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[chopoffyourhead]

"You've reached Riddle Rosehearts. Please state your message, and I will return it as soon as I can."

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[chopoffyourhead]

[He shakes his head.]

I do need to complete my studies, and take responsibility for what I did... but, I doubt I'd be allowed to keep my position as Housewarden after what happened.

[By all means, the dorm had every right to snub him as leader.

Slowly, he looks back to Alastor. His brow furrows hard at the words.

Finally, a sigh escapes as he deflates.]

Perhaps you're right.

[It felt so wrong, so traitorous to agree, but what else could he do? He'd so long carried the burden himself that there was something wrong with him, and that's what led to his misery.

And yet, here, even though realizing had been more painful than he could have anticipated, with Alastor and Lucifer... for the first time, he felt... okay, being him.]

[deerme]

[ His head tilts to the side. ]

Do you believe you are no longer fit for the role? Is there someone more qualified to be Housewarden than someone who has not gone through what you have?

[ Experience can be very useful when dealing with other students. He doesn't know what all happened for Riddle to end up here, but this would give him insight into something that might help him recognize the same signs in others.

Alastor waits and looks back while Riddle decides how to take his words.

Then reaches across the table to push the plate of cookies closer to the boy. More a comfort than a reward for accepting this horrible truth. ]

It will take time to fully accept this and find out who Riddle is without his birth mother whispering in his ear, but if you stick with us, I assure you, you'll get it sooner rather than later.

[ Alastor and Lucifer might be the type to say that the show must go on or one is never fully dressed without a smile, but they can both be unapologetically themselves at the same time. ]

[chopoffyourhead]

After forcing everyone to fight for their lives?

[His brow tenses as he looks off to the side. Clearly, his death and how it came about has really marked him.]

... find out who Riddle is...

[He sounds so uncertain. Even hesitantly recognizing the impact of his upbringing, he can't shake the feeling of being defective.

After a quiet frown for a bit, he finally looks up at Alastor.]

How do you do it, Alastor? You seem so... unforgivingly comfortable with yourself.

[deerme]

Are your relationships with them so weak that you believe they'd turn their back on you over one little fight to the death? Or do they care for you enough that they'd be willing to risk their own lives to save you? Do they know you would have done the same if the roles were reversed?

[ He isn't expecting an answer now, but it's to open Riddle up to new ways of thinking and looking at the situation. To get outside of the box of "failure" that his mother has instilled upon him for what happened - regardless of whether that Belief of her was the first time they were 'face-to-face' since his death.

Alastor watches Riddle closely, while seeming to not look at all. It's done out of the corner of his eye as he takes a drink while the boy thinks over what he said.

At the question he laughs. ]

An excessive dose of pride and a smile, my dear boy. A smile is a valuable tool.