The sound of his footsteps echoed through the hallway as his feet carried him to the Slytherin Common Room; however, his mind was elsewhere. Confused and angry, Riddle thought he would never be able to digest what he had just learned in Albus Dumbledore's office. And although everything that had been said still seemed completely ridiculous to him, he couldn't deny that the blood spell confirmed an annoying reality: he had a sister, or rather, more than just a sister, a twin.
No one at the orphanage had ever told him that he wasn't the only child his mother had given birth to before she died. Why had they forgotten to inform him of this irritating detail? Was it standard procedure?
"A sister…a twin," Riddle thought, inhaling and exhaling rapidly. Something had changed within him. He was usually good at keeping control, but at that moment, if he didn't find a place to be alone, he might have attacked the nearest living being. His thoughts flew to the Room of Requirement; he would go there and let whatever sensation was gripping his stomach deteriorate. As his feet automatically changed direction and headed towards the seventh floor, Tom thought about Dumbledore and how that man, year after year, believed less and less in his performance as a talented and composed young man. For too long now, the Transfiguration professor had been keeping an eye on him, and he probably knew that the embrace with his twin had been as true as saying that Salazar Slytherin was best friends with Muggles. Tom felt oppressed by the weight of that investigative gaze. He couldn't afford any more missteps with that intrusive man, and he had a strange feeling that the arrival of the foreign girl would undermine all his plans.
How much did Colby know about his true origins? How much did she know about Slytherin and the Riddles? Everything would fall apart if he posed those questions to Dumbledore. Everything Tom had built over those six long years would be destroyed. That girl couldn't stay at Hogwarts; she would have to leave, and Tom was determined to make sure things went exactly that way. Riddle realised he didn't need any magical blood relatives; solitude wasn't t his enemy. Relying solely on his own strengths had made him strong and determined, and Layla Colby had already become a threat to this stability.
"Yes, that's right, a threat," Tom thought, watching his trembling hands.
But what the hell was happening to him? It wasn't like him to react in that way.
Perhaps the negative effect of the first Horcrux was finally taking its toll. In fact, he had expected to feel unwell sooner or later, but on the contrary, he had felt better than usual in the previous weeks. And now, it was happening all of a sudden, over a month later... and right in front of Dumbledore himself. He wondered why he couldn't put on his usual mask of false empathy, which was quite unusual since it was one of the things that had always come effortlessly to him.
Discovering that he had a twin would have unsettled him even under normal circumstances, and in this case, his reaction had been amplified because these were things that, in one way or another, touched a man's very soul.
Tom entered the Room of Requirement, where magical objects hidden by generations of students were present. He walked among the mountains of books, chairs, pianos, cages, and much more, and arrived at the only spot in all of Hogwarts that he considered his and his alone. He took the usual chair and placed it in front of a giant mirror. He looked at the mirror, which he thought represented the future, and saw himself reflected there, as usual, powerful, with thousands of followers behind him.
But something was different...
Tom stood up from the chair to figure out what was missing in that idyllic representation of his future. His eyes nearly went crazy in the mad search, and then they stopped on his own face. The usual glorious smirk was no longer there.
Why?
The Slytherin stepped back and fell heavily onto the chair, burying both hands in his hair and letting out a strangled noise. For someone else that small detail could have been irrelevant, but for Tom Marvolo Riddle that felt extremely unsettling. He hated change. Especially if it was unforeseen.
"I don't understand why you're so worried, Avery... Riddle seems perfectly fine to me," said Abraxas Malfoy nonchalantly, adjusting his shirt collar with extreme pompousness.
"I don't know, his outbursts of anger have become more frequent since the beginning of this schooling year. Don't tell me you haven't noticed too..." replied Wotan, pointing his finger at Malfoy, who huffed and lowered his friend's finger.
"It's twelve minutes past midnight. The schooling year started yesterday. And besides, Riddle has always been a bit... like this. Personally, I didn't notice any change at all," Malfoy stated with a casual shrug.
"If you say so. And what do you think, Dian?" Avery asked, directing his seemingly innocent blue eyes at a seventh-year boy sitting in the darkest part of the Common Room. Except for the three of them, everyone else had gone to sleep.
"Yes, good one. Ask Rosier what he thinks of Voldemort's behaviour. Our friend here usually doesn't like to express his opinion," added Malfoy with a smirk. Dian Rosier said nothing at all, but gave Abraxas a look that didn't bode well.
"Well? What do you say?" Avery pressed impatiently, addressing Rosier.
"Our friend here, talks to Riddle only" Malfoy intervened acidly. "And if it wasn't illegal, I'm sure he would kill us in our sleep," he concluded grinning, trying to appear as calm as usual but failing at it.
Rosier got up from his corner, gave the other two a contemptuous smirk, and left the Common Room heading towards the seventh-year dormitory.
"No wonder why everyone calls him a freak," whispered Avery, getting closer to Malfoy to avoid being heard by Dian. Abraxas, who had been watching the figure of the boy descending the stairs with an alarmed look, said seriously and thoughtfully, "I'm grateful he's in the seventh year and we don't have to share the dormitory with him."
"I wonder why Tom welcomed him into his inner circle..." Wotan asked, rubbing his chin with his fingers.
"Isn't it clear? That guy is like a war machine. I bet he would enjoy carrying out crazy orders, and I have this strange feeling that his attraction to Voldemort goes beyond mere friendship," said Malfoy, sounding even more serious than before. Avery swallowed audibly, evidently impressed by his friend's words. He had never analysed anyone in the group so minutely. He then tried to change the subject, "Hey... why hasn't he come back yet?"
"He probably has something to do. He's a Prefect."
"I wonder what Dumbledore had to tell him..."
"Have you talked to Walburga?" Malfoy asked, acting important.
Avery checked the watch on his wrist. "
Oh, right, I almost forgot. She should be coming up any minute with Druella."
The two Slytherins waited in silence. Malfoy opened a book, and Avery stared blankly at the fireplace. Exactly ten minutes later, Walburga and Druella appeared in the Common Room, dressed in nightgowns. Walburga's was shorter and tighter than the one worn by Rosier's cousin.
"I expected to see my favourite Slytherin," she remarked disappointed. An embarrassed Avery stuttered something incomprehensible. He was rescued by Malfoy, who stood up resolutely, saying, "You've been waiting in vain, and now, without interrupting, listen to what he has to report." Walburga made a mocking grimace in Abraxas' direction but didn't say anything. Malfoy loved drama, and she wasn't in the mood of arguing then and there.
"Riddle saw you talking to the new girl at dinner," cried Avery. Walburga observed him curiously, raising an eyebrow. Avery, with his eyes fixed on her curves was too lost in thought to reply promptly. Malfoy gave him an annoyed look, and decided to take the matter in his own hands.
"Since when do we question Riddle's orders?" he asked menacingly. Abraxas achieved the desired effect, as the girl lowered her gaze and mumbled softly: "I'll do it." Finally, Walburga Black reached out for Druella's hand and disappeared down the stairs again. Young Malfoy smiled satisfied; being friends with Riddle made him feel invincible.