Riddle's Plea

Confrontation*

(Vienna. November 7th, 1943)

    I felt like death. Maybe my gallivanting in the November rain last night wasn't a good idea after all. My head felt like it was going to explode from the pressure that was in it, and my whole body ached. I was shuffling towards the Hospital Wing, hoping to get a potion to help me feel better and anxiously awaiting to get rid of the multitude of tissues currently stowed into my robes. I knew I looked like an absolute mess, and did not need the students that I passed to stare at me wide eyed due to my appearance. I sigh quietly to myself, and turn the corner into the corridor leading to the Hospital Wing. It seemed to be eerily quiet in this hall, and I stop my shuffling for a moment to glance around me. He's onto you Vienna. Prepare yourself. The voice appeared out of thin air, causing a chill to run down my spine and a squeak to come from my mouth. Whose onto me? I anxiously look around me again, not noticing anything out of place, and I take a deep breath, trying to steady my furiously beating heart. 

    I continue making my way down the deserted corridor to the Hospital Wing, my hand close to my wand in case I needed it, and shooting glances at anything that seemed to move. I was so close to the Hospital Wing doors now, and I let out a relieved sigh. My shoulders relax and just as they do somebody was grabbing me. A strong, cold hand covers my mouth to keep me from screaming and I'm being dragged into an empty room next to the Hospital Wing. My body instantly goes into flight mode, and I'm struggling against the strong arms wrapped around me. Suddenly the arms let me go, and I make a break for the door before I'm being thrown against the wall, my head making a sickening crack against the stone, and my eyes grow dark. I begin blinking rapidly, trying to focus on the face in front of me and take a sharp breath when I come face-to-face with Tom Riddle. "What the hell?" I say quietly, still blinking rapidly trying to clear my head and focus on the seething man in front of me.  "What have you done?" His voice is a growl, and sends a new shiver down my spine. I shake my head, trying to clear the fuzziness, and finally focus clearly on Tom. "What are you talking about?" I ask him, struggling against the hands that are holding mine above my head. "You don't know?" He asks me, his face turning up in disgust and his eyes completely black. "No. I don't. Care to explain." I say to him, finally giving up in my struggling and letting my body relax against the wall behind me. 

    Tom rolls his eyes at me, obviously not happy with my answer, and gives my wrists a tighter squeeze. "Something very dear to me is gone. I suspect you have something to do with it." He spits out, his eyes growing ever darker, and my head begins to panic. "I don't know what you're talking about Tom." I say to him, keeping my face clear and meeting his steady gaze with my own. "Something doesn't add up Vienna." He emphasizes my name, as if he didn't believe it was actually my name, and it causes me to chuckle which only angers him further. "What the bloody hell are you talking about Tom?" He snarls at my question, and further pushes me into the wall. "Why are you not scared of me?" He asks me, his now black eyes curious. My eyebrows practically raise into my hairline at the sudden change in conversation. "What?" I ask him, causing him to growl and roll his eyes again. "Out of everyone in this school, you are the only person that seems to not be affected by me at all. It's curious. Why?" He asks. That's a good question. I look upon the man in front of me, taking in his angry appearance and feeling his magic practically spark around us. 

    I should be deathly afraid of him, in fact, I should be screaming for help and crying and begging to be let go. Yet, here I was, being held against the wall, completely unafraid of him, and trying to ignore the shivers in my spine from his close contact. That's odd. I shake my head at the weird feelings and rack my brain. I gazed at him carefully, gauging how I should respond to his question. "Because you won't hurt me Tom." I say quietly, and I watch as his eyes grow wide. He stares at me for a few tense moments before bursting into a maniacal laughter, causing me to jump slightly. "What makes you think that?" He asks me after the gets control of his crazy. I let out an aggravated sigh and roll my eyes. "I don't know what your problem is. I didn't do anything. I'm not a thief. So if you could please let me go, that would be lovely." I say to him which makes him give me his signature smirk. "You've sparked my curiosity Vienna. I want to know why you would think I wouldn't hurt you." He says to me, tilting his head to the side, like a predator assessing his prey. "Do you really want to know the answer?" I ask him, mimicking his movements and causing him to smirk once again. "Of course." He says. "Because I see right through you Tom Riddle." I say and I watch his smirk grow wider. "How so?" He asks.

    "You like people to be afraid of you. You enjoy their fear and their nervousness. You secretly enjoy the attention you get when you enter the room. To you, it's a sign of respect. Enter me. I push your buttons, make you question things and distract you from your anger. I don't fear you, because you enjoy the fact that I do this. It's refreshing and confusing to you. You have to admit Tom, if anybody else would have been thrown into that lake you would have let them drown. You saved my life. There is a part of you, that wants to care for me. You struggle against this daily, so you come up with some ridiculous reason to hate me."  I say to him, watching his eyes grow dark again. "You like control. I hate to break it to you Tom, but try as you might, you can't control me." Alexander hadn't had time to teach me a whole lot of druid magic, just a few basic things, mostly for protection and defense. I called upon this magic now, closing my eyes and concentrating. I heard Tom suck in a sharp breath, before I opened my eyes and released the magic. He went flying across the room, hitting the ground and sliding before he quickly popped up again, wand pointed straight at me and his eyes wide with shock. I watched from the corner of my eye my hair turn from a deep black back into my usual white locks slowly. My eyes stung, not used to the druid magic, before they too returned to normal. 

    I gave a dumbfounded Tom a steady stare, and took a few steps towards him. "You know I'm powerful Tom. Perhaps more powerful than you." I say to him quietly as I walk cautiously towards him, my hands raised in the air in surrender. "What are you?" He asks me, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head. "That's a question for another time. I'm sorry Tom. But you weren't supposed to know about his yet." I say to him, calling forth the druid magic again as he watched me curiously. "What do you mean?" He asks me. "One day you'll understand. I'm doing this to save you Tom." Before he even has time to open his mouth, I release the magic, causing a blinding bright light to take shape in the small room. I only let a single tear fall as I clear Tom of the memories of what he just saw and gaze upon his fallen form on the floor. The magic had essentially knocked him out. I make my way out of the room, headed back to the Hospital Wing, letting a dazed and confused Tom Riddle laying on the floor.