the devil's redemption [tom r.]

19|| Myrtle Warren.

ALL DAY LONG, TOM didn't so much as even look in Rosalind's direction. He ignored her as much as possible, not even asking for his belongings that he'd left behind at the library.

Rosalind kept them however, and decided to head to the Room of Requirement a few minutes earlier than the Knights' meeting. She wanted to give Tom his books and quills, and maybe try to talk to him about what'd happened a few hours ago.

She was in her dormitory a couple of hours after curfew, watching as Willow showed her the new stuff she'd bought.

"And you can tell, I spent most of my money at Zonko's. I just couldn't help it, everything there is amazing!" Willow exclaimed gleefully, emptying her bags that consisted of various pranking products from the joke shop. "Mum's going to kill me."

Rosalind laughed, catching the chocolate frog Willow'd tossed her. "Thanks, you really didn't have to."

"Oh don't be silly," Willow glanced around the room, making sure that Fionna wasn't in there with them, "I really wish you could've gone with me, or Oliver was awake to go at least. She's a pain in the broomstick." Willow whispered, hiding her mouth with the side of her hand as if anyone else could've seen her.

Rosalind laughed at that too, asking curiously in a low voice, "Where is she anyway?"

"Probably snogging Malcolm somewhere out there," Willow waved her hand dismissively, making Rosalind smirk humorously.

The French blonde got up from where she was sprawled on her bed –taking a look at her reflection in the mirror– ready to leave.

"Are you going somewhere?" Willow asked with skepticism, raising her eyebrows as if daring Rosalind to leave.

"Um, yeah– I have to," Rosalind didn't really want to tell her friend that she's going to see Tom, but she really didn't have any other reasonable excuse.

"At this time of the night?" Willow stepped closer from the side of her bed, placing a hand on her waist and tapping her foot on the floor. "Let me make a wild guess, you're going to see Riddle, aren't you?"

Rosalind sighed, turning around from the mirror to look at her friend. "Stop doing that, you look like my mother. You're even acting like her."

Willow rolled her eyes, "Don't try to change the subject. Please don't tell me you're – you're d-doing you know what with that boy." She spat the last part so fast that Rosalind could barely comprehend it. And when she did, her eyes went as wide as the size of saucers.

"Wha– No! Absolutely not. Never ever going to happen. I'm sixteen for Merlin's sake," Rosalind fumbled, not expecting Willow to jump to those conclusions that fast.

Willow let out a breath of relief, pretending to wipe sweat off of her forehead.

"Good, because I'm really not ready for little evil Riddle toddlers wobbling around."

She certainly wasn't planning on leaving while Willow was awake, but it was already half past eleven, and surprisingly the redhead still hadn't fallen asleep.

"Listen, Tom forgot a few of his books today at the library, so I have to give them back. That's all," Rosalind explained, "And I couldn't find him all day long, that's why I'm going now."

She didn't wait for Willow to reply, grabbing Tom's stuff and heading to the exit of their dormitory. "Don't wait for me."

Rosalind was already aware that she had no time to talk to Tom at all before the Knights' meeting. And she knew that she couldn't possibly give him his stuff back while the Knights were there.

He'd especially threatened her quite frequently during the whole week about her making an 'idiotic show' at their order. He warned her of the horrid consequences of her actions, declaring that he wouldn't be 'merciful' if she acted stupid.

Rosalind was walking quietly, disguised under her disillusionment charm. It was when she turned around into another hallway, that she noticed she was lost. It was weird to say but somehow, she'd managed to zone out her entire way while thinking about that day's events.

Was that it, or was it some kind of warning from her subconscious? Her inner eye?

She almost tripped over her own feet as she noticed a sound coming from one of the rooms. She could immediately identify it, the sound of a girl sobbing.

Rosalind walked towards the source of the crying cautiously, setting the disillusionment charm off of herself. She made sure not to freak out whoever was out there in the middle of the night.

"Hello?" Rosalind whispered, loud enough for the other girl to hear. The crying immediately stopped, followed by deafening silence.

Rosalind sighed, whispering "Homenum Revelio" , which marked a presence in the girls lavatory.

As she walked in, Rosalind noticed a young Ravenclaw curled in the corner, now crying silently in fear of some nark snitching on her.

The girl looked up upon Rosalind's arrival, and to say that she looked woeful was an understatement. The girl with dark hair and pigtails had been clearly crying for many hours. Her eyes were blood-shot and glossy beneath the thick glasses.

The girl sniffled, slowly getting up as Rosalind tried to recall her name.

"What's wrong dear?" Rosalind asked kindly, making sure not to trigger the girl or hurt her unintentionally.

"I-I uh, you're not g-going t-t-to tell anyone, are y-you?" The young Ravenclaw asked nervously, wiping the tears off of her face while trying to sound composed all at once. She didn't quite succeed in the latter, anyways.

"Of course I won't. Now tell me, why are you crying? What made you so sad?" The girl -apparently named Myrtle- told Rosalind all about how girls her age were giving her a hard time. Specifically Olive Hornby, who'd been bullying poor Myrtle since their first year.

"Listen to me Myrtle, life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted and that this thing must be attained. (previous quote by Marie Curie.) And most importantly, we ought not let people's opinions get to us. We're just the way we are, and we don't have to change to please anyone. You don't have to change to please anyone. And believe me, some day, someone will come along who would truly love you for who you are, regardless of your flaws and insecurities. Soon enough you'll look back to this memory and laugh at how you let those horrible people affect you." For some odd reason, Rosalind's mind drifted off to Tom as she said those words, even though they literally had nothing to do with him.

Myrtle seemed deeply affected by Rosalind's words, so much that the young Ravenclaw pulled Rosalind into a tight hug.

As she did so, however, a horrific image flashed before Rosalind's eyes. It was Myrtle. She looked lifeless, as if her soul had been sucked out of her eyes.

The image disappeared as fast as it had emerged, leaving Rosalind quite unsettled after noticing that Myrtle in her vision didn't look much older than now.

"Thank you Rosalind. You really made me feel better," Myrtle smiled as Rosalind plastered a fake one on her face.

Myrtle Warren left the lavatory feeling quite peaceful after Rosalind's reassurance. The latter however, felt much more disconcerted from the quick vision she'd just witnessed.

The blonde french shook her head, leaving the first floor Girl's lavatory to the Room of Requirement.

Meanwhile..

Tom Riddle stood outside the girl's lavatory under his disillusionment charm, raging with fury as he watched the Ravenclaw mudblood depart happily to her dormitory.

She'd been his target that night. She was the one he'd murder in order to create his first horcrux.

But stupid Rosalind had to get in the way being all kind and sweet, interrupting his plans and ruining everything he had in mind.

But that wasn't going to stop him, nothing ever would. Not even Rosalind herself. He will continue on with his plans, whatever it cost.