The weekend blew by quicker than Avalon had expected, though slower than she had hoped. She spent most of her time in solitude, retreating into her dorm at most hours of the day in an attempt to avoid Riddle for as long as possible. She had managed to stay out of his way for the past few days, still fearing their inevitable confrontation after she had been caught in his room, but she was growing restless in her dorm.
She had breakfast with Xavier and he was in a much better mood than he had been the days prior, his normal Cheshire Cat grin finally finding a home back on his lips as he told her about how it had been the first time he'd been awake in time for breakfast since his second year at Hogwarts. They talked a lot about what life had been like at the castle before she had transferred-- she was hoping he would talk more about Riddle and give her clues about the Horcruxes, but all he really touched on was his friendship with Rosier and how the two of them had an inclination towards getting joint detentions at least once a week since they first stepped foot onto Hogwarts six years ago.
It was, for the most part, a relatively uneventful weekend. Both she and Zelda had been busy studying and completing assignments, so they were in their room with their noses in their books for almost every waking moment.
When Monday came, she felt equal parts relieved and anxious: relieved that she would finally be able to leave her room and attend classes, giving her an excuse to once again roam beyond the walls of Ravenclaw Tower, but anxious about seeing Riddle. A part of her hoped that perhaps he had already moved on from their encounter and would let the topic go-- if he hadn't brought it up in the past few days, maybe that was a sign that he was just as keen on moving past it as she was. He had, after all, been just as exposed as she was, so she wondered if he would ignore it the way she hoped he would.
Her hope seemed to harbor a hint of truth when she sat down in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Riddle's eyes flickered over towards her as she walked into the classroom, but he did not spare her more than a moment's time before returning his gaze to Rosier who was sitting beside him.
As usual, she kept her head down as she made her way to the back of the class, ignoring all of the stares of her peers as walked to the furthest table, where Xavier was saving her a seat. No matter how much time passed, it seemed her classmates refused to accept her as one of their own-- their icy glares followed her no matter where she went, serving as a constant reminder that they viewed her as a threat. Tensions were still too high at this time, and her Durmstrang reputation seemed to follow her everywhere. She paid it no mind-- she wasn't here to make friends-- though it did feel odd to be so openly disliked on campus.
When she sat down by Xavier, his arm found a home along the back of her chair almost by instinct, and she smiled at him as he gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. "Good morning, darling," he greeted her, a lazy smile sewn onto his features as his still half-asleep gaze fell upon her. His voice was still raspy, a clear giveaway that he had woken up not too long ago, surely staying in bed for as long as possible before making his way to class with not a moment to spare.
"Good morning," she replied, her attention divided between him and Riddle, sitting a few rows ahead. By the looks of it, Riddle didn't seem angry at her anymore. He paid her no mind as class began, his focus solely directed at Merrythought as she taught the class about various shielding spells. Xavier kept whispering small jokes here and there to Avalon, earning light laughter each time he quietly disrupted the professor with his ever-present inability to focus on anything other than his own amusement. Eventually, Merrythought grew tired of his constant interruptions and forced him to join her at the front of the classroom to demonstrate the magic she had spent the last hour teaching, but, much to her surprise and displeasure, he was able to perfectly execute the spells despite his lackluster attention span.
Class ended shortly after and as Avalon began walking towards the door, Xavier following close behind as they headed towards their next class together, she was stopped by the sound of her name being called out.
"Hendrix."
His voice was so calm it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It took a great deal of willpower to turn and face Riddle as he walked lithely towards them, Rosier by his side as they caught up with her and Lestrange.
His eyes bore deep into hers as he spoke to Lestrange and Rosier, refusing to break his eye contact with Avalon as he said, "Boys, we'll catch up with you in Potions."
Xavier debated objecting, but he knew better than to dare speak back to Tom, so he simply shot Avalon one last look before he and Rosier turned and began walking towards their next class. The air between Avalon and Tom felt thin as they were left in their isolation, the class rapidly emptying as students disbanded to get on with their days.
"What is it, Riddle?" she asked, forcing a clear and confident voice.
He didn't answer her-- instead, he grasped her arm, right above her elbow, with a grip tight enough to almost force out a yelp, but soft enough to pass through other students in the hall inconspicuously as he led them out the classroom and into the busy corridor outside.
"Let me go," she hissed, trying to yank her arm away, but only being met with a tighter grasp as he kept leading them in the opposite direction of the Potions classroom. "Where are you taking us? We're going to be late for class, you twat."
