A day had passed since his initial disappointment, concluding with him collapsing on his bed out of exhaustion. It had been quite a frustrating experience, feeling his tired body succumb to sleep, so utterly humiliating... But, the thought of Myrtle, someone he deeply trusted, being out there to take his place made it bearable. Though, that of course didn't mean he should expect her to do all the dirty work.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of his last class, Tom made his way to the door, stepping out of the classroom soon after. He had already met up with Myrtle in the morning, with her reporting no further advances in their investigations. His mind filled up with dissatisfaction with him growing tense and rigid, but he remained calm and collected in his demeanour. Myrtle did everything there was to do, and he simply gave her a warm "Thank you" for her effort, watching her go to her first class.
But now, hopefully, there would be some news. As soon as he saw the pig-tailed girl step out of class, he went up to her, curious about what she would have to say.
"Hello, Myrtle. Are you feeling well? I hope your classes haven't been that draining today.", he said to her, looking at any sign of ailment on her.
She slowly looked back at him, putting a hand on her mouth and yawning.
"Oh, I'm fine, Tommy. Just a little tired...", she replied.
"Anyway... they didn't seem to be that active today, mostly exchanging notes about random topics in the middle of charms, so I don't think they'll make any advances today or the next few upcoming days.", she added, stretching herself.
"Just random topics? Nothing else...?", he asked quietly and in a borderline desperate tone.
"Yes, nothing at all, just useless ramblings.", she confirmed.
Nothing? Again? Were they onto something? Have they found out their true intentions and are desperately trying to hide themselves?
"Yet again, they aren't thinking about their situation! Oh, Tommy... it's like they are unintentionally saving themselves with their own extreme stupidity...", she remarked, smiling darkly.
"Maybe we should just wait for them to slip up... they aren't too keen on revealing their plans... even to each other!", she exclaimed, silently giggling.
Tom furrowed his brow at that statement.
"Myrtle, we can't wait for them to make a mistake while doing nothing! More students will start to suspect us, narrowing down our chances of proving ourselves innocent. Apart from that, there's a decent chance they will accidentally lose the monster, letting it run loose and pounce on yet another victim.", he stated firmly.
"Oh... right.", she replied quietly.
"Then... what do you say we-"
All of a sudden, she turned her head to the side, seemingly glancing at a crowd of students nearby. Noticing her behaviour, he mirrored her actions and began looking in the same direction. It seemed like they were all oddly close to each other, heading the same way. Curious, Tom began making his way towards them, looking back at Myrtle and motioning for her to follow him. There seemed to be some sort of quiet chit-chat going on, both of them straining their ears to hear it better. But, upon doing so, a chill ran down Tom's spine.
"She woke up."
Countless faces whispered that exact same phrase until the words became devoid of any meaning. Myrtle looked at him with a concerned look, as if asking what they would do. If he was honest, this revelation did make him feel a tinge of nervousness, but he quickly brushed it off. Even in her almost lifeless state, she would surely remember both him and Myrtle, peering over her and getting help. If it weren't for them, she would surely be dead.
"It's going to be alright, Myrtle.", he whispered, hoping to reassure her at least a little.
Without looking at him, she weakly nodded, no further words being exchanged. They simply continued to follow the crowd of students, wondering if they would mutter out more information about the girl's condition and responsiveness... Though, instead of that, it appeared that all of them were in the dark as much him and Myrtle, blindly walking towards the hospital wing. Well, now was their chance to hear what the girl had to say firsthand without looking suspicious.
When they initially arrived, the hospital wing was so crowded they couldn't even enter, having to stand outside and peak over numerous heads to see what was going on. It was relatively easy for him, but for the pig-tailed girl beside him... not so much. She repetitively shifted and darted her head around, trying to see better. Surprisingly, he didn't see Hornby or her company nearby, which was unusual considering Hornby's part in all this. Oddly enough, he happened to catch a glimpse of a certain blonde Slytherin, kneeling and hunched over as if sick. Guess those threats about muggleborns weren't really all that deep, were they? Those meaningless threats and perceived... heir of Slytherin.
