Previously on 'The Redemption'... Cho confronts Tom, and Tom reacts badly. Very badly.
Chapter 21 - Justification
Cho woke up to a pounding in her head, followed by a loud crash to the floor somewhere close to where she was resting. Blearily opening her eyes against the harsh sunlight filtering in through the large windows, she found that she had accidentally set a vase of bright yellow flowers crashing to the floor only moments ago.
"Cho! You're awake!"
A girl flung herself at Cho, choking her in a bone crushing hug. Cho weakly raised her arms to wrap gingerly around her friend, smiling faintly at her enthusiasm.
"Hello Arlene, why are you back so soon?"
Arlene retracted her arms and sat down on the side of the bed, the frame creaking slightly from the increased weight "You've been out for almost two weeks Cho, everyone is back by now"
Cho frowned, a thought suddenly occurring to her "What happened to me anyway? The last thing I remember was Christmas morning…"
Arlene shrugged though her green eyes flashed with unease for a split second, peeling the wrapper off a chocolate frog that she nabbed off Cho's gift laden bedside. "No idea. The Bloody Baron found you passed out just outside the bathrooms. The nurse took it from there"
Slowly, the memories seemed to come back to her though they seemed fuzzy like the static on a muggle television. She remembered that she wanted to go the bathroom before meeting Tom for lunch and that she had fallen and hit her head on the stone. The fuzziness was certainly explained by head trauma but why did she feel as though something was missing? There were great gaping holes forming the more she tried to remember things which couldn't be healthy. Perhaps she needed to ask the nurse about this.
Concerned by her friend's extended silence, Arlene gently laid the back of her hand against Cho's forehead "Should I call the nurse over? You seem a bit out of it"
Cho smiled faintly, wanting to be alone with her muddled thoughts "I'm just a little bit tired that's all"
Taking the hint, Arlene hopped off her bed with a smile "With two weeks of sleep you'd think you would be sick of sleeping. But very well, I've got to get to Charms anyway. I'll deliver your homework after dinner. Rest up!"
Cho thanked Arlene, watching as she repaired the vase on the floor with a swift "Reparo!" before skipping merrily out of the hospital wing. Not a moment later, the motherly hospital matron bustled in through the semi closed curtain, pushing Cho back into the pillows before she had a chance to speak.
"Don't exert yourself too much dear" she admonished, her hands fluttering uselessly over the blankets "How do you feel?"
"Like I've been run over by a carriage" remarked Cho drily, rubbing her temples. The matron clucked like a mother hen, opening up a cabinet with a flick of her wand before extracting a small vial of pearly pale pink liquid.
She uncorked the vial and handed it to Cho "To help with the headaches. I'm sorry that's all I can do dear. I have no idea what happened to you when you were brought here but your health seems to be in perfect condition save for the slight bruising on your wrist"
Cho downed the liquid, feeling better but still oddly confused "Thank you Madam Reed but I wanted to ask… is it possible that with my fall, I'm experiencing memory loss?"
Madam Reed nodded, taking the empty vial from her patient's weak grasp "It is possible but your recollections should come back eventually" she said quickly, scribbling something on her clipboard "Please have some rest Miss Chang. I'll be back for a check-up later"
With a flurry, the matron disappeared from behind the curtain, her silhouette appearing to check on another patient. Feeling drowsy, Cho sunk back into her pillows and promptly fell asleep, temporarily forgetting about the odd feeling of disconnect inside her own mind.
He had been avoiding the Hospital Wing for the past 2 weeks in fear of what he might find. Was his work successful? And if it wasn't, what would happen when she woke up? Tampering with one's memories was much more difficult than looking into one's mind. It involved cutting out specific segments he did not want her to remember, things that linked him to the monster she saw in her minds eye. He erased those traces, filling it with fabricated scenarios that seemed plausible based on her other memories. It was much more challenging than he had expected, and more so considering he had just realised how little he really knew about her apart from the little truths she had told him.
She was his first experiment in altering memories and while Tom was confident in his abilities, it was extremely risky to do so. She could grow insane from the conflicting memories – the thoughts so confusing she wouldn't be able to trust them anymore. Or it was even possible that she would never wake from the hospital bed, unable to recover from the potential mess he had made.
