Orion stared at the letter, his hands trembling as a million thoughts swirled through his brain.
He couldn't think straight. Everything came rushing to him all at once: confusion, fear, heartache... anger.
The mere thought of his beloved's death being anything more than an accident made every inch of his body burn with a rage that had never once inhabited him before-- this was unlike anything he had ever experienced. This was personal, and he was furious.
Without even a moment of thought, he shoved the letter into his pocket, grabbed his wand, and ran toward the second-floor girl's bathroom. The world around him was nothing more than a backdrop to his full-fledged desperation. He stormed across the castle, avoiding his peer's eyes as he scrambled to get to where he needed to be. His thoughts were plagued with all the possible worst-case scenarios.
None of them scared him much. He was already living in his worst-case scenario. And he couldn't think of a possible way that life could hurt him any more than it already had. Because he had nothing left to fucking lose.
The hallway leading to the bathroom was eerily quiet. No students dared venture to that part of the castle-- not anymore, anyway. But, Orion didn't care--he wasn't afraid. Call it bravery or call it recklessness, either way, he was fearless. Nothing would stop him from finding out what the hell had happened to the love of his life. Because there isn't a thing more dangerous than a grieving soul, and he knew that better than anyone.
His hands shoved on the wooden doors leading to the bathroom, swinging them wide open as he cautiously walked in, his wand in his hands. The space looked empty. Cool air danced on his skin while his eyes scanned around, desperate to find a clue-- any clue-- of why he was there.
But, it appeared as though the space was deserted. The serenity was almost eerie-- as though the air were ridden with secrets that were desperate to break free. The quiet was not calming, nor did it allow him a moment to think. It was quite the opposite. In his isolation, he was met with even more questions. Questions that he needed answered. Questions that he refused to leave alone.
The sound of the door slamming shut behind Orion startled him enough for him to whip around, but there was nobody there. Instead, he heard footsteps slowly creep out from behind the towering, stone sinks.
"You never could resist a secret meeting, could you?"
Orion felt his heart sink as he turned around, feeling sick to his stomach as he came face to face with someone he had once called a friend. His fingers shakily reached into his pocket, taking out the letter and staring incredulously at Lestrange. "You..."
"You don't look pleased to see me," chuckled the spoiled heir, grinning down at his wand before summoning the letter into his hands, turning it to ashes in his grasp. "For a moment, I thought you'd keep me waiting here all day."
"What the fuck do you want, Lestrange?" hissed Orion. He could not-- nor did he want to-- hide the disgust in his tone when he spoke to the boy.
"That's no way to speak to an old friend, is it?" gasped Xavier, a look of feigned hurt on his sadistic face. "I only wished to talk, that's all."
"I have nothing to say to you," said Orion, turning to head back toward the door.
"So you don't want to hear what happened to your little girlfriend?"
Orion stopped in his tracks, clenching his fists as he slowly turned back around, facing Lestrange once more. "Don't you dare speak of her."
Xavier shrugged, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright. Perfectly fine. Let's talk about our dear friend Avalon, then. Shall we?" His eyes held a derangement in them that had never once faded since the night of his torture. It was as though he was empty-- soulless. There was no humanity left in him. All that remained was a demented and crazed ghost of the person he once was. Orion's grip tightened around his wand, but he listened as Lestrange continued speaking. "Avalon, Avalon, Avalon... lovely girl... quite intelligent... rather brave... strong. And charming, too. So much so that it appears she has managed to meddle with the course of destiny, itself. I tried to stop her-- really, I did. Perhaps, if our boy, Tom, hadn't saved her from the boggart that I managed to lure her to, we could have all been spared quite a good deal of trouble."
Orion's eyes widened. "You son of a-"
Xavier reached into his coat, pulling out Tom's black leather diary before holding it up for Orion to see. "Do you know what this is?"
Orion felt his blood run cold. He shook his head, his denial overtaking him as he said under his breath, "Tom destroyed that already..."
"He would have," grinned the delirious boy. "In fact, if I hadn't heard the two of you screaming at one another in your room, maybe he would have succeeded. You know, you really do need to start using silencing charms when discussing important matters," he said, smirking as he motioned toward the door. Orion felt a rising sense of unease as he became aware that the bathroom had been muted from the inside. The outside world could not hear them. "Though, in a sense, I suppose I owe my life to your negligence."
