The way Tom looked at her seemed to say everything but at the same time, it said nothing, the blank expression he wore as a mask was perfectly in place, unfathomable and horrible.
Ginny slowly crossed the store, folding Tom's coat and placed on the counter in front of him and then put the clock next to it since she didn't have any pockets to put it away. He knew about the watch, but it was also better if thought it was just a simple pocket watch and not something special. "Don't be like that, Tom." She pleaded gently, but Tom did not look at her, he closed the logbook and put it on the shelf behind him
Skirting the counter, Ginny walked toward Tom and hesitated before placing her hand on his shoulder, feeling that the gesture would not be welcome by the way his shoulders tensed when she stopped behind him. "You knew I was not going to stay here forever, and I am sure we will see each other again." She tried to cheer him.
She knew they would see each other again, but not in the best way. Ginny herself, when she returned back to her time, she would never see him again, after all, Tom Riddle was dead; but he would, he would see her through the diary, even it was the Horcrux that would talk to her, charming her with sweet nothings and false promises.
Ginny had no time to react when he suddenly pulled her and pushed her against the shelf, and closed her eyes. She could feel Tom's breath against her face because of how close he was, she could feel his hand slip around her waist and the other hand grasping the wood next to her head, but did not find the courage to stare the back at the blue eyes that glared at her.
Ginny took a trembling breath and opened her eyes and smiled, she let her hands gently rest on his chest, as if he had not been violent. She focused on the beating heart beneath her hands, feeling it calm, under control, reminding her that this beating heart did not belong to a normal man.
"Don't be dramatic, Tom." She said, putting her arms around his neck and placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth, trying to call for a kiss the line of irritation his lips had become. "It's not the end, I like you, I want to see you again." She caressed his face, speaking softly, the words sounding strange to her ears. "I really do." She assured him, but her words did not seem to reach him.
She could feel him boiling beneath the surface.
"Tom?"
Tom blinked slowly and smiled, one of those empty smiles she hated and he finally pressed his lips against hers, making her sigh of relief when she felt him pulling her against him, even though it was not what she wanted that moment.
"Of course, we will see each other again, Ginevra." Tom muttered against her lips. "I will not let you go so easily." He added.
"Oh, Tom..."
"We will think about something." Tom cut her off before she could say anything else, stopping the conversation there, the conversation he did not want to have.
Ginny spent the rest of the afternoon re-arranging the shelf she was working on before Dumbledore arrived, and Tom kept himself busy in the warehouse, reviewing the inventory and moving boxes around, he needed to stay away from her. Tom admitted to himself he had not reacted well to the news that she was leaving, and it had not been a good idea to push her that hard against the bookshelf, fortunately, she had not reacted badly, because if she had had the audacity of pushing him away before he got his temper under control… He sighed.
Later that night, Ginny was cooking, something she refused to do for him since that day he had made his cauldron explode, rarely sharing whatever she cooked whit him, telling him to make his own food each time he tried to taste whatever was smelling good that day, and telling him she was not his maid.
Tom sighed; it seemed that that night was special.
"This is a goodbye dinner, right?" He asked sitting at the table, near the fireplace, with his back to her, focusing on the flames crackling in the fireplace, feeling cold. The warehouse was the coldest area of the store and despite having spent the afternoon walking around, he was still feeling uncomfortable.
"Kind of." Said Ginny tasting the food and adding salt to the pot. "But don't be like that." She said, feeling ridiculous saying those words, it was weird to be trying to comfort him. Merlin, she was not talking to Harry, assuring him that the one-week training with the Holyhead Harpies would pass in the blink of an eye and he would not even notice her absence.
"When are you going?"
"I'm not sure, I suppose when things here are okay for me to go." She said looking over her shoulder, but he was still facing the fireplace. "I think I've to give a few days for you to find someone to replace me, no?"
"We already have someone in mind, to tell the truth, we are settling the contract with him, after all, we still need someone to deal with the international business." Tom admitted with a sigh. "I suppose you can go whenever you want."
"Oh..." That was good, she could just leave whenever she wanted then, but she did not want to imprint in Tom the idea that, in fact, he could be right and associate something to her departure, he already had some strange ideas that were enough to lift problems.
Besides, after what had begun to happen between them, she felt it was important to close the thing, or whatever it was, that they had.
It was a question of delicacy, even if she did not have to do it because he was freaking Lord Voldemort and he did not care for silly things like feelings.
"I would really appreciate if you stayed to go to Hepzibah Smith's party tomorrow. She is counting on two representatives of the store and I really don't want to go alone." Tom kind of cringed at the thought of having to spend the night with the old witch and probably her very old friends with bad perfume.
"Since you asked so nicely, I'll go with you to keep you safe from the wicked witch and hold your hand." Ginny put the food on the plates and sat down. "But only if you promise me that Abraxas will really not be there."
Tom laughed amused. "Thank you for your kind consideration Ginevra, about Abraxas, I know he was invited, but he is probably on his way to France, I doubt that he would ever want to mix with the guests of that party, not even I want; I honestly would rather stay here at the store, but business is business." Tom muttered that last part and started to eat.
"That is not very nice to say."
"You'll see what I'm talking about tomorrow, that party will be full of the Malfoy's party rejects and mudbloods, all eager for attention and status. It will be boring." He assured her with disdain between mouthfuls, not seeing the perplexed look that Ginny was giving him. It was the first time she heard him talk that way and it was weird, she cleared her throat before speaking and changed the subject. She did not want to spoil the more or less immaculate image she had of Tom Riddle, it was enough to see him with Death Eaters.
