Chapter 25

"Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth"HP6

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Tom couldn't believe that a girl could break up with him. Evelyn wasn't like any other girl, that was for sure. But he believed their destinies were so entangled that there was no way to be divided.And again she surprised him.She really broke with him.Tom didn't know how long he stayed into that room, trying to figure out what he did wrong and how he could fix it all.He was distracted by some shy knock on the door. And the mask of innocence he immediately put on his face, soon fell at the sight of one of his knights."I'm sorry to bother you, master" Lestrange said humbly."What's wrong?" Tom snapped."Nothing. Or well...Will you let her go like that, master?".Tom scowled "You eavesdropped"."I was in the nearby. I'm sorry. But if you want my opinion.."."I don't need your help" Tom said sharply "I can handle it alone. It's not over".He kept repeating those words into his mind while walking fast away. It was not over.

Evelyn wondered if it was the muggles' fault. Tom grew up in the muggle world. The muggles were in the middle of a world war that was killing millions of people. She imagined that for muggles killing was something normal, just like having sex before graduation. Evelyn grew up in the magic world, where some rules were taught since childhood so they were hard to break. Killing was wrong, magic out of school was forbidden until the age of seventeen, sex was allowed only after leaving school, magic was never something to undervalue, dark magic was banished and was something to fight.Evelyn also pondered the idea that Tom might have some mental problem, always linked to his growing up in a muggle orphanage. He was unnaturally smart and skilled. Nature didn't give so much without taking away something. Or simply if muggles could kill thousands, why a wizard couldn't kill some just to become immortal?Evelyn shoved away those damned thoughts. Tom was as he was, she couldn't change him. She had to focus on her own safety.She didn't know what she had started. She had all rights to break up with him, but he was not someone who would easily give up on losing someone. His possessiveness was one of his worst traits. He was the Heir of Slytherin and she dared to turn her back to him.He could open the Chamber again to set the basilisk against her. She shivered at the thought.Even dealing with Milly seemed just a childish problem. Dealing with Tom was a matter of life or death.

Soon the news spread in the school. Evelyn sticked around her friends. She knew it was too dangerous for her to stay alone."To the most beautiful single girls" Adele raised her cup, touching Evelyn's one. Adele planned a sort of party in their room to comfort her broken hearted friend."Although I believe you won't stay single for much long" Adele added taking a sip.Evelyn tasted the drink and winced "Whiskey?"."Smuggled with some Gryffindor boys. You know, I think I won't stay single for much more either" Adele smirked, looking like she was already drunk."Do you know that Vincent is still single too?".Evelyn felt the whiskey going down the wror way "Vincent Fawley?"."Yeah, him. He had some secret affairs with more than someone, but officially he is single since you broke his heart" Adele gave her an amused look."And do you think he would come back with me?"."If you want to. But you don't, I presume?".Evelyn shrugged "My mind was clear when I decided to break up with him. And he is the latest person I would date right now. Actually, I don't want to date anyone right now"."You can't go on like this" Adele insisted "Leave that sad face behind. We live only once. So rise and shine and have fun".Evelyn forced a smile. It was true, she could only live once. While Tom created for himself the opportunity to live more than once.

One of the side effects Evelyn caused was that she gave to Walburga Black an easy victory. The Black girl immediately took advantage of it and started to brag about being Tom's new girlfriend. Evelyn also heard her claiming that she was giving him something that he lacked in his previous relationship. And for Evelyn that was a proof that the nasty Slytherin girl was lying: nobody could ever give more than she did. Tom did nothing to show that the Black girl was lying. He mostly ignored her, but never told her to stay away from him. So she kept following him as a shadow, enjoying her new popularity.

Evelyn wished she could play the same game as a revenge.Adele warned her about some boys who had some crush on her and suggested some ways to make them approach her.She could simply drop her quill and some boy would have pick it up for her. But Evelyn wasn't in the mood for playing.Playing with feelings was too dangerous.She felt she wouldn't have been able to truly feel something for someone else. Although it didn't mean she wouldn't give it a try.

Evelyn managed to change the patrolling shifts so she never had to spend any evening alone with Tom nor with his new prefect girlfriend. He was replaced by Emma Rosier, the Slytherin girl of their same year. And Evelyn realized that also some other prefects were an enjoyable company, something she couldn't notice before because her whole world was turning around Tom.She discovered that she was good at making new friends, more than she ever had been when she was only "the freak".Being confident in any situation, acting like a princess without forgetting to be kind and gentle. The trick always worked.

"Your strenght and courage is praiseworthy" one of the boys who started to stay always around her was Avery, one of Tom's knights."Should I take it as a menace?" She asked straight."No. Really, I only mean to compliment you" Avery didn't have the charm of his master "What happened between you two is not my business. But it doesn't mean I should stop being friend with you".Evelyn checked with diffidence his shy acting. He never stopped being kind to her, she knew he wanted to replace Tom somehow."Until he will order you to kill me?".Avery gaped disoriented "Kill? Evy, we all swore we would protect you, remember? We would never hurt you. He taught us how important vows are. So he wouldn't force us to break our vows. But I'm not here because of him. I'm here because...well, I care for you".He stepped closer. She tried to ignore him but didn't react when he touched her arm."We can keep it secret, if you want. Nobody will know" he whispered."Do you really believe you can keep secrets from him?" She snapped, but didn't move away from his touch. She could take revenge by using one of his mates, she realized. Although she never felt anything for Avery, except seeing him as a friend."I believe he wouldn't mind if..." He lowered his gaze to her lips and leaned closer.She stared at him in shock, but before he could kiss her, she turned her head. She never kissed anyone else, except Tom.Avery didn't insist and encouraged by her staying still, he placed his lips on her collarbone.It was disgusting, she mentally said. She felt nothing of the storming feelings that Tom was used to give her each time he touched her. She only felt ashamed.Avery didn't dare to do more. They didn't make any promise, but it didn't mean it was over. Still, for Evelyn it was like they committed some big crime.

