"Is everyone here?" Tom straightened out his tie as the last of the students entered the Prefect Meeting Room on the Third Floor, giving a cursory look around. While everyone had met inside of the Prefect Carriage aboard the Hogwarts Express, this meeting would decide the pairings for the patrols that they would carry out for the rest of the week, not to mention pass out the necessary information that all Prefects would need to fulfill their duties. Head Boy Manuel Bones looked at the last arrivals, sighing a little as it was the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff fifth year boys. "Look, if you two have a hard time keeping to your duties as Prefects and Quidditch players, please let us know beforehand. I will have a word with the Captains about their schedules, in hopes that you two can get some sleep, but if at any point it's too much, just bring it up to your Heads of House." The two boys nodded as Tom shook his head. If there was one thing he couldn't wrap his head around about Hogwarts, it was the whole Quidditch thing. He was glad that Bones wasn't the diehard fan as many of the other boys tended to be. Abraxas himself, while not interested in joining the Slytherin Team, was always present for all the practices and matches. The fact he enjoyed betting on them made him quite popular with the other Heirs from Magical Families, despite him being good at predicting the match victors and making lots of spare galleons on the side, at everyone else's expense.
"I will make sure that Mr Prewett here does his best to fulfill both his duties, Mr Bones." Tom spared a glance at the other Gryffindor fifth year Prefect, not at all surprised at Dumbledore's pick. The dark haired girl with a Scottish accent had always been a favorite of Dumbledore's, known to be a rule stickler that even quoted the rules to her own House's Prefects as a fourth year student, while also being infamous for standing out as the best student of her year. Tom had initially vied with her in Transfiguration with both of them making exceedingly more elaborate designs on their creations, but he ultimately limited his effort as Dumbledore would always give her the top marks and points, regardless of what effort Tom would put into his spellwork. The girl was less amicable in Charms, where Professor Doge was more willing to reward Tom for his efforts, though it was genuinely a toss up as to who would get the top scores there. It was in Merrythought's classrooms, however, where the young witch had given Tom more difficulty. Like him, she had taken up the Dueling elective and demonstrated a great deal of agility, not unexpected after she made the Quidditch Team in her third year, whereas Tom focused heavily on accuracy and efficiency. Professor Merrythought had wisely kept them from ever competing directly in the Dueling class as their first, and only, two duels in third year ended when they both dueled themselves to magical exhaustion.
Lakshmi cleared her throat. "Ok, so how about we look over the schedules and see who gets assigned to whom? I don't know about you all but I am not fond of the refresher quizzes our professors favor after the long summer and I would like to study for them without losing any sleep." The Head Boy and Head Girl both started going over the schedules on their shared desk at the front of the room, as everyone else sat down at the four separate tables, everyone sitting together by House. Lucretia nudged Lilith's shoulder. "Am I going to have to stun you everytime we get assigned together?" Lilith turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "That depends. Do I get to annoy Alphard about his new taste in boys? I can see Abraxas and Tom, but Gawain too?" Said Slytherin, who was sitting just across to Lucretia, grumbled. "I can hear you two." Lilith giggled. "But of course, Herr Fawley. Would you rather we discuss this behind your back?" Walburga chuckled to herself as Gawain blushed. "Let them have their fun, Fawley. Besides, having Alphard make eyes at you isn't so bad." Tom and Gawain grumbled together. "Speak for yourself." Lilith laughed softly, followed by Lucretia and Walburga, with Cygnus giving the other two boys an apologetic look. "Anyone regretting this honor already?" Lilith shook her head as Manuel Bones stood up.
"Very well. Let's start with our latest acquisitions. We have the typical fifth year schedules, with a few differences in daytime courses and the added complication of Astronomy on Wednesdays. Anyone not feeling up to getting paired together with a particular student due to matters outside their control?" Everyone kept their hands down, though Lilith spoke up. "While I am sure that most of us can learn to get along, keeping the Patrols on Astronomy night to house and yearmates would be the better option. From what I understand, fifth years get a shorter Patrol schedule that night and having to split up with other students as we make for the Common Rooms would be a waste of time." Lakshmi looked at the papers. "Von Schwarzwald has a point. There is no reason for us to be adding extra time to the Prefectx getting back to their Dorms. Hufflepuff and Slytherin do have to make their way down to the Dungeons as it is." Minerva huffed. "I myself have no problem with taking a bit of extra time to get back to the dorms." Lilith muttered loud enough to be heard. "You won't say that when it's time for the OWL exams. That several minutes worth of study or sleep that you will be missing out on." Minerva was silent for a second. "Oh… right. OWLs."
