Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Ten

 The weekend blew by quicker than Avalon had expected, though slower than she had hoped. She spent most of her time in solitude, retreating into her dorm at most hours of the day in an attempt to avoid Riddle for as long as possible. She had managed to stay out of his way for the past few days, still fearing their inevitable confrontation after she had been caught in his room, but she was growing restless in her dorm.

She had breakfast with Xavier and he was in a much better mood than he had been the days prior, his normal Cheshire Cat grin finally finding a home back on his lips as he told her about how it had been the first time he'd been awake in time for breakfast since his second year at Hogwarts. They talked a lot about what life had been like at the castle before she had transferred-- she was hoping he would talk more about Riddle and give her clues about the Horcruxes, but all he really touched on was his friendship with Rosier and how the two of them had an inclination towards getting joint detentions at least once a week since they first stepped foot onto Hogwarts six years ago.

It was, for the most part, a relatively uneventful weekend. Both she and Zelda had been busy studying and completing assignments, so they were in their room with their noses in their books for almost every waking moment.

When Monday came, she felt equal parts relieved and anxious: relieved that she would finally be able to leave her room and attend classes, giving her an excuse to once again roam beyond the walls of Ravenclaw Tower, but anxious about seeing Riddle. A part of her hoped that perhaps he had already moved on from their encounter and would let the topic go-- if he hadn't brought it up in the past few days, maybe that was a sign that he was just as keen on moving past it as she was. He had, after all, been just as exposed as she was, so she wondered if he would ignore it the way she hoped he would.

Her hope seemed to harbor a hint of truth when she sat down in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Riddle's eyes flickered over towards her as she walked into the classroom, but he did not spare her more than a moment's time before returning his gaze to Rosier who was sitting beside him.

As usual, she kept her head down as she made her way to the back of the class, ignoring all of the stares of her peers as walked to the furthest table, where Xavier was saving her a seat. No matter how much time passed, it seemed her classmates refused to accept her as one of their own-- their icy glares followed her no matter where she went, serving as a constant reminder that they viewed her as a threat. Tensions were still too high at this time, and her Durmstrang reputation seemed to follow her everywhere. She paid it no mind-- she wasn't here to make friends-- though it did feel odd to be so openly disliked on campus.

When she sat down by Xavier, his arm found a home along the back of her chair almost by instinct, and she smiled at him as he gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. "Good morning, darling," he greeted her, a lazy smile sewn onto his features as his still half-asleep gaze fell upon her. His voice was still raspy, a clear giveaway that he had woken up not too long ago, surely staying in bed for as long as possible before making his way to class with not a moment to spare.

"Good morning," she replied, her attention divided between him and Riddle, sitting a few rows ahead. By the looks of it, Riddle didn't seem angry at her anymore. He paid her no mind as class began, his focus solely directed at Merrythought as she taught the class about various shielding spells. Xavier kept whispering small jokes here and there to Avalon, earning light laughter each time he quietly disrupted the professor with his ever-present inability to focus on anything other than his own amusement. Eventually, Merrythought grew tired of his constant interruptions and forced him to join her at the front of the classroom to demonstrate the magic she had spent the last hour teaching, but, much to her surprise and displeasure, he was able to perfectly execute the spells despite his lackluster attention span.