"Surely, Slughorn will understand," the Prefect said, his tone unwaveringly calloused. His eyes scanned the nearby area, finding what they were looking for when they landed on a nearby alcove hidden partially by draping curtains before it. Without a moment's hesitation, he shoved her into the tight space, blocking her exit with his own body, staggering over her as he leaned his arm against the wall, staring at her look of annoyance with mirrored irritation. "Have you not grown tired of hiding from me yet?"
"Not yet, no," she said, rubbing the blossoming bruise on her arm as she shrugged.
He rolled his eyes. "You're a child."
"And you're a bore," she retorted. "Now, out of my way, I have to get to class," she grumbled, attempting to duck under his arm and bow out of the space, but he merely lowered his arm, catching her in his hold before she could get away. The action earned a groan, but she crossed her arms and slumped against the windowsill, staring at him with daggers in her glare. "What do you want?"
"I want to know why you were in my room."
She didn't have an answer to his question. Not one that he would believe, anyway. So, she tried to route the conversation away from his question-- she tried to just get under his skin. "And I want to know why you took it upon yourself to invade my private memories."
"You took it upon yourself to invade my private space. It was merely a defense," he said nonchalantly.
"A defense? Against what? Do you already feel so threatened by me, Riddle?" she said with a smirk on her lips. A momentary look of irritation flashed across his usually stoic features, which made her grin only widen at the slight victory.
"Don't flatter yourself," he said, though she could sense his calm demeanor deteriorating as they spoke.
"I don't know, I saw some pretty interesting things..."
He took a step forward, and she inched back until she was pressed against the window. The rest of the students were beginning to all pile into their classes, leaving the corridor increasingly empty. Still, he spoke in a hushed tone, making sure nobody could hear him as he hissed, "If you dare tell anyone about anything that you saw, I will make sure they are the last words you ever speak."
"What? Scared I'll blow your cover as a half-blood-"
He cut her off before she could finish her sentence, his voice struggling to stay level. "I advise you to choose your next words very carefully, Hendrix."
She refused to look away as he glared down at her, his dark eyes filled with the same fury that hers bore. "You may have the entire school fooled, but I see right through your act. You're nothing more than a pathetic boy who is terrified of people finding out the truth about what he really is," she said, her voice gradually rising in volume as she grew more and more angry with the boy standing before her.
"You have the nerve to call me pathetic?" He laughed, and the sound was harrowing. "You, the girl who flinches whenever a book falls in class? The girl whose hands shake every second of every day? What are you so afraid of? That man coming back and finishing what he started?" He said, his mocking voice filled with pure venom as he referred to the man in her memories.
"You don't know the first goddamn thing about me," she yelled, shoving her hands against his chest, trying to push him away from her.
Instead, he quickly caught her by the wrists, holding her hands firmly against him as he held her struggling form in his, glaring down at her with ice in his stare. "I know all I need to know about you. You act so high and mighty, as if you're morally superior to everyone around you. But, it's all a lie. You're just as bad as anyone else."
"Watch your mouth," she snarled, balling her fists in his grip as she took a threatening step towards him.
"Your own darkness scares you at times, doesn't it? You wonder if all the abuse you faced finally took a toll on you? I can tell you, it clearly did. And it's not a bad thing-- I don't know why you try so hard to hide it. As much as you'd like to deny it, you don't fight darkness, you're one with it."
"I said watch your damn mouth." He didn't stop talking though. Her anger only motivated him.
"Face it, Hendrix, you're just as damaged as the rest."
"I may be damaged, but at least I'm not fucking broken like you," she hissed, yanking her hands away from him in one swift motion.
The drapes around them were pulled back, revealing the face of their Transfiguration Professor. She saw Tom's face quickly dissolve into a calm look of indifference, a slight smile finding its way onto his lips as he turned to face Dumbledore. "Hello, Professor."
"Mr. Riddle, Miss Hendrix...is everything alright?" he asked, looking between the two of them suspiciously. "If I'm not mistaken, the two of you should be in class right now, is that not so?"
"We were just about to head to Potions, sir," Riddle said. "We were merely discussing an assignment and lost track of time."
"I see," the professor said, nodding absent-mindedly. "Well, then. Off you two go. I'm sure Professor Slughorn will not want you interrupting his class so I suggest you do hurry."
"Yes, Professor," Avalon said, speaking for both her and Tom before walking past Riddle, who had moved to the side when he saw Dumbledore.
"I will see you both in Transfiguration at the end of the day," Dumbledore said, nodding at them as they scurried off towards the Potions class together. Neither one of them spoke to the other as they swiftly made their way across the castle grounds, both of them walking in a tense silence that lasted all the way until they made it to the classroom.