She would prefer to leave the prejudices associated with Lord Voldemort.
"I don't know what to wear tomorrow, my best dress is completely ruined and full of bad memories." Ginny said trying to sound disappointed.
"You can always go buy a new one tomorrow." Tom suggested and pointed his fork at her. "I think something dark would look good at you, maybe black."
"I don't really like black dresses, went to too many funerals in black dresses to like to use those in parties." Ginny waited for him to say something, but Tom continued to eat. "But buying a new dress may not be a bad idea."
"Of course it's not." Tom agreed.
They ate the rest of the meal in silence and Tom put the dishes in the sink when they finished, then sat down next to Ginny and took the watch she had left next to his coat a few hours ago.
"You left this downstairs." He said, holding the clock by the current between his fingers. Ginny had not forgotten it, she knew he had it, but calling on him to give it back would raise his attention.
They had been living together for so long, he kind of had entrusted his Horcrux to her a few times, confident it would make no harm, and now Ginny didn't want to give him the impression she may be thinking he was keeping it on purpose or was going to steal it.
However, it seemed that her plan had not worked.
Tom remembered that watch, the nervous way she had collected the pieces on the day she saw her for the first time. It should be important to Albus Dumbledore, in person, come deliver it to her.
"Why did Dumbledore had this?" He asked swinging the watch.
Ginny stood up and sighed, then she smiled condescending him, trying to let him know that she was in no mood to his questions and crazy theories about time travellers and such without actually having to say it out aloud. She grabbed the watch, but Tom did not let go of the chain; he simply stared at her, waiting for an explanation.
"Dumbledore is a friend of my family, he knows the importance this watch has to us and offered himself to find someone to fix it." Ginny explained, trying to pull the clock from his grasp again.
"And why is this important?"
"It's an inheritance."
"And you walk around with a value inheritance, falling around and breaking it?" Tom stated pulling the chain towards him.
"The reason is only for me to know, Tom." Ginny leant forward for a moment, a dour expression on her face. "And unless you don't stop with the questions and give me back the watch, I may decide that I would rather spend the New Year eve with my family instead of you."
Tom smiled, "That's really mean, and I thought we were friends." He could keep it, use it to blackmail her, but he chose not to do it. This was not time. "Why are you so manipulative?"
"I'm not manipulative." Ginny argued.
He gave a dry laugh. "So you're a terrible liar."
Ginny hesitated for a moment whether she should argue with him or not, but chose to leave the kitchen and leave Tom in favour of a few minutes of solitude in the attic.
"Do the dishes!" She said from the hallway.
Tom rolled his eyes and turned back to the fire, after a moment, he took a deep breath, massaging the bridge of the nose. What should he do? Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, he dribbled past the flames that crackled in front of him, eating the wood the same way that everything that involved Ginny was eating him on the inside.
Of course, he knew this would happen, she would eventually leave the Borgin & Burkes, but it was not the fact that she would stay there or not that bothered him. He told himself that that witch was irrelevant to him, he was curious, no doubt, but it stayed around there. The fact that she knew him so well, how the magic of the two almost vibrated in the same tone, promising something he could not identify and honestly was not sure he wanted to know what it actually was. All of it retained several hours of his time, ever-present in the back of his mind as background noise that he could not turn off.
He really wanted to know.
But it was the conversation that Dumbledore had had with her that bothered him that day. Ginny had not told him what they had talked when she got back inside, and she was not doing it not, no matter how much he wanted her to, no matter how many times he asked.
Since Dumbledore had first spoken to him, on that grey morning at the orphanage, he decided he had to be careful with that man. Dumbledore was a dangerous wizard, manipulative, who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, using everything in his power to do it, even if he had to wait years.
He could see under the image Dumbledore projected, as he knew that Dumbledore could see a little under his, and so he had made his research.
Tom knew about the close involvement that the wizard had with his childhood friend, now criminal, accused of hate crimes, Grindelwald. He knew about the sympathy that he had originally shown towards his views, and how reticent he had been in relation to confronting Grindelwald when he decided to adopt a tougher stance on the blood purity of the wizardry society.
He was the only wizard powerful enough to stop the wave of murder and torture that Grindelwald was causing, but only when he could no longer endure the pressure of the public opinion that he decided to confront him. Nothing had done it, not the threats by the Minister of Magic, the promises of Dippet of firing him from Hogwarts, arguments with his brother and even some awareness campaigns from his students, led him to take a stand.
It was only when his name began to be dragged through the mud and his life investigate by the papers to search for points that proved that, deep down, he supported his old friend, that he challenged Grindelwald to a duel.
And yet, to great shock of the community, he had not been able to kill him.
He was still confident in his theory that she did not belong to that time, had it been Dumbledore to send her to the past? What had he planned?
Tom was running out of time to solve the mystery, with her departure next week she only had a couple of days to make her talk.
Maybe he could use a potion.
Tom walked downstairs and entered the warehouse, stopping in front of the cluttered potions shelf, the stock that he prided himself on always keeping updated. He moved the bottles, making the glass ring when it knocked against each other when he turned them around to read the labels.
Veritaserum.
He pulled the small blue vial out and slid a finger along label, thoughtful. It was an option, a non-invasive approach; she would never know what was happening until she began to explain how she knew about Lord Voldemort.
He put the vial back in its place, the problem with that option was that the Veritaserum left a trail of the person that took it; if she decided to file a complaint with the Aurors, telling them that she had used that potion on her... the consequences would be… very bothersome.
