Broken Wings / tom riddle

Chapter 14 - The nobody

When Briar entered her dorm, she took a deep breath in, she seriously did not just say that to Tom Riddle. She regretted it, and part of her feared how much she may have hurt the boy's feelings. But she shook the thought out of her head quickly, he was Tom Riddle, it would take more than that to hurt his feelings. If anything, she should be scared, she would of angered him more than anything.

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Briar made her way over to the breakfast table, the only seat available for the seventh years was next to Riddle. She hesitated just slightly but then proceeded to sit. The table was silent. She hadn't spoken to Avery since the ball, she insulted Tom last night and she had seen Casper making out with a Gryffindor. To say tensions were high at the Slytherin table would be an understatement.

"Eggs Briar?" Genevieve asked, breaking the silence.

"No thank you," she sipped her pumpkin juice.

Soon enough, Lestrange was making conversation with Abraxas, and Casper with Genevieve and Aleks. Briar and Tom were left to sit in silence. "I'm sorry about last night Riddle," she began.

"What is there to be sorry about Emeralds?" he replied back sharply, turning to her with those piercing eyes.

"Well I just thought I may have offended you with-," she struggled to find her words.

"How could someone like  you offend me?" he spoke with his eyes still fixed on her's. "Your outburst was childish, but unlike you I have better things to spend my time on, like our assignment. It's due tomorrow."

"Yes I know. I'm almost finished."

"You will meet me at lunch to finish it off before we present it tomorrow," he demanded. Briar didn't even try to argue, she just nodded her head. She was mostly just grateful he wasn't going to hex her for her words last night. Just as she was about to finally eat, Casper stood up and left the table. Briar hesitated but she knew she should follow him.

"Rosier!" She called out as she followed him out of the hall. He stopped outside and turned to her. "We're just not going to talk about last night...or...?" she asked.

"What do you want to know Briar?" he threw his hands in the air, he looked upset.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, why won't you though? Julian is popular and a pureblood what's so wrong about being with him?"

"You don't get it do you? The job of a pureblood heir to provide more pureblood heirs. What planet are you from Briar?" She needed to be more careful about what she said and done, she was showing absolutely no understanding of high society wizarding families. In the world of the fae, they didn't care about blood purity or anything like that. Yes there was the wealthier, more respected families, like her own, but the snobbery that these people showed was unheard of.

"I can't provide my family with what they need me to! What do you think will happen to me?" he said a little too aggressively. 

"Julian doesn't seem to care," Briar blurted out, she knew it probably was not the right thing to say but it was the only thing she could think of.

"He's a Potter, the whole family are known as being slightly off the rails, they don't care about the ideals that other pureblood families do." He exhaled and rubbed his chin between his thumb and fingers. "I'm scared Briar." She wanted to hug the boy. "If I don't start showing more interest, I'm going to lose him."

"You won't lose him. He's a good guy. If you want my advice Casper, live your truth because there is nothing more painful than living a lie," she said speaking from her own experience. "If your family does disown you, then when we graduate...we'll live together." The boy looked shocked at her suggestion. "Two pureblood's with broken families, tearing up the magical world together," she said with a smile. The boy laughed. 

"Thanks Briar," he said. She was sure he would even take her offer seriously, she wasn't even sure if she could commit to it, after she graduated she wanted to get away from the wizards and witches for good. But she felt as though it was the right thing to say to comfort the boy.

_____

After a few of her classes, she went to the courtyard to meet Riddle to finish off their assignment.

"You're late," he spoke with irritability.

"I don't exist to serve you Riddle, I got caught up with something important," she lied, unless helping Cordelia dispose of one of her love potions that went south counted as 'important'.

The two worked on the finishing touches of their work, exchanging as little words as possible.

"You've done it wrong," he sighed.

"No I haven't."

"Yes you have, you were meant to mention their elixirs before their flying abilities," he said.

"What difference does it make?" she asked.

"The worlds you incompetent witch!" He hissed as he grabbed her paper.

"I am so sick you Tom, you prance around like you're so much better than everyone else,"

"I am better than everyone else," he cut her off.

"No you're not! You're a silly child just like the rest of the people at this school and anytime I begin to feel slightly sorry for you, you just prove how you deserve all the worlds worst things," she spat at him.

"I don't need your pity Emeralds. You're a nobody who claims to be a pureblood when everyone at this school can see so clearly that you're not!" He yelled moving close to her.

"You don't know me," she breathed out.

Tom moved closer again and pressed his wand into her stomach discreetly so that no one could see, they were still in the courtyard, anyone could walk past. "And nobody will ever want to know you," he said digging his wand in further. He leaned his face in and whispered softly in her ear, "Like you told me at the ball, no one should waste their time thinking of you, will anyone even miss you if I used the killing curse on you right now?" he twisted his wand.

Briar closed her eyes, he couldn't kill her but his words rang in her ears, no one would miss her, she thought.

He leaned back and slipped his wand back into his robe. "So stay and be useful, or go and do whatever people like you do to pass time in their invaluable lives."

What happened next was a blur, she thought she might have blacked out. All she could remember was the harsh sound that came when her hand collided with his beautiful face. And then she ran.

A/N: Short chapter I know 😖 But I hope you guys enjoyed it, it's getting spicy I hope you guys like slow burns! Let me know what you think! Another update will be coming soon because this was so short. :)
- Lilith