cold as you ||t. riddle||

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐

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𝖑𝖊𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖌𝖎𝖓
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After the feast Tom and Elena led the Slytherin house to their common room. Elena loved the cold of the dungeons and the distant sound of water dripping. It felt like home the way nowhere else ever did. When everyone had wandered off into their dormitories only Tom and her were left. Elena was not in the mood for a confrontation, but that wouldn't stop Tom Riddle from digging deeper.

Tom sat down on the couch, leaving enough room for her as well. He tossed his bag on the floor, causing the book he was reading to fall out. Elena took it in her hand as she sat down next to him, taking a deep breath and looking in it. It was a book filled with dark magic, the kind they didn't teach at school. She could feel Tom's gaze on her, watching her reactions.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"You were right, I am persuasive. Slughorn gave it to me." Tom took the book back, "Are you interested?"

"No, but you obviously are. These aren't nice things to research, Riddle."

"Well, murdering someone isn't a nice thing either, is it?" He smirked as he continued, "At least I don't act on what I research."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Elena looked away. "They said it was a heart attack, it wasn't even murder."

"I saw you out there with him. He had you cornered."

"And you did nothing?" Elena's voice came out louder than she had intended. She didn't know why she thought he would help him, maybe it was the subtle friendship they had developed over the years. "Why didn't you interfere?"

"I wanted to see what you would do." He said nonchalantly. "It was, to say the least, disappointing to see you get rescued by a muggle."

"I didn't have my wand."

"So you would've killed him if you did?"

"I didn't say that," Elena sighed in frustration.

"I never thought you'd have it in yourself to kill someone."

"There is a lot you don't know about me." Elena said between her teeth. It would be impossible to convince him she was innocent. "Go on, tell Dumbledore or Dippet. Get me expelled. Is that what you want?"

"Now why would I do that? You just proved yourself more interesting than I had imagined."

"What do you want then?"

"The Trace. How did you lift it?" Tom said.

"Why would I tell you?"

"To not get expelled of course."

"I don't trust you." Elena got up, "I am not telling you anything."

She was about to leave when his cold hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her back rather harshly. "Not so fast. Don't think I won't make life hell for you until you give me what I want."

Elena pulled her hand out of his grip, "Do your best. Goodnight, Riddle."

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2 September 1942

Elena woke up the next day to the chaos that had ensued between the girls in her dormitory. She turned around in her bed listening to them run around the room shouting. It was never easy to get used to their presence. The fact that they didn't like her very much didn't help either.