Unexpected Encounters | Tom Riddle

XXX: In The Name of Survival

The fight escalated as more cloaked figures apparated, surrounding them. Lilia's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Tom and Abraxas join in, their own spells slicing through the air. But she didn't let up. Her wand slashed through the cold air with precision, and a sickening scream tore through the chaos as one of her curses landed. Their robes began melting into their skin, a grotesque sight that made Abraxas flinch. "Where in Merlin's name did she learn that?" Malfoy muttered, his voice tinged with unease. Tom said nothing. His eyes remained fixed on Lilia, his mind working overtime. She was using spells he had never seen her use before, spells that were darker, crueler, but undeniably effective. And she wielded them with the kind of ease that came from experience, not theory.

Another cloaked figure crumpled to the ground under her curses, blood pooling around them as it poured from their nose, mouth, and ears. Lilia's lips curled into a smirk, a flicker of satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. For a brief moment, Tom caught a glimpse of something he hadn't seen before, raw and unyielding. It sent a shiver down his spine.

Abraxas, too, was struck by her ruthlessness. This wasn't the girl who cautiously avoided injuring them during practice. This was someone who had been on the receiving end of darkness and had learned to wield it in return.

"Keep moving!" Lilia snapped, breaking them out of their thoughts. She parried another spell and sent a stunner hurtling back toward its caster. "We need to reach the inn!"

The three of them moved as one, their steps synchronized even amidst the chaos. As they approached the Hog's Head Inn, the trail of incapacitated enemies they left behind was a testament to their combined ferocity. For Tom and Abraxas, though, it was Lilia who stood out. She was a force they hadn't quite reckoned with before.

When they finally crossed the threshold of the inn, breathing heavily but unharmed, Tom couldn't help but steal a glance at her. She stood tall, her chest heaving, her knuckles white from the tight grip on her wand. There was blood on her cheek, not her own, but someone else's, and her eyes burned with a fierce determination that left him speechless.

She wasn't just a girl caught in their orbit. She was a fighter, a survivor, and, in that moment, something more dangerous than he could have ever anticipated.

And Tom Riddle found himself both unnerved... and even intrigued.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Lilia heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that the rest of their friends were already at the inn, albeit battered and bruised. Evangeline and Celeste limped heavily, their movements slow and deliberate, while Icarus cradled his broken arm against his chest, his face pale from pain. Tiernan seemed to be the only one untouched by the attack, though the tension in his posture revealed how close he had come to injury.

The Hog's Head Inn, untouched by the chaos outside, was eerily empty save for Aberforth Dumbledore behind the counter, his brows furrowed as he polished a glass with deliberate care. He froze the moment Lilia burst in, her friends trailing behind her in confusion.

"We need to use the tunnel to Hogwarts," she said quickly, her voice taut with urgency. Aberforth gave her a hard, suspicious look. "What tunnel?" "The one behind your sister's portrait. Please- Albus told me about it," she pressed, her eyes darting to the windows as she expected Grindelwald's men to arrive at any moment. "We don't have time." Aberforth's expression darkened. "So he remembers Ariana and me, does he? How convenient-"

The sound of another explosion interrupted him, shaking the inn. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and the noise of shattering glass in the distance made Lilia's desperation grow. "Please! They're after us. We need to get to safety!" She pleaded, her voice breaking slightly as she looked at him with wide, imploring eyes. Aberforth studied her for a moment longer before he sighed heavily. "Tell him he owes me for this one," he muttered, disappearing behind the counter. He pulled aside the portrait of a young girl, revealing a dark passageway beyond.