There was a reason it was the official potion to use on the court.
No, this was not the option.
He started up the stairs to the attic, he really did not have many hypotheses that did not have a violent end for her and unpleasant consequences for him.
What he would not give to simply put her under a curciatus and make her scream until she begged him to stop, vowing to tell him everything she had been hiding from him.
Tom ran his fingers through his hair. That would be really satisfying. The true meaning of freedom. Do whatever he wanted without worrying about the consequences of what he was doing, not having to hide his actions from others.
Ginny was sitting on the couch, reading and did not look at him when he entered the attic, holding the blanket she had taken from the bed closer to herself when he closed the door behind him.
He sighed tired, he really was not in the mood to be ignored, and he hated when she did that, it was as if he was insignificant.
He took the nearest book with him from the desk and lay on the couch against Ginny, letting his head rest on her shoulder.
He read the first lines of the book before closing it and looking at the cover, regretting not having paid attention when picking it up; it was Ginny's book: Pride and Prejudice. Not only it was a Muggle story but the theme of it seemed to be absolutely ridiculous. He closed the book and rested it against his chest, closing his eyes and focusing on the sound of the wind outside and in the movement of Ginny's chest made beneath him while she breathes, expecting her to say something.
"Have you decided what you're going to do tomorrow?" He asked, not letting his annoyance show in his voice. "Ginevra?" He called her when she did not answer.
"I suppose. What are you going to do tomorrow?"
"You're not trying to ask me to go shopping with you, are you now?" Tom asked back and reopened Ginny's book and looked up, trying to see her reaction, pleased to see her smile.
"I'm just asking." She said, amused by the ridiculous idea of going shopping with Lord Voldemort.
"I have some things I need to review." He explained closing the book again.
"But it's the last day of the year, I think you should rest." Ginny put an arm around Tom, resting a hand on his chest, closing her book as well to look at him.
"I think I have rested enough this week." He remarked. "It has been years since I've gone to bed so early."
"Well, it's not like you've been sleeping earlier." Ginny poked a finger on his chest. He was telling the truth, they have been going to bed quite early that week when comparing to the ones before, he would always take a book with him and read some pages while she rested against him doing the day's crosswords from the Daily Prophet, but she always had to finish her puzzle the next morning because he quickly grew boring of his books and preferred to focus on her. "I think it has done you good, you no longer have those awful dark circles under your eyes. You looked like…" Ginny hesitated, suddenly remembering that morning, at Sirius's house, when the twins and she had made fun of his appearance, drawing a moustache and angry eyebrows over the first photo the press had gotten of him after his return. "a snake-thing…"
"A snake? A snake-thing" He frowned and looked forward confused. "What does that even mean? I can't believe you just told me that." He said, sounding dramatically incredulous.
Ginny covered her mouth and laugh, she could not believe she had told him that either. "I'm sorry, anyway, tomorrow you will certainly snatch all of Hephzibah's friends from her and all of them will come and visit you here in the store with fake excuses of business just to see you."
"That's not funny, Ginevra." He protested, actually horrified by the idea of several ugly old witches dressed in overly expensive clothes lining up on his counter, talking loudly among the shelves, probably breaking everything that crossed the hefty and puff skirts of their dresses and leaving a reek of bad perfume behind. "Why are you doing this to me?" He asked, sounding hurt.
"Anything that involves your suffering makes me very happy." She provoked.
"Why are you so cruel?" He grumbled. "I don't treat you like this." He stood up and dropped the book at the desk on his way to the wardrobe.
"Don't be mad!" Ginny asked with a sarcastic smile.
"I'm very hurt by your words, Ginevra, you don't understand." He said very serious before closing the curtains between him and her laughter, to change for the night.
"A snake-thing…" She heard him echo and smiled.
"Where are you going?" Tom asked with a hoarse voice, barely raising his head from the pillow, with narrowed eyes, holding her sweater when she sat.
"I'm going shopping." Ginny explained. "Do you want to come?" She asked looking at him, a smile in the corner of her lips as she looked down at a very sleepy Dark Lord with dishevelled hair and frowning with the effort of thinking.
How many women had seen him like this?
How many had survived that sight?
It probably was a rare privilege to have, if it could be called that.
"Merlin, no!" He mumbled and turned on his side, getting his back to her and pulling the covers over his head.
"Are you sure? It will be fun!" She asked leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Just go away..."
Ginny laughed and stood up with a yawn.
"Be back after lunch." He told her, his voice muffled by the blankets.
"Yes, my lord…" She assured him, but he did not reply to her sarcasm.
Ginny started the day at the Leaky Cauldron with a reinforced breakfast by the high counter and the newspaper of the day, eating the eggs with big bites, ignoring her hair strands that were diving on the bacon fat inside the dish.
She was startled when someone touched her, putting her hair behind the ear. "Abraxas..." She said with venom in her voice and straighten her back, holding the newspaper tightly in her hand. She looked incredulous at him, seeing him lean against the counter beside her.
"How are you? I did not expect to see you here! I was on my way to the house in France when I remembered I needed to buy some things." Malfoy asked and explained with a smile on his handsome face.
"How's your face?" Ginny closed the newspaper; she had just lost her appetite and could not care less about what he was doing there.
Malfoy smirked but did not respond to the provocation. "I'm surprised to see you here alone, Ginny."
"Don't be, I'm on my why out." Ginny moved her legs to the side to get down her stool but Malfoy put his hand on her arm before she was able to move away.
