Tom Riddle and the Pureblood Prince

Please review! This chapter I found very difficult to get inspiration for.

Fanimegrl: Thanks for the great review. Recently I did some planning for when Tobias and Eileen meet. And I actually noticed that he would be kind at the start. It really doesn't make sense why a Pureblood Slytherin like Eileen married a muggle? You know....Slytherins are supposed to hate muggles and certainly not marry one!


Chapter Forty-two: The Inquest and Animagi


The ministry was out with the truth as school resumed after Easter Break.

Over the Daily Prophet Eileen brooded. Nobody saw the expression with the newspaper forming a convenient barrier.

Behind it brown eyes gleamed looking hardened and solidified. The grieving had taken much from her spirit.

“Murder,” whispered Eileen.

The ministry had come out with it. The public was told that foul play was suspected. The Daily Prophet circulated the truth to the Wizarding World. This had been no freak accident. Graham had not died by inhaling poison.

Eileen saw in a burst of realization that whoever constructed the murder would have to be exceptionally clever. There were lots and lots of enemies Graham had made as the Chief Healer. One gripe was being too soft on the muggles like Dumbledore. And Eileen knew this.

Riddle had not known her father or had any connection to the hospital as far as Eileen knew. It never entered her mind that he could be perpetrator to the crime.

Eileen rifled through the Prophet, going onto the next page. There was a detailed summation of the Inquest.

A Wizengamot member produced the poison found at the scene. A photograph showed a crowd of Healers at convocation instinctively shrinking away from the one being interrogated. Hector Clark had been Graham Prince’s primary work partner, his closest colleague.

Clark was the only one being implicated. The Wizengamot still had not decided whether to run a full criminal trial or not. Circumstantial evidence existed concerning Clarke’s mysterious absence the day of the murder.

Would Clark be framed for Rabastan Lestrange’s act? Only time would tell.

Eileen went through to the next article about the courtroom’s attempt to re-enact Graham’s death. It was poor imitation, and not at all accurate.

Eileen went to the center of the newspaper. There in bold headlines was the announcement that Smith succeeded Prince as Chief Healer.

Seraphimus Smith was smiling treacherously for the camera. He did not have an innocent face. Eileen stared back at this strange man, and watched a lazy eyelid twitch. He looked overworked and exhausted. But there was a suspicious gleam of triumph in his eyes. Eileen was sure she wouldn’t like Healer Smith if she met him.

Finally the paper was tossed aside. Eileen took it all on reflection and tried to come to terms with somebody wanting to hurt her precious father. Why?

She looked around the room at everyone. Suddenly noticing one odd thing.

From across the Slytherin table, Rabastan Lestrange eyed her with a straight and focused gaze. He was watching curiously. There was no way to read the expression. It was inscrutably blank.

Eileen drifted attention away from the fellow Dark Order member. Maybe if she ceased looking at him he’d stop?

Feeling apprehension and paranoia from the unwanted attention, Eileen nervously propped the newspaper up again and disappeared behind it.

On the pretense of reading, she looked up, eyes slanting narrowly. Rabastan wasn’t looking.

She threw the paper down again and waited. Within seconds, the boy was back to contemplating her. What was it? Could he actually be interested in her reaction to the news? Why would he care about her feelings regarding her dad’s death? Eileen had never felt fond of any Dark Order member other than her Lord and Master, Voldemort. What was Lestrange so keen on?


***


That morning Eileen had Transfiguration taught by Professor Dumbledore.

There was an exam on the theory of Human transformations today. Afterwards there would be discussion.

After dropping Arithmancy this year, Eileen knew this was the second toughest subject. Potions and Herbology were much more suited to her.

Class ended and most of the students left.

“Stay here. There is something I’m going to ask Dumbledore. I’ll need your presence, Eileen.”

Riddle approached Dumbledore with Eileen trailing nearby.

Dumbledore smiled serenely, unaffected by his least liked student. “Something you wanted to ask Tom?”

Dumbledore knew that whatever it was Riddle must have waited until everybody else left. It was exactly like him to be secretive.

“What certification does one need to be a proper Animagus, Sir?”

“Registration,” said Dumbledore immediately. “An Animagus must register with the Improper Use of Magic Office. The markings that distinguish the person when they’re in human form must be shown.”

“I see….” Riddle said. The next question was meant more for himself. His thought need not be answered. Riddle was thinking aloud. “But then there must be some Wizards that have not registered.”

“Yes,” said Dumbledore sternly. “But only more so because the law was passed recently. Be warned that unregistered Animagi are now subject to sentence in Azkaban. Riddle - is it your wish to be an Animagi?”

“No, Sir.”

Dumbledore surveyed Tom skeptically and his eyes bored into Riddle looking unconvinced.

Riddle changed tactics and spoke quickly. “Miss Prince has asked me to help her become an Animagus.” Eileen jumped startled. That was a gross exaggeration if not an outright lie. She had told Tom no such thing!

Dumbledore finally looked at the girl standing to Tom’s right. “Is that so?”

Riddle glared at Eileen and she could see his demand to bolster support.

Eileen proclaimed loyal assent. “If Tom wants me to…Then yes it must be done.”

“Well, fortunately it cannot happen yet. Even if you are seventeen. I’m afraid the ministry only supports Hogwarts students who are of age getting the Apparition License. They will not enforce Hogwarts students, even if they are over-seventeen’s in becoming Animaguses. I am certain you would be denied your request, Mr. Riddle.”

Riddle raised his voice slightly. “There is not a loophole in the law to let of age students register?”

“No. They will never allow it. If I was minister, I might relent for it is unfair to young people. However, under the current government, I am certain they will never permit Hogwarts students lawful Animagi powers.”

A quill snapped loudly in half, in anger Riddle had broken it.

“Miss Prince…. is this truly your sincere desire to be an Animagi?”

“Yes, Professor.”

Dumbledore stared into Eileen’s light brown eyes. Through Legilimency he saw it was not the case and it saddened him. It was obvious Riddle rigidly controlled this girl and Dumbledore had long since suspected that Riddle collected this one.

In askance the Professor shook his head. “You are not telling me the truth. You do not want to become one.”

Eileen murmured back a retort, desperate to please Tom. Being in the cult made it hard to make decisions independently. In reality, she did not know what she wanted. Eileen could not think for herself. The only thought was to please her Lord.

Riddle stalked angrily away, with no purpose left to speak with the Transfiguration master. But if he wanted to make Eileen or someone else an Animagus he could do it without registering, couldn’t he?


***


It was decided a few days later that Hector Clark would not be implicated to stand trial. Clark was not charged and neither was he accused of murdering Graham Prince. The Wizengamot dismissed all the Healers and closed the case. It could only be reopened if someone came forth with new evidence.


NOTE: If Eileen did become an Animagi it would be a Pelican. The Pelican represents Eileen's innermost nature. Voldemort secretly knows that under his Horcrux transformations he cannot transform into animal form anymore. That is why he is not interested in becoming an Animagi himself.