The same day and after class, Tom and Myrtle found themselves in the library, planning to discuss about yesterday's events. Prior to that, Tom had rushed to her classroom, hugging her the second she came out and practically dragging her to the library. Strangely enough, he seemed to be uncharacteristically enthusiastic and jumpy, making Myrtle raise a brow. Oh well, she often thought her best friend lacked energy, so it was nice to see him like this while it lasted.
Myrtle sat on a chair in the library, sulking with her face buried in her hands while Tom adamantly searched for some books on a nearby shelf.
"Found anything yet...?", she asked, her voice muffled because of her hands.
"No, but I think I will soon...", he replied, resuming back to eyeing and going over the books while thinking to himself.
"What are you even looking for?", Myrtle asked, raising her head weakly.
"I can help you search, if you want...", she said, getting up from her chair.
"No need, Myrtle.", he replied, looking up and squinting his eyes.
"You can go sit back down, I've found what I was looking for."
Following that, Myrtle took a step back, but ultimately decided not to sit, her curiosity taking over as she watched him levitate a book down with a wave of his wand. On top of that, the book looked really heavy, but at the same time it went down so flawlessly, almost as if it were weightless, getting gently picked up by Tom soon after. Myrtle skipped over to him, eyes gleaming and peaking from behind him.
"A... bestiary?", she muttered in a confused voice, raising a brow.
"Yes, Myrtle.", he replied, smirking to himself and carefully putting it on the table.
"Come sit down, everything will make perfect sense in a few moments."
Myrtle raised a finger and opened her mouth to say something, but eventually decided against it, dashing and sitting next to him. Glancing at her briefly, Tom opened the bestiary, carefully putting down the hard leather cover after which he immediately started flipping through the old and mildly scrunched up pages while Myrtle eagerly peered beside him.
"What a behemoth of a book!", she exclaimed with a mixture of excitement and fear.
"How are we supposed to navigate it...?"
"It's sorted alphabetically, Myrtle. And considering the name of the creature, we'll find it very quickly.", he calmly stated, smiling darkly.
Myrtle watched in anticipation as he flipped through the pages, eyes rapidly darting around to look at the illustrations of various creatures. But, right as Myrtle wanted to say something, Tom had stopped going through the bestiary, a finger underlining the bold letters on the top of the page. Myrtle leaned over to see what was written on the page.
"Acromantula?", she exclaimed.
"Why do you think the creature was that?", she added, looking down to read the text below.
"Plenty of reasons, Myrtle... You see, I've always suspected that a Gryffindor named Rubeus Hagrid, notorious for sneaking in all sorts of creatures, had a rightful part in all of this. Think about it, he could have found a little spider, oblivious of what it actually was, and taken it in under his wing. Over the months it continued to grow, eventually becoming too big for him to restrain and causing an incident like this.", he explained to her.
"Alright, that sounds pretty convincing. But, why an acromantula specifically if he has all sorts of creatures under his wing?", she asked, glancing over to him.
"Well, I've come to... know about it since last year, but didn't really...", he said, gradually trailing off his train of thought. Myrtle wanted to ask him to continue, but didn't deem it too important at the moment.
"No matter. Luckily, my suspicions have been proven true today.", he added with his mood shifting back in place.
"Really? How?", she asked with enthusiasm which was soon interrupted by an unpleasant thought.
"Wait, don't tell me... don't tell me you saw it gnaw at another student! That would've been terrible to witness!", Myrtle exclaimed worriedly, looking back at him.
He locked his eyes with hers briefly, glancing away soon after.
"Ah- No, Myrtle, don't worry. I certainly wouldn't be in the best mood if that happened.", he replied.
"What really happened was that Olive Hornby spilled all her secrets without knowing...", he added gleefully, turning to look at her and smiling ominously. Myrtle appeared to gain the same expression as if it were contagious.
"Oh... do tell me about it.", she replied, giggling a little.
"What has the snooping hag been up to this time?"
He took in a breath before speaking,
"It was nothing extraordinary, Myrtle, she was just talking to Hagrid behind a corner which I followed her to. But... it was certainly very useful to hear what she had to say... I initially thought they would be moving the creature based on Hornby's first muttered words, but, sadly, I was wrong... they'd only discussed about what it was and what to do with it...", he said, a little disappointed.