"What are you going on about?" Orion said, his frustration growing by the second.
"You saved me, you really did. Because I made a Vow to Riddle. I swore to him-- on my life-- that if he was ever weakened, I would revive him with this," he said, waving the diary. When he laughed, it wasn't a joyous sound. It was chilling. Evil. Crazed. Orion felt sick to his stomach when he thought about the countless years he had spent calling the boy his friend. "After I heard your little... conversation... I knew the bastard was going to try and destroy them, himself. Love is, after all, weakness."
"You switched the diary..." Orion said breathlessly, glaring at the smiling boy before him.
"Wasn't all that difficult. Simple transfiguration spell on an old book and a couple of added curses to mimic the pain of destroying your soul and..." he winked. "...Voilà."
Orion paused a moment, trying to collect his swirling thoughts. The sudden admissions were messing with his mind, though his anger was growing more and more by the second and overpowering all else. "Why are you telling me this?"
"You wanted to know what happened to your girlfriend, didn't you?" He let out a dramatic sigh, shaking his head as he looked at the diary in his hands. "I need Riddle back. Not the one Hendrix has tainted. The old one. The strong one. The one still in here," he said, tapping the cover of the book. "And to bring him back, the diary required me to pay a price... a life for a life."
The realization came crashing on Orion as a tidal wave of fury. But, as he lifted his wand at the laughing heir, Xavier quickly shot a disarming spell at him. His wand went flying out of his hand and onto the ground, leaving Lestrange the opportunity to point his own wand directly at Orion's chest. "The diary required a sacrifice, and I had to choose whose blood I was willing to spill. Wasn't much of a difficult choice, really. I thought Bell would be a rather deserving target, seeing as she thought she was worthy of a pureblood's love. And when I led her to a feral Graphorn in the Forest, I thought things finally fell into place. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as simple as that, though..." he said, rolling his eyes as he added, "... Even the diary didn't accept her mudblood. It appeared to require a pure-blood sacrifice. So, I reckon I'll just use the blood traitor."
Orion wanted to kill him.
He was going to kill him.
And he didn't care if he didn't have his wand. He was going to murder the son of a bitch with his bare fucking hands.
He lunged at Xavier, tackling him to the ground with a force so great that it knocked the boy's wand and the diary straight out of his hands. The two of them grappled with each other on the floor for a few moments, both boys fighting with every ounce of strength in their bodies-- because they knew that one way or another, this was a fight to the death.
Lestrange managed to hoist himself over Avery, drawing his balled fist back and colliding it with the boy's jaw. But, it barely phased the blond. His blue eyes stared up at Lestrange with such a burning hatred that it felt as though he could kill with one look alone.
Xavier tried to throw another punch, but Orion's pure rage fired a beast within him that wouldn't be satisfied until it had blood on his hands. He was beyond the point of self-control. His anger had consumed him, turning him into the most crazed version of himself. And he didn't care. He wanted to watch the life drain out of Lestrange's eyes. Without too much struggle, he quickly pinned the dark-haired boy to the ground, his gaze fervent with a fury that had swallowed him whole.
"Fuck you," he snarled, his adrenaline-fueled strength overpowering Xavier's thrashing body with ease.
He was going to kill Lestrange.
His arm drew back and he crashed his fist into Xavier's face, a sickening crunch resulting from the impact of his nose crushing underneath Orion's vehemence. The boy let out a pained grunt a moment before Orion grabbed him by his shoulders and lifted him up just enough to throw him violently back against the ground, colliding his body with the stone floor.
He didn't care if he didn't have his wand. He didn't need it. It was only fitting that Lestrange would meet his end in the most barbaric, non-magical way. The boy didn't deserve a quick finish, nor was Orion willing to give him one. He was going to drain the life from his body and make the bastard pay for everything he had done.
Punch after punch after punch after punch. Orion could feel bones smashing beneath his hands, but he didn't care-- not one bit. He would crush that worthless coward beneath him if it was the last thing he ever did.
Xavier's hands tried to grasp onto Orion's jaw, attempting to shove away the belligerent blond, but it was to no avail. Instead, Orion merely moved his hands down onto Lestrange's neck, his grasp tightening around him as he began to squeeze the life out of the worthless being beneath him.
