Albaina
(1947-1957)

January 12, 1949

Henry the rooster, of all mornings, decided to practice his call at the first light of dawn. Although I was usually a much heavier sleeper than Tom, I was startled awake by the rooster's cry. I heard a deep moan and a few snores come over where the couch was and I remembered last night's escapade where we had broken the Selwyn brothers out of Azkaban.

I closed my eyes and tossed and turned to find a comfortable spot, but I could not. I was frustrated that, although feeling very tired, I could not fall back asleep. I didn't feel quiet as exhausted as I had last night, but it was still difficult to get up. I quietly made my way to the front door to begin my outside morning chores. I most definitely did not want to work in the house in case Dorado woke up, and I would have to be alone with him again.

By the time I was finished outside, the sun had risen over the mountain tops and I was hungry for breakfast. Slowly I opened the door, trying not to wake anyone up. However, Dorado was already sitting in the chair at the table watching me enter. Indus was still asleep on the couch, though he was snoring terribly loud. Tom, as well, was asleep, which was surprising since I had never once seen him sleep in. The ordeal last night must have been very tiring for him.

"What's for breakfast love?" Dorado asked in his low, rough voice.

"Eggs and potatoes, if you like," I replied, as calm as possible. I turned away from him and started to gather the food when I heard his chair brush against the floor. I froze slightly, becoming nervous by his actions. Why couldn't he just stay in his seat?

I stood up and saw him walking next to me. We were in front of the sink with the window behind it letting in the bright rays of morning. He looked even worse from last night. "I'm pretty hungry," he said in a low voice that almost sounded amused.

"Are you? Well, like I said I'm making eggs and potatoes. It's all I have for now." I tried to act as casual as possible and not let him know I was a bit afraid of him. I had my wand in my night robe pocket so at least I could protect myself if need be. Prison certainly made him much scarier than how I remembered him at Hogwarts.

He laughed throatily and walked closer to me. He cornered me up to the countertops then said close to my face, "I'm not hungry for food love."

That was enough, I thought. I pulled out my wand and pointed it at his face.

"If you speak like that again to me, I will blow your nose off."

He inched his way closer, laughing darkly. "Don't be like that. I'm only having some fun. 'Sides, I just thought you might have gotten bored of Tom and wanted to be with a real man."

After he finished, a spell shot out of my wand, and we both heard a nasty, fleshy sound come from his face while he let out a pained cry. Dorado's left eye and cheek became covered in blood, and he clutched his face. "Fucking little slut!" he yelled at me.

I meant to shoot at his nose, but I guess my aim really was terrible. He pulled his hands off of his eye and felt around where the wound was. I had cursed off all of the flesh around his eyebrow, so just the red muscle underneath showed. The blood continued to flow freely and Dorado's mouth continued to flow curses at me.

By now, Tom and Indus had both woken up, startled by the incident. Tom almost ran over to me to see what our encounter was about. I briefly explained, "Dorado was not acting like an appropriate guest, so I took things into my own hands." I was confident in myself, and Tom could find the truth if he searched either one of our minds.

Indus, knowing his brother, did not seem upset at me in the slightest. He looked over at Dorado with a face of slight empathy yet a knowing look, as if he had unfortunately predicted a circumstance like this would happen. "Let's have a look at it brother," Indus said calmly, as he tried to pry off his brother's hands to see the wound. When he saw the missing eyebrow he simply made an "hm" sound.

Tom went into the bathroom, probably to get one of our healing potions. Indus tried to cast a few healing spells on the gash, but nothing was working. The entire time, Dorado stared at me with such intensity that I couldn't bear to look back. I most definitely did not want to help him, so I busied myself with making everyone breakfast. After searching and searching for the potatoes, I finally remembered that Tom had left them in the brothers' cells. But I did found out that I had a bit of flour, sugar, goat milk and eggs, so I made us all a batch of hotcakes.

