Eliza went through the next couple of days in a sort of daze. For the past month she had been conversing, quite amicably, with the teenage dark lord. She knew things about Voldemort that she doubted anyone else knew. And she was sure there was something morally dubious about chatting to her parent's murderer, the man who had even tried to kill her at the end of last year.
But that was perhaps what was bothering her the most, that she wasn't bothered at all.
After the revelation had sunken in Eliza found that it didn't actually change her feelings about the boy. She still found Riddle entertaining and intelligent, she might even go as far as to call him friend. But the thing was, if she were to hold Riddle in that regard, wasn't she also holding Voldemort in the same light? The two were indistinguishable, everything Riddle is and was is also everything Voldemort is or would be. Except, that wasn't strictly true was it?
Riddle was amazingly intelligent, disarmingly charming, even just as ink on parchment without the natural charisma she was sure he would exude in real life. Her last interaction with Voldemort, even the stories she had heard of the man near the latter end of the war didn't match up with Riddle. The sadistic tendencies? The hunger for power? They were already present but the lack of impulse control? The borderline insanity Voldemort had shown in their last encounter?
She had no idea where that had come from.
But if she was going to pin it on anything she would think it had something to do with the very diary that was in her possession.
After questioning herself she had concluded that no, at this point in time it truly didn't bother her that Riddle was the teenage version of the dark lord. And with Yule upon them and the common rooms empty Eliza had the perfect opportunity to question Riddle and find out just when his views had started changing so dramatically. She was nothing if not an opportunist.
Hello Riddle.
Ah Little Star. I had thought you had conceded defeat when you stopped talking to me.
There was a question in there but Eliza chose to ignore the subtle probing.
You wish Riddle, there's still a few days left before Yule, I might find out yet.
I would wish you luck but I would hate to lie to you Little Star. I didn't know you observed the Olde Ways.
It was the closest they had tread to any form of political talk since they had first started talking.
Most of them are banned now, it's hard to find information on them but I try to observe them where I can. People these days treat magic as a tool but I think we need to give thanks back to Lady Magic- the most powerful wizards came from a time where the olde ways were observed.
I couldn't agree more. Although the rituals were being lobbied against when I was created they weren't illegal, would you be willing to tell me how that happened?
Dangerous territory that was. Eliza could just say no. She could do that. But she wouldn't.
After the dark lord it became easier to demonise the dark and traditional views, everyone lost something in that war – victors and losers both.
The dark lord? Riddle asked with undisguised curiosity.
Voldemort, stupid name if you ask me Eliza added because she couldn't help herself and really, it was a stupid name. It reminded her of those ridiculous comic book villains the children at the orphanage used to speak about and this was probably the only chance she'd ever get to call him out on it.
He was defeated? Riddle asked in lieu of acknowledging her petty insult.
Some say he was vanquished for good, but I know for a fact he was possessing my defence teacher last year even if he didn't seem to be well, all there, near insane if you ask me. You would have to be a fool to fall for Dumbledore's rather obvious ploy.
She felt the diary bristle and decided she had probably toed the line long enough for one day.
Between my first year and the chamber of secrets this year I'm afraid I'll never have a normal year at Hogwarts.
Young Ginevra did mention the chamber had been opened, she seemed particularly distraught Riddle commented and Eliza felt his magic flare in soft amusement that made her instantly wary. Riddle didn't seem to have a normal sense of humour, she had told him about many things, she and her friend's antics being one topic of conversation and her vendetta against Lockhart was another but he seemed to find nothing funnier than her tales of near murder and mayhem.
He was a sadistic little git.
So of course he would take great delight in a giant monster terrorising the castle but Eliza felt like there was something more to it. And her instincts were usually always right.
What do you know?
I could show you.
And there it was again. Riddle's willingness to open up to her was a cause for concern really. She didn't know what he was getting out of it and she didn't know what exactly she was opening herself up to whenever she traversed into the diary. But that didn't stop him from offering. And it didn't stop her from saying yes.
Okay she wrote back simply and braced herself for the jarring feeling of falling through the pages.
When she opened her eyes she was in Hogwarts, the headmaster's office to be exact only it wasn't Dumbledore sat behind the desk but a man who could only be Armando Dippet, the previous headmaster. And sat across from him was a sixteen year old Riddle.
