Star Crossed

Chapter Twenty Seven- And I intend to be cruel

  He was something solid to lean against, something violent and fierce and unmoving.   

It was February 15th and it was as if Valentines day had never even happened. No one was talking about what had happened the previous day anymore, on the contrary people were avoiding talking about the day all together, instead they seemed to instantly stop themselves if they found themselves mentioning it at all. If this had happened to anybody else, there is no doubt that people would have still been laughing and teasing about the incident but clearly this time was different, when it involved Tom Riddle it was different. There seemed to be a thick atmosphere hanging in the air, threatening and dark. Tom's Slytherin 'employees' seemed to behind most of the 'business protection' schemes, as they appeared to patrol the school shooting threatening looks to everyone. Tom himself however had been no where to be seen... 
though I'm sure he would have been attending his classes. 

It was been about two weeks now and we had now slid our way into the start of March, the sun was rising earlier and setting later as the birds sang in joy at the fresh warmer air. 
I was enjoying the much improved weather by sitting out on the grassy embankment just outside the castle walls, reading up on Defense Against the Dark Arts, I had just reached the chapter on counter-curses when Myrtle Warren came hurtling around the corner. I looked up and craned my next behind her to see what or who it was she had been running away from, when I saw no-one I shrugged, shaking my head and returned to my textbook but this didn't last for long, 
"Hey, I was speaking to you Warren, or can't you see that with those ridiculous glasses?" A brown hair girl with a mean looking face shouted after her, Walburga Black and another Slytherin girl with blonde curly hair who I didn't recognise stood behind her smirking at each other, Myrtle was in tears now as she sped off back into the walls of the school.
"Nice one Olive, she's pathetic. Tom will be so thrilled," the curly hair witch simpered, looking admiringly at the tall ring leader, I farrowed my brow why would Tom be 'thrilled'? I know he hated Myrtle maybe that was all there was to it but  I decided to keep an eye out for Olive and her little posse anyhow. 

"Whoops I'm so sorry," I looked around to see a scatter of books laying all over the corridor floor as Myrtle wailed and fell to the floor trying to pick them all back up, while Olive, Walburga and the girl I had now learned was called Agatha kicked them around out of her grasp. 

A couple more weeks went by, where I had witnessed Myrtle being hounded by Olive and her group of lap dogs and enough was enough I had to say something, there treatment of her was getting worse and worse, only the other day Myrtle's nose had actually been left bleeding, after they had levitated her up around ten feet and then let her drop to the floor with a sickening crunch. 

"Tom," I called, catching a glimpse of his retreating back down the corridor, I noticed with a start that he was walking along with Avery on his left and  non other than Olive on his right.  He stopped and turned his head, 
"Can I have a word?" I asked, fixing Olive with a nasty look, which she returned with a patronising smirk. Tom nodded at them to continue without me and inclined his head, gesturing to the side of the corridor. 
"I want to talk about her," Tom rolled his eyes, 
"I never did like divination much Grisha and you have never been a fan of me reading your mind," He smirked,
"Olive," I said through gritted teeth, I wasn't feeling in the mood for his mocking today. He raised an eyebrow at me but he did not speak, 
"She's vile," I spat, "I suppose you are aware of how badly she and her little friends have been treating Myrtle," 
Tom smirked, "Grisha, Grisha," he said leaning on one of the pillars and crossing his arms. 
"Myrtle irritates a lot of people, she brings this on herself," he said nonchalant, 
"You mean she humiliated you," I said unable to spot myself, Tom's eyes grew dark.
"Do not get involved Grisha. I have nothing to do with whatever it is that is happening to Myrtle, that is a conversation you should be having with Olive if it bothers you. Have you ever saw me say a bad word to Myrtle?" Tom asked silkily, 
"Well... no," I admitted bitterly, "but..."
"There is no buts Grisha," Tom laughed, "There is no dirt upon my conscience," I could not ignore the ghost of a smirk behind his eyes, "Do I admit that Myrtle getting humiliated herself does not somewhat please me? Yes. Do I wish her ill health? No of course not," he smiled, but there was something dark there, something I did not trust and yet I nodded, he was right Tom himself had done absolutely nothing to Myrtle. 

"You took house points," Wiglaf said flicking through some papers as we sat in the Room of Requirement, 
"Of course," replied Tom absently spinning his wand in his long fingers, "She was out of hours in the girls bathroom," Tom said with a bored expression, Wiglaf nodded. 
"Wait what was you doing in a girls bathroom?" Lazarus said, pointing a finger at Tom. 
"Powdering my nose," Tom replied, "What do you think I was doing Lazarus? I was patrolling and I heard a commotion in the bathroom and so naturally I went to investigate, by all accounts she hides in their often." Tom smirked, 
 "I thought you would have given her a detention to better deter her from re-offending," Wiglaf said disapprovingly,
"I just thought that I wouldn't be too hard on her," he smirked,
"I thought you of all people would want to be," Lazarus said smirking,
"Live and let live Laz, live and let live," Tom smirked. 
But little did any of us know that Tom had planned to do anything but live and let live...