Insomniacs - Tom Riddle x reader (with pictures)

20 / incident

Jane's and your hasty footsteps echo from the tall stone walls of the hallways as you run towards the Great Hall. In the excitement over what you just found out you completely forgot the time and almost missed supper.

As you enter the room you immediately sense a strange atmosphere in the air. The volume in the Great Hall is always very loud during the meals, since all the houses are there and chattering. But this evening it feels different. There's an unsettling tension. All the pupils seem to be very agitated and gathered in groups. You look into some worried and terrified faces.

As you stride towards your house's table you whisper to Jane: "What's going on?"

Jane just shakes her head. "I have no idea. But it can't be good."

You join your friend group. They're all also seemingly very outraged and lost in deep conversation.

"No one knows anything yet. They're looking into it right now, I'm sure," you hear Julie say in a hushed voice.

You sit down next to Nolan and tug on his sleeve, to ask him the very same question: "What is going on? What are you guys talking about?"

The blonde boy's eyes widen as he turns to you. "You haven't heard?"

Your confused reaction seems to be answer enough. He opens his mouth to explain but gets cut off by headmaster Dippet.

"Silence!" His loud voice cuts through the room like knife and the students immediately fall silent. Only some quiet hushes can be heard now.

Dippet stands behind his podium and gazes down at the house tables. His expression is stern and still you believe to sense a certain nervousness in it. His hands are slightly shaking as he moves up from his seat.

"As most of you have probably already heard...," he continues to speak in a steady voice. "...there has been an incident."

The students start to whisper to each other again. You look at Jane, completely lost. She meets your eyes and furrows her brows.

"Quiet," Dippet scolds again. Silence returns to the room. Everybody's eyes are on the headmaster. "Like I said – there has been an incident. A second year Hufflepuff student, Mont Batt, has been found petrified on the second floor."

Again – and uproar moves through the crowd. You can hear gasps and infuriated exclaims. Your heart drops. Petrified?

Dippet raises his voice significantly to regain the attention of the pupils: "I can assure you, the entire teacher staff and me are hard at work to investigate the whole situation right now."

You can hear scattered scoffs. Oh Merlin... you quickly glance over to Jane again, who seems to be thinking the exact same thing as you right now: This has to be in connection with Tom and the Chamber of Secrets.

There's no more doubt in your mind right now. He did it. He really opened the Chamber and someone already got hurt as a result of it. You feel like the room is spinning. Before you can stop yourself, you turn around to look at the Slytherin table. Tom is sitting there, between Avery and Nott. His face is completely emotionless and he listens intently to what Nott says to him. No trace of guilt. No trace of... anything.

Dippet continues, unimpressed by the students outrage. "Mister Batt has been transferred to the hospital wing immediately, where Madame Blainey and her staff are treating him in this very moment. We wish him all the best."

You focus your attention back on the headmaster and can't help but scoff at his statement. How can he say those words with so little emotion? A student got hurt... right under his watch.

"In the meantime – until the cause of this tragedy is found out, all students are forbidden to enter the area around the second floor girl's lavatory. Whoever does so anyway will face serious consequences."

Your eyes shoot towards Jane. Now it's confirmed. The lavatory on the second floor. This must be the exact bathroom you found yourself in last night. You feel all the blood leave your face. Jane just slowly nods. At least now you know where this place is.

Dippet's voice once again startles you. "Now, all students are to return to their common areas after supper immediately. Curfew has been moved to eight and is not to be broken under any circumstances."

Disgruntled murmurs fill the room. You're a bit worried now. You're supposed to meet Tom later, this will be much more risky now. But you need to talk to him even more desperately now than before... you need to press him for information. Maybe this way, you can stop all this madness.

Dippet leaves his podium and sits back down at the teacher's table. The students are all tense and no one is really eating anything. Instead they are speculating and whispering to each other.

You and Jane sit in silence, both deeply lost in thought.

﹌﹌﹌

Later, you and Jane sit in the empty common room. Everyone has went to bed, since it's close to midnight. Meaning close to your meeting with Tom. That is, if he even shows up. With the teachers being on high alert, sneaking out after curfew just became even more risky than it always was. But something tells you he will be there.

"Okay," Jane's voice is hushed. "You need to be subtle about this. Act shocked about the whole thing. Completely clueless, alright?"

You look at her with a worried expression.

"And you really think I can pull it off? He won't tell me anything, he's hardly stupid."

Jane responds by raising her eyebrows. "Maybe... but he's still just a guy. You can use that to your advantage... do you understand what I'm saying?"

You sigh. "Yes, I do."

Your best friend looks at her watch with a worried face. "It's time. Good luck, Fiona. I truly believe in you."

You hug each other tightly before Jane takes the stairs up to your bedroom. You on the other hand take a deep breath and brush your clothes off, before slipping out the common room.

And there he already is. Looking handsome as always. Your breath catches in your throat. His eyes glimmer and he has a teasing smirk on his face. "There you are."