"And...?", Myrtle said, her eyes wide from anticipation while she edged closer to him.
"And luckily, they'd revealed where they would be hiding it... rather stupid location, I'd say. So much for their creativity and wit...", he scoffed, letting out a laugh.
"Where, Tommy!? Spit it out already...", she asked, raising her voice a little but quickly quietening it again.
Tom's eyes darted to her the second she said that, surprised a little.
"Right, I'm sorry... it's the room of requirement.", he replied.
"They will be attempting to escort the creature on Wednesday, late at night.", he added calmly.
But, suddenly, an uncharacteristic rush of enthusiasm and energy overtook him, making him turn around with a sudden jerk to face her.
"This is great, Myrtle!", he breathed out.
"In a few short days, we won't have to cower down to anyone! No one will dare to think we caused all this mess or that we had anything to do with it!", he exclaimed, hands firmly clutching Myrtle's sleeves.
She was taken aback by his behavior, never had she seen him this... giddy or jumpy. Regardless, she didn't mind, pulling him into a hug.
"Yeah, Tommy, no more, uh... burdens and nuisances!", she said, attempting to match his enthusiasm, but instead ended up sounding awkward.
"Or Hornby and her shenanigans!", she added, raising her fist in the air.
"Indeed, Myrtle. No one will dare to disturb us anymore.", his giddy form replied.
"All the lies will cease to exist and nothing will get in between us.", he continued, his voice gradually becoming more quiet.
Soon after, Myrtle felt herself being pulled in an even tighter hug, though along with it, she could feel him... slightly shaking?
"And no one will even do so much as think of mentioning or comparing me to the heir of Slytherin.", he growled out, all his prior enthusiasm and giddiness seemingly washed away as if they were never there in the first place.
"Yeah, Tommy... no one.", she muttered under her breath, putting her chin on his shoulder, sighing as the feeling of worry failed to cease.
In the darkness, Tom Riddle paced, eyes and ears fixated on detecting even the smallest movements around him. The late Wednesday night was cold and unplesant, a chilling and howling wind making Tom wrap his robes around himself for warmth. Nevertheless, he didn't pay much attention to it, deeming it more important to continue observing his surroundings. But, strangely enough, no sound nor student could be observed. It puzzled him... how did such a thing happen?
Silently, he began heading for the room of requirement, becoming a little desperate to find some sort of clue. They couldn't have vanished into thin air... it took real magical skill they certainly didn't possess to do such a thing, he thought. But then, why were they not anywhere in sight? Have they perhaps changed the idea of their location for hiding the monster...? No! That can't be... he literally saw Hornby say where they would be hiding it out loud!
As the hours passed by, his frustration only grew, amplified by the annoyingly cold wall he was leaning against. And even then, no one showed up or made any movements... something was definitely going on behind the scenes. What if he accidentally exposed himself in those few minutes of observing Hornby and Hagrid? Thinking about it, there just had to be a moment of broken concentration to cause that... a mere moment.
Ah, no. That certainly wasn't the case, he concluded, smirking to himself. If there was someone who had absolute control over their magic, it was him. He never made mistakes. But, despite those thoughts, he still didn't notice anything going on around him. Moments later, his smirk faded from his face as quickly as it came.
Irritated and tired, he went up to the room of requirement, wide and dark eyes glaring for any semblance of recent change. Upon finding there was none, he decided to investigate.
"I need the room where the acromantula named Aragog is being held.", he whispered.
Immediately after, the wall started to shift, bricks rearranging and forming a door. Curious, that would mean that the two of them, or perhaps more, weren't currently here. But if they weren't... where were they? The school was an endless myriad of possible hiding spots, how would he manage to check them in such a short period of time, all alone? There was no way for him to manifest in so many places at once!
Frustrated, he clenched his fists, seething. What did he do wrong?
Never mind, he told himself, sighing and taking a glance at his watch. There was still time to try finding out where they were hiding and what they'd planned. Soon after, he began his search of potential hiding places, looking through every nook and cranny and even checking if they'd taken the monster outside. Though, none of the aforementioned things led him to the monster or even left a clue... why was he struggling so much? This was supposed to be an easy and feasible task!
