Cruelty • Tom Riddle

The Cruelty of Lestrange

   It was annoyingly difficult to keep focused on Professor Dumbledore's explanation of non-verbal magic with Riddle's cold gaze burning a hole into the back of my skull. It seemed the kiss had affected him more than I thought it would. 

   Merlin, he was such a prude. 

   It was just a casual kiss, nothing special, a simple, thoughtless peck to keep the teasing going. And it wasn't as though I had been planning on kissing him, it was simply what our conversation last night had led up to. Based on his reputation with girls - fooling around them until he no longer found them interesting - I had thought a simple, thoughtless kiss would not have elicited such a strange reaction. I did not know what his stare meant, but for him to be so affected by my mere presence was a reward of its own. 

   Perhaps what I needed was to push him a little further and see if his behavior could illicit a reaction similar to last night's. With the way he had pushed me against the wall and held me there, I could not deny had left a certain kind of impression of its own. 

   I bit my lip at the thought.

   "Miss Thorne," Professor Dumbledore said, grasping my attention. "Since your owl is currently excused from all school exercises, and Mr. Malfoy has decided his current..." he paused, searching for the right word with a ghost of a smile, "affliction is too great a tragedy to attend class. I think it would be best if you joined his partner Mr. Lestrange for this week's lesson on non-verbal transfiguration."

   Internally, I smiled a devilish smile. Aaemon Lestrange was next on my list of revenge, so this was truly the perfect opportunity. 

   "Of course, professor," I said, gathering my belongings and making my way to the back of the classroom where the Slytherins liked to sit. As I approached, Riddle sat with his back against the chair, his legs extended and his arms crossed over his chest, watching me, cooly. With his jaw set in a firm line, he did not appear so happy, which was truly an insult of its own. I had kissed him, he should have been rejoicing. 

   "Hello gorgeous," Aaemon Lestrange winked as I took a seat next to him, a seat that was directly in front of Riddle's. If he kept staring, our lack of distance might just convince me to punch him square in the face.  

   "Hi Aaemon," I said to him, respectfully. Orion, who sat next to Tom and thus behind Aaemon,  tapped Aaemon on the shoulder before whispering something to him.

   "I'm not switching partners with you," Lestrange sighed. 

   "Why not?" Orion demanded.

   A wicked smile spread across his lips before he turned toward the desperate boy. "Because I know how much it upsets you that it's not you who's partners with her." He turned back around and shot me yet another wink. 

   Ah yes, the infamous playboy of the group. It would be fun destroying him.

   Even with the comforting thought of his imminent demise, I had to physically restrain my eyes from rolling at his words.

   "You two are so funny," I said instead and then looked back at Orion. "Maybe we can be partners next time," I shrugged, to which he smiled. Truth be told, he might just have to be if what I had planned for Lestrange was executed perfectly. 

   "Trust me, Farrah, you do not want to be paired with him," Aaemon said before leaning in close to my ear and whispering, "He sleeps with his pet toad."

   "No, I don't!" Orion snapped, earning the attention of everyone in the classroom. Professor Dumbledore gave him a stern look before demanding everyone's attention for a demonstration. Truth be told, it was a stupid joke, but Orion's reaction made it worthwhile. Perhaps if Aaemon had been a little more mature and a lot less lecherous, I might have actually liked him.