Riddle Me This

XII; Slughorn's Enigma Pt. Two

"Biscuit?" SLUGHORN PLOPPED onto a vacant recliner, extending a handful of sweets. The mere sight made Bella nauseous.

She had been so close to sabotaging everything she's been working for, so very close to baring vulnerability to evil incarnate.

Her moment of weakness may have destroyed all chances she had with overpowering Tom. He now knew she had developed feelings for him, courtesy of her breakdown, and he could use that information to his advantage.

"No, thank you. I'm quite alright," she says with a sly smirk, getting into character.

Slughorn shrugs and pops a sugary treat into his mouth, "Now, what is it you need my dear?"

Bella sighs, and now wondering if Tom had tuned in, begins to recite what she could recall from the memory she was once shown by her dear friend Harry in confidence.

"I was visiting the library the other day, the Restricted Section, and I came across something rather odd about a bit of rare magic." Confusion is apparent on the professor's face, but he gestures for her to continue. "It's called, as I understand it, a Horcrux."

This prompts him to choke on his bonbon. "I beg your pardon?" Spurs Slughorn. Bella feels the weight of another's gaze and realizes not only is Tom analyzing Slughorn's mind, but her own as well.

She tries clearing her mind but she cannot block his attempts while keeping an intelligible conversation.

"Horcrux. I spotted the term while reading and I didn't fully comprehend it," Bella answers, though she was very familiar with the matter.

The professor reaches for a pineapple, "I'm not sure what it was you were reading, Bella, but this is very dark stuff. Very dark indeed." There's a faint warning behind his words. You're treading in turbid waters, dearie.

Bella locks eyes with the confused man, perched high on his chair.
"Which is why I came to you." She was aware of his growing suspicion yet she made no move to console him, as she secretly hoped he would not indulge her any longer.

Slughorn pauses for a moment, "A Horcrux is an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul." The once soft lighting now seemed to be blinding. "One splits one's soul and hides part of it in an object. By doing so, you are protected, should you be attacked and your body destroyed."

Bella leans forwards slightly, "Protected, meaning?"

A harsh tapping interrupts the professor, allotting him a quick escape. "Perhaps, we could leave this tête-à-tête in unquestioning purgatory, Miss Ambroius?"

Before Bella can detest, Tom jerks her towards the door, earning a mild protest from Slughorn. "Mister Riddle, what brings you here so late? Have the night terrors returned?" He mumbles something under his breath along the lines of I thought we had long tamed those qualms.

Bella's curiosity skyrockets, but Tom drags Bella closer to the exit more fervently than before. She glances up to see his jaw clenched and eyes glaring. "Are you ill?" She questions incredulously. He doesn't acknowledge her concern and slams the chamber doors behind him, leaving a nonplussed Slughorn behind.

They're both alone in the desolate hall, with everyone having returned to their dorms and common rooms.

The moonlight drops onto the pathway, giving Bella a clear view to the blood seeping from Tom's shoes.