Chapter 25: The Duel
Estela hadn't heard anything from Tom for two days since he set off to find the person who cursed Cayra and Anthony. He insisted it wasn't him, but Estela could not trust him. She knew he would never confess. She didn't know of anyone else who would do such a thing. She didn't know what she would do if she found out it was him. She could never forgive him, but that would mean having to abandon her task and disappointing Dumbledore in ways she couldn't even begin to imagine. Not to mention possibly the entire Wizarding World.
As she sat in the library finishing a number chart for Arithmancy, the air of concentration and the sounds of scribbling and turning pages surrounding her, she strangely felt as though she was being watched.
She looked up and scanned her surroundings. Most people were reading or doing work except for one person at the other end of the room who was staring at her. She tried not to look directly at Lorcan Avery, but when their eyes met he quickly looked away.
She had heard that Avery had spent the last two days in the Hospital Wing recovering from a badly rebounded hex after he'd been hexing first years as they'd been passing.
She sneaked a quick look at him again and took in his appearance. His usually shiny, well-styled blond hair seemed dull and messy, his skin seemed grey and sweaty and his overall appearance was sick and colourless. He wasn't even wearing his usual expression of a sickening sneer and a snobbish glare.
She watched him as he got up from where he sat, his body wobbling as he very slowly seemed to be coming over to Estela, his frame even thinner than usual. She quickly looked down at her number chart, praying he wasn't coming over to her. But with a thud, he sat down in the chair opposite Estela.
"What do you want?" she asked him dryly.
He rested his head on his hand as he stared at her with tired eyes that didn't hold a trace of their usual scrutiny. Estela shifted in her chair slightly as she watched him, dazed by the sight.
"Your little friends have started remembering, I hear?" he said hoarsely.
"What?" she snapped, narrowing her eyes.
"Williams and Goodwin, they remember what I did to them."
Estela gave him daggers as she leaned in across the table. "It was you?"
"Well there's no point denying it now, is there?"
"Why?" she asked in a low snarl.
"Why?" he asked, raising an arched eyebrow. "Because you and your pathetic little friends are nothing but a waste of space. The girl's a pathetic excuse for a student and the boy's a muggle-lover," he spat feebly, his voice hoarse as he spoke. "And you," he paused. "I just wanted to enjoy seeing you squirm," he said, just about managing a roguish smile.
Estela opened her mouth to retort when she paused. "So you're telling me that your boss didn't put you up to this?"
"My boss?"
"Riddle. How am I meant to know that he isn't just pinning this on you to clear your own name?"
Avery smiled, and it was deadly in its contempt despite his weak movements. "We could go with that little story if you'd prefer. After all, blaming Riddle could grant my own innocence. But then if you believed that you'd actually be as idiotic as I already think you are, and I'd say you got what you deserved when the cruciatis curse took its toll on you."
"I got what I deserved? I'd say you got what you deserved when that hex of yours rebounded," she said, as she began to quickly gather her things off the table. Avery gave a weak laugh from where he sat, followed by some painful sounding coughs.
"What?" she demanded, shooting him a repelled look. "Why are you laughing?"
"You actually believe that's what happened to me?" he asked, a smug look on his face. "I thought you were meant to be clever. No no, love, it was Riddle," Estela stopped packing her things and turned towards Avery.
"What do you mean it was Riddle?"
"As soon as he found out what I'd done he was furious," he said, his face contorting as he recalled some bad memory. "He found me and - well you know what he's like. Seeing you and your friends suffer really wasn't worth the pain and being on 10 different bloody medications," Estela didn't say a word, she simply looked down at the weak body in front of her. "You're surprised? I should have known he'd find out. It was a stupid thing to do considering how he feels about you," he said, watching her closely.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
"Oh come on, Estela, he cares for you," he said as though it was incredibly obvious. "And you care for him," he said with a grin.
"Tom cares for no one," she said quickly as she frantically gathered her things in a rush.
"Now we both know that's not true," he cut across her. Estela blinked.
"You know nothing, Avery, and I have no desire to speak of such matters with you," and without another word, she left the library, taking one last glance at a smug looking Avery. As she closed the door behind her with more force than usual, Avery winced at the pain of a strong hand patting his shoulder.
"Nicely done," said Tom as he stood over Avery. "Perhaps you should stick to speaking rather than practical tasks in the future. That way you won't be completely useless."
Avery gritted his teeth but said nothing in reply to his snide remark.