Manuel chuckled. "Trust me, you fifth years will get a lighter load by the end of term, same as the seventh years. Which means all sixth year Prefects will be busier on those dates, so keep that in mind." Cygnus and Lucretia grumbled slightly, as did the rest, before the Head Boy continued. "Alright, so we have a few rotations in place, as it's usually requested by the Staff. I think it would be best if you all start your Patrols from your Common Rooms on your way here. We have a few maps, though obviously the moving staircases are a slight issue. It's up to your fellow housemate Prefects to decide what pairs go out and patrol before they arrive here. On a typical night, you all have two hours after dinner before the Patrols start, with partner and route rotations every hour from eight to midnight. After midnight, we can all gather here, log in anything important that happened at night and then you can take separate routes with your housemates back to your Dorms. Sounds good?" All the fifth years nodded, with the Head Boy and Head Girl addressing the rest, before the maps of the Castle were passed around, including the seperately marked routes. Lilith had looked up at the Head Boy, after Lucretia commented that the marked routes were definitely an improvement. "You made these during the summer, didn't you?" Manuel blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… I had a boring summer."
Lakshmi whistled loud enough to make everyone wince. "It will be eight in a few minutes, so let's get paired up. Since it's the first Patrol, everyone can just go out with your yearmates. Manuel and I will teach our replacements amongst the Prefects the ropes ourselves. You have an hour to get back here, so cover as much ground as you can." Lilith and Tom stepped out with the rest of the Prefects after everyone selected the routes they would be covering, with Tom looking at the map thoroughly. "Bones does good work." Lilith looked at the map in Tom's hands. "How much of our assigned routes have you explored looking for the Chamber?" Tom tapped a few points. "These corridors. Interesting that Bones has marked out several hidden corridors, but not all of them." Lilith hummed to herself. "Maybe he doesn't know they are there. It would make sense that the Professors would keep the hidden corridors mostly to themselves, rather than giving up all their secrets to the Prefects." Tom nodded, realizing that it would explain Dumbledore's ability to sneak up on Tom without much giving away his presence. Combining that with access to the wards of the Castle and the disillusionment charm, Dumbledore could literally pop out of anywhere at a moment's notice. "We need to be careful. I am certain our Deputy Headmaster will be looking in on us from time to time."
Lilith nodded, though she tapped her right eye. "Understood, but don't worry. I can see through any enchantments he might hide behind." Tom looked at the eye, at first feeling a bit of the anger he associated with the fact that Lilith endangered herself to best Rosier and lost it, before feeling some relief in knowing that with her at his side, Dumbledore wasn't going to get the drop on them. These odd mixes of emotions were becoming more common to him now and he wasn't sure what to make of them. "That will come in handy, though is it wise to reveal the fact that you can see through Dumbledore's disillusionments? Might be better to keep that truth to ourselves." Lilith thought for a second and nodded. "Fine, but I will give you a warning in case anyone is near, just in case." Tom smiled. "That will do just fine." They looked over the corridors in their assigned route, not finding much except for some lost Gryffindors and a line just outside of the Ravenclaw Common Room entrance, all of the kids being first years getting their first taste of the riddles their entrance is famous for. As soon as Curfew officially started, they made their way back to the third floor meeting room, with Tom writing down the observations he made on the routes, with no clear marks pertaining to Salazar Slytherin or his legacy. The search was still very far from over.
