𝐀 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 ║Tom Riddle ✔ [EDITING]

Chapter Fifty-Four: An Inside Look

"My moms intend on training me this summer." He whispers. "They say the war is growing, and they want me to be able to defend myself if anything happens." He says. I raise a brow.

"We aren't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts, though," Chris voices my thoughts.

Claude's voice becomes even more hushed. "They're going to cast spells over our backyard, mimicking Hogwarts, so the Ministry won't be able to detect any underage magic." He tells us, and my brows raise even more.

"Can I join?" I ask, and Claude blinks in surprise.

"You? You're one of the top students here, Val. You don't need extra training." Claude crinkles his nose in thought, and I shrug.

"I need all the training I can get," I state, making Chris nod too.

"Me as well!! Please, Claude!!" He begs and Claude nods.

"I'll ask my parents. Maybe they'll let the whole gang come over." He suggests, and I nod.

"That'd be amazing." I grin at him, and he smiles back, as kind as always.

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I walk over to the infirmary and sit by Nagini's bed. She was asleep. Breaking the Maledictus curse on her had taken a ton of her energy. According to Madame Strout, she just needed a ton of sleep.

I grab my Transfiguration book from my bag and read by the side of her bed. Abby and Avery had been released a couple days ago, all healed up.

I study for an hour or so before Nagini opens her eyes and stares at me. "V-Val?" She croaks out, and my eyes flit over to her.

A kind smile spreads on my lips, and I grin at her. "Hey, Nagini." I greet her and hand her a glass of water from her bedside. "How are you feeling?" I ask her, and she smiles, utter glee in her eyes.

"Magnificent!" She beams. "I'm free!" She was almost in tears as she sits up to grab my hand. "Thank you." She cries in delight. "I'll forever be in your debt. You saved me." She says, and I smile at her.

"Anytime. Let's just not get lit on fire next time, Okay?" I joke, and she laughs.

"That'd be for the best. I agree." She grins.

"So, you can still turn into a snake?" I ask, and she nods excitedly.

"YES!! But I can control it now!! Dumbledore says that I won't become trapped. The shifts were becoming more and more hard to control with every passing month, and I knew that the irreversible change would happen soon. I woke up every day, retransforming from my snake form only to burst into tears in relief at getting another day as a human." She whispers, her amber eyes shining in despair.

"Now, you can live to your fullest. With an extra perk at becoming an Animagus," I smile sadly at her, and she nods grinning.

"If you ever need a huge ass venomous snake, I'll be there. Anytime. Anywhere. I owe you my life." She announces, eyeing me protectively.