Means To An End || Tom Riddle Story

Twenty-Nine

Her heart turned to stone in her chest, but there was no sense in hiding. Tom knew she was there. She stood up slowly and locked her eyes on him. He was still standing with his back towards her. She wanted to walk forward, but found that her feet were unable to move. She wanted to speak, but feared her voice would waver. Instead, she stood there feeling stupid and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"You knew I was following you," she tried to say confidently.

She watched as he turned slowly to face her. Something was different about him. It was the way he presented himself. The cloak made him look wiser beyond his years. His height was intimidating and his stern expression made her understand why his followers feared him. The aura that radiated around him was powerful. She felt small and meaningless standing before him.

"Of course I knew you were following me," he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I baited you."

"You wanted me to follow you?"

"That's what baiting means."

His arrogance still made her want to slap him.

"But why?" she asked. "So you could show off in front of your men and pretend you're some big, bad, ruthless leader?"

She knew she shouldn't push him, but she couldn't help herself. His arrogance drove her mad and it filled her with great pleasure every time she able to knock him down a few pegs.

She knew Tom was going to Apparate right next to her, and she anticipated his move. Simultaneously, she Disapparated and kept a good distance between the two of them. The last thing she wanted was him within arms reach of her.

Tom smirked as she stared him down, a good twenty meters away. "Nice move, Travers," he beamed. "You're learning, I see."

"Face it, Riddle. You're predictable."

"Is that so?"

She gulped, and then nodded, not wanting to show him any signs of fear.

"What are you waiting for?" she instigated, "go ahead. Kill me, just like you said you would."

He smirked. "That's not exactly the way I like my victims begging for death, but I suppose it'll do."

Without wasting a second, Tom flourished his wand and sent a green bolt of light whirling towards Cosette. She dodged it, but had an inkling Tom intended to miss.

"You don't really want to kill me," she declared. "If you did, there's not a doubt in my mind that you would have missed."

He took a couple paces towards her. She mimicked his move by taking the same amount of steps backwards.

"I've never met someone so keen on dying," he teased.

"I'm not keen on dying," she argued. "I just want to talk to you."

"I'm not sure the best way to obtain my attention is by eavesdropping on me and my men," he said as he twirled his wand between his fingers.

"I have to get your attention somehow," she responded. "But it would be nice if for once we could have a conversation that didn't end in combat."

"Perhaps if you'd be a good little girl and keep your mouth shut once in awhile, it wouldn't have to end in such way."

"I've kept my mouth shut for most of my life," she retorted. "I suppose I've just found my voice."

"Such a shame," muttered Tom as he kept taking long, slow strides towards her. "That's what seems to get you in the most trouble."

She glanced behind her shoulder and was thankful she was not backing up against a wall.