-✦-
"Verdammant!" Lilith pulled the cracked and glowing crystal out of the metal casing, before tossing it into a pewter box and sealing it with a lid. She sighed after feeling the crystal explode, before looking inside, seeing only fine reddish dust lining the interior, before pulling out a bag. Feeling a familiar enough signature tapping at her door, Lilith gathered the crystal fragments into the bag as she said "enter." Lucretia popped her head inside first, before entering through the door and closing it behind her. "Am I interrupting something?" Lilith, not bothering to look at her distant cousin, sealed the bag full of powdered crystal and went to look over the others crystals that she could use, tapping them against the silver casing that she developed to act as a buffer for the core of her construct. "As of this moment, not really. My last test failed spectacularly." Lucretia moved closer to Lilith's desk and its various objects. "This looks like an enchanter's workbench, but with a lot more metal. You don't strike me as the type to make or wear jewelry." Lilith hummed to herself, sighing as none of the crystals resonated with the silver casing as the red one did. Pulling the two hollowed out hemispheres and locking them together, she turned her attention to the ones made from more exotic metals.
After testing out several crystals back at the Peverell Estate, Lilith had figured out that she needed to create a buffer layer between her cores and the constructs. Magic could usually be described as either passive or active, with the passive variety still exerting a degree of magical energy continuously. This was the same in magical objects as it was in living creatures. Unfortunately for Lilith, most objects required a Magical to run magic through the object to change their state. What Lilith needed from a core was both something that could channel magic passively but also receive and transfer out magic actively. What she learned after several failed attempts was that anything that could serve as magical foci didn't like running into resistance, similar to how her magics don't like to run through her body or her wand. Her constructs created resistance by the virtue of how they channeled the magic within them, so she learned that it was more effective to reduce the flow of magic from the crystal to the construct to prevent the feedback that destroyed the crystals in the first place. What she hadn't counted on was the crystals being temperamental in what metals were better suited as both a buffer and a conduit. The constructs were already made with orichalcum circuits, but pure orichalcum was too rich to serve as a buffer. She had already tried copper and now silver, both failing to keep the crystal from suffering permanent damage.
"I am not into jewelry, no. This is more of a hobby of mine. A branch of Enchantment I want to develop further. Did you need something?" Lucretia hummed to herself as she looked around the room. "I am actually taking a bit of Enchanting myself. Though I prefer a softer medium. What's this?" Lilith turned and watched as Lucretia touched her cloth covered construct. "Hopefully something more than just the ornament it is currently. You can pull the cover off, just promise not to tell anyone." Lucretia pulled the cloth off and sucked in a breath. "It's beautiful. Wait… is it all metal?" Lilith stood up and walked towards Lucretia, who was running her hands over her completed construct testbed that Lilith had been testing her cores on since summer. "Yeah. I was working on the design of it for most of the first term, trying to get the articulations right. My contacts built the components and I assembled them after the school term was over in June, making modifications here and there. The feathers were a real pain to get right and was the reason for the year long delay. Finding a metal that could fold without snapping or weakening wasn't easy. Fortunately for me, the Dwarves in Switzerland are some of the best craftsmen. They eventually found a working material, one that they themselves never used because it didn't serve their interests."
Lucreteia was mesmerized by the construct, running her hands down the surprising soft metal that composed the feathers of Lilith's mechanical owl, its bronze like coating reflecting some of the candle light in the room. "Can the metal hold a magical charge? How expensive is it?" Lilith thought for a second. "It holds magic and enchantments fine, though I have only tested a few. It's about the same price as copper, though slightly cheaper. With the way electricity has been spreading across the world, copper has become a far more valuable resource, so the prices might skyrocket soon. Why?" Lucretia blushed a little. "I am working on a side project of mine. Dad has been able to get me some hairs and pelts from magical creatures, but I always wondered if there was a more effective way to hold an enchantment on cloth. Do you think the Dwarves could make this metal as thin as sewing thread?" Lilith snapped her head to look at Lucretia. "Wait, you're studying to become a threadwitch?" Lucretia nodded. "Yeah. The Blacks had a few with the talent, so we have some contacts, though the war has made access to the rare materials even harder. Mom and the Macmillan side of the family actually practice sewing and she taught me. I know there are magical seamstresses out there but I want my work to be special. When Professor Bierley talked about what went into enchanted clothing, I wanted to try it myself. I mean, have you seen the Aurors and their robes? They are hideous."
