Mind Games | Tom Riddle | DISCONTINUED

Ten: Wrapped Around His Finger

Azalea Verdine was unraveling as fast as a jumper with a loose thread snagged on something. Never had she experienced such emotional turmoil. With tensions running high from the mysterious attacks on muggle-born students, as well as her rigorous classes and confusing emotions, her stress was showing in the form of sickly pale skin and dark circles under her blue eyes that had lost their sparkle. The cause of her unraveling was none other than the Heir of Slytherin.

She had no idea why her thoughts would occasionally jump to the boy, and it angered her. Azalea Verdine was cold and calculating at all times, not visibly falling apart like a schoolgirl with an infatuation.

As she sat in the Great Hall, she couldn't help but feel like someone was watching her. It felt like a bug crawling on Azalea's skin and she couldn't swat it away. She stared down at her lunch and tried to ignore the sickening feeling.

Meanwhile, Caroline, Isabella, Natalie, and Poppy were stealing glances at Azalea. They could tell that she was losing sleep, but they assumed it was over classes. Still, it upset the four to see her that way.

Azalea stirred around the cold soup in her bowl before standing up. She had eaten half of the bowl, which was more than she had eaten at lunch the days before. Azalea had been escaping to the library to sleep, or to the dormitory to try and nap during the day, so she only ate breakfast and dinner.

"Dormitory?" Isabella asked.

Azalea nodded curtly, then shouldered her bag and walked out of the Great Hall. She absentmindedly made her way to the dungeons, her mind full of thoughts of school, the attacks on students, and a certain Slytherin who was following her.

Moments before, Tom Riddle was sitting with his lackeys in the Great Hall. He couldn't help but stare at Azalea. It was clear to him that she was in distress over something, but she kept her mind closed to him.

"She's more stressed than usual. She wasn't this anxious last year," Rodolphus Lestrange remarked as he stole a glance at his ex-lover.

"Indeed. I know she's been losing sleep and not eating," Tom told him.

At that moment Azalea shuddered, then stood up and hurriedly left the Great Hall.

"I think it's something other than her classes," Abraxias Malfoy said quietly.

"Well, aren't you a detective?" Lestrange sneered. He then rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Azalea, who was rushing out of the Great Hall. He leaned towards Tom Riddle and muttered, "I've never seen her like this. Her mental state will affect her cooperation, and by extension, your plans."

Tom nodded slowly. He knew Lestrange was correct in his assumption. "Very well," he said as he stood. "I'll get this under control."

As Tom Riddle walked away, Rodolphus Lestrange couldn't help but notice the slightest change in Tom's demeanor when he spoke of Azalea. It was almost as if the fiery girl had melted his ice cold front.

///

When Tom entered the common room and began walking towards the dormitories, the silence in the room soothed him. He started towards the girls' dormitory with a serene expression on his face. Tom tiptoed down the stairs, and his eyes fell upon a female form on a bed. As he opened his lips to speak, the form spoke.

"I'm awake, Tom," Azalea said. She rolled over and looked at him. "You don't need to come and check on me."

For the first time in a while, Tom really looked at Azalea. He thought she looked awful. The dark circles under her eyes unsettled him, and her sickly-looking skin added to her deathly appearance. "Azalea, you look terrible," Tom murmured while taking a few steps towards the bed.