By the time I was done, Tom and Indus had patched up Dorado's wound with some gauze and potion and wiped off most of the blood, but it looked like the skin wasn't going to grow back properly. Internally I was very proud of myself for being able to hurt someone like a Selwyn brother, since they were so notorious. Outwardly I was wearing a mask of indifference – hopefully one to rival Tom's.

I placed a large plate of hotcakes on the table and realized there were only two chairs and four people. After grabbing two cakes, I decided to sit on the couch. Dorado and Indus slowly sat down in the chairs. Tom took a plateful and sat next to me on the couch. Then he began to talk to the brothers in between bites. "Like I said yesterday, it would be best for you to stay out of Britain for a while. Although the Ministry is not currently looking for you, there is a chance that they might be. Also don't write to anyone – family, friends, employers. No one. I will be your new employer. For now, I know of a place in Italy you can reside until either your fake bodies die in Azkaban or the Ministry realizes you have escaped. Once either of those events has happened, I will contact you." A silence fell upon the four of us, and we continued to eat.

After what seemed to be a few minutes, Tom broke the silence with a bark, "Enough!" The brothers and I promptly turned to look at Tom since his voice was startling. Tom continued. "That is quite enough Dorado. I believe you can leave now."

We were all confused by Tom – what had Dorado done that only Tom noticed? But Voldemort's eyes were dark as he glared at older Selwyn brother.

Dorado became livid as he stood up. "Me? I haven't done anything! I'm the one who got their bloody eyebrow cursed off! It's her who should be leaving."

Tom frowned slightly, and spoke in a rather cool tone. "I know what thoughts lie in your head Dorado. Frankly, I wouldn't care what awful things you imagine or envision, except when they happen to include Ms. Smith."

"What's it to you then what I think about her? Is she your girl, is that it? She must be something else in bed then for the great Tom Riddle to be after her. For a while, we thought you swung the other way in Hogwarts since you never seemed keen on the ladies."

Tom had heard enough. He pulled out his wand and muttered, "Crucio."

Dorado was soon on the floor, convulsing with too much pain to even scream. Indus watched in frightened horror as his brother's large body started to spasm. Then a high scream finally burst through his lungs. Indus and I had to cover our ears. Tom had a satisfied smile on his face. As the screaming continued, Tom said in a calm voice, "If you had been wise, you would have changed the way you spoke to me.

Then Tom crouched over Dorado's writing and screaming body, holding the wand upon him that continued to inflict pain. Tom's grin became even larger and looked at Dorado like he was some interesting insect. "You somehow enjoy this, don't you? Otherwise, I have no idea why you would insist on annoying me. But no matter: if you don't enjoy it, I know I certainly do. It's been a while since I've had a good form of entertainment."

Indus was glued to his seat, wanting to shut his eyes yet unable to turn away from the two men. Dorado had deserved it, but neither Indus nor I expect Tom to show such pleasure from it. Dorado's eyes were rolling back, and his scream kept getting louder. He clawed at his own skin, as if it was the thing causing him pain. Tom chuckled, watching him squirm. But it seemed like Tom finally had enough. He flicked his wand at Dorado and the man ceased his screaming. However, his body kept convulsing, trying to regain his strength from the ordeal.

Immediately Indus knelt in front of Tom and said, "Lord Voldemort – I apologize for my brother. Azkaban was hard on him, he didn't mean what he said… or-or thought."

Suddenly a deep chuckle came from Dorado's still body. The sound became louder as the older brother pushed himself slowly off the floor. "Now," he said with a hoarse voice, "that came from someone who deserves the name 'Lord Voldemort'." He continued a deep laughter as he held onto the chair next to him to stand. "I've been cursed a few times, but it's never been anything close to that powerful. You win this time – I'll go."

Tom evilly smiled as he watched Dorado, still laughing, exit the front door. After the door slammed shut, Tom turned back to Indus, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said pleasantly, "I do hope you can find your brother. I like him, but he needs to learn to be more controlled."

