[012] the next step

                                     Winter had crept upon Hogwarts suddenly, taking the school by surprise. It was supposed to have started snowing about a week before, but it had chosen to come later. That was no issue for Camille who enjoyed the colder, dreary season. Even though the skies were darker and the flowers she loved so much died around this time, Camille still managed to find beauty within the harsh season. The snow was beautiful, and each snowflake had a gorgeous, intricate design that was different from the rest. Plus, it reminded Camille of much better times between her and her sister. When they were little, they'd leave their home and travel outside to go and throw snowballs at each other as a fun game. Or they'd sometimes make snowmen, turning it into a little competition to see whose was better.

                                        Of course, they didn't such things anymore. They weren't little girls; they were young women getting ready to go out into the world. And there was no chance for them to ever go back to being those happy little girls again.

                                        More than ever, Camille is feeling the distance between her and her sister. She had gone back to Tom and clearly chosen him (even despite learning some of his dark secrets) and it seemed as though Victoire was spending more and more of her time with Lily. Camille wouldn't condemn Victoire for it. She had finally found the love of her life. She just wished Victoire could talk to her about it and Camille could find some way to protect Victoire from the inevitable pain headed her way. In society, girls weren't supposed to love girls. And in pureblood wizarding society, that rang true more than ever. Girls were supposed to marry the boys they were arranged with, bringing forth heirs and continuing the cycle.

                                      Camille was ready to get married and start a family. In her mind, Tom was proving to be the perfect boy for the job. But Victoire wasn't meant for that life. She wanted more and for that alone, she would be punished.

                                      Now that tonight was Slughorn's holiday dinner party, Camille was more focused on getting ready. And perhaps there was another minor concern she had.

                                      "Forget Violet," Eleanor says, rolling her eyes. "She was never a really good friend to you. I know I certainly never liked her."

                                      "Me either. Violet was obviously jealous of you, Milly," Ophelia agreed as she looked at her own reflection in the mirror to fix her hair.

                                        Camille thinks back to Violet's previous behavior. The way she'd try to bring Camille down whenever she was happy or make her think she was gaining weight or belittle her for always choosing to be kind were all signs that she hated Camille. She tried to see the good in Violet but it was growing more and more obvious that she had been fooling herself. Camille knew there was no hope in reconciling with Violet.

                                       "So what am I supposed to do if I see her tonight?" Camille questioned.

                                       "Just ignore her. She isn't worth your time," Ophelia shrugged.

                                      "Exactly! You have a wonderful boyfriend to be focused on instead, remember?" Eleanor remarked.

                                      Camille smiles, although she instantly feels as though her stomach tie up in knots. Tom was supposed to be unveiling more of his secrets to Camille after the party. At this point, Camille had no idea what Tom was going to show her. It really could've been anything. Still, Camille knew that she couldn't be scared. Tom trusted her and she wasn't going to disappoint him.

                                       "Ugh, I can't figure out which dress to wear," Ophelia huffed as she now held up two dresses: one was an emerald color and the other was a deep purple. "I need you two to help me decide."

                                      "Wear the purple one. Purple has always been your color," Camille immediately responds.

                                      "I agree," Eleanor nods as she put on her earrings.

                                      "I suppose you have a point. Camille, can I trust you to do my makeup?" Ophelia questioned.

                                        Camille's smile grows. "Of course you can."

                                         By the time they were all finished, they all walked together to Slughorn's party. It had been Ophelia's grand idea for them to make a grand entrance. Camille was excited to see her boyfriend again. There was no doubt that he'd look as charming as always in his suit and she'd be the beautiful girlfriend right beside him.

                                         All eyes were on them when they entered inside of the room, all three girls looking stunning. Even Violet noticed them and she frowned, jealousy brewing inside of her. But the girls ignored Violet, having heard of what she had tried to do to ruin Camille and Tom's relationship. Violet was practically the enemy to them.

                                          Camille perks up when she sees Tom, the Head Boy surrounded by all of his friends. When their eyes meet, he sends her a smile before ushering for her to come towards him.

                                        "Girls, I'll be right back. I want to go and see Tom," Camille remarked.

