The stack of items that sat before him was deemed as nothing but junk; however, yet vital to his creation of another Horcrux. He unstrapped the dusty suitcase (which he found to be mysteriously light for something of its size), and upon opening it, he found that it was all but empty – only a single, innocuous looking envelope sat in the center of the suitcase.
The dark-haired Slytherin, not knowing what to expect, tore open the envelope and unfolded the crisp parchment in it, only to be greeted by a familiar handwriting that belonged to someone he used to love so much. So very much.
You.
"Dear Tom," it started.
He instantly frowned, wanting to just crumple it and toss it aside; but he eventually decided against that. It may have been one of the last few things that you would have wanted him to do, and he felt obligated to continue reading it.
He reopened it again, heaving a deep sigh before glancing down towards the rest of the letter.
"I remembered the day where we first met – it was on the Hogwarts Express; our first year there. I couldn't find an empty carriage to sit in, but then you invited me in. I was so glad, thinking that hey, I've perhaps already found a friend. And who knows? He might even be allocated to the same House as I would be. I know it sounds naïve, but yes, those were my exact thoughts at that point of time.
When the Sorting Ceremony was over and we were both sorted into Slytherin, I was over the moon. Following then, we spent a lot of time together – during lunch, after school, studies, even projects. It was fun talking to you. You had this... charm; this appeal that no one else had, and time passed so quickly whenever I shared a conversation with you.
During this time, I could only embrace this thought: I never want to leave your side.
Soon enough, I found myself irrevocably in love with you, and I spent most of my school hours thinking about you.
I was innocent, stupid, but I chose to follow you anyway even after knowing what you intended to dabble in – the Dark Arts. To the others, you were perfect. You had good grades. You were charismatic. You were handsome. You were everything a girl would want.
However, beneath that shell was something I never expected. A darker side of you. You were manipulative, even to those who willingly followed you and were loyal to the end. You spared, not even a second thought, to sacrifice them if needed. You even used Hagrid as a scapegoat when you opened the Chamber of Secrets, getting him expelled because you knew that you could easily influence others to see what you insist on was the truth.
But all those things never changed my feelings for you. Even the most sinister side of you made you who you were, and I didn't want that to change.
I love you... with every fiber of my being."
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he stared at the last line much longer than he had intended to, much longer than he had wanted to. It was never a lie when he whispered all those words of love; all the sweet, romantic expressions.
However, all that was in the past. He had grown older, wiser... and emotionless.
To him, the declaration of love was supposed to be a ploy – an act to gain your trust; but he never thought that it would go so well. And yet somewhere in between, he had fallen in love with you too.
Truth to be told, he was ashamed of that fact.
Frowning, he turned towards the crackling, burning fire and threw the letter in without second thoughts, only to find another parchment hidden in the envelope as he emptied it.
Just how many did you wrote?
He heaved a sigh before making himself comfortable on the grand couch, opening the second slip of paper that was addressed to him.
"Dear Tom,
Do you remember the time when you first told me you loved me? I was elated. I couldn't sleep for days. My head was clouded by thoughts; so many thoughts about you, and I never once accepted the fact that I was merely a tool for you – a servant – despite all the warning signs. During then, I really believed that you loved me, with all your heart and soul. You could say that I was delusional, but I didn't mind; because I was happy to serve you, to be around you.
I supported you all the way to the end, even when you started killing; even when you started wanting to make Horcruxes. It started with your diary when we were in our fifth year, I still remembered.
It was from your younger days, detailing every aspects of your mundane life that I strangely enjoyed reading and listening to, even if some of them weren't happy.
After that, you told me that you wanted several other Horcruxes, to makes sure that you're untouchable. I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about that plan, but I supported you anyway.
I wanted you to be happy.
The ring that you obtained from killing your father became something that you wore on a daily basis, and I have to admit that it got me a little jealous; which is probably the reason why I requested to be your third Horcrux.
I know you wanted to have something valuable, something noteworthy as your Horcrux, and when I heard you agreeing to that, it made me really delighted. Perhaps I was nothing but an experiment, to see if it was possible to infuse your soul into another person, but it was a pleasant thought for me anyway; to be potentially deemed as an important person... or tool, if you will."
The second letter had stopped here, but he could tell that you were getting more emotional by the unstable handwriting and blotches of smudged ink.
Were those tears? Have you been crying when you wrote this?
He shrugged, not wanting to know as he fed the flames another piece of paper. Ignorance had always been bliss anyway. As he opened the last and final letter, he knew and expected this to be a heartrending letter – pitiful, agonizing, tragic.
And he was right.
"Dear Tom,
By the time you've read this, you probably would've known that my feelings for you all this while weren't just any lies. In fact, they were all genuine, heartfelt emotions.
I really love you, I really do.
And I still do... so very much.
But there is one last thing I hope for you to do; one last thing that I'd like to tell you.
I wish that you could, and will feel remorse one day. I want you to go back to who you were. Tom Riddle. Tom Marvolo Riddle.
The charming, handsome guy that I once knew, the guy who could captivate anyone he wishes to. Even if you were already tainted then, at least you were whole. You didn't destroy your soul. You didn't destroy yourself.
By now you should've realized that I know. I know that not all the things you said to me were true. I know that you never really felt the same way like I did towards you. But all these do not matter, because at the very least I had your attention, even if it was for a short time.
Tom... I want to remember you as the boy whom I loved spending time with, the boy whom I loved with all my heart and soul. And even if you wish to taint yourself further, I won't stop you. I'll still support you in my heart.
But I at least want to keep the most precious memory of you intact... the most perfect you that I could've ever seen and be with.
So please, don't look for me. You wouldn't be able to find me, because I won't be here anymore. Not alive, anyway.
Tom, thank you, and goodbye. I love you."