Motivation ⌁ Tom Riddle ✔

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A/N: the amount of reads, votes, and lovely comments I've gotten...wow. You guys are awesome and thank you so much to those who have stuck with me since the very beginning. <3

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Hallway after hallway, Tom glided past any straggling student, not hesitating to steal away their house points for such pathetic reasons; any Ravenclaw he passed he took ten points from their house for reminding him of Abigail. A little blonde boy ran away down the corridor, weeping his little green eyes out.

Tom scoffed quietly under his breath, "pathetic."

He continued on walking, finding it terribly difficult to clear his head of any thought that flitted through. Love. Such a small word that could make Tom cringe so much. He didn't love. He didn't love anybody. Such a thing did not exist, it was utterly impossible - in his little world, at least. Love did exist for one so weak, vulnerable. For those who needed something to feel, for those who craved something to look forward to. That wasn't Tom. That was Abigail.

The thought of horcruxes to Tom still remained indecisive. It was fairly simple to make out whether the blonde seer was lying or not, and she was definitely speaking the truth. His horcruxes would be destroyed, including Abigail, and death would defeat him. Ending up like his parents was something he definitely did not desire.

Tom nearly stopped dead in his tracks and jumped, startled at the sight of Avery dashing toward him from the opposite side of the corridor. Panting, Avery breathed out many incoherent words and Tom found his eyes rolling around in his sockets.

"English, Avery - do you perhaps speak it?"

Avery swallowed loud enough for Tom to hear, and the pace of his breathing fell into normalcy once more. Tom narrowed his eyes at the slightly shorter boy, curious as to why he seemed so alert. Tom's hands found their way to Avery's collar, gripping hard and giving Avery a good shake.

"What is it, Avery?" he snarled, pushing him away harshly.

"I-it's Black - it's Black...s-"

"Which Black?" Tom interrupted, Avery's suspense making the bones beneath Tom's skin rattle.

"Well if you'd just let me finish I -"

"Which Black?" He repeated in a deadly tone. For some odd reason, Tom knew that whatever Avery was going to reveal, was not going to be good.

"Bellatrix - look, Tom, I can't explain it. You need to come and see for yourself. She's got everybody twisted in her words. They're all convinced by whatever lies she is telling."

Avery breathed it all out fast, and wasted no time in listening to whatever Tom had in response - Tom had no choice but to follow Avery all the way up to the sixth floor, and the two boys peered around a very large gargoyle. Bellatrix stood in front of more than half of Tom's Knights, the place where he should have been standing. Avery glanced up at Tom, clearly waiting for a reaction but fell disappointed at Tom's usual stare.

Eileen Prince looked most definitely uncomfortable and confused, she seemed about the only one that did. The rest of the group stared up at Bellatrix as though she were a Goddess casting a protection over them.

"Might I...might I say something, Bellatrix?" came Eileen's squeaky, quivered voice, and she stared up at Bellatrix through her eye lashes.

"What?"

"It's just...I don't understand anything you are saying. Perhaps you could repeat yourself in a much more simpler manner." Eileen backed away almost immediately, as though Bellatrix would kill her on the spot. Eileen never even feared Tom this much, and that was saying something.
Bellatrix slowly approached the frightened girl, her nose held high in the air as she stared in disgust. "A simpler choice of words - is that what you ask?"

Eileen nodded, avoiding the taller girls eyes. Tom could easily sense that Eileen felt doomed.

Bellatrix suddenly sent the girl a smile. "Of course, Eileen. Of course." Bellatrix backed away, scanning the rest of the group with wide eyes, clearly full of anger. "Why can't you all be like Eileen? Honest and brave! All of you are pathetic. At least Eileen has the bravery to admit how simple-minded she is. Correct, Eileen?"

The hurt girl simply nodded, keeping her gaze pressed against the stone floor. Tom felt anger approach his stomach, all the way through his entire body until his hands shook. Nobody had the right to speak to one of his Knights like that unless it was him and him only.

"What is this wench up to?" Tom gritted his teeth, moving to step out of his hiding place when Avery suddenly held a strong, firm grip on Tom's arm, leaving him no choice but to remain where he was.

"Do yourself a favour and just listen," Avery whispered to his master, turning back to look at the scene. Tom surprised himself by following Avery's orders.

"As you all know," Bellatrix continued, staring at each and everyone one of whom was in front of her as though she owned them like objects, "Tom is absolutely not capable of keeping you lovely bunch together. In fact, it is a necessity that he is rid of immediately. I believe the question why is running through your terribly intelligent minds at this moment. Why? Well, is it not already obvious? He thinks only of himself. Why is it that he should be the only one to make horcruxes. What about us? What if we want to live forever? Yes, Dolohov, I know what it is you are wanting to ask me. I did in fact feel a strong connection toward Tom. I wanted him all to myself."

"Wanted?" a voice peeped. "You are speaking in past tense..."

"Yes, I am aware of what I am speaking. But come on open your eyes. Tom is breaking. He is slipping away and we have all seen it. We can see it. He isn't capable of holding us Knights all together which is where I step in and take over. I know I'd be a much better person to lead you all, to conquer death and rid of all mudbloods and halfbreeds. And we can begin with the silly little Ravenclaw that Tom seems to have his eyes all over..."

Avery reacted immediately the moment Tom moved to lunge at Bellatrix, and held him back with all his strength.

"Just a little longer, Tom," Avery assured his friend. Tom growled, trying to escape Avery's grip but instead found himself surprised at the boys strength. If Avery was able to hold Tom back, why had he not kept hold of Abigail when Tom was creating his very first horcrux? "Just a little longer. It is now or never and it is a must that you listen."

"All of us together with Tom - we shall take it in turns one at a time and prove to him that we are not as vulnerable as he believes we are. Maybe even then he will open his eyes and realize how much I truly care for him. Us purebloods shall take over and rule those who are the opposite of pure. Knights - whenever you have the chance, use it to your advantage and get rid of anyone who is but a pureblood. Dispose of them. Kill them. Kill them all."

Eileen flinched to the point where she nearly tripped over her own two feet.

Avery glanced over his shoulder at Tom with frightened eyes. It was only knowledgeable to Tom that Avery never used to have issues in killing off anyone not pure of blood. But as soon as he'd met Abigail, who was clearly not a pureblood as she had once mentioned to him, the issues with it began. Tom knew this. And he understood; he was the exact same.