"Look, I am really sorry for what happened at the party." He said, squeezing her arm. "Tom told me that it was not worth trying to talk to you, but I would really like us to keep friends." He said setting a hand on her waist.
This was not her average stupid, this a special kind of stupid. He had a huge nerve at even getting close to her.
But he was past now, she was going home.
"Abraxas." She stood up, stepping away from and stated to put her cloak on. "I am going home."
"So quick to go back to Tom? I really just want to talk with you. Did Tom get you my pearls? Did you like them?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.
"No Abraxas." She sighed. "I mean home home, to my family."
"You are quitting your job with Tom?" He asked confused.
"Yes." Merlin, he was slow. "I'm quitting my job with Tom and I'm going home."
"And what about Tom?" He asked, looking slightly worried. "What had he said?"
"Nothing?" Ginny sighed again. "I'm just leaving the job, not him. I actually can't wait for him to visit me, meet my family."
"Oh…" Abraxas looked at the floor. "So it's serious."
"Of course, what did you expected? I like him quite a bit, he likes me…" Ginny squeezed her eyes at him. "Why? Are you not thinking about inviting me out do you now? After what you did?"
He didn't answer, and she didn't know what could possibly go through his mind.
"You're a disgusting human being, Abraxas, but if it's forgiveness you came looking for, I give it to you Abraxas. I forgive you." Ginny told him, walking around him to the back of the pub, to find her way into Diagon Alley.
She really hoped he would forget about her.
Ginny was sitting in her favourite chair in the Muggle section of the Flourish & Blots, she really loved to be there, it remembered her of her dad. On her way up, she had found a planner for 1947 written by a good-humoured wizard with tips for those travelling in time near the door and had taken it with her.
She had reread the entries at least three times and on the last time she even though some of the suggestions were somewhat valid, but that was her desperate side talking.
She pushed the planner on the shelf in front of her and looked out, watching London's rooftops of that stretched out of sight and the fog that was still unfolding in some of the more
Ginny had considered for the briefest of moments to change his memories of her, since she knew Abraxas Malfoy was not going to have a life as busy as Tom Riddle, and she really didn't want him to recognizing her in some photo and talk about it to Lucius or worse, talk directly with Lord Voldemort which would probably allow him to make the associations that he was not being able to do now.
She was sure that Voldemort would want to talk to her if that happened.
But if she was sitting on that armchair in 1946 alive and well, then she had to be reasonable, he would not remember her, he would not speak to Voldemort.
There was nothing to worry about, and she felt relieved, happy to be able to avoid a confrontation.
She took a book from the shelf and leant back, smelled the new pages and began to read.
She had always planned to stay there during the morning, spend the morning resting and trying not to think about the wizard she had left sleeping in the attic of the Borgin & Burkes.
Definitely not going back to the store after lunch like Tom requested.
He was not that important to tell her how to manage her personal time.
Ginny sighed, her lips a thin line when she looked out the window again, thinking about Malfoy, the way they crossed that morning, she hoped she had done the right thing.
Maybe the Universe would allow her to make the right decisions about Tom as well.
"Ginny!" Burke's voice echoed through the nearly empty floor of the store just before lunch, scaring one or other customer nearby. "We finally found you!"
Ginny looked startled at the wizard with his hands on his hips and looking at her with a board smile on his face, and then behind him, she saw a very cranky Tom Riddle.
"We went to all the clothing stores in this damn street! We were about to give up!" He said even loudly, without any respect for the other clients that started to walk away shaking their heads.
"Yes Ginevra, all the nine stores on this street." Tom clarified, sarcastically, letting her know that he had not found the tour minimally exciting.
"I'm so sorry." Ginny said with a smile, closing the book on her lap.
"Apologising does not feed anyone!" Burke said with an honest laugh. "Borgin wants to buy us lunch at the Leaky Cauldron to celebrate the birth of his kid and a very profitable year for our business."
"Sounds good!" Exclaimed Ginny before getting up from her chair, then she put the book back on its place and walked to the two wizards, adjusting her cloak over her shoulders.
Burke was the first to start walking down the stairs, followed by Tom and then Ginny, but Tom suddenly stopped and she barely managed to stop before crashing into him.
"Caref-" Tom interrupted her by placing a hand behind her knee beneath the hem of her skirt and looking at her with a slight frown.
"I thought you had gone to buy a new dress." He said, implying he did not like that she had told him one thing and done another without telling him.
"And I went, but I did not see anything I liked." She lied with a smile, but he continued to stare at her for a moment before smiling.
"Well then, good luck with looking presentable at my side." He grimed, moving his hand up her leg.
"That ego is going to be your end, Tom." Ginny stepped down and pushed him to the side to pass, then pulled him down by his coat.
Borgin was already waiting for them at the pub, an open bottle of wine almost by half and a quick smile to greet them.
Lunch dragged on in the afternoon and it would have continued until the end of the night if Tom and Ginny did not have to go back to the store and get ready to Madame Hephzibah's party. They were putting their capes on when Borgin pulled Ginny aside.
"My wife sent you this." Borgin handed her a paper bag. "It is for you two," he pointed with his head in Tom's direction, that made gave him a brief look back before talking back to Burke. "But I know how girls like to see these things first."
"Oh..." Ginny whispered, trying not to look offended by his observation. She opened the bag and took the photograph that Mrs Borgin had taken on Christmas Eve when they had returned early from Malfoy's party. "Oh..." She repeated loudly and in surprise, not knowing what to say when she saw the Tom on the photo kiss her. "Mr Borgin..." She began, then she cleared her throat and looked at him, then back at the photo. "I cannot believe you had this framed!" She exclaimed looking at him with a smile that she hoped could pass for something sincere and happy. "Thank you..." She took a deep breath. "So much…"
"You do not like it?" Asked Borgin, sensing her discomfort.
