Madness- T.M.R.

Chapter 6

After having thoroughly explored the Chamber of Secrets, Tom Riddle hurried back to the Slytherin common room. He was frantic. He needed to know who had seen him. If as much as a single person in this school, who was not part of his trusted Knights of Walpurgis, knew that he was the heir of Slytherin, his plans for unleashing the basilisk on the mudbloods would be compromised and thus rendered utterly useless. 

The common room was dimly lit and deserted since all the other students had left for bed several hours earlier. On a green velvet couch in front of the glowing coals of a dying fire lay the slumped form of Abraxas Malfoy. The blonde boy had patiently waited for him to return and had apparently fallen asleep doing so. He had tried to convince Tom to let him come with him to the Chamber but Tom had declined as he wasn't sure how the basilisk would react to humans who weren't its master. 

"Abraxas", he spoke as he lightly shook the boy's shoulder. The other gave a little groan as he started to stir. "Tom?", he asked, looking up to the figure hunched over the backrest of the couch, "what time is it?" He yawned. Tom cracked a small smile though it never quite reached his eyes; Abraxas was just like an overgrown child. "It's shortly past midnight. I just got back from the Chamber- ", he whispered the last word just incase one of the other Slytherin students came down to the common room. 

"Abraxas, I have another favor to ask of you." Without hesitation the blonde responded: "Of course Tom, anything." The fact that Tom trusted him with all the tasks and missions made the young Malfoy feel proud and fuzzy inside. Tom walked around the couch and started pacing in front of the fireplace before speaking again: "When I entered the Chamber there was someone else standing there. They cannot be of the old Slytherin bloodline; my previous research proved that apart from the Gaunts and myself no other descendants remain. I'm also not sure if they are in any way connected to Hogwarts but I must ask of you to keep an eye out for things out of the ordinary. There is a certain possibility that they are a staff member or student of the school and in that case, it is most important that we find them in order for me to safely commence with my plans." 

Abraxas gaped: "There was another person? But how? I thought you said only the heir of Slytherin could enter." Tom sighed, clearly frustrated with the current situation. "Yes Abraxas, I know what I said and it remains true. Only the heirs of Slytherin can open the Chamber of Secrets for it is parseltongue that is needed to enter; a skill known to surface only in the Slytherin bloodline." "What if they just learnt parseltongue?" 

"That was my initial thought, however learning parseltongue is extremely difficult, nearly impossible as there are little to no books on it translated into human languages. Granted, just a few words would be enough to enter and exit the Chamber but the control over the basilisk should remain sole to the rightful heirs. I had a pleasant little chat with the King of serpents and it let seep through that it was on a pleasant and conversational basis with the other person. All of it just isn't making any sense and it's frustrating me." 

Tom huffed as Abraxas placed his hand on his lower arm; a rare show of comradery. The blonde spoke with an encouraging tone to his voice: "Don't worry Tom, we'll figure things out. We always do. Now, let's get some sleep, shall we?" Tom nodded and followed Abraxas up to their dorm albeit doubting that he'd be able to even close one eye this night. His troubles and worries were buzzing in his brain and his eyebrows were twitching nervously. This had not in any way gone the way he had imagined it.

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Seraya laid in the soft sheets of her bed in Ravenclaw tower, thinking. Although Tom didn't know whom he had seen down in the Chamber, he would be on the lookout every minute of every day. The young witch knew she'd have to be all the more careful visiting Slytherin's study. If she learnt the fifth year Slytherins' time table, she could go down to the Chamber whenever her free periods overlapped with Mister Riddle's mandatory classes. Perhaps it would be safer to just copy the books she had yet to read and bring them to the Room of Requirement? 

Yes, that sounded more like a plan Seraya could get behind. She seriously doubted that the students at Hogwarts knew of the come and go room. Perhaps Professor Dumbledore, he seemed like the type of person who, while looking for a restroom, would accidentally stumble across the magic room. The only other person currently in the school whom she thought to be capable of finding it was Tom Riddle, but seeing as he now had a majestic secret chamber at his disposal, she doubted he'd visit the Room of Requirement anytime soon.

- - - - -

The next day brought another increase of cold weather and the Ravenclaws spent most of their breaks and free periods in the common room, studying. After leaving their Transfiguration class, Seraya had silently summoned the time table of an unsuspecting fifth year Slytherin girl who had been too busy gushing to her friends about 'Tom Riddle's silky locks' to notice anything unusual. The Ravenclaw girl was quick to make note of the Slytherins' Herbology class right after lunch that so perfectly overlapped with her free study period. 

As she had planned, Seraya made her way down to the Chamber shortly after having lunch with Timothy and some of his friends. Rex was quite happy to see her and told her all about its first impression of the heir. Ruefully Seraya had to explain her plans now that Riddle had access to the Chamber and that it would mean she wouldn't be able to visit the great beast in quite some time. Rex had seemed a bit disappointed but had reluctantly agreed that it would be safest, if she intended to keep Riddle off her heels. 

The both of them had then bid their goodbyes; Rex heading out to hunt once more. Seraya then entered the study and started magically copying the books she intended to read, thanking Merlin that the charms that prevented magically copying books had been invented a few centuries too late. Being a Ravenclaw, she had come prepared; pulling a woolen pouch from her pocket, she started packing the finished copies. She had seen to magically enlarging the insides of the pouch as well as layering several feather-light charms to ease the transport of the books beforehand. 

When exiting the Chamber, Seraya made sure to use the exit that would lead her through the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy right across from the wall that lead to the Room of Requirement. Arriving in the seventh-floor corridor, she paced three times in front of the blank wall focusing her mind on one thought 'I need a safe place to hide things', 'I need a safe place to hide things'. A wooden door appeared and Seraya entered the magical room. It was like a gigantic maze of walls of collected items that young witches and wizards over the generations had hidden for reasons unknown. 

The Ravenclaw-witch made her way through the maze looking for a place to hide the pouch that contained the precious books. The room, yielding to her wishes, supplied a small corner near a window. A soft satin couch was placed beneath it with a delicate looking table beside it to place books or drinks upon. There was a small trunk pushed beneath the couch and Seraya was quick to pull it out and open it. The insides were laced with a silvery velvet like material but the trunk was otherwise empty. She placed the small pouch inside, lacing it with a spell that would cause anyone who dare touch it that wasn't her to suffer from sudden nosebleeds that would last for an entire week. 

When she closed the trunk, she made a sequence of hisses, placing one of the parselmagic spells on the trunk that she had learnt earlier that term. It would insure, that the trunk could only be opened if the correct password was spoken. No magic, no matter how powerful, would be able to break it open. Pondering for a minute what she should set as the password, Seraya decided the parseltongue translation of 'oddity' would be sufficient, as she was definitely an oddity to the wizarding world.