The lack of progress was starting to get on his nerves, making him jolt his head in another direction, facing a dark hallway. All of a sudden, his anger seemed to fade away, seemingly melting into a deep sense of curiosity.
Who was the person standing in front of the Gryffindor common room?
His dark eyes peered at the shadowed figure, hoping to uncover their identity or at the very least their house. But, before long, as if sensing his movements, the figure waved their wand into the air and vanished. Tom's mouth went agape from surprise, how did this student manage to pull off a disillusionment charm this efficient? No, that wasn't the thing he was supposed to be focused on. Their level of mastery over magic didn't matter, as he was certain there was no one who could even compete with him. Luckily, he managed to catch a glimpse of blue tint on them, concluding the student was a Ravenclaw.
A sinister grin spread across his face as he started following the student. How interesting... it appeared that Olive Hornby not only had support from the others houses, but also people who would gladly do her bidding. Now he would know for certain that her allies weren't only limited to Gryffindor, meaning he'd have to observe what other houses were up to regularly...
To his surprise and irritation, he had not managed to catch up to the student, even if at least twenty minutes have passed. Though, despite his frustration, he had to admit they were skilled with their magic. Oh well, not like it mattered, he would just need some extra time to reveal them or catch them in some sort of suspicious act... watching from the shadows.
Then, finally after a few moments, he felt it. Their presence. Even if he couldn't see them, he could sense they were there in front of him, unaware of him slowly and carefully creeping up on them. But, suddenly, it seemed like they caught onto him, taking nervous and unsteady steps around themselves, as if pondering where he is, before starting to run away. Tom didn't bother chasing after them, for he knew they would eventually come back to him without having the slightest idea of what they were actually doing. After that, he would continue following them as a silent observer from the shadows, eyes sharp and awaiting for any slight suspicious activity or clue.
Alas, none of those things had happened, much to his annoyance and displeasure. Instead, the student escaped his grasp yet again, starting to run through the corridors, seemingly with no destination in mind. What a mess, Tom thought, listening to the loud, echoing footsteps in the hallways. It was becoming harder and harder to concentrate and monitor the student's movements, which now felt like rapid gushes of wind swooping around him.
But then, he felt a sudden sharp pain on his face, making him close his eyes out of shock, let out a yelp and collapsing on the ground. What even was this? How could someone physically do him harm... the thought was unfathomable to him. On top of that, he also managed to expose himself via the yelp he produced... what a pathetic mistake it was, yet it costed him greatly. Now that his nose was bleeding, and he was pretty sure his lip was busted, the student would easily detect him and finally escape into the darkness.
No, that would not happen. His tired form tried to get up and continue his pursuit, but instead of that, he found himself being... ushered to rest?
"Oh, no!", a familiar voice lamented, panic in her voice.
"What did I do!?", she continued, crouching down and scrambling to get something out of her pocket.
Upon hearing those words, Tom removed the disillusionment charm from himself, bloodshot eyes straining themselves to look at Myrtle.
"Myrtle-"
Immediately after, he felt a tissue being rubbed harshly against his face, making him jolt and push her hand away. Upon that, her face contorted into a concerned expression.
"Tommy, no! I'm-"
"Wait!", he shouted, making her freeze. After that, he took his wand out of his pocket and pointed it to himself, casting a healing charm, slowly getting up and locking his eyes with hers.
"Myrtle...", he quietly said after a few moments.
"Why are you here at this time?", he asked, raising a brow.
As he finished talking, so did Myrtle's expression grow from concerned to... questioning.
"What do you mean why? I'm trying to help you, silly!", she brashly replied, letting out a laugh.
"You seriously thought I was going to let you search for them alone? Hah, that's complete bogus, Tommy! Besides, you don't really look so good...", she remarked.
"Well, I wonder why, Myrtle...", he sarcastically replied with an unamused expression, slowly getting up from the floor. After hearing those words, Myrtle's expression appeared to have become worrisome again.
"No! I didn't mean it like that...", she replied, breaking eye contact with him.