Did she like to have her photo taken with Lord Voldemort while he kissed her and she looked like she had been run over by a bunch of angry goblins? "I love it, and I'm sure Tom will love it as well... it's the perfect gift..." She looked with horror at the photo for the last time before putting it back in the bag. "It's our only photo together so far..." She took the bag to her chest and pressed it hard against her. "It will deserve a special place in our attic."
"By the way, about that, I talked to Burke, and because of the profits that we had this year," He put a hand on Ginny's shoulders. "We decided to give you both a small gift, it's nothing special, but it will be enough for you to rent a good house." He finished with a smile.
Ginny started to cringe. What kind of joke was this?
What would come next? An incentive to pay for her marriage with Lord Voldemort?
She definitely had to go back home as fast as she could.
"What's wrong?" Tom asked the moment he stepped into the kitchen after her. "You had the most peculiar expression..."
"Oh! It's nothing!" Ginny turned to him, placed the bag on the table and taking off her cloak. "Borgin gave me our photo… he had it framed…" She cringed.
Tom looked at her with a smug air and picked up the bag, removing the frame from the inside, lingering to look. "You look horrible…" He said, then sneered at her. "I think I'll put it right here, above the fireplace, so that everyone can see this." He pushed a few candles aside to put the frame on and crossed his arms, amused by the awkward air Ginny had on the photo and the look of surprise on her face when he raised off the ground to kiss her. "No… I think it will look better at the store, on the counter."
"Don't even think about it!" She blurted. "I'm going to burn that thing!" She walked past him and took the frame off the fireplace, but he holds her wrist and pulled her arm above her head, making her lean against him.
"What are you doing?" He asked amused by her sudden panicked look.
"I really don't want that photo." She huffed making him push her arm even higher and smirk, until she was on her tiptoes.
"Well, but you're not the only one in the photo, and I really don't see what's so bad about it that you should burn it."
Ginny paled at his words.
That photo was the only thing that proved that she had been in 1946 with him, and despite the awkward way she looked and the slightly uncomfortable stand he had beside her, the kiss was enough to the simplest mind in the world to point that there probably was something going on between them that should not be happening.
However, he really was not going to let her burn it now.
Ginny rested her forehead against him and mumbled her thoughts. "I really look horrible, and it reminds me of Malfoy."
"What?" He asked surprised. "Nonsense, Ginevra!" He released her arm and hold her chin to make her look at him before caressing her face. "If you don't want to see it fine, put it in the wardrobe in the attic, but don't be dramatic."
She sighed and put the frame back on the paper bag, then she turned around and hit him with it on the arm, startling him. "Fine! Have it your way…" She looked at him with hate and walked out the kitchen.
She could always burn it tomorrow.
Ginny climbed the stairs to the attic with him right behind her and crossed the room to put it on top of the wardrobe.
"Happy?" She asked.
Tom leant against the doorjamb with his hands in his pockets. "Maybe this really was the right decision; it was not an everyday horrible that is saved in that photo, it was worse…"
"Just shut up, Tom!" Ginny retorted turning her back to him and started to open the drawers of her dresser taking off clothes from the inside, trying to find what to wear to the party.
Tom was knotting his tie in the wardrobe mirror, looking at Ginny sitting on the couch putting her shoes on through the reflection. "I know I told you, you could go whenever you wanted, because you have no contract with the store, but I'd like you to stay another week."
"Why?" She asked looking at him, noticing his gaze.
"Just to be sure I will not be alone if we get a new wave of customers on the first day of the year; with completely unpredictable Aurors like we have now, there is a good chance they will do some searches tonight to try to get people out of guard and do some arrests." He closed the door and turned to Ginny, straightening his tie and started to button his vest over it.
"I guess I can... but just a week." She said, pointing a finger at him. She was not staying another week there, she was going to get everything done and be out of there before the middle of the week.
She felt a pang of nervousness going through her, she had to make a decision regarding him.
"It should be enough." He smiled; pleased for her giving him the time he needed to think about what he should do.
"Okay." She stood up. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, let's go." He said putting his coat on and followed her down the stairs.
Tom had made sure they would be late to the party, it was not something he usually did, but he really hoped that Hepzibah Smith, as the host, would be too busy talking to her guests to notice their arrival. However, his plan did not work, Madame Hepzibah saw them, or better, she saw him, at the moment they walked out of the fireplace and made sure to welcome them and sit them at the long dining table by her side.
It forced some changes on the part of the guests who were already occupying those places, which left them quite offended, especially after learning that they were doing the favour for two Borgin & Burkes employees.
Tom was immediately to the right of Hepzibah and Ginny sat down beside him. Soon she began to have some trouble hiding from Tom, how hilarious she found the excessive attention that the old witch was giving him.
Even when Tom had taken her hand and placed on the table, to try to show that he had brought company, Hepzibah had stopped pulling on his arm to call his attention.
One of the advantages of being, very, very old, Ginny guessed, tightening Tom's hand in solidarity.
Dinner dragged almost to midnight, for everything she said, Hepzibah asked twice for Tom's opinion and it was she could see him getting very annoyed each time she did it. He was relieved that he put his arm around Ginny's waist when Hepzibah invited the room to go to the garden, where they could enjoy the firework she prepared to welcome the New Year.