Indus, slightly shaken, returned to his seat while Tom took the other empty one. Tom said, "Like I said, I have a safe house for you in Italy. I will put you in contact with an acquaintance who can set you up with income. Orsino Amani is his name. He, like you, comes from a long line of purebloods, so I assume you will get along fine."

Then Tom sighed and made a slightly unhappy face. "It's a shame that you had to be caught Indus. Now I don't have a mole in England anymore."

Indus cleared his throat and said, "Yes, well, I do apologize for that. But you have been getting my letters then?" Tom nodded curtly. "Yes, well, then you know that rumor has gotten around that it was you and her at Macnair's wedding." Hearing those words, I immediately regretted telling Norma who I was. I was so sure that it was her that couldn't keep the secret. But then I thought about Rookwood and how he knew. Either way, it somehow was my fault. Yet Tom's attitude did not change as Indus continued.

"So I know I haven't sent anything in a while, but I do have some news. I meant to tell you this sooner, but, obviously, we were found out and taken –"

"Spit it out," Tom said impatiently.

"Yes, well, Walburga Black wants to invite you to one of her soirées. She does something every goddamned month, but I don't know when the next one is. I'm not much help right now, but she seems very keen on getting to know Lord Voldemort."

Tom nodded understandingly and began to think on Indus's words. After we had all finished eating, Tom stood up and announced he was going to his study to give them the information on the shelter in Italy. I wrapped my night robe tighter to myself and watched Indus fidget around the room awkwardly. After a few minutes he finally turned towards me and said, "I don't blame you for what you did to Dorado. He's not very good with women." I nodded, not knowing what else to say.

Tom burst in a moment later. He told Indus to hold out his left arm, and as soon as he did, Tom pointed his wand at it. "Morsmorde Corpus," Tom said and a black spell jetted from his wand to form the same skull and snake mark that I had on my own right arm.

After the spell was finished, Indus rubbed his arm trying to distract himself from the pain the Dark Mark caused. "If you want to get a hold of me, just press your wand to the Mark. But please only do so in emergencies. Owls work fine otherwise." Tom handed Indus a small piece of parchment.

As Indus was exiting, Tom advised him, "You might want to try looking for your brother out here first. I've put up an Anti-Apparation charm about a mile wide, so he's probably wandering around in the forest over there." The Selwyn brother nodded, gave a slight bow, and went on his way.

Tom turned around and walked towards the bed. He didn't look at me when I walked past him to put the dishes away. I twirled my wand and performed a washing and drying spell on the plates and pan. I took a big sigh and my sleepiness hit me like a train. I could feel my eyelids weighing down heavily. I turned back to Tom, who was also lying on the right side of bed half asleep. I was glad to see him like this, so hopefully we could both rest for a while.

As I lied down on the left side, I heard him mutter tiredly, "No, Eva. We need to get up. We have a lot to do."

"Do we?" I asked as I turned my head towards his. His eyes were closed and his arms were cradling his head. He gave a big yawn that was contagious. While finishing my own yawn, I said, "My lord, can't you see we are both still exhausted. Even though it's only Wednesday, let's just take today off. We can work next Sunday instead."

Tom grunted disagreeably, but he said no more. I stared at his handsome, sleepy face for a minute before I too drifted back to sleep.

My eyes slowly blinked as I woke up feeling rested. I peered out the kitchen window facing north. It was late afternoon and the sun was setting. The pinks and orange hues of the sun were lighting up the trees so beautifully. I quickly looked at Tom to my right, and he was sound asleep. His body was stretched on top of the blanket and he was breathing slowly. Although I didn't mean to, I watched him sleep for quite some time, enjoying being able to do so. Even though all we did was sleep, it was a nice feeling to share your bed with someone. Tom usually woke me up in the mornings so very rarely did I ever see him sleeping. Thinking about it, I was surprised how much he had slept in the past twenty-four hours. Honestly though, unless I could coordinate the sun with our stove-clock, I really didn't know how long we had been sleeping.