Dippet was explaining that Riddle couldn't stay for the holidays and Eliza felt her heart lurch when she saw the devastation in those molten brown eyes. As Dippet continued to speak Eliza took the opportunity to study Riddle. He was handsome, Eliza noted idly, she could understand why arrogance tended to drip from his words. He had all the intensity of youth about him, an elegance in his movements and eloquence dripping of his tongue and Eliza could easily understand why so many people were willing to follow him.
"But Sir if the person was caught, if all the attacks stopped" Riddle say tilting his head curiously in an eerily familiar gesture.
"Riddle do you mean you know something about these attacks?" Dippet squeaked nervously.
"Of course not sir" Riddle said silkily, face plastered into an earnest expression of distress. The apparent sincerity of the expression telling Eliza that it was faked. She followed him when he was dismissed, watching as he strode down the corridors with a pensive expression running a hand through his mussed slightly curly hair. She watched curiously as he ran into Dumbledore, watched him hide the vicious stab of anger in his eyes as he suffered the professors suspicious scrutiny, face smoothed out into the image of a modest, bashful student.
Eliza had found in life there would always be monsters. Vicious things with scraggly fur and skeletal frames and a ravenous hunger that would never, could never be satisfied. But sometimes there are monsters that are charming and patient and that is where the real danger lies. Not in gnashing teeth and sharpened claws but rather the mask, the false humanity everyone is taught to trust.
Riddle was one such monster.
Eliza was another.
Riddle suddenly paused in the corridor and Eliza halted behind him waiting for him to act on whatever it was he must have heard. Riddle suddenly jumped around the corner confronting someone, Eliza couldn't see who, who had a large crate next to him.
"Evening, Rubeus" Riddle said sharply.
She watched as Riddle confronted Hagrid, pinning the attacks on the half giant and his acromantula. Riddle stepped closer and closer to Hagrid slinking forward with a predator like grace as he told Hagrid to stand aside. Before Riddle could act he was bowled over by the beast and the scene dissolved in a cacophony of shouts and dizzying twisting movement and Eliza was once again thrown out of the diary.
She sat on her bed pondering the scene she had just witnessed as Riddle scrawled further explanation.
Hogwarts stayed open and Hagrid was punished for his crimes, I can't imagine why they still let him stay on the grounds.
She could believe that Hagrid had tried to keep an acromantula as a pet, she could also believe Riddle apprehending the culprit for self-serving means. But it just didn't add up though did it? Acromantula's didn't cause petrification, in fact she couldn't think of any creatures that could off the top of her head. Which meant Hagrid wasn't the culprit and that instead Riddle had framed him to cover his own tracks.
All the attacks this year had been caused by the diary via Ginny.
Which was why they had stopped when Eliza had come into ownership of it.
And I suppose you expect me to believe your lies Riddle?
Well I know you haven't been being very truthful with me Little Star so fair is only fair. I will find out the truth eventually soon. Yule is almost upon us after all.
And that was another issue wasn't it? Eliza would have to tell Riddle her name and Merlin knows what he would do if he realised she was the vanquisher of Voldemort. Their situation grew more and more precarious by the minute. Her life would be so much easier if she stopped tempting fate.
But could Eliza even be happy with that? Would she ever be truly happy with soft smiles and warm friendship and petty squabbles when she felt something deep within her was just different? The Mirror of Erised had shown her that her biggest desire was to be free. Free of scheming and machinations, free to live her own life. But what would living her own life even entail? Would she ever be able to exist in peace time when her hands seemed to only be made for violence?
Little Star? Riddle wrote questioning her sudden silence. These were the words of a murderer, the words of a lunatic who had turned to bloodshed and mayhem and by the end of the war would have rather had burnt the world to ash just to shape it in his image.
Late at night Eliza sometimes worried she would end the same way.
Tell me a story Riddle Eliza wrote to avoid the thoughts in her head. The diary seemed to pause for a moment before elegant writing started to appear on the page.
Anything for you Little Star he wrote and began to spin her a tale about the time in a moment fuelled by petty anger he had released all the animals in the transfiguration storage closet and released them into Dumbledore's classroom. Eliza soon forgot about her worries and found herself laughing over the ridiculous tale Riddle span for her. If she tried hard enough she was sure he could hear the faint murmur of his voice.
She fell asleep smiling.
~
Yule was upon them faster than Eliza had expected. It felt like she had barely even blinked before she was waking up Yule morning.
Happy Yule Riddle she wrote absently pulling a brush through her hair with one hand and writing with the other.
Merry Yule Little Star, will I be learning your name today?
