The Serpent's Teeth [Tom Riddle] Completed

Hepzibah Smith

"The Serpent's Teeth"
(A Tom Riddle love story)

Hepzibah Smith

"I want you to go meet up with a woman who has certain items that interest me a lot," Mr. Burke said. "Her name is Hepzibah Smith, and she awaits you at five."

Tom looked up from the old chest that he had been examining, nodding briefly at the words of his boss.
Mr. Burke gave him a parchment with the address and went to the back room.
The young man took a short look at the piece of parchment memorizing its content, then looked absently out the window.
It was a cold, dark day.
The snow had covered much of the alley and now slowly piled on the windowsills.
It reminded him of that day two years ago, the day when she left.
****

When Tom arrived at the street where the house of Mrs. Smith was- five minutes early, he thought he should act methodically, without letting the emotions he felt for retrieving an object that belonged to him by right- to ruin the occasion.

Mr. Burke had briefly spoken to him about the woman he was going to visit, and told him about certain items that he wanted to buy of off her and sell them.
But nothing had caught his attention more than the fact that Mr. Burke had mentioned an ancient medallion he had bought from a ragged woman who seemed to have stolen it- nearly twenty years ago, and had sold it at a high price to Hepzibah Smith.
Tom knew then that this woman- who had tried to sell the medallion all those years ago, was his mother.

The young man walked to the exact address- with the edge of his robe dragging on the freshly fallen snow.
An old elf received him at the door, with a squeaky voice telling him to follow him after learning the boy's name.
Tom followed behind the creature through various corridors- until they reached a large room flooded by a multitude of objects.
And sitting in the largest chair at the back of the room was the fattest woman Tom had ever seen. She looked at him with wide eyes, then smiled wide letting out a giggle.
Tom did his best not to let on its displeasure.

"So Mr. Burke sends you, boy," she said, tilting her head without erasing the smile that was intended to be flirtatious, "... I think that this is the first time, that I'm pleased to do business with him." She extended her pudgy hand in a clear invitation for the young man to take.

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Mrs. Smith," Tom spoke politely, taking the woman's hand and brushing it with his lips.
"Mr. Burke told me about you."

"Oh, no boy, it's Miss Smith," she said cheerfully as the boy dropped his hand.
"And please, just call me Hepzibah."

The woman stopped talking but the huge smile plastered on her face did not disappear, it became wider to the point of narrowing her eyes, making a thin line crossed by numerous wrinkles. But contrary to what he really thought, Tom smiled charmingly and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Hepzibah, then," he said softly.
"My name is Tom Riddle."

Hepzibah sighed, still smiling and told the young man to sit while ordering the elf to bring them tea. After few seconds it appeared with a tray and placed it on the table in front of the woman, who kept giggling, even as she drank her tea in small sips.
Tom, however, wanted to leave the place as soon as possible and not have to endure this insufferable woman. He hoped, for her sake, that she stopped smiling like that.

"Mr. Burke told me ..."

"Oh, yes," she interrupted with a wave of her hand downplaying the issue.
"I sent an owl to Mr. Burke saying that I want to sell a few things. I see that he has wasted no time in sending you- surely believing that I would finally sell my most precious treasures."

"Treasures?" Tom asked respectfully, trying not to sound too interested.

"Yes, treasures." Hepzibah confirmed with obvious pride.
"What you see here" she drew a wide circle around herself, pointing at their surroundings, "are nothing more than trinkets compared to what I have in my private collection."

Tom leaned slightly forward and tried to make eye contact with the woman.

"Those treasures of which you speak, could you tell me more about them?"

"Not so fast, boy!" She exclaimed, laughing heartily, very amused by the curious Tom.
"Now I just want to deal with the issues that are priorities."
"Of course," Tom nodded politely, although a moment ago his teeth clenched in anger.

"Well, Tom, let me show you what I'm willing to sell."
Hepzibah called back her house elf, and ordered him to bring the objects.
After a moment he returned pushing a trunk with all his strength, on which lay some small boxes.

"Thank you, Hokey. Let's look at this one first," she took an amorphous package from the stack of objects, and held it in her hands- almost afraid.
"This is a hand mirror from the eighteenth century, it's cursed. Whoever looks into it, will see the reflection of how they will look in fifty years and will age that much in just a few seconds."

Tom raised his eyebrows in mock interest.

"I suppose that you haven't looked into it, right? You look so young ..." Tom praised the woman in an attempt to gain more sympathy.

"Oh, you, flatter me boy," she said giggling and blushed furiously.
"And you're right, I haven't. I gave it to my favorite niece a few months ago, she was here when she opened it and I witnessed with my own eyes as she crumbled like a raisin as she looked into the mirror, " She sighed heavily, shaking her head.
"Poor girl. She was going to get married next month, but now it has gone to a retirement home," she chuckled, placed the mirror on the tea table and picked up a music box.
"This plays a sleeping box melody. Who listens to it will never wake up again."
Hepzibah showed him an old wooden box, richly decorated with an elaborate side key.

After showing him several more objects, each stranger than the previous one, the witch finally got to a large treasure chest with dark stains on the top edge.

"Do you see these,spots?" she asked.
"It's blood. It is assumed that this chest has something like the curse of the thief. If someone besides the owner opens the trunk, it shuts itself, cutting off hands, or in some cases the head of that person."

"You have many cursed objects, Hepzibah," Tom said raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, Tom, is not what you think," she said, letting out a laugh.
"People give me things, I buy some because I like how they look, or find something in the loft. Of course, other people try on my property, even though sometimes there are unfortunate accidents," he shrugged.
"One can never be too careful. So I have many other objects of which I have not researched their properties."

Then a roar that echoed through the room was heard. Tom automatically took his wand out, but Hepzibah gave a weary sigh.

"Hokey!" She called "Is it the armor again?"

"Yes ma'am, but Hokey will fix everything," the choked elf cried out, as if laying under some rubble.

"Hokey often bumps into an old armor made by elves," she told Tom.
"That makes me remember that I also want to sell that. I don't need it."

"Well, I will inform Mr Burke of these objects, and come to see you next week."

"But Tom, you have not taken note of anything," the woman was surprised placing her teacup on the table.

"Do not worry, I remember all of what we talked about."

"So apart from good looking, it turns out that you're very smart," he praised winking, rather appeared a nervous tic.
"I dare say that in Hogwarts Sorting Hat placed you in Ravenclaw."

"I'm afraid that I have to contradict, but my house was Slytherin," he spoke with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Oh, well, sure you were the best of your class."
"That's right, Hepzibah," Tom nodded slightly.
"No false modesty," she smiled, waving a pudgy finger at the boy, "... I like you, boy."

The woman stared at a painting hanging on the side wall, depicting a young blonde with a basket in the hands full of flowers, walking through a field full of sunflowers.
Hepzibah sighed wistfully and spoke without looking at Tom.

"It has been such a long time since someone gave me flowers, you know dear? I like them very much, Tom, especially begonias."