Tom Riddle had a secret - he had murdered his family. Arabella Chambers knew his secret - she had witnessed it.
After Tom Riddle kills Arabella Chambers, he steals her wand for safekeeping. But, unexpectedly, Arabella shows up at Hogwarts, very much...
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MY EYES Travis Scott
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"By the time you read this, I'll be gone. Georgia (the country) seems far enough. I will not be coming back. Tell my parents whatever you like — I don't care anymore.
— Simon"
The note had been Arabella's idea. Tom would have preferred to let Simon disappear without explanation, but Arabella had reasoned otherwise. A note ensured that no one would dig deeper, no one would question his absence. It was the cleanest solution.
Simon wasn't well-liked, after all. People tolerated him because of his bloodline, not his company. The idea that something had pressured him to flee — like the pressure of exams — was believable enough.
With the recent situation around Myrtle's death, the Hogwarts faculty would be desperate to avoid another scandal. A runaway pureblood was better than a suspicious disappearance.
Tom had written the note, imitating Simon's messy handwriting. Which had not been hard because Tom's own handwriting would have been messy anyway, considering how mad he was.
Not at Arabella, no.
He was mad at that bastard, Simon.
But Simon was now dead and Tom could not have been in a more positive mood. After all, Arabella had killed Simon. Arabella had killed Simon for Tom.
Tom Riddle already concluded that Arabella was a liar. He knew this. He knew she had a reason for not telling him how she survived the killing curse. He knew she had a reason for not coming clean about her true past with Albus Dumbledore. He knew she had a reason for not telling him about her family lineage.
But he also now knew that Arabella Chambers had just committed her first murder.
Of course, someone as powerful as Arabella would seem like murder was something familiar to them. But Arabella... she had this energy that Tom sensed was raw. New.
Power and knowledge of one's mind, demeanour and actions was entirely different compared to the act of true evil.
Tom would never forget how Arabella's face looked the night before. Scared, innocent, fragile. But she did not show any outward emotion a normal person may after killing someone. Arabella may not have been afraid of taking another's life, but thinking about doing it and actually doing it are two different lines.
There's a difference between a person who thinks about murder and someone who actually commits those murders. The person who thinks about them is weak. They are weak to themselves because they do not act on what their mind truly desires. They are betraying themselves.
The person who actually commits those murders... they are not just powerful — they are free. Free from the limitations of morality, from the weaknesses of fear and doubt. A murderer, by nature, acts without hesitation, without regard for the expectations of others. They are unshackled. They are fearless.
