He was darkness.
He was death.
He was pain.
He was suffering.
He was a mystery. One she intended to solve.
"You wouldn't kill me, Tom." "Avada Kedavra!"
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The stone gargoyle spun and rose into the stone tower, taking Arabella high up into the Headmaster's office. She wrung her hands nervously, biting her lip. Arabella Caerwyn was scared of what was to come, of what she was to discover. All afternoon, even when Tom Riddle was pulling her out of a trick stair, there was a fraction of her mind that was wandering on the Ravenclaw prefect, the poor seventh year that was butchered by Stefan Malfoy.
Each step she took she felt as if her feet were becoming heavier and heavier, weighing her down like a thousand hippogriffs. Dread bubbled in her stomach like acid, fear blossomed in her chest. Arabella's breaths rattled her spine, heavy and short. Was he alive? Was Jacob Summers healed? Or had he succumbed to the torture her despicable classmate put him through?
The air was coarse with tension, fizzing and stiff as Arabella knocked tentatively on the Headmaster's wooden door. She had never been in the room before but Arabella could tell that it was going to be large and spacious and full of memories. She was only frightened of the memories that she was about to create. Bad or good, memories would be made that night, Arabella only hoped for the latter.
"Come in," Dippet said from the otherside of the door. Swallowing, Arabella pushed gently and the door slowly opened, revealing Armando Dippet, sitting at his desk, hands clasped in front of him. Arabella saw his eyes narrow slightly. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her robe, but Dippet could still see them trembling. "I assume, you realise why you are here, Miss Caerwyn?" he said. Arabella nodded stiffly and the Headmaster motioned for her to take a seat opposite him. She pulled the chair out and sat down.
"Yes, sir."
Professor Dippet nodded and leant forward slightly. "And what, do you think you are here for?"
"Well, last night, I dropped the Ravenclaw prefect, Jacob Summers to the Hospital Wing." Dippet nodded, motioning her to continue. "And, he was in a bad state. He was covered in cuts and blood and was stunned."
The Headmaster's office had become uncomfortably warm. Arabella began to sweat but Dippet kept scrutinising her through his narrowed eyes which were completely out of character for him. "And when you found Mr Summers, did you see anyone else? Was there anybody else there last night?"
Arabella closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She could still see Tom's eyes, wide and curious as he looked at the painting and the murderous glint in Malfoy's expression as Jacob Summers' blood dropped onto his skin. She could still hear their conversation ringing constantly in her ears over making her head pound and her every moment sway. We've got to drop the prefect off in a dark corner somewhere so people think he dropped drunk and wasn't stunned. She remembered Tom nodding, agreeing with Malfoy and she was so tempted to tell Dippet that yes, Tom Riddle and Stefan Malfoy were to blame for everything that happened to Jacob.
But Arabella shook her head, denying the fact that anyone else was there that night. She shook her head, protecting Tom Riddle and Stefan Malfoy and she didn't even know why. There was just a mystery surrounding Tom Riddle like a fog, it was hard to see through now but Arabella knew, sooner or later the fog would vanish and the mystery would be out in the open, free for all to see.
