They all went to the common room with heavy hearts. Dominique was sitting on the couch. She couldn't sleep. Draco sat beside her and tried to calm her down. Tom too was present there in hope that they will reveal something about what Dominique had said him previously.
"Nick, he'll be fine." Draco told her.
Dominique shook her head. "You don't understand, Draco. He'll never be completely healed from heart. He was raped and abused; for bloody fifteen years. I wish Lily and James were alive. They would never allow those filthy muggles to even touch him." Dominique cried silently.
"Nick, listen to me, your brother will be fine. He's a very strong person. And I swear that old bastard will pay for it. He can never get away with so much crime." Draco growled.
Tom's head snapped up. "Potter is your brother?" he asked.
"Yes," Dominique said shortly.
"Then what was he doing with the muggles?" Tom asked.
Dominique didn't answer. She just took out her packet of cigarettes from her pocket and lit one. "Tom, please stay quite right now. I'm very tired." Dominique said taking a puff from the cigarette.
The rest of the night went on like this. The three students sat there quietly. Dominique tried to drown herself in the smoke of the cigarettes. Draco had tried stopping her but she wouldn't listen. And Tom just sat there in hope that they will speak about something that would help him to know more about them.
The next morning was a Sunday, so they didn't have classes. Dominique and Draco left for the hospital wing in the morning. When they reached there, they saw that Tom was already standing there.
"Tom, what are you doing here?" Dominique sighed.
"I need some answers." Tom said.
"Tom, I'm not telling anything about Harry." Dominique refused shaking her head.
"Not about him, about me. What do you know about me?" Tom asked turning to Dominique.
"What do you want to know?" Harry spoke up.
Dominique and Draco ran toward his bed, as soon as they heard his voice. "I am fine Nick." Harry said smiling.
Tom snapped around hearing his voice. He walked near to his bed. "Everything you know about me. What did Sapphire mean by save your life? Who wants to kill me?" Tom said.
Harry looked at him for a moment before casting a silencing charm wandlessly. "Albus Dumbledore," Harry said without any hesitation.
Tom frowned. "Albus Dumbledore? Do you have any special reason for thinking so? He's just providing us with knowledge."
Harry laughed. "You call it knowledge? Tell me when are you going to use the piece of knowledge that Slughorn gave you last night about horcruxes?" Harry raised his eyebrows.
"You don't gain knowledge to always use them." Tom said blankly.
Harry stared at him. "Tom, tell me, did you learn about boggart in your third year? Did you have a practical class on that?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"What was your boggart, Riddle?" Harry asked looking at Tom knowingly.
Tom didn't answer, he just stared at him. "And from when did this special classes start?" Harry asked again.
Tom's eyes widened for a second before going blank once again. "How do you know so much?"
Before Harry could answer, the doors of the hospital wings opened and the twins stepped inside. They immediately went to Harry's bed after seeing that he was awake. "Hey, brother, how you doing?" they asked in unison.
"I'm doing fine, but I wasn't going to jump from the tower you know. I was just standing there; before you decided to break my already cracked bone." Harry stated and rolled his eyes.
Their eyes widened. "What, you weren't going to jump? Then what were you doing on the tower? You always go there when you are sad." They twin talked.
Tom just looked at the two identical with a crooked face.
"For Merlin's sake Fred and George, I go there when I'm sad; not when I want a high jump!" Harry deadpanned.
"Um, okay we are sorry." The twins said outing their hands up in surrender.
"Potter, how do you know so much?" Tom asked again.
"Well, that is none of your business right now. You just focus on saving your life; and don't follow that bastard's orders blindly. You would consider my words if you really love your life; which according to me, is very dear to you." Harry said shrugging.
"How much do you know about Chamber of Secrets?" Tom asked.
Harry looked into Tom's blue eyes. "More than you can guess, Tom. But the information remains within me." Harry said blankly.
"Tom, do you know who Grindlewald's best friend was?" Dominique spoke up.
Tom turned to her a bit confused about the question. "No... Who was it?" Tom said slowly.
"Albus Dumbledore," the twins spoke up together.