"I mean, you look tired... and perturbed... and as if you were staring at a wall for multiple hours...", she went on, coming up with seemingly endless possibilities, all with a nonchalant attitude.
"Why, if that wasn't exactly what I was doing...", he replied, clenching his fists while slowly turning around to face her. After that, he took in a deep breath.
"This isn't good, Myrtle. I've been awake all night, searching for any trace of them and that monster around the school, only for my efforts to be in vain.", he said in a disappointed tone, looking at the ground. But, soon after, he looked at her directly in the eyes.
"Why, Myrtle?", he whispered in a strangely menacing tone, making her let out a slight gasp.
"Why are they nowhere in sight? Where are they hiding? I saw Hornby reveal her grand plan in front of my very own eyes. If we don't do anything fast-", he said, eyes widening from shock when he heard... giggling?
Why was she laughing?
"Oh, Tommy...", she said, putting a hand on her face. He simply stared at her, offended with his mouth slightly agape.
"You do realise that things don't always have to go as planned...?", she calmly stated, glancing to the side, almost as if she was completely unbothered.
"What... what do you mean by that?", he asked, trying to keep his composure.
"Not everyone has things planned out and organized so nicely like you do...", she said, fiddling with her fingers.
"...Especially that bint Olive Hornby, you really think she'd keep her word? Hah, there's a good chance she overslept and forgot about all this! Never thinks about other people's time...", she said, giggling darkly.
Overslept? Was it that... simple?
"You mean... this was just a chance occurrence?", he said in disbelief, the frustration seeping out of him.
"Uh-huh!", she brightly exclaimed, running up to him.
"There's no way she could outmaneuvre you in terms of magic... that's just absurd to even think about...", she said, smirking and putting one of her arms on his shoulder.
"But how can you be so sure about this? You've seen the others' reaction towards-"
"No-no! I'm pretty sure... if there's one thing I'm sure I'm right about, it's this.", she said in a determined tone, letting out a laugh.
"In fact, we can even make a bet! That's how sure I am-"
"Myrtle, what are you talking about!? This is not a laughing matter!", he shouted, making her shudder a little, a frown later forming on her face. Noticing it, a sense of guilt formed in him, making him think of different ways to approach the situation.
"...Never mind, I'd say your theory is plausible. You certainly know more about Hornby and her actions than I do.", he said to her, trying to provide some reassurance.
"...And no need for the bet.", he added, trying to loosen up the conversation.
Myrtle let out an awkward laugh.
"Yeah, Tommy...", she quietly said, peeking over to take a quick glance at his watch.
"Quarter to eight... uh, what's your first class?", she asked blankly, looking back at him.
"Charms, but I'll stay with you as long as time permits. What about you?", he asked.
"I, uh... have potions. It's going to be difficult to get there quick if you plan on staying with me, ahah...", she said, awkwardly laughing.
"No worries. I have my ways...", he replied calmly, smiling emptily at her.
"Let's go, shall we?", he added after a moment, motioning for her to follow him.
With Myrtle trailing behind him, they walked down numerous staircases, observing and looking out the windows with... limited words exchanged. This made Tom a little uneasy, but he chalked it up to Myrtle just being... tired. After all, he wasn't the only one who spent the whole night looking for the monster or any potential clues... his best friend had thought about those things and even took the time to act... help him. In reality, he didn't want her to sweat over such things, he would do it himself and ensure she wouldn't have to put herself through such a time-consuming and bleak experience... Nevertheless, knowing that he had someone to trust apart from himself and to count on was... comforting.
"Finally here... if I'm honest, I don't really feel like going to class after all this...", she added, her face grumpy.
"Don't worry.", he said, offering her a sympathetic look.
"When class is over, go ahead and rest in your common room... I'll take care of everything.", he assured her, smiling.
"Huh...? No, that would be so wrong... what kind of friend would I be?", she replied, face-palming and groaning.
"I'm going to help you no matter what! Even if that considers... even if...", she said, trailing off and looking at another direction. Growing worried and wary, Tom glanced towards the same direction.
