Unravelled² → Tom Riddle ✓

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Tom Riddle knew his followers would do anything for him, if not for loyalty, they would do it out of fear for their lives. Despite knowing that his original Death Eaters were the most loyal, they lacked what he needed.

When the sun rose deep into the winter, Tom made his way into the hall of the Malfoy Manor where his followers waited obediently at the table. As usual, the moment he entered the hall it silenced. His followers rose from their seats, tilting their heads down towards the floor, not a single eye catching Tom's until he was sat down at the head of the table.

"Be seated." Tom drew his wand from his pocket, placing it down on the table beside him. He turned to face a disturbed looking woman who sat beside him, her eyes locked onto his with something almost more intense than the fear plastered on the faces of his other followers. "Bellatrix, how has your mission been coming along?"

"My Lord," She bowed her head down graciously. "No problems at all, very soon it shall be completed I assure you."

"Well, I should hope so. Keep me waiting any longer and you will earn yourself another punishment. I have reached the end of my tether with some of you. Considering we are in a war, I would expect a greater sense of urgency." 

"Yes my Lord. Not to worry-"

"I can assure you there is no worry from my part. In fact, if anyone around this table should be worrying, it should be you Bellatrix.  I will not tolerate another failure from you." He turned to face the rest of his followers. "The same goes for all of you."

His followers nodded in agreement, their heads tilting down towards the table to avoid his piercing gaze. "Lucius." He called down the table.

A long-haired man near the end of the table looked up, his eyes catching Tom's for a split second before shifting their focus elsewhere. "Yes, my Lord."

"I require something of you, Bellatrix you too." He glanced at the peculiar looking woman sat beside him. "Everyone else must leave." 

Without another word, his followers almost jumped from their seats, rushing towards the exit with great haste. Lucius and Bellatrix rose from their seats gracefully, making their way towards the head of the table where Tom sat peacefully. 

"Bellatrix, go tend to our prisoners while I speak with Lucius. I wouldn't want you hearing anything that could put you in danger now, would I?" Bellatrix left slowly, glancing back at Tom frequently until she left the hall. 

Tom turned to face Lucius who stood tall in front of him, no trace of fear lingering on his face as he came eye to eye with him. "My Lord, what was it you required?"

"Lucius, you are one of my most loyal followers as I am sure you are aware." Lucius bowed his head. "I require something of you." Tom pulled out a small black diary from his robe, placing it on the table before him. "What you see before me is my old diary. It is cleverly charmed in a way that when taken onto the grounds of Hogwarts, it will cause the Chamber of Secrets to be reopened. Once the Chamber is reopened, the Basilisk will continue on its task of purging the school of all mudbloods and it will be made known that I am the true heir of Slytherin." 

Tom lifted the diary is his hands, "Lucius, you must hide this diary. You must keep it away from prying eyes, nobody outside this room can know of its existence. You guard this with your life." He commanded, passing the diary over to Lucius. 

"My Lord I assure you I will not fail. I will guard this diary with my life, I will not fail you." Lucius bowed down before him. 

"When required, I will alert you of your next steps. But until then, keep the diary hidden." Tom spoke sharply as Lucius raised his head once more. "You will not fail."

Abruptly, the doors to the hall swung open, causing Lucius to quickly pocket the diary and turn away. "I shall leave you now my Lord." He quickly turned towards the door, walking out of the hall with urgency.

"Bellatrix," Tom called out to her as she entered the hall. 

"Yes my Lord." She paced towards him quickly, stopping herself once she was a few feet away. "What is it you require of me?"

"I require your Gringotts vault. I require you to hide something of mine inside. I require you to protect it with your life. Defend your vault so that it is impregnable, use whatever enchantments you desire, but the item must be secure. Nobody should ever be able to find it, and if they do, they should not be able to leave with it alive. I expect you shall be able to complete this task." Tom proclaimed.

"Without fail my Lord." Bellatrix grinned at the thought of being given such as task from her Lord. She had been waiting for an opportunity to prove herself and this was just that. Bellatrix considered herself well versed in the art of protective enchantments and with such devotion for her Lord, there was no way she would allow herself to fail.

"If you fail me, there will be consequences," Tom stated.

'I expect nothing less, my Lord. If I fail, I deserve all the punishment you see fit." Although Bellatrix hoped not to fail, she knew that if she did, any punishment designed by Tom would be appropriate. If she failed her Lord, she would accept anything Tom sent her way, she knew she would deserve nothing less.

Tom pulled out the Hufflepuff cup from his other robe pocket, its gold exterior glistening in the daylight that shone in through the windows. "Protect this with your life. I expect you at Gringotts for at least the rest of the day enchanting your vault." He handed over the cup to an eager Bellatrix who manipulated it in her hands before sliding it into her robe pocket. "Now, leave before you bore me."

Bellatrix knew to oblige, she stormed out of the hall of the Malfoy Manor and disappeared in an instant. 

A short while after Bellatrix had left the hall, Tom rose from his seat, his robes trailing behind him as he made his way out of the hall. He made his way up the vast staircase in the Manor towards the bedrooms in which his most loyal followers resided. "Regulus." He called as he made his way up. 

Instantly, there was a quiet scuffling sound coming from one of the bedrooms, followed by a door swinging open. Regulus Black appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, "My Lord, what is it you desire?" He bowed briefly before him before rising to look Tom in the eye, something few of his followers could muster the courage to do. 

"I need your house-elf."