Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

57- A Riddle Interlude III

“Ignore the strange mysterious stone for now?” Eliza asked.

“Ignoring the strange mysterious stone for now” Tom echoed and he could have left it at that. Instead he reached over and instead grabbed Eliza’s hand, holding it in his.

She had looked after his ring all these years.

It was only fair of her to keep it, really.

~

“I don’t know why I can’t teach defence again” Barty complained sullenly and Tom let out a sharp sigh.

“Because you’re meant to be dead Barty”

“I was meant to be dead before – that didn’t stop you last time”

“Nevertheless” Alexander cut in smoothly and Tom felt his nose twitch. Alexander sounded like he was corralling a bunch of teenagers although to be fair Tom really couldn’t blame him. He and Barty truly have spent too much time around Eliza “We already have plenty of eyes and ears at Hogwarts, it isn’t imperative to get more of the staff on side”

“We should focus on gaining more support on the Wizengamot” Tom said, getting back on task “Amelia Bones wouldn’t trust Lucius with a pygmy puff but maybe-

They were interrupted when Tom’s floo lit up behind them.

Tom wasn’t overly worried, the only person who had access to the Riddle manor floo was Eliza, but it was a rather strange time for her to be visiting.

A middle aged doddering woman stumbled out of the floo, she looked quite haggard but the dazed look behind her eyes was a sure sign that she had been imperius’d. Eliza stepped out a moment later, looking the same as always but Tom could tell there was something different, something wrong.

It was the eyes, he realised somewhat belatedly as Eliza strode away, they looked so cold. Something detached in her gaze, empty and unfeeling. Even at her worst, her most angry, her most murderous even, Eliza Potter was always crackling with life.

This, somehow, was wrong.

“Are you not going to stop her?” Barty questioned and Tom arched an eyebrow in his direction.

A scream echoed through the room, she must have forgotten the silencing charm.

“Why would I deprive her of her fun?”

“Are you not going to check on her?” Alexander asked pointedly as Lucius simply sat gawping beside him with none of the famed Malfoy decorum in sight.

Another scream.

“She seems to be doing fine”

Although he was worried, something was wrong here, with Eliza. Who was that woman and what had she done to cause such anguish in his little star? What pain had she inflicted and what could Tom do to bring his little star back to her usual self.

Standing to his feet Tom gestured towards the parlour door “I’m sure you can show yourselves out whilst I deal with the problem downstairs”

The three men dithered slightly before they left, loitering in the doorway as they watched Tom with cautious eyes. It was surprisingly Lucius of all of them that spoke up first

“Please look after her”

Tom didn’t even get a chance to respond before they all practically ran away much to his satisfaction. It wouldn’t do for his followers to become too comfortable around him, even if they were a never-ending source of amusement.

Turning on his heel Tom drew his wand as he walked down into the cellar. He could smell the blood before he even reached the doors, hear the voices before he even thought to announce his presence.