All the Wrong Choices

I went to the Black Lake after curfew. As Tom had suspected Patricia was standing by the lake, waiting. Another figure loomed beside her. Upon getting closer to the two I recognized the figure to be an unsuspecting Myrtle. I strode over to the two girls and greeted them casually, pretending that I had no knowledge of the note that had been left by my bedside.

“Patricia? What are you doing here at this hour? Meeting Tom?”

“Excuse me?” Patricia asked, her arms crossing across her chest.

“Oh. Oops. I think I've ruined the surprise,” I murmured, putting my hands over my mouth. “Tom gave some notes to Ivy and I. He told us to give them to you if we saw you. I figured maybe Ivy would have beaten me to it, but I guess I just spilled the beans.”

“What are you – what notes from Tom?”

“I have one right here,” I said, pulling the note from my back pocket and holding it out. Patricia glared at me for a few moments before she snatched it from my hand and unfolded it. A small smile appeared on her face as she read it.

“Oh my – it's a love note. He wants me to meet him.” Patricia gushed.

“Really? Wow. I guess you should get going, then.”

“Shove it, Longwood. I may have been born at night but I wasn't born last night.” Patricia dropped the note onto the ground and stomped on it. “I don't know what you and Riddle are up to, but you and I both know why we're here. I've brought Myrtle along, too – just as incentive for you.”

I sighed. I'd had enough with doing it Tom's way.

“Stupefy.” I spoke the second I pulled my wand out. Patricia and Myrtle fell to the ground, knocked out cold. I threw Patricia over my shoulder and held my wand up to levitate Myrtle. I made my way back to the girls' bathroom, careful to avoid any staff or Prefects at this hour. Once in the bathroom I locked the door and shouted down the pipes to Tom. He came up through the passageway in the sink and glanced down at the two unconscious girls.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise.”

“She brought Myrtle. I don't know what she has told her, if anything.”

“This would have been easier if you left them conscious, but we can do it your way.”

“Parkinson put up too much of a fight,” Tom slung Patricia over his shoulders and made his way back down the passageway, making a note of how much heavier she felt as opposed to how she looked. I followed, slowly dragging Myrtle behind me.

We waited until the two girls came to and began to stir. When they realized their unfamiliar surroundings they began to panic. “Longwood? What happened? Where am I? Riddle?” Myrtle muttered incoherently. “Let us out of here or I swear I'll—”

“Shut up, Warren. I don't care to listen to your questions nor answer them. Frankly, I'm growing tired and I'd just like to get this over with already. Tom.” Tom nodded and began to speak the ancient language. The mouth of the stone Salazar Slytherin began to open, slowly but surely, as the two girls watched on in horror.

“What are you doing to us? You bloody freaks!” Patricia shrieked.

The Basilisk slowly slithered to the two girls upon Tom's command.

“I trust you won't be sharing my little secret with anyone,” I told Patricia.

“I won't,” Patricia shook her head furiously, “I swear.”

“Doubtful,” Tom muttered before once more speaking to the Basilisk. With one swift move it wrapped around the two bodies and slowly tightened itself. I furrowed my eyebrows at the action.

“I think they're scared enough. Stop it.” I looked at Tom and noticed the whites of his eyes had turned blood red as he continued to communicate with the Basilisk, gradually growing louder and louder. I could tell by the color of the girls' skin that their lungs were becoming more and more deprived of oxygen at an alarmingly quick rate. They tried to scream but no audible sound came out. “Tom, that's enough. Cut it out.”

Tom wouldn't command the Basilisk to stop. Instead, the Basilisk wrapped tighter around the two bodies, resulting in a sickening crunch from what I assumed was undoubtedly their bones breaking.

“Tom, stop it!” I yelled, pushing Tom with all of the might in my body. He hardly budged and instead stared down at me with red eyes – it was like I was staring at a totally different person. Then the Basilisk loosened its grip on the two girls and retreated back into the statue.

Myrtle was unconscious, presumably dead. Patricia wheezed as she traveled in and out of consciousness. I collapsed in between the two bodies and cried, furiously shaking Myrtle as I tried to think of a way to carry Patricia to the nurse without hurting her further.

“Finish her.” Tom demanded, gesturing to Patricia.

“This wasn't part of the plan. You weren't supposed to kill them.”

"Plans change, Nora. Finish her off. Put her out of her misery."

“No. I won't.” Tom rolled his eyes and pulled me away from her.

“Avada kedavra.” With two words, Patricia's body stopped seizing and went completely limp. I watched on in shock. Tom turned around to me and lifted me up off of the ground. “There. Was that so hard? You know, after I saw what you did to Warren and Gøran, I thought you had it in you, Longwood. I thought you were like me. I thought I could trust you. I guess I was wrong.”