"Where have you been, Ginevra? I thought you came to keep me safe from her." He said near her ear. "But it feels like I came alone..."
"I didn't realise you needed help, you were doing so well..." Ginny said with a laugh. "And her friends? Did you notice? They are going to be the wave of customers you were worried about this afternoon. I hope you are ready."
"I cannot say that you are wrong…" He straightened letting his eyes roam the starry sky. "Sometimes I get customers like her that make me question whether is not the time to find a new job."
"I'm really very sorry about you." Ginny stated with a smile.
"I thought you liked to see me suffer."
"You're right, I'm not sorry at all." Ginny laughed, resting her head on Tom's shoulder as he pulled her closer to him.
The waiters Hepzibah had hired for the party began to walk among the guests with trays of champagne glasses, giving them to the guests.
Suddenly one of them announced the start of the countdown and the environment was suddenly very excited, buzzing with the anticipation.
"Tom ..." Ginny suddenly called him, lowering her glass from her lips. "Isn't today your birthday?" She asked looking at him concerned for having forgotten.
"Yes, it is today." Tom said slightly annoyed that she remembered, he did not expect her to do so, he didn't like to mark that day with anything but the day before the first day of the New Year.
"Well, then congratulations!"
Tom kissed her at the time the firework started to fly, bursting with colours and unusual shapes, contrasting with the stars that served as their background.
"Thanks you." He said as he pulled away, stroking her face and looking at her intensely before kissing her again.
After the show, Hepzibah took her guests back inside to the dining hall, where she had the table removed to open the room for dancing. In the background was a band playing live music, a sound completely antiqued that left the younger guest hesitant about what they should do.
Tom and Ginny sat in the armchairs in front of the fireplace, getting quickly bored with the party. They were not dancing, she still dreaded that and he did not like to do it. This time, Tom had none of his former colleagues to talk and Nott was not there to save Ginny.
From time to time, Madame Hepzibah would walk to them and demand that Tom danced with her, and he would return every time feeling sick and looking like death.
"When do you think it will be appropriate for us to go back to the store?"
Tom looked at the clock above the fireplace. "Another hour and I think we can go without offending anyone."
"Hmm..."
"Did I told you that Malfoy invited us to go to France with him?" Muttered Tom. "He wrote me yesterday to ask if I was sure we really did not want to go." He looked at her as if he had made the biggest sacrifice ever. "But work has priority." He smiled when Ginny glared at him.
"I saw Abraxas this morning." Tom rested his glass on his leg and frowned at her.
"And how did it go?" He asked in a cold voice.
"It went well; we are again, the best friends ever!" Ginny answered with a grin.
"Ginevra, seriously... tell me what happened." Tom leant forward, an expression of contempt on his face. "If he touched you, I'll-" He stopped, not really wanting to tell her what he wanted to do to Malfoy. He drunk the rest of his drink before looking at her again.
"I'm not lying, he wanted to apologise, asked if I accepted the pearls and then he went away when I promised him that I would forgive him. He begged me not to tell you, I kind of got pity on him. He seemed really sorry."
"Ginny, he begged?" Tom looked at her, confused for a moment before leaning over her. "What have you done to him?" He asked.
"Nothing… what do you mean? I'm joking…" Ginny feinted confused by his accusation.
"Abraxas Malfoy does not beg." Tom leant even closer. "What happened? Moreover, what was he doing at the Leaking Cauldron? I thought he was in France..." He said more to himself.
Ginny opened her mouth a few times, but Madame Hepzibah did her the favour of standing in front of her, cutting her from Tom's line of sight.
"Tom!" She said in her shrill voice. "I spent the night looking for you!" She exaggerated as if she had not dragged him to the dance floor less than an hour before and he has not been sitting on that armchair since they came from the garden.
"Madame Hepzibah." Tom said with a forced smile, trying to keep his knees from touching her bright pink dress and leaning back to escape the strong and aggressive perfume that surrounded her. "May I help you?" He asked dryly, but on the most professional way he could, like he did every time she came looking for him.
"There are two objects that I would like to show you, a way to thank you for coming. They are my most valuable assets, and I have been dying to show them to you, but was waiting for the right occasion!"
"Oh!" Said Ginny lurking behind Hepzibah with an incisive smile. "Two objects, Tom!" She said sarcastically. "Do you want to sell Madame?" She asked, drawing the attention of the witch to herself, which looked her up and down, judging her appearance. She glanced at Tom, who had covered his eyes with one hand.
"Sell?" Hepzibah echoed when she finished assessing Ginny dark blue skirt and the white shirt she had left unbuttoned to show the colourful necklace wrapped around her neck. "I do not think so, unless Tom offers me a good price for them." She said turning back to Tom who has since had risen and placed his hands behind his back.
"Certainly, Tom will find an appropriate value to provide for your two objects Madame Hepzibah." Ginny circumvented the witch's hefty dress skirts and put her hand on the curve of Tom's arm. "Are you not, Tom?" She asked him, making him look at her in a murderous way and give her a grim smile, but did not answer her.
"Let us go into the drawing room, I will ask Hokey to bring them to us." Hepzibah said, not noticing any of Ginny's sarcasm, turning on her heel and beginning to walk out to the hall, waving to guests as she passed them by, stopping to compliment the clothing of one or other wherein she noticed something that caught her eye.
"I hate you." Said Tom, nodding at her and closing his arm tightly against his ribs, locking her wrist in-between.
Ginny sighed and pinched him when he began to hurt her.
