Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Sixty-Two

"Why would he want that?" Avalon asked urgently.

"He wants them to be as deranged as possible. Makes them more effective in battles," shrugged the boy. "Reckon the two of them have more murders under their names than all the others combined."

"He's turned them into his own personal executioners..." said Avalon breathlessly, looking at Tom with a similar look of despair that was mirrored in his own gaze.

But, a moment before Neville was going to speak once more, all three of them were distracted by the sound of excited shouts and hollers coming from just beyond the thin, silvery line of defense. They turned to see the hoard of Death Eaters, Snatchers, and various creatures all cheering as they pointed to the sky.

Reluctantly, their eyes trailed to the source of the commotion, watching in horror as the shield began to crumble from above the castle. Rapidly, the protections began to diminish, leaving Hogwarts vulnerable to the evils that lurked just beyond the safety of the shield.

"We have to get out of here," Avalon said, stumbling backwards as she tried to pry her eyes off the falling shield. She motioned for Tom and Neville to follow her as she began to run toward the bridge. "Come on!"

The two boys quickly ran after her, trying to beat the clock as the shield withered away to nothingness. Moments later, they heard thousands of footsteps charging toward them as the Dark Lord's forces began to chase after them, ready to storm the castle. They didn't dare look behind them to see how much space there was between them and the enemy line, but judging by the sound of it, it was obvious the Death Eaters were hot on their trail.

Avalon let out a startled shout as she ducked just in time to miss a green flash that landed on the bridge's beam, inches from where her head had been. Tom didn't miss a beat, throwing back a massive gust of wind behind them that blew their enemies back with a powerful force.

Avalon could see Seamus on the other side of the bridge, desperately motioning for the trio to hurry to safety. They tried to sprint even quicker, pushing themselves until their legs couldn't possibly move any faster.

"Hurry up!" called out Seamus, though they could barely hear him over the sound of yelling, stomping, and laughter that was following them closely from behind. She could barely even register her own movements anymore-- she was being carried by primal instinct.

Run faster or die. Simple as that.

They finally neared the end of the bridge and watched as Seamus pointed his wand at the wooden structure, a massive flash of red detonating as a destructive explosion of flames began to engulf the beams. The bridge began to tremble as it started to collapse from the center, the wooden planks falling into the abyss beneath it one by one.

Avalon could hear the shouts of the people behind them falling into the fiery depths, but she couldn't turn around to see it, still desperate to reach the end of the bridge. With as much energy as she could muster up, she finally made it, Tom following her only a step behind.

They turned around in time to see the bridge collapsing beneath Neville's feet. Both their eyes widened, but Tom was the first to skid onto the ground, quickly extending a hand just before the boy fell into the trench.

Neville caught onto his wrist just in time.

Avalon and Seamus scrambled to his side, falling down beside him and helping him hoist Neville back up to safety. And then, the four of them just sat there for a moment, trying to catch their breath.

A few moments of quiet passed before Neville glanced at Tom, his eyes wide, chest heaving in a frantic pace, before turning to Avalon and saying, "I like your friend."