𝐵𝑒̂𝑡𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑖𝑟𝑒 ; ᴛᴏᴍ ᴍᴀʀᴠᴏʟᴏ ʀɪᴅᴅʟᴇ

28

"And with the final touch," The cauldron of green liquid bubbled loudly as 2 mistletoe berries dropped in, "this, witches and wizards, is how you make the antidote for common poisons. A big thank you to Tom Riddle who is my best Potions student for helping me today." Professor Slughorn clapped and the rest of the younger class clapped as well.

Tom's Adam apple bobbed as he swallowed the lump in his throat and smiled charmingly. The bell rang and he began to pour out the potion in small vials for the class to take, handing it out as they left. He rolled up his sleeves and it bunched up.

Professor Slughorn cleared his throat and watched as Tom washed his hands at the sink, his head of neat curls were unruly. "I appreciate you helping me, Tom. You could've been studying for exams during your free period but instead helped your dear old teacher." He laughed and tried to defuse the tension. The running sink water served as a placeholder for the silence.

"There's no need to thank me, Professor. I needed something to keep me busy anyways and studying things I already know wouldn't do me much good." The sink turned off and Tom turned to face Slughorn. 

"Distraught?" Slughorn raised his eyebrows, expecting a dishonest response. "I suppose. I want to know the answers to my questions but it never comes." Tom dried his hands with a clean rag and sighed.

"The answers will come at the right time and place. You just need to focus on what you need right now to lead up to the big answer." Professor Slughorn took a candy out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth.

"Is there any sort of magic to speed up the process?" Tom asked.

Professor Slughorn laughed and his cheeks turned a rosy color.

"No, I am afraid the best answers come when it isn't forced out of the question."

-

Tom Riddle sat alone in the boys lavatory, sulking in on the filth and trying not to mind it as his nose stuck in his diary like always.

Flipping through the pages and passing by the same conclusion over and over again. It was impossible to get his mind to work. It was like there was a mental block that was preventing him from being him. As much as he hated it, he knew that there was something stopping him. Someone stopping him.

He hasn't made any new horcruxes, attended any slug club meetings, or even indulged in extra work in his Defense Against The Dark Arts class. All because he was flipping endlessly through pages of books he's already read like the lines of his palm and a girl. A girl that was the biggest part of his plan but the block to the start.

Tom exhaled and shut his book to stare ahead at the large empty bath. He deserved this, then maybe he'll get his thoughts sorted out. If he continued to indulge in the school's dirty manner, he'll become the person he wants to get rid of.

Tom stood up and pulled off his sweater, leaving him in his white button up shirt with his sleeves rolled up and his Slytherin tie. He placed it on a hanger and continued to undress, unbuttoning his shirt one by one and taking off his tie.

His chest was revealed as he got it off, a part of it catching onto his broad shoulders. He wasn't as toned as Abraxas Malfoy prided himself to be but one thing was for sure. Tom Riddle had a bigger figure than Malfoy without the excessive muscles. Broad shoulders, tight chest, slim stomach. The biceps of his arms even bulged out a bit.

Now, he was only left in his trousers. Quickly rushing to take them off so that he could get in the bath and relax. Riddle walked to the large bath with colorful streams of water pouring in and stepped in, feeling the hot water sink into his skin.

Tom's shoulders peeked from the water and he raised his arms up to prop his elbows up on the edge of the bath. Tom's fingers flicked the water and he tilted his head back.

Eyes drifting and closing, it wasn't pitch black. He saw a girl with frost like skin sleeping on silk sheets in a nightgown. She looked at peace as her wild black hair was tangled and everywhere. His perspective was like he was looking at her from above before that changed and he was now seeing a long flight of stairs.

Tom grinned as he realized. He had gone into Lilith's mind and into her dream. He had done it again and it didn't require much work. He felt stronger and more energized. Something had awakened in him. The question of "why Lilith?" 

The answer was here and he intended to get it. 

He could alter this is any way he wanted. He is apart of her.

So, the parts played out. From her fairytale house to her satin robe and dirty desires. Tom Riddle and Abraxas Malfoy. Right and wrong. Her face twisted in confusion when things switched right before her eyes and between her legs. 

Is this a dream? No. It's a game and he needed to win for the answer. Why Lilith?

"Where's Tom?" She asked, her eyes frantically scanning her surroundings as if he escaped. Tom wanted to laugh at her right then and there but he was Abraxas now and Abraxas wouldn't laugh. 

"Do you want him?" He asked.

"No, I want you."

"Do you need him?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because you're a liar."

The voices began to merge together beyond Tom's control and he tried to regain his focus but everything had faded to black.

"You're a monster."

Tom's breath was unsteady as the voice started to echo, unable to tell if it was talking to him or if he was still in Lilith's dream.

In the darkness, he began to see Lilith walking on a pond of water. She looked scared. No, not scared. She was petrified. Her face lost all color and it looked like she had just witnessed something impossible.

"Tom?" She said and Tom grew anxious. Did she see him?

He tried to call her name but there was something terribly wrong. Neither of them had control of their minds, it was like they were both stuck in some place.

"What did you do?!?" Lilith's tone raised. Tom didn't know what to do, this was beyond magic. This was beyond his control. He tried to think back on what he needed to do and it brought him back to what he needed. He needed Lilith.

Tom regained movement in his body but only in his mind, the more he moved closer to Lilith, the further he got. Soon, she disappeared and the image of the same black beast he saw that one night came back, holding someone. Someone that looked like an angel in a white dress. A dead angel with blood on her. The angel, Lilith Rosenyx with a beast.

Why Lilith?

The best answers come when it isn't forced out of the question.

-

A/N: This chapter is so confusing, I am so terribly sorry. I'm trying to make things make sense w/ the weird plot but hopefully things start to connect in future chapters.