Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Fifty-Eight

 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."