Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
The Dark Side of Adrian
Once at the third-floor corridor, the plan was simple. Each of us would have fifteen minutes to hide our spoons somewhere in the third-floor corridor before meeting back here. The first to find the other's spoon wins. Lee went left while I went Right. Of course, the two of us going in opposite directions kind of gave the both of us a clue as to where to start looking. So, I decided to spend at least five minutes or maybe seven wandering the corridor before hiding my spoon in the spot where we'd meet up. That would probably be the least expected place.
The sound of my shoes slapping against the stone floor filled my ears as I wandered around; thinking. There was always the trapdoor in Fluffy's old room. I could drop my spoon down the trapdoor. Lee would never be able to find it. Especially considering he never knew about Fluffy, the trapdoor, or all of last year's escapades….But that probably would take things too far. Games are only fun when everyone playing has a fighting chance.
When I reached the end of my side of the corridor, I turned and started back. That felt like seven minutes-ish. More than enough time for Lee to be busy elsewhere in the corridor, but still be unfinished in hiding his own spoon. What games can we play after this one? I asked myself. There's tag, hide and seek, tests of courage. That last one I would enjoy but it might be fun to referee. We could do something along the lines of a murder mystery party. Just without the party part.
Reaching the point where we had started, I immediately moved toward the suit of armor that was standing guard. Maybe I could convince Diggory to play the role of the murder victim. Because Merlin knows Adrian would refuse. And then the suspects could be Ron and his friends, and Ginny and her friends…
Doing my best to make as little noise as possible, I climbed the base the suit of armor rested on and reached towards the helmet. Stretching onto the tips of my toes, I barely managed to stick my spoon into the feather portion that was on the top. Satisfied, I climbed down to take a step back and admire my work. It was so obvious that it's doubtful Lee would even notice.
All that was left was to wait for Lee's return. Who would make the best murderer? Harry being the murderer could be funny. But… not if Diggory is the victim. Based on potential foreknowledge, that would be insensitive. Ron wouldn't have the commitment needed to pull off the role. And Hestia or Flora would be the obvious choices… Hermione, I guess. But only because the idea amused me.
What would be Hermione's choice of weapon? Since magic is an everyday occurrence for us, a wand would be an uninspired choice. Poison… possible. Although, if Hermione plays the murderer, the weapon shouldn't be anything too muggle. Otherwise, it might be an unintentional clue. And while I have faith that Fred and George might know what a chainsaw is, thanks to me and Dad, Lee was unlikely to know. So… what did that leave? A blunt force object… A candlestick…Rope… And I'm describing Cluedo.
Damn, I thought; glancing down the corridor to the left. Lee's been gone a long time. Why had we agreed on fifteen minutes? Seemed like an oversight, now… Let's see. What else could be used as a weapon? There were always kni- My thoughts halted when I came dangerously close to thinking about something I'd been avoiding ever since that night. Shaking my head, I tried to clear my mind. On second thought, maybe a murder mystery game isn't a good idea.
A few more seconds passed before I admittedly decided I wasn't patient enough for Lee to finish. "Lee", I yelled down the corridor. Something that was acceptable only because most people were at dinner and it was only Lee and myself in the Third Corridor. "Lee? Are you done? It's been fifteen minutes!"... Maybe.
When there was no response or at least no audible response, I sighed. He better not be trying to scare me. The first few steps down the left-hand side of the corridor were easy and happened without any forethought. But it wasn't long before I hesitated. For the first time, I realized how dark the third floor corridor became in the evening, and how eerily quiet it was when other students weren't trying to push past me to get to class. It was the little hairs on the back of my neck standing up that led me to withdrawing my wand. Ready or not here I come, I thought; inching forward once again. "Lee", I called out every few steps. He's just trying to scare me. I told myself, stopping once every few steps to peek around suits of armor or to strain my ears. He better not be trying to scare me. I thought as I held my wand at the ready. If he does, Lee's the one who's going to be scared, I promised myself.
It wasn't until I reached the end of the corridor that my ears picked up anything. The noise was persistent. Like it followed a beat. "Lee?" I called out again. Drawing closer and closer to the noise, it started to sound like something hitting wood. Otherwise known as knocking. Immediately, I fixated on a lone door leading to a broom closet. "Lee", I called again once I stood in front of it. Now directly on the other side, I could hear Lee's muffled voice. "Are you stuck?" I asked, jiggling the latch with my wand-free hand. Predictably, the door didn't budge. Lee's muffled voice continued to be heard through the door, but no audible words could be made out. "How did you get yourself locked in a broom closet? Why haven't you used your wand?" Of course, as things currently were, Lee could give me an answer I could hear well enough to understand. Which probably means he couldn't hear me. "Hold on!" I said as loudly as I could. Pointing my wand at the door, I quickly used the unlocking charm. "Alohomora". It felt right. It sounded right. At this point, I've taught enough first years the proper wand movement, there was doubt in my mind that my spell had been cast correctly. And yet when I tried the door, nothing. "What did you do?" I accused Lee, feeling slightly annoyed and a little concerned. I mean, being as close as we were with Fred and George, both Lee and I have spent some time locked in closets. But never by our own doing.