"Look, she's starting to talk!", a girl said rather loudly while pointing.
At that moment, Tom and Myrtle, along with all the other students, jolted to face the inside of the hospital wing. Some tried to come closer, but were instantly ushered back by a professor.
"I... where... am I?", the girl croaked out, her voice muffled by the distance and nearby students.
"You are in the hospital wing, Mrs. Johnson.", the matron calmly explained, leaning over her.
The words didn't seem to get to her head with her soon trying to sit up, immediately letting out a yelp of pain and falling back down.
"What happened to me!?", she cried out, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Why can't- can't I move?"
"Calm down, you're safe now... an incident occurred, leaving you bedridden... we still don't know the cause.", the matron sadly replied, comforting her. Despite her efforts, the girl started to hyperventilate, panic filling up her eyes.
"H-how? You're teachers and know everything! I-", she stammered, choking on her own saliva and coughing, gripping the bedsheets.
"You must know! You-"
"Mrs. Johnson, please stay calm, there is nothing to fret about. You are in safe hands now.", the matron said to her, smiling in hopes of bringing light to her situation.
"Maybe you can tell us what you remember? We can help you with that.", she added in a warm tone.
Seemingly after that, Peggy's breathing stabilised and she momentarily stopped crying, eyes lighting up when looking at the matron.
"You... you can?", she said, puzzled.
"But... I don't remember anything... what do I do now?", she added, her voice tensing up.
"Well, maybe I can try to remind you? You'll probably start to remember after that.", the matron replied.
"Uh-huh.", she calmly stated, nodding.
"You were found laying on the cold floor late the previous Saturday night. Professor Merrythought brought you here after being alerted by the Slytherin head boy, Tom Riddle.", she explained. Tom felt himself tense up at those statements, aware of the eyes that were currently on him.
"Apart from him, a Ravenclaw girl named Myrtle Warren who is Tom's friend was also there. Do you remember any of those names or events?", the matron asked her.
"Oh, I... I think I'm beginning to remember! Myrtle is the girl with the pigtails and specs?", she asked curiously. Tom felt Myrtle shudder beside him.
"That is correct. Apart from them, do you know if a Gryffindor girl named Olive Hornby showed up earlier?", the matron asked again.
The girl suddenly took a long pause before speaking again.
"No... I don't remember her, only Tom and Myrtle. I remember...", she began, taking in a breath.
"I remember walking in the hallways late at night, wanting to return to my common room after playing with my friend, but then I felt sharp... no, I remember being knocked to the ground and blacking out. Though, after that, I could sometimes see Tom and Myrtle peering above me, mainly Myrtle, and then after that... I just felt like someone was picking me up.", she concluded. Upon those words, Myrtle looked at Tom worriedly, clenching her teeth. This wasn't looking so good, but he gave her a look of reassurance regardless. Or at least he thought he did.
"I... is that enough? Will you be able to tell me what happened now, teacher?", she asked innocently, her eyes twinkling desperately.
"I... I don't think so, Peggy.", the matron said, desperately trying to think of something to say after seeing her face scrunch up.
"What matters is that you are in good condition and getting better! We will certainly uncover what happened to you, no matter-"
The matron's face fell upon noticing Peggy begin silently sobbing, tears starting to run down her cheeks. She tried to comfort her, but the girl just didn't seem to care about her words... Tom had enough of this pitiable sight, what good did it bring him to watch that girl wallow in misery? Silently, he nudged Myrtle to walk out of there, with her turning around to face him with a surprised look. With a final glance behind himself, he saw a certain half-giant peeking in the hospital wing behind a corner, the guilt and regret evident in his eyes. No wonder, Tom thought.
"Come, Myrtle.", he whispered, walking in front of her.
Briefly glancing around herself, she continued to walk behind him, warily looking at the students around her. Even if they started to slowly disband, they still felt their prying eyes upon them, as if further enforcing their false image of them. Feeling both himself and Myrtle grow uncomfortable, he stepped closer to her, guiding her out of the crowd of students into a calm and clear hallway.