"Nice touch with the caring nonsense, I need to plant that in her mind," he said, more to himself rather than Avery. "Now for your payment," he said, snapping back to reality.
He raised his wand and Avery closed his eyes, hoping for no more pain, but was relieved as he felt his body becoming gradually lighter and stronger as he opened his eyes once more.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "I will not fail you again."
"No, you won't. You know what will happen if you do," he said darkly. "It will take time for you to fully heal. The curse was very powerful," Tom said with a gleam in his eyes. "I hope you now know not to cross me, Lorcan," he said leaning closer to Avery who winced ever so slightly. "I'd hate to imagine what would happen if you angered me again."
_______
The last lesson of the day was Defence Against the Dark Arts, and at the beginning of the class Professor Merrythought revealed that today's lesson would be a duelling lesson.
"Today we will be doing something a bit more practical than usual," she said as she looked around the class. "We have learnt a lot of spells this year, and I hope to test how well you've mastered them by having you all take part in a duel. You will not be choosing your own partners this time. Instead, you will be paired with someone according to your skill level in order for me to adequately monitor your duelling abilities," the Professor picked up a piece of parchment off of her desk and began to read it.
"Astrea Black vs Cayra Williams,
Douglass Hall vs Esme Price,
Lorcan Avery vs Leonard Rosier,"
Rosier interrupted the Professor. "Avery is off sick, professor. Madam Pomfrey is holding him in the Hospital Wing for a few more days."
"Ah," she said. "Right then, well you can be paired up with Mr. Nott instead, then."
Rosier and Nott flashed each other grins at this news.
The professor continued:
"Anthony Goodwin vs Abraxas Malfoy..."
And the list went on until the professor finally said,
"Estela Markorp vs Tom Riddle."
The whole class turned to glance at them both. It was what the whole class had been secretly hoping for: a duel between the two brightest students of their year. A duel between the two academic rivals. A show that would surely nor disappoint.
There were mutters of excitement around the classroom as people wagered who would win. Estela overheard the Slytherins, especially Malfoy, Nott, Rosier and Lestrange, predicting how Tom would thrash Estela with a single spell.
Estela just about managed to hear Cayra shouting loudly that Estela would win, and saw her placing a bet with Nadia Quinn, a Slytherin. Estela quietly laughed to herself before she managed a quick glance at Tom who looked laid-back as he met her gaze with a wave of self-satisfaction and a glimmer in his dark eyes.
He was looking forward to this, she could tell. Well so was she.
"Right then, class, join your partners and begin your duel on my count. There will be no rule-breaking, and I hope to see you perform the spells you've been learning throughout the year. I will be walking around the class and taking notes on your performances, so be aware of that."
Tom made his way over to Estela and he stopped in front of her. He stood with serene confidence; intimidating and authoritative, evident arrogance spread across his handsome face.
"Don't expect me to go easy on you," he said with a smirk.
"Don't expect me to show you any mercy," she countered as she raised her wand in a ready position, and he mirrored her as they both gave each other a short, courteous bow.
"On the count of three! One... two... three!" Around them, the class began to duel, and Tom gave Estela a shady smirk before he raised his wand, but Estela raised hers quicker.
"Expelliarmus!" she shouted, which was effortlessly blocked by Tom with simple a wave of his wand.
He laughed darkly. "Oh come now, I thought you weren't going to show me any mercy," he said, flashing her an arrogant smile before he raised his wand again.
"Confringo!" A jet of fire surged towards Estela who could feel the flames warming the air as they rushed towards her. She blocked the curse and reacted.
"Everte Statum!" She shouted, which would have sent Riddle flying backwards had he not blocked her spell with an effortlessly smooth movement.
Before Riddle reacted, she sent another spell towards him. "Lacarnum Inflamarae!" And a ball of fire went hurtling towards him, hot and rapid, but as he pointed his wand forwards towards Estela, she saw the ball of fire hurtling back in her direction at an even greater speed.
She raised her wand in a slashing motion, and a shield of liquid shot out of her wand to protect her. She reacted just in time. Any slower and the fireball would have hit her for sure. By now the whole class had stopped their duelling, and all eyes were on Tom and Estela, even Professor Merrythought had stopped to watch.
Tom non-verbally cast the 'mobiliarbus' spell, which sent three large jars off of the shelf behind him racing towards Estela, who nonverbally cast the 'reducto' spell, reducing the jars to dust before her with a flash of light.
