I knew him before he became the monster that he is today. I can still see the old Tom Riddle, smothered beneath his now distorted skin. The same determination still burns in his eyes...but now its so much darker...
I can feel my lips tremble, my vision blurred with tears as he aims his wand at me. I'm not sad because I'm about to die. I'm sad because of what has happened to him. For a brief moment I can see again as my tears overfill. He's not looking at me. Only towards me. This is the only sign that shows me he remembers.
Is he hesitating? Or waiting for something? I can't tell... Maybe I can reach out to him.
"Do you remember when we were kids, Tom? On the day we first met...do you remember it at all?"
His lip curls faintly, and he tightens his grip on the wand, his calm, cool, visage cracked completely now. The only thing in his eyes is that burning determination to prove...always to prove...
"I remember the day you betrayed me." He says simply and draws his arm back, his voice crying out the death curse and sealing my fate.
"Oh, Tom...what have you become...?" I whisper, never looking away from him as his voice rings out, and green is all that I see.
…
I remember when we were kids, and whether he'll ever admit it...he does too. We were both eleven years old. I was sorted into the same house as him—Slytherin. The second our eyes met we'd been inseparable, and for our first year we wouldn't talk to anyone but each other. As to why we even spoke to each other...I don't know. Something about his eyes...those piercing, ice blue eyes.
I can still feel the heart-wrenching fear that had caught me the moment the sorting hat had called the name of my house. I had heard the stories growing up, and my mother had always told me, "Should you ever find yourself in Slytherin, don't you worry. They're stories and nothing more, and I know this because I have the sweetest daughter a mother could wish for." But what was sweetness when it was a cursed house? I had bawled so badly that Professor Merrythought had walked me to the table.
That feeling you get when people are watching you? I felt that. Every one was watching me with wonder; Several Slytherins watched me with disgust...but he...he watched me with nothing. It was like a snake, turning because it sensed motion, but never really seeing what caused it. When I looked up, he was across from me, a few people over to my right. Then our eyes met, and it was like everything that we needed others to understand was understood by us, between us. In his eyes my fear was mirrored back at me beneath his emotionless stare.
"You're scared too!" I blurted out.
Even as a child, Tom had a remarkable way of hiding his emotions so that one would really have had to hunt to see them. His eyes had widened ever so slightly, and without moving he looked around at the other students, who had all turned to watch the rest of the sorting. Looking back at me, he nodded, ever so slightly. The feeling had given me so much warmth. I wasn't alone there.
Back then I still thought that maybe not every wizard to house in Slytherin would turn out to be evil. I never considered what would happen if I was wrong.
…
"Tom! Tom, wait! Tom!" I hurried down the hall, holding his text-book above the crowd. "Excuse me, pardon me... sorry. Excuse me. ...Tom!"
I shook the book in the air as he finally turned. I was careful not to drop it. Seeing this he stopped and waited for me until I managed to push past the students and stand in front of him. Breathing deep, I slapped my hands on my knees and held the book out to him. "You...forgot...this..." I coughed, and straightened slowly, taking note of the mocking glint in his eye as he muttered his thanks and put the book into his bag.
"Oh don't give me that look, you would do the same thing for me and you know it." I teased. "It's honorable really."
He quirked a brow at me as we walked. "Honorable? And how's that?"
"A friend looks out for a friend. It's one of the most important rules of friendship! So, naturally, those who abide by this rule are honorable for upholding tradition." I nodded pointedly and crossed my arms, glancing over to gauge his reaction.
As always, I had managed to make him smile, and at this, I also smiled, remembering the day that we had first met. No. There was no way in this world that people like myself or Tom could ever become wizards of the dark arts. It just didn't sound right.
I was looking through a lot of the Harry Potter fan fiction and thought I'd add my own bit to the collection. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!
Batman fans, check out my other story 'Disgusting Fan Girl'! It's worth it, I assure you. :)
'Till next time,
Fang.
