Part Two

Chapter Fourteen

A Dark Reunion

Present Day

Alina woke up groggily on a cold stone floor. The cobbles had indented themselves into her pale skin. She could not remember where she was, only that her head was seriously hurting her. Alina squinted her eyes against the magical blue fire flickering in the hearth next to her. The indigo flames were the only sounds to hit her ears in the otherwise still room. She tried to sit up properly but the effort cost her. Blood roared and crashed in her ears and Alina had to physically hold her heavy head up. She groaned and held the palm of one hand against her forehead, waiting and hoping for the dizziness to pass.

Finally, when she felt like she could move again, Alina looked around her surroundings. She knew immediately that she was not in Hogwarts anymore. Everything in the room was cast in shadow, the firelight the only source used to illuminate the nearly bare scene. There were low, ancient looking side tables and cabinets, with eggshell white, stained linen sheets covering them loosely. Dust seemed to have had gathered and layered on the surfaces of nearly everything. There were two huge armchairs nearby that had seen better days. Alina wondered where she had ended up. Nothing in this room felt familiar, but yet, Alina could never be sure and trust her memory for she had none before Hogwarts. All Alina remembered between Hogwarts and here was an agony of endless pain, a sense of being moved around, and finally the sweet release from the pain. Cold hands had held her firmly as the person had taken away her suffering. Alina remembered the smell of mossy earth and the metallic tang of blood. She remembered nearly nothing, except for the presence of a figure keeping her close to him.

As if she had conjured him up, there was suddenly a stirring in the shadows at the corner of the dusty room. A human form emerged, cloaked in black and had pallid, pale skin. It was a man, Alina thought, but his face was horrific, skeletal. His nose had slits like a snake's and his eyes glowed a hot red as he looked down on her on the ground. His gaze was predatory, his walk from the shadows animalistic. Alina sucked in a pained breath as a sharp pain twanged against the snake tattoo engraved into the back of her neck. She held one of her hands there as if she could somehow sooth the irritated skin. Alina stood up shakily, still weak from the mental torture she had experienced only hours before. She swayed as she confronted the man who had abducted her. Alina felt like she was screaming but she had not even taken a breath.

"Nothing to say?" The man's voice was high and chilling. The words seemed to almost hiss out of his mouth. Alina was not sure as to how she could answer him. There were a million things she wanted to say, a thousand questions on the tip of her tongue. What she said was instead honest and simple.

"I've dreamt about you."

Lord Voldemort was not expecting that. He had been looking forward to witnessing her confusion and fear. Even in her memory-loss state, she was sure to recognise him as a dark and powerful wizard. She must have heard tales about him whispered around the castle.

"What have you dreamt, little girl?" His voice slithered down Alina's spine and washed over her, causing her to shudder. Alina gulped but she was strangely not afraid. She knew the figure before her was the revered Lord Voldemort, the most violent and sinister wizard the world had ever seen. He was monstrous and he was a murderer, but Alina could not help but feel a sense of stillness with him. They were at reconciliation finally. Her eyes took in his features curiously; she wanted to move closer to him in order to catalogue all of him in detail.

"I've seen you in many ways in my dreams. In some, you are younger, different. We speak in those ones. In other visions, I've seen you angry; I've seen you torture people. I've seen you kill."

"And how does that make you feel?" Alina was speechless. Lord Voldemort was asking her about her feelings. It seemed almost inconceivable to her. She recovered.

"I feel… confused. Conflicted." The Dark Lord did not say anything but he moved one step closer towards Alina. Her heart rate increased at that one small step in her direction and Alina was sure he could hear it from across the room. "What do you want with me? How is it that I have these insights to your past, into your present?"

"Because it isn't just my past. It's ours." His voice seemed eager, yet still tinged with an edge of violence.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I still don't understand," Alina said imploringly. Voldemort could see the puzzlement on her face and he enjoyed that power he still had over her. He wanted more from her. He wanted her fear, her anger, and her rage. He needed all those sides of Alina. Mere confusion and innocence did not suit her. Voldemort came forward, irrevocably closer to her. Alina held her breath when he was within reach of her, her heart stuttered when he placed one cool, sharp finger-tipped hand around her neck. Alina had a split second fear of him strangling her, but his touch was curiously gentle. The blood in Alina's head roared at his contact and, unbidden, Alina sighed into his caress.

Lord Voldemort observed her reaction intriguingly. She did not have her memories of their past but her body instinctively remembered him. He was pleased but he still needed his true Alina back.

"You will remember." Lord Voldemort hissed at her in Parseltongue. He muttered a short incantation and Alina closed her eyes.

Behind her lids, Alina saw and she remembered.