He wouldn't have done it if there was another choice, but he was desperate enough to try.
"Hey! Riddle!"
Tom turned around, his face blank and unyielding as he saw it was the Pollux boy "Yes?"
Henry didn't seem bothered by the Head boy's cold demeanour or lack of greeting. "Cho's awake. I thought you might want to see her"
Tom saw how difficult it was for him to deliver the message, his bright eyes showing vast amounts of dislike. Although Tom had no intention no changing this mutual abhorrence they shared, he felt immensely relieved that Cho was at least conscious.
He counted to three inside his mind to make sure his words were steady "How is she?"
Henry gave him a slightly perplexed look "She has a headache but otherwise she's fine"
Feeling uncharacteristically awkward, Tom gave Henry a curt nod and swiftly walked towards the direction of the Hospital Wing for his moment of truth.
Tom's eyes grazed over her bedside table, prolonging the moment of when he would have to speak to her. There were 'Get Well' cards from her quidditch team mates as well as candy from Arlene. He spotted a large fluffy teddy bear from Henry whose black beady eyes stared mockingly at Tom as though reinforcing the fact of how silly he was acting.
Steeling himself, Tom batted aside the flimsy curtain and saw Cho for the first time in almost two weeks.
Cho turned around at the abrupt noise, her eyes immediately lighting up as she saw who it was.
Tom forced himself closer, feeling discomfort knot inside his chest at the undeserved trust shining in her eyes.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice sounding strangled though Cho still found the note of concern shining through.
Cho gave him a serene smile, indicating the space on her bed which he sank into gracefully "Mostly fine. Just a little bit of a headache that's all"
Tom silently exhaled a sigh of relief. This was going much better than he anticipated. "Do you remember what happened before your accident?"
A slightly hazy look crossed her features as she frowned "I think I slipped on the stone… There must have been a water leakage. Yes, that's it"
She nodded to herself, as though reaffirming her thoughts while Tom looked on. She looked mostly fine, a little confused obviously but fine for the most part. As long as no one prodded into her past memories too much, his legilmency should hold. While he could control what others said to a certain extent, it was far more difficult to control her own ponderings. If she looked too much into it, everything could unravel and the truth would be set free.
"Tom are you quite alright?"
Startled, Tom forced himself to look at her innocent, youthful face and those dark eyes that looked at him with a hint of amusement. She was still the same Cho as before, but unburdened now by her past memories. She looked free, a playfulness sparkling in her eyes that he had rarely seen before. Perhaps what he did was better for her too. She no longer had to feel the pain of loss and she never would again, not with him by her side. He would never leave her, not like all those countless others did in her previous lonely and desolate life. He would be her constant, her lifeline that she would hold onto. In return, she would be his. Her goodness shone through him and Tom would be lying if he didn't feel the effects.
Feeling the tension fade in his limbs, Tom grasped Cho's smaller hand in his and squeezed gently which brought a flush to her pale cheeks. With question in her eyes at his uncharacteristic display of affection, Cho was about to speak when she was left speechless by a pair of warm lips that descended on hers. His long pale fingers entwined themselves in her thick tresses, tugging gently as he angled her head slightly upwards.
It was different from their previous kisses, this one burning with desperation and longing that she would have never expected from someone as naturally cold and composed as Tom Riddle. But her shock was quickly overridden when his mouth continued to slant over hers, his hands moving to cradle her face with a softness that betrayed the heat between them. Finally they pulled away from one another, regaining breath as Cho tried to hide the silly grin on her face. Tom on the other hand looked borderline embarrassed though still smug. His hair was mussed up from where she had inadvertently run her hands, while his alabaster skin bloomed pink. She watched, astounded and wide eyed as his thin lips quirked upwards into a genuine smile that left her feeling a little out of sorts.
"Yes, I'm alright"
And it was true, because in that moment the feel of her petal soft lips was all the reassurance he needed.
A/N: *resurrects from the dead*. I didn't mean to take a few months to update but I got caught up on a few things! As always, thanks for the reviews and your patience :)
It was a short update today, but what do you think is going to happen? Will his memory alteration work or will she remember? I do love hearing your theories and ideas...
Love,
Decoydream x