Crimson || Tom Riddle [1]

𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖛𝖊

The air in the Transfiguration classroom crackled with tension as Tom involuntarily straightened in his seat when Arabella breezed in. He felt a twinge of embarrassment at the subtle lift in his mood, a reaction he'd sooner hex himself than admit aloud. Swiftly, he motioned to Malfoy, who sat beside him, demanding with a cold authority, "Find yourself another spot."

"Chambers, sit beside me," he barked to Arabella as he watched her walk in, making it sound more like a demand than an invitation.

Arabella beamed at his gesture. Booting someone from their seat just for her? That wasn't something people who weren't tight would do.

Fortunately for Tom, she accepted the offer. Unfortunately for Arabella, the seat was at the front of the class, offering a prime view of Albus Dumbledore who would make his stupid entrance at any moment.

"I really don't know why you choose to sit at the front in every class. Especially this one. I thought you didn't like Dumbledore," Arabella complained to him as she took her seat.

Tom, responded with a dry chuckle, "Sometimes it's better to keep an eye on the game board. Knowledge is power, after all."

Dumbledore strolled into the room, a glint of mischief in his eyes that Arabella found positively infuriating. He began explaining how to turn a pawn into a queen, a rather pointless spell, really. Arabella crossed her arms in defiance, her boredom evident in her expression, lips turned down, eyes searching the room for anything more entertaining than this.

Albus caught onto her reluctance, encouraging her with an impatient smile. "Come on now, Miss Chambers, give it a try. You cannot avoid every challenge life throws your way."

She and him both knew Arabella could already do the spell with a simple flick of her wrist, but she merely raised an eyebrow, unyielding. "I've faced far worse challenges than your little parlour tricks. This one is just beneath me."

Tom, seated beside her, leaned in. "What's the matter, Chambers? Scared the old man will checkmate you?"

Arabella glanced at him, smiling. He was really, really bad at jokes, and she made a mental note to tell him to never try that again. He seemed to be in an uncharacteristically good mood so she decided not to hurt his ego until his... positivity died down. "Shut it, Tom." It was then that she relented. With a dramatic sigh, she waved her wand, completing the spell effortlessly. The pawn transformed into a queen, much to Dumbledore's annoyance.

Tom couldn't help but be impressed, though he disguised it with a mockingly annoyed tone. "It's a simple spell, really. Not much skill required."

Albus remained stern. "Miss Chambers, there's more to this than you realise. You can't always rely on clever retorts and evasion."

"Oh, Albus, my love, I've been doing just fine so far," she drawled with a shrug, a small smirk on her face. Albus didn't miss it, but avoided her silent accusation.