She saw herself as a young eight-year-old girl arriving at Wool's orphanage. She was shy and scared. Her mama and papa were dead, but she was not quite sure what that meant yet. The other children, who also did not have any parents either, were mean to her. All but one. He kept the bullies at bay. He was her friend. Alina saw a pale lean boy with black hair and green eyes. Tom. Tom Marvolo Riddle. It's nice to meet you, Alina. I think we're different from the others… special. Follow me.

Alina saw Hogwarts for the first time as an eleven-year-old. The castle was magnificent. Tom was still her friend but they were in different houses. Alina's Ravenclaw friends thought Tom was handsome and brilliant but they would not go anywhere near him. He was too bright, too charismatic, too dark. Tom's Slytherin followers adored him and never questioned him, yet they were confused by his preference for Alina. Alina saw herself smile at Tom and place her hand in his as they walked away from the staff and students in the Great Hall.

She saw a teenaged Tom, tall and beautiful at seventeen. She drew him constantly. She lay on the edge of his bed when he read, his lean body stretched out languidly on the sheets. Alina saw herself laugh with him, she saw herself tease him. She saw them kissing and touching. Alina worshipped him. Alina loved him.

Alina saw Tom manipulate. She saw Tom murder. She felt Tom torture.

She remembered an old man and a cold cottage. She saw Tom again when he would visit. Each time his face would change but she knew it was him.

It was all too much, this onslaught of memories. Alina wished for the sweetness of ignorance again. Why had she wanted all these memories back when they only brought a reflection of her bittersweet childhood and pain?

Alina broke away from Lord Voldemort's touch and staggered away from him. She wanted to rage and scream. She wanted to cry. Voldemort watched her as the pain filled her beautiful face.

"You're a monster." Alina hissed at him in Parseltongue as she put even more distance between them. His teeth snapped together at that and he gripped his wand hard. Alina noticed. "Where is my wand? Give me my wand, or I swear I -"

"You will not have your wand. Not until you calm down and can be trusted." Alina knew her anger was taking her away, which was what he would want from her, but she could not help it. Alina was incensed. How dare he do this? He took away her memories. He ruined her life.

Alina suddenly felt very tired. She felt each of the years that had gone by and had been stolen from her. She felt both old and awake for the first time in such a long time.

"You took away my memories! I remember everything now. Everything. You killed your father and your grandparents. You murdered your family. I would do anything to have my family alive and well."

"I am your family!" Voldemort spat at her. Alina gave a sick, sad smile. Finally, she could recognise her Tom at last. She shook her head.

"Is this what you wanted, Tom? You've taken my life away. I had plans. This… this is wrong." Lord Voldemort flashed his eyes and he hissed out a hated breath. His wand came up and he used a spell to slash a cut on Alina's face. The pain was instant and Alina held her hand up to the deep gash in shock. Her eyes slit angrily as tears filled them but did not fall. Her whole body shook.

"You will never use that filthy mudblood name ever again."

His red eyes stared Alina down. Alina looked up at him with blood running down her face. He could tell she was angry; her chest rose up and down, her breathing quickened. She took steps closer so that they were almost face-to-face, even though she had always been so much shorter than him. Voldemort tried to look composed but his anger and uncertainty thickened the air. Alina strained her head closer to his monstrous one. Their mouths were almost touching. Alina could smell his scent, so familiar, yet different than she remembered. She looked into his strange red eyes, slit like a snakes and whispered in Parseltongue, "Tom. Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom." Lord Voldemort's anger was palpable. His hated name hissed in his ancestor's language put him over the edge. He despised her goading and provocation. He used his wand to push her hard onto the floor as he towered over her.

"Crucio."

The curse lasted for hours and by the end both Alina and Voldemort were worn out. Panting heavily, the Dark Lord released his hold on Alina and kneeled over her. His hand reached down under her skirt to feel the evidence of her wetness. Alina could not help but orgasm again at his touch.

"Even after all this time, your body remembers."

Alina closed her eyes and sighed tiredly. "It will always be you." She opened her eyes to find his own but Lord Voldemort had vanished.

Alina was left alone again in the darkness.

Later on that same night she woke up again from her slouch on one of the dusty armchairs to the sight of Lord Voldemort watching her from the shadows. He did not come any closer. The bluebell fire had gone out and the room was quiet and dark.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Alina asked him in Parseltongue. There was a brief moment of silence until Alina heard him move closer to her.

"I hate you, Alina, because you are the only thing in the world that I cannot truly hate." Their faces were almost touching. Alina thought for sure he would press his cool lips down on hers, which would be a contrast to his earlier violence towards her. Lord Voldemort refrained from doing so. Instead, his hand came up to touch her face. The contact was startling, electric. He seemed mystified at his actions, unsure why he was back here again with her. He disappeared again. Alina felt numb.

If I look back I am lost, she thought.

If I look back I am lost.

Thanks for your support everyone! Please leave reviews to let me know what you think :)