Not Broken, Not Yet | Tom Riddle

Chapter Twenty-Two

"I'm waiting." I teased.

"Shhh..." Riddle hushed me, lifting a finger to silence me as something suddenly shifted in the stone wall before us. He opened his eyes as a grand door of black mahogany slowly appeared on the wall, melting away the stone as it took its place before us. Riddle nodded to himself.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "Bravo, Riddle, a door." My voice dripped with sarcasm.

He shot me an annoyed look. "Bravo, Green, you have eyes."

I put a hand over my heart. "Aw! You've noticed!"

He sighed deeply before gesturing to the door that slowly opened before us. "After you." He said, completely ignoring my comment.

"Someone's sensitive." I muttered and walked past him. "You know you sh- Wow." Whatever thought it was I was trying to put into words was promptly interrupted as I lay eyes on the glory that was The Room of Requirement.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a large library. Great mahogany bookshelves lined seemingly never ending walls that were draped with black and green velvet draperies. A crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room, illuminating the grand bookshelves and staircases leading up to different stories. I was so taken by the shelves that I barely even noticed the rest of the room. For in the other end a fireplace burnt silently in front of a set of green velvet couches and two leather armchairs. A window overlooking the forest boasted on a wall filled with paintings and more velvet draperies. Candles stood on small tables and a door to the side where a scent of herbs escaped from whispered of quite a large collection of potion ingredients.

"Close your mouth, Green. A bug might fly into it." Riddle said dryly as he walked past me, a joyous gleam in his otherwise so cold eyes.

"Close your mouth, Green." I mocked as I stepped in behind him. The door closed behind us, masking my mockery effortlessly. Not that it mattered, Riddle had already disappeared into the storage room. I could hear him rummaging through jars and drawers as he looked for all the ingredients. Meanwhile I fished out a cauldron from another storage room, along with other necessary equipment. I sat it down in front of the fireplace. Riddle was still busy in the other room and I took the moment to relax, hopping up onto a couch and lounging on the soft velvet as snow fell outside the window. The fire was quickly warming up the at first cold room and I pulled off my cloak, folding it next to me before loosening my tie ever so slightly.

"Typical."

I whirled around to find Riddle, arms filled with ingredients. He eyed my shirt and loose tie with annoyance. "Gryffindors." He mumbled and set down the ingredients neatly on the table in front of the couches.

"You would benefit with some loosening up too, you know." I remarked, pulling my legs to me as I eyed him.

"Now would I, Green?" He asked in a mumbling voice as he flipped through the pages of Slughorn's book.

"Quite so. Not looking like you have a wand up your arse does wonders." I teased, before quickly adding. "Page 27, genius."

Riddle squared his jaw and found the right page. "You have a very foul mouth." He said as he read the recipe to himself.

"No." I chirped. "I'd argue it's quite lovely."

His eyes shot up to mine, for a moment hovering over my lips before he looked back down on the book. "Average." He said shortly. "Now hand me the Ashwinder egg." He commanded as he continued reading the instructions.

I huffed my annoyance. "Get it yourself."

A moment passed before he even moved, then, slowly, he lowered the book and met my gaze. I felt my heart stopping for a moment as his dark eyes seemed to shrink me down into nothing but an ant. "Is that really a game you wish to play with me?" He asked me, voice dangerously low.