Laughing softly at Lucretia's indignation, Lilith returned to her desk. "Yeah, you're quite right about those red robes. Though the Dragonhide jackets are nice. I can send a letter to the dwarves and ask how much would it be to get their Dwarven Brass as thread per pound. Anything else I can help you with?" Lucretia hummed looking at the construct's face. "I am guessing that this thing is meant to look sorta realistic but can the eyes actually see properly?" Lilith shook her head as she pulled out a platinum hollow spherical casing from a drawer and sliding it open, before checking the reaction of the crystals to it. "No, though I would like it to be. Those are place holders for now." Lucretia nodded as she returned to Lilith's side. "Well, be careful not to show this to Orion. He will want one of those owls for himself. How is your eye treating you, by the way? I have seen the way Riddle looks at you with concern." Lilith sighed, returning all but two crystals to their boxes, and placing the remaining ones in front of her, seeing a familiar red hunk of stone before her eyes. Placing the red crystal into the sphere and closing the core's latches, Lilith placed it inside of the chest of her second construct, which was still very much incomplete. "My eye is fine. Riddle is just too perceptive. He can tell the difference between the two and is bothered by the cause of the discrepancy."
Feeling a soft hand on her shoulder, Lilith found herself looking Lucretia right in the eyes. "You are absolutely sure that you are alright?" Lilith sighed but nodded as Lucretia pulled back and crossed her arms. "Ok, but I am going to check on you during the Equinox and Samhain." Lilith wanted to protest when the clock on the table started to ring. Looking at the time, both girls groaned, with Lucretia rubbing her face. "Damn it. I knew I forgot something. Get yourself ready for the Patrols. I need to go fetch Walburga." As Lucretia left, Lilith pulled on her robes and checked her hair, before going back to her desk, charging the new core to test out its effectiveness. As she covered her construct with it's cloth, Lucretia's comments about the functionality of the eyes returned to her mind, as well as her concern for Lilith's eye issues, causing her to pause mid step. Rushing to the mirror, Lilith stared at her own reflection, as a thought entered her mind. She smiled to herself. She didn't need to test out ways to see through the construct, as she had a working one right there in front of her. She just needed to replicate the enchantments on it and synchronize it to the rest in the construct. Lilith stepped out of her room, resealing it using her wards, as she added a few lines of texts into her notebook. If she could get the current core to work, her construct would be one step closer to working as intended. That just left one last design problem to solve.
-✦-
"Don't run in the corridors!" Lilith sighed as she watched the two Ravenclaw first years disappear behind a corner as she and her current Prefect Patrol partner made their way down the corridors of Ravenclaw Tower, after sweeping the area in front of the Ravenclaw Common Room entrance. "You do know they are kids, right? They won't slow down until one or both have a tumble. It's a good thing the railings on the stairs are high or who knows how many would take the express route down the seven floors." Minerva McGonagall huffed as they two turned a corner. "That's still no excuse for children to behave so poorly." Lilith raised an eyebrow. "You are fifteen." Minerva glared at Lilith. "If you must know, I am sixteen in a few weeks." Lilith sighed. "Right. The point stands. Those are eleven year olds who have just been let loose in a Magical Castle full of ghosts, talking paintings, moving staircases, which are a terrible idea on their own by the way, among hundreds of other kids with a small staff of adults to manage them. They aren't going to follow every rule just because you or anyone else ask it of them. You need to show them why the rules are in place by example, before they bother to listen."
Minerva stayed quiet as they went down another set of stairs to reach the fourth floor, before they both looked inside of the History of Magic Classroom, spotting a snoring Professor Binns slumped over his desk. The two Prefects checked that there was no one else in the large classroom, before leaving the ghost to his dreams, with the old man mumbling about goblins in his sleep. Lilith rubbed her face as soon as they left the classroom. "Can anyone explain as to why he is still the Professor of History of Magic in the school? I am pretty sure I heard him repeat the same lesson eight times last year." Minerva shrugged. "I have no idea. As most of my classmates take the class as nap time, I don't think many people feel the need to complain, even if he is a poor teacher." Lilith grumbled. "It would be fine if he taught anything pertinent to Magical History. From what I have read giving the younger students tutoring in History, Binns doesn't teach anything about the ancient magical societies, the Great Diminishment, the early Inquisitions and barely anything about Charlemagne and Camelot. I am actually surprised he talked about Merlin, though he got the dates wrong. Merlin was already an established Mage by the time of the Founders, so there was no way he was Sorted as a student."
