the seven devils [completed]

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗

CHAPTER FOUR

"Did you really think that you could fix me? We'll sell your bones for another roll. We'll sharpen your teeth. Tell yourself that it's just business. Wolves come out of the woodwork, leeches come from out of the dirt, rats come out of the holes they call home. And I fall apart. And the snakes start to sing"

and the snakes start to sing - bring me the horizon

The library creaked, the sonority of pages reverberating through the chamber. A few students snickered, hiding behind the rows of books in secrecy, sharing forbidden kisses, or being mischievous. Some were deep in their studies, their quills scratching the parchments as they rapidly wrote down their jumbled thoughts, a desperate attempt to retain information that they stuffed like dirt in their ears, eyes unfocused due to maladaptive daydreaming.

Varya stood in one of the obscure corners, sunken face and glazed eyes, features more elfish than human, and flipped page after page, her psyche a sponge to anything she found remotely interesting. Hogwarts: a History, was cradled between her long fingers, a volume that exposed her to the truest origins of her academy. It was easy to dissect the paragraphs as she jotted down notes on everything, as if she were devising a plan to conquer every hallway and infest it with her rotten magic. Her eyes skimmed a fragment of interest, again and again, fascination dragging rocked edges on her mental, and she submerged herself in a tale of time.

"The legend of the Chamber of Secrets arises from Slytherin's departure and has been the subject of debate for many centuries. The legend itself concerns a chamber supposedly constructed by Slytherin deep beneath the school that he kept a secret from the other founders and sealed so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The story goes that when Slytherin's true heir returns, they alone will be able to open the Chamber of Secrets and release the horror within - a horror that will purge the school of those whom Slytherin believed were unworthy of studying magic. After many extensive searches of Hogwarts over the past nine hundred and fifty years, most reputable scholars agree that the existence of the Chamber of Secrets is a fanciful tale concocted by Slytherin's supporters."

Varya found her blood fall into a strained motion, fingers grasping aimless pages as she repeated the paragraph in her head. As a pureblood, she had always understood the prestige of passing down the magical power to her descendants, but she had never thought that some would go to such an extent to preserve it. She then wondered to Malfoy's words, when he had called her a mudblood. Prejudiced seemed to flower in the western garden of power hierarchies, veins of history, and hatred towards the muggles' crimes against sorcerers smothering any camaraderie that might have otherwise formed.

A chair was pulled across from her, and she watched Tom Riddle sit down, glancing at her briefly. His hair was neatly brushed, making his strong jawline stand out even more. His prefect badge rested neatly on his robe, catching the light of the nearby lanterns. His appearance was neat, stoic, almost robotic. His chin, as always, was held high, an obvious sign of his confidence.

He greeted her briefly, his eyes darting to the book that was open on the table and skimming the first paragraph. He bit his cheek as he noticed the subject that the girl was reading, then his stare fell on her.

Her black hair was held in a high ponytail, pulling at her features. High cheekbones were coated with the slightest blush, and he almost laughed at her defiant dark eyes. Obviously annoyed at being intruded, she shut the book, slightly pushing it to the side.