SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

029. ANIMAM AGERE

"Who is that?" Tom asked her.

"I don't know . . . He probably works here and is realizing that he's never seen us here before. Underground pubs for wizards like these don't take very kindly to strangers."

"Been to many before, have you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. These underground pubs began to spring up for two reasons around Europe. Their purpose is either so that criminals can conduct their dealings or so that wizards can have a safe spot. This pub was created when Grindelwald first came to France in the 20s and I can assure you that no one here would be pleased if they found out a Hel was here." Rhea glanced around warily before downing her drink. The liquid burned on the way down and made her grimace slightly before she grabbed another glass and handed it to Tom. He stared at her outstretched hand until she sighed. "You need to loosen up. We need to blend in."

"Fine." Tom said before grabbing the drink and downing it quickly. Rhea looked at him, slightly surprised he actually listened to her for once, before she turned to the dance floor.

"Let's dance." She demanded, grabbing Tom's arm and pulling her behind him. He scrambled to keep up with her fast pace before they joined the rest of the troupe and began dancing. "So, excited for sixth year?"

"What are you doing?" Tom asked, sounding exasperated. Rhea rolled her eyes.

"Simply making conversation." She grumbled as Tom spun her around. She caught sight of a man making his way through the crowd with his gaze aimed for the floor. Rhea's stomach dropped, warning her that danger was near. She turned to Tom, "They're here."

There was a loud explosion that caused Rhea and Tom to blast apart from one another as the music stopped and screams filled the venue. Rhea groaned when she landed on her back and the wind knocked out of her as wizards around her began dashing for the exits. She lifted her head and saw groups of people dressed in black robes with objects Rhea had never seen before in their hands. Her hand reached for her wand, but it had been blasted out of her hand during the blast.

Through all the commotion, Rhea couldn't make Tom out anywhere as loud noises filled the room when the witch hunters fired the weapons in their hands. Rhea scrambled to her knees, crawling around frantically for her wand before she finally wrapped her hand around it.

She climbed to her feet, looking anxiously around for Riddle as she pushed through the running people.

"Stupefy!" Rhea cried out, pointing her wand at one of the Muggle hunters and blasting them  back with the force of her spell.

She saw someone climbing to their feet and could tell from the annoyed look on their face that it was Tom. She started to move towards him when she saw one of the Muggle hunters aim their weapon at his back.

"Avada Kedavra!" Rhea screamed and the hunter dropped to the ground dead. Tom turned to her, surprised that she had saved him, but Rhea didn't have much time to do anything because something stuck her in the neck. Her eyes dropped low and the last thing she saw was Tom running towards her before she fell to the ground, unconscious.

The first thing Rhea noticed when she came to her senses was the burning sensation she felt around her wrists. She could hear someone grumbling, but she recognized the voice immediately and she rolled her eyes when she realized what he was saying.

"I think this is still a dumb plan." Tom said. Rhea opened her eyes to glare at him. His arms were chained to the wall and he sat with an annoyed look on his face. Rhea could tell from the faint glow around the chains that they were magic resistant and would tighten whenever Tom tried to cast a spell. Rhea glanced at her own wrists and saw identical chains, sighing deeply.