Breathless [ Malfoy & Riddle ]

17. normal day

From behind, she felt hands covering her mouth. At once, she was now at Hogwarts. Elizabeth looked around and noticed how everyone's facial expression changed, now that everyone knew she was a death eater. 

Harry was the one holding her.

They dragged her to her dorm. Hermione was there as well. She instantly stood on her feet, observing Elizabeth while fidgeting her fingers. 

Elizabeth sat on her own bed, watching the trio around her. 

The time she last saw them, was so much more different in many ways. They didn't have the anger that covered their faces and their hearts. 

"Why did you switch sides?" Ron asked.

She let his voice soak in, his words. The way his eyes met hers and turned away. 

"What did we do to you?" He continued.

"Nothing," she instantly replied to his second question. 

She didn't want to be here. At the place where all her childhood was spent, now she only saw the worst of her memories. 

The medicine she seeks in life was out of reach. 

"Is he alive?" she asked her question this time, "Is Tom alive?" 

"Why do you care about him?" Harry walked a step forward.

"It's a whole story," Elizabeth broke her eye contact with all of them, looked down to her sweating palms, "I hated him at first too but-"

Ron interrupted her, "Now you love him," he disapprovingly talking back.

One second passed. 

Two seconds passed.

Three seconds passed.

"You won't understand," Elizabeth tried to hold onto the hope that this nonsense would end soon, "Because you won't try to."

"I stayed up the whole night yesterday," Ron walked closer to her, "Trying to figure out why someone would ever like...Tom." 

She gulped. 

"That isn't why she is here Ronald," Hermione cut in.

"Why exactly am I here?"

"Hermione told us that you might have become a death eater to be a spy for us," as Harry spoke, Ron walked back to his original spot, "Is it true?" 

Elizabeth gulped again.

But this time, as she swallowed, remorse filled her taste. She could hardly believe her being in this situation. 

On one side, was her friends since childhood. On the other side, was her forgotten love since childhood.

For the first time, Elizabeth was glad to hear shoutings from the common room. In any other circumstance, she would be worried. Afraid in fact, but she has learned not to be afraid after all she has gone through.

When the dormitory door opened, the reason for the screams was known.

Tom Riddle came. 

The sight of him alive drew a sharp breath from Elizabeth.

"Riddle?" Ron muttered, surprised that he was alive, "What are you doing here?" 

"I don't remember giving you permission to take her away from me." 

He slightly bumped into Harry's shoulder and walked over to Elizabeth. He grabbed her arm and gave death glares to each member of the trio. 

"Now," he started talking, "If you ever steal something that isn't yours again, you might as well be...dead."