Later, a deal is a deal Eliza wrote back before heading down the stairs drowsily. Draco was already sitting there looking uncharacteristically dishevelled, a childlike excitement about him as he eyed his gathered presents. Fawley hadn't stayed behind that year but Roman had. He was sat next to Draco and both were obviously struggling to restrain themselves as they waited for her to join them. Eliza's pile of presents had grown from last year, although her pile was meagre in comparison to Draco's stacks upon stacks of presents.
Daphne had gifted her a set of winter cloaks, the silver clasp shaped like a snake with emerald studded eyes. Who knew Daphne's vendetta against leather jackets would get her such expensive gifts? Blaise had given her an ouroboros bracelet charmed to detect poisons and Theo had given her a fifth edition copy of Hogwarts; a history.
"That books illegal" Roman commented from inside a mountain of wrapping paper.
"But informative" Eliza countered and ignored his snort of surprise.
Draco had given her perhaps the most touching gift, a cloak clasp with the Black Family crest on it. Eliza didn't have much of anything from her respective families and she made sure to tell the boy how much she appreciated the gesture. Roman had given her a dragon leather wand holster, he had probably noticed how she always kept her wand in either the waistband of her skirt or her knee-high sock neither of which were particularly practical.
She spent the rest of the day relaxing in the common room playing wizard chess with Roman and Draco and pulling wizard crackers in front of the crackling fire. The common room door slid open revealing the figures of Bulstrode and Crabbe. It was distinctly odd because Crabbe and Goyle were never apart. It was also odd because Eliza knew for a fact the two slytherins had gotten on the Hogwarts express to go home for the holidays. The three of them exchanged looks before Eliza called 'Bulstrode' and 'Crabbe' over pretending she hadn't noticed anything amiss.
If this was polyjuice it would only last an hour.
"Hello, Bulstrode, Crabbe, Draco was just telling us about the Daily Prophet today as you know I don't read it" Eliza said cheerfully and watched as a wicked grin appeared on Draco's face as he rifled through the prophet for the article.
Draco did a dramatic recitement of the article letting out an exaggerated laugh at the end of it.
"Arthur Weasley loves muggles so much he should join them" Draco said snidely and none of them missed the way Crabbe clenched his fist in response "You'd never know they were purebloods with the way they act"
'Crabbes' face contorted into barely masked fury, Draco smelling blood in the water, pounced.
"What is wrong with you Crabbe?"
"Stomach ache" 'Crabbe' grunted. Draco levelled him with a cutting glare before apparently dismissing the other boy.
"I'm surprised no-one's reported anything about the attacks. I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. Father always says he's the worst thing to have happened to this school" Draco said and Eliza found herself nodding along in agreement.
"You must have some idea who's behind it all" 'Bulstrode' said slowly.
"You know none of us do Bulstrode" Draco replied waspishly and when Eliza saw Crabbe's hair slowly but surely changing colour she knew it was time to bring this charade to an end.
"Oh Draco, I think they think we have something to do with it" Eliza simpered as Crabbe and Bulstrode exchanged panicked glances.
"Now why would any Slytherin be doubting you Eliza?" Draco joined in tauntingly as they both slowly reached for their wands.
"Perhaps it's because they're not Slytherins" Eliza drawled and watched as Bullstrode and Crabbe tried to escape. Draco cast a quick freezing charm at the pair and they watched in idle amusement as Bulstrode and Crabbe's forms rippled and contorted revealing Weasley and Granger slumped on the floor.
"Looks like two little lions have wandered into the snake pit" Draco said from his chair releasing them with a flick of his wand. Granger and Weasley scrambled to their feet with a start, a look of fear across their faces.
"What shall we do Eliza?" he asked and Eliza pretended to take her time to think about it.
"Well I'm always happy to teach my fellow students a lesson" she began and inwardly laughed as they flinched "or we could disturb professor Snape and let him know about the intruders in the common room. How many points does Gryffindor have right now Draco?"
"I believe they're currently drawn with us"
"It would be a shame for all that hard work to be thrown down the drain wouldn't it?" Eliza drawled in false sympathy and watched as the two Gryffindor's paled in front of her.
"But it's the festive season and I am feeling merciful" Eliza finished with a wistful sigh "but just remember you owe me a favour, not only did you break into the Slytherin commons but Polyjuice Potion is a controlled substance, one that you illegally brewed" Eliza said with a small smirk playing on her face.
"Feel free to leave but please do remember that you are now in my debt" Eliza said and bared her teeth in what might resemble a smile. Weasley and Granger ran out of the commons like the devil was on their heels.
