𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 [ 𝐭.𝐫 ]

21: MIDNIGHT CRISIS PART ONE

Once Angelina got back to Hogwarts from her overdue restless holiday, she boycotted everyone. She did not talk or want to talk to Tom, Abraxas or even Lily. She would rather overdose in heroin. They deserved not to be talked to and she deserved better.

Better friends. Better company — and a fucking better life.

All of them were easily influenced by Tom Riddle's coercion. They would do anything for him. It was toxic loyalty of sorts. And as if she saw it for the first time in her six years at Hogwarts — she realized that the Knights of Walpurgis were solely devoted to Tom Riddle and there was nothing she could do about it.

Because only a few weeks ago, she was one of them too — a fool.

But it was now or never that Angelina freed herself of any lasting debt of unrequited friendships. She didn't need any of this or them, nor the drama and problems that came along uncalled for.

She didn't really talk much to the rest until it was mandatory. Making the decision to be proactive and remain silent in order to deal with newly born issues was even harder than she could imagine. Every time she saw Tom Riddle pop into the prefect's compartment on the Hogwarts Express, she found herself biting her tongue so hard that it would bleed or either digging her fingernails into her palms forming discolored crescents to subside the urge to strangle him with her petite hands.

Even though she attended all the three meals of the day, she managed to avoid her former friend group by sitting nearest to the teacher's table and the furthest from the gossip and ego induced students. If Angelina was to be honest, it was refreshing.

But only for a while — she also missed the feeling of home. True home. And over the years, her friends became her home, the walls of this castle was her home, the laugh and cries of her friends were home.

Tom Riddle was home.

But everyone had to move out, one day or another. Everything was temporary; none meant to be everlasting and sustaining. That was when she knew. Home could be a discouraging awful place too sometimes.

She even sat next to a muggle-born in her potions class. It caught everyone off-guard including the student hoarding Professor — Slughorn. Her fellow Slytherins looked at her with spite — marking her to be a blood-traitor.

Funny, really. They were the ones to betray her — break her trust.

Angelina had developed quite a... schedule — an odd one at that. She had odd eating times, odd sleeping times, and odd times to attend classes. And she blamed it on her insomnia.

Fixing her hair slightly, she stepped into the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, hoping to go totally unnoticed. She turned to go to the end of the class and sit at the last desk and get to scribbling down notes. Instead, there were no desks stationed at their usual positions.

"Very kind of joining us, Miss Arlo. You are fifteen minutes late," Merrythought's gaze was intense on her, her address to Angelina lead all head's turning towards her direction.

"I- I was, um, couldn't find my book," she shrugged, her figure shaking a bit due to the lack of breakfast in her system.

Merrythought looked unimpressed. "Next time late and I'll subtract house points."

"Yes ma'am."

"Now, off you go. Sit with your house." She clapped her hands together. Angelina nodded and walked towards the green and black uniforms. Some pulled frowns at her, she scowled back at them. Rolling her eyes out of habit, she sat down on a chair next to Abraxas but her body was inclined away from him.