Masquerade¹ → Tom Riddle ✓

chapter eighteen

The rest of the day passed ever so slowly. Making her way between lessons took so long that by the time she got there, it was almost time to leave. With no other lessons with Tom and long journey's between lessons, Evelyn had hours to process what she had just done. Evelyn had just made a deal with the devil, and soon they would be dancing together.

Evelyn spent as much of the day as possible revising any dark magic she already knew, not even bothering to glance at new speels as she knew she would never know them in time. By dinner, Evelyn's mind was fried: she had revised so many spells that she could recite them in her sleep. She sat with Lily and Sara at the end of the Ravenclaw table, smiling lightly at them as she took her seat, planting her books beside her in a tower, hiding the ones containing dark magic at the bottom.

"How was your day?" Sara asked whilst plating up food for the three of them, collecting three generous servings of pasta and placing one in front of Lily, Evelyn and herself.

"It was good; it's a lot harder getting back into everything though." She replied with a smile. "I didn't realise how far behind I would be, or how much people would look at me." She added the last part in hushed tones, aware that students were still watching her.

"I guess they're just curious, we would be too if someone was in the Hospital Wing for three days for a mysterious reason." Lily laughed uncomfortably, clearly aware that there was much more going on than what Evelyn was telling her.

"Professor Splint gave us pages and pages of homework today- there's no way I'll get this done for two days time!" Sara complained between mouthfuls of her pasta. "I'd much rather be with Daniel! Whilst you were away Evelyn, he asked me on a date and it was magical. I really like him."

Evelyn found herself finally surprised by Sara's actions. It had only been three days and she was already attached to a new boy, one that she had never spoken to before their fifth year.

Lily leaned in closer to the girls, "You know what I heard recently, and Evelyn I can't believe you didn't tell me yourself, but apparently there's something between you and Tom. Everyone said there was so much chemistry at the Christmas Ball, I can't bel-"

Evelyn quickly cut her off. "That's not true Lily: whoever told you that was lying." Evelyn would never be able to fall for someone so empty, so toxic, so dangerous: she wasn't foolish enough to develop feelings for a psychopath.

Evelyn quickly shovelled down the rest of her dinner, levitating her books as she rose from her table. "I have to see Professor Dumbledore about extra credit." She left the Great Hall as quickly as she could, making her way towards the library after dropping her books in the corridor and out of sight from others.

"You're late." Tom hissed at her as she walked down towards him.

"Actually I'm here after dinner after I finished my dinner." She retorted to him.

"Don't think you can act like this when we get where we're going!" He warned sternly, taking off.

With a brisk jog, Evelyn caught up with Tom and managed to slow to a walk alongside him. "What's the plan?" She felt unusually calm, as though she almost believed that this could be some big joke.

"I haven't decided yet, whatever springs to mind." He said with an inviting whisper.

Tom led her out of Hogwarts castle and towards a place that Evelyn was all too familiar with from all of her Care of Magical Creatures lessons. "Why are we going to the Forbidden Forest?" She asked him, her eyes exploring the forest for any potential dangers.

"It's where we meet." He stated simply, leaving it at that and picking up the pace.

Evelyn thought it best to not question him, so instead, she stayed in silence until they reached a clearing. It was too dark for Evelyn's liking, her hands in front of her were barely visible.

Abruptly three figures joined her and Tom in the clearing, appearing from behind the tree line. Astrea Black, Abraxas Malfoy and Theodore Nott stood before her dressed head to toe in black, hoods draping over their faces, the back trailing behind them through the snow.

"Welcome my Knights." Tom began, walking around the clearing. "As you all know Evelyn has been very interested in my mission lately. In fact, she is planning on joining our little group" Three gasps echoed across the clearing. "I have decided that I would consider her offer since she may prove valuable later on in my quest. Before any of us can even consider trusting her, she needs to prove her loyalty to the Knights of Walpurgis, now has anybody got any suggestions?"

"Give her the mark." Offered Theodore.

"No!" Astrea and Tom snapped back in synchronisation. "She is not worthy of it." Tom dismissed the suggestion immediately, stepping closer to Theodore as though he was ready to curse him "Has anybody any valuable suggestions?"

Silence fell over the clearing, all of Tom's associates glancing away from him as they stood without ideas. "Tom I am a very trustworthy person, perhaps no initiation is needed."

"Perhaps not."

Evelyn awoke in her bed, almost drowning in the blanket covering her. Her hands patted down the sides of her bed, looking for her wand which usually stayed beside her at all times, but instead feeling liquid. Once she lifted her hand to her face, she couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips. Blood trickled down her hands as she sat up, rivers of crimson flowing across her dormitory floor, all the way from the window to the door. As Evelyn looked around, she noticed that more and more was wrong: her possessions were almost all missing, her window was smashed, her friends weren't there. Everything was wrong.

Hesitantly, she swung her legs over the side of her bed, her whole body recoiling in disgust as her feet hit the pools of blood below her bed. As Evelyn continued to assess her room, Tom Riddle strode in, swinging the door open and slamming it behind him. "Evelyn." He nodded at her in acknowledgement.

"You can't be in here, this is the girl's dormitory, Tom." Her mind blanked on everything around her once she saw him enter. "You need to leave."

He ignored her, strolling further into the room, running his fingers across the blood-soaked bed, "I see you completed the task, I must say that you made a bit too much of a mess." He gestured to the blood pooling at his feet.

"What did I do? What did you make me do?" At the rate her heart was beating, Evelyn was almost certain it would burst from her chest any second.

"Even Astrea is pleased with the outcome. I must say, I'm surprised you had it in you."

"What did you make me do?" She screamed at him, repeating it as though it was a mantra in her head. "What did you make me do? What did you make me do?" She fell to the floor curling up into foetal position, her body instinctively rocking itself back and forth. "What did you make me do? What did you make me do?"

"Evelyn you have done what is necessary," He dropped down to her level, tilting her chin up so that their eyes were locked. "Welcome to the Knights of Walpurgis."