He could see Xavier's eyes widening, a look of pure fear entering his gaze as he struggled against his grasp, desperate to free himself from his imminent death. But, every time he tried to fight against Orion, the blond only tightened his grasp even more, his feral blue eyes desperate to see the boy beneath him gasp out his own last words.
His fury had deafened him, replacing the world around him with nothing more than the sound of his own heart beating loudly through his chest. He heard nothing. Not the quiet dripping of the water onto the stone floors, not the choking breaths leaving Lestrange's lips, not the door opening behind them, and not the footsteps that entered soon after.
"Incarcerous!"
The blast hit Orion's back like a paralyzing canon, knocking him off Xavier and onto the ground as thick ropes wrapped around his body, binding his limbs tightly against his body. He tried to fight against the constraints, but his struggle only tightened their grasp around him until his movements were rendered useless and he fell down onto the ground, writhing in his own fury.
He could only just move his head enough to turn his gaze and see Rosier slowly walking over, his wand still pointed at Orion's grappling body. "You fucking bastard!" Orion shouted, his entire soul aflame with an unadulterated wrath.
Xavier frantically shoved himself off the ground, coughing out frantically to try and allow oxygen to flow back into his tortured windpipes. He caught his breath before spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground beside him while he stared at Orion angrily. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Took you long enough," he grumbled as he made his way over to his wand and picked it back up, casting a healing spell on himself as he fixed his broken bones and rid himself of the already budding bruises that littered his skin. He grumbled out a string of profanities under his breath as he walked toward the nearest mirror and looked at his reflection, letting out a sigh of relief when he was met with the sight of his favorite thing-- his own pristine face.
"Evidently, not a second too late," replied Rosier cooly, staring down at Orion with disdain in his eyes. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small green vial and tossing it to Xavier who caught it in mid-air. "It just finished brewing."
Orion's heartbeat sped up when he caught sight of the poison in Lestrange's grasp, but the harder he tried to break free of his confines and get back to his feet, the ropes would only bind tighter against him.
Xavier grinned at the potion, a ruthless look in his clouded eyes. "It's a shame, really. You could have lived quite a nice life, Avery. But, you threw it all away for a mudblood," he said, reveling in the hatred Orion was glaring toward him. He slowly made his way back toward the angry boy on the ground, looming over him with far too much satisfaction written on his twisted lips.
"Shut your fucking mouth," growled Orion, once again thrashing against the ropes around his body.
Xavier chuckled, slowly kneeling down beside him before he said, "You should have heard how she cried out for you." At that moment, Orion spat at Xavier's face, his breathing labored as he became incapable of controlling his fervent hatred. Lestrange stumbled back, a mixture of disgust and animosity in his eyes as he wiped furiously at his face. A second later, he reached into his pocket and pulled out Clara's promise ring, throwing it on the ground before Orion. "It was the most pathetic thing I had ever heard."
And that was it. That was the last line that broke Orion Avery beyond repair. Because in that moment, he was forced to come to the crushing realization that Clara had died because of people that he had introduced into her life. The people he surrounded himself with murdered the love of his life-- and that was a truth that crushed him more than his fear ever could.
Tears slipped out of the corner of his eyes, but it wasn't clear if they were out of despair, anger, or sheer hopelessness. Xavier saw the drops falling down his cheek, a self-assured look branding his soulless eyes. "No need to cry. Your death won't be nearly as gruesome as hers. Lucky for you, we are not idiots."
"Another mysterious death following Bell's as well as Hendrix's boggart attack would draw far too much suspicion," said Adonis, his face devoid of any emotion as he spoke.
Xavier slowly twisted the cap off the poison, looking at it as though it were the answer to all his prayers. "What do you think Hendrix will think when she learns of your... suicide?"
"You'll never get away with this," snarled Orion, though he had given up on fighting against the tight restraints around him. He had tried to summon his wand into his hands, but unskilled in wordless magic, he could only stare hopelessly at the discarded wand as it refused to budge. The world was closing in on him-- he could feel it coming like a suffocating black cloud shrouding his soul.
"Hear that, Adonis?" Lestrange gasped, turning to his friend with a feigned look of shock on his face. "We are done for!"
Rosier strode forward, twirling his wand in his hands. "Who do you suppose will stop us?"
