For the Greater Good

Spring 1942

It was because Walburga had insisted on taking a shortcut through an alleyway that she and Tom found themselves in the situation they were in. Donna Abbott had warded the area so that no one could leave the alleyway, trapping Walburga and Tom once they entered. Then Donna disarmed the two students, placing the wands inside a pocket in her cloak, and grabbed hold of Walburga. Tom's chocolate was ruined during the scuffle.

"You're the one who's supposed to vanquish my lord?" Donna sneered as she looked Tom up and down. "You may be pretty, but from what I hear, you're a mudblood."

"That is, indeed, the rumor." Tom replied, annoyed.

Donna looked down at the young witch she was holding. "You're a Black, aren't you? You're consorting with mudbloods now? Disgraceful."

"He's not a mudblood," Walburga muttered.

"What? You prefer that I call him a 'muggleborn'?" Donna mocked.

"I mean that there's no way he's a mudblood."

"Oh? Can he prove it?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Why would I bother to do that? It won't make you less inclined to kill me."

Donna smirked. "You're right about that."

From the moment Tom and Walburga found themselves trapped in the alleyway, Tom had been thinking about how to handle the situation, and he grit his teeth as he realized he'd have to kill the woman. She clearly thought that he was defenseless without his wand, and Walburga definitely was. Luckily for him and unluckily for the woman, he'd been learning and practicing dark magic in the Room of Requirement for quite some time at this point along with wandless and nonverbal magic, which he was naturally gifted at. In short, he didn't need a wand to kill this follower of Grindelwald's.

With false nonchalance, Tom spoke again but directed his questions to his schoolmate. "Walburga, aurors have been given permission to use Unforgivables in the event they encounter Donna Abbott, yes?"

"Yes."

"What about the general public?"

Walburga frowned. "Not that I'm aware."

Donna laughed. "You're what, 14? You don't even have a wand. Do you plan to cast an Unforgivable wandlessly? Have you ever even cast one before? You really think you'd manage to do that and catch me by surprise?"

Tom didn't answer but continued his prior train of thought. "Do you think that perhaps the reason why only aurors have been given permission is because of the risk of everyday witches and wizards accidentally killing innocents?"

"That would make sense," Walburga replied hesitantly.

"And what punishment do you think a regular witch or wizard would face if they did happen to cast an Unforgivable or other sort of dark magic on Ms. Abbott, particularly if it did result in her death?"

"I'm not sure."

"If I were to do such magic, would you back up my claim that I did it to save our lives?"

Walburga froze momentarily before slowly nodding.

Donna scowled. "Now you're just annoying me." She started to move her arm in the movement for a curse, only to find herself unable to complete the wand movement. "What?" She tried to move her arm again but found herself unable to. "How?" She stared at Tom with obvious shock written on her face.

"I think I've just answered your questions," Tom replied.

Wandlessly and nonverbally, Tom cast Imperio on Donna to make her let go of Walburga and take down the wards, and once she finished doing so, he walked right up to her and cast a dark curse that suffocated her while staring directly into her eyes. Her final thoughts prior to dying had been easy to read due to her panic, and he'd seen the exact moment she realized what a horrible decision she'd made in seeking him out.

The moment Donna had let Walburga go, Walburga had found herself staring at Tom with her mouth wide open. It was absolutely shocking what he was capable of, and so was the ease with which he cast the dark spells. She had known he was brilliant, but she hadn't had any idea just how incredibly powerful or dangerous he was.

The moment Donna's body hit the ground, Walburga felt the air grow extra chilly, and a new fear hit her, for dementors had arrived. Tom picked up their wands from inside Donna's cloak and tossed Walburga's over to her. She caught her wand and shouted the incantation for the Patronus charm, but nothing came out of her wand. She began to panic, and it made it all the more difficult to think of a happy memory. Even with a happy memory she didn't have much experience with casting the spell, and it was a spell even many adults struggled with. How was she going to keep the dementors at bay?

The answer was that she wasn't going to keep the dementors at bay. As Tom fought off several dementors that had come towards them, two dementors were sucking the happiness out of Walburga. Tom sent his patronus at those dementors, causing them to flee. Nevertheless, Walburga fell to the ground unconscious.

Moments later, a team of aurors arrived on the scene. They'd been tipped off that Donna Abbott had appeared in the area and headed for Hogsmeade as quickly as they could. They got there just as the dementors had fled.