Apparently, there was a student at the corner of a hallway, hunched over and putting their hands on the walls for support. Tom strained his eyes in hopes of seeing who it was.
"Oh hey, Avalite... nice seeing you here.", the Gryffindor girl said, yawning and stretching herself.
A smirk slowly spread across Tom's face. It appeared that he was right, after all. No fault could be attributed to him, Hornby just escaped from his grasp because of her poor planning. It would only take some time to solve this incident and clear both his and Myrtle's names. Oh, how the whole school would regret ever suspecting them...
"Excellent observation, Myrtle. Hornby really did oversleep like you said she would...", he said to her.
"Well, I told you so, Tommy. Nobody knows what she will do next better than me.", she replied, crossing her arms and wearing the same smirk as him.
"Let's see what the hag is up to... she looks like she's drunk...", Myrtle added, cackling and going towards Hornby's direction with Tom behind her.
"Alright, Avi, talk to you in class... I've-", she said, suddenly stopping in her tracks and... smirking.
"Oh, four-eyes! Already up? Hah, thought so... a good and perfect student like you must-", she muttered, but gasped and stopped the second she saw Tom looking at her. But, after her initial surprise, she continued.
"... you too, Riddle? Huh. It seems like you'd die if you didn't breathe the same air as Warren... I'd be trying to prove my innocence and lay low if I were you, instead of...", Hornby continued, but stopped upon slightly looking down and noticing... Tom's busted lip. Surprised, she quickly glanced at Myrtle, and then back to him. Immediately after, her face contorted into a nasty smile .
"...You know what? Never mind. You do you~", she said in a suggestive tone, strutting away from them.
After she disappeared from his sight, he looked back at Myrtle, only to find her clenching her fists and seething.
"That utter scum! Has no boundaries whatsoever!", she growled out, still looking at the direction where Hornby went. But, as quickly as her anger came, it seemingly evaporated, with her staring blankly.
"Whatever. I'm going to keep a close watch on her in class, ensuring that she doesn't dare discuss any plan and pass notes!", she said smugly, crossing her arms.
Then, as if on cue, the bell for the beginning of their classes rang.
"Ugh, already...?", she remarked, rolling over her eyes.
"Well, Tommy, I think you should be heading to class... wouldn't want you to be late.", she said, walking away from him.
"See you!", she exclaimed cheerfully, waving at him and slowly disappearing into the classroom.
He waved and smiled back at her until she was completely out of his sight. But, the instant he couldn't see her anymore, the smile that was once on his face slowly began to drop, turning into a stoic and cold expression. With a swift turn, he began heading to his class, thinking of his next potential moves. In order to prevent such things happening again, he would need to monitor Hornby very closely. Every step, every move... all of it, except what happens in the Gryffindor common room that was out of his reach. Oh, well... if he really grew desperate, which he doubted would ever happen, he'd surely find a way to get there, too... Apart from that, he wasn't alone in this situation. With Myrtle's successful deduction about Hornby's whereabouts, her help would certainly be welcome to him. She was one of the smartest people he knew, after all. Though, he'd prefer not to exhaust her if it wasn't necessary.
The hallway of the charms classroom was desolate and empty, not a soul was in sight. Despite that, Tom's confidence didn't waver at all. He stood in front of the door, gracefully pulling out his wand. Then, he proceeded to point the wand to himself. What followed was a pleasant rush of relief that coursed through his face: his bloodshot eyes becoming clearer, highlighting his dark and determined eyes... his busted lip slowly healing, leaving no trace of any kind of trauma. After that, he carefully adjusted his tie and hair, not a single strand being out of place. Lastly, he made sure to put on a convincing smile, behind which was a silver tongue laced with the sweetest words.
After all, he was the school's best and most accomplished student. Trustworthy, honest... and not being able to do any wrong.
The afternoon Sun shone weakly from the recently opened door of the classroom, blocked by the endless seam of clouds in the sky. Tom was one of the first who exited, which was unusual for him, given his composed and calm demeanour. But, right now, there was no time to lose, he had to get to Myrtle as quickly as possible. Thoughts ran through his mind as he rushed through the school, thinking of what he would tell her. On one hand, he had to make sure that the halls were patrolled at night, but on the other... it simply felt wrong to force to her to do such an exhausting and boring task. Besides, since when was such a thing beyond his ability?
