Cruelty and the Beast

Five: An Ill-Fated Day

Myrtle was ecstatic when she awoke the next morning. She had actually talked to Tom Riddle! And he had been just as perfect as she had imagined; polite, charming, caring, and completely irresistible. She squealed as she got dressed, imagining the look on Fiona’s face when she would tell her the news. Tom Riddle was ten times more handsome than Edward Weasley, that was for sure!

She grabbed her bag and hurried into the common room. A few people were scattered around the fire, but Fiona wasn’t there. “Lily,” she called to a girl in her year. “Have you seen Fiona?”

The girl shook her head. “Not since yesterday.”

“Well, I just have an amazing bit of gossip to share with her,” Myrtle drawled proudly.

A few people around them glanced up, looking slightly interested.

“What is it?” Lily asked curiously. “Is it about the attacker?”

“No, it’s just that I spent last night with none other than Tom Riddle!” Myrtle grinned widely, waiting for everyone to proclaim their envy. Much to her disappointment, nobody did.

A girl sitting next to Lily snorted. “Yeah, right. Perhaps in your dreams.”

“But it’s true!” Myrtle pouted. “He walked me to the common room and everything!”

But everyone had lost interest and went back to what they had been doing. “It’s true! I swear! And – and he almost kissed me!”

A few Hufflepuffs chuckled but nobody else bothered to look up. Myrtle stamped her foot impatiently. “Fine! I’ll go tell someone that does believe me.”

She picked up her bag and headed to the Great Hall. She proceeded to the Hufflepuff table, but was disappointed to see that Fiona wasn’t there either. She glanced over at the Gryffindor table, but Edward wasn’t there either. To her further annoyance, the Slytherin table was also relatively empty. She sat down grumpily and began to eat her toast. Just her luck that on the one day Myrtle had great news to share, she couldn’t find her best friend anywhere.

When she headed off to Transfiguration class, she was shocked to see that Fiona still hadn’t managed to turn up. She sat in her seat, puzzled, wondering if she was perhaps late. Where could she possibly be?

Myrtle didn’t have to wait long to receive an answer, for at that moment, Professor Dumbledore approached her desk silently, looking solemn. “Miss Wyndham, I deeply lament to inform you that there is some bad news...”

*

“Tom! Wait!”

He gritted his teeth as he recognized that awful high-pitched voice. He turned around with a pleasant smile forced on his lips. “Hello.”

The Mudblood came rushing towards him, pushing past the other students that were scurrying in the hallway. “Tom,” she panted when she finally reached him. She gasped for breath. Her eyes were wide with fright. “Did you hear – the attack – Oh, it’s awful!”

“I have no idea what you are saying,” Tom responded calmly. “However, I really must head off to class. See you later, then.”

He turned to leave with his friends but she stopped him. “No, wait! Tom, there’s been another attack, just last night! This time they attacked – F-Fi- Fiona’s been petrified!” her eyes turned even wider and she looked as if she was about to cry.

Tom faced her impatiently. “Is that so?”

“But that’s not all,” she went on, her voice beginning to quiver. “Whoever did this – it was right down the corridor from the girl’s bathroom - the one we were in.”

Tom frowned. “Well, that is quite strange. But I didn’t see anything at all last night. They must have struck very late at night, after all the prefects had gone off to bed.”

A tear gently rolled down the Mudblood’s face. “They – they found her holding her mirror in one hand –“

Tom scowled in disappointment. “- and a sandwich in the other. She was bringing me some food in the bathroom, and...”

The Mudblood trailed off as a stream of liquid came flowing under her large glasses. Suddenly, she threw herself on to Tom, swinging her arms around him and sobbing.

Tom stepped back in disgust and pulled her off him. A few people glanced at them curiously as they walked past. He knew that Pollux and Malfoy were snickering behind him.

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry,” he found himself mutter. “She’ll be fine, has only been petrified.”

“But it’s my entire fault!” she sobbed. “It wouldn’t have happened if I had agreed to have dinner with her and Edward.” And like the previous night, she loudly blew her nose into her sleeve as Tom grimaced. “Are you sure that you didn’t see anything last night?”

“I told you, I saw nothing.”

Myrtle frowned for a moment, as if remembering something. “Wait, remember when you were walking me to my dorm? You didn’t want to walk down that corrid-“

Tom cut her off. “You are worrying too much, Mildred. Just leave it be. Things will turn around.”

“Myrtle,” she corrected him, but fortunately decided not to complete her previous sentence. She suddenly looked excited. “Did you have a class in there?” she asked, gazing at the empty Defence Against the Dark Arts room.

“Yes. And if you will excuse me now, I must get going.”

“Alright. Now I’ll know where to find you at this time tomorrow!” she exclaimed happily.

Tom groaned to himself. “Yes, yes. Goodbye, Madison.”

He turned away from her quickly and joined his friends. “What was all that about?” Malfoy snickered.

“Nothing at all,” Tom replied in annoyance.

“She really does fancy you, doesn’t she?” smirked Lestrange. “You should take her out. Maybe you can use her somehow.”

Tom turned to him in disgust. “There is absolutely nothing that I would use that Mudblood for.”

“I don’t know,” smirked Pollux. “I wouldn’t mind a shag with her. I’d give it to her rough and brutal. Hold that hideous bitch down and choke her, and then fuck her while she’s under the Cruciatus cruse, that’s what I’d like to do.”

The others laughed, although they were slightly disturbed. Tom, however, didn’t crack a smile. “I wouldn’t touch a Mudblood on any occasion,” he answered coldly. “Even if it was for torture.”

The others became silent as they followed him to Potions. “And like I said,” he continued. “She is of no use to me.”