Tale of Four Houses: A Tiktok Story

Part 8 - In Which Riddle Reveals All

"Alright, Riddle," Cass harrumphed later that day, plopping down on her bed, crossing her legs and folding her arms over her chest. She looked around her small room. "I know you're here. Time to come out and spill the tea."

Cass could feel a small breath of wind by her ear as Tom sighed. Alright, alright.

Before he could start talking again, Cassandra jumped in to give a demand. "And show yourself as you do it. I want to look at you and see if you're lying to me."

Fine.

And suddenly, he was there, sitting back right where he originally appeared to her - on top of the cabinet. "Happy now?" he asked, smiling lopsidedly. Cass just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He sighed again. "Alright, I suppose I will have to get started. What's your first question - and I swear I'll answer honestly." He raised his right hand. "Scouts honor, as they say."

"Why are you here?" was the first question she asked, trying to get straight to the point. "Why are you... a ghost or spirit... or whatever you are?"

Riddle rubbed his eyes. "That's a complicated answer, but I'll do my best. See, when that... Potter kid defeated me, they couldn't destroy me completely. Ever heard of a horcrux?"

Cass nodded. "Of course. But I thought Uncle Harry destroyed all of yours?"

"Yes... except for one."

Cass looked startled. "W-what?"

Tom rubbed the back of his neck. "Every time you make a horcrux, you have less and less of a soul leftover. It's like every time you make one, you split your soul in half. So the more you make, the less of a soul you are left with, but then you have less of a chance of dying. There was the smallest bit of a soul that I had in this notebook that's somewhere in the castle. It's just enough of  horcrux for me to stick around in a ghost-like form, but not enough to show up in physical form."

Cass cocked her head. "But aren't you in physical form right now?"

Riddle spread his arms open wide, half invitingly and half tauntingly. "Throw something at me."

"What?"

A grin spread across his face. "Just do it."

Cassandra looked around for something to chuck at him. She picked up her candle and threw it with the skill of a baseball player toward the young man. Cass bit back a gasp when it went right through him and hit the wall.

"See?" Tom smirked. "Proof. Next question?"

Cassandra thought for a moment. "Are you here to cause any trouble?"

Riddle shook his head. "Nope."

"Really?" Cass asked, cocking her head dubiously.

Chuckling, Tom nodded, "Yes, really! Next question?"

"What were you so nervous about earlier?"

Riddle's smirk immediately faded at the question. He looked around nervously, biting his lip. Finally, he sighed. "I don't entirely know myself."

Exasperated, Cass clenched her teeth. "What do you mean you don't 'entirely know'?"

Tom threw his arms in the air. "It means what I said! I don't know what it is exactly that's making everyone so nervous around here - all I know is that, whatever it is, that it isn't good."

Cass started to feel nervous herself. "Not good? How much is not good?"

"Like 'this whole place is going up in flames' not good," Riddle replied uneasily. "There's been signs I've seen... it hints to an old power that can very well be awakening in the depth of the castle."