When Tom saw the aurors, he began to explain what had happened. The aurors were thoroughly shocked and doubtful about the validity of his story, and they informed him that they'd be questioning the other student when she woke up. In the meantime, a couple of aurors escorted him back to the castle while levitating Walburga as a couple of other aurors handled the dead body of Donna Abbott. Tom's destroyed chocolate was left in the snow.

Walburga woke up a few hours later in the hospital wing. An auror who was seated near her bed began to ask her questions once he noticed she was awake. She made sure to put plenty of focus on how much her and Tom's lives were at risk and the sheer necessity of Tom's drastic actions against the dark witch. She did not feel it necessary to tell him about how Tom discussed it with her beforehand. Satisfied with the answers he'd received, the auror left shortly after.

Once the auror left, Alphard rushed over to his sister with concern evident in his eyes. She told him the whole truth about what happened in hushed whispers in order to be sure that she wasn't overheard.

"Where's Tom?" Walburga then asked. "I'm surprised he isn't here."

Alphard shook his head. "He was here briefly, but he was unharmed, so they didn't let him stay. I think," Alphard hesitated, "I think they wanted to keep him away from you. I think they wanted to be sure that he didn't influence what you told the aurors."

Walburga nodded. Luckily for Tom, he had more or less discussed his actions and reasoning with Walburga in advance. She likely would've told a similar account even if he hadn't, however. Their lives were in danger, and Donna Abbott had, in fact, planned to kill them. And Tom had saved her from the dementors too; she was certain of it. She'd seen him cast a patronus in the form of a doe of all things. "Do you know why he has a doe patronus?"

Alphard smiled softly. "Isn't it obvious? He has a fierce desire to protect his loved ones. Haven't you noticed how dementors don't affect him? He only really learned to cast the Patronus charm in order to protect me."

Walburga felt conflicted. Tom obviously cared deeply about Alphard and made him happy and wanted to protect him and those connected to him at any cost. She was afraid of what he was capable of now that she had seen him use his abilities, however. "Did you know that Tom was capable of doing what he did?"

"Which part?"

"All of it!" Walburga hissed. "The ability to cast spells nonverbally and wandlessly. The knowledge of the dark spells he cast. The ability to cast said spells period, let alone nonverbally and wandlessly."

"Oh. Yes, actually."

"How?"

"I've been with him when he's practiced."

Walburga felt sick. "You let him practice on you?"

"No. He doesn't practice the spells on me. He'd never do that." It wasn't a completely honest answer, but Alphard felt his sister didn't need to know that. How else would Tom have been able to practice the Imperius curse?

"So you just watch? How are you fine with that?"

"Well, he helps me learn after he masters a new spell."

"So you can do all of that too?"

"No. I can't get the nonverbal or wandless spellcasting down. I can only do the spells the normal way."

"And you aren't concerned he wants to know such dark magic?"

"No. I've encouraged it actually. I've brought over books from the family library before."

"Why?"

"Because I want him to live, and his life is in danger. I don't want him to harm anyone, but I do want him to be able to defend himself. Today was a perfect example of that. If he couldn't do what he did, you and he would likely be dead right now."

"I'm worried, Alphard. He killed her so easily. He used such dark magic with complete ease. What if he goes bad?"

"That won't happen," Alphard stated resolutely. "You don't get it, and I don't know how to make you understand. Can we just drop this? Tom isn't going to hurt me or go around hurting others. He just isn't."

Walburga nodded. She was still worried, but she knew arguing with her brother right then wouldn't change anything.

Meanwhile, Tom sat in the headmaster's office, waiting for the aurors to decide if they needed to arrest him and have him tried in court. He'd been placed in there right after the matron in the hospital wing declared him to be unharmed. He was not happy about this development. He'd killed Donna Abbott to protect Walburga and himself. It wasn't some sort of mindless act of violence committed on an innocent person. If he got thrown in Azkaban because of this, there would be hell to pay. He absolutely would seek vengence once freed.

The door of the headmaster's office opened, and an auror stepped inside. "I have good news for you. Your classmate's story matches yours, and after discussing things, the team's determined there's no need to arrest you. You acted to protect your friend and yourself. Your methods were simply unusual."

Tom relaxed greatly at these words.

The auror continued. "I do have some advice for you, kid. It's clear you are powerful and pick up new spells easily. Be careful with what you allow people to see or hear. It's bad enough that the news of that prophesy and your connection to it got leaked. If Grindelwald or his followers become aware of just how much of a threat you are to them, they'll be harder for you to fight. We'll do the best we can for the news to not be too detailed about what happened today, but unfortunately, it's inevitable that this will be front-page news."