                                         Ophelia chuckles. "Don't let us stop you."

                                        Camille smiles before she goes off to meet Tom, rushing into his arm. He twirls her around before kissing her on the lips, once again making Camille feel dizzy with love by the time she pulled away from him.

                                       "Tom, what do you think of my dress?" Camille asked, eagerly seeking his approval.

                                         A smile graces his lips, one that doesn't reach his eyes, as he leans forward to whisper into her ear. "I think you should have asked my approval first before showing up here, dressed like a slut."

                                           "Tom," Camille gasps. His words feel like a slap to the face. "I wore this for you. I thought you'd like it."

                                          "Yes, when it's just the two of us. Not for everyone else to see. I thought you'd be a little more mindful. You're my girlfriend and I'm the only one who should be seeing you like this. This dress leaves little to the imagination, Camille. What were you thinking?" Tom explained.

                                          Camille's head dips down and she feels an overwhelming amount of shame. She should've known better. This was all her fault, she simply wasn't thinking. "I'm sorry. I'll do better next time."

                                         "You better," is all Tom says before planting a kiss on Camille's cheek, leaving seconds after to rejoin his friends.

                                        Camille does her best to keep her smile from faltering as she returns back to where her friends are. Although Tom's words hurt her greatly, she couldn't let it show. Ophelia and Eleanor aren't alone, of course. Adelaide Lestrange, Druella Rosier, and Walburga Black were surrounding them. Although Camille wasn't too close with the other three girls, she obviously knew them from dinner parties and such. Their families were just as prominent as Camille's after all.

                                          "You and Tom look adorable. I can tell he's absolutely head over heels for you," Adelaide remarked.

                                          "But then again, you have that effect on all the boys," Walburga added.

                                         "This is the real deal. Camille and Tom are in love," Ophelia assured.

                                        "Do you see him as your future husband? He's definitely a smart choice," Druella nods.

                                      "Well, the Riddle name is unknown. I've certainly never heard of them," Eleanor stated.

                                      "Ugh, you sound just like my parents," Ophelia rolls her eyes.

                                       Camille clears her throat, eager to change the subject. "What matters is that I love him. And I certainly do. I easily see myself spending the rest of my life with him."

                                      "You've only been dating for a couple of months," Eleanor frowns, concerned. "How can you be so sure of that?"

                                      "I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Camille responded.

                                      "Just because you've never been in love doesn't mean you have to shame those who are," Ophelia replied, "Who cares about the time it takes?"

                                       Eleanor looks as though she wants to say so much more but bites her tongue instead, rolling her eyes.

                                     "She has some fucking nerve," Adelaide suddenly said.

                                     "Who does?" Camille questioned.

                                     "Violet, who else? Merlin, she truly is such a whore," Adelaide scoffs.

                                     "Do you see how shameless she is? She's blatantly flirting with Arthur in front of Otto's face," Druella added.

                                        Camille could see Violet and Arthur talking (well, flirting was the more appropriate word here) and Otto was watching on with rage. Camille isn't too sure if he's upset because his betrothed was flirting with another man or that she was doing so publicly for his friends and classmates to see. Knowing Otto, it was probably the latter.

                                        "Otto should be more of a man and control his future wife. She'll only embarrass him when they're actually married," Druella continued on.

                                       "I'd never think of doing something like this to Orion. I love him way too much," Walburga shakes her head.

                                      "Speaking of flirting, I think your brother is getting very friendly with Lily over there," Adelaide chuckles.

                                        Camille follows Adelaide's gaze and sure enough, Elijah was talking to Lily with an arm wrapped around her waist. Although Lily tried to fake it, she clearly looked uncomfortable. Camille then searched the party for her twin, finding her a distance away. Victoire was looking directly at Lily, anger and sorrow wrapped into one written all over her face, while Lily seemed intent on avoiding Victoire's gaze at all costs.

                                         "Yes, our parents and Lily's just recently came to an agreement. They are to be married shortly after school ends," Eleanor explained.

                                          Camille's heart drops. This was exactly what she had been afraid of. Victoire was getting her heart broken in the worst way possible and there was nothing Camille could do about it.

