Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Six

Avalon sat quietly next to Zelda while the pair listened to Dumbledore lecture in front of the class. The day had felt terribly long. Several Ravenclaws had decided to stay up the night prior until the crack of dawn, and neither Zelda nor Avalon had been able to get a good night's sleep because of it.

The lesson was devastatingly dull. They had been watching Dumbledore transform chess pieces for the last hour: queen to king, pawn to knight, bishop to rook, and repeat. Lestrange had already fallen asleep-- his long brown hair covered his eyes just enough to hide his shut lids. Riddle and Rosier sat on either side of him, Rosier busy attempting to balance his wand on the tip of his finger, while Riddle, as usual, was one of the only students actively paying attention.

He never took notes, but he always watched the Professor with uninterrupted focus. His face was cast in the golden rays of the dying sunset, and his eyes, usually darker than the night sky, were lit by the embers of the evening to be the color of warm coffee. He must have felt her gaze on him, because he turned to look at Avalon, causing her to glance away before their eyes met.

There were quiet murmurs of disinterested side-conversations hushed throughout the room, yawns bouncing off the walls every couple of minutes as students neared the end of their days. When class finally ended, everyone stood up quickly, packing their things and making their way to the exit as quickly as possible. Rosier hit Lestrange on the back of his head, awakening him with a jolt as he looked around, dazed and disgruntled. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand before he got up and walked over to Zelda and Avalon's table, though his attention was only directed towards one of the two.

"Morning, sunshine," Avalon greeted him smugly.

He rolled his eyes, still too tired to come up with his usually cheeky responses. "You and Riddle going to the library?" She nodded, but was ridden with lethargy, dreading what was to come after class: she and Riddle having to complete their Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment, just the two of them. "I'm going to go take a nap," he said, stifling a yawn. "If you finish early, you know where to find me." Without another word, he walked out the door, Rosier following close behind him.

Tom stood up and walked over to her table. Zelda watched him approach with weary eyes, though returned his smile when he nodded at her. "Good evening, Shacklebolt," he said, first greeting Zelda.

"Good evening, Riddle," she replied. Her usually lucid voice took a much more poignant tone when she spoke to him. "I'll see you back at our room later, okay?" she said, speaking to Avalon.

"I'll see you then," Avalon replied, secretly wishing her roommate could join her and Tom in the library and watching in despair as she walked away and out the door.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, turning his attention to Avalon, who nodded in response. "Alright, follow me, then."

"Miss Hendrix?" Avalon and Tom both turned around at the sound of their Professor's voice. Dumbledore walked up to them and smiled. "Mr. Riddle, would it be alright if I stole Miss Hendrix for a moment. I'd like to talk to her in private, if the two of you are not in a hurry."

Tom hid his aggravation behind a polite smile and a curt nod. "Of course, Professor," he said before walking out the door, shutting it behind him.

Dumbledore waited until he heard the click of the door closing, before he leaned against the mahogany desk behind him and turned his undivided attention towards the fidgety girl standing before him. "Miss Hendrix," he said slowly. "How have your first days at Hogwarts been thus far?"

"Good, thank you for asking," she said, cautiously.

"I see you've become acquainted with several of the Slytherins," he said. His voice was not judgemental, but rather curious. "You're accompanying Mr. Riddle to the library after this, correct?"