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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Tom hated the orphanage. He hated the people, the rooms, the smell, the food. He hated how powerless it made him.
And he had tried, he had tried for so long, in so many ways, to get out of there. But there was no possible way because Tom was not an adult yet. It infuriated him.
What he hated even more, though, was asking Arabella for help. Why would Tom need help from Arabella? She was the one who needed him, in more ways than one. But Arabella had a manor, and she had the means to help him get away from the orphanage.
So, he had to make it look like she invited him.
Tom didn't have much belongings to pack. He only had one bag filled with clothes and books. It was the day the train was to leave the Hogsmeade station, and the sun was hot and the air was warmer than normal. Tom wore a black button up, not bothering with a tie.
Once, Arabella had told Tom that he should stop dressing like a thirty-year-old man, and more like a seventeen-year-old boy because it made him look more attractive. Maybe she had been right. He ditched the tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, and, yes... it did make a difference.
Abraxas Malfoy approached Tom in the Slytherin Common Room. He cleared his throat before asking, "Do you want us to wait with you, My Lord?"
Tom didn't like Malfoy, per say, but he tolerated him. Malfoy kissed the ground he walked on and his family was one of the most influential, wealthy pureblood families, and allies in them was crucial.
Even so, he didn't bother being friendly with him or the rest of his followers. "No," he said simply.
Abraxas hesitated, glancing toward the staircase that led down to the girls' dormitory. "You're waiting for Arabella?"
Tom didn't reply immediately. He gave Abraxas a look, unimpressed by the question, as if the answer should have been obvious, and if Abraxas mentioned Arabella one more time, Tom would hex him.
Abraxas clenched his jaw slightly but dipped his head. "Of course, My Lord."
Abraxas supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Arabella Chambers had always been a peculiar figure ever since she arrived at Hogwarts. No one quite knew who she really was, but she had secured her place beside Tom Riddle, and that, to Abraxas, was reason enough to be wary of her.
Of course, he would never show it.
Her influence was never a question. Nor was her power. But the way Tom allowed it, tolerated her games and humour, was something Abraxas couldn't quite understand. No one else would have gotten away with it.
But then again, Tom wasn't normal with her.
Abraxas wouldn't call it affection — Tom Riddle wasn't capable of that. But there was something different in the way he was with Arabella, something almost... possessive. Then Arabella, toying with him, flirting with him. And Tom, liked it? It was an odd duo.