                                           "And here I was beginning to think Lily was a... well, you know," Adelaide looks over at the rest of the girls with a knowing look.

                                          "You're cruel, Addy," Ophelia chuckles, swatting Adelaide's arm.

                                          "Can you excuse me for just a moment?" Camille replied, not waiting for a response before she left her friends.

                                           Camille rushes over to her sister's side, holding onto her arm and causing Victoire to look at her. "Are you alright, Victoire?"

                                           "I'm fine," Victoire frowns, ripping her arm away from Camille's grasp. "Why are you even here? I'm sure your boyfriend's missing you right now. You should run to him instead of pretending to care about me."

                                          "I'm not pretending to care about you. I do care about you, Vic. I love you. I just want to help," Camille shook her head.

                                         "What can you possibly do? Nothing. You chose Tom over me; Lily chose Elijah over me too. I'm never going to be the one chosen, am I?" Victoire frowned.

                                         "Nonsense, Vic. Maybe it won't be Lily but you'll find someone else," Camille assured her.

                                          "I don't want anyone else," Victoire snapped, shaking her head as she began to back away. "Just leave me alone."

                                           Victoire stormed away, bumping into several people in the process as she left the party in a hurry. As much as Camille wanted to chase after her, she knew that it would be better to leave Victoire alone. When she was upset, she needed to be alone. Camille then turned to look over at Lily, finding that Lily had been watching the interaction the entire time. As Elijah whispered something into her ear, Lily's gaze moved over to the door. It appeared as though she hoped for Victoire to come back and save her, but she never did.

                                            Perhaps there was some hope for their relationship after all. It was a small amount, but Camille wasn't one to give up even a little bit of hope. Victoire just had to do the same.

                                             As the party wore on, Camille would occasionally look over at Tom. She watched how he moved, how he charmed pretty much everyone he came into contact with. That was probably his best gift, along with his Legilimency. It still frightened Camille just a little bit, knowing that he could read minds with such ease. He could read anyone's, even Camille's. He had the upper hand while Camille had absolutely nothing. It should've scared Camille enough for her to end things. But she had fallen too deep now, and Camille had a feeling she was only going to keep falling.

                                             The passionate love she felt towards him managed to outweigh the fear.

                                             Speaking of the Devil, Tom finally left his friends to go and be with her. Instantly, he envelops her in a hug before bending down a little to kiss her. Camille kisses him back, her body betraying her instantly. Her heart felt as though it was soaring inside her chest, and she wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to let go of him. But soon enough, Tom pulls away from her. It's only a little bit though, Tom resting his forehead against his and forcing her to look up at him.

                                               "I believe I promised to show you something," Tom stated, his tone soft. "The truth about me."

                                              "You did promise that," Camille responds.

                                              "Then let's go right now and I'll show you everything," Tom explained.

                                               Camille nods, deciding there was nothing really keeping her at the party anymore. She wanted to see what Tom had to show her. Tom smiles, pulling away fully so he could grab her hand and lead her out of the party. Camille follows him straight into the darkness, the noises from the party growing fainter and fainter with each step until it disappeared altogether. It made Camille cling onto Tom a little more, wondering where they were going. 

                                                After what felt like an eternity of wandering around in the darkness, they soon reached their destination. And Camille was shocked to find that it was the abandoned girls' bathroom. She lets go of Tom as she walks inside, looking all around her. The moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating the entire bathroom and making it look even creepier than it was. The floor was damp and the doors in front of the bathroom stalls were beginning to fall apart, barely hanging on the hinges. There was also a large, cracked mirror and underneath were a row of chipped sinks. It was already beginning to fall apart in the few years that it hadn't been used. 

                                                The fact that a girl had died in her just added to how creepy the bathroom was. A shiver goes down Camille's spine as dread envelops her heart, choking it with its tight grip.

                                             "Tom, what are we doing here?" Camille asks, hating how her voice sounded so small. But she could hardly hide her fear.

                                             "I'm showing you the truth. You want to know why I was here, I'm going to show you exactly why. I can trust you, Milly. I know that now," Tom answered.

