Chasing Riddle

:･ﾟ avery :･ﾟ

hey guys!
I hope everyone is feeling good.  Please be safe, wash your hands, practice social distancing and don't freak out.  The only good news about this is that I'm able to write a bit more.  And y'all can read a bit more. 

stay safe out there guys, I love you!

***

Harlow got up from the table, her fork clattering to her plate as she started to follow the two to the door.  She didn't know what excuse she'd bring up for following them but there was a knife involved.  She wished she didn't have to do it this way, deadly silent and brimming with worry but this was the only choice she had.   It was risk being embarrassed or risk Noah dying, or worse: being tortured at the hands of Tom. 

She quickly followed them out of the dining hall, her eyes catching onto the ends of their cloaks as they swept down corridor after corridor.

As Harlow sped down the stairs, her foot miscalculated a false step and she slipped, her legs wobbling precariously under her as she tried to right herself on the last step before the landing.  Her hands reach out and grasp the railing before she manages to spectacularly fall onto the darkwood fishbone flooring.  Still, her hands slapping onto the balustrade is enough to make one of the cape tails stop. 

She lets out a soft gasp and tries her best to find a coat of armor to leap behind but the hallway is mysteriously empty. 

A disillusionment spell would work.  

She whispers: "Raihnech Abscondo", wrapping the wand in a motion around her figure and closes her eyes.  She feels the boys round the corner back to her again and draw in a breath.  Hopefully, they hadn't heard her start the spell.

Tom finally appears a few paces before her and she feels his sweeping eyes catch onto her body before flickering away to the end of the hallway behind her. 

"I swear I heard something." Luxe hisses and Tom puts a finger up to his mouth.

"Who's here?" Tom shouts and Harlow watches as his voice echoes and rings back to him.  

Did he really think anyone would answer him?

Scratch that.  Nothing screamed more Tom than RESPOND TO ME shouted practically in an empty hall. 

His foot edges closer as he walks practically to stand a few inches in front of her.  His breath mingles with hers as she stares into his eyes, levelling with her.

They were obsidian black.  No pupil in them, nothing but a vortex of the darkest color she's seen. And there was no feeling in them either.

In other people's eyes, Harlow could always spot the feeling.  She could spot the tiny hint of a human sparkle, whether that be amusement at what they were looking at, love for long forgotten memories or just the dull shiny glaze of boredom.  

In his eyes though, Harlow saw nothing.  Only a bottomless pit of unscrutinized darkness. 

However, as soon as his eyes had latched onto hers, he turned his angular jaw away and walked a few steps to her right.  

She tried to keep the sigh of relief from escaping her and succeeded as he brushed by, followed shortly in tow by Luxe, with his brow furrowed and his hand still nudging the knife into Noah's back.

Harlow watches them go, reaching the end of the corridor where the door is.  Tom's hand reaches for the knob and she sees his delicate fingers graze it before they fly away.  And in an instant he utters the words that Harlow knows is her undoing.

"Homenum Revelio"

She feels the chill of something sweeping under her and she knows that Tom has been alerted.  His eyes latch onto where she is and he grins, his mouth stretching candidly from corner to corner as he basks in his new achievement.

"Harlow.  Of course you're here." Tom drawls.  Harlow doesn't know if she should give it up or not so she decides to remain silent.

"Harlow?" Noah's voice is desperate and she feels a small tug in her previously fortified heart. 

She stays perfectly still, though she can feel her heat thumping in her chest and her breath threatening to escape in loud puffs. 

"Harlow, if you must know.  This is actually the Room Of Requirement.  I knew you'd be following us so I made this hallway kind of impossible to escape.  Give yourself up." Tom snarls into the silence. 

Luxe glances wildly around him, with what seems to be a tinge of terror in his eyes.  Harlow knew that somewhere in that dark heart of his, he was scared or worried.  Worried for her?  If he was, whatever situation she was in right now was definitely dangerous.  And she definitely was scared.

But no.  She had to suck it up.  Harlow breathes in deeply and waves her wand in a reversal of what she had done earlier.  The chameleon like barrier falls almost instantaneously and she finds herself in front of Tom.

"Hey there, mastermind." She says, sarcastically biting with her tone.

Tom's eyes darken and he seems furious.  More angry than she had ever seen before.  Shoot.  She was in deep trouble now.  Deep, deep, no getting out of this trouble.

"What are you doing?" Tom asks her, his voice scathing.

"I saw you had a knife.  And the new boy.  Of course, I'd have to see what was up."  Harlow tried to steady her breathing.  "I thought we were in this together.  You said that we were.  If I finished my part of the deal with Brittany."  She shrugged.

"And yet, you still haven't destroyed that girl yet." He shakes his head.  

Harlow risks a quick glance towards Noah who is watching this exchange with a wide open mouth and saucer plate eyes.

"I haven't but it was going to happen soon.  And you made me torture this stupid boy for nothing." She pointed an accusing finger at Noah, trying to keep the concern out of her voice.

"Because I think you're hiding something from me about him.  I know I'm right." He stares her down but she doesn't flinch. 

"Honestly, whatever.  You think I'm involved with this new kid? I don't care.  Think what you'd like.  But if I really was involved with him then what does it mean to you? You know that I wouldn't be with someone as weak as him when I have ambitions and power that is as lofty as I am. Why are you even spending your time trying to torture him?"  She tries to keep the ball rolling.

"It's none of your business" Riddle says coldly and turns back to Noah.

"Are you going to tell her about our agreement or what?" He spats in Noah's face.  Luxe looks between the two of them and clears his throat.

"Maybe we can do this later?" Luxe tries.

"Shut up." This time, Noah talks back.

"What agreement?" Harlow asks.

The tense silence that she is met with scares her.