Not Broken, Not Yet | Tom Riddle

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

The stone clattered under my shoes as I followed the lean figure of Riddle through the corridors. He didn't talk to me, in fact he barely even acknowledged my existence as we walked the halls in silence. My head was spinning with thoughts, impressions and worries. Worries that quite quickly turned into annoyance when Riddle remained silent, simply leading me through the corridors as if I was some mere dog on a leash.

"Where are we going?" I asked him as we turned a corner.

"You'll see." He simply said, voice low and casual. Somehow I felt as though he mocked me with those words. Like he enjoyed keeping information from me. Enjoyed having the upper hand on me. It infuriated me.

I stopped in my steps, crossing my arms over my chest as I waited for him to notice. A sigh escaped him as my steps stopped. I could see him clenching his jaw in annoyance before he turned around, eyeing me coolly. "Yes, Green?"

"I'm not following you anywhere in this castle if I don't know exactly where I am going." I huffed, arms still crossed over my chest as I met his dark gaze from across the corridor. The temperature dropped several degrees as he observed me. I felt my bravely waver for a second but stood my ground, lifting my chin ever so slightly.

Riddle closed and opened his fist. I had a feeling this entire interaction took a lot of restraint from his side. Good.

"We're going to the Room of Requirement." He finally said, meeting my furious gaze steadily. "It's probably the best place to be if you want to remain undisturbed. I assumed you'd prefer that over crouching in an abandoned classroom along with a group of uncivilised baboons."

I had no idea what 'The Room of Requirement' was, but I refused to show as much. Instead I squared my jaw. "Like you'd have any idea of what I'd prefer." I snapped.

A strange expression flickered over his face for just the smallest part of a second. If I had looked away for even a fraction of a second I would have missed it. But it was there. I couldn't make out what it meant, but from the moment I saw it I felt it engraved in my mind. A look of... regret perhaps? Or something else. An intimate and strangely human feeling I didn't know him capable of.

Then it was gone. Just like that. As quickly as it had appeared it was once more hidden by the same coldness as always. I almost thought I had imagined it.

"I know more than you could possibly imagine, Green." He said, voice cold but strangely intimate. He let his eyes linger on my face for a moment before continuing his march. "Follow me or don't. I frankly don't care. I will make the potion with or without you."

"Like you'd manage without me." I spit out. I knew I shouldn't press him, but I couldn't resist. His... smugness was too much to bear. Too much to accept.

He turned around slowly. "Careful, Amberly." He whispered, his eyes flashing with ill-concealed fury for a moment. That look alone was enough to silence me, and as he continued I followed without saying anything else.

Riddle finally stopped. We stood in the middle of a corridor with no doors. Candles lit up the glum place but aside from one gloomy stone bench in an alcove there was little else to be seen. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why he had taken me here, but he looked pensive. Like he was trying to concentrate hard on something.

"Now what?" I asked, my impatience getting the better of me.

"Silence, Green." Riddle mumbled, closing his eyes.

I rolled my eyes but actually took the opportunity to observe him as he closed his eyes. The pale sharp face was as handsome as ever yet the dark circles underneath his eyes had grown. His cheeks looked hollow, almost malnutritioned.