Disclaimer: I do now own Harry Potter, or any of J.K.R's delightful characters or stories. The characters of Eve Swarthing and Tom Raimus, however, are my own.
Chapter One: Strange Words
The sound of running feet echoed on the dark streets of London, just barely reaching the hearing range of people clustered in front of clubs and restaurants. When Eve passed, running by in a blur of auburn and paleness, only a few people would stop to watch her, comment about the strangeness and then almost promptly forget about it. No one seemed to notice the dark figures following her at a steady pace, like shadows catching up with their master. Hearing a crash, and the echo of hurried footsteps behind Eve made her ears ring with apprehension. Her tennis shoes made loud slapping noises on the wet pavement as she increased her speed and she could feel that the soles of her shoes, old and worn, now barely had grips. The realization seemed to have come just a bit too late, when Eve turned to run into a small alley and her shoes skidded across the slick street, propelling her into the side of a building. Her thin, pale hands rose up just in time, smacking the bricks as she caught herself, just before she would have slammed her face into the wall. For a mere second, Eve took the time to breathe deeply, making several clouds of pale condensation rise in the cool air. Further down the street came the sound of critical laughter, high pitched and filled with what Eve recognized as cruelty. The laughter made adrenaline shoot through her veins, and, having caught her balance and breath, Eve was off once more. She spun on her heel and was heading down the alley that opened up in a wide street, filled with businesses, clubs and, thankfully, people.
This day could be the worst one yet
I just won't relax, can't catch my breath
There were faint tear tracks running down her sculpted cheeks, but they had long since dried. She had halted her crying much, much earilier, in favor of using her stamina for running. Eve had found that sobbing simply didn't work all that well when you were literally running for your life. Without a second thought, Eve darted into the traffic of the lamp lit streets, dodging the slow going, honking cars. Her chest heaving, she leaped onto the sidewalk when she reached it, turning her head when she heard a car screech to a stop behind her. A middle aged woman had rolled down her window, her face filled with fury.
"Watch where yer going, damn bint!" She screamed at Eve, revved her engine and then drove off, her tires squealing in protest. Eve took a step away from the road, and glancing over the people crowded in front of the near by club, decided that she could breathe easy for a moment. Bent half-way over, her palms resting on her knees as she sucked the cool air into her lungs, Eve felt the urge to cry warm her face. Not because of running into traffic, or even because of the way that woman had insulted her. Eve's gray-blue eyes glanced upwards and her thoughts flew into oblivion when she focused on two people standing outside the club doors, laughing together. Eve quickly disregarded the woman, but standing next to her was - it was him.
Because I'm sick and tired of you'll be fine
Well how do you know, can you read minds?
No one could ever mistake him as just "one of the guys", everything about him screamed other, from his looks and clothes to the way he spoke. He was dressed in todays clothes of aristocracy and male beauty. A tailored suit jacket, dark emerald green, was draped over his shoulders and beneath it, he wore a white, collared shirt, the top few buttons left undone to show a pale expanse of chest. His sleeves were rolled halfway up, the better to show off his slim, finely muscled arms and though the black slacks he wore also seemed to fit him perfectly, a thin black belt was buckled around his waist. He could fake actions, could hide himself, even while he drew the attention of all the near-by females. Ice seemed to call through Eve's veins, and it was as if her fear was a siren to him, because his gaze turned from the little blond he was speaking to until it finally met with Eve's eyes. He smiled and it was like the smile of darkness personified, that of an incubus, sexy, shadowed and with a hint of violence and malice just lingering beneath the surface. Of course, unless someone knew him, they would never guess there was any ill will in his smile, it was as if his flaws were invisible to any who didn't know his name. The blond he was now ignoring, having only been exposed to the beauty of him, had caught Eve's eyes as well and was shooting her a pouting, kiddish glare. If Eve's heart had been pounding with exertion before, it was now trying to break through her ribcage.
With a soft cry of fear, only audible to her own ears, Eve turned away from him and began to run once more. Cursing inside, Eve felt her shoes slip in the leftover rain once more and she nearly fell onto her backside, but a firm grip upon her forearms kept her from falling. Eve's head snapped up as the person pulled her all the way to her feet and her eyes widened immensely when she met a gaze near the same shade as her own.
So take it while you can, so you can meet demands
My insanity is what you thrive on
"How unexpected, darling," he purred, one of his arms curling around her waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His voice was just like his appearance, gorgeously sinful, but once more, Eve detected a hint of violence beneath the calm exterior and it didn't bode well for her. She could see the blond out of the corner of her eye, speaking with another girl, both of whom were now watching the scene before them with disgust plastered across their faces. Eve tried to even her breathing and spitefully wished that if only for a moment, one or both of those girls could be in her shoes for just a moment, to feel the fear in her veins and see the monster beneath the beauty.