Estela looked at Tom whose face had become dark, his features irritated. She knew he had been going easy on her, but now he seemed bored, and he was about to unleash his power, she was sure of it.
Tom closed his eyes and pushed his wand arm outward, and the force of the spell that emanated from it was such that it caused Estela's and everyone else's hairs to stand on end as a dark grin spread across Tom's face, which was enough to send a shiver down Estela's spine.
He had switched to using non-verbal magic now, which made it all the more difficult for Estela to know which protection charm or defensive spell to perform.
Estela felt the strength and force of his spell roar towards her from across the room, and she was forced to conjure a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflect it. She felt the spell hit her shield like a tidal wave, her arms wobbling as she fought against it.
She was growing annoyed now. She couldn't let Tom win. He would forever act as her superior and he would never let that go. It was time for her to show off her own abilities.
Estela drew back her wand, brandishing it like a whip, and a long thin flame flew from the tip. It caught him off guard to such an extent that it wrapped its self around Tom, and for a moment, Estela thought she had won, and so did her classmates, as Cayra and Anthony and other Ravenclaws shouted and clapped loudly. But suddenly, the fiery rope blazed, becoming a scorching serpent that was rising up high into the air, relinquishing its hold on Tom at once and turning, hissing furiously, towards Estela who looked up at the huge burning serpent, her mouth ajar.
There was a loud roar of applause from the Slytherins as they watched, hungry to see the serpent's attack. The fiery snake reared from the floor, ready to strike, but with all her might and every inch of her power, Estela brandished her wand in one long, fluid movement.
The snake, which had been close to sinking its blazing fangs into her, faced a new opponent as a rush of fluid escaped Estela's wand, taking the shape of a mighty liquescent eagle which crashed into the serpent in a battle of fire and water. Together, the snake and the eagle flew high into the air; the water and the fire wrapping around each other in a kind of elemental dance, and the eagle overpowered the flaming serpent, which vanished in a wisp of dark, cloudy smoke.
Tom's eyes flashed, and he raised his wand with bared teeth, but as he was about to attack, he was stopped by Professor Merrythought who was clapping, a huge smile on her face.
"Excellent! Absolutely excellent both of you!" The whole class began to applaud Tom and Estela. "A very very skilled performance from the both of you! I myself wouldn't like to face one of you in a duel! I could have watched you two for hours, but I got all the information I needed. You will both receive an Outstanding for your performances, and I shall bring this up with the Headmaster, too," she said, looking from Tom to Estela. "A very nice use of spells, ones learnt both in class and some other... interesting ones that you've no doubt practised outside of class. And an exceptional use of non-verbal magic, too. Anyway, enough of my praise. Tom, Estela you both may leave, your duel seemed to preoccupy the rest of the class! The rest of you, continue duelling. I need to mark you all by the end of the lesson!"
Tom followed Estela out of the class, but neither of them spoke a word to each other.
"Nice work," said Estela as she slowed down to meet Tom's pace.
"Not my finest," he said dully.
"You went easy on me."
"Of course I did."
"So did I," she said.
"I could have done much worse than that if I wasn't under the restrictive gaze of Professor Merrythought," he said somewhat irately.
"I believe you," said Estela simply as they made their way to the Prefect's Common Room for a meeting. "Avery talked to me earlier... He told me it was him who cursed my friends," Tom simply nodded, uninterested by what she was saying. "And he told me what you did to him... after you found out."
"He deserved it," he snarled.
"Why?" Estela asked him softly.
"Because he did that to you and your friends," he said irritably.
"I thought you didn't care about my friends," Tom stopped and turned to her, contemplating his words before he spoke.
"I don't care about your friends," he said, before he carried on walking.
Then he paused at the end of the corridor before he rounded the corner and said. "I did it for you."
***
The Prefects meeting was nothing extraordinary. Brett Daniels, one of the Hufflepuff prefects spoke enthusiastically about a new healthy eating programme he wished to introduce, which was swiftly dismissed by every other prefect. Rita Leighton, the other Slytherin prefect, proposed a homework club and study sessions on the weekends for those who signed up. The idea was readily accepted by all houses with no dispute.
There was a dispute, however, between the Gryffindors, Eva Cole and Michael Knight, and the Slytherins, Tom and Rita, when the Gryffindors proposed an adjustment to the points system. The idea was put to rest by Tom, who smashed the idea into dust, accusing the Gryffindors of introducing a points scheme lenient towards Gryffindor house in an attempt to glorify their name having lost the House Cup to Slytherin consecutively. The Ravenclaws, Estela and Anthony, and the Hufflepuffs, Brett Daniels and Bonnie Pearson, stayed out of this argument, but agreed in the end with Tom, who used his charisma and his way with words to great effect in each meeting.