Her mood swinged from being satisfied of the little time she shared with Avery when she spotted Tom chased by the Black girl, to the bitter regret each time she spotted Tom alone leaning on his books in the library while she always had some company. She knew her feelings for him would hardly die, but day after day she believed that she could survive away from him.

Until suddenly Avery disappeared. Nobody else seemed caring except her. He didn't join their common classes, he didn't appear in the Great Hall during the meals, no signs in the infirmary. The other Knights seemed uncaring. Evelyn knew that whatever Avery started with her was secret. They had some little soft chats alone, avoiding to mention Tom. She only allowed him to hold her hands and kiss her on the cheeks or on her neck, but that was far more than any other boy was ever allowed to do with her. And when he was gone, she immediately realized how wrong it was.Next would have been her turn.She tried to investigate a little during her patrolling shift. She asked Emma if she knew something, but she honestly said that she didn't notice anything weird.After their shift, she decided to investigate a little alone. She used the secret passageways and reached the dungeons. Everything seemed normal. There were no secret reunions in the empty rooms, no signs of fights.Evelyn gave up and and decided to hurry back to her tower.

She abruptly stopped at the sight of the boy leaning against a pillar right behind the corner.She was so lost into her thoughts that she had been wandering into the corridors like a lost soul, just to bump into the last person she wanted to meet."No" she moaned forcing herself to react.Evelyn stepped back looking for her wand, but Tom jumped forward grabbing her wrist to stop her."Don't be afraid" he whispered looking bewildered for her reaction "I'm not going to hurt you. I need to talk to you"."I don't want to talk to you" she hissed scared, trying to free herself from his iron grip. She forgot how many days she stayed away from his touch and she was now surprised of how strong he could be "What have you done to Avery?".Tom frowned but didn't let her go "What?".She didn't dare to repeat the question.His face turned gloomy "So do you care of him?"."I only care if he's alive or not" she admitted "Did you kill him? Are you going to kill me too now?".He stared at her like checking if she was joking or not, then scoffed "I didn't kill anyone. He locked himself in his room because of his stupid bet with Lestrange with those candies that can give you stinking bubbles all over your body. You can check if you want. Although it's not a lovely view".Evelyn didn't take her eyes off of his. He looked so amused and irritated at the same time that she felt stupid as well."So you came all this way down to check if I killed him" he said bitterly, twisting her arm a little so she was forced to move closer to him "And I, fool, who believed that you finally came to look for me and talk to me. I noticed you sneaking down in the dungeons so I followed to understand your intentions"."My mistake" she admitted, still trying to get her arm back. He wasn't hurting her except for his ring that was digging into her flesh, but he was surely able to keep her trapped as he enjoyed "Say hi to him for me. Now I better go back to my dorm".He didn't wince. But his eyes turned into a nasty look "How could you play this game with someone like Avery?".It left her speechless. She hated feeling so weak "What about you and that Black girl?"."I even offered to cruciate her in front of you, did you forget that? What else do you want me to do? Do you really believe to all that shit that she is saying about us?" He hissed sharply.Evelyn lowered her head instead of saying that she didn't but she was very annoyed anyway.Tom sighed and changed the tone of his voice "I didn't want to meet you to argue like this. I was hoping that we could just talk"."I'm not sure I want to listen to you" she said trying to be unaffected by his voice. He had everything she couldn't find in the other boys. He knew how to bend people to his will, how to persuade them, how to use their weaknesses. And one of Evelyn's weaknesses was being unable to resist to his charm. He sighed and let her wrist go, but placed his hands on her shoulders to push her in the dark corner so he could keep her trapped there.Everything was so accurated, she noticed. Perfect timing, right dose of patience and impatience, and his way of keeping everything under his control. But he wanted to kill, she reminded to herself before falling blinded again by his devilish handsomeness and attitude."All these days didn't change anything? Don't you regret... your choice?" He asked politely."As I think you didn't regret your own choice" she gave him a nasty look.He stared at her thoughtfully, then replied "Maybe I did. For you".Evelyn felt butterflies in her stomach, but forced herself to not losing her mind so easily "I don't believe you"."Then let me prove it, Evelyn" he insisted "I give up. I give up on everything. I'm not going to create any other horcrux, not before graduating. I won't open again the Chamber. I won't do anything too wicked. I'll be just a common student. Is it enough for you?".It was all she wished for. Ending their school career without fearing his new misdeeds anymore."Stop lying to me, please" she whispered begging."I am not lying" he said with force.Evelyn's eyes fell on his ring, the memories of all the pain and sorrow she had to bear because of that."It doesn't change anything, Tom" she said looking back into his handsome eyes "You'll have to do more than using your charm to win me back".He stepped back speechless and she sneaked away, glad that he didn't stop her.She crossed his troubled eyes one last time, then she walked back to her tower.