Previously on 'The Redemption'... Cho finds a friend in Henry Pollux, Tom Riddle begins to become suspicious with her arrival at Hogwarts and Cho begins to feel the weight of her predicament.
Chapter 10- Composure
Tom hated mysteries almost as much as he hated surprises. He never cared for any form of spontaneity – careful planning was so much more efficient to gain his rewards. He was a young man of logic, reasoning and a thirst for knowledge that he almost always achieved in the end. He hated being in the dark about anything and he most certainly hated it when he didn't get what he wanted.
The Chang girl fit his rant perfectly.
After knowing her for the past few weeks, Tom surmised a small variety of things even when she tried her best to avoid him completely. It appeared that he was too quick to judge after their initial meeting as it seemed that his charms did not work on her at all. If anything, his conversations with her had her in an even colder mood which rendered her completely tight lipped about anything other than strictly the work they were completing.
But what frustrated him more than that was that he found himself wanting to know more. He was going against every rule he had set himself by even thinking of that. Personal rapports and interest in other people were a distraction that Tom couldn't afford to have. There was no such thing as friendships to Tom, or Merlin forbid, actual relationships. It was just him and people he used for his advantage, no more and no less.
So why was he even considering this? Was it because he merely wanted to know about her, or did he want to know her? And if it were a bit of both, would this make him as disgustingly sentimental as all those boys who already fancied themselves in love with her?
"You dropped your quill" she said absently, not bothering to look up from her furious scribbling "And your ink pot is about to as well"
Tom felt a faint blush stain his alabaster skin, his careful control slipping for just a moment. Picking up his quill and righting his ink pot, Tom opened his textbook to a random page and pretended to read while he recovered.
What in Merlin's name was wrong with him?
"Delusional! That's what he is" fumed Arlene, pacing the floors of their shared dormitory "Utterly balmy!"
Cho laughed as she brushed out her long hair "Oh, he's not that bad Arlene. At least give him some credit for trying"
Arlene shot her friend a deadpanned look, "Cho, he hid the message inside of a flobberworm and expected it to be romantic"
Cho stifled a giggle "How did he get it in there anyway? I thought flobberworm's only ate lettuce?"
"No idea" groaned Arlene, plopping gracelessly onto her bed "That poor flobberworm.. Must have been uncomfortable having parchment inside of it though.."
Cho made a face, wrinkling her nose at the prospect "Did you say yes though?"
Arlene scoffed, twirling a lock of fiery red hair around her finger "Of course not"
Cho turned around to look at her friend, noticing her slight change in demeanour "Are you waiting for someone else to ask you?" asked Cho slyly, watching as Arlene blushed scarlet.
"N-no!" spluttered Arlene, shooting into an upright position as though on the defense "And who are you going with anyway?"
Cho shrugged nonchalantly "I don't know. The notice was only posted up this morning. And plus, I'm not sure I want to go"
Arlene looked skeptical "Everyone is going to the Christmas Ball! And plus, it's going to be our first one!"
Cho smiled and nodded along with her friend although she felt the pang inside of her at the mention of her first ball. The Yule Ball in her 5th year, with Cedric.
Misinterpreting Cho's sudden melancholy silence, Arlene piped up "Don't worry Cho, I know for a fact that there are plenty of boys that are going to ask you"
"If you say so" replied Cho, picking up her blue lined robes "But in the meantime, I've got to go to the library. Want to come?"
"Of course not" said Arlene cheerily, giving her friend a wide grin and a little wave "Have fun though! You never know which book could bite your hand off!"
Feeling a little happier than before, Cho shouldered her bag and took off towards the familiar route to the library, smiling at some passer-by's that she recognised as her classmates. After a few errant staircases that refused to turn her way, Cho arrived at the library.
"Back again Miss Chang?" said Madam Hunt, the significantly kinder matron of the library. Frizzy greying hair framed a thin face with huge glasses that magnified her greyer eyes "Here to meet Mr Riddle I presume?"
Cho smiled gently at the older woman, removing her books from her bag to stow into the tray labelled 'Returns'.
"Not today. I was just going to look for some leisurely reading material"
The librarian waved her wand, sending a whole stack of books zooming towards their homes on the shelves "A novel perhaps? We have both muggle and wizarding literature at the back if you're interested"
Cho shook her head, suddenly feeling rather nervous "Actually, I was wondering if there were any books on time travel. It seems very interesting, especially since I'm doing a related topic in Runes"
Madam Hunt's eyebrows shot up "Isn't that a bit heavy for bed time reading dear? Well if you really do want to know, I think there are half a dozen books in the restricted section I could find for you"
Cho smiled brightly "Really Madam Hunt? Thank you!"
