Mind Games | Tom Riddle | DISCONTINUED

Six: A Dance with the Devil

"You're making an Unbreakable Vow with her, my lord?" Rodolphus Lestrange asked.

Tom and Rodolphus were standing against the wall and watching the crowd of students enter the Great Hall.

"Yes. It prevents her from not doing her job, and it prevents me from betraying her. It works for both of us," Riddle said.

Rodolphus was intrigued. Tom Riddle wasn't one to make fair deals. Lestrange was curious as to why Azalea was different. Was it because she was as cold as he was, he thought, or something worse? "So," Rodolphus asked, "I'm going to be the bonder in the Forbidden Forest tomorrow night?"

Tom nodded, finding Azalea leaving the Great Hall. Seeing her heading towards the Arithmancy classroom was a sign that he needed to leave. Tom shouldered his black bag and nodded to Lestrange before walking away.

Meanwhile, Azalea was surprised that her trip to class was so quiet. She assumed that it was the absence of Tom Riddle. As she took her seat in front of the classroom, Tom strolled in. For the first time, she found herself unable to scoff at his cocky demeanor.

"Morning, Verdine," Riddle greeted, sitting down next to her. "You look tired."

And she was. The dark skin under her eyes was a telltale sign of it. It was the second night she was up. The night before, she had stayed up studying for the Arithmancy quiz. When she finished studying, she couldn't sleep. Her thoughts were racing all night. "I'm tired of your bullshit," Azalea mumbled.

"What was that?" Tom asked falsely, cupping a hand around his ear.

Azalea crossed her arms over her chest and glared sullenly, stifling a yawn.

"You need to take better care of yourself," Tom remarked.

"I don't need you to act like you care about me," Azalea snapped. She was at her wit's end with Tom Riddle, and she was mad at herself for agreeing to help him. Any positive emotion she felt moments ago was long gone.

"Didn't you take etiquette classes?" Tom asked with a smirk. Nodding at Azalea's silence, he said, "Well, it doesn't show."

This continued for the entirety of the day. When Tom wasn't taking notes or completing an assignment, he was making sly remarks to Azalea. At one point, he took her braid in his hand and brushed the tail of it along her cheek. That action earned a hard punch from her. Even though Tom knew that Azalea could kill him if she wanted to, he enjoyed watching her get angry.

By the end of Ancient Runes, Azalea was considering performing an Unforgivable Curse in front of everyone. She couldn't believe that she was going to make an Unbreakable Vow with that insufferable man just over twenty-four hours from then.

As she walked to the Room of Requirement, Azalea began thinking about everything that was going on the next day. Luckily, there were no classes for the students attending the ball, so everyone had more than enough time to get ready.

But, Azalea wasn't nearly as worried about the ball as she was about the events afterward. Being one of the most influential students at Hogwarts, she knew that it was imperative for her to attend until most of the guests had left, and she knew that she had to be in the Forbidden Forest when Tom told her to leave the ball. On top of that, Azalea had to deal with Anthony.

She walked past the stretch of stone wall three times, and the invisible door became visible. Azalea ducked into the room, then tossed her bag to the side. She pulled off her charcoal grey sweater and placed it on top of her bag. She approached one of the tall bookshelves and looked at the worn spines. Azalea was so engrossed in the books that she didn't notice the door opening.