Tom was taken aback. He looked at Dominique with surprise. "Rather it would be wrong to call them best friends. They were more like lovers; before Dumbledore decided to destroy him and suck out all his powers. Today everybody knows where Grindlewald is; locked up in his own prison." Dominique explained.
"Tom, it's time you knew the truth about the old man. He's playing with you; just like Grindlewald. He's going to make you powerful and then suck out all the power you have gained after you can no more handle the power." Draco spoke up for the first time to Tom.
"And how do I know that you are not here to use me as well?" Tom asked wearily.
"One would think that. But I have been in the same place like you. You'll eventually know whom to trust and whom to not. There are plenty of people whom you can trust; you just have to look in the right place for them." Harry said nodding.
Tom looked at him amused. "Why do you live with the muggles, when you have a family?" he asked.
Harry looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I don't live with them anymore. I ran away from there. I used to live in the Leaky Cauldron before the term started. And before that I didn't know that Nick is my sister." Harry said smiling at Dominique.
"I'm his blood sister actually. Lily, his mother, blood bonded with my mother when my grandparents died. She didn't have anybody then; Lily did it to give her a family. They were great friends." Dominique said giving Harry's smile back.
"So Lily and James are your parents?" Tom asked raising his eyebrows at Harry.
"Um, yes..." he said looking at Dominique with raised eyebrows. Dominique just shrugged.
"So you are an orphan as well." Tom said nodding.
"Technically, no, naturally, yes." Harry said nodding.
The students left the hospital wing after a few minutes, including Harry. As they came near the Slytherin common room, they saw a large group of students standing in front of the gargoyle. As they saw them approaching they walked to Tom.
"Where were you? We've been looking for you." a boy named Andrew Nott asked.
"And what are these blood traitors doing here?" Antonin Dolohov asked narrowing his eyes at them.
"Yeah, as per us, they are in Gryffindor, right?" the other pair of twins, Dmitri and Nicholas Lestrange asked in unison.
The Weasley twins' eyes narrowed with excitement upon seeing another pair of twins. They smirked and tilted their heads before they looked at each other; mischievous as always. As Harry, Dominique and Draco noticed this they quietly moved inside the gargoyle and into the common room sniggering.
When his three friends were out of sight, the Weasley twins approached the Lestrange Twins, smirking.
"Yeah, we are in Gryffindor. But you know what, we have heard a lot about you two too. So we thought, why not bring some gift for you, so that our meeting could be remembered forever?" Fred asked.
The Lestrange brothers narrowed their eyes. "What gift?" Dmitri asked.
They just reached in their pockets and both took out two balls, and placed them on the hands of each Lestrange twin. And then they ran from there. The other people standing there narrowed their eyes at the balls, including Tom. And before they could figure out anything, the balls exploded. The place filled with dark smoke and foul smell. Everybody coughed violently shouting curses at the Weasley twins. When the smoke cleared, they found the culprits rolling on the floor and laughing their butts out at the end of the hallway.
The twins ran towards them with great speed. But they were too far for them to get. The twins ran away towards the Gryffindor towers; still laughing.
As the other students entered the common room still cursing and coughing, they saw three people sitting leisurely on the couch.
"Couldn't you tell us?" Nicholas snapped at them.
"Don't look at us, Harry has sponsored them. They know them better than us." Draco said pointing at Harry.
"Why would you sponsor such a thing?" Dmitri asked.
"Just for fun; you'll come to like them gradually." Harry said with a grin.
"Yeah, in your dreams," The twins said together rolling their eyes.
"Why were you—"Antonin started but was stopped by Tom.
"I think you should go and shower. Or you'll smell like dung the whole day." He said.
They all nodded at once and went for the bathrooms. Harry looked around and made a not-bad face.
"You have quite an impact, I see." Harry nodded.
"Yeah, except you all." Tom replied pointing at the three sated people on the couch.
"You are right. We are the one who affect people, not the ones to get affected by." Dominique stated smirking.
"Right, you even affect my lungs. You seriously need to quit smoking." Tom said rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, and you need to start smiling and be happy a bit." Harry spoke up.