I pulled my eyes away from his face to stare back out at the light emitting off the setting sun. The light was making all the colors richer as the sun set lower. It was so peaceful to be able to lie down, watch the sun set, see the breeze move through the trees, and hear the birds sing their evening songs. Tom had been somewhat of a demanding master, and I rarely, if ever, had the time to just lie in bed and look out the window to appreciate our home.

I turned back to Tom as the last rays were making their way through the view outside. His grey eyes surprised me, since I had assumed he was still sleeping. I didn't know how long he had been awake. I blinked and waited for him to say something, but we just kept looking at each other silently. His face was blank, and he was hiding his emotions. Still, we had never just lied in bed and stared at each other. My heart began to beat a little faster, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

Then Tom pushed himself up slightly and balanced his head on right arm while throwing his left arm over me. My heart sped up and my breath caught in my throat. I was sure he could tell. His upper body was almost on top of me. Our faces were so close. His eyes had softened but the rest of his face was still impassive. My chest was tight and my stomach felt like it was doing flips. What did he plan on doing right now? Was he simply messing with my head?

I planned on asking him "What are we doing? However I was only able to say "What-"

Right before I spoke, a flash of determination had appeared on Tom's face. As I spoke, he bent his head closer and kissed me before I could finish my question. I was totally unprepared since Tom had leaned in close like this a couple times before only to pull away at the last moment. My heart raced even further, and I saw flashbacks of when he kissed me so long ago at Hogwarts.

Within seconds, he had rolled over so that his body was on top of me and his hands were placed next to my head for support. Although he didn't place his full weight on me, the pressure he did give was welcomed. He didn't break away from me and kept kissing me, while I eagerly kissed back. I was thrilled to feel him so close to me. Was I still asleep and dreaming about this? I had dreams like this before, but this time it seemed too real.

Tom's body pressed further into mine as he moved his hands behind my back and kissed me more. At first I had closed my eyes, just to be able to appreciate all the sensations. Now with his hands feeling my body, I wanted to look at him and make sure this was indeed Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Examining his beautiful face, I realized that it was. My heart skipped beat seeing what I had craved for so long was coming true. He had his eye closed as well, but with a slight frown creasing between his eyebrows. I wondered why he was taking it so seriously and brought my hand up to caress his face. I had wanted to do that so often for the past year and half and now I finally could! I closed my eyes again relishing his closeness and the feeling of his lips against mine. My hands went through his hair and gently cradled his head. His hands were moving to the front of my body, and it felt like there were faeries flying around in my stomach.

He reached for my night robe and tried his hardest to pull it off. But it was too difficult and uncomfortable since I had to pull my arms out of the sleeves anyways. Tom must have recognized this and sat up, breaking our kiss. He had straddled my hips and was kneeling on top of me. His face looked a mix of frustration and intensity. Tom looked so handsome, even though I had messed up his hair. I couldn't really believe that this was happening. He took a deep breath after sitting up and told me in a deep voice, "Take your clothes off."

I froze slightly, wondering if I heard him right. Where were we going with this? I felt conflicted and also embarrassed since I wasn't sure if I wanted Tom to see me naked to begin with. It's true that I had imagined a lot of things going on between Tom and I – but those were fantasies. It was completely different now, with the real Tom towering above me.

I had to remind myself that it indeed was the real Tom. I told myself that I was not about to lose this opportunity. I had wanted him for too long, and damned everything if I didn't take advantage of it now. I didn't know what had finally allowed Tom to want to be this way with me. At this moment I didn't care – I just wanted to do anything and everything with him.

I pulled myself out from under him to kneel on the bed too. That way I could sit up to take my robe off. Although I wanted this, I still was too nervous to look at him as I pulled my arms out of the sleeves. I threw the robe on the floor, and now I was just in my nightgown. It was long and lilac in color with no sleeves and just straps. It showed off a lot of skin on my shoulders and chest, but I rarely slept without the robe on. Underneath the nightgown I was just wearing underwear and no bra. I was overcome with hesitation, and I sat there immobile.

