Rhea Hel is the golden girl of Hogwarts. Everyone adores her and worships the ground she walks on. She flashes a smile or bats her eyes and everyone falls in line behind her, because she could do no wrong in their eyes.
Tom Riddle was a charismatic...
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UPON RHEA'S RETURN TO HOGWARTS, SHE NOTICED a change in Tom. He was absent more than usual at meals and during breaks, but his followers seemed to be cropping up everywhere in Rhea's life. Wherever she went, one of his friends would appear.
In Charms, Druella had taken Seraphina's spot beside Rhea and had been acting as though they were the best of friends. Rhea was annoyed by Druella's actions so she gave her a higher dose of the poison which landed Druella in the infirmary until Rhea magically brewed an antidote during Potions. Word got around the school about what Rhea had done and she was relishing in her newfound savior status.
Orpheus seemed to follow her around more than he normally did. Rhea thought he was glad to be given the task to worm his way into her life. Cassius would make small talk with her in passing, trying to appear nonchalant. Lupe knew to keep a good distance from her since the Hel's and the Nott's didn't get along, but he would usually appear with Abraxas or Astrea when they'd corner Rhea in the common room and start random conversations with her.
But, Ramsey Lestrange was the worst of them. She and Ramsey had never talked much, given that he was a sixth year and had never really cast a second glance in her direction. His plan was to flirt with her in order to get information and Rhea entertained the whole thing. With Silas kicked to the curb, she welcomed the idea of a new distraction and that was how she found herself kissing Ramsey in the second-floor girls' bathroom.
She pulled away from him and ran her finger over the tiny scar on his forehead.
"What happened there?" She asked. She looked at him with an expression of innocent curiosity as she crept into his mind. She searched through his memories and saw Tom angrily directing a spell at him.
"I fell." He said with a shrug before pulling her back to him.
Rhea smirked when she could hear the familiar thoughts of someone approaching the door. She opened her eyes and waited for the person to come barreling in. The door swung open and Ramsey let out an irritated groan as he pulled away from her. Tom Riddle stood in the doorway, seething angrily at what he was witnessing. Ramsey looked over his shoulder and jerked himself away from Rhea like she was shrapnel when he realized it was Tom.
"Tom —"
"Get out!" Tom snapped. Ramsey fled from the room with his tail between his legs. Tom swung around to face Rhea and he pointed an angry finger at her. "I said get out."
"I don't take orders from you." Rhea scoffed.
Tom was on her in a second, wrapping his hand tightly around her throat. Rhea's eyes widened a bit in surprise but she laughed at the anger on his face and the throbbing vein in his forehead.
"You have a death wish." He said.
"You couldn't kill me if you tried." She said weakly as he tightened his grip.
"Can't I?" He tilted his head to the side. "Who has the upper hand in this situation?"
"I do . . ." Rhea said. Rhea lifted her hand up to meet Tom's wrist and he hissed, yanking his arm away from her throat when her palm met his. He cradled his wrist in his hand. Her hand had burned him. It felt like he had stuck his hand directly into an open flame.
"What was that?" He asked slowly as Rhea coughed and rubbed her throat. She straightened up with a satisfied smile on her face.
"A spell I created." Rhea shrugged. He narrowed his eyes at her. She could create spells too? "Anyway, I think I deserve a better death than dying in the second-floor bathroom. If I had to choose, I think I'd prefer the Prefects bathroom."
"I will kill you." He said with such conviction that Rhea almost believed him.
She waved her hand dismissively.
"No, you won't. Not now anyway. But, I needed to meet you because I need — no — I want my book back." Rhea said, turning to fix her hair in the mirror.
"No."
Rhea's pointer finger twitched and she turned around to face Tom.
"No? I wasn't giving you the book, you idiot. The book wasn't made for your kind."
Tom whipped his wand out and Rhea ducked just in time as a spell blasted at her. It hit the mirror behind where her head had been and the shards of glass rained down on the ground. Rhea laughed in shock and took her own wand out. Tom raised his and pointed it at her.
"Have you even found the Chamber yet?" Rhea asked. He threw curses at her and Rhea went on the defensive side. She raised powerful Shield Charms to keep him from hitting her with his spells. One of his spell's was particularly powerful that it caused her to stumble back when it broke through her shield and he looked down at her with a satisfied expression.
"No." Tom replied calmly. This was a lie. He had discovered the Chamber and the monster that dwelled within a week prior, but he didn't tell her that.
Rhea threw a hex at him and he only just managed to dodge it. They switched sides, with Rhea going on the offensive. Her eyes were wild and her heart pounded from the excitement of a good duel. Whenever they had duels in class, she found that they were so easy for her it was almost comical. She wouldn't win every one since she was careful not to draw attention to herself, but she knew she could if she really wanted to.
"Don't forget to show me when you do." Rhea said. Tom pointed his wand at her and she did the same. The lights from the tips of their wands met one another and the pair struggled for dominance.
"You won't be getting your book back." Tom said. He glared at Rhea when her light started to slowly overpower his. He pushed harder than he ever had to before.
"We'll see." Rhea said.
Tom rolled his eyes and maneuvered out of the way of their blasts, leaving her to create a large crater in the wall that had been behind him. He put his wand away and Rhea narrowed her eyes at him but kept her arm raised at him.
"Giving up already?" She taunted. "Are you that scared of defeat, Riddle?"
"I'm saving you the embarrassment of losing." He said stoically.
Rhea laughed.
"By the way, if you wanted to find out all my secrets, you could just ask me yourself instead of sending your lackeys to do your dirty work." Rhea said. She enjoyed the look on Tom's face when he realized she knew what he was trying to do once again. His anger and annoyance towards her was back.
He could still hear Rhea's laugh as she left the bathroom and left him behind.