Tom's eyes shot up, as he turned at Harry. "And what makes you think that I am not happy?" Tom asked.
"Well, from the very first day, I have never seen you neither smile nor joke. So, either you are depressed or not happy with your life; which are basically the same thing." Harry explained.
"You are happy; with your life?" Tom counter asked.
"One needs to find happiness. It's not like people who are happy, don't have sadness in their lives." Harry said.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Scarface, why do you always have to be so dramatic?" he asked.
"And why do you always have to call me that, ferret?" Harry snapped.
"Shut up, Saint Potter!"
"You shut up, leader of the git parade!"
"Both of you shut up. I'm sick of your nick names!" Dominique shouted over them.
"Are they brothers?" a voice asked from the staircase.
They looked at the direction to find Alphard Black standing over there.
"No, Harry is my brother, and they are...friends." Dominique stated.
Alphard's eyes went wide. "Potter is your brother?" he asked surprised.
"Yes, and stop calling him my boyfriend." Dominique stated.
"You are no fun, Nick." Harry pouted.
"I'm sorry my brother, but that was getting irritating." Dominique deadpanned.
Just then, Alphard ran towards the sofa and pulled Draco off from beside Dominique; and he sat himself. "What the hell!" Draco exclaimed.
"Shush...I need to confirm something." He said putting a finger on his lips. Dominique was giving him a weird look. He turned to her and spoke. "Tell me, why did you do it? Do you have any idea how disappointed we were when you confirmed our suspicion that Potter is your boyfriend?" he said taking a hand of her into his.
"Um...I'm sorry to disappoint you all." Dominique said slowly.
"Good. Now one more question, would you like to go to Hogsmead with me this week?" Dominique's eyebrows shot up.
"Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked.
"You can consider it however you like to." Alphard said, smiling at her.
"And what if I have a date already?" she asked.
"Oh, then you can bring them with you." Alphard shrugged.
"Okay then, Draco, you are coming with me." Dominique said turning to Draco.
"What—no way. Why I would come with you? I don't even have a date." Draco shook his head in denial.
"Oh come on, find a date. You are not that bad looking yourself." Dominique said.
"Okay fine, I'll come with you only if I get a date for myself." Draco huffed.
After a minute, Antonin and the Lestrange twins came down; followed shortly by Abigail and Megan.
"Hey, guys, guess whom I am going to Hogsmead with." Alphard said, grinning cheekily. Dominique blushed a bit.
Their eyes narrowed a bit before realizing who he was sitting beside.
"No way—but how? She's with Potter!" Antonin reasoned.
"Idiots, Harry is my brother; not boyfriend." Dominique deadpanned.
"Oh my god, how come you are telling this now? This is not fare Alphard!" Andrew spoke up.
A girl with long black hair went to the couch Alphard was sitting on before pulling him off it, just as he had done with Draco.
"Hey!" Alphard called.
"Justice," Draco smirked.
"Um, Harry, if you don't mind...w-would you like to come to H-Hogsmead with me?" the girl asked.
"Um, sorry but, I-I don't know your name yet." Harry said turning a bit red.
"Oh, I'm sorry; my name's Eileen Prince." She grinned cheekily.
Harry's eyes widened for a second before he choked on his own saliva; and coughed violently. Draco and Dominique had almost the same reaction. Eileen just looked at Harry confusedly.
"Um—uh—s-sorry; I just choked. And, I am sorry I'm not going to Hogsmead this weekend; at least not with anybody else." Harry said giving a smile, hoping it would lighten the mood up a bit.
"Oh, never mind; it's fine." Eileen smiled openly.
Harry nodded and glanced at Draco and Dominique. They had blank expression on their faces; which indicated that they too had understand the situation. Tom just rolled his eyes at their date interest before going for a shower himself.
"Alphard, I think two more people are coming with me." Dominique said slowly.
"Yeah, the twins, right? Don't worry; I'm bringing my personal set of twins with me." Alphard said, grinning cheekily.
"Good idea, Alphard. We'll show the Weasleys who they have messed with." The Lestrange twins growled.
Harry raised his eyebrows and smirked a bit; but chose to remain quite. You don't know who you are going to mess with.