Poison Ivy | T. Riddle ✔

[31] Broken Puppet

The whole cottage was a horrific mess when Tom stepped in through the door. It seemed as if a tornado had struck the place and blown everything away. The scarce furniture was toppled over, shards of glass littered the floor and by the disheveled state of the rooms, it was enough to assume that whatever had happened, shook the foundations of the dingy little place.

Confusion crossed his features as he couldn't fathom what could have caused such havoc. But then soon enough, realization began to dawn upon him. Without wasting any time, he rushed to the room where he had kept the ex-Auror Nathan Whitburg imprisoned. The door of the room had fallen off its hinges and a suffocating dust like substance engulfed him as he drew near.

The particles of black dust reminded him of the day he had attempted to break into Perseus's mind and he had retaliated. And even though he hated to admit it, the memory still sent an uneasy shiver down his spine.

Lighting up his wand, he stepped inside the room noticing that the dust had begun to clear up by then. He had last visited the cottage two days earlier when he had brought Nathan with him and kept him there. To him, it was quite alarming that in just two days his cottage was nothing like it had been before.

To his utmost horror, the chair on which he had strapped Nathan was smashed nearby and there was no sign of the man anywhere in the room. Coughing from the suffocating dust, he walked deeper among the debris searching for him. If he had had even the slightest idea that things would go so bad, he would never have taken the risk of housing another prisoner with Perseus.

Thinking of Perseus sent an unquenchable surge of anger pulsating through him. Of course it was all his doing; the black dust clinging to the place was enough proof of it already. Tom internally cursed himself for underestimating him yet again. 

He had thought that finally Perseus was succumbing to a state of mindlessness. He had thought that he was not in the right mental state to do anything which would cause him any trouble and he had definitely not expected this deteriorated and half insane Perseus to wreak up such a tremendous havoc.

And to add much fuel to fire up his anger was the fact that Nathan Whitburg was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't afford it if that man escaped from his clutches, Nathan knew far too much for his own benefit. But now it was quite clear to him that he had escaped and the only person who could have assisted him was none other than Perseus Burke.

He spotted Perseus collapsed on the floor at the far end of the room. He rushed towards him, not out of concern but out of extreme anger which he felt coursing through his veins due to him. Grabbing him by the collar, he yanked him off the ground. Perseus's head dropped askew, his skin was covered in scratches and his eyes were shut.

He conjured some water and splashed it on him in order to make him gain consciousness. After a few splashes, there was a slight stir in his otherwise lifeless body. A short while later, blue eyes stared up at Tom with a mixture of shock and confusion written across them.

"Where is that traitor?" Tom almost yelled at him, features contorting with rage.

He stared at him blankly as if he had no idea what he was talking about.

"Don't you dare play innocent with me," Riddle growled, "you've been faking this madness for the past many weeks, haven't you? You've been fooling me with this act of yours but now I know the truth very well. Tell me; where the hell is Nathan Whitburg?"

He got no reply and that drove him further outraged. He was losing his outward calm; Perseus had tried enough of his patience with him already. All he could feel at the moment was intense anger and a murderous intent was echoing through his brain.