Nothing said festive spirit like a spot of recreational blackmail.
Eliza returned to her room that night in equal amounts participation and dread. Sitting cross legged on her bed she cast a small lumos as she opened up the diary quill in hand. Riddle seemed to have already sensed her presence.
Hello Little Star, though I suppose I won't be calling you that for long will I? Did you have a merry yule? He asked most likely out of politeness but Eliza still smiled at his interest.
Two Gryffindor's snuck into the commons but I dealt with them accordingly. I also received a very old copy of Hogwarts a history, it will be interesting to see what things have changed over the years.
From what you've told me Hogwarts has gone more downhill under Dumbledore's rule than it has in the past 1000 years.
Why? How has it changed from your time? Eliza questioned curiously.
For one we had more electives.
What? She wrote hurriedly.
Back in my time we had classes on alchemy, magical theory and advanced arithmancy even though it isn't classed as a separate qualification. Classes on dark arts, blood magic and even healing were banned even before my time and muggle studies replaced other curricula's Riddle explained.
I never knew all that, how many did you take?
All of them Riddle replied smugly or at least she thought it was smugly.
All of them? Even muggle studies? That's inhuman and how would Riddle know his OWL scores unless he had at some point conversed with his older self prior to his defeat. That thought alone was worrying enough.
It's okay that you can't live up to my standards Little Star, very few can.
Just for the I'm going to take every possible curricular I can Eliza shot back against the snub.
I wish you luck, now why don't we move onto more pressing matters? I think you've stalled long enough Little Star.
Eliza tapped her quill against the page. Chances were Riddle didn't know the name Eliza Potter meant anything, she doubted anything would actually change if she were to give him her real name. So why did it feel like she was one step away from a free fall into a dark abyss?
Well a deal is a deal, my name is Eliza Potter, nice to meet you Riddle.
The diary's magic seemed to pulse in response and Eliza felt her own try and intertwine with it. If Eliza's own magic reminded her of ozone than Riddle's reminded her of a snake, it coiled and twisted about itself like it had a life of its own.
Eliza Riddle wrote seemingly testing it out, meaning consecrated to God if I remember rightly, a living sacrifice, tell me Eliza do you believe in God?
Riddle, I am a God unto myself she joked back and ignored the way his magic seemed to twitch in amusement.
Eliza Riddle wrote again Beautiful
Eliza ignored the way she blushed and bid Riddle goodnight placing the diary onto her nightstand.
Perhaps free falling wasn't that bad.
~
Although enjoying the quiet of the common room Eliza was glad to have her court back by her side. She knew she should probably let them know about consorting with a teenage dark lord but she was afraid that they might not understand. She knew all of their families had been in support of the dark lord, aside from Blaise's, but that was before he went unhinged. And the dark lord had never personally been out to kill them, that dubious honour went to Eliza. All in all it was unnecessary to worry them especially when they were all so relaxed.
January was fading fast but the cold still remained and Eliza and her court had taken over the cluster of sofas and armchairs in front of the roaring fire. Daphne was currently painting her nails, Eliza had gotten her a fancy set for Yule because she knew even though it was muggle fashion the girl would love them, and Blaise and Theo were both sprawled out on the sofa. They had been playing chess but the board remained abandoned on the coffee table, the two boys too tired to bother with the game. Eliza herself was reading through Hogwarts; A History curled up in an armchair with an emerald green blanket thrown over her. She had just gotten up to the old curriculum and she was disappointed to see what Riddle had said was true.
"Do you know Hogwarts used to teach blood magic?" Eliza said distractedly tuning another page.
"Blood magic?" Roman called incredulously from the other side of the room next to his cohort of sixth years.
"And alchemy and healing until Dumbledore took over, and now instead we're stuck with divination and muggle studies" Eliza complained. This caused several conversations to spark across the common room which took Eliza back for a few seconds. She had no idea her house actually listened to her so intently when she wasn't addressing them at large.
"And they say Hogwarts is one of the best schools in the wizarding world" Rosier drawled disgruntled, murmurs of agreement rose at his words.
"The public should know how much Dumbledore has ruined this school" Theo said and Eliza felt the spark of an idea grow in her mind.
"They should shouldn't they?"
Eliza returned to her book as conversation died down already half planning her first attack against Dumbledore.
Do you know the Potter's own shares in the Daily Prophet? Eliza wrote one night in early February.
Oh really? And what are you planning to do with those shares Little Star even though Riddle now knew her name that didn't stop him from referring to her by the ridiculous nickname he had used before. Eliza ignored the way it made her smile.
