butterfly effect, tom riddle

32. | past

Due to our previous hatred of each other, Abraxas and I couldn't just be friends—but we started to treat each other with great respect. I was certain that he was my grandfather, which made me even more curious about his and Antoinette's relationship. But I knew I shouldn't be sidetracked; after all, I had a much more significant task to deal with.

Tom and I had become closer, and to my surprise, he wasn't upset over our small arguments anymore—or maybe he was just good at controlling his emotions. We spent time dueling in the Room of Requirement, and I started to use spells other than Expelliarmus, something which I could tell pleased him greatly.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, aiming at him. Tom smirked before waving his hand idly, instantaneously creating a powerful defensive charm around him. I was so baffled that I nearly dropped my wand, gawping at his abilities. "That was—you know wandless magic?"

"Of course I do," he scoffed. "I am far more talented than you are. Don't forget that, Viviette."

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance, and wondered briefly how the other students and teachers at Hogwarts would react if they knew of his haughty nature. Slughorn would probably have a heart attack.

"Confringo!" I bellowed, quickly raising my wand and hoping to catch him off-guard. But once again, he dodged it.

His smirk grew, enjoying the fact that I wasn't able to penetrate his extraordinarily powerful bubble of protection. Growing frustrated, I tucked my wand away and glared at him.

"Teach me wandless magic," I commanded, concluding our duel and stepping towards him. Tom cocked a brow inquisitively.

"So soon?" he taunted. "You have to excel at nonverbal magic before I teach you wandless magic."

"I do excel at it," I insisted, crossing my arms across my chest like a petulant child.

"You're...intermediate," he countered scornfully. "You need to be proficient."

"Then teach me how to be proficient," I fired back. "Aren't you supposed to be my tutor?"

Tom smiled in the amused way an indulgent parent would smile at a nonsensical child, irritating me further.

"One day that temper of yours will get you in trouble," he informed me smoothly. "For now, we will focus on dueling."

I released an annoyed groan and flopped down onto a couch that had conveniently appeared out of thin air behind me. I was getting exceedingly stultified by the countless amounts of duels we had done, and I yearned desperately for something a little more exciting.

I closed my eyes and thought of the last time I'd done something even remotely thrilling. That trip at Hogsmeade, perhaps. Or maybe my detention in the Forbidden Forest.

My eyes snapped open as I suddenly remembered something, and I shot up in my seat with the speed of a cheetah.

"Tom," I prompted, even though he was already observing me intently, his head cocked sideways. "Remember my detention? In the forest? You said—you talked of immortality."

"I did," Tom agreed, studying me with slight curiosity in his anthracite-colored eyes.

"You plan on achieving it," I continued, frowning slightly. This was something that I didn't already know from my time period; no spellbooks mentioned anything about Lord Voldemort's plans for immortality. "You never told me why, because you didn't trust me."

Tom reacted with a slight nod of his head, a spark entering his eyes. I usually had a difficult time deciphering his emotions, but I could tell that something in his expression was rather...eager.