"What did we do to deserve this...?", Myrtle quietly remarked, sighing.
"We literally saved her life and this is how she talks about us!?", she added, anger taking over her.
Tom was too concentrated on his own thoughts to reply. Maybe what Myrtle is saying really is true... the girl would be long gone if it weren't for them. But, deep down, he knew they couldn't blame the girl, she wasn't in the best state to make accurate claims about her experiences and her limited consciousness during the event itself. No, he mustn't focus on that girl. He had to return to getting Myrtle and himself out of this situation by whatever means necessary. Their reputation was already broken and tarnished before, and this statement from the girl only solidified it. He would need to think and act fast.
"Myrtle, we have to be more wary from this point. Nobody trusts us now and it'll be easier to pin any suspicious activity on us. Luckily, this is only trust regarding the students, the professors I think are still neutral about the matter.", he said to her.
Myrtle gave him a brief glance before locking her eyes with the ground again.
"I agree, Tommy. It's rather unnerving to think anyone can throw us under the bus after this...", she sadly replied, sighing.
"...Those filthy rats!", she spat, trembling out of rage.
"If anything, we still have each other...", Myrtle added, looking at him longingly.
"Of course.", he replied, letting a small smile tug on his lips.
"I never had anyone else to begin with."
Immediately after, her face lit up, running up to him to give him a tight embrace. He returned the favour, pulling her closer to himself. It seemed like only these moments brought him a sense of calm, a sense of happiness, pulling him out of his... No... If he wanted their friendship to flourish, he'd have to make sure that no one dared to pose a threat to them. Hornby, Ruth, Avalite, countless others... they'd all have to be silenced. There was no other way, after all. His wide and genuine smile slowly contorted into a perverse grin, pushing away the glistening light reflected on his eyes.
"Myrtle.", he said calmly to her. With a soft turn of her head, she peered up to face him, her eyes curiously looking with anticipation.
"Do you see how everyone turned on us? Each and every one of their eyes hungrily looked at us like we were some monsters, prying eyes wanting to know every last detail of our supposed madness.", he whispered, dark eyes fixated on her.
"But... in the background, Hornby and her associates lurk, thinking they are now granted absolute immunity and control over this situation... how wrong they are.", he continued in a quiet voice.
"Their recently gained ego will cause them to become full of themselves, convincing them to think they could transport the monster with ease, causing them to make a futile mistake.", he added, letting out a slight laugh.
"And I believe that it will be very soon, maybe even this night.", he said brightly. After that, he stepped closer to her.
"Our cue."
Myrtle looked at his with wide eyes, slightly taken aback by this sudden remark. But, soon after, her expression contorted, closely matching his.
"Right...", she said, putting a finger on her lip.
"We'll make sure they don't escape this time.", she added, evilly looking away from him.
"Together!", she exclaimed cheerfully, contrasting their previous ominous interactions.
Tom looked at her with a dark smile.
"Excellent.", he remarked.
"With our combined powers, no one will stand in our way.", he softly said.
Myrtle silently nodded at him, agreeing with his remark.
"I suppose we wait for the night then? I say we rest until then, it'll be quite a long night...", he calmly said, looking in the distance.
"Come, Myrtle. There's no time to lose...", he said, looking at her and gently gesturing for her to follow him.
"Alright!", she exclaimed, running up to him and mimicking his pace.
Perfect. Now, he knew exactly how predictable Hornby and her associates would become and how reckless their actions would be... there was even no need for the constant spying. Even if something somehow went wrong, he had Myrtle to count on to temporarily replace him. It was all just so... perfectly aligned.
As they neared the door at the end of the hallway they were in, Tom's thoughts drifted off, carefully planning out their nightly investigation. How would the events unfold? Where would they encounter the monster or find the evidence to prove it's existence? These thoughts only intensified upon seeing the door becoming larger, signaling how fast his plans would need to be put in action. The golden doorknob brightly shined from the distance along with the door's golden rim, which had unique... water droplets running down it?
What was this?