After the meeting, Estela made her way back to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Holding her books tightly to her chest, she stopped outside the door to the Common Room where two first year Ravenclaws were standing, a snapped quill on the floor by their side.
"I give up," a small blonde girl said, shoving her wand back into her pocket.
"Give it another try," her friend said, pushing her glasses upwards to sit on the bridge of her nose more comfortably.
The blonde-haired girl sighed and pulled out her wand once more. "Reparo," she said, pointing to the broken quill at her feet. Nothing happened. "It's no use," she said sadly.
Estela made towards them. "You're not doing it right," she said softly, watching the girls who had gone silent at her arrival.
"I know I'm not doing it right. I've tried over and over," she said in a tone of utter defeat, throwing her wand onto the floor. She mumbled, "I knew I wasn't meant to be put in Ravenclaw."
"Why do you say that?" Estela asked, shifting on her feet.
"Ravenclaws are supposed to be smart. They're not supposed to have trouble with things like this."
Estela lowered herself to the girl's level, smiling slightly. "That's not what Ravenclaw's all about," she said softly, picking up the girl's wand off the floor and handing it to her. "Ravenclaw is for people who value knowledge and learning, wit and creativity. It's not about getting everything right on the first try. I can see you value knowledge by the fact that you're practising the spell outside of your classes."
The girl smiled half-heartedly, taking her wand from Estela. "Really?"
"Really," Estela confirmed, smiling down at her. "I'm a Ravenclaw and I struggle with many things."
"But you're a Prefect. What could you possibly struggle with?"
Estela gave a small laugh. "I may be a Prefect and I may exceed in the majority of my classes, but I'll let you in on a little secret," she said, and the blonde girl eagerly leant in closer to listen. "I'm absolutely dreadful at Arithmancy. And I may be good at most academic subjects, but I severely lack common sense. I always have." she shrugged. "And just because I don't excell at everything, or know the answers to every question under the sun, doesn't mean I don't belong in Ravenclaw."
The little girl smiled, eyeing her friend with glasses. "Could you show me how to do the spell properly?"
"Of course," Estela replied. "Your wand movement was wrong. Make sure you curve sharply inwards towards the end of the spell."
The girl nodded, pointing her wand towards the quill once more, a determined look in her eyes. "Reparo!" she said, and at her feet, the quill snapped together, mending its self in an instant as though it had never been broken in the first place.
The girl beamed up at Estela. "Thank you!"
Estela nodded, making her way past the girls and into the Common Room. There was another Slug Club meeting tonight, and Estela was feeling particularly tired and didn't really feel up to making small talk throughout the evening.
As she entered the Common Room, Cayra and Anthony gave her an enthusiastic wave from their usual spot in front of the fire. Estela smiled broadly and was happy to be on good terms with them both once more.
"Estela you are amazing!" Cayra said, her eyes alive with admiration. "You and Tom were all anybody could talk about after Defence Against the Dark Arts earlier. You should have seen the daggers Astrea Black and her gang were giving you as you left!"
"How was your duel with Astrea?"
"Well she beat me..." said Cayra ashamedly. "But only because she used some dark spell that her grandfather taught her! Professor Merrythought was furious. Anthony did well. He beat Malfoy, and I'll tell you, he wasn't happy in the slightest."
"He was livid," added Anthony, smiling proudly.
"You should have seen his gang mocking him after he'd lost. I bet he'll never live that one down," said Cayra, laughing.
"I'm surprised he didn't use any dark magic," said Estela.
"Oh he did..." said Anthony.
"But Anthony was too quick for him and blocked it, then he disarmed him," said Cayra, looking up at him admiringly. "That stuff that Riddle did... that was dark, wasn't it?"
"Yes, some of it," Estela answered, thinking back. "But I used some dark spells on him too... nothing extreme though, of course."
"Well you were absolutely brilliant," said Cayra with a smile as Anthony put his arm around her. "Tom Riddle has certainly met his match, and I'll bet he hates it."
***
Estela made her way to Slughorn's quarters for the Slug Club meeting. She wore a navy dress with some black heels, and she had tied her hair back in a low ponytail that fell over her shoulder.
