OF SERPENT AND ANGEL ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎➝ tom riddle ¹ | ✓ |

TWENTY-FIVE

Eliza's eyes were following the Professor as her hand moved to write the notes from the lecture, though her brain processed none of it. She sat quietly through lesson after lesson in the usually empty seat next to Tom Riddle. Muggle Studies was her one solace, being the only class that he did not take, but neither did Atha which left her alone.

Two days had passed since she and Atha had spoken - or fought - and Eliza would notice her looking at her with her brow furrowed. It was incredibly difficult to see Atha every morning and every night and not say a word, but she knew it was for the best.

Still, she found herself opening her mouth to greet her or tell her some ridiculous interaction from her day, but then she remembered that being her friend would only lead to Atha being hurt, if not worse. So she fought against her will and her impulse and tried not looking in her direction.

But that did not stop Atha from throwing worried glances in her direction where she now often sat next to the boy: in lessons, at lunch, in the common room. Spending time with him also meant spending time with his "Death Eaters". That only made her feel worse. The boys all looked to their leader with such a disgusting admiration that I made her sick to her stomach. They all knew who he was, what he was, and they praised him for it. They stood around him like sheep, blindly following the orders of the greedy dragon who could kill them without the blink of an eye.

Even now, as they exited the Charms classroom, Thaddeus and Fritz instantly appeared, taking their places slightly behind Tom as he made no acknowledgement of their presence. But as Eliza stepped out of the classroom as the last of the group, Atha appeared before her.

Eliza was slightly shocked at her sudden appearance as she looked at Atha who chewed the inside of her cheek. "Eliza, I need to talk to you," she said, an undertone of pleading urgency.

The blonde said nothing, her lips parting as her eyes wandered over to where Tom was a little way down the corridor. He nodded his head with the smallest of movement, granting his permission and Eliza turned back to the worried face of Atha. "Okay," she breathed with a small smile.

"Somewhere more private," Atha added, a slight relief expressed on her features at Eliza's agreement. "Let's go to the courtyard, it's always empty during lunch."

Eliza walked a little behind her friend as they made their way to the Entrance Hall and, rather than entering the Great Hall, exited the school. Both remained silent, till they reached a secluded corner amongst the rejuvenating hortensia bushes. There Atha once more turned to face Eliza, wringing her hands in her lap and chewing on her lip, looking nervous yet determined.

"Why are you spending so much time with Tom Riddle?" was the question she asked when she finally managed to speak.

Eliza was slightly taken aback by the harsh bluntness of the question. She opened her mouth once more, but managed to make no sound aside from a crack from the back of her throat.

But Atha seemed too impatient to wait for her response and continued. "I understand if you're angry with me or ... or something for whatever reason. If you don't want to sit with me, then fine. But don't sit with him," she said. "What happened to not trusting him, to feeling uneasy or unsafe? How did you go from that to this?"

"I'm not angry with you, Atha," Eliza mumbled, looking up to meet her eyes for perhaps the first time in months.

"Then why? What's happening to you?" the other asked desperately. Again Eliza opened her mouth but no coherent words came out. "You're not with him, are you? Please tell me you're not. Please tell me that Clarice and Nova weren't right."

She didn't answer.

She could say no, she wanted to. It was more true than 'yes' in any case. What she and Tom had was not a relationship; it was a dictatorship, a hierarchy.

But on the other hand, maybe it was better she said yes. Maybe Atha, like Clarice, would stop being suspicious that way. Which would be better for everyone.

The words were at the tip of her tongue, her mind still uncertain. "I'm sorry."

Atha looked at her, her complexion saddened as a small frown tugged at the corners of her lips. "I know you and William didn't get much time together, but I didn't think you'd move on so fast."

And she moved past, disappearing down the cobblestoned path between the Hortensia bushes, leaving Eliza alone in the clearing.

She remained frozen, staring at the empty space in front of her, the now so common numbness being all she felt. Somewhere deeper inside her, where she felt something other than fear and grief and terror, Eliza felt relief. It hurt her, of course, Atha had been her best friend since their very first day at Hogwarts. But because they were best friends, Eliza also knew she had to be selfless, she had to protect Atha, make certain she came to no pain. And if that meant letting her think that she had chosen Tom Riddle or letting Atha hate her, she was willing to do so for her best.

Eliza wouldn't allow Atha to come to harm, not on her account in any case. Will's fate was already a heavy enough burden on her conscience.

this was a shorter than a regular chapter, but it's cool bc in the future there will be more longer-than-regular chapters

sorry for not updating in such a long time, I've been rather busy

thanks for reading :)