With a slight creak caused by the wind, more droplets began to stream down, dripping on the cold tiles of the floor. His gut was telling him this wasn't merely a leakage, or any random natural cause... rather something malicious. But, before he knew it, Myrtle had stepped in front of him, pulling on the doorknob. Tom's train of thought was broken, with him urgently scrambling for words to say.
"Myrtle, wait-", he shouted, eyes wide and fixated on the sight in front of him.
As Myrtle turned around to face him with a confused and questioning gaze, a gush of water appeared directly above her, but she didn't do so much as budge. Soon after, she yelped, feeling herself getting pulled back and almost falling down, if it weren't for Tom catching her. The water splashed on the floor, briefly staining Myrtle's grey stockings with a puddle forming just in front of her shoes. Now, the door was fully open, with three certain Gryffindor girls watching in anticipation. Alas, their gazes soon turned confused upon seeing Myrtle unaffected and held up upon falling... and nervous upon glancing above her. Myrtle aggressively jolted away from his grasp, firmly standing on her two legs, signaling how much she desired to lash out on them. But, a pale arm appeared directly in front of her, stopping her from going any further. Myrtle looked at it with a mix of surprise and annoyance, gasping upon first seeing it. Soon after, her eyes followed his arm, which retreated into it's original position as Tom continued walking forward.
Hornby's eyes became wide as she saw him walking towards her, eyes laced with an uncharacteristic fear. It was like the beginning of the school year all over again: the familiar cold gaze... the remorseless threats... all of it perfectly captured once again in this moment.
"Care to explain, Hornby?", he calmly asked, emptily staring at her.
Clenching her teeth, Hornby's eyes rapidly darted around to her friends, as if pleading for some sort of help. Noticing her behaviour, Tom decided to do the same, dark eyes waiting for some sort response with twisted fascination.
"Or any one of you?", he added, smiling casually. But, beneath that fake exterior, he felt as if he could snap at any given moment.
Hornby looked at Avalite, who was nervously glancing back at Tom. After a few moments, she gained some of her composure, speaking up to him.
"Well, Riddle...", she began, letting out a laugh and crossing her arms.
Tom turned to face her, curious at what absurd thing would escape her mouth.
"I think it's rather unfair that only you get to enjoy unleashing your sadistic pleasures... sending me to that forest.", she said bitterly, clenching her fists.
"Almost getting me turned into a half-breed... what would my life be after that, huh? Living as an utterly repulsive beast? I couldn't imagine it!"
"Oh, I don't think you need to imagine, Hornby.", he replied in a friendly tone, smiling brightly.
The second he said that, Hornby's eyes filled up with indescribable rage, limbs trembling from her seething. Oh, how delightful it was seeing her in that state. His dark eyes stared at her, wanting to savour every last moment of her irritation.
"You know, taunting me like this doesn't give you the best look.", she quietly replied, grinning at him. Tom's expression fell a little, disappointed in her lack of previous rage.
"Now, I can tell all my friends about how horrible you really are, as evident from your previous actions towards that oh so poor little girl.", she said, faking her pity.
"Everyone, starting from my friends who saw it with their very own eyes... will know of your true colours.", she slyly replied. But, her confident expression started to waver once she noticed none of her words had any impact on Tom whatsoever. Instead, he emptily smiled at her and appeared to be suppressing a laugh.
"Funny... you do realise how hypocritical the words you have just spoken are...?", he calmly replied.
"What if I decide to use this little scene against you? The professors would surely be glad to hear about it, adding this incident to your endless list of wrongdoings.", he added in a sweet tone, trying to provoke her.
"Maybe you could try finding yourself a good role model, there are lots of noteworthy prefects, current and graduates. Ravenclaws tend to be the most grounded and respectful, don't you think?", he said with fake enthusiasm. Hornby's expression started to fall, a look of disbelief forming on her eyes.
"I believe one of them is called... Sebastian?", he said with an innocent voice, his head cocking to the side, a sinister grin plastered on his face as he watched Hornby break.
"You... you take that back!", she shouted, voice trembling out of fury.
Tom silently observed her, satisfied that he managed to get under her skin. With a slow turn of his head, he faced Myrtle, turning around after a moment and starting to walk away.
