Sacred Silence | A Tom Riddle Story

52: The death eaters.

It was strange to notice how quickly things returned back to normal once Easter break was over.
Students returned to the castle, there was more homework than ever before in preparation for the upcoming O.W.L.'s, and there was little time to catch up on anything outside of schoolwork.
Shiv spent most of the month of May studying for her exams. It suddenly felt like a really bad idea to take 11, knowing she wouldn't be content with receiving anything less than an Oustanding in all of them.
Her dad had already written about half a dozen passive-aggressive letters, 'encouraging' her to study hard and bring pride upon their family. She had burnt all of those letters in the fireplace in the common room, nor even opening the last few that had arrived.

After a while of relative stability between the two of them, she was now unsure again about the nature of her relationship with Tom. She had given him everything he needed; resources, information, her literal blood.
Now, there was not much left for her to do for him. The road to infamy and world domination was one he hadn't spoken much about these last few weeks, and Shiv surely wasn't going to bring it up voluntarily.

Yet, he kept summoning her to the library to study together. He told her she was the only one who could help him with certain topics (he blamed it on things like needing translations or copies of books her father could provide).
At first, it all continued pretty much like before Easter break. Solitary nights together in the library, strung together by conversations that were mainly focused on research and academics.
Gradually, Tom started helping her here and there with her exam preparations. He knew all sorts of ways to do things faster and more efficiently. Within weeks, she had perfected the skills she had already possessed and learned a few new ones on the way. Under his tutoring, she had now managed to cast the cruciatus and imperius curses.

Slowly, she didn't really notice it at first, they were starting to be accompanied by the other Slytherins more and more often.
Brax had a habit of lingering around late at night, since he was almost as nocturnal as Shiv and Tom were. He would slip into the library late at night with a bottle of whiskey, and wait for them to finish up their work so they could join him for a smoke in the courtyard.
Rome frequently needed Tom's help with homework and assignments, and after he found out Siobhan knew almost as much, he started dragging both of them to the library during lunch to help him. It usually ended up with Tom looking at a giggling Shiv and Rome like some kind of stern parent. He would sigh and shake his head whenever Rome started off a long story that ended with a punchline so bad, it was always hilarious.

A new routine formed. One of eating breakfast and attending classes with Flo, eating lunch in the library with the Slytherin group, and long nights in the library with Tom and whoever decided to join them that evening.
They started feeling like friends. Even Anthony and Rosalind seemed to have accepted her into their little elitist group.
Those two both spoke to her and the others, but not to each other. Their breakup had been quite definitive, and they acted as if the other didn't exist, even when they were eating lunch at the same table.

This all became a little harder when Flo started joining them now and then as well. It started off as a way for Shiv to keep an eye on her and Anthony during their transfiguration tutoring sessions. But Flo was a pretty girl with a warm smile, and before she knew it, guys like Rome started asking when she would join them again.
His twin sister was less happy with this new addition to their group. She would constantly make jokes about Flo's heritage and bloodstatus, one time even going as far as to call her a mudblood. It was what all the others were thinking, but they had bitten their tongues. ('At leats we show some respect and do it behind her back,' Brax had said one evening. It was the first time she had actually been angry with him). Rosalind didn't care though, she was on a war path.

Just like right now. Rosalind was sitting on a pillow on the floor in front of the fireplace, loudly chewing a piece of magical gum that was supposed to help her study. She turned around to look at the long table and singled in on Flo, who was correcring one of Anthony's essays.
'Slytherins and Ravenclaws are more alike than i would have initially thought. Though our house still upholds some of the traditional values that have sadly been forgotten by.. newer wizarding families,' she sighed with the most unconvincing boredom.