Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Nine

 She scrambled out of the Slytherin common room as fast as her feet would carry her, angrily wiping at her eyes as hot tears of frustration spilled down her cheeks. Her thoughts were racing and she could barely walk straight-- everything was blurred in a furious haze. Her body burned with anger, her fingertips twitching and sparking with destructive magic as she stormed through the halls, her tears falling onto the stone floor beneath her.

He had seen her memories. He had entered her mind. He had violated the one part of her that had still remained unseen by Voldemort.

And she hated herself for letting him in. She hated herself for not fighting it off more, for not being stronger, for not barricading her mind better. But most of all, she hated herself for showing weakness.

She kept worrying that he had seen too much. Her heart was beating a thousand times per second and she struggled to keep her breathing steady. She couldn't focus on anything other than the look on his face when he forced his way into her head-- empty, emotionless, devoid of empathy. He was a monster. A cruel, ruthless, monster that took what he wanted with no regard for privacy or permission.

But then, she thought about what she had seen in his mind. She could sense his emotions through the memories. She felt his disgust, his rage, his loneliness, his fear... he had been so scared. Genuinely, gut-wrenchingly terrified. She didn't think Tom Riddle was capable of such feelings.

She turned a corner, coming abruptly face to face with a familiar blond.

"Oh hey," Avery nodded at her, smiling until the moment he fully noticed the state she was in. She tried to pass him, putting her head down and avoiding his stare, but he quickly turned his route to match hers, walking alongside her as he watched her with worry in his ocean blue eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," she said shortly, trying to walk speedily away from him.

"Avalon, no, talk to me," he said, stepping in front of her and stopping her stride. She angrily wiped at the tears in her eyes, annoyed at them for how they refused to cease. His face was ridden with concern. Not enjoyment, not amusement, not curiosity. Concern.

It wasn't until this moment that she realized how badly her hands were shaking. She couldn't contain herself, it felt as though her entire body was on fire with a burning rage. Orion sighed and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. You're going to be alright. Will you sit with me for a bit? Let's just talk."

She silently nodded, following him as he quietly led her upstairs. He looked around as they walked, his eyes searching for a proper place for them to speak privately, finally settling on perching on a windowsill and patting the area next to him for her to join. She climbed up, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared ahead, her body trembling violently as she kept thinking about Riddle. Avery watched her carefully, his eyes as gentle as his voice when he spoke again. "This seems like more than an upset stomach," he said, referring to her excuse she used to leave the Slug Club.

She couldn't answer him. Her stare was blankly locked on a spot a few feet away as she blinked back tears. She hated silence, but she felt too frozen to speak. Her body rocked back and forth and she shut her eyes, trying to take in a deep breath, but all she could manage was short, shallow gasps of air. Her fingernails were digging into her palms so hard that her fists were straining under the pressure, but she barely even noticed. Avery watched as the veins on her hands grew more and more prominent before he sighed and leaned over, gently taking her hands into his own and unraveling her fists, rubbing small circles into her skin. "Don't clench your fists when you're stressed. Trust me," he said, momentarily raising one of his hands to show her the crescent shaped scars on his palms, "it doesn't help."