Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Thirty-Two

"It was the only way she would quit lying!" Xavier shouted, though his face contorted with pure confusion a moment later. "I mean, did it not work?"

Tom felt the blood in his veins boiling as he spat out his next words. "No, you morons. Because your entire plan depended on Avery delivering the right cups and the idiot mixed them up."

He watched as twin looks of horror washed over their faces. Rosier stuttered out, "Y-you didn't-"

"I did," Tom said through gritted teeth.

Rosier's eyes widened so much that he thought they might burst out of his head and Lestrange slapped a hand over his own mouth, both of them suddenly rightfully fearing for their lives. Rosier tried to speak once more. "That was never meant for you-"

"I don't care what you meant. You imbeciles should be grateful I didn't reveal anything too damaging to her."

"She left us no choice," Lestrange said. "She's lying to us all. We only wanted to get her to confess it to you so you'd understand-"

"I already warned you about meddling with her anymore, did I not?" he hissed, lowering his wand away from Rosier and advancing towards Xavier.

"You don't get it!" Lestrange exclaimed. "She's after something!"

Tom only said one word. "Explain."

"That night after the Hogsmeade attack," Lestrange started. "She used Legilimency to go into my mind."

"And see what?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I was under the effects of the pain medications and everything was hazy. I didn't even remember she did it until..." His words trailed off as a shudder ran down his spine when he recalled the night of his abuse at the hands of Riddle, his fingers trembling nervously.

Tom paused a moment, fiddling with the ring on his finger while trying to make sense of what the boy had just confessed. Everything he learned about Hendrix only confused him more and more. Every answer led to more questions, and every revelation led to more secrets.

The two boys stared at him with so much fear in their eyes that he found the sight pathetic. His words came out so cold that both boys shuddered at the sound. "Don't ever meddle in my business again."

He flicked his wand towards the duo and watched as the ties around their necks began to wrap tightly around their throats. Their fingers grappled with the cloth, trying to pry it off their necks, but their struggle only forced the fabric to suffocate them more, restricting their airways until their breathing came out in choked gasps.

Their bodies thrashed violently as they tried to rip their ties off, but they only inched closer and closer to blacking out. Without another word, Tom turned around and left their dorm, the ties loosening as the door slammed shut behind him, dropping the two gasping boys to their knees as they shared a look of disbelief.

-----

The next morning, Avalon stumbled towards the Great Hall as she tiredly rubbed her eyes, exhaustion swamping her entire body. She hadn't been able to fall asleep at all-- Riddle's words kept replaying over and over in her mind, keeping her up with a million different thoughts and worries.

She couldn't shake the unease that overtook her when she thought about his honest vulnerability. For once, she had seen a glimpse of his unfiltered, raw self. No lies, no walls, no secrets: just him.

And he had been so... human.

His words belonged to a person who was still capable of feeling. All this time, she had viewed him as an empty shell of a person: devoid of emotions, devoid of humanity, devoid of all things that made him whole.