Tom Riddle - Downfall

Chapter 65: Knights of Walpurgis

I tell Kim what happened and she's a great friend, she helps me to keep going. The news that Tom and I have broken up spreads quickly. People are whispering about what must have happened, but I try to ignore it most of the time. It's no use anyway. I wouldn't have thought how hard it was without him. When I see him, I wonder if we're really over, but Tom can hardly look at me.

November 15. It's been a few weeks, and I'm sitting at dinner with Kim and a few other girls. Then I lean over to Kim and say, "Who is Tom hanging out with?" Kim answers immediately."Haven't you noticed? They're some new club. Seven guys are making the castle unsafe or something." I raise my eyebrows and say,"Since when are they such good friends?" I'm talking about a group of guys sitting around Tom, including guys like Avery, Nott, Lestrange, Dolohov, Mulciber, and Rosier. Tom's been slowly forming a new circle of friends for the past few weeks, but it's been a real surprise to see this group become close with him so quickly. This new group has been gaining quite a reputation for doing dangerous things and breaking as many school rules as possible. Tom hasn't seemed to mind too much, and he's been enjoying the company and the freedom of not having to worry about whether or not his actions are 'reasonable.'
I know I shouldn't care what he's doing, but I do. "Weird, especially what's Sebastian (Avery) doing there? Last school year, they were fighting, and now..."
One of the girls at the table then says Slytherin girl: "I heard they call themselves the Knights Walpurgis now, and they sneak around the castle at night and go partying. They seem to stop at nothing." I give her a puzzled look."That doesn't sound like him at all, but what do I know..."
Slytherin girl: "There were probably several fights with muggle-borns that they were involved in..."
Well, that sounds more like Tom.
Kim shakes her head and gives me a sympathetic look. "I know, it's quite confusing. They probably bonded over their mutual love of causing trouble and breaking rules." She shrugs her shoulders and takes a bite of her dinner. The other girls at the table laugh as they hear the Slytherin girl's comment about the group of boys sneaking around the castle at night to cause trouble and start fights. It definitely sounds like a Tom-like thing to do, which also makes it all the more difficult to accept. We can hear loud laughter from the group of boys and I look at my ring that Tom gave me. I haven't been able to take it off yet. It was a promise, wasn't it. It's hard to ignore the fact that the group of boys is now laughing and acting like they're having a great time. Kim notices my ring and gives me a knowing look, understanding that it used to be a symbol of Tom's affection and love for me. However, it's also a reminder of the broken promises that we had once made to each other, which only makes it more painful to look at.

Then Kim decides to change the subject and says, "You know that the Yule ball is on December 3rd? Has anyone asked you yet?" I roll my eyes and say,"I'm not going..."
"What, no! You have to go! Or hasn't anyone asked you yet?"
I roll my eyes again and answer, "Yes, I've been asked 3 times, but I said no..." Kim looks at me angrily."Promise me you'll go!"
I smile briefly and then reply, "Well, I'll go, okay? Who are you going with?"
Kim stares at me curiously, and I can tell she's curious about why I've rejected three people already. She's also a bit surprised by the fact that I suddenly agree to go to the ball. She seems slightly puzzled by my flip-flopping attitude and answers that she's going with someone she's just recently begun seeing exclusively. They're not in a relationship yet, but it's starting to grow into something more serious between them. I wonder who this guy could be, and suddenly feel a slight twinge of curiosity about the news.
"Who is it, Kim?" I raise my eyebrow.
Kim hesitates for a moment and seems hesitant to answer at first. I'm sure it's probably just a shyness about the relationship not being quite established yet. She finally takes a deep breath and replies, "His name is Nicolas. He's my boyfriend now, kind of. It's kind of complicated, but I do really like him so far. He's very smart and funny, and he's quite handsome too. It's still very new, but I have high hopes for us."
"Nicolas? The Gryffindor?" My mouth is wide open, and I'm in shock, a happy shock.