His dark eyes gazed at the mostly cleared-up crowd of students, looking for any semblance of Myrtle. Luckily, it wasn't long before he spotted her, rushing towards him and giving him a whole-hearted embrace. For the first time in hours, his face brightened up as he returned the favor, letting a genuine smile form on his face.
"How has your day been, Tommy?", she asked, looking up at him with a cheeky smile.
"Oh, nothing special, Myrtle... just thinking of what to do next.", he calmly replied.
After that, he looked around them, searching for any hint of Hornby and her company, wondering if they already went their way.
"...Did Hornby or any of her associates try to do anything while in class?", he whispered to her.
Myrtle took a step back from him, her eyes looking at the ground... while reaching in for her pocket. Soon after, she met his curious gaze once again, smiling evilly to him as she extended her arm and revealed a note. His eyes darted to it instantly, wasting no time and taking the note.
"Hey, Avi, would you agree to discuss the matter later in the yard?" - Olive
How interesting. A smirk grew on his face, amplified when he saw Myrtle give him another note.
"I don't know... it's quite crowded there, should we try the common room instead?" - Avalite
Again, more notes. Again, and again, and again...
"Try asking Ruth first?" - Olive
"Maybe ask Audaxius? He could really aid us in this." - Ruth
"What do you mean?" - Olive
"This is getting pointless!" - Avalite
As he progressed, the notes seemed to become more scrawny, erratic, scrunched-up... lost. Oh, how glad he was of this discovery. On top of all this, he was in awe at Myrtle's abilities, this surely wasn't an easy task... it made him appreciate her even more than he thought was possible.
"Weeeeell... how was it?", she asked, peering over his shoulder and eyeing the notes once again.
"They are most definitely going to be confused over what the other tried to say! I can't wait to see a rift form in their already flimsy sense of trust...", she remarked with a wide smile.
Tom turned to look at her.
"This is extraordinary Myrtle.", he exclaimed, surprisingly wide-eyed.
"With your careful observations and skill, we will have a much easier time observing their every move. You've done a remarkable job.", he stated to her.
Myrtle's eyes slowly lit up at started sparkling. This was it. Seeing her happy and getting the information he desired was more than enough for him. Now, he could carry on without her help while she rested.
"I'd say this is enough for today. A well deserved rest would be the best thing to do right now, I'm going to investigate further from this point.", he said.
As he finished his sentence, Myrtle's face fell, replaced by a confused glance.
"What... why?", she muttered to him.
"Oh, this isn't even the start, Tommy! A few more hours awake wouldn't hurt anyone...", she said.
"Myrtle, you don't need to force yourself to do things that aren't necessary. Go rest while you have time to do so, I'll take care of this-"
"No! Absolutely not! I will not sit down and do nothing while you're straining yourself beyond limits!", she brashly replied, stubborn as a rock and crossing her arms.
Tom let out a sigh. This was getting a little tiresome. But, on second thought, what if he actually let her help him? If she was so adamant about it, maybe both parties could be satisfied.
"How about this: you go rest like I told you to do so, and I will go investigate the situation myself.", he said to her.
Myrtle was eyeing him doubtfully, but didn't speak up.
"But... you will patrol the halls tomorrow night and I will go rest... sound better?", he added with a smirk.
Upon hearing those words, Myrtle's face seemed to brighten up.
"Deal.", she said, satisfied and smiling.
"Also, I say we take turns in patrolling. I will go today, you will go tomorrow, and so on...", he added.
"Of course, Tommy. Happy to provide assistance to my best friend!", she cheerfully exclaimed.
"Well, I'm going to go rest now, as you wished. Wish you luck in your patrolling!", she said, walking away from him and waving.
"Thank you, have a nice rest.", he replied softly.
As soon as she was out of his sight, his mind began to trail off, ruminating after reading those letters. How smart and adorable of them to acquire help from the Gryffindor prefect, Audaxius... as if that'll save them from his grasp. According to the notes, they'd attempt to search for him immediately after class, meaning that he should catch up with them as soon as possible. Apparently, Audaxius had a knack for climbing trees, meaning that he would most likely be found in the yard, dangling from some tree like a monkey. Whatever the case, he went ahead and cast the disillusionment charm on himself, beginning his pursuit.
