he said simply.
"The Salazar Slytherin? Of Hogwarts?" She insisted breathlessly.
"The one and the only" he smirked "Where are you from? I'm sure I've never seen you in my school".
"I'm from England. I mean London".
"And where did you learn magic? Do you know how to use your wand?".
"Yes. I... studied privately with my family" that conversation was so mindblowing she windered what kind of dream she happened to be trapped into.
"I see. Well, what are you doing here?".
"I was lost".
He rolled his eyes "I saw that. But where were you going?".
"I was looking for my mates" she invented "But what's going on here?".
He stared at her amused "You ask so many questions but your answers are so confusing. I don't have time to deal with you. Come, maybe she knows how to make you speak properly".
She followed him observing him.
Evelyn couldn't believe it. She was used to hear that Slytherin had a monkey-like aspect but she realized he looked more like a snake, of course.