This is now the first chapter where they actually out of Hogwarts... this is also the middle of my story, at least the way I have planned.

Therefore, I want to thank everyone who sticks with this story so far, and especially, I want to thank DamonSalvatorelover and Azura Soul Reaver, for reviewing almost every chapter. Thanks guys!

"He defeated him!" I rushed into the room and practically fell into Tom's arms. "He's gone, Tom, he's gone!"

He stared at me with wide eyes and then whispered: "Who?"

"Grindelwald, stupid, he's defeated him!"

"No, no, I mean – I know who was defeated. I want to know who did it."

"What do you think, honey, Dumbledore, of course."

"Dumbledore...," murmured Tom.

I laughed at him. Impossible that he hadn't seen that one coming. "Dumbledore's the greatest wizard of our time, who else could defeat Grindelwald? It's over, Tom, finally over."

Tom sat down on the next chair available. He didn't seem as delighted as anybody else.

"What's up, huh? You look like you're sad."

"What? No, I'm..."

I stared at him. "You don't think that Grindelwald was right, do you? You won't go out there and kill Muggles for the Greater Good, am I right?"

"I won't kill them for the Greater Good. I couldn't care less about the greater good."

I backed off a little. Sometimes he honestly scared me with his talking. Probably because I believed him capable of almost anything.

"His defeat is quite fortunate for me, though."

"Fortunate? Care to enlighten me?"

"We can finally travel to Albania."

"Now?"

"In the next few days. I can't wait."

"We can't travel to Albania now."

"And why is that?"

"Malfoy's marrying in two weeks. I promised to attend. You promised to attend."

"He can be honoured if I come and shouldn't be disappointed if I don't. I have better things to do than to congratulate my followers."

I glared at him. "I, for my part, like to stick with my promises."

"Well, I, for my part, don't."

"You can't force me to accompany you."

He smirked at me and that made me realize that it would be a risky thing not to grant him his wishes. He neither yelled nor threatened me. He was dangerously calm.

"You should think about where your loyalties are."

"You know exactly where my loyalties are," I whispered.

"Prove it. Who cares about Malfoy's wedding? You'll go to Albania with me."

"I still don't get what you want there."

"You don't need to, not yet."

"You won't murder me and bury me in secret, will you?"

"I'll think about it."

I didn't question him any farther, for I knew it was pointless. Instead, I decided to send an owl to Malfoy. To apologize for not-attending his wedding.

"You know, I can't help you search if you don't tell me what we're looking for."

"I don't need you to help me search."

I sighed heavily and tried to pull my cloak tighter around me. It was cold, after all. "Why couldn't I stay in the hotel, then?"

"Because I like your company."

"Wow, Tom, are we paying compliments, now?"

"I'm in a good mood."

"Why?" I groaned. We were in the middle of an Albanian forest. Tom was looking - as it seemed to me - at each and every tree. Looking for holes or something.

"Because I'm close to find what I am looking for."

"Yeah? I hope so, I'm cold."

"Stop complaining."

"Well, I could be in England right now, nice and warm, and attend Malfoy's wedding..."

"And why? To have all these people call you a blood-traitor?"

I scoffed. "I am a pureblood, after all, and I act as if I was proud of that – they'll come around."

He stopped suddenly and turned around to look at me. "You should marry one of them, maybe. Earn yourself a good pureblood name."

I simply laughed at him. "Right. That sounds like me, doesn't it?"

He shrugged, stuck his arm into a hole in the next tree and his face lightened up in triumph. He pulled his arm out again and showed me what he had found.

"What's that?"

He turned a very old, but very precious looking crown in his hands. "It's Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem."

I stared at him. "Impossible!"

"Is it?"

"Generations of wizards have searched for this! You don't just walk into a forest and pull it out of a tree."

"Oh, well, Lord Voldemort does."

I rolled my eyes. "Would Lord Voldemort tell me how he knew that? If the idea didn't just pop up in his mind due to his unlimited wisdom?"

He growled at the sarcasm in my voice. "I asked the previous owner."

"Rowena's dead for..."

"Not Rowena. Her daughter, Helena. Otherwise known as the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw House."

My eyes widened. I had lived with the Grey Lady for seven years and it had never occurred to me that she actually was Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter.

