Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Eleven

 "I swear Dumbledore is just trying to make my life difficult," Zelda grumbled as she angrily shoved her books, quills, and a notepad into her school bag. For the past three days, hardly a minute had passed where Zelda had not been complaining about being partnered with Xavier for their Transfiguration assignment. It was amusing to witness the sweet girl Avalon was used to suddenly shift into an angry and irritated version of herself the moment her grades were put on the line. It became increasingly evident to Avalon that Zelda's entire mood and demeanor depended on how she was feeling in regards to her studies-- a true Ravenclaw through and through. "You know when I asked him if he wanted to work yesterday he said that he couldn't because he was-"

"Busy drinking with Rosier," Avalon finished for her.

"Did I mention that already?"

"Only four times," Avalon giggled.

Zelda let out an exasperated sigh. "The worst part is that he's actually a quite talented wizard-- he just refuses to stay awake long enough to hear the lessons."

"I'm sure working with him won't be that bad," Avalon offered.

"Fingers crossed," Zelda said. "When are you meeting with Riddle?"

"I'll leave with you. He's already in the library, I shouldn't keep him waiting," she replied. Riddle had insisted that they start the project early on. He always wanted to get assignments out of the way as early as possible, so even convincing him to wait for the past three days had been a challenge of its own. She was reluctant to start working with him, though even she knew that they had to start sooner than later. The task at hand was not easy-- she had been trying to turn that damn coin into a small animal for the past few days and failed miserably on her own.

It was horribly annoying-- how was it that she had blasted the Killing Curse without batting an eye, yet couldn't turn a measly coin into a cat?

"I'm going to leave now," Zelda said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm meeting up with Xavier at the bottom of the Tower and we're going to head to the Great Hall. The boy refuses to step foot into the library-- wouldn't work with me until I agreed to go somewhere else. He's infuriating I just-" she cut herself off to groan. "Whatever, let's go."

Avalon laughed, grabbing her own things, making sure to take the coin and put it in her bag, before following Zelda out the door and down the stairs of the Tower. When they stepped outside, Xavier was already waiting there, his black shirt partially unbuttoned and his curly hair disheveled, as though he had just woken from a nap. His eyes landed on Avalon, completely disregarding Zelda as he took ahold of her hand and spun her around, pulling her into his arms and planting a kiss atop her head. "I didn't expect to see you, darling. What a lovely surprise."

The familiar scent of cologne and wine struck her nose as he held her close, the heat of his body a comforting contrast against the cool night air. "Xavier, have you been drinking again?"

He shushed her, holding back a laugh as Zelda's ears perked up and she walked forward, slapping him lightly on the arm. "I swear on Merlin's grave if you showed up drunk to our study session, Lestrange-"

"Relax, Shacks," he said, earning a raised brow at the nickname. "I only had a single glass."

"You are unbelievable," Zelda muttered, rubbing her temples as she fumed at her partner. "Truly, I mean that."

"You're too kind," he replied, rolling his eyes before returning his gaze to Avalon. "Will you be joining us? Tell me you will."

"Unfortunately, I will be joining Riddle," she said, the distaste evident in her voice.