Shrugging her shoulders, Minerva kept scanning the corridors as they continued on their route. "To be fair, how important is any of that to the Magical Society of today? With the Statute of Secrecy in place, witch hunts and wars with the muggles are a thing of the past." Lilith looked at Minerva incredulously. "The Ancient Families of Europe all trace back one way or another to Charlemagne's rule, if not even earlier in certain regions like Italy, Greece and Britain. He is the reason so many Magical estates were spread out over the continent and why the Inquisitions were delayed for almost two decades. The support of the Magicals was an important factor in his claim of dominion over the territories of Central Europe. The treaty signed between him and the Magicals was the foundation of all treaties leading up to the ICW and the Statute of Secrecy. His family's decline and the strengthening of the Papacy was the reason the Inquisitions, Crusades and the conflicts between our peoples led to the mundane and magical wars starting in the first place. The current war traces back to that, with the lingering fears of mundane fighting magicals still lingering in our both cultures for centuries." Minerva frowned. "Don't you mean muggles?"
Lilith waved her hand dismissively. "A poor term used to describe the non-magical population in a way that belittles them. I refuse to use it when I can." Minerva looked at Lilith over. "Everything you say might be true, but if it is, then doesn't that mean that we are better off forgetting the history that built the fears between our people for centuries if it only fosters it? My parents are quite happily married and they are a witch and a muggle, completely ignorant of those traditions." Lilith blinked at Minerva in surprise. "Wait, your dad is a non-magical? Is your mom from a first generation family?" Minerva scowled. "I wish. My mother is from the Ross Family. Regardless, neither have any animosity towards each other, despite my father being a Minister and my mother being a witch. As far as they and many people are concerned, all that history is pointless and would probably only engender the same prejudices that are causing Grindelwald's War." Lilith stared at McGonagall, seeing some resemblance to Theseus. "I highly doubt that the Ross family wouldn't have taught your mother a thing about history. Their legacy is said to trace back to the monsters slayers of Greece."
Minerva glared at Lilith. "Regardless, it's not important. My parents are happy and our people haven't been drawn into Grindelwald's War, like everyone else has, at least up until the Dark started bothering the Wizengamot over it." Lilith stared at Minerva, wanting to explain so much to her about why she was wrong but not being able to voice the words. By the time they reached the Prefect Meeting Room, their Patrol was over, with Tom not looking any happier about his first Patrol with the Gryffindor fifth year Prefect. Lucretia, seeing something off about Lilith's expression, came over from her talking to Cygnus and the Ravenclaw Prefects. "You ok?" Lilith looked back at her. "I… yeah. Just surprised, that's all." Lucretia looked towards Minerva Mcgonagall, who was giving their report to the Head Boy and Girl. "Was it that bad?" Lilith looked at the dark-haired girl that would one day become the Transfiguration Professor and Deputy Headmistress, the feeling of foreboding deepening in her chest at the damage that had already been done to Hogwarts and its students. That none could see the importance of knowing the cost, about recognizing the dangers of ignoring the threats that zealotry of any type could have on their world, wanting instead to hide behind ignorance and conformity. It made Lilith feel ill. "I think… it's only going to get worse."
-✦-
Tom sat down in the Slytherin Common Room at the end of the Patrols, waiting for Lilith to return with Lucretia, as he pulled out his notebook, jotting down what few landmarks he spotted that had some snake iconography. Had he been assigned to Lilith during the majority of the Patrols, the search would have included the use of Parseltongue to gauge the possibility of a hidden ward of enchantment. Unfortunately for him, he had been assigned to work along with Minerva McGonagall for quite a few of the patrols outside of the ones ending with the students back at their dorms. Lilith had already warned him about her from her own experiences as the Grffindor witch's partner, but it seemed that the girl had a far less pleasant opinion of him than of Lilith. Throughout the entire Patrol routes that they were assigned, the girl had kept pestering him about keeping his eyes forward, asking him if he was looking for places where he could make mischief. McGonagall really had it in for him, keeping his attention divided the whole time. A few times Tom was certain he had sensed Dumbledore nearby, probably hiding in secret passageways or under the disillusionment charm. He had been warned by Lilith of the possibility that the Deputy Headmaster was behind Minerva McGonagall's poor opinion of them, as well as some of the Patrol pairing suggestions.
