The next day, Melody stayed in her room, reviewing her research on time. Although she wasn't a 100% sure that she'd actually need it, she'd still make it anyway. Once the actually research part is done first. But after yesterday, Melody was very confused. At the time, she was too busy laughing and yelling at Peeves to realize, but Tom actually laughed.
If he laughed, and yes, it was genuine, not to mention, he actually answered her question! Then, could Tom actually have empathy? If he did, that would have her work cut out right for her. Because if Tom showed empathy or emotions, she could actually convince him to quit the Dark Arts.
But another weird thing was his sudden interest of what happened to her family. He asked, and she answered! She still could not believe she told him, not even her friends knew about how she came to be at Wool's Orphanage. Ugh, that Slytherin charm!
Still, Tom also joked, which he almost never did, and when he did, it was all an act, but, but this time, he actually meant it. 'Poor Henry Abbott must be so confused right now,' Melody thought with amusement.
Little did Melody know, Tom was already working on quitting the Dark Arts and getting his full empathy and emotions back at that precise moment, with the help of Salazar Slytherin himself.
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Tom spent five hours in the Chamber that day. Salazar Slytherin showed him to his secret library (he went inside his portrait in that room), and all his and the other Founders' research on empathy and how to cure people like Tom. Unfortunately, they all died before they were able to complete the spells and rituals, so the only things that were left of their research were books and many papers. Rowena Ravenclaw did most of the work in research as she was the most clever, and the others either helped or did research in another area of that subject. Tom got the books and papers to Salazar, and he put them together, which took two hours, but Tom remained patient. The last spell he used the day before helped him gain some of his emotion back. Salazar even explained that even before the spell he was able to fell emotions every one in a while, because apparently, if your magical core was strong enough, it could actually heal you from Tom's condition.
Salazar also permitted Tom to tell Melody about the Chamber, because as a descendant of Hufflepuff, who helped in part of the research, wouldn't rat him out to the Headmaster. Salazar even went as far as to say he could bring her down with him next time, as he was curious to meet her. But first, Tom had to let Melody know that he was going to quit the Dark Arts, in a way that wouldn't sound like he was lying. Tom was a pretty good liar in general, but if he said something as big as quitting the Dark Arts, it was bound to sound like a lie, even if it was true. In his last run in with her yesterday, she could probably tell that his laugh was genuine, so hopefully, that was a start in getting her to believe him.
That day, Melody was very suspicious of what Tom did in the five hours he literally disappeared off to.
And that afternoon in lunch, Melody did something she usually never did. She sat next to Tom at the empty Slytherin table. (there were only a few more Slytherin, who were basically spread out at the empty table)
But of course, she had to have had a reason. And he was right.
"Where were you all morning?" She asked, completely ignoring her food. "You were gone like, five hours."
He scoffed. "Didn't know you cared enough to actually count the amount of hours."
Melody rolled her eyes. "Why? Was it six hours? Seven? Eight? Anyways, getting off track, there was literally no trace of you anywhere in the castle."
"You looked for me?"
"Stop acting so surprised, in a near empty castle, with only a few random Gryffindors, I get bored and end up doing things I'd normally never do," she jabbed her fork at her pasta.
"Such as sitting next to me, which, naturally, you 'would never do,'" he quoted what she had just said a second ago.
"Yes, because, 'naturally,' when I have a question, you keep evading it," Melody mumbled the last bit.
"I'm a Slytherin, it's my specialty," Tom tilted his head innocently, half shrugging.
"Which drives me absolute nuts," she added, half with irritation. "So, quit the evasion technique because I can see right through it. After all, the Hat did consider Slytherin."
"Really?" Tom didn't know that. It would explain how she was a Gryffindor half the time, and then when she was dealing with Tom, bam, a Slytherin through and through.
"Uh huh, but apparently I desired Gryffindor deep down and I was suitable for one, here I am," she shrugged, revealing the maroon and yellow striped ends of her robe sleeves. "Now, mind if you answer my fridging question?"
