Call of the Void // t.r (ON HOLD)

Chapter 7

"Clever as the devil,
and twice as pretty."

Eleanor's excitement grew as she walked with Frances and Abby to their second Potions class of the year.

She was excited to brew a Potion, something she had missed over the long summer.

She had been in a foul mood since the accident. Screams filled her nightmares leaving her restless throughout most nights.

Potions brought a fond smile to her face as she remembered the fun she had with Louise, brewing all sorts of potions.

She quite liked Professor Slughorn, he was joyful and happy and seemed to enjoy the subject as much as she did. Though, Abby told her that he can get a bit annoying after a while, to which Frances replied with, "He's the most annoying person I've ever met!"

Once they arrived to the class, Abby turned towards the two. "I promised Lee-Anne I would sit with her today, so please do not kill each other," she pleaded.

Frances flashed her a smile, "Why would I do that?"

Eleanor hoped Frances would warm up to her soon, especially if the two were to sit together. However, she wouldn't let this ruin her mood.

The smell of the potions alone brought a smile to her face, but she was quick to cover it up.

The class began and they were tasked with their first Potion of the year. It was a test to see where they were and how much they knew.

The Draught of Living Death.

It was a potion taught in sixth year, yet they were meant to only brew the Potion once.

Eleanor, however, had brewed the Potion twice before, both times she had gotten it near perfect. She was always looking for ways to improve it.

She found something in one of her books.

The book had recipes and tips to improve Potions. Using Blood Magic.

Now, this wasn't a complicated spell, so she had no chance of getting caught. All she needed to do was add a drop of blood to the potion and whisper the name of the potion. This would enhance the effects of the potion, allowing her to brew a perfect Draught.

It wasn't cheating. Magic folk used ways to enhance potions all the time.

Nearing the end of the brewing process, her eyes glanced around the room to ensure no one was looking.

She kept her hand on the desk and put her hand over the knife they were given to cut the sopophorus bean. She pressed her finger onto the blade and cut.

She then grabbed the next ingredient and made sure to smear the blood onto it before putting it into the cauldron. She wiped the blood from her finger and continued brewing.

Soon enough Professor Slughorn was calling for the end of class. He went through each learner's potion until he got to Tom Riddle's

"Perfect, as usual," he grinned and patted Tom on the shoulder. Tom, himself, looked as if he wasn't too comfortable with that fact but wore a proud smile anyway.

Slughorn then wobbled on to the next learner until he reached Eleanor's potion.

"My, my," he whispered, "perfect!" A large grin stretched upon his face.

He turned back towards Tom, "I think we've found someone who's skills could rival yours, Tom," he said. He looked ecstatic.

"Wonderful, this might even be better than Tom's!"

With that, the class started whispering. Eleanor looked up and her eyes met Tom's, whose eyes held a glare that gave her chills. She held her blank expression, not letting Tom know his glare got to her.

Frances grinned and patted her on the back. She leant in and whispered, "No one, and I mean no one, has ever bested Tom Riddle. I officially like you Eleanor King."

Despite the compliment, Eleanor could not remove her eyes from Tom's glare.

The class was dismissed and Eleanor made sure she was the first to leave. She rushed through the halls, dodging several people with careful precision.

Having been in the castle for quite some time with nothing to do provided her the opportunity to explore.

She wandered through the halls until she found an empty hallway. She was near the library so she decided to go there. She wanted to find more books anyway so the trip wouldn't be pointless.

She wasn't scared, no, but she knew Tom Riddle was not one to be messed with from what she heard from Frances and the look on his face.

She could tell he had control. He had the whole school wrapped around his finger. She had noticed in the few days how the learners either admired him or were jealous of him. The teachers loved him too. And he knew it.

She did not want to get into trouble with other people. She wanted to keep her head down and stay low. She couldn't do this, however, if she angered other people, who had power that made the teachers bow down to them.

"Miss King," a voice said.

Speak of the devil and he shall arrive, she thought.

She turned around and put a smile on her face, "Riddle."

"I want to ask you something," he said with a smile. "How did you manage to get a better potion than mine?" He still had a smile on his face but his voice was low and threatening.

"I practiced," she said, with a shrug. No one could know about her magic or about who she was.

"Practiced." He let out a humorless chuckle, "And do tell, what you added to enhance the effects of the potion?"

"I didn't do anything to it."

"Really? Then how did you achieve a better potion? You're testing my patience, Miss King."

"Perhaps you made a mistake?" Eleanor wanted to cringe at herself but kept her face plain. She was digging her own grave at this point.

"I don't make mistakes, Miss King," He narrowed his eyes at her, but she kept the look of innocence on her face. "I'll see you at lunch," he smirked.

Tom Riddle walked through the halls thinking about his previous conversation.

How could she produce a Potion better than perfect?

He knew she had to be hiding something. She had to of added something to it. What? He didn't know. He had gone through many ways to enhance the effects of potions. That's what allowed him to reach such a perfect potion.

She could be useful in his future plans. He just needed to find out how exactly she would be useful.

He needed to uncover her secrets and discover what she was hiding so well under the mask she wore. He had noticed. She looked uncomfortable whenever the spotlight was on her, like she wanted to hide away from people's eyes.

He has hidden things so many times he could tell when someone was hiding a secret of their own.

________________________________________

So I've been gone a while. I decided to take a break to spend time with my family.

I don't really like this chapter and despite how many times I've tried to rewrite it, it still sucks but I hope it's good enough.

– walkingmasterpiece xx