It would explain why the Head Boy and Head Girl kept switching some of the agreed upon pairs, all supposedly on integrating the Prefects of different houses and years. Tom had been forced to accompany the Head Boy all the way to the Dungeons on more than one occasion, though Manuel Bones was definitely better company than the Gryffindor teacher's pet. The two were able to discuss the Head Boy's own experiences, including his partial disappointment with the Defence courses limitations on counter curses and his aspirations in joining the Aurors, like his father. Still irritated from earlier, Tom quickly scribbled his notes, when he sensed movement. Tom frowned. "A bit late for a stroll, wouldn't you say, Bryce?" The dark haired sixth year glared at Tom as he walked into the Common Room from the Dorms. "None of your business, Riddle. Though one has to wonder what it is you think you are doing. Associating with Moaning Myrtle? I thought that as a fellow Halfblood, you would have some sense of self preservation. You did real well the first three tears, keeping your head down, learning about the traditions of our house. Then you go and throw it all away." Tom scoffed at Bryce. "The one who threw it all away was Rosier. Associating with Grindelwald was only ever going to end one way, anyone with a modicum of common sense could see that coming. What did alienating half the school or more do for Valerio? Nothing. He didn't gain any political favors, alliances or anything of value. From what I hear, you are going the same way. What a shame."
Anton growled. "I am not associating myself with mudbloods and their backwards ways! The whole mess that Europe is in is all their fault, same as the mess our country is in currently. All because we let muggles make decisions that affect us all, when it should be us calling the shots. We wizards should be the ones that tell muggles what to do and they should be happy to get even the honor of our attention." Tom sighed, trying to tamper down his own irritation. He couldn't deny that he himself shared some of that sentiment, especially after everything that had happened to him. From the abandonment at Wools, the exorcisms and even the Bombing Raids that had left him shaken to his very core, Tom had never been overly fon of muggles. At the same time, he had spoken with MP Warren much over the summer. Sure, the man had his own political ideals, not to mention those of his party, but he clearly cared about his country and his family. Like the Magicals in the Wizengamot, Mr Warren struck him as someone who was trying his best in a bad situation as the government continued to pursue warfare, even at a time when it was hard to justify the human cost. Through him, Tom was better able to get a feel for what the rest of Parliament was feeling. Fear, of course, after their own building was damaged by a bomb, as well as a fair share of reticence for sending more people to die in the war. And yet, the prevailing feeling, one that the Prime Minister was doing his best to foster, was defiance in the face of adversity and unity against a foe who lacked honour and basic human decency. However, it was during the time he was in Smethwick that Tom was able to see another side to muggles, or mundanes as Lilith favored.
Far removed from the hustle of the big cities and the halls where policies that shaped the world were being discussed, life in the simple and more isolated towns was quieter. Vendors and shopkeepers would wake up bright and early, restock their shelves and then, mostly with a smile, welcome any patrons to their stores. Tom could tell that times were hard for these people, many with loved ones on the frontlines in gods knew which theatre of war, others worried about bringing enough food to the table to their homes or funds for their necessities in winter. Yet they all kept going, working day in day out, trying their best at every opportunity. These people didn't care that he was young or spending his days with Lilith at his side. Sure, a few people gave them odd looks, but those vanished quickly after the attack. After that day, the two of them had been welcomed warmly, many of the townsfolk thanking them for saving lives and families with apparent little regard for their own safety. Despite all the monsters that Tom personally knew, he now knew that there were good, honest, hard working muggles, people who could look past his youth and see a man worthy of respect and kindness. Lilith's approach seemed all the more effective to him now that he could apply it to a world that he had seen with his own eyes. To find a common ground between the people with and without magic, rather than to seek subservience or submission, with loyalty born from common acts of kinds rather than fear or submission to a higher power.