Tom opened the door and walked in, not bothering to hold the door for her as she walked in behind him. Slughorn's lesson was disrupted as they made their way to the back of the class-- Avalon sat by Xavier and Tom by Adonis.
"Mr. Riddle, Miss Hendrix, please refrain from interrupting class with your tardiness in the future," the Professor said.
"My apologies, Professor," Tom said. "We lost track of time while discussing an assignment." He lied so effortlessly-- the words just flowed off his tongue without need for a single moment of hesitation. She thought about the difference between the Tom she knew and the Tom that the rest of the school was forced to see. He had all of them wrapped around his finger, only showing them the parts of himself that he wanted to see.
But she knew better. She knew he was nothing more than a monster. An indignant monster with no hope for salvation. A part of her, though, was worried that she might be, too.
His words kept circling in her mind no matter how hard she tried to cast them out. Surely, she couldn't harbor the same darkness within her that he held, that was madness. There was no way that the things she had endured had corrupted her mind to the point of being morally level with someone as twisted as Riddle. No. She was nothing like him. And she refused to believe that she was anything similar.
They were like day and night-- the sun and the moon. Opposites, completely different from one another. He was vain, cared only about himself, and wanted nothing more than power. She was only here to save the ones she loved. He was a murderer. A vile villain in both this time and her own.
So why could she not stop thinking about what he had said?
Undoubtedly, her friends had always championed her in morality-- it was hard to compete with someone like Harry when it came to making the most selfless decisions. He seemed to think that one could only truly banish darkness with love and light. She, on the other hand, believed that all was fair in war. It was called war for a reason-- she knew that nobody could ever truly leave a battle without getting their hands dirty. Some may think that you can always choose to be good, but she knew that in order to fight for what is right, sometimes you have to do what seems wrong.
She would kill to protect those she loved, and she would never think twice about it.
Perhaps, that was the difference between her and her friends. They had always wanted to fight bad with good, and she knew they had to fight it with power.
And they had died in their quest to remain fighting for the light.
She wondered if that was why she was still alive: maybe she had sacrificed her light for her life. The thought was sickening to her, but she tried not to focus on it too much. It harbored a guilt in her that ate her up inside-- as if her survival had been a direct byproduct of succumbing to the same darkness that her friends had died trying to fight.
She tried to pay attention to the lesson, but time ticked by at an excruciatingly slow rate. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Tom had gotten into her head and she couldn't stop thinking about what he had said to her. It bothered her to the point where her attention in class was solely focused on watching the back of Riddle's head, paying little mind to the lesson at hand.
When class finally ended, she was more than eager to pack her things and exit as quickly as possible, but the Professor called out her name, stopping her in her tracks.
"Miss Hendrix, if you wouldn't mind staying a few minutes to chat."
She let out a quiet sigh before turning around and smiling. "Yes, Professor?"
Slughorn waited for the rest of the students to pile out of the classroom, only speaking when the room had finally become inhabited by only the two of them. "Miss Hendrix, in the short weeks that you have been a student here at Hogwarts, many of us, myself included, have become quite impressed with your natural aptitude for success."
"Thank you, sir," she said, not entirely sure where the conversation was headed.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you to stay after class," he said, as if he could see the confusion on her face. "Well, after you joined us last week for dinner when accompanying Mr. Lestrange, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that your presence was a very welcomed addition to our ranks. You see-- I hope I'm not being too forward but, I see a lot of potential in you and I have a feeling you will accomplish great things in your life. If you'd like, I would love to extend a formal invitation to you to join us from now on at our meetings. We have dinners weekly, but do feel free to come go as you wish. I understand your studies must come first. It is, in fact, nothing too serious, just dinner much like the night you attended, but I would love to have you in attendance."
She couldn't help but smile-- his speech sounded almost exactly how it had when he had asked her to join Slug Club in her own time, as well. "I'd be honored, sir."
A look of pure elation overtook his face as he grinned ear to ear. "Delightful! I'm very pleased to hear you'll be joining us from now on." He paused, taking a moment to try and contain his excitement before he spoke again. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. I know you have another class to get to."
"Thank you for your invitation, sir. I look forward to future dinners," she said, waving as she scurried off to her next class.
The rest of the day dragged by uneventfully. She could barely focus throughout any of her classes, her mind too preoccupied with the events of earlier to spare any attention for her studies. Sometime around halfway through the day, she ran into Orion, who within moments of seeing her, immediately asked why she was acting so distant. While she didn't bother to give him all the details, she admitted that an interaction with Riddle had clouded her mind, and he sat with her for a few minutes trying to make sure she was okay. His friendship was quickly growing to be one of her saving graces at the school, and she found herself infinitely grateful for having him and Zelda to confide in when she needed them.
