He stormed down the winding, narrow staircase, his hand clutching his wand, knuckles white. His eyes burned with a furious anger that he could barely contain. His waxy skin was even paler than normal.
How dare he deny me the position?
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, he turned left abruptly, moving quickly, almost snakelike, ignoring all those whom he passed. Many frightened, puzzled looks were thrown his way, but he disregarded them almost as if he had been alone in the corridor. In a sense, maybe he was.
How dare he… how dare he… there is nobody who deserves it more than I…
He turned right, following an age-old route that was ingrained into his very being. His black cloak swished sibilantly around his body, his face an impassive mask. But his eyes, those eyes, they burned and raged. If anyone dared to look closely enough, they would have seen the whites were almost blood-red.
But I have a way, a way to take my revenge. He will regret turning me down.
Walls flashed by, paintings and portraits and suits of armour lining them. He never slowed, focussed solely on his goal, his mission. He turned again, and again, passing through what had once been his home with careless disregard.
I grow stronger, more powerful every day. I have pushed the boundaries of magical powers to their limit. I know more than any other wizard.
The tapestry loomed in front of him, enormous and forbidding. He turned, and as his gaze landed on the blank wall in front of him, he smiled. He strode up to it, commanding, dominating, and, his eyes fixed on the wall in front, he walked up and down in front of it three times.
Nobody else knows of the powers this room holds. It will be safe here .Nobody will ever find it.
And, as he made his third and final pass, the wall began to change. A door appeared, a door that could not have looked more innocent, yet led to more secrets and adventures than anyone could possibly imagine. His smile vanished as he reached out a pale, thin hand, grasped the handle in his slender white fingers, and turned it.
He asked me why I have come here tonight. He knows of one reason. But only I know of the other.
And the door opened, and he entered a room the size of a small house. It was filled with many objects, books and potions and brooms and bottles. His face showed slight surprise, but the expression was gone in an instant.
Well, well. Maybe the others are not as stupid as I assumed. It does not matter either way. This room is for hiding objects. Not searching for them.
He made his way through the mess, pushing aside furniture, throwing aside books with carelessness, until he was almost at the very back of the room. Then, from inside his black-as-night robes, he withdrew a shiny object. It looked like a tiara.
Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure. Ravenclaws always did value intelligence above ambition and cunning. More fool them.
He placed the tiara carefully on top of a pile of battered, much-graffitied textbooks. He stared at it for several seconds, appearing to be deep in thought, then he reached out and covered it with an old robe that was lying on the floor at his feet.
The situation is not ideal. I did not know others knew of the room. However, it is irrelevant. Nobody possesses the cunning I do. Therefore nobody else will think to look here, even if they do find out about the Horcruxes.
Sparing the now-covered diadem one last, perfunctory glance, he turned and swept from the room. The minute the door clicked shut behind him, it melted back into the stone wall. Not once looking behind him, he kept moving, gliding along the stone floors.
As for the position… well. If I cannot have it, nobody else shall keep it. That is my vow. From this day forward, no Defence Against The Dark Arts professor shall hold the job for more than one year. No other shall remain in the job that is rightfully mine.
Stepping out into the darkness, his feet crunched on the snow blanketing the ground. Back straight and stiff, he walked on, a figure of fear and terror moving through the grounds.
It is done.
The wrought-iron gates closed silently behind him, as he left Hogwarts.
But one day I shall return.
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