Tom looked at Anton and shook his head. "Sorry, Bryce, but your path doesn't strike me as very Slytherin. We can get a lot more out of the muggles by working with them. It certainly seems a lot less wasteful. Thousands, if not millions dead already, all for what? A few strips of land on the map? A country or two? The world is a big place and Grindelwald's allies are growing smaller and weaker as we speak, while opposition grows. I think I will take a less difficult path, one with a greater chance of success and reward, than to throw my hat behind a man who is dead set on setting the entire world ablaze." Anton glared at Tom. "And you call yourself a Slytherin? Have you forgotten what our history is like? History tells us that Slytherin prefered students with magical blood over those with muggle blood. That it was the muggles themselves who possibly killed him? They are the enemies of our people, of all Slytherins. The fact you can't see that anymore is the real shame. But I am not surprised. You allied yourself with von Schwarzwald, thinking that she can take you anywhere. She will lead you to the same place that she is heading for. An early grave." Bryce retreated back into the hallway, leaving a pensive Tom behind. He wondered if Slytherin's Chamber would end up proving Bryce right. That muggles were the real threat, as so many Slytherins believe. But what if they weren't? What if there was more to the story of Salazar's final days?
Until Tom found the Chamber, he wouldn't know what was the path that his ancestors had laid out before him. He only hoped it wasn't down the way that Rosier and Bryce seemed to be heading. Something made him feel like the only thing down that path was pain and death. He wondered why. Anton's words about Lilith, however, did make him feel cold. He was certain that Bryce had meant them as nothing more than a slight, an echo of Grindelwald and the Rosiers sentiments towards her. In the end he would have to warn Lilith, just in case he or the remaining Rosier at Hogwarts did anything against her. Reaching his room, Tom started looking for his spare clothes and his towels. After a long night of dealing with McGonagall and now Bryce, he felt the need to clean up. As the water cascaded down his face in the whower, his thoughts wandered to the image of Lilith from that fateful morning. Tom rubbed his eyes, a part of him wishing that he could let go of that memory, while his mind stubbornly refused. Every time he was next to her, he yearned to present his arm to her as they did over the summer. To the Slytherins and Hogwarts, doing so at the Castle would certainly get them all talking. Yet the need to feel her magic against his, her body in contact with his was growing. He honestly wished he knew what it all meant. Especially as Anton's words of her seeking an early grave refused to fade away.
-✦-
Lilith yawned slightly as she and Tom made their way through the Dungeons in the early hours of the weekend. Tom himself looked equally as tired, having worked through the night getting the Runes assignment done to his specifications. Professor Bierley had been impressed with his work in the previous year and was actively giving him unique assignments to test his growing control over the Runic languages as Ward schemes. He certainly hoped that his work was enough for the woman to consider him capable of taking her Enchantment class. Unlike other courses, Professor Bierley was exceedingly picky as to who could take the course. Tom knew of at least one full year group that failed to get anyone to meet her standards. Lucretia Black was one of only a handful of students currently taking the course, the others being a mix of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and one Gryffindor. Looking at his sleep deprived partner, Tom wondered if she too was planning on taking the Enhancement course, as seen by his memories of Lilith's desk back at Smethwick, the thing covered in magical items and runic array designs. His musings on what exactly she had been working on ended as they reached a large portrait of a bowl of fruit. "We're here. Bones said it was the pear."
Reaching out with his hand, Tom tickled the only green pear on the bowl, before the painted canvas shifted, revealing a green door knob that clicked as Tom turned it. Tom's eyes went wide as the high ceilings of the Hogwart Kitchens stretched out before him, where dozens, if not hundreds of elves darted from one side to the other, placing meals atop tables before protecting the food with stasis spells. A few of the tiny creatures looked their way, but all of them kept working, preparing for the Breakfast meal that would soon be served in a few minutes just above their heads. Waving at one of the elves, Lilith spoke up as soon as the being was within earshot. "Excuse me, could you tell us who is the elf in charge of the kitchens, if not the Castle?" The female elf nodded her head. "That would be Hogsby, young miss. Do you wish to speak to him?" After getting a nod, the elf popped away, before returning with a slightly older male elf that made Lilith pause for a moment, something that Tom noticed. "You alright?" Lilith shook her head. "Yeah, sorry. Just got dragged into an old memory. Excuse me, Hogsby, would you be willing to speak to us privately? My companion here has a few questions that we thought we could ask you about."
