Perception A Tom Marvolo Riddle Fanfiction completed

Chapter Nine - Insight

Over the weeks the Slytherin boys' meetings in the Heads' common room became fewer. Instead, Tom frequently left the common room in the evenings and only returned after curfew. Cassiopeia wondered where he was going and what he was doing.

One evening her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to find out. When he left the common room, she waited shortly before she followed him out on the corridor. She walked carefully, trying to avoid any noise, staying hidden by the corridors' shadows.

Tom quickly strode up to the seventh floor. When he reached the empty wall across from the huge tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, he paced back and forth three times until the door to the Room of Requirement appeared, and he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

The moment before he closed the door Cassiopeia caught a glimpse of the members of the Slytherin gang inside and frowned. She wondered why they were meeting in the Room of Requirement rather than in their common room. Staring at the door, she pondered if she should enter the room. She knew she had to decide quickly because the door was going to vanish any moment, and then it would be considerably harder for her to make the door reappear. Hesitantly, Cassiopeia walked closer. She carefully put her hand on the handle and took a deep breath. She was very much aware that Tom would probably be annoyed if she intruded on one of his gang meetings, but she couldn't help her curiosity.

Plucking up all her courage, she quietly turned the handle and opened the door. Instantly, she was confronted with eight pairs of eyes staring back at her, seven clearly shocked and one frighteningly devoid of any emotion.

With a quick glance Cassiopeia saw that the boys were standing in a loose circle, their wands in their hands. In the centre of the circle there was a heap of black robes lying on the floor. Rosier was pointing his wand at the pitiful bundle, making it twitch uncontrollably. With widening eyes Cassiopeia realized that it was a fellow student. She slowly entered the room, closing the door behind her, and Rosier lowered his wand, ending the curse he had been casting.

Cassiopeia was still staring at the now motionless body that was sprawled on the floor when Tom asked, "What are you doing here?" His voice was deadly calm.

Cassiopeia swallowed, averting her gaze from the disturbing sight and forcing herself to look into Tom's cold eyes. "I think that's rather my part to ask you," she whispered hoarsely.

Tom slowly left the circle of boys, his wand dangling loosely in his hand. When he was standing right in front of her, he sneered, "I'm showing them how to be useful."

Cassiopeia glanced over his shoulder. "Who's that?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Tom's sneer intensified, and he quirked an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"

Cassiopeia pursed her lips. "You just go and torture random students without any reason? Why?" she asked flatly.

"Well, love, I thought you already knew." His voice was chilly and mocking. Cassiopeia flinched. His words stung, and she knew that he knew it. Then he stepped even closer and hissed, "The answer is, this is me." A shiver ran down Cassiopeia's spine, and a look of satisfaction flashed through Tom's eyes.

After a moment he added condescendingly, "And now it's up to you to prove that you can really cope with me. Come and have a look at how skilled Rosier is."

His lip curled, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the circle of boys. The gang members were standing there, their eyes averted, staring uncomfortably at the floor. Tom raised his voice and said, "Well, my knights, we perform for an audience tonight. I want you to show your best."