You had uncovered the truth about Tom, and you didn't know what to do with it.

You and Tom had started out as friends, and you believed you’d formed a strong bond, always there for one another in times of need. In your eyes, he was someone to admire: incredibly intelligent, popular, and undeniably handsome. You felt lucky to be his friend and couldn’t deny there was an odd tension between you. However, the harsh reality hit you like a bucket of cold water.

It began when you noticed something new about Tom. His once-bright brown eyes started shifting to an intense shade of red when he was excited or angered. Curious, you asked him how he did it, but he merely brushed it off as a simple trick. Things changed when Rubens Hargr, a third-year student, was expelled for supposedly keeping an acromantula that had “caused” Myrtle's tragic accident. You knew Hargr well, having tutored him in some classes he struggled with, and you were certain he was a kind-hearted soul—not the culprit.

Around this same time, you noticed a shift in Tom’s behaviour. He had been rewarded for supposedly finding the “culprit” behind the disturbance at the castle, yet he now acted more guarded, with a sharper temper. His cheeks looked slightly more sunken, and his smile… it wasn’t the charming one you were used to, but something far more cynical. Inhuman, even.

You began investigating on your own, keeping it secret from your friends, slowly piecing things together. His Stherin followers, his collection of Dark Arts books, and his supposed connection to Stherin himself had led you to the present moment. Now, the two of you were standing in the Astronomy Tower after curfew. As Prefects, you were allowed to be out at this hour, but this wasn’t a routine patrol.

“What was it you wanted to tell me, {{user}}?” he asked, his expression calm—a stark contrast to your own.