Motivation ? Tom Riddle ?

28

Professor Dumbledore handed out our exam papers and flicked his wand over to an hourglass, where the sand finally broke through it's barrier. I yawned, aware that I wasn't going to pass this exam. No matter how hard I'd studied for the past few nights, it didn't matter because I'd already forgotten it all.

"You have one hour," Professor Dumbledore announced. "Begin."

I sighed, scanning the sheet of paper. I didn't understand a thing. I was going to fail transfiguration and I knew it - Professor Dumbledore probably even knew it himself. I answered the questions quickly - quicker than I thought I would - with a sentence that sounded most logical, and pushed the sheet of paper aside, waiting patiently for class to end.

An old sheet of paper landed on my desk and I stared at it in confusion before looking around the classroom, my eyes landing on Emily's.

'Open it,' she mouthed.

I did as she said, and seen the familiar scrawl on the paper.

Meet me in the dungeons after curfew. -E.M

I glanced back up at Emily and found her staring at me with an eager look, and she nodded.

Why? I wrote.

I sent it flying back, and in no time it returned back on my desk.

You'll see.

»»»

Later that evening, after sneaking out of the Ravenclaw Tower, I crept my way towards the dungeons, keeping an eye out for the caretaker. I didn't even understand why there was a caretaker. Even if he'd caught a student out of bed, all that student would have to do is wipe that certain memory and then return back to their common room as though nothing had happened.

I heard the creepy drip, drip, drip of the dungeons before I saw it, and I could smell the potions ingredients seeping through my nostrils all the way from the potions classroom and storeroom itself. I stepped into the familiar grey-bricked corridor, and descended my way through it. I hated walking past the armour's; it always felt like they were watching me.

"Abby," I heard a loud, echoed whisper coming from down the corridor to my right, and I turned to see Emily at the end of it, beckoning me over. I jogged down to her as quietly as I could. Emily glanced down at her wrist watch. "It's nearly ten. You came down just in time. Come."

Emily whispered the password and then pulled me inside. I was glad to see that the common room was empty. My own common room was never empty until half past eleven. I sat myself down on the black sofa.

"So," I started. "Why am I here, exactly?"

"Ever wandered the grounds late at night?" Emily questioned eagerly, excitement forming in her grey eyes. "It looks really magical. I did last night and it was so much fun."

"Not the grounds, no. Why? Is that what we're doing?"

Emily nodded and then her eyes scanned me up and down before she pulled a face.

"And you didn't even grab a jumper. No matter. I was just about to shower before we left anyway. Wait here; I won't be more than five minutes. If anyone comes down just say you're waiting for me."

Emily ran quickly up the dormitory steps before I had a chance to say anything.

I leaned into the sofa and threw my leg over the other, chewing my nails to distract myself from the fear of someone wandering down those steps and reporting me to the Headmaster. I wasn't really looking forward to 'wandering the grounds late at night,' anyway. It was pointless. I could have been getting my precious sleep at this moment, merlin knew I needed it.