Lee let out a loud and long muffled sentence. Pressing my ear against the door, I was able to make out three words. "Holly….Run… Lockhart".
There was no time to process or react. The moment Lee's three words made it through my ears and into my brain, a hand clamped down on my shoulder and spun me around. There was enough force behind the hand that I knew it didn't belong to another student. My back slammed into the wall behind me with the closet door Lee was trapped behind to my left.
My gaze started on an overly ostentatious golden cravate, and slowly trailed to the neckline. Then the jawline, and the tip of his nose. The final destination; Lockhart's tarnished blue eyes. "You are going to have to learn not to avoid me, my dear Horcrux", Lockhart/ Riddle purred dangerously as Lee's frantic banging on the door synced with my drumming heart.
"Holly", Lee could be heard yelling through the door.
"H-how?' I stuttered, trying to force my brain to catch up faster than it was ready. My grip tightened on my wand, my magical core bubbling.
Lockhart/ Riddle's voice came out as a mocking coo as he clicked his tongue at me. "The bumbling teachers of this school would never have been able to keep track of me for long. They underestimate me". A devilish maniacal smile stretched across Lockhart's face, looking uncomfortably out of place on his otherwise soft face. "Or rather, they are completely unaware of me". Riddle leaned in, Lockhart's adult body looming over me in a way that made my heart skip a beat.
Not again! "Repuls-" I started to say, ready to release the energy building up inside of me. But of course, magic is much more suited for long-range fighting. My biggest mistake, just like last time, was letting Lockhart/ Riddle get this close.
Riddle made Lockhart's hand lurch out and gripped my chin. With an unforgiving push, he forced my head up; breaking my eye contact and canceling my spell. "None of that", Riddle tsked as he squeezed my jaw between Lockhart's thumb and other fingers. His grip was so tight that I could feel the pads of his fingers pressing against my back teeth through my cheeks. "There isn't time", he said, his expression darkening. As if that was even possible.
Lee continued to pound against the broom closet door. Kicking it too, by the sound of it. "Holly!" He kept yelling. "Leave… Hands… Bastard!"
"Snape has become an increasing headache since our time in the potions laboratory", Riddle explained as I tried to twist out of his grip; my wand-free hand attempting to pry his hand off my face. My nostrils flared with every inhale, making me more and more aware of how hard it was to open my mouth. Not again! "Our time here is dwindling". Time here… Our?! "Now, where is this third Horcrux you claim to know of?"
Mind whirling with multiple thoughts clouding thinking, only one was louder than all the others. Not again! Bring my knee up, I jammed it into a rather sensitive part of Lockhart's body. It was something I wished I could've done a long time ago. Fourteen years to be exact… er, kind of. This reborn thing kind of made time confusing.
The effect was immediate. Lockhart/ Riddle lost his breath as he hunched forward into me, his hand slipping off my face in the process. Shoving his debilitated form away from me, I hurried away; running down the corridor. That's right. I told myself. Make space. Get distance so you can use magic. Then blast the hell out of Lockhart/ Riddle, free Lee, and get out before things become worse.
Three strides. Four strides. How many were enough? I never got to find out. Not as winded as I had believed him to be, Lockhart/ Riddle recovered quickly. Nonverbally, he must have cast locomotor mortis because in the next second a red light wrapped around my legs, causing the inside of my thighs and calves to glue together. Momentum working against me; my weight flung forward and I crashed face-first into the stone floor. My eyes closed as a stinging pain shot up through my nose. I lost a few seconds. Unfortunately, that was more than enough for Lockhart/ Riddle.
A magical force pushed against me and tossed me onto my back. This time it wasn't my face smacking against the stone floor, but the back of my head. I opened my eyes to stars dancing in my vision and Lockhart glowering over me. "Stupid girl", he snarled; the expression contorting Lockhart's good looks. "There is no time for you feeble attempts at rebellion. Don't you understand?" Riddle asked as Lockhart's body moved closer.
I needed to… I needed to get him away. With a small tremor the hand I had wrapped around my wand, I rolled my wrist to make a U motion. "D-" But I was only allowed that first phoneme.
The sole of Lockhart's ridiculously expensive shoe pressed down on my wrist with a punishing force, forcing my hand to still and making it impossible for me to point my wand at him. "Don't you understand what would happen if others discovered what you are? What lies inside of you?" Riddle kept going, a sense of menace dripped off his every word.
The pressure he was applying to my wrist slowly increased. Using every part of me that was still free to move, I twisted and threw my weight around, trying to push Lockhart/Riddle off nothing seemed to work. It was like I was back. Back to laying on the dirt floor, clawing to get away from a threat. All that was missing was a knife. If that was added, I'd be facing that nightmare all over again.
"They'd destroy you", Riddle said as water collected in the corners of my eyes. In the background, I could still hear Lee's frantic banging on the door. But it sounded softer now. As if it was playing as background music to Riddle's words. "They'd shred you to pieces to study the greatness of our original's soul fragment. You're only chance in this world is to obey m-"
The tables took an unexpected turn and suddenly, it was Riddle who wasn't allowed to finish. "Crucio!" A new voice announced his presence with a furious snarl. In not even a second, Riddle/Lockhart fell backward, away from me, and dropped to the ground. His shoe no longer pinned my wrist to the floor, allowing me to cradle it in my wand free hand as blood flow resumed. Ooh, that's going to bruise.