                                              Camille only nods, watching in suspense as Tom began to approach the sinks. He stopped at one in particular, the tap having a snake engraved on the side, before beginning to speak Parseltongue. The sound was haunting, making Camille's entire body become flooded with goosebumps. For a few seconds, nothing had happened after Tom finished speaking Parseltongue but then she heard a faint rumbling underneath her feet. Camille takes a step back, eyes wide, as she watched the same sink then move into the floor and reveal a hidden tunnel.

                                              A dark and scary tunnel which seemed to lead underneath the school.

                                             Tom doesn't look frightened at all - if anything, he looked excited - as he turned to look at his girlfriend, holding out his hand for her to take. "Come on, we don't have all night."

                                             "I'm scared, Tom," Camille confesses.

                                             "Nothing will happen to you as long as I'm around. I'll protect you, Milly. I swear it," Tom promised.

                                               Camille looked around once more before she grabbed Tom's hand, having him guide her closer and closer towards the entrance of the tunnel.

                                              "Do you trust me, Camille?" Tom asks, letting go of the blonde's hand to rest his hands on Camille's shoulders.

                                               "Yes," Camille nods.

                                               "Then trust me now," Tom responded.

                                                  And then he shoves her hard, causing her to fall down into the tunnel. Camille screams as she slides all the way down, unable to see where she was going. Eventually, Camille finally landed on what felt like a pile of rocks. She groans from the pain, standing up to her feet and looking in her dress pocket for her wand. Thankfully, it had been undamaged from the fall and Camille held it out.

                                                 "Lumos," Camille spoke and a bright light shone from the end of her wand.

                                                  Now that she had light, Camille was able to see more of her surroundings. She was definitely underneath the castle now, it all appearing to be a corridor which stretched on for what seemed to be an eternity. Camille then looked down at her feet, realizing that it hadn't been a pile of rocks she had landed on. It had been a pile of bones. Camille screams again, quickly climbing off of the pile after that.

                                                Just then, Tom came down from the tunnel and he also landed on the pile of bones. But he had managed to fare a lot better than her, landing on his feet instead. It was obvious that he had done this plenty of times before.

                                               "Why did you push me?" Camille questioned.

                                               "You were reluctant in coming down here. I knew you wouldn't go unless I pushed you down," Tom answered. "You're not hurt, are you?"

                                                 Camille shakes her head in response.

                                                "Then there's nothing for you to be upset about. Now come on, we have to keep going," Tom states, pulling out his own wand.

                                                  Murmuring Lumos underneath his breath, Tom was able to also see clearly and he forged ahead - forcing Camille to chase after him. Camille was still upset at Tom for pushing her but she was afraid of being left alone in the darkness. She felt tempted to ask Tom where they were going but she didn't want to annoy Tom anymore than she probably already had. So she silently and obediently trails by his side until they reach some sort of entrance. Tom speaks Parseltongue again and the snakes that had been engraved onto the door suddenly move to the side, the door opening.

                                                   Tom walks inside first and Camille follows him, the two of them walking into a large chamber. There were towering pillars on both sides, carved wood wrapped around all of them. Up ahead, Camille could see the statue of Salazar Slytherin illuminated by a faint light. Camille wondered if this was some sort of horrible nightmare but she quickly realized that it was all real when she felt Tom's hand rest on her shoulder once again.

                                                  "Have you heard of the Chamber of Secrets?" Tom then asked her.

                                                 "Of course. The story goes that Salazar Slytherin built a hidden chamber underneath the school, unbeknownst to the other founders. According to the legend, Slytherin locked up the chamber with the hopes that his heir would arrive at the school and unseal the chamber so that he could release the horror inside. A horror that would purge the school of those unworthy of studying magic," Camille replied. Just then, she suddenly remembered what Tom had told her about his own family line and it was as though a light bulb had gone off in her mind. "You're the heir of Slytherin. You were the one destined to open up the chamber. It's real."

                                                "Oh, it's very real," Tom grins.

                                               "What horror is inside?" Camille reluctantly asks.

                                               "I can show you but I'm afraid that'd put you in a lot of danger. You'll have to have your eyes closed for this one," Tom admitted.