Slughorn's quarters had been decorated as usual. The candelabras were all lit, creating an elegant atmosphere, there was smooth jazz music playing as charmed instruments played from the corner of the room, and the table was laid lavishly, with a marvellous, magical centrepiece of a small fountain of glistening lilac water, with a magical liquid swan floating serenely at the bottom.
"Estela! Come in!" said Professor Slughorn heartily. "Early as usual," he chuckled. "Take a seat whilst we wait for the others."
Estela sat down as she smiled at the other few people she knew who had already arrived: Brett Daniels, the Hufflepuff prefect, gave her an enthusiastic smile, as did the Gryffindor prefects, Michael Knight and Eva Cole. Esme Price, a Slytherin, gave her a curt nod, and Tom Riddle gave her a sly grin, to which Estela reacted by looking down and adjusting her cutlery, her face heating. The other students could not arrive soon enough, but sooner or later they did, and once everyone had arrived, Slughorn sat down at the table in his usual spot with a great thud.
Slughorn began the dinner as usual, with a toast to his most prized and talented students, before the food was rushed out onto the table. The meal was delightful as usual, as was the conversation. Estela enjoyed being able to take part in a deep conversation or debate every now and then, she found it mentally stimulating.
Meredith Fox, a Ravenclaw who was here because her great, great, great, and many more great grandmother was Ignatia Wildsmith, inventor of Floo Powder was being questioned by Slughorn about any items of her grandmother's the family may have.
"Well my mother keeps her journal in the attic," she explained as Slughorn listened to her intently. "But I think that's all that's left of her items."
"How fascinating!" chimed the professor who rested his hands upon his portly stomach. "I'm sure it is an interesting read, is it not?"
"I haven't read it, sir," replied Meredith.
"Ah," said Slughorn disappointedly, swiftly changing the conversation as though he was bored with Meredith now. "Anyway what's this I hear about a Divination rebellion?" Slughorn asked the rest of the table.
"Some students have started to feel that the subject is a load of rubbish. I happen to agree, It's just a waste of time!" said Michael Knight. "My cousin goes to a school that doesn't even include the subject on its curriculum!"
Slughorn piped up. "You cousin, you say? That wouldn't be Alden Viridian you're talking about, would it? The one you told me about on the Hogwarts Express."
Michael Knight nodded proudly. "It would, sir."
"A fine wizard, no doubt, if he descends from Vindictus Viridian, a potioneer whom I myself admire!"
Bonnie Pearson cleared her throat, interrupting Michael and Slughorn's little side-tracked conversation. "I have to disagree with you, Michael. Divination is an ancient subject that has been studied for thousands of years."
"That's true, but that doesn't make it useful," said Esme Price.
"Interesting, what do the rest of you think?" asked Slughorn, eyeing pupils at the table. "Estela, what's your opinion?"
"Well I think it depends on the person, sir. To me, for example, Divination is not a subject that I find particularly valuable, but there are others who have a natural talent for the subject, and to them it may be useful in order to aid them in pursuing their chosen career."
"I agree," said a soft voice from across the table. "I have no use for the art of Divination, yet I agree that it is beneficial for those who have a taste for the subject. However there are many different contexts to Divination rather than just labelling the subject exclusively," he began. "I, for one, find some particular aspects of Divination to be valuable. Astronomy, for instance, is a branch of Divination. Now I find this an enjoyable subject, but there are other branches such as crystal-gazing and tessomancy that I find to be complete nonsense," said Tom in a soft voice.
"You both have a dislike for the subject," said Eva Cole to Tom and Estela. "Yet you are both continuing with it this year. Why?"
"It's an easy 'O'," said Tom with a charismatic smile as the people around the table chuckled in admiration.
"You don't believe in predicting the future then, Tom?" asked Slughorn merrily.
"I believe that the greatest wizard constructs his own fate," he said simply in a voice as smooth as silk.
"I hear you and Miss Markorp had quite the duel in Defence Against the Dark Arts today," said Slughorn, eyeing them both. "Professor Merrythought was ecstatic in the Teacher's Office, she could hardly contain herself."
"It was quite a duel, I must say," added Meredith Fox. "Your techniques were fantastic. The way you controlled the fire was extraordinary, Tom! And Estela your water eagle - fantastic!"
"I did not perform to the best of my abilities, professor," Tom said, giving Estela a quick glance. "I wouldn't want to put Markorp's good name to shame by beating her," he said smoothly as his gang of Knights chuckled by his side.