Tom grimaced. "I understand, sir, and thank you for the advice."

"I'm not sure if you've considered it, but if you're interested, you seem like someone who could be a good auror someday. You definitely have talent and potential. I hope you keep that in mind while going through your schooling."

Tom nodded. He hadn't set his sights on any particular career yet. It wasn't the worst suggestion. It was a career that could definitely maintain his interest. The main issue was that his life would be on the line, and he wasn't so sure he wanted such a dangerous job. While Tom felt no remorse for killing Donna Abbott, the fact that he had killed someone made him feel queasy. As an auror, he'd also have to be comfortable with the idea of killing people at times and probably a lot with all that was going on with Grindelwald.

A few weeks passed, and things seemed to go back to normal. Neither Tom nor Alphard noticed Walburga darting nervous glances their way on a regular basis as they were caught up in their own little world.

Then Alphard received a letter from his parents that changed everything for them.

The letter stated that they knew of Alphard's romantic relationship with Tom and that he had to ceast interacting with Tom immediately. They believed him to be a muggleborn and also felt association with him was too risky because Grindelwald and his followers were targetting him.

Alphard sought out his sister and walked to a secluded area with her later that day in order to discuss the letter.

"Did you tell them?" Alphard accused.

"No," Walburga lied. "I didn't have to."

Alphard frowned. "Well, I'm not going to end my relationship with him. That's for sure. They can forget about that happening."

"Please be reasonable. You knew when you decided to associate with him that mother and father wouldn't approve. You must have realized they'd find out about you two to some extent eventually. It was only a matter of time."

"But you've said it yourself: There's no way he's a muggleborn."

"Just because I know it doesn't mean that either of us can prove it. Besides, even if he is a halfblood, there's no way they'd allow that either."

Alphard scowled. "Why does it matter? It's not like I'm ever going to marry a witch or have any children of my own. I should be able to marry a muggle for all it matters."

Walburga gasped. "Don't even joke about that."

"I'm not saying that I plan to, but why would it matter if I did? It wouldn't affect the family bloodline at all. Anything I have when I die will end up being inherited by your children even."

"It's the principle of it."

"And what if I don't stop seeing Tom, hmm? What will happen then?"

"You'll probably get disowned, get burned off the family tapestry, and end up homeless. What will you do?"

"I can figure something out."

Walburga shook her head. "Please. You're only 13. Don't throw your life away for a relationship that would likely end soon anyway."

"Easy for you to say. You already know you'll have someone."

"Would you prefer to be engaged to someone without any choice in the matter? No. You wouldn't. You'd end up married to a witch just for the purpose of continuing the bloodline while keeping it pure."

Alphard winced. When Walburga put it that way, his situation was much better. He at least had the freedom to pick who he dated and when or if he married, even if the options were limited. "How am I supposed to explain to him that I have to end things simply because of what might happen?"

"You're a Slytherin. Self-preservation comes first. He's bright. He'll understand."

When Alphard did finally gather enough courage to speak to Tom about the situation, Tom did understand. He was disappointed, but he understood, and he agreed with Walburga. Alphard needed his parents' support, and the two of them were not guaranteed to have a future, no matter how well they had been getting along.

Tom was most upset about losing Alphard's friendship, but again, he understood why Alphard couldn't be seen interacting with him. He was believed to be a muggleborn wizard, and proving otherwise would put a bigger target on his back. While Alphard suggested that they continue the friendship at least in secret, Tom knew that that was a bad idea. Realistically, they'd slip up and fall into the pattern they did as a couple.

Even though Alphard was the one who began the discussion about the dissolution of their relationship, it really came down to Tom to end the relationship. Neither of them was happy about having to cut ties with the other, but it was what had to be done.

Walburga felt somewhat guilty the weeks following Alphard's breakup with Tom as she saw how unhappy both of them were, but she felt justified in the decision she had made in informing her parents. Tom was a threat whether directly or indirectly. He had the potential to kill or be killed quite easily. He was powerful and a target. Anyone who associated with him would be at risk. She couldn't allow her younger brother to be put in harm's way. Although Tom never said he knew Walburga told her parents about him and her brother, she knew he knew somehow and understood why she did it.

As the school year came to an end, it was clear to Tom that this year had only been the start of what was to come. Dark witches and wizards would be coming after him in the future. He needed to look into ways of avoiding death at their hands. That meant looking into methods of obtaining immortality.