"Brilliant," I murmured.

He smirked. "Naturally."

"Would you mind telling me what you plan to do with it? You want to put it on..."

"I don't need to gain knowledge. I already possess that."

I rolled my eyes at how arrogant he was.

"It's a historical item with immense value – I want to turn it into a horcrux."

I stared at him, incredulous. He couldn't be serious. "So I was right. You really are going to murder me. Now I get it."

"Would you please stop it?"

"I wouldn't be that sarcastic if you hadn't tugged me out of bed at that unearthly hour."

He didn't respond but still looked at the diadem with a hint of joy in his eyes that I had never seen in them. "No, I am not going to murder you. We're going to search for someone else to play that part."

"Look there, that's our man."

I swallowed hard. "Why do you need me here?"

"Because it's necessary that you learn a bit..."

"Learn a bit what?"

His eyes met mine. "A bit about dark arts."

"I'm not going to..."

"Shut it. I'll decide what you're going to do and what not."

I glared at him, but he didn't seem to care. With a small wave of his wand, the man dropped to the floor, bound.

"Why him?" I asked as we approached the man. "The last one was your father and now you're just killing some Albanian peasant?"

"Well, not everybody can be special, right?"

The man stared up at us, his eyes wide with fear. He babbled something which I didn't understand. I guessed he was begging, though.

"What do you intend to do?"

"Muffliato," murmured Tom with another wave of his wand. "I want you to torture him."

"Pardon?"

"I want you to use the Cruciatus-Curse."

I shook my head. "That's an Unforgivable."

"So?" Tom asked. He seemed slightly bored. "Just do it."

"No."

"Yes." He put his hands around my waist from behind. "Do it," he whispered in my ear.

I raised my wand hesitantly. "Please Tom, don't make me..."

"Do it."

I swallowed and whispered: "Crucio!"

The man sucked in a surprised breath, but nothing farther happened.

"No – come on, you can do better. Be convinced."

"Well, I'm not."

He groaned and pulled me even closer. "Try again."

"Crucio!" This time the man shook a little, but it was far from what one expected from the Cruciatus-Curse.

"Listen," muttered Tom, his mouth close to my ear. "You have to want it. That's the thing about the dark arts. You need to want it."

"But I don't..."

"'Course you do. Try again."

I tried to calm down. He would kill him anyway. He would probably torture him anyway. If it was me or him – where was the difference? And if I did it right, it could all end right now. "Crucio!" I said, as convinced as I could manage to.

The man screamed out loud and convulsed on the floor. I involuntarily pressed myself closer to Tom and lifted the curse at once.

"Well done," he whispered and kissed my cheek.

Tears shot in my eyes. "Let me go," I begged. "Please let me go."

He groaned, but let go of me. "Very well. I'll be at the hotel soon."

The last thing I saw before I disapparated was the cruel smirk with which Tom approached the doomed man.

I gasped as he appeared in our room. He was pale as death, red shimmering in his eyes.

"You look terrible."

"Why, thank you," he muttered. He didn't sound like himself at all. His voice was higher and tinier than before.

"You need to lie down. Come on, sweetheart..."

I tried to lead him to a couch, but he refused to move."We have to leave. We're flooing back to England as soon as..."

"As soon as you feel better," I said matter-of-factly. "You need to rest."

"But I cannot... they will..."

"No one will find out," I said softly. "Relax, Tom, lie down."

He gave in and sank on the couch. I sat down next to him. What if he went on with that? If he went through with his plan? I didn't want to imagine what he would look like then... what he would be like then.

"Go packing," he managed to whisper.

"Hardly. We have time, darling."

He shook his head frantically, but I didn't obey. Not this time.

"Relax, Tom. I want you to sleep a little..."

"No," he tried to sit up. "No, I can't... let me..."

I pushed him back on the couch. "I said relax and sleep. You really look horrible."

He sighed heavily, but closed his eyes. I started to softly strike his forearm and after a few minutes, I could feel his breath getting steadier. I guessed he had fallen asleep. I stood up, but he suddenly grabbed my wrists. I gasped and stared at him, his eyes suddenly open again.

"Stay," he whispered and I nodded.

There we go...