The elf gestured towards a room at the back, in which all three of them entered, the chamber looking to be a dry storage room. "What can Hogsby do for you two young ones?" Getting Lilith's nod, Tom dispelled the disillusion spell around his ring and showed it to the elf. "Do you know what this is?" The elf reached out and tapped his finger on it, his big eyes growing wider as they focused on Tom as he recognized the magic of the ring. "An Heir, after so long? And Slytherin's too? May the Fair Lady of the Seelie bless us all! What can Hogsby do for the Heir of Slytherin?" Tom shook his head. "Please refer to me as you would any other student. I have yet to find my ancestor's chamber and do not deserve any special treatment until I can prove myself worthy of my ancestor's name. That is why we came here looking for you. Is there anything you, as the Head of the Hogwarts Elves, can tell me about the Chamber?" Hogsby nervously played with his hands. "We elves can sense it but it remains locked until the Heir uncovers it and grants us entrance. We aren't allowed to help the Heir in locating the Chamber. Hogsby is sorry. Old treaties between us and the Founders still hold power."
Lilith sighed. "We thought as much. A concern that we have is that certain items, such as paintings, statues and armours were relocated, blocking the entrances or the contact points of Slytherin's secrets throughout the Castle. While you cannot aid us in finding the secrets, are you able to assist us in safely removing said objects? We do not wish to search the Castle while damaging the legacy of all those that came after the Founders." The elf bobbed his head up and down. "Young Miss who smells of the Unseelie is wise. Hogsby would be happy to help keep Hogwarts property safe as the Heir searches for the Chamber." Tom nodded. "Thank you. Will you answer if I call upon you?" Hogsby gave him a big smile. "Of course, Heir-eh- young student, Hogsby would be delighted to answer your summons. Though Hogsby is busy managing other elves and keeping Headmaster well, Hogsby can answer calls from you both if that is your wish. Hogsby would be honored to lend what aid he can to the return of one of the Heirs. Is there anything else Hogsby can do for you?" Lilith looked at Tom. "A private breakfast?" Tom smiled. "Sure. After the week we had, it's better than going up there and dealing with the usual crowd." Lilith and Tom proceeded to have a comfortable breakfast in the kitchens as the elves went about their routine, before going on their way.
Tom ran his hand over the ring, feeling its presence even as its magic hid it from sight, with Lilith eyeing him knowingly. "Still unsure about what we just did?" Tom shook his head. "No. His enthusiasm was genuine. I never expected an elf to be so… moved by my legacy." Lilith smiled softly, glad to share this bit of knowledge if it helped him see the Elves through a new light. "To the elves, Hogwarts is their home, yet the Staff are nothing more than partners. Even the Headmaster is but a friend they listen to, as he cares for the Castle they inhabit. You are something else. The chance that the family they pledged themselves to might return, even if you are but one of four, is one they cannot ignore. It must have been hard, living for so long, with no one to call family. Like presiding over… a mausoleum. Your possession of the ring is like a warning bell that finally, after millenia away, the people they call family will finally return… home." Tom turned to look, having heard the last words out of Lilith's mouth utter just barely above a whisper. Where before had been joy, all Tom could see now was loneliness and pain. "Lilith?" The redhead shook her head. "Sorry. I… I need to head back to my room. My project is almost done." Tom watched her leave hurriedly, running the conversation through his mind, realizing too late why she was saddened by her own words.
For Tom and the elves, the Castle may have been devoid of Heirs, but it still lived. The laughter of the children, the scratching of quills on parchment, the thuds of books in the library. There was life here and it was part of Tom's legacy, something that even now made him feel warm inside. At the same time he could see that no such fate awaited Lilith back in Austria. The von Schwarzwald Estate was nothing more than a ruin, filled with memories of days long gone, the ashes and bones of over a thousand years of life being all that remained. Lilith would have no triumphant return or even a warm welcome as Tom just did, but instead a cold and empty grave. Tom entered the Slytherin Common Room, his eyes looking towards the entrance to the Girl Dorms, for the first time realizing that their partnership wasn't going to have a happy ending for Lilith. The fact that she still agreed to the partnership made Tom wonder just what it was that drove her onwards. Tom had never expected to find family or companionship, only a name and a legacy that he could call his own. Did she seek to restore hers or was Anton right in claiming that she was looking for a place to die? Even now, that thought didn't sit well with Tom. Not well at all.