SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

041. VITIIS NEMO SINE NASCITUR

CHAPTER FORTY ONE
— no one is born without faults

      
TOM WAS FILLED WITH THE SAME SENSE OF PRIDE RHEA FELT WHEN SHE BROUGHT THE THESTRAL BACK TO LIFE. She didn't need to look inside of his mind or speak to him to know that this — creating the first of his seven Horcruxes — was truly the beginning of Tom's dark reign over the wizarding world. And when Rhea looked down at him, as those three words slipped from his lips ('We'. He'd actually said we), she knew that no one, not even Grindelwald, could prepare themselves for the chaos that she and Tom were going to bring about. She found herself desperately wishing that she could see everything Tom wanted to accomplish through to the end; she wished that she wouldn't have to leave him and the Knights behind when they graduated. She wanted to stand right there beside him as he conquered the world.

The other Knights of Walpurgis, including the newest members Davina Selwyn and Juniper Prewett, were filled with the same passion for Tom and his cause as they watched their leader split his soul before their eyes. Any doubts that they had of Tom's abilities to lead them to victory had vanished in an instant. He had truly won them over and cemented their loyalty for life.

Abraxas Malfoy broke from the circle, taking long strides to make his way to where Rhea and Tom crouched on the ground. Their leader sat up, staring between Abraxas and Rhea with a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Abraxas' chest swelled with pride as he looked down at the boy he considered to be his closest friend — Abraxas had believed in Tom since the boy first approached him in first year with grand dreams of a better life where he would no longer be the half-blood orphan boy that he was when Dumbledore first informed him of his magical abilities. Abraxas grinned at Tom before turning to everyone and saying,

"Kneel before your Dark Lord." Abraxas commanded, his light eyes turning icy as he stared at the others. Nott, Mulciber, Avery, and Lestrange dropped to their knees first, with Ramsey tugging at Seraphina's sleeve to get her to follow his lead. The Rosier's and Avida followed before the rest of them slowly started to fall to the ground, bowing their heads to their Dark Lord.

It was unlike anything Rhea had ever seen before, and she grew up watching her father become Grindelwald's most loyal acolyte. Even in his acolytes, Rhea had never seen a dark wizard's followers submit themselves so willingly to someone so young. If Tom had managed to create all of this after a few years at Hogwarts, Rhea could only imagine what he would accomplish after he left.

She returned to Hel House that night and spent the rest of Easter break replaying memories of Tom creating his first Horcrux in her head.

When they returned to the castle, things were different amongst the Knights of Walpurgis. Tom's new title of Dark Lord meant that they followed him around everywhere, watching and noticing his every move which made it impossible for Rhea to find a moment alone with the boy. She would sit in Transfigurations and watch as Davina fawned over him or notice how Lupe and Abraxas now seemed to be attached to his side. Rhea wasn't the only person who noticed either. Astrea Ravenswood approached her about it while she lounged by the Great Lake during break.

"They all think he's a god. He thinks he's a god." Astrea chuckled. Rhea wasn't too sure what prompted Astrea to sit beside her that day, but she found herself not minding the girl's company. With Seraphina in love with Ramsey Lestrange and Persephone devoting all of her attention towards their end of the year exams, Rhea hadn't had much company from anyone as of late. And speaking with Astrea proved to be a welcome distraction from the dread that Rhea felt as each day passed and the end of the school year drew to a close.

"Riddle's always thought he was a god." Rhea replied, making Astrea chuckle.

"Not always. Tom was quite different when we first came to Hogwarts." Astrea said, getting a far off look in her eyes as she thought about it before shaking her head dismissively. Rhea furrowed her brows.