"Language," he smirked.
"Fridge is not a swear word, Mr Tom I-suddenly-decided-to-become-a-dictionary Riddle," Melody sniped. "So, answer my question!"
"Mr Tom what?" He asked, slightly amused at her colourful name technique because she would never swear. "Alright, what was the question again?"
Melody put down her fork, and face palmed. "It was—Oh Merlin I forgot."
Tom chuckled. "You said you could see right through my technique. But without your knowledge, you added to my technique to make you forget your question."
Melody just stared at him. "And why, pray tell, are you telling me your technique? I thought you would keep it secret and enjoy watching me suffer as I try to interpret what you did?"
"Hmm, that is a good idea I should use for next time..but I told you it because I decided to take pity on you since you're a hopeless case," he said, then looking at her hair that she never bothered to brush that morning.
"Look, just because you don't need a hairbrush and have," Melody did the sarcastic gesture,"–'perfect' hair, it does not mean I do too. Although I could just.." and within a second, her hair was perfect again.
"You could've done that this morning then."
Melody huffed. "Yeah, well, I forgot?"
Tom shook his head. Then, at that moment, Melody smirked. "I remember now..where were you all morning?"
"How about, I tell you later," he snuck a glance at the other students nearby, and the Ravenclaws gawking that Melody actually had the nerve to sit next to him.
"K, fine," she said, then began eating. 'At least she has table manners, unlike Lestrange..' Tom thought, going back to his own food.
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After lunch, they had about fifteen minutes to spare before classes began, so Melody went with Tom in the corridors. Tom put up a silencing ward.
"So?"
"I was in the Chamber of Secrets."
Silence.
"Wha—?" She gawked at him. "Doesn't that mean that you're the Heir of Slytherin?
"Yeah, don't think you were the only one," he said teasingly, though it was only to remove the tension.
"So I was right.." she muttered.
"What?"
"I had a theory that you were the Heir. I saw the serpent engraved onto the tap in the girls bathroom. At least now I know what the heck you were hissing about. I was listening at the door."
"Oh, then that makes the explanation easier. You may be wondering about my behaviour," Tom clarified. Melody nodded slowly. "I've literally never seen you smile or laugh and actually mean it, and I've known you for eight years, so that's saying something."
"Yes, because Salazar Slytherin and the other Founders helped make a cure for my condition of being emotionless—"
"Remove the last eight letters," Melody said seriously. Tom took a moment to remove the puzzled look on his face. "Hey! It isn't my fault that I was born under a love potion!"
"Oh," Melody said, smile faltering. "So, are you...well, cured?"
"Halfway. It turns out I could show emotion beforehand, however, that was only because of my magical core fighting the 'curse' off."
"Oh, so I'll assume that's why you suddenly started asking about my family?"
"Yeah, Salazar told me to quit the Dark Arts, as it does more harm than good."
To Tom's surprise, Melody didn't start saying 'told you!' Or whatever. She just stood there, half shocked, half amazed.
"Who are you and what have you done to Tom Riddle?" She joked.
Tom laughed. The second genuine laugh he's laughed in his life. It was sad, that someone had to wait almost 16 years to actually feel happiness. Melody was grateful that she actually was able to laugh and smile. Sometimes it takes a while for you to realize that everything is a blessing. The ability to breath, the ability to see, the ability to hear, and the ability to feel happy.
"So pretty soon, you should be able to get your emotions back, and pretty soon, McGonagall will be revived," Melody summarized.
"Yeah, the petrification was an accident, Salazar overruled my command to the Basilisk, telling it to only stretch, but that Gryffindor must have accidentally seen it's eyes through a torch or something."
"I nearly had a heart attack when I tripped over her, I seriously thought a murder happened at Hogwarts!" Melody half scolded. "Luckily, I was wrong."
Tom nodded. "Luckily..."
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A / N : Next chapter either comes out the same day, or the day after, it all depends on writer's block. This will be how it is with this story. Let me know what you think: :P
Till next time!