The Heir of Slytherin

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arsenio had some toast for breakfast, and was just putting some raspberry jam onto it when he jumped up and yelped.

His mind seemed to be telling him something. Everyone was staring at him, so he looked around a gave and awkward smile before sitting down and concentrating on his toast again.

His transfiguration professor entered the room slowly and looking slightly weary - there were rumours that he had been defeated by Grindelwald only last night in a late night confrontation. The dark wizard seemed to be growing steadily in power, and Dumbledore didn't seem to Arsenio to be too powerful...

Perhaps that was after we talked! Arsenio thought.

He yelped again.

How could he have forgotten? Dumbledore had asked him to spy on Tom Riddle! And he had forgotten to tell Tom...

[Scarlet Lioness]

After waiting untill the early hours of the morning, Mervanai looked anxiously at the clock on the wall.

They've got themselves caught, Great!

He stormed up to his dormitory and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Soon the sun was shining out his window and he crawled out of bed. They still weren't there...so Merv chucked his things together in his bag and headed down to a late breakfast...

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

He was worried. If Tom realised what had been going on before Arsenio could tell him about it, he might belive him to be conspiring against him.

Arsenio wasn't sure quite why he was so worried about the pale faced boy... but he knew he wasn't alone in his fear of him.

Perhaps he should help Dumbledore?

[choki]

As expected, the Great Hall was to become a hot spot for information exchange. From his way to the Great Hall, he had overheard secretive conversations (that were rather loud) regarding Susie. It seemed like the Headmaster's order to keep things down was not working well.

He sat down with his buddies at the Gryffindor bench.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arsenio left breakfast for his first class, Potions, still wondering about the course of action to take.

[Scarlet Lioness]

Mervanai sat down at the HUfflepuff table. He sat at a spot where he could stare daggers at Riddle without him noticing...

While doing this he noticed Arsenio, another Slytherin student looking at Riddle every so often...

Hmm...I wonder what that's about...

He poured himself some Pumpkin juice and sipped his drink while in deep thought.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Professor Slughorn was less than happy with Arsenio as he slumped into his seat 10 minutes late. He only realised when the professor started staring at him that he'd been stroling to the dungeons, deep in thought.

The class laughed. He smiled and shrugged.

[Scarlet Lioness]

Mervanai hated Potions.

The whole entire class was mostly Gryffindors...and a few Slytherins.

He snared as Arsenio walked in 10mins late...Lazy Gryffindor's...he...THEY should learn to set an alarm clock...

He wrote down the notes which were on the board.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Potions was just another subject to Arsenio. Though his family had tried to press it upon him from a young age, he still did not possess the necessary subtlety of hand or mild manipulation skills a master potion-maker needed.

[choki]

Instead of paying full attention on the teaching board during the transfiguration lesson, Artus drifted his mind away while staring blankly at the jar of insects in front of him.

Professor Dumbledore had finished his demonstration of the complex disillusioned charm on a student and the class erupted into yet another round of applause.

"Let's see..." said Dumbledore, softly.
"Mr Potter!" His voice suddenly boomed. Artus was caught off guard when his name was being called.

"Would you like to give a little demonstration?" said Dumbledore in his kinest voice, "with a spider of course," he added rather cheekily.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

One centaur hair, stir three times... Arsenio thought hard.

Professor Slughorn scanned the class' work, and sighed when he came to Arsenio's. The professor just moved along quietly.

He stirred it again for good measure. It didn't seem to make a difference.

The bell rang for the end of class, and the students made their exit.

[Q.Araignee]

Professor Slughorn had, of course, shown his delight with Tom's potion- whose class persona accepted the admiration graciously- but he was anxious to be away. He had Transfiguration next, and wished to provide a perfect example of a school Prefect to Dumbledore- if he was going to complete his task, he needed to hold the irritatingly observant teacher at bay for as long as possible.

When he reached the classroom, he found the last class still leaving- as Artus Potter passed, he offered a courteous nod from one Prefect to another. But he knew the Gryffindor had ideas about Lucia, ideas which he did not like and was determined to stop.

Just as this thought formulated, Lucia came up the stairs. She passed Artus, they shared a polite greeting, and she came to stand next to him in line. Tom looked towards her, and gave her his brilliantly charming smile. As she blushed- a reaction Tom relished- a delicate smile slipped through her mask of coolness. It was with great pride that he turned into the classroom where the tired form of Dumbledore stood waiting.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arsenio Parkinson felt stuck in the middle. He could choose to align himself with Tom Riddle and deliberately go back on his word to Professor Dumbledore, or he could do exactly as his professor wished.

He would have to make a choice - this wasn't something you could sit idly by and ignore. He knew something was stirring... even if no other teachers or students did.

He knew.

"Oh... - sorry," he mumbled to a Hufflepuff he accidentally bumped into.

The Hufflepuff scowled at him.

[choki]

Artus saw the little interaction between Lucia and Tom. A surge of uneasiness swelled up within him. Unknowingly, his fist was clenched tight, knuckles almost turning white until Dumbledore called him and motioned him to step into the classroom. Walking back to the class, he spotted Lucia and Tom seated just a table apart. Glancing at Tom, Artus swore he saw a smirk from him.

"Mr Potter, you forgot your spider," Dumbledore said as he placed the jar onto Artus's palm. Artus was confused, he certainly didn't own a spider himself as it was the class room specimen. Just as he was about to ask, Dumbledore quickly added, "your homework... for today!"

Though still confused, Artus nodded and headed out of the room when Dumbledore said out loud to on one in particular that the spiders in Hogwarts were getting less and less.

[Q.Araignee]

The comment may have seemed off-hand, but Tom recognised it's significance- he didn't break off from his conversation with Lucia, didn't even look round, and pretended not to have heard it. But inside, he was seething: Dumbledore thought he knew about it, and was trying to get one of the other students to prove it. He'd gotten Arsenio to spy on him, Artus to watch the spiders...

The rest of the year was going to be a battle of perfected strategy between himself and the teacher. But despite Dumbledore's subtle schemes, Tom was determined not to let him divert his attention from his inherited task- unless the Transfiguration teacher was able to prove without a doubt that Tom was the heir of Salazar Slytherin, he'd never get the Headmaster to believe that he was the one behind everything. Anyway, he had a fall man.

Tom's attention returned to Lucia as his inner emotions calmed to an impenetrable coolness, and Dumbledore began the lesson.