Mind Games | Tom Riddle | DISCONTINUED

Seven: Connections

"Good evening," Tom Riddle greeted softly, his dark eyes alight. He bent over and plucked Azalea's wand from her hand.

"What do you want, Riddle?" Azalea snapped, glowering up at her smug attacker. She cursed herself for letting her guard down.

"Get up," he ordered.

Azalea was compliant. She had a feeling that Tom wasn't going to hurt her. Her back twinged from her fall.

Tom Riddle smirked as he twirled Azalea's wand between his fingers. "Walk. I'll be right behind you," he said.

Azalea looked at Tom questioningly, then began walking down the dark corridor. She began thinking of all the places Riddle could be taking her. She was surprised when he had her enter the girls' lavatory.

Azalea watched Tom walk to one of the sinks, which confused her even more.

"Open," he hissed. Tom stepped back.

Azalea heard a low rumble as the top of the sinks rose into the air. She watched the sinks slide outward, revealing a large hole in the floor. She was awestruck. After six years, Azalea thought, she still hadn't found out all of Hogwarts' mysteries.

She wondered how just saying 'open' could cause all of that to happen.

"Come here, Verdine," Tom ordered, his cold glare locked on her.

Ignoring the shakiness in her legs, Azalea walked to the boy. As she peered into the black pit, she felt a hand on the small of her back. "What are you doing?" Azalea asked quickly, her heart beginning to race.

"See you at the bottom," Tom whispered. Then, he pushed Azalea forwards.

A scream got caught in her throat as Azalea hit a slab of concrete. She began sliding down what seemed to be a large tunnel. As quickly as the fall began, Azalea's knees slammed into the floor.

She felt sick at her stomach when she noticed what littered the floor. Tiny skeletons crunched beneath Azalea's shoes as she looked around.

"I expected more screaming," a smooth voice said.

Azalea turned to face the ever-smug Tom Riddle. "I expected a peaceful night. I guess we were both wrong," she replied coolly.

Tom grabbed Azalea's arm and gave it a tug before walking into a massive tunnel.

Azalea struggled to keep up with his long, quick stride as Riddle delved deeper into the cavernous tunnel. "Where are you going?" she asked. The only answer she received was a sharp tug on her arm as Tom stepped down into a cavernous room.

Her stomach churned when she saw what was in the middle of the floor. A translucent piece of fleshy material was coiled on the ground. Azalea estimated it to be at least seventy feet long. When she realized what it was, she stopped in her tracks and wrenched her arm from Tom's grasp.

"Verdine," he began through his clenched teeth.

"Riddle, what the hell is that?" Azalea interrupted while gesturing to the snakeskin. She already had a hunch on what the skin came from; she just hoped she was wrong.

Tom turned around and grinned at Azalea. "You'll see," he said mischievously. Then, he placed a hand on the small of Azalea's back.

Her muscles immediately tensed at Tom's seemingly harmless action. She knew that what Riddle did wasn't a threatening action and that it was a very common thing for people to do.

Azalea also knew that she was dealing with Tom Riddle and that Tom Riddle was far from harmless.

He stopped a few feet from a round door adorned with bronze snakes. Tom removed his hand from Azalea's back and hissed, "Open."