After what you said about Dumbledore changing the curriculum it made me realise that the general public truly has no idea what goes on in this school, especially those who don't have children that attend here. Hogwarts is ridiculously expensive and yet many things prove we have a substandard education in comparison to other wizarding schools.
Go on Riddle put and Eliza enthusiastically began writing again, Riddle was just as if not more manipulative than her. It was nice to have someone to scheme with.
Beauxbatons and Durmstrang both offer more courses than we do, trivial things like dance and cosmetic charms which would still be undeniably useful as even though the name sounds misleading the actual course would be human transfiguration. They both do in depth studies of runes and ancient magic's and Durmstrang is notorious for its teaching of the dark arts. Over the years Hogwarts has lost subject after subject, alchemy, magical theory, wizarding politics and our standard of education has dropped to a ridiculous degree. Our history of magic scores are the lowest in the world because Dumbledore won't hire a living teacher and it's well known we've never had a defence teacher for more than a year.
And I'm sure you are just very concerned with the state of the education and need to bring this issue up with the public right Eliza?
Of course I do Riddle, truth should always be shared after all, and if it happens to damage Dumbledore's seat of power in the process than that is nothing but an unfortunate coincidence.
So devious Little Star. You never did tell me why you have such a hatred of the old man Eliza.
Eliza paused thinking on how to explain her motivations without giving herself away.
You know my parents were casualties in the last war, I didn't know I was magic until I was 11 and I had been abandoned in an orphanage. When I took the blood test at Gringotts I discovered that Albus Dumbledore was my magical guardian. The man responsible for ruining my life.
And so in turn you decided to ruin his Riddle wrote back with an understanding certainty.
And so I will
~
As absorbed as she was in her planning of her first attack on Dumbledore Eliza had completely forgotten the date until she walked into the great hall for breakfast. When Eliza walked into the hall she instantly knew that Christians got it wrong about hell. Hell was actually Lockhart's idea of Valentine's Day. The walls were covered in bright lurid pink flowers, heart shaped confetti fell down from the ceiling and there was an obnoxious amount of roses scattered along every table.
Just as Eliza had taken a seat at her spot on the table the doors banged open again revealing a dozen surly looking dwarves that Lockhart called his 'message delivering cupids'
Theo took one look at her face and promptly choked on his toast.
"Can't we just skip today?" Daphne said from across the table, trying fruitlessly to shake all the confetti out of her curls.
"I second that notion" Blaise said eyeing the dwarves dubiously.
"As my court you have an image to maintain" Eliza chided gently and Theo shot her a dirty look.
"You just don't want to suffer alone"
"That too"
It was only second period and Eliza was already regretting not listening to her court. The halls were a battle field and Eliza was sure she had actually seen someone be bodily tackled by a poem delivering dwarf. Although the most mortifying event had occurred in potions.
They had all walked into the cold classroom and Snape gave them all a look that told them if they dared to ask about love potions than they would find themselves being the ingredients in the jars on the shelves. They all wisely decided to avoid the topic of Valentine's Day and got on with their potions.
That was until Valentine's Day interrupted them in the form of one of the surly looking dwarves.
"Musical message for Eliza Potter" the dwarf said brandishing his harp like a weapon.
"Please no" Eliza actually said feeling her face burn.
"Got to deliver it in person"
"Merlin please no" she said again turning to professor Snape silently begging him to do something to end her mortification. The professor looked torn for a few moments between anger at his classroom being disturbed and revelling in Eliza's embarrassment.
Thankfully the decision was made for them all when the dwarf moved forward, its stupid wings and harp catching the edge of Parkinson's cauldron and sending it crashing to the floor dousing the girl in scalding hot water. There was instant chaos as Parkinson screamed and Snape forcibly kicked the dwarf out of the classroom trying to control the damage.
"Miss Davies please escort Miss Parkinson to the hospital wing whilst I deal with this" Snape said tiredly. Davies to her credit didn't look very pleased at the prospect of escorting Parkinson to the hospital wing but gently took the crying girl by the hand anyway as Snape cleared the spilled potion.
Eliza would happily never suffer through another Valentine's Day again. And then, somehow, her day became even worse when she returned to the dorms. She had rifled through her belongings in search of Riddle's diary planning to bemoan about her day to him when she couldn't find it where she had placed it. She searched through her trunk and in her nightstand, even ducked under her bed but she couldn't find it anywhere.
Riddle's diary had mysteriously vanished.
He was gone.