Masquerade- Tom Riddle Fanfiction

An Alibi of Blood

Addie's POV

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  I was silent as I watched the Durmstrang ship sail away; remembering what had transpired in the morning, once the announcement for departure had been made. 

  "You could stay longer," I ventured to the trio that I had once called friends. 

  "Negative, little Azzie," Boris said, ruffling my hair, "we still haz zhe run; we cannot afford to stay here longer--" 

   I raised one eyebrow. "Grindelwald has a vast network of spies; how do you know that you won't get caught? You should stay in Hogwarts; Dumbledore will protect all of you." 

  Viktor got up and walked towards me. His eyes were filled with emotion. "We are zhe Bulgarian; we do not run away from a fight like zhe cowards," he said, "and more importantly, we will not stay around for Grindelwald to overcome without zhe fight." 

  "You are refugees," I said, "you have no choice but to run; what could you possibly do to help? You will be captured." 

  "No," Blagun spoke up, rumbling in his deep voice, "we won't." 

  I looked at them; their eyes steadily gazing into mine. They were going back. Back to Durmstrang. "And what about Beauxbatons?" I asked quietly, "are they going as well?" 

  None of them answered. They were leaving. Leaving for their death. And what was worse was that I knew I couldn't do a thing to help or stop them. I swallowed as the sun made its appearance in the sky; brightening everything in the cold and pitiless world without hope. Look on the bright side. Hypocritical. "We need to pack soon," Viktor said, standing up as the other two followed his example, "it was nice to see you, Adeline Robins." I flinched. My full name. There was nothing more final; more cruel; and especially more silent than those two words. A farewell. 

   My mouth unhinged. So cruel that I had to say goodbye to my friends; that I had to wish them the best of hope as they went back to their deaths. They were walking in their graves. I didn't embrace them; I didn't kiss them. We were all too beaten and weary for that. I held out my hand for them to shake. Less sentiment meant less heartbreak when they left. Getting the clue, they clasped my hand warmly; their eyes speaking what their mouths couldn't. 

  It was all a dream before they left. Izzy and Will didn't bother talking to me; they knew what was going through my mind. I closed my eyes, turning my back as I made my way across to the school grounds; the frozen lake glistening as the ice droplets melted from the sun. Thawing. It was easier said than done-- the worse thing was trying to thaw a frozen heart. 

   Or lack of a heart thereof. Speaking of which, I glimpsed the evidence of the fact. Tom Riddle somehow knew my location, even without having a magical map to aid him. Terrific. I crossed my arms as he approached me, his eyes warm and deceiving. 

   "Lovely weather, isn't it?" he asked, feigning innocence with a masterful expression, "makes one to be inclined to take a stroll--" the ends of his words were meaningful as he held out his hand charmingly.