"How dare you!? You and that... fat and ugly girl! Four-eyed freak!", Hornby shouted from the distance, her nasty words echoing throughout the hallway.
Immediately after, Tom felt Myrtle shift aggressively behind him, face full of fury and intending to lash out on Hornby, verbally or magically. But, instead of doing so, Myrtle gasped out of surprise when feeling something tighten around her wrist. Looking back, she saw a pale hand, firmly clutching her wrist. As the two of them distanced themselves from Hornby and her two friends, going into another hallway, so did Myrtle's anger continue to grow. Eventually, as they continued to traverse the school, she reached a boiling point.
"Stop.", she said in a low voice, firmly standing behind him.
Suddenly stopping in his tracks, he turned around to face her, furrowing his brow.
"What is it? Is something wrong, Myrtle?", he asked her.
The instant he finished his sentence, so did Myrtle seem to grow even more frustrated, clutching her head with her hands.
"I- what do you- Why are you doing this!?", she finally blurted out, breathing heavily.
Tom's expression tensed up, further confused by Myrtle's words and behaviour.
"Doing what? I see no problem in giving Hornby the treatment-"
"NO!", she shrieked at him, pulling her own hair.
Tom was taken aback by her sudden outburst, puzzled at what could possibly be bothering her.
"Why do you keep pushing me back!? If you do think that Hornby deserves treatment, then why don't you let me help!?", she shouted, her voice cracking.
So, that was the reason. This was good, now he could actually think of a way to respond.
"It's because I feel like you'd lash out on her without any control. I know you, and the look of pure vengeance in your eyes told me everything.", he calmly explained to her.
Myrtle breathed in sharply.
"That? That was why you did it!? Tommy, do you know how much I loathe those three!? Oh, I just can't wait anymore for them to suffer a nasty end! For everything they did to me!", she shouted.
"All of their so-called jokes, taunts and every berating word they ever said to me! I remember all of them... I do not forget, and I especially do not forgive!", she growled out, panting.
"No.", he calmly replied, making her jolt towards him.
"You've got it all wrong, Myrtle."
Upon hearing those words, Myrtle stood up straight from her hunched over posture, curiosity replacing her previous rage.
"I never said your desires were wrong... just inapt.", he said with a slight smile, approaching her.
"All I wanted was to stop you from lashing out at that moment... it wouldn't give us a good look, knowing our already tarnished reputation.", he continued, looking at her.
Her expression finally seemed to soften.
"So... you just want me to... wait?", she asked quietly.
"Yes. As I said, causing an abrupt incident won't help us.", he confirmed.
Myrtle's eyes darted to the ground, her bangs covering her eyes.
"Alright... I understand. It's just that...", she said, letting out a sigh.
"...Why do they always need to berate my appearance? Am I really that fat... ugly?", she said, looking down at her hands.
Tom's gaze immediately shifted to her, outraged at what she just said.
"Nonsense! I don't want you even thinking of things like that.", he said in a firm tone.
"They are so absorbed in their own little perfect circle, deluded to the point of deeming themselves as absolute perfection. If only they were a little more open-minded, they'd be able to see what I see in you.", he continued, smiling at her.
Myrtle let out a small gasp, rushing to embrace him. He gladly welcomed her, pulling her closer.
"...And I wouldn't prefer you in any other way than you already are.", he added sweetly. Upon sensing her shift in his grasp, he decided to continue.
"It's all just a ruse to provoke a reaction out of you with absolutely no merit to it. The best thing you could do is to not give them the pleasure of seeing you agitated and prod them with witty remarks. We both saw how angry and pathetic Hornby got after merely two remarks I made about her... so easy to break.", he hissed, clutching her robes.
"I assure you, Myrtle. In the end, they will pay.", he stated to her confidently.
Myrtle's grip on his back tightened after hearing those words. This was all the conformation he needed.
"They will pay."
Happy belated birthday to Myrtle! (My headcanon is that she was born on 22.8.1928.) Stay tuned for the next chapter, it'll be very interesting. :)