                                                 Although Camille is terrified, she still closes her eyes. She can hear Tom speaking Parseltongue again and then... a hissing noise. It wasn't coming from Tom. No, this was something different entirely. It started off faint, as though from a distance away, and then it grew louder and louder until Camille could hear it right next to her.

                                              "Don't be frightened. It won't hurt you. I can control it so it won't be able to hurt you," Tom assures her.

                                              "It?" Camille repeats.

                                              "The Basilisk," Tom explains, making Camille's heart drop all the way to her stomach. She knew exactly what a Basilisk was and how dangerous of a creature it could be. Suddenly, it made a lot more sense as to why Tom wanted her to keep her eyes closed. The giant snake could petrify you with just one look into its eyes. "Salazar Slytherin had the right idea, Milly. This school needed to be cleansed a long time ago. But I had to be the one to do it."

                                                Camille frowns. "It wasn't Rubeus Hagrid who hurt those students, was it? Were you the one who petrified those students back in fifth year? Were you the one who killed Myrtle Warren and framed Rubeus for it?"

                                                "Yes. But it was all necessary, Camille. You have to understand that people like Myrtle Warren don't deserve to be in this school. Purity is the answer. You and I, we are better than the rest of them. It's only a shame I didn't get a chance to kill more of them," Tom admitted.

                                                   Camille felt as though her entire world was shattering in an instant. The kind and charming boy she had fallen for turned out to be a monster. He had murdered innocent people, believing it was all for the noble cause of blood purity. Victoire had been right to warn Camille but she hadn't listened. She had been lied to from the very beginning, so desperate for love that she ignored all of the warning signs.

                                                  "Can you make it go away please? I want to talk to you alone," Camille pleaded.

                                                   Tom speaks more Parseltongue and the loud hissing is gone in an instant, a sign to Camille that the Basilisk was gone. She breathes a sigh of relief afterwards. Camille knew she wouldn't be able to handle seeing the ancient creature. She'd probably die from the shock alone.

                                                   "Open your eyes, Camille," Tom then ordered.

                                                    Camille reluctantly does so, only to find that the Basilisk was gone. She turns around to look at Tom, backing away from him when he tried to approach her.

                                                  "Do you still love me now that you know the truth, Milly? Can you love the real me, even despite the fact that I have a terrible and rotten darkness inside of me?" Tom questions, still walking towards Camille.

                                                  "Tom...," Camille trails off.

                                                   Tom suddenly grabs Camille's arms, pulling her towards him. She tries to move from his grasp but he's much stronger than her. She feels more powerless than ever against him.

                                                  "You were the first person I showed this too. No one else knows. I trust you, Camille. I love you. I don't know what I'd do if you were to leave me. I'd probably kill myself," Tom replied, sounding as though he was about to cry. It was a complete change from the cold and unfeeling Tom she had encountered just moments before.

                                                  "No, Tom. Don't. Don't do that. I love you. I love you even despite your darkness. There's a light inside you too, I know it," Camille responds. At least, she was hoping that some of the light she had seen inside of Tom was real and not a complete lie.

                                                   "If there is any light, it's all because of you. If you leave me, there'll only be darkness. Please don't leave me, Milly," Tom pleaded, cupping Camille's face in his hands.

                                                   Camille should've tried to run. But where could she have gone? Her own sister hated her and her friends wouldn't even begin to understand. All Camille had was Tom, and so she says the four words that ultimately seal her fate. "I'll never leave you, Tom."

                                                   He smiles before kissing her again, this kiss a lot more passionate and hungrier than before. Camille matches his intensity, feeling as though she had a chance to fix Tom. He loved her, Camille knew he did. And she loved him, even after learning everything she did. Camille thought she could fix him, turning his life around before it could go down a darker path.

                                                    But there was no fixing a boy as corrupt and evil as Tom Riddle and unfortunately, Camille would have to learn that the hard way.

( 👱‍♀️💘🍒 )

word count: 4162
notes: happy new years! i hope you all enjoy this fucked up chapter because it's about to get a lot more messed up from here!