𝖒𝖚𝖉𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 ~ 𝕋𝕠𝕞 ℝ𝕚𝕕𝕕𝕝𝕖

TWENTY-FIVE || ENCOUNTERS

We didn't end up finding Enola Weasley.

In fact, we never even started looking for her.

Moments after Penny and I made our decision ("We'll make Malfoy pay!"), a certain biased professor of ours decided to show up.

"Ms. Granger! Ms. Abbott! What are you doing inside? It is a lovely day. Go enjoy the sun," He said smiling to himself.

Penny and I grudgingly smiled back, and we started towards the Quidditch pitch.

"The nerve of that man!" Penny said, the moment we were out of earshot.

"He thinks he can go and tell us what to do, when Enola's clearly missing," She continued.

"Erm- I don't think he could exactly tell."

Penny gave me a death stare.

"Actually, you're probably right. He should've paid more attention," I meekly added. Penny, seemingly satisfied, nodded her head.

We reached the Slytherin stands, and I unconsciously scowled.

I tightly pulled my cloak around my body, trying to ignore the harsh winter air. "Well, on the bright side, happy Christmas."

"Oh yeah, that," Penny remarked. "But how can you be thinking of such a thing like that when-"

"-When W-Enola's missing. I know."

I turned my head towards the pitch, which now held a gaggle of bored-looking Slytherin Quidditch players watching their captain, Forsythe Lestrange, pointing at a worn blackboard.

Chalky stick figures and drawn brooms were flying in some sort of organized formations.

Lestrange was animatedly gesturing at them.

He was- Lestrange!?

I internally screamed. Lestrange was there that day at Hogsmeade. The day I had first met- no seen- Riddle. That one fateful day that had changed everything.

He'd shown up once again in the room of doom, as I'd decided to call it.

In my opinion, the name was quite fitting.

I snuck a glance at Lestrange once again, and accidently met his eyes. His surprised expression immediately morphed into a bone-chilling glare.

Penny caught my eye, and then his.

"What's he got against y- oh! He was there an hour ago! He was there, with Malfoy and his bloody gang. We've got to go. Come on, we've got to leave- ...Evelyn!"

She grabbed the sleeve of my robe and attempted to drag me away.

I brushed her off.

"No no, you go on Penny. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Besides, if anyone knows about Malfoy's whereabouts, it'll be Lestrange."

She hesitated.

"-And you're sure about this?"

"No... but what other choice do I have?" I gently nudged her away. "Go. I'll make him find Enola. I have to."

She teetered for a moment, and sprinted away, almost tripping over herself.

I knew I'd told her to leave, but I still felt some kind of judge as she disappeared from eye-sight. Who was she to leave me alone with a positive psychopath.

He couldn't be worse than Malfoy though, right?

Not even Riddle was worse than him.

Riddle.

Riddle!

He was a Prefect too. Surely he'd help me find Malfoy, especially since we weren't enemies anymore. But only just.

I turned to leave.

But couldn't. Something was stopping me. Something- no someone- was holding me back.

I slowly turned around to see someone's tall form. Not Riddle. No, it couldn't be. It wasn't like he could simply read my mind.

Of course not; that would be absurd.

I looked up.

I was right. It wasn't Riddle. It wasn't Malfoy either.

"Lestrange," I said with an icy tone. "Fancy seeing you here."