𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 || 𝘛𝘰𝘮 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦

Waltzing | 17

The next morning, while she was eating her breakfast and listening to Caelum filling her up with the latest school news. Suddenly, everyone's attention seemed to divert to someone walking up to the stadium. Dippet, perhaps. Could it be another death? Was Professor Dippet going to announce the school was about to close? Nevertheless, she turned around like everyone did and watched as Tom Riddle, walked up and shook hands with the headmaster. The headmaster then gave him a trophy. What was going on? "I'd like to announce that the school, would not close!" There was a murmur of confusion and relief in the air, beside her, Caelum sighed in relief. "Thanks to our Slytherin prefect, Tom Riddle, may we give him a round of applause."

Everyone started to clap their hands for the charming Slytherin. She clapped along so she wouldn't look rude but not as loudly as the rest of the students. She shared a glance with Caelum. He, too, was utterly confused and narrowed his eyes on Riddle. He was definitely suspicious, like her.

"He had tracked down the person behind the past attacks, Rubeus Hagrid. Because of that, he has the honor to receive a Special Award for Services to the School trophy."

Everyone was now looking at the prefect with admiration. The charming, smart, brilliant, and, undeniably, handsome, had also saved the school from the attacker and from closing down the school.

She watched Riddle with hatred in her eyes and their gazes met. He stared back at her with a smile taunting her to do something stupid. However, she did not get up from her seat, she could only send glares at him which would bring out his smirk.

Other than her, his little gang could have known about who was really behind the attacks. Riddle had framed an innocent boy and received a trophy for helping the school when he was the real culprit. She wanted to smack that smug face of his but knew better than it. He was surrounded by people who adored him and might even get on their knees and start worshipping him. If she would just put one toe out of line, her classmates and teachers might as well turn against her and she'd get expelled like the unfortunate Rubeus Hagrid.

She couldn't do anything, yet, so she took to stay back and let the screaming girls run forwards towards Riddle and start congratulating him. "I don't trust him one bit," Caelum said, his eyes still narrowed Riddle. "Me neither."

It was a Saturday morning so they didn't have any classes. The two best friends, later joined by Hunter, who had seemed quite affected by Hagrid's expelling, sat at their favourite spot. Under a tree near the Black Lake. The tree three friends sat in silence, Caelum laying back down and closing his eyes, Hunter picking up fallen dry leaves and shredding them into pieces, and herself leaning against the large tree's trunk, reading a book. Once Hunter ran out of leaves to shred, he got up and walked towards the rippling water of the Black Lake, picking up small stones and pebbles to throw into the water. She set her book beside her and watched her Gryffindor friend let out his emotions.

She rarely saw him show any signs of emotions other than being happy and sad. She never thought she was going to witness anger in the boy so soon. It was not long before Caelum woke up from his slumber and joined her in watching his new friend throw stones into the water. "What's gotten into him?" She shook her head in answer but replied with, "Perhaps Hagrid being expelled affected him. Maybe they were close?" They did not exchange anything else, just a nod of understanding from the black-haired boy and they watched Hunter continue his actions until dusk was falling upon them. When Hunter finally retreated from the waters' edge, he bid them goodbye all too quickly and went inside the castle.

Her friend's behavior disturbed her but she didn't want to push him to tell her what was wrong so she decided to wait for him to tell her himself. She got up from her place, her legs aching from sitting too long, and strode off to the warmness of the castle, followed by Caelum not so far behind.