His skin was the color of well made porcelain dolls and the different shades of lights that illuminated the outside of club gave him an almost ethereal quality, as if this were all a dream, or a nightmare. For a split second, Eve was caught in the dark gray-green of his eyes, recalling all the times those eyes had brought her happiness and pleasure, rather than the incoherent pain and fear she was experiencing now. His hold on her loosened and the monster beneath the surface seemed appeased, as if pleased with her reaction. Taking a breath, her whole body tensing, Eve took her chance. She yanked herself out of his grasp, turned to run and found herself slipping once more. Eve couldn't see, but sensed that his hands were reaching out for her, but her momentum had already thrown her to the ground, and her hands just barely caught herself in a push up. She was sure that the heels of her palms were skinned, but she didn't stop to look. Instead, her body suddenly stretched taught, like a runner waiting for the gun, then she loosened and was off.
She heard his frustrated curse behind her and a large, loud noise, like a giant dropping and cracking a boulder, but she didn't pay overmuch attention. Eve slid in a puddle as she whirled around a corner, but she had been ready for it and her feet didn't fly out from under her. She turned her head slightly to see if anyone was running after her and then let out a grunt when she smacked into someone and felt their arms close about her slim form. As the arms locked around her back, Eve spied the emerald green suit jacket and she let out a screech, which was muffled by his chest in her face.
"NO!" She screamed as she turned her face up towards air. It seemed to surprise him, but he tightened his arms about her in response and molded his body to hers. He pushed her against the stone wall of the nearest building, seeming to know that anyone driving by would assume them to be lovers. Even people walking by on the street would assume they were having some type of private moment, unless they saw Eve's face. Tensing, for his touch was a mockery of a lover's embrace, Eve tried to slip out of his arms, but was only rewarded with her shoulders grinding into the bricks behind her. He smiled wickedly as he leaned his head down, his pale pink lips pressing firmly against her ear as he spoke quietly.
So rip it from my soul, so everyone will know in the end
We were never friends
"I suggest you stop struggling, my dear heart. You know that I can make it so much worse," and his voice held relish as he whispered, his breath a soft tickle against the shell of her ear. Not too long ago, the feeling would have made her melt, her cheeks flush with a passionate heat, but now it only made her hair feel like it was standing on end. Someone turned the corner and began to pass them, and when he felt her shoulders tense, her tangled one of his hands in her long, dark auburn hair, and pulled, a silent warning not to say anything to the passing man. Involuntarily, she shuddered and then felt his other hand slide down her thin arm. He could feel and note all of her movements with a perverse pleasure, for he knew that they were all ruled by fear. His eyes quickly raked over Eve's face, and the corners of his mouth quirked upwards as he wondered whether her skin was paler than his own because of shock and fear or whether it was natural. When the man was well out of earshot and Eve's sight, Eve began to wriggle in his arms, trying once more to search for a way out. His laugh was slightly hoarse, as if it were strained from passion and lust.
"Just remember, it was your choice," he whispered into her ear. She could feel his lips part and a warm breath blew against her neck as he moved a step away, startling her into stillness, just as she felt something hard and slightly sharp poke into her hip. Eve's gray-blue eyes widened as she saw a small flash of red and then, with a single word - "Crucio," - her body was suddenly upon the ground, writhing in extreme pain. The pain was so intense that she could barely open her lips, let alone let out a scream. He watched in silence as she appeared to be having a seizure on the pavement, his eyes lingering on her clenched hands, the grim set of her mouth. With a wave of his wand, he cut it short and her body, so tired, so exhausted, from running for what seemed like hours, from emotional turmoil and adrenaline pumping through her veins, collapsed in a sorry heap. A continual shivering went through her aching muscles and Eve let loose a soft, agonized cry. Something brushed against the pavement near her head, so Eve forced herself to jerk away from the sound, her eyes cracking open to see two other people, dressed in black, hooded cloaks, flanking their Master. The masks that covered their faces were both beautiful and terrible to look at. They were made of some silver metal, with different etchings on the cheeks and around the eyes to distinguish between people. They were strange, frightening, works of art.
Have you ever felt lost inside
So unloved within that you almost die?