With my legs stuck together, there was little I could do to get out of the way as Riddle/ Lockhart twitched on the floor like how I imagine a fit to look like. A tortuous yowl left his lips.
Stepping into view was Adrian. His wand was pointed at Lockhart and he wasn't blinking. Adrian's eyebrows were so slanted that every wrinkle on his brow was clearly defined. The corner of his lips was turned downward in such a way that it looked like they had been drawn that way. And his eyes; there was such unrestrained aggression in them that they appeared more black than grey.
Sweat started to gleam on Lockhart's skin as he contorted and withered on the floor. More sounds of distress left his mouth. It reminded me of those Halloween movies that had exorcism scenes. If only that were the case. Adrian gave no sign he was close to easing off. And… I wasn't sure I wanted him to… "You think you would be allowed to get away with taking what doesn't belong to you?" Adrian growled. "To lay your filthy hands on a girl you have no business touching? That just because you're a teacher and celebrity no one would stand up to you if you targeted a student?"
Adrian must have added a surge of magic as he spoke because Lockhart's limbs started to thrash out; banging against any surface they encountered, including me. "Adrian?" I asked with a hoarse-sounding squeak. Just the sight of him, although slightly horrifying, was enough to return some sort of grounding to me. And with that small sense of security, came a free fall of tears.
But Adrian had more to say. "You have no idea who you have crossed". Lockhart continued to flop around like a fish out of water. It was doubtful he could understand a single word Adrian said in this state. "You have no clue about what I am going to do to you. What I'm capable of doing".
Fumbling with my wand, I somehow managed the counterspell for the leg locker curse. Avoiding Lockhart's flailing limbs, I used a wall for support as I climbed to my feet. "Adrian!" I sobbed. This time louder.
Adrian didn't break eye contact with his target. He couldn't, not without breaking the spell. But his voice adopted a softer edge as he directed his next words at me. "Holly, come away from there. Wait by the staircase. I'll be along shortly".
I heeded his first request by tip-toeing around Lockhart/ Riddle's agonized form. Almost colliding into Adrian's side in the process. I chose to ignore my boyfriend's second request. "Adrian", I gasped, latching on to the sleeve of his arm that wasn't holding his wand. "You're using an unforgivable. Please, stop!"
"He deserves it!" Adrian barked. However, he didn't pull away from me, something I took comfort in.
"You think I care about that? It's an unforgivable. It's illegal! If someone sees you could get in trouble", I tried to reason. Lockhart continued to wither; scratching at his flesh hard enough to draw blood. I needed to speak fast. "I don't know what the punishment is for a minor using an unforgivable but whatever it is, I don't want you to experience it".
"Holly, wait by the staircase", Adrian repeated; his voice was rough and it made me fear what he would do if I listened to him.
"What if they make you serve time? You wouldn't be in school if you had to do that. We..we couldn't sit next to each other during classes or share meals. Who would I do my potions' homework with?". Everything I could think of came sprouting out of my mouth. "Please, Adrian! I don't want to experience school without you", I pleaded over my crying.
With a heavy sigh, almost as if it pained him to do so, Adrian lowered his wand. Lockhart/ Riddle stilled on the floor; panting and trembling through the after-effects. With the turn of his head, I became the focus of Adrian's attention. "He deserves to die", Adrian stated.
I take a breath and hold it in, in an attempt to stop crying. "Maybe", I admitted quietly as I looked away from Adrian and towards the man who lay on the floor. I couldn't quite find the words I needed to express what I wanted to. Maybe I would after I no longer felt like cornered prey. Then I could tell Adrian that no matter how… evil Lockhart/ Riddle was, it wasn't worth killing him if we had to pay the price for such an action.
Sighing again, this time like a man who knew he wouldn't win an argument against a woman; Adrian pointed his wand at Lockhart once more. "Incarcerous", he said, conjuring thick ropes that wrapped around Lockhart and bound his limbs together. "Silencio", a second spell followed Adrian's first. A moment of silence passed between us as we stared at the fallen teacher. Lockhart/ Riddle had regained some of his wits; as evident by the murderous glares he was sending in our direction. When the moment passed, Adrian ordered, "Go find a teacher. I'll stay here and keep watching".
Except, I didn't want to leave him. Not when a vindictive temptation might be too great and too easy with Lockhart/ Riddle laying restrained in front of him. With a small shake of my head, I was able to remember a rather important detail. "Lee can go get a teacher".
Adrian's head snapped in my direction. "Lee? As in Jordan?"
To confirm, I nodded. Though my head hurt enough that I probably shouldn't be making such gestures. "He's locked in the broom closet".
Redirecting his eyes to the closet in question, Adrian squinted his eyes as he took note of the banging and kicking sounds taking place from the other side of the closet door. "Of course he is", Adrian commented, sounding a little too resigned for someone who had just intervened in an assault.