They quickly crossed the corridors to the drawing room and Hepzibah did not stop talking a second of the way there, describing some of the art pieces they passed by.
Hepzibah sat them by the fire and went back outside to call her old house-elf, claiming she wanted to keep the surprise until the end and did not want them to hear anything before.
The witch quickly went back inside, sitting on the couch, overly close to Tom and proceeded to ignore Ginny, sitting in an ugly armchair in front of them.
Ginny had to cough to hide the laughter that threatened to leave her. She was in 1946 for nearly two months, two long, stressful and strange months living with Tom Riddle, but what she was seeing… A Tom Riddle leaning against a corner of a couch, absolutely uncomfortable for the wanton proximity of a witch he clearly despised but had to respect since she was very old and one of the most profitable customers the Borgin & Burkes had. This was the memory that she would keep from this time, and she vowed to always remember it every time she heard the word Voldemort.
"Master?" Said a hoarse, high-pitched voice behind the couch. "Here is what you asked, Master." The old house-elf, wrapped in a relatively clean pillowcase raised a silver platter from behind the couch.
The witch took an ornamented cup of the platter with her fingertips and held it up in front of her face so that Tom could see it well, it was her favourite and she was sure he would adore it as well, but Tom's eyes were fixed on another object resting on the platter.
Ginny gasped when he raised it, a wave of horror spreading through her as she understood what was happening in front of her.
Pending from Tom's fingers was a golden chain, and in the end was a locket that swung from one side to the other reflecting the light of the flames of the fireplace. Tom stared at it, completely absorbed by its movements; lips parted in surprise before he closed them again and clenched his teeth, pressing a sudden trembling hand against the cushion. Ginny could see the effort he was doing to keep himself under control; she noticed the white knuckles of the hand holding the chain.
More under control, Tom held the locket with the other hand and stroked the 'S', slowly and carefully, as if afraid the locket would disintegrate in his hand with a blunt touch.
"Salazar Slytherin's locket..." He said in a whisper.
"And Helga Hufflepuff's cup!" Added Hepzibah shaking the cup to catch his attention, but he did not seem to hear her.
Ginny began to get nervous as well; she had the feeling that she was witnessing an event that she should not see, and she was not welcomed there.
She tried to remember what Harry had told her about Tom, on this particular event, how many days were? How many days had he taken to return to this house and kill Hepzibah Smith for that locket?
"Madame Hephzibah, where did you found this?" He asked with a smile laying down the locket on his leg and forcing Hepzibah to lower Hufflepuff's cup so that he could be able to look her in the eyes.
"Borgin & Burkes of course!" She announced happily. "Years ago, it was a small fortune! I think your boss, Burke, completely robbed me, but I think I was the one that owns in the end."
Ginny wondered if she could prevent Hephzibah's death and Tom creating the Horcrux in the locket.
"And how did it ended at the Borgin & Burkes? Do you know?" Asked Tom, closing his hand around the medallion, fixing his gaze on Hepzibah, mesmerising her with the depth of his blue eyes, lighted by a barely contained passion that he only revealed when he was achieving something he wanted.
Ginny saw him mutter the Legilimency spell but Hepzibah did not notice, and when she told him in a rushed tone how a pregnant and stupid girl sold that almost priceless relic for ten galleons, Ginny was sure she could do nothing to save Hepzibah.
The simple fact that Hepzibah had the locket was already to put Tom on the line, for her daring to touch something that belonged to his family; he wanted to jump on her right there. However, that last comment marked her sentence.
Despite his thoughts regarding the woman that had given birth to him.
"It certainly was a good deal." He said, reluctantly putting the locket on the platter, but not expressing any other emotion.
"It really was, but he only told me this story after I bought the locket. I was so mad that I did not do my business with your store for decades, it was thanks to you that I started doing it again." Hepzibah went from looking offended by the memories of that purchase for a downright smile when Tom faintly touched her hands to hold Hufflepuff's cup.
"Hmm..." Tom turned the cup in his hand, carefully watching the decoration.
"And you are interested in re-selling these objects to the Borgin & Burkes, is that right?" Asked Tom putting the cup next to the medallion in the platter that the elf still held behind the couch.
"Sell, no, maybe. How much do these objects will be worth now?" Asked Hepzibah squinting.
"I have no way to tell you that right now, I'll have to do some research, compare with similar objects, and study the market in this niche..." Hepzibah sighed bored making him stop talking.
"Will you come have dinner with me and tell me everything you find out about them during it, dear?" She told him with a smile.
"Yes, of course, Madame Hepzibah." Tom stood up, not able to be in the presence of those objects any longer without being able to touch them, and reached out for Ginny to help her raise.
"Let's return to the dance!" Exclaimed Hepzibah rising as well and walking to the door, immediately followed by the elf who opened the door for them. Hepzibah waited for the two in the hall, but Tom stopped by the elf, looking a last time to Slytherin's locket, his pupils dilated, leaving his eyes blacker than blue.
"Tom... are we going?" Ginny called him, patting his arm to get his attention.
"Yes." He said starting to walk but unable to look away from the old elf until he bowed and closed the door on them.
They sat by the fire again, but Tom could not stay still, alternating between sitting on the arm of Ginny's armchair and standing by the fire.
"What's the matter, Tom?" Ginny asked when he sat for the third time on her armchair, refilling his glass from the firewhisky bottle he had asked the waiter to leave on the table next to them.
Seeing him like this made her very anxious, she had never seen him like this.
"Nothing, why?" Asked Tom staring intently at her, slightly biting his lip and smiling.
