SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

021. MORS TUA, VITA MEA

Rhea raised a brow when he kicked a plant over.

"There's no need to throw a temper tantrum." Rhea rolled her eyes at his antics. She slid onto the tabletop of one of the desks as Tom whirled around to face her.

"Do you not realize the gravity of this situation? There are talks that they are going to close down Hogwarts and I can't . . . I can't go back there . . ." Tom whispered the last part of his sentence so quietly that Rhea nearly didn't hear it. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

"You need to pull yourself together, Riddle." Rhea snapped at him. He clamped his mouth shut and looked at her, fury brewing in his dark eyes, but Rhea didn't care. "There's no denying that you screwed but you need to remain calm and have a little faith. I know how to get you out of this mess."

Tom froze and stared at Rhea, curiously.

"Why would you help me?" He asked.

"Well, I am one of your little Knights now so think of this as me proving my loyalty to you." Rhea smirked at him. "Besides, I don't want to see Hogwarts close and I've taken a bit of an interest in you so I'd rather not see you go down for this whole thing."

Rhea stood on her feet and approached Tom.

"I overheard a conversation between Ravenswood and a Gryffindor named Rubeus. Apparently, Rubeus has a pet Acromantula living on the grounds. If Headmaster Dippet were to believe that the Acromantula was behind the murder of Myrtle Warren and the attacks on the other students, then the beast would be caught and there would be no reason to close Hogwarts at all. Of course, you'd never be able to open the Chamber of Secrets while at Hogwarts again, but that's a small price to pay." Rhea said. She mentally patted herself on the back and praised her brilliance.

"You want me to tell Headmaster Dippet that Hagrid was behind the attacks?" Tom asked thoughtfully. He placed his chin in his hands and mulled over Rhea's words. "What would happen to Hagrid?"

Rhea shrugged.

"It doesn't really matter what happens to him, does it? As long as no one finds out the truth, you'll be fine. They might even reward you with a shiny little medal." 

"Why wouldn't you go to Dippet yourself and bring this to him?" 

"I'd rather not be seen getting involved in your mess. I'll let you take credit for it this time and you'll just owe me a favor in the future." 

Tom clenched and unclenched his jaw.

"I'll think about it."

"You'll think about it?" Rhea was kind of offended. Her plan was flawless and she was positive Tom wouldn't have been able to come up with a better one.

"Headmaster Dippet never said anything about closing Hogwarts. I have a meeting with him tomorrow afternoon and I'll speak to him about it then." Tom said, rather curtly. Rhea rolled her eyes and Tom moved towards the door. His hand hovered above the doorknob, frozen in place. He glanced over his shoulder and looked at Rhea. "She was the first person I've ever killed."

A momentary silence descended between the two of them before Rhea said,

"She won't be the last." 

Tom stared at her, surprised to hear her response. Rhea watched as he looked at her with the same look that he usually did whenever she took him by surprise. He watched her like she was a puzzle that he couldn't figure out. 

Tom left the room and Rhea followed after him shortly thereafter. When she stepped out into the hall, she could immediately feel the presence of another person. She whirled around and faced the pitch black corridor.