Emily and I returned to Slytherin after Slughorn's party in silence, though she kept looking at me questioningly, as if she wanted me to explain what had happened with Avery. The common room was contained with a few Slytherin's who had just returned from Slughorn's dinner party, including Tom's group. Avery didn't look up as I passed him, only glared straight ahead as he listened to Lestrange talking so low that I couldn't make out one word.

"Well, that was fun," Emily said, breaking the silence.

The feeling of something grasping the back of my cardigan halted me in my tracks. I couldn't move. Oh no, I thought. Not here in the Slytherin common room.

Bright light flashed past my eyes as I stared straight into Emily's concerned silver eyes. The light got brighter, and Emily's face eventually disappeared into the light.

A scene paused in front of me. It was a blond boy with long hair and a girl with dark blonde hair. I noticed those silver eyes. It was Emily and Abraxas Malfoy! They were holding hands. Malfoy leaned over with a soft smile on his face and he whispered something in Emily's ear. He laughed quietly to himself, and Emily looked over at him with a soft look when he looked away from her. She put her hand under his chin to move his face towards hers, and she leaned forward and planted her lips onto his, taking him by surprise. The bright light took over the scene once more, and the tug on my cardigan broke free.

A loud gasp left my mouth as I felt like something had just dropped me onto the floor. Emily was now standing in front of me, shaking me and saying my name over and over again. I breathed in and out deeply, blinking up at Emily. I must have fallen to the floor because I Emily was now towering over me when she was trying to snap me back into reality. A few faces were looking over at the scene with curious eyes. Emily glared at everyone and then helped pull me up to my feet, my legs wobbly and my head throbbing with pain because of the effects the future had on me.

"What's this?" Emily asked, bending down to pick something up off the ground.

I looked behind me at Malfoy, who was squinting at Emily and I. He was so unaware of what he and Emily would become and a sense of unknowing washed over me. It was his unknowing. My eyes suddenly locked onto Tom's, and he was staring at me as if he knew what just happened. I quickly looked away. But when I turned back to Emily, she was holding my diary in her hand. Just as she opened it, I snatched it out of her hands. Emily stared at me with a gape.

"That's mine."

Emily threw her hands up in surrender. "Sorry, Mrs Secretive. But, what just happened? Are you all right?"

"I don't know," I lied. "But, I'm OK now. Let's go check on Brianna."

Emily nodded and I walked with her into her dormitory. Brianna was lying flat on her stomach on her bed with a book in her hands. She jumped when she saw me and Emily walking in, and she tossed the book aside and scrambled off the bed.

"How was it?" She asked eagerly.

"Boring," I answered glumly. "I do not understand why you are so eager to go."

Brianna shrugged, pouting slightly. "I am left out of a lot of things," she said in a sad tone. Emily walked over and wrapped one of her arms around Brianna's shoulder, and smiled softly at her. "But, do not fret, my lovelies! For I just nicked two nobel prizes!"

Emily frowned and removed her arm as Brianna crawled under bed and came back out with two bottles in her hands. Firewhiskey. Something my mother had drowned herself in for years since my father's death. I had always wanted to join her, but, of course, she never let me. Emily squealed excitedly and began to ask where Brianna had got them from.

"A thief never reveals her secrets," Brianna winked, and summoned three goblets. She opened one of the bottles and poured a bit in each cup. I took one and downed it in less than a second, holding my cup out for more. Brianna and Emily stared at me with wide eyes, their cups still containing liquid. "Well somebody is eager to get pissed, tonight."

"Think of it as an early Christmas hangover," I said back, grinning. I poured myself some more of the firewhisky, filling my goblet to the top.

Three goblets full later, I was bouncing off the walls and singing at the top of my lungs, Emily and Brianna watching me with tired eyes.

"You are such a lightweight," Emily yawned, crawling into her bed. Brianna quickly scrambled into her bed and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was snoring. "Go to bed, Abby."

"Yes, sir!" I shouted, and giggled loudly. I crawled into a bed beside Brianna's, and just laid there, a big grin on my face.

When both Emily and Brianna were snoring, I quickly got out of the bed, and unscrewed the full firewhiskey bottle and downed half of it in one go. The liquid burned my throat, but in a good way.

And then I downed the rest of it.

•¥•¥•¥•¥•

The Slytherin common room was now empty, only Tom and his Knights seated on the black, leather sofas by the fire. Most of his group weren't there, only the very few he needed to talk with. Bellatrix Black was on the armchair, grinning wickedly at Avery, who was haunted under Tom's harsh stare. Lestrange and Abraxas were on either side of Avery, sitting straight with a solemn look.

"I am terribly sorry for whatever wrong I have done, Riddle," Avery said confidently, looking Tom in the eyes. "But you cannot forbid who I can and cannot see."

"Is that so?" Tom asked in a deathly soft tone, twisting his ring around his finger. Bellatrix cackled with laughter. Avery's heartbeat could be heard like a drum. "What exactly do you see in this filth?"

Avery had the courage to squint up at his master. "Abigail is not filth. And what I see or do not see in Abigail is irrelevant."

Malfoy and Lestrange were the only ones who kept quiet. It was not a good time to speak when Tom Riddle was in a foul mood.

"That is disgusting," Bellatrix sneered at Avery, who looked back at Bellatrix with hatred. Bellatrix was Tom's least favourite due to her clinging off his every move, but he held great respect for her loyalty. He knew she would do anything for him.