Madam Hunt smiled at the spritely Ravenclaw girl indulgently "Only if you don't tell any of the Professors"
"Of course" agreed Cho, "Once again, thank you"
Madam Hunt bustled off to the Restricted to retrieve the books for Cho while she waited at the counter. It was pretty quiet in the library, most people already in their Common Rooms and readying themselves for bed. There were a few studious ones though, spread out across the more secluded tables out back where they wouldn't be as prone to distractions.
A few moments later, the motherly librarian returned, a large stack of books hovering in the air in front of her. She set the stack on the counter heavily, a cloud of dust erupting from the contact. Coughing lightly, Cho thanked her once again as she wrote it down in her records.
"It was no problem Cho, really" she said before spotting something over Cho's shoulder "Mr Riddle! Could you please assist Cho in bringing these back to her dormitory? Young ladies shouldn't be wandering the corridors at the time of the night alone after all. Especially after that nasty incident last year!"
Cho mentally groaned at the now familiar voice that answered back, knowing that she couldn't possibly back out of this without looking outright suspicious. Cho turned around, her fears confirmed when faced with the handsome Head Boy who expertly flicked his wand and had the books levitating in front of him with ease.
"Shall we?" he asked, his voice cordial though his eyes were challenging.
Not wanting to start anything, in public no less, Cho nodded and followed him out of the library wing as Madam Hunt bade them both a cheery goodnight. Once out of earshot, the pair fell into a silence that was neither comfortable nor awkward. However, having been housed with chatty girls for 7 years of her life did encourage her to make some conversation for once. Maybe this would help her get over her nervousness around him?
"What did Madam Hunt mean when she talked about the incident last year?" asked Cho, her soft lilting tone melding with the clicking of their shoes against the stone floors. Her question was met with silence and Cho was just about positive he wasn't going to answer till he replied with a short, flat statement that felt even stiffer than his usual formalities.
"It was an unfortunate series of events. They caught the culprit."
"What exactly do you mean by unfortunate?" asked Cho slowly, her interest building at his reluctance to talk. For some reason, it made her feel more comfortable knowing that he was uncomfortable and Cho wasn't going to let go of that fleeting feeling that fast.
His posture was possibly more rigid than a board "A student died" he replied in clipped tones, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he continued to walk faster, making Cho almost jog to keep up with him.
"How?" piped up Cho, hurrying her footsteps to catch up with him.
He turned around to look at her, his eyes flashing something that made Cho almost stop in her tracks "She was murdered" he said clearly, the words seeming to reverberate off the walls "Are we finished with the questions?"
Refusing to be scared by his change in demeanour, Cho ignored the alarm bells ringing in her head that could have been self- preservation "Riddle, you have a complete lack of ability to actually explain things"
He stopped walking, whirling around to face her in a frighteningly close proximity "Why should I have to explain anything to you?"
Backed up against the wall, Cho garnered all the confidence she could muster "Because you ask things of other people but you never give anything in return. Isn't that hypocritical?"
He sneered, the expression marring his aristocratic features "Aren't you? You go around ignoring me for weeks and now you suddenly feel the need to talk to me-"
"I thought I was being polite!" replied Cho hotly, quickly realising that this was no longer about the original topic they were discussing, "Something that is apparently foreign to the likes of you!"
"The likes of me?" seethed Tom, his eyes spitting fire "Don't you dare talk down to me just because you're-"
"I wasn't-"
Tom continued his raging rant, all reason and control long gone. His perfectly parted hair was now hanging in his crazed eyes while his wand was held too tightly in his grasp. Cho barely heard the words of his manic muttering for she was too focused on the crackle of energy in the air that tingled entirely too unpleasantly.
Suddenly, he raised his fist and hit the wall hard, the contact coming perilously close to her pale face.
Cho, petrified and cornered into the wall, stared at the deranged boy with wide eyes. He was panting heavily now, his breaths loud in the ringing silence of the deserted corridor. Coming out of his trance, he raised his head to look at her, his look of fury quickly melding into confusion then… horror?
Before he could open his mouth to say anything, Cho ducked under his arms and ran for it, her heart hammering as she sprinted as fast as she could to the safety of her common room. Once inside, she slumped against the wall, her limbs shaking as she brought her knees up to her chest. Her head was spinning, the image of the Head Boy's fury and his chilling words echoing through her head. She had never seen him lose his control like that before, and the terrifying thing was that Cho honestly thought that he was going to kill her right then and there.
Letting her head fall back against the wall, Cho closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would claim her and rescue her from her thoughts.