Archangel | tom riddle [stand-alone]

7 - the grey lady

May

1944

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HE'D MUTILATED HIS SOUL, committed the most repugnant crime against himself and against the laws of nature. So far in his nefarious quest for immortality, he'd split his soul twice, and one sweltering evening in late-May, Tom absentmindedly gazed down upon Marvolo's ring and his old diary, knowing that if he wanted to be successful in his feat, he had to hide the objects; although, artefacts infused with dark magic were harder to conceal. But there was something he had to do first.

He hurriedly left the Slytherin dungeons and headed towards the Ravenclaw Tower in the pursuit of the Grey Lady.

On the way to the tower on the other side of the castle, a freckle-faced blonde girl stopped and turned to Tom, "Oh, Riddle! Are you looking for Aurora?" she asked. "I'm on my way to meet her now in the study hall. She just finished her last O.W.L."

Tom did not know this girl's name, but he did know she was a twin, and was also one of Aurora's irksome Ravenclaw friends. The only one Tom could stand was Michael Burnley - Tom favoured him so much he'd put in a request to Professor Slughorn for Burnley to join the Slug Club in the following academic year - other than that, the rest of them just pissed him off. Especially Edmund Carrington.

So far, Tom had been successful in gaining Aurora's trust, to the point he'd completely neglected his original plan. It sat in the back of his mind like a bedrock as he ventured down this unforeseen dalliance with a Ravenclaw girl a year younger than him. And he didn't know how to describe his feelings for her, but there was something there - something annoying and undeniable - and Tom wasn't entirely sure whether he liked it.

Tom cleared his throat. "No, actually. I'm here to speak to your Head of House," he said.

Lizzie van Ker nodded, but in a way that she knew Tom was lying. She smiled. "Okay. I'll see you."

Tom turned on his heel to watch Elizabeth as she walked off, practically skipping down the hallway like some silly little schoolgirl.

She is a silly little schoolgirl, he thought snidely.

Why was Aurora friends with such air-headed idiots? She was too good for them.

Tom shook his head as a futile attempt at ridding his mind of Aurora.

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The Hogwarts Library was eerily silent as fifth year students studied in preparation for their O.W.L examinations, and the odd sixth year that would be undertaking the optional N.E.W.T exams, one of which was Tom Riddle, huddled over a mass of books on a desk adjacent to a wide window.