Shaking, Eve's eyes flickered to him. He was still staring down at her in silence, all emotions, both good and bad, leeched from his face. But when she let out a dry, heaving sob, anger filled his features. He said nothing, made no move to hurt or help her and Eve prayed that she had the slightest bit of a reprieve. Her gaze still locked with his, Eve was drawn back to the beginning of the summer, when she had first arrived in England. It was her dream vacation and it was supposed to have been filled with wonder and excitement over the historic sites she couldn't wait to visit. Having made the choice to come alone however, had made Eve incredibly lonely. One day, sitting by herself at a small cafe, he had asked to join her at her table, seeing as all the others were currently full. She had hesitantly agreed, and the two had made pleasant and easy conversation. Eve had returned a day later, to see him waving her to the same table. The strange ritual had continued, day after day, until he had finally gotten the courage to tell her: "I fancy you, surely you've noticed." Eve had been smitten with the gorgeous man, and when the time had come for her to leave after her month long vacation, he had pleaded with her to stay. He had tried gentle nudges, soft whispers and finally a tearful spout of begging. Eve, having felt as unhappy with the situation as he, didn't have the heart to refuse. She lengthened the vacation, wondering whether she wanted it to ever end.
But then, this had happened.
Have you ever stepped out of the light
And realized there's a stranger inside?
"My Lord, would you like one of us to-" one of the cloaked men began to speak, and Eve noted the swirling etching upon his mask, watching as he gestured to Eve, though he didn't finish with what they were going to do. He stared at her for a lengthy amount of time, before jerking his head to the side, just once. His eyes softened for a moment as he finally knelt next to her, touching Eve's cool face with a gentle hand.
"Eve," he whispered, as if he was going to cry. It would happen, sometimes, whenever he had these strange violent tendencies, for a single moment, he would be his old self again. For a beat, there was silence and then words that sounded like truth spilled from his lips.
"I didn't want this to happen. I knew you were going to leave, sometime, I knew you would have to and I... I didn't - couldn't - let you go. You were everything to me, and I - I was going to lose you, eventually. They showed up then," he told her as he jerked his thumb at the two cloaked figures. Eve realized that his voice had drifted down to whisper and he was now so close the others couldn't have possibly heard him speak. "If I knew this would have happened, I would have gladly let you go, but as it was... I don't know what they did, but suddenly, I wasn't myself and when I looked in the mirror all I could think was Voldemort." Eve stared at him, recognizing her lover and raised a hand to his face, not sure she wasn't dreaming. But then, everything changed.
Don't push your ignorance on me
I'm not unrehearsed to your jealousy
His demeanor completely changed, his eyes filled with violence and a smirk that she had never seen was upon his face. He suddenly crushed her lips beneath his, pushing Eve's head into the pavement and drawing out a gasp of protest from her. He quickly pulled away, his eyebrows raised in distaste as he watched Eve try and wriggle out of his reach, fear written all over her face. His arms shot out and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her whole body to him as his face filled with fury. An angry snarl came from his lips as he shook her like a rag-doll.
"I though you loved me, yet I grace you with a kiss and it displeases you?" The look on his face darkened considerably, but he continued shaking her with each sentence. "You loved me, I saw it, but now that I am truly strong, that I possess all the power in the world, you prefer the muggle shell?" Eve was getting dizzy and her breath was hitching in her chest. He had been using words like this recently. Muggle, mudblood, things she had never heard of, didn't understand and then... Then the wand had suddenly appeared in his grasp one day and Eve felt as if she had been thrown into a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. She didn't know what she had done to set him off the first time, one day while she had been lounging on his couch, watching him stare out the window. Yet suddenly, he had whipped around, rage in his every movement and then he had said that word and... Eve found herself shuddering even though he was still shaking her. Disgusted, he suddenly pushed her away from him, standing up straight and tall as the back of her head thudded against the hard pavement. After having seen the real him, beneath whatever enchantment these people had placed, Eve found herself calling out his name in desperation.
And I know, you don't think I see the signs
Well how do you know, do I look blind?
"Tom! Please, Tom, please, come back. I don't know what they've done to you, but -" Eve's pitifully frail voice was cut off as he whirled, screaming in rage and pointing his wand at her once more. She barely had time to close her mouth and lock her jaw before her said it again.
"CRUCIO! My name is not TOM!" Eve's body jerked around on the pavement, her head bouncing off the cement while her arms twisted in weird and painful ways. The two people in cloaks said nothing, did nothing, but watch her in her pain. As suddenly as it had come on, it was gone, and Eve was sobbing on the ground, curled in upon her body, trying to get a good breath within her lungs. For an indiscernible amount of time, it was silent save for her sobs. He knelt again, jerking her up into a sitting position, not caring when she cried out in obvious pain.
"My. Name. Is. Voldemort," he hissed, baring his teeth at her, though she could barel y make out his features through the tears in her eyes. "You would do well to learn it. Now, dearest, come, come," and his voice was kind once more as he lifted her to her feet. He slipped a tight and painful arm around her waist so she couldn't fall and tossed his head so his hair wouldn't fall into his eyes. Eve let him drag her along, not even bothering to see where they were going, simply wondering where her Tom, her Tom, had gone and why these people had put this - this Voldemort in his body.
