Before He Was Voldemort (A Tom Riddle Fanfiction)

Chapter 39: Better Off Without Him

June, 1944

And indeed, nothing was ever the same after that dreadful May evening.

Corinne had left the Chamber of Secrets without a word- not even a goodbye- and immediately retreated to the Room of Requirement to gather up her belongings. Tom never returned from the chamber that night to bid her farewell when she left.

The next morning Corinne summoned up the courage to visit Headmaster Dippet in his office and request a new dormitory. It was an unusual plea, with it being so close to the summer holidays. But Corinne wasn't prepared to move back into her old dormitory and be tormented by Olive Hornby for the remainder of the school year.

"Might I ask why your current dormitory does not suffice?" Headmaster Dippet had asked her suspiciously, his inquisitive beady eyes scanning her like a lie detector. "Are you not happy with Misses Hornby, Seymour, Greengrass, and Umbridge? They are such well-behaved young ladies!"

Corinne had to restrain her unladylike snort. She decided against blaming it on the girls in case Headmaster Dippet spoke with them about the matter, thus risking placing a target on herself. Plus, they would surely tell him that Corinne hadn't even been living in their dormitory all year. She'd made it this far without her whereabouts being found out; she couldn't risk it now.

Her reply to the headmaster was orchestrated very carefully. "Sir, my desire in a change of accommodations is not because of my current roommates," she explained, "but I feel as though a new environment would benefit me and my studies. You see, sir, my marks haven't been the best this year..."

Headmaster Dippet raised an eyebrow. "And this is because of your roommates?"

"Partly," Corinne lied, pushing away her thoughts of a certain handsome black-haired boy.

The headmaster hummed as he considered, stroking his white beard. Corinne tried not to fidget under his gaze. Finally, Dippet lightly clapped his hands together and said, "Alright. I will see what I can do for you, Miss Carrow."

Two days later, Corinne was able to move into her new dormitory where an extra bed was available. Three other Slytherin girls occupied the room, each of them 4th years. They weren't very friendly except towards each other, frowning upon anyone who dared intrude on their friendship. The girls didn't even bother to inform Corinne of their first names. All she knew of them were their surnames; Macnair, Travers, and Ingle- none of which could Corinne match with their corresponding name.

Nevertheless, it was an easy adjustment at first. Corinne's life became calm and ordinary again. Everyday was the same routine, just like that of an average Hogwarts student. Nothing unexpected, spontaneous, or particularly exciting happened. For a brief time, Corinne was content with this.

But as June approached and the term was just weeks from ending, the feeling of stagnancy and lethargy crept in. Corinne's source of happiness for what felt like a lifetime had been ripped out from under her like a rug. She was utterly lost.

Most days she spent her evenings staring out the underwater window in the Slytherin common room, reminding her of all those wonderful nights spent by the Black Lake. Occasionally she would escape up to the Astronomy Tower, her eyes instinctively glued to the staircase and her ears straining for any sign of oncoming footsteps of the visitor she so desperately wanted to see. And most demeaning of all, one day on what seemed to be of her heart's own accord, Corinne found herself wandering up and down the all-too-familiar seventh floor corridor, seeking the doors of the Room of Requirement simply for the sake of gazing upon.

And when she stood before the wall where the tall doors usually appeared, and discovered that they would no long materialize in her presence, she couldn't help but fall to her knees and sob.