𝖒𝖚𝖉𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 ~ 𝕋𝕠𝕞 ℝ𝕚𝕕𝕕𝕝𝕖

TWENTY-ONE || BETRAYAL

Darkness surrounded me. I couldn't breathe.

I was being pressed and distorted from directions I didn't even know existed.

There were iron bands tightening over my body; my eyeballs were being forced back into my head; my eardrums were being pushed deeper into my skull-

-A bright, blinding light surrounded me.

Hundred- no thousands- of similar doorways were lined up along the tunnel. I stared at them in awe, forgetting, for a moment, that I couldn't breathe.

Reality came flooding back to me when I felt a hand on my back, shoving me into who-knows-where.

Everything stopped.

Gulping lungfuls of dry air, I keeled over, panting as I slowly opened my eyes, letting them get adjusted to the light. Well, dark.

"Again with the marble," I muttered to myself, furious about the repetitive choice in material.

"Get up," I heard from behind me.

Feeling slightly better, I did what Malfoy said, tired of arguing. I turned to face him, and was met with a baffled expression on his face.

"You- You- listened!"

"I did," I agreed.

"Wow."

"What was that thing? I've never seen anything like it. Was I hallucinating or did I see what I saw?" "It was... a kind of apparition."

"But I thought you couldn't apparate in Hogwarts!"

"It's complicated. There are loopholes. Now stop asking."

I badly wanted to stick my tongue out at him, but I ignored the ridiculously strong urges that were surely going to get me killed, or at least hurt.

"Fine, then."

"Good."

"Good!"

"What?"

"What?"

"Stop copying me."

"Stop copying me," I mocked.

"You're being childish."

"You're being childish."

"Stop it, Granger, or I swear I'm going to-"

"Malfoy," A new voice warned from behind us. Malfoy gulped, giving me a death stare, and slowly turned around. "Yes?" He quietly replied.

"Leave."

"Yes, my lord."

He turned to leave, but paused at the last second. "It was her - the girl." Shit. "She was the one who saw us in Hogsmeade that day. Thought you should know."

Riddle froze.

I gave Malfoy a look that screamed 'traitor', and he scurried away. Coward.

Well... I would be one too.

Riddle waited until Blondie was out of sight, and looked towards me. "I thought it was you." I huffed and sat down on the floor, crossing my legs.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"You're going to kill me. Might as well sit down for it," I answered.

"Don't be ridiculous, Granger. You may as well leave."

I was stunned. What?

"I will be expecting to speak with you later, though. I have some suspicions. When it's time, do not ignore me, or the consequences will be... severe."

Still not over my surprise, I gaped at him. "I-I can leave-?"

"-Did I stutter? Tap the pattern which you've used to get into Diagon Alley on any of the walls in this room with your wand. It's simple enough."

He tossed my wand a few inches away from me. I snatched it and stalked towards the nearest wall. Gripping my wand tightly, I tapped the pattern, and surely enough, the marble cleared out until a human-sized hole was in the wall.

I gingerly stepped out, afraid that this was some kind of sick joke.

Deciding to linger in the hallway for a little while, I stretched my legs, glad that this was finally over.

Suddenly, a sound came from behind me. Startled, my head snapped towards the source. I relaxed. the marble opening was closing again. That was good. Everything was good.

Good.

Good.