So take it while you can, so you can meet demands
My break down is what you thrive on
His happiness seemed to grow as she began crying, pleading with him to return to his true self, to go back to normal, though Eve never let slip his real name. The two people in cloaks accompanied them back into a dark, dark alley, where her once-Tom tapped on a brick with his wand and a doorway opened into his lower floor apartment. He pulled her through and let her collapse once more into sobs upon the couch, humming beneath his breath as he moved about the place, gathering things together for her. He grabbed clothes, picking through them all, once in a while glancing in her direction as he considered an item, before placing some in a suitcase and discarding others on the floor. The cloaked people said nothing, though Eve could sense the confusion radiating off of them, especially when he shoved the suitcase into one of their arms.
"B-but, my Lord, surely we're not taking the gir-" The man didn't get to finish saying 'girl' before Voldemort had whirled and pointed his wand at the man's mask. The snide look of disgust was so out of place on his face, that if Eve hadn't been crying, she would have let out a breathy laugh.
"Surely we are taking her. She belongs to me now, Wormtail," he growled. Obviously, the other cloaked man hadn't listened to Voldemort's words.
"But, my Lord, she belonged to the muggle-" Without batting an eyelash, the curse sailed across the room.
"Crucio," Voldemort whispered with such coldness that it had the same effect as when he had screamed it into Eve's face. Eve's cries quieted as she watched in horrible fascination, the man's marionette's dance upon the floor. Was that what she had looked like, not a half hour earlier?
So rip it from my soul, so everyone will know in the end
I'm the break, you're the bend
Eve cringed, like a kicked puppy, when he faced her again, but his eyes were filled with contentment, if not happiness. The man who had just been tortured on the floor, nosily got to his feet and spoke once more.
"My Lord," he coughed and Voldemort turned to him, amusement upon his face and he crossed his arms and tapped his wand upon his elbow.
"I'm getting very tired of all your protesting. But speak, speak about what is so important that you would defy your Lord," he spat at the man cowering in a bow upon the floor. Voldemort settled himself on the couch next to Eve, but didn't seem to notice when she shook slightly, wondering whether she could get away. There was no way she wanted to go where-ever this Voldemort inhabiting Tom's body wanted to take her.
"She is a muggle, my Lord. A muggle! We put you in the boy's body, as you asked, and I know you need something of his for... What is to come, to keep the body. But you truly wish to keep his muggle trash?" Voldemort stared at the man, and said nothing for a few moments, his lips pursed as he thought. Finally, he turned to Eve and eyed her for a second, suddenly reaching out to cup her cheek. Eve couldn't help it, she flinched, but anger filled her eyes, which seemed to delight Voldemort.
"Are you simple muggle trash, my dear, Eve? No, I think not. You are a muggle, however..." Eve watched as a familiar expression of Tom's shone through, but it slipped away as he turned his eyes to the man called Wormtail. "Would you consider it wise for me to ever have, say, a witch as strong as Bellatrix, as mine, as this muggle is? Hmm, Wormtail?" The figure hesitated, but finally spoke.
"No, my Lord. I-I do see your reasoning. The muggle will obey you, do as you please and c-cannotfightback." Voldemort laughed suddenly and clapped his hands together once, lightly.
"Yes, Wormtail sees. And, now, my dearest, we are off to Little Hangleton." Eve felt the fear inside her erupt like a volcanoe, and let loose a breathy sob.
Stranger Inside.
Harry woke, his gasp echoing the muggle woman's sob as his brilliant green eyes flashed open, staring at the ceiling. He sat up in his bed, pressing his hands to the aching scar on his forehead, which burned with a cruel joy. It didn't last too long and when the pain faded, it left Harry gasping once more. Shaking and unstready, he tried to focus on parts of the dream. What had Voldemort siad? Had he had a body? Who was the muggle girl? But it slowly faded away, until Harry only remembered the girls name, Eve. Repeating it like a mantra inside his head, he sleepily glanced at his bedside clock, finding that it was very, very early in the morning. He laid back down, his eyes fluttering closed and hoped that he would remember more of the dream when he woke.
A/N: (This has been re-vamped and edited as of 08/2010) This started out just as a songfic for Shinedown's "Stranger Inside", but I've been reading tons of HP fanfiction and somehow, Voldemort just wedged his way into Eve's life before I knew it. It was also originally a one-shot, but after Harry decided to make an appearance, I realized it could be longer. Now, the pairing is Voldemort/OC in the summary, but it's rather complicated, as I'm sure you can see. It'll get even more complicated between Voldemort and Eve in later chapters, seeing as... Well, I'll let you see for yourself. The rating is M now for torture and unspoken threats and other evil things that will happen in later chapters. I would VERY much appreciate some constructive criticism, so review please!