Luckily for him, he stumbled upon Hornby's waving brunette hair just behind the corner, heading towards the yard and confirming his suspicions. Upon fastening his pace, Ruth and Avalite soon appeared before him, loyally following their friend. Currently, their conversation consisted of meaningless gossip and foul language, making Tom shudder out of disgust. Hopefully they would switch to more bearable themes or better yet, actual useful information. It was like a mine: from all the filth and muck, there would only sometimes be some treasure, a gemstone hidden in the form of useful clues. He just needed to be patient.
Soon after, they stumbled upon Audaxius on a tree like Tom suspected they would. Upon seeing them, he jumped down, greeting them and joining their current conversation. Apparently, it was about... what the best flavour of some type of candies was. It was all so stupid and utterly meaningless, making him roll over his eyes. Still, he needed to focus on any subtle hints they might mutter.
After an excruciating thirty minutes in the yard, they finally seemed to move. Though, this didn't have to be a positive thing, since they could eventually end up in their common room, a place he couldn't reach.
"Orange... really, Avi?", Olive remarked with a poker face.
"What? It's a great flavour. Besides, if none of you want it and I like it, nothing goes to waste and we're both happy...", she muttered.
"Yeah... almost reminds me of Olive's brother and-"
"Shut up! Don't mention that privileged brat in front of me ever again!", Hornby screamed, startling Ruth.
"...Gee, Olive. A warning would be appreciated...", Ruth replied in a deadpan tone. Hornby looked at her with a scrunched-up face, but ultimately decided not to continue rambling on this topic.
How amusing. It seemed like Hornby was a little jealous... It wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, but this little detail could be... exploited.
On the other hand, the four of them were getting closer and closer to the Gryffindor common room, making Tom's nervousness grow over time. Still, they gradually stopped in the hallways, or went in other direction, but it always seemed like they would always wind up on the same path. Making a distraction or minor incident would be risky... what if they questioned it's sudden occurrence? Where it came from? Maybe even encourage them to fasten their pace?
"Why so sudden, you three? I've actually wanted some fresh air today. Kind of boring to sit in class all day...", Hornby remarked.
"We can let some fresh air come into the common room, Olive. Also, my legs are dying...", Ruth replied.
"Well, just sit on some stairs then. They aren't that cold.", Hornby quickly replied.
"Maybe Ruth is right. The howling wind is quite cold, it's getting dark outside... I don't know about you people, but all of this makes me feel like there's something lurking in the shadows... watching us.", Audaxius muttered, glancing behind himself and looking into the darkness... which stared right back at him.
"Alright. You win, let's go... but only this time!", Hornby reluctantly said, heading towards the common room along with them.
Why... why were they going so soon? Did this bloke really convince them to go based on his own stupid superstitions? How come he and Myrtle spend every minute of the day observing them, watching for any semblance of their guilt and traces of their wrongdoings, yet get absolutely nothing out of them? It was so unfair... both he and Myrtle acted intelligently, logically and were calculated. But now, it seemed that they were losing, seemingly because of Hornby and her company's combined... stupidity. So lost in their own musings that they forget to act on their situation, which inadvertently saved them from his grasp.
"Come on, Ruth! This was your idea, after all...", Hornby said from inside the common room, but peeked behind the door to look at her.
"Right up...", Ruth replied with a smirk, stepping into the common room.
Oh, that foul smirk... how he wished he could just wipe it off her face... all of their faces. There was absolutely nothing to be happy about in this situation. As they finally concluded their grand entrance, Tom's grip on his wand intensified, caused by his recent rush of rage which spread to every ounce of his body. He stared at the entrance, limbs slightly twitching from dissatisfaction. This was just unacceptable, running off like that. How dare they do such an action? How dare they-
...Never mind. It was no problem, he thought, the rage leaving his body as if it were never there. Sooner or later, he would catch up to them. No amount of time would save them, for he would eventually catch onto them, as he knew he must.