Estela watched them closely. There were half a dozen teenage boys sitting around Tom, him in the middle, and she saw Marvolo's black and gold ring gleaming proudly on his finger. Tom Riddle nearly smiled as the others laughed again. He was by no means the eldest of the group of boys, but she was struck by the fact that they all seemed to look at him as their leader.
"A man of honour!" chuckled Slughorn. "And what of you, Estela, did you perform to the best of your abilities?"
Estela looked at Tom and smiled slyly. "Of course not, Professor. I went easy on Riddle. I had the chance of beating him, of course, but I couldn't bear the thought of what would become of him when I destroyed his incredibly large ego." There were some giggles around the table, especially from the Gryffindors, and Tom was watching Estela with an amused smile dancing on his lips.
"Oho!" Slughorn chuckled merrily. "Well Professor Merrythought couldn't decide who would have won had she let you both continue. I'm sure it was quite a match. I'll be sure to pay a visit to your class next time you two duel."
The rest of the evening was enjoyable, with conversations ranging from politics to potions, and Tom and Estela kept trying to outwit each other throughout the evening.
***
When she returned to her dormitory, Cayra was still awake, reading a hefty astronomy book in the light of a candle. "Hey!" she smiled, tearing her eyes form the pages. "How was Slug Club?"
"The usual," said Estela as she sat down on her bed. "Nice food, some interesting debates and an extremely annoying Tom Riddle."
"Sounds boring," said Cayra. "What did he do this time?"
"Just trying his best to outsmart me as usual," she said.
Cayra turned a page. "Wasn't happy about you beating him in the duel, I suppose?"
"He didn't beat me," she said. "It was a draw."
"Sure, but you would have thrashed him if Merrythought had let you continue."
Estela considered this. "Perhaps, but he's a very skilled wizard, you know."
Cayra tore her eyes from the pages of her book to look ar her. "You're saying he would have beaten you?"
"No," she retorted. "I'm just saying it would have been a close match."
Slowly, cayra folded the corner of the page and closed her book. "I see. So you admire him then, do you?"
Estela's eyes narrowed. "I can't deny he's powerful..."
"You know, I think this is the first time in my life that I've heard you actually praising Riddle. Have you grown to like him?" She asked, playing with her plait of strawberry-blonde hair.
"Don't be silly."
"Estela, you don't need to act like it's a bad thing. Yes, I think Riddle's strange and yes, I despise him simply because he's a Slytherin, but I won't judge you for liking him!"
"I do not like him," Estela snapped.
"Well there's definite tensions between you," she winked.
"Well they're oblivious to me."
Cayra sighed. "Oh come on. Don't act like you don't see it. He's the most wanted boy in our year, so I understand why you might like him," Cayra began, and Estela rolled her eyes, knowing there would be no stopping her now. "You know, he's got that dark and mysterious thing going on. He's super smart, like you. And he's got a cool sort of authority over everyone, and he's undeniably handsome."
Estela raised a brow. "Are you sure it's not you who fancies him?"
"Of course not!" Cayra answered. "He's not my type. But I'd say he's definitely your type."
"I don't have a type," said Estela irately, and Cayra stopped for a while and Estela was thankful it was over, until she started once more.
"You've got a lot in common you know..."
"For Merlin's sake, Cayra!" Estela said, flopping backwards against the bed. "There's so much you don't know about Tom Riddle. If you knew half of what I know, you'd think very differently of him."
"Oh come on, you're both kiss arses, both super smart, both reserved, you both live in the library, you're both so secretive," said Cayra with raised brows.
"Cayra," she said seriously. "There is absolutely no romantic connection between me and Tom Riddle!"
If only Cayra knew the truth. If only she knew how often they'd been seeing each other secretly. If only she knew they'd stayed at an Inn together over Christmas. If only she knew what happened there.
"If you insist," Cayra replied, and Estela managed to get her to forget the subject of Tom Riddle by mentioning her favourite band, 142 staircases, which set her off on a giant rant about an article that was published in Witch weekly about the lead singer.
Estela, however, found it difficult to listen to what she was saying, as her mind kept racing to the one person she didn't want to think about.
Author's Note: Hello, everybody. Thanks for your comments on the previous chapter, as always. If you could, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or a review of this chapter, as it makes me super happy and really motivates me to write! I quite like how this chapter turned out so I'd love to hear what you think of it! Thanks as always for your rates and until next time, nox.