Turned - Tom Riddle

Chapter Seven

"Beth, are you alright?" Matilda asked her as they brushed out their hair. Melissa had headed out to meet Pevlos in Hogsmeade for breakfast.

Elizabeth had been awfully quiet; she even breathed quietly. Tom Riddle had done what he had intended to, and he scared the words out of her mouth. She felt as if he was watching her, even if he wasn't there. She felt the bruise on her arm that his tight grip had left on her.

"Beth?" she called out again.

Elizabeth looked up and set the brush down, "I'm sorry, I'm very tired."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Matilda apologized, setting her brush down.

"It's alright" she told Matilda. "Are you planning on going to Hogsmeade today?"

"I believe so. Wal found a dress, so I suppose she can stay here with you unless you feel like coming out again," she said, taking her nightdress off and taking out her day clothes.

"I think I might," Elizabeth said, quite half-heartedly. She began changing into her day clothes and didn't even realize what she had forgotten until a loud screech erupted from Matilda.

"Oh Merlin!" Matilda took Elizabeth's arm in her hands, "Who did this to you?" She inspected the hand-printed bruise that wrapped around Elizabeth's arm.

She pulled her arm out of Matilda's grasp and tugged a sweater on over her sleeveless dress.

"Hey," Matilda brought the conversation back. "I'm not done with you," she grabbed her friend's attention. "Beth, if I have to go throughout the entire castle searching for a handprint like that, I will. Unless you tell me," she crossed her thin arms over her chest, as if it gave her authority.

Elizabeth sighed. "That'd be an awful way to spend your weekend, wouldn't it?" she said with a faint laugh.

"Now that you're talking, will you please tell me what happened?"

"Well, I was bored when you were out shopping," she started, thinking she'd tell the truth. But then she'd have to explain Baxtart's. She didn't want her new friend to think that she was a freak. "So, I went up to the Astronomy Tower with Pevlos and we were just fooling around, but I slipped on a patch of ice and nearly fell off. Luckily, he grabbed me in time, but he had a mighty strong grip."

"Oh thank Merlin nobody hurt you," Matilda said. "I see why you didn't want to tell me," a smug grin grew on her face.

"You do?" Elizabeth questioned, not knowing any reason.

A grin as wide as the Hogwarts Express resided on Matilda's face. "Oh don't play dumb. Pevlos obviously fancies you!"

Elizabeth was dumbfounded. She didn't expect that. "I don't think so, Matilda."

"Okay, don't believe me," she grinned.

"That can't be true. He loves Melissa."

Matilda continued brushing her hair with a playful smile tugging at her cheeks.

Elizabeth buttoned together her sweater and put her coat over her forearm, slipping her feet into a pair of winter boots. "I'll wait in the Common Room," she announced.

"Alright," Matilda only then began to put on her dress. "I won't be long, I promise," she began more quickly putting her clothes on as Elizabeth exited the dormitory and strolled up the stairs.

Tom sat in his usual chair by the fireplace, with his head crooked down into a beat up novel. Elizabeth sat down in a wooden chair at a table near some second years who were gagging as they devoured Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans. They all turned their heads towards her and looked at her as if it were the most absurd thing for her to be sitting there.