"It's because of Slytherin's locket isn't it?" Asked Ginny, making him raise an eyebrow. "Is this how all Slytherins react when they come across Slytherin's bling?"
"Slytherin's bling?" Tom repeated not recognising the expression she had used, but shook his head and ignored it, for her relief. "Each of the founders of Hogwarts left behind an object. All of them have some degree of magic, something personal. They are simple objects for the time they lived on but are now famous for having belonged to them.
"Gryffindor left his sword; it has been with Dumbledore for years, but we don't know what it does since it has been missing for centuries and Dumbledore refuses to let the Department of Mysteries study it. Ravenclaw left a diadem, which is still missing, Hufflepuff left a cup and Slytherin left his locket. I honestly did not know this last two were not lost, I had no idea they would be in the possession of this... witch." He said with despise.
"I really must know by how much Borgin sold them to her, without a starting point I have no idea of how much to offer her for them." He looked down and took a deep breath, as if suddenly very tired. "She does not deserve to have." He muttered.
"So, who deserves to have them?" Asked Ginny, but he did not answer, still lost in his thoughts. "Tom?"
He looked at her and smiled, then he slid his fingers across the line of her jaw and then down her neck. "Better families." He said just before leaning in to kiss her. "Let's go home?"
Ginny nodded and stood up, feeling relieved to be out of there.
Tom made sure to say goodbye to Hephzibah although that he just wanted to walk away without telling her nothing. The old witch begged them not to go so early for a moment until another guest pulled her to the dance floor.
When they arrived at the Borgin & Burkes, Tom pulled Ginny to the store, asking her to help him find the objects on the store's records.
"Really? Can't we do that tomorrow?" She asked bored sitting at the counter watching him light a few candles around them with a spell. "The logbooks are not going anywhere."
"Let's just find the locket entry then, or I won't be able to sleep tonight." He pleaded, putting the two volumes belonging to 1926 over the counter and giving her the one regarding the first half of the year. "Burke's handwriting is worse than yours, but I'm sure, it won't take us long to find the entry." He said with a smirk, opening the logbook.
It was Tom who found the entry, sure, he would find it near the end of the year, close to the day he was born, and he had given her the other book on purpose. Tom read the entry several times, memorising the spells Burke had used to check the authenticity of the locket, tracing the name of Merope Gaunt with his thumb, noting the date it had sold.
He marked the page and looked at Ginny, who had closed her book and looked at him, waiting for him to finish.
Ginny was not sure what to do, should she say something? Give him a pat on the shoulder? What?
Tom smiled, it was the frankest smile she had seen him do, she could see that he was completely delighted with the night's events.
"I really appreciated your company and your help, Ginevra." Said Tom approaching her, tracing her leg up until it rested on her hip.
"Tom... what are you thinking?" Asked Ginny, maybe he would tell her his thoughts about Hepzibah, about the locket if he thought she was actually going to sell it or not.
"I'm trying to remember exactly how much I have saved in Gringotts and if it would allow me to buy her the locket."
"And?"
"I don't think I've enough." Tom laughed and hugged her, resting his head against hers.
"If you want you can have my share of the money we will receive to rent our first house." Ginny said sarcastically, cringing, putting his arms around him. "I'm leaving at the end of the week I really think you should have it... a kind of compensation for taking your attic for so long."
"I really don't need your pity, Ginevra." He said drily. "And you did not bother me." He said moving away to find her eyes. "I find it strange how comfortable we were all the time, it really seems like it was not the first time."
Ginny smiled and looked away, taking his eyes from his.
Tom licked his bottom lip, suddenly running out of the patient to deal with her mysteries.
"I have really enjoyed the last few days in particular..." He said, leaning over to kiss her neck, pulling on her hair until it fell around her shoulders.
"Yes, I've imagined you had." Ginny said sarcastically, moving her fringe from her eyes, pushing him back to step down the stool, but Tom did not move back as much as he should. "What is it?" She asked when he put a few strands of her hair behind her hear.
"Nothing." He smirked. "Let's go to bed, I'm tired."
Tom pulled her hand up the stairs, drawing her closer by the waist when they walked down the small hallway, stopping halfway to kiss her and pull her shirt out of her skirt so he could touch the skin of her back.
"Tom…" She called, pulling his hand. "Sleep…"
He smirked at her again and pulled her the rest of the way and up the stairs, then he pushed her against the door, breathing heavily against her hear. He was not going to start the new year feeling like he was being deprived of something that was rightfully his.
Tom grabbed her shirt when his hand trembled for a moment.
If he could not have the locket that night, then he would have her.
He kissed her like he had been holding his desires for months, opened his senses and reached for the call of her essence, that so much looked like a piece of himself calling to him. Tom knew she could feel it as well, he knew it consumed her and held her at that moment.
At first, Ginny did not realize what he was doing, to distracted by his mouth, by his hands, she barely noticed him pulling her skirt up, and found nothing strange on the way he lifted her off the ground and pulled her legs around him, pinning her against the door, like she was weightless.
It was only when she felt the cold of his belt buckle rest against the inside of her thigh she understood what he was doing, what was about to happen.
"Tom, n-" He kissed her to cut off her words, pushing her back harder against the wood and pulling her hips to his.
"My silly little Ginny..." He whispered against her lips, pulling on the last barrier between them, knowing what he wanted. "Just don't." Then he bit her neck, in the same place as before, and a jolt of the familiar energy passed through her at the moment his teeth broke her skin and he entered her.