Extreme Remedies ( Tom Riddle Era )

Chapter 8

"Made me promise I'd try
To find my way back in this life.
I hope there is a way
To give me a sign you're ok
Reminds me again it's worth it all
So I can go on

All of my memories keep you near
In silent moments imagine you here
All of my memories keep you near
Your silent whispers, silent tears

Together in all these memories
I see your smile
All the memories I hold dear
Darling, you know I will love you
'Til the end of time"

Memories, Within Temptation

~~~~~~~

"What are you doing there?".

Evelyn looked down to the corridor, where she saw Tom frowning up at her.
She stopped swinging her legs from the balcony that opened over the corridor.
She was getting rid of the feathers and the bleeding scratches that had made her look like she went to a Halloween party.
Evelyn smirked at the idea that below here stood the Heir of Slytherin without any basilisk nor any Chamber of Secrets, if her plan had worked.

"I just wanted to stay alone for a while. Why are you roaming around here?".
He swallowed and said honestly "I didn't see you at dinner. I was worried".
Evelyn grinned "I can take care of myself".
"If that's what care means to you..." He shot a disapproving glance at her messy look "Is it another prank from Milly?".
"Sort of" she lied and stood up while he climbed the stair to reach her.
"Don't you want to pay a visit to the hospital wing?" he walked closer to her and took a feather from her hair "Or are you hungry?".
"I'm fine" she bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing as she watched the feather in his hand "A walk is enough".

Tom followed her, knowing that she would use secret passages instead of the ordinary and crowded staircases.
They came out to a lead corridor from a passage hidden hidden behind a dusty tapestry that made Evelyn cough.
She looked at the portrait of the wizard on the tapestry, checking that the passage was well covered.
"Percival the Pretty. It's said that who painted him tried to make it look the opposite of him and yet still the same".
Tom looked at the painting "It reminds me of Dorian Gray".
She turned to look at the boy "Who?".
"Ehm, it was a muggle novel" he said quite uneasily, so she smiled with entusiasm.
"Cool. What is it about?".
Tom inhaled and said shortly "There was this handsome boy who turned corrupted. He made a sort of deal with the devil, so the portrait of him would turn old and decay instead of him. So he was free to show the worst himself, but could be young and handsome forever. I won't spoil you the ending".
That story turned Evelyn uncomfortable. Her mind linked the story to someone she was used to know.
She looked back at the portrait of Percival, imagining to see someone else.
Handsome as the devil, with the darkest soul.
She felt an uncomfortable headache linked to that memory.

"Evelyn? What's wrong?" Tom asked suddenly alarmed.
She shot him a questioning look.
"You're nosebleeding".
She touched her nose and saw the red liquid covering the tips of her fingers.
Tom made appear a tissue "You should go to the healer".
She blinked confused "It's nothing. Just some stress and headache. But yeah, maybe a visit to the hospital wing is helpful".
It was just an excuse to dismiss him and lock herself into a bathroom, caring that it wasn't the bathroom on the second floor.

In the following days she didn't feel better. She blamed it on the weather and the large amount of essays she had to write and books she had to study to keep her grades at an acceptable level.
Her only consolation was reading her precious notebook to forget her student's life for a while.
Her room was supposed to be a safe place, until one evening she realized that something was wrong.
Before she could react, suddenly a loud shriek exploded into the room.
Evelyn screamed pressing her palms against her ears, but the noise was too strong and she surrendered to the pain.