A/N: Hello! New story, yay! I don't know how many times I have unloaded and reloaded this document but I keep finding mistakes! Anyways, this is the last time I will re-upload this document (hopefully...I feel like I'm really nit-picky 'cause I wrote this last night). I intended for this story to be short but when I was planning it it just got way outta control, so it will probably be long-ish. Alright, enjoy!
Oops, before I forget. Be sure to check out my harrypotterfanfiction page. It's under the same Xx44BellaLuna44xX, as well as my page.
Summary: Tom Riddle had a plan. A rather ingenious plan, one that would later shake the foundations of the wizarding world. Julia Sterling only wanted to run away from her pure-blooded family with the man of her dreams. But, when Tom Riddle forces her into an ultimatum, she will have to decide whether to save the world or fall prey to the clutches of a murderer.
June 1945
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Julia Sterling pushed herself deeper into the forest, streaks of tears running down her fair cheeks, her long, dark hair tangled and damp. There were no words that could be summoned to describe her fear, and the fact that Tom Riddle was somewhere in the mass of shadowy trees behind her.
She wanted to scream, to cry, to stop, close her eyes and pretend it was all a dream but she knew with a sharp sting that this was reality. He really had killed them—all of them. Every single little thing had been a lie, a farce, a manipulation by use of charm and seduction.
"Julia," his voice came from somewhere behind her. "Just come out,"
Terrorized, she forced herself to hide behind a tree, pausing to catch her breath. She could hear his heavy footsteps against the ground. He was close. Julia threw her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out but it did nothing to stop the rise in her heartbeat and the fresh new slap of grief and helplessness she felt.
"Let's talk this over," he called out. "Please, Julia,"
Julia remained silent and she peaked out from behind her tree. He was standing not four yards away from her, holding his illuminated wand out in front of him, casting a golden hue across his handsome features. It was the face of a murderer—no, worse, a devil. Tom Riddle was a devil. When Julia did not respond, she saw a look of fury pass over his face and he balled his fists up.
"I know where you are, Julia, there will be no Dumbledore to save you now," he taunted. "I'll give you one last chance: either you can come out now and join me or I'll blast this forest apart and find you. Trust me, you don't want me to do that, you know what I can do to your family, remember what happened to…Zander,"
Julia wanted to kill him. To beat his beautiful face with her own bare hands, to strangle him and scream at him, and run so far away from him so he would never be able to find her. But, in the end, she knew he always did. Julia knew she could not beat him.
"I'll give you to the count of three," he warned. Zander's face swam across her mind, the way his arms had felt around her waist. His smell, his touch. All of it was gone.
"Three—"
Julia fought frantically, thinking of some way, some miracle to occur. She needed to tell someone what Tom Riddle was truly capable of doing and what he would do if he wasn't stopped. Zander's old gray eyes which had seen so many terrible, horrible things, she saw his body falling, his expression frozen with a look of sheer terror. It was that look on his face, he wasn't the Zander Julia had known. That was the look of a frightened little boy.
"Two—"
Julia let a whimper escape her lips and she could almost hear Tom's neck snap in her direction. He knew. The green flash of light that had struck Zander square in the chest. Her Zander, the Zander who had fought for his country, the soldier, the hero. They have to know, Julia, you have to tell them everything, he had told her. How much she had wanted to press her lips to his one last time. They have to know.
In the end, Zander had been wrong. There was no hope and she wouldn't be rescued. Her wand had been blown to smithereens. Just when she thought everything was going to be alright, it was like an unstoppable force banged its way through. There was no changing Tom; he would always be the same. Always calculating, always cruel, always inhumane and evil. Just the fact that he would continue to be that way with such power and influence behind him made Julia's blood rush to her head. She was light, floating. The fate of this world was in his hands. No one would be able to stop him. No one.
Quietly, Julia stepped out from behind the tree. She didn't want to look at his face, smirking with triumph. She didn't want to look into the eyes of the man who had snatched all she held dear in her heart away. She didn't want to admit defeat and yet at the same time, she had to. There was literally no other option left.
"Look at me," he commanded in a somewhat boyish arrogance. "I said look at me!"
Slowly, Julia raised her head, her hands shaking, itching. She met his eyes. He stood before her dressed in his Head Boy robes, his graduation cap still on his head. Above, the moon peered over the billowing clouds and pooled beneath their feet. It was true. No matter how many times Julia had tried to deny it, he still unsettled her, he clicked with her. He raised his wand and Julia fell to her knees. This was it all he would just have to say one small little incantation and she could join Zander. Death would be her escape. Tom chuckled darkly.
"It's not going to be that easy, Julia," His glittering sapphire eyes bore into hers and Julia blushed angrily. He came towards her menacingly but she stood her ground. "It's not going to be easy…" he repeated, his voice growing quieter.
Julia couldn't help it. As much as she didn't want to, another bout of tears stung her eyes. Her throat constricted painfully, her muscles tensing and her legs tingling. With all her will and strength, she threw herself at his feet sobbing, secretly hating herself. This was going to be for Zander, for Zander and no one else.
"I beg you, Tom, I beg you…"She managed to choke out. "I'll do anything, anything at all, you just name it just don't—don't hurt my family anymore,"
Tom squatted down besides her. Using his wand tip, he titled her chin up towards his face. Her eyes widened in shock. There was something in his eyes that Julia had never seen before: tears. They split over his eyelids and ran down the side of his face. She stared.
"You know, I really do hate you," He finally said softly. "I really do hate you," His brow wrinkled and he looked away, glaring, a faint tinge hue of pink blossoming under his ivory skin.
"I know," Julia couldn't contain herself. She was shaking so hard. Their faces appeared vividly in her mind.
There was a quick flash of green and then a horrible scream.