Tom held back the urge to tell Avery that Abigail was a seer and that at rare moments she could sense someone's feelings. If Avery knew this, he'd possibly think of her as a freak. Tom couldn't have any of his Knights putting their own loyalty and trust into anybody else, not even Bellatrix. Avery was slipping away and he knew it. He didn't need Abigail to feel it or see it.

"You have such bravery to speak to me that way," Tom said eventually, after a very uncomfortable silence. "And foolishness. You are lucky that I do not see to it that you keep away from every female."

Avery stared at Tom in disbelief and shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of something falling down the dormitory stairs cut him off and they all leaned forward in confusion. Tom frowned at the sight of a body at the bottom of the staircase, whose head had very messy blonde hair. He could tell from the disgruntled moan that it was the fool he and Avery were just discussing.

Abigail slowly tried to push herself up off the ground, and Tom saw Avery rush to her side, pulling her up.

"Abigail?" he said questioningly, helping her to her feet.

Abigail's eye colour were not her normal eye colour, Tom had noticed. They were much darker. Once Abigail was on her feet, stumbling slightly, Abigail's hurt features transitioned into an angry stare and she shoved Avery back very hard in the chest, causing him to fall off balance and grab onto a straggling chair. He looked back at her in disbelief.

"Don't," she mumbled, bringing a hand up to hold against her head.

"You are intoxicated," Avery frowned, ignoring Abigail's attempts to shove him away, and helping her back up the dormitory stairs. But she slipped underneath his hold and looked at the sofa's excitedly.

"I'm going back to Ravenclaw."

"Not in your condition, you're not!" Avery exclaimed, the concern clear in his voice.

"Oh, you have friends," she said in a casual voice, skipping over to the sofas.

To Avery's dismay and worry, Abigail had dropped herself on the three-seated sofa right next to Tom, who looked back at her with a bored stare. Tom looked over the sofa and glared at Avery, who looked back with an unsure stare.

"Shall I escort her back to the girls dormitory?" Avery asked Tom cautiously, wincing slightly.

Tom continued to glare hard at Avery, before Avery simply hesitated and sat back in his spot on the opposite sofa in between Lestrange and Malfoy. Tom looked back at Abigail who was already staring at him. He could smell the firewhiskey coming off her, and he knew Avery was telling the truth when he said she was intoxicated.

"What are you looking at?" Tom sneered at the blonde.

"Foolish Ravenclaw," Bellatrix cut in with a smug look. "Go back to your own common room."

"That's what I was trying to do," Abigail rolled her eyes, before leaning her head back against the sofa, a groan leaving her lips. Her eyes opened and closed with difficulty.

"Go to bed," Tom suddenly snipped, looking around at his group. His eyes landed on Avery. "All of you."

Lestrange, Malfoy and Bellatrix all stood up as soon as the order left Tom's lips, and they went up the dormitory stairs, Bellatrix giving Abigail very foul looks until she disappeared. Avery hesitated, but he eventually stood.

"But, Tom-"

"Now, Avery."

Avery squinted at Tom. "No."

"No?" Tom asked quietly, a vicious smirk appearing on his lips.

"I am not leaving you with her alone," Avery said with confidence, staring Tom down. Abigail continued to moan and mumble nonsense to herself. "Not after what happened the last time."

"What last time?"

"That time you told me Dippet wanted to see me! You lied!" Avery cried. "And then you hurt her!"

"If you continue to lie right to my face-"

"I am not lying. You had her so hard against that tree her back bled."

Tom had no knowledge of this whatsoever, but he did remember the day. "How ever does that matter? I could have done worse but for your sake I didn't."

"No, I believe that was for your sake," Avery spat, glaring at Tom. Avery's wand was already in his hand, and Tom's wand was in his.

"How do you mean?"

"How do I mean? Funny you should ask. Did you not just witness Malfoy going after McKinnon just hours ago? You didn't mention a thing about it to him tonight. Why?"

"I was getting there!" Tom hissed, fury bursting through his veins. He hadn't expected anybody from his group to have a go at him like this. And here Avery was, having a go at him. "Then this disgusting slag came down and I sent him away."

"That's just it, Tom! Malfoy has been after McKinnon for years, you've hardly done a thing about it. And just because I speak kind words with Abigail you act like I just murdered someone you care deeply about."

"What, Avery, exactly are you implying here?" Tom asked casually, pacing back and forth, twirling his wand between his fingers. "That I...?" Tom gestured between himself and Abigail before a dark chuckle left his lips.

Avery stared at him, his lips pursed. "Nothing," he eventually said. "Nothing at all. You go on and I shall stay with her."

"I think not, Avery," Tom said sharply, no expression on his face any more. A light grunt left Abigail's lips and both Tom and Avery looked at her just as her eyes shut and she fell limp on the sofa, her legs hanging off the edge and the top half of her body spread over the cushions. Tom pointed his wand at Avery. "Consider yourself no longer a Knight. And consider yourself lucky, Avery, that I am not going to erase that foul memory of yours. Imperio."

Tom ordered Avery to go up stairs and straight to bed. Once Avery was out of sight, and Tom heard the dormitory door slam shut, he looked back at the sofa. What was he going to do with her? Tom took notice of Avery's words, and he couldn't help but feel he was right. Tom hadn't noticed, though, that he had been on Avery's back much more than Abraxas'.

Tom moved over to the sofa and he bent down near Abigail's face. He stared at her for a few seconds before he moved over toward her ear.

"Avery is in love with you," he whispered.

He leaned back. Tom meant for the words to come out in a disgusted way, but they didn't. He didn't expect a reply either.

"Do not blame him," Abigail slurred in her sleep.

"I don't."