"Perhaps Riddle?" shrugged Lestrange. He then turned back to Orion, his familiar, arrogant smile returning to his upturned lips. "If he gets the chance to before he's dead, that is," he said, laughing. "You didn't really think we'd let the coward live, did you? He's chosen his side, as have you. Once the old Riddle is revived, we must only wait for the right opportunity to... replace him."
"Rot... in... Hell..." spat Orion, refusing to back down from Xavier's self-assured stare.
The dark-haired boy shrugged, his smile ever-present on his lips as he said, "I'll keep that in mind... Imperio."
------
Avalon sat with Tom atop his bed, staring blankly at the space in front of her. She couldn't stop thinking about Orion. She wanted to give him space as he had requested, but she also knew-- better than anyone-- that grief was all-consuming when dealt with alone.
"We should check up on him," she muttered, her bloodshot eyes drifting weakly toward the door as she shakily stood up, no longer capable of holding herself back.
Tom caught her wrist, his voice equally dejected when he said, "He said he wants to be alone. We should allow him his privacy, no?"
"Of course he said that," she said, biting the inside of her cheek. "Nobody means it, though. We should be there for him."
Tom nodded, sighing as he stood up and followed her out of the room. They walked slowly down the hall, stopping outside of Orion's dorm before she quietly knocked on his door. There was no answer, so she put her face near the wooden frame and softly called out, "Orion?"
Still, nobody came. She glanced at Tom, a look of confusion in her eyes before she gently pushed the door open, herself. When they peeked inside, the room was empty. She noted the shattered trophy on the ground, but aside from that, everything remained untouched. Axel's half of the dorm was still in pristine shape-- it appeared the Seeker had yet to return to their room since learning of his roommate's relationship.
"He's not in here," she said, a growing pit of unease in her stomach as she turned to Tom. The frantic look in her eyes made him pull her into his arms and place his hand on her cheek, trying to ease her nerves.
"He likely needed air. We can go look for him, though," he offered, but his voice lacked its usual sense of certainty. It appeared their friend's unexplained absence had put Tom on edge, too. She nodded, trying to push back her worries, though the effort was fruitless. Something felt morbidly wrong and she couldn't quite fend her fears.
Quickly, the pair made their way out of the Slytherin dorms and began to look all around the castle. They checked every single spot that they could possibly imagine Orion going to.
They went to the Greenhouses. Nothing.
They went to the Quidditch pitch. Nothing.
They went to the Kitchens. Nothing.
They went to the Room of Requirement. Nothing.
Every single spot they checked, they were met with nothing more than nothingness. And every second that passed by, Avalon felt her worries grow more and more within her.
She sensed that something was wrong. Well, in a way, everything was wrong-- that much she knew. But, there was something different. Something she couldn't quite pinpoint, but she knew it was worth being afraid of.
What scared her even more was the concern she saw in Tom's eyes. Because for someone who rarely showed his fear, even he appeared to be unsettled.
They refused to let up on their search, scouring every single spot that they could possibly think of that their friend might have run off to. Seconds turned to minutes turned to hours, but they refused to give up.
They ran into Zelda. When they asked her if she had seen him, she wasn't capable of giving them any more knowledge than they already had. So, they asked other students-- desperate to see if anyone had seen the Slytherin golden boy.
Nothing.
All they got was nothing.
A few students said that they had seen him leave his room earlier, but they hadn't a single clue where he could have gone. So, once again, they were left empty-handed.
They stopped for a moment by the staircase, attempting to collect their thoughts as they thought of any other possible places that they could search. Tom was facing her, his back turned to the stairs as he held her hand. "It's going to be okay," he said. "I'm sure he's only-"
But, he cut his words off when he saw her eyes narrow on something behind him.
Avalon hesitantly peeked her head around his shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of the sight before her. But, what she saw drained her face of all color.
Two downcast Healers walked carefully down the stairs, carrying down a stretcher draped with a white sheet. From underneath, though, hung a lifeless hand... a yellow butterfly still etched on its skin.
The world faded to black and white. She couldn't hear Tom calling out her name and she couldn't look away from the scene before her. And, when she fell to her knees, a soul-crushing scream ripped through her hoarse throat, her unbridled agony shattering all the lanterns in the hallway to a million shards of broken glass the moment she lost control of herself and felt her grief come crashing down on her. Because she couldn't hold it in anymore.
It had finally consumed her.
Author's Note
I'm sorry. -Daffy