Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

24: Torn Asunder

"A-are you g-going to kill me too, Tom? Like Myrtle?" Cassiopeia's breathing quickened, her body covered in perspiration. She heard him chuckle before he gently tightened his arms around her.

"You're mad, silly. Why would I?" Tom kissed her cheek from behind. "You're my family."

Cassiopeia's voice quivered as she watched the serpent approach, her fear almost tangible. "Tom, it's co—coming to me."

"She won't hurt you; she's under my control," Tom reassured her calmly as the poisonous serpent stopped just a foot away from her. He asked if she'd like to pet it, but Cassiopeia shook her head 'no' with trepidation. Tom mumbled something in Parseltongue again, causing the serpent to slither back to its original position. As the mouth of the statue sealed shut, Cassiopeia turned around to see Tom's triumphant expression.

"You aren't the boy I love," she said, pressing his diary to his chest. "You're becoming a monster, Tom."

With determination, she tried to walk past him, realizing she needed space to think about the changes she was witnessing in him. However, Tom swiftly grabbed her wrist, turning her back to face him. "Are you going to leave me forever?" His eyes bore into hers, wounded by the prospect.

Cassiopeia shook her head and walked back to him. She cupped his face with both her hands and said, "You aren't a monster, Tom. You still have time to change, please."

Unbeknownst to her, tears began to stream down her cheeks, and she sobbed on his chest. Tom remained motionless, like a statue. Cassiopeia couldn't understand what had happened to him.

"You will have an eternal life with me," he declared, causing her to pull away. She gazed at him, disbelieving. "I'll be your Horcrux."

"Are you really mad, Tom?" Cassiopeia raised her voice, struggling to control her anger, which masked the pain she felt due to his recent behavior. "I'm not insane enough to kill someone else to preserve my own life. Just stop this, Tom."

"Cassie, don't you understand—"

"I understand everything, Tom," she interrupted, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "You're slowly losing your humanity, and one day you will never hesitate to hurt me too."

"I will never hurt you, Cass. Please just—"

"You have already hurt me, Tom," she declared before running away and apparating to the lavatory. She then hurried down the darkened corridors, crying. Her footsteps echoed on the floor, especially in the curfewed silence. Dim lighting illuminated the corridors, but before she reached the Common Room, she collided with someone, causing her to stumble back. The person quickly caught her, preventing her from falling.

She regained her footing and saw a familiar head of blonde hair, bright even in the dim light.

"Did your filthy half-blood prince hurt you, little princess?" Malfoy sneered as he looked down at her.

"None of your business, Malfoy," Cassiopeia retorted, attempting to walk away. However, he grabbed her wrist and pinned her against a wall, keeping his distance. She stopped in her tracks as he pointed his wand at her. Unfortunately, she was without her own wand at the moment. She didn't move, but her defiant expression revealed she wasn't afraid of him.

"So, Cassiopeia Lestrange, I know what's going on between you and Tom. I suspected it from the beginning, you know," Malfoy said, his wicked smile spreading.

Cassiopeia remained silent, waiting for his next words.

"Did you think I'm blind and deaf when you always spent time in the Lestrange dorm, even when he wasn't there? I'm not a fool, Cassiopeia Lestrange."

"Why do you care?" she spat, trying to walk away. However, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the wall, keeping his distance. She stood her ground as he pointed his wand at her. Unfortunately, she had no wand at the moment. She didn't move but never showed fear.

Malfoy's expression grew angry as he continued, "You always chose him whenever I tried to get close to you. Do you know how it feels, the thing you own is almost enjoyed by another who has no right to it?"

"I'm not an object, you dipshit," Cassiopeia groaned, which only seemed to incense Malfoy further.

"I never keep things that have been touched by someone else," Malfoy declared, seemingly unconcerned with her retort. "If something has been used by a filthy half-blood, I'd rather destroy it than use it as a secondhand object."

Cassiopeia's breath caught in her throat as his words spilled from his tongue. What did he mean? What did he mean by "ruining"?

"Malfoy—"

"Avada Kedavra."

The words, a green light, pitch black...

A/N

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲!!!

𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨.

~ monoceros_x