Before she knew it, she was once again sitting in Transfiguration. Zelda was at the desk by her, and was thankfully paying enough attention for the both of them. Avalon made a mental note to remember to ask her roommate for notes later, knowing she would have to catch up with her studies at some point.
Dumbledore stood in the front of the class, wrapping up his lecture as the sun began to set through the window, casting a golden hue over the students, all of which were beginning to have their minds wander towards their plans for the night when class ended. "As you can see, changing a living being into another being is a task that can be mastered with practice," he said as he transformed a small imp in a cage at the front of the class into a raven. "And, changing an inanimate object into another inanimate object can also be achieved," he said, morphing a quill on his desk into an hourglass. "What is much more difficult to achieve, however, is the transfiguration of an inanimate object into a living creature. Which brings me to the topic of your next assignment."
Zelda leaned forward in her chair, paying close attention as she scribbled down notes about the lesson. Avalon looked around the class, her eyes landing on Xavier who was fast asleep already. She wondered how the boy managed to drift off during nearly every lecture-- it was almost impressive.
"For the next month, you and a partner will be given an object and will be tasked with turning it into a living creature," Dumbledore said, earning a chorus of groans from the class.
"This should be fun," Zelda said, nudging Avalon. "We should turn ours into a fennec fox. I reckon if we choose something too small, we won't get as good of a mark. But, we have to be realistic about the size-"
"I will be choosing your partners," the Professor announced. Zelda let out an exasperated sigh, but Dumbledore kept speaking, walking towards Avalon and Zelda's table. "Miss Shacklebolt, you and Mr. Lestrange will be turning this goblet into a creature of your choosing," he said, placing a silver chalice onto their desk.
Zelda's jaw dropped wide open as she looked towards the sleeping boy in the back of the class. "Professor, you cannot be serious. With all due respect, is there no chance I could be paired with someone more..." she couldn't hide the irritation in her voice as she spoke. "...Conscious?"
Rosier nudged Lestrange and he bolted upright, blurting out, "What have I missed?"
Dumbledore returned his attention to Zelda, who groaned as she stared at her disheveled partner. "I hope your excellent study habits will rub off on Mr. Lestrange." He paused for a moment, looking towards Avalon as he continued to speak. "I find oftentimes, unlikely pairs can lead to the best results." He walked back to his desk, grabbing a coin before making his way back towards Avalon and placing it before her. "Miss Hendrix, you and Mr. Riddle will be working on changing this coin into something filled with life."
Avalon and Tom both opened their mouths to object, "Professor-"
"My mind is made up. I will take no further complaints about pairings," he said, silencing the both of them.
She felt her heart sink into his stomach. Never before had she felt such animosity towards Dumbledore, suddenly feeling the urge to scream at the smug look written on her Professor's face. The irritation she showed was the same agitation that was strewn across Riddle's own face as he glared at his new partner from across the room. As Dumbledore continued assigning partners and objects, Avalon felt dread rise within her as she thought about the month that was to come.
"At least Riddle has a brain," Zelda grumbled, burying her head in her hands. "I can't believe I'm stuck with that... that moron!" She quickly added, "No offense to your taste in men."
Avalon could barely pay attention as Dumbledore wrapped up class, she was too busy dreading what was to come. An entire month working with Riddle-- as if there was anything that she would like to do less. On one hand, she thought it could be a good chance to learn more about him and find information about the Horcruxes. But on the other hand, she knew that in order to learn more about him, that meant they'd have to resist the urge to kill each other when they were together, which, evidently, was proving to be a much tougher task than either of them were prepared to handle.
She grabbed her things and started walking out of the class with Zelda after instruction finally ended when Riddle strode past her, purposely bumping harshly into her shoulder as he shoved his way to the exit. He barely glanced over his shoulder when he hissed out, "Sorry..." before taking a short pause and looking her up and down with a cold stare and adding, "... partner."
~~Author's Note~~
Holy cow!!! The love this story got in the past couple of days BLEW ME AWAY!!! Thank you all for the reads, votes, comments, and excitement!!! I'm so excited to keep updating the story for all of you and your energy means the world to me! I heard a few of you were promoting this story all over TikTok and that is literally so sweet and I cannot thank you enough! I made a TikTok with the username DaffyDarlingx and if you ever post any edits, please tag me! I'd love to see them :) Sending you all so much love and hope you have a great day!!! xoxo Daffy