butterfly effect, tom riddle

31. | past

Tom and I continued to act respectful to each other, despite our disagreement in the Chamber of Secrets. I felt utterly disheartened by my progress—or lack of. I hadn't done anything to change his horrific views—instead, I'd only made him angry.

He seemed to have forgotten about it, however—or just wanted me to believe he did. We often took walks around the castle together, bickering or just conversing.

"What do you have against Abraxas's relationship with Antoinette?" I quizzed one day, as we strolled around the Hogwarts grounds leisurely.

"It's a foolish relationship," Tom replied. "Bagman is hardly a respectable surname—I plan for Abraxas on marrying a girl from a well-known, pureblooded family."

I tried my hardest to disregard the anger boiling in my veins at his statement—if only he knew that I was a Bagman, myself.

"You're not his dad or anything," I chided, rolling my eyes. "You can't just plan out marriages for your followers—or friends, as you so like to call them."

"I can do whatever I'd like," Tom riposted coolly. "And I doubt the Malfoys approve of their relationship, or even know of it. It disgusts me; his so-called 'love' for her. She's a blood traitor, a Hufflepuff, a Bagman—in other words, a worthless nobody. It's disgraceful. I do not see why he finds her so fascinating, either—she is utterly unremarkable."

"She is kind, intelligent and beautiful," I snapped. "No wonder Abraxas is in love with her. You should just let them be."

Tom's eyes flashed in annoyance for a second, and he opened his mouth, likely to argue further, when the sight of Abraxas and Antoinette sitting down by the Black Lake, as if summoned by our discussion, captured both of our attention.

I shot him a glare, before putting a smile on my face and starting to make my way up to the couple, when Tom suddenly snatched my wrist.

"Where are you going?" he hissed, venom dripping from every syllable of his words.

"To say hi to Antoinette, obviously," I retorted, quirking a brow up at him inquiringly.

"I have a better idea," he announced, before brandishing his wand and suddenly touching the top of my head with it.

At first, I thought a raw egg had been cracked over my head; I felt a peculiar liquid cascade down my body, and I glanced down to see that every part of my body that the invisible liquid touched had gone—turned invisible.

I gawked up at Tom in bafflement to see that he was performing an identical charm to himself, rendering himself completely invisible.

Before I could protest or question him about it, I felt him grab my wrist and drag me to where Antoinette and Abraxas were. We were now right behind them—so close I could touch their heads if I wanted to. I wished to greet them, but realized it would probably terrify them if I did—I was invisible, after all. And Tom evidently had some sort of agenda planned, and if I ruined it, he'd make sure I died in the most agonizing way possible.

"Why are you so unsure about us, Brax?" Antoinette asked softly, her tone sounding heartbroken and morose.

"My family—"

"Who cares?" Antoinette interjected, placing a hand over his lovingly. "If your family really loves you, then they'll have to accept it. Once they see how much we love each other—"

"You don't understand, dear," sighed Abraxas, and my jaw dropped at the tender way he addressed her—as if she were the most precious thing in the world. "My family will never allow me to marry you. It never works that way for Malfoys—we must marry respectable purebloods, or be disowned. After I graduate, I'll have no choice but to marry whoever my parents ask me to."