I stared out the kitchen window and listened to Tom's heavy breathing. The sun had completely gone beyond the horizon and twilight had appeared. He placed his hands on my thighs and slightly gripped me. "Take it all off," he demanded in a low voice that sent shivers down my back and a blush on my face. A heat was rising in me, and I turned back to look at him in the face.

Tom's expression was vaguely familiar, and soon I remembered where I had seen it: in the Chamber of Secrets and a few months ago when he had pinned me against the dresser. It was one of hunger and desire. But unfortunately that reminded me also of the stare Dorado had given me earlier today and last night. I wrapped my arms around my chest, feeling a surge of embarrassment and wondering if this was what I really wanted to do.

"I-I don't know – I'm so nervous," I whispered. Silently he moved his hands up to hold my face. He leaned in to me, and I watched as he kissed me once again. Immediately I closed my eyes and let myself fall into my emotions. Then he moved his lips down my jaw and onto my neck. I was surprised at his actions, and I held back a moan when he had kissed a sensitive spot. My hand automatically found his head, and I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Okay, okay, I will," I said breathily, trying hard to maintain composure. He gave a little chuckle and moved his lips back to mine. I knelt forward to pull my nightgown off and above my hips. From there, I knew I had to take the plunge and there was no going back. But this was what I wanted – what I terribly wanted. Tom could sense my hesitation and broke off our kiss. He stared at my nightgown which was only covering my torso. He reached down and pulled it over my head and arms in one quick motion. Instinctively I covered my chest while a wave of nervousness came over me. I had never been this naked in front of someone – not even Rookwood.

I looked at Tom's face and it was full of desire. He was so perfect looking, and I felt inadequate compared to him. Then I had to remind myself that it was me he desired. He let go of my face and slowly pulled my arms away. I saw him look over my naked body, but I couldn't face him. I was still terribly embarrassed, even though this was what we both wanted. Somehow I was afraid he would stop his advances, either that it was all a trick or he had changed his mind.

But then he pulled my body close to his and buried his head into my neck. His hands stroked my bare back. After a few moments, in a slightly forcible manner, pushed me down into the bed and hovered above me. I stared at his face. It had changed again, which could be due to the dimming light. This time he appeared like a normal man – there was no coldness or betterment in his face like usual. He seemed almost content with a spark of intensity hidden behind his eyes. He simply looked happy, a pure emotion which I had not seen before on Tom Riddle's face.

He kissed me again, but this time ran a hand up my bare stomach. I couldn't contain my giggle because his hands were so cold and the sensation had shocked me. Then he began to kiss me on my neck again while moving his hand up to my breast. As he kissed around my jaw, I suddenly burst out with pleasure. Quickly I bit my lip because I had not expected it, and I blushed with embarrassment. Tom just kept trying to go back and find the spot on my neck that had caused my outburst. After causing me to cry out another two or three times, he pulled off of me. His face had an aroused grin. Both of his hands slid down to my hips and pulled the last of my clothing off.

I knew what was going to happen. There was not much to think about in the moment since we were so consumed in each other. Briefly I wondered if I was being too easy. Was Tom doing this because he wants my body or because he really loves me? However, I really did not care as much as I thought I would. All I wanted was Tom, regardless of what he thought of me.

It was very dark in the house now because we had not lit any candles and there was no more light outside. Tom was kneeling in front of me fidgeting with his pajamas and trying to take them off. After about half a minute's struggle, his pants were off and he spread my legs. He probably couldn't see me blush, but I know I was terribly red. I had had sex before, but we had kept most of our clothes on. This was a whole new experience, and one that I was happy to spend with Tom. Finally he was inside of me, and it was amazing – like just he and I had been transported to some ethereal place. I felt drunk with pleasure, and I gave into my impulses. After a few moments, Tom became too hot and stopped to take his shirt off. He laid his bare chest against mine, and I wrapped my arms around him. His head was next to mine, buried in my neck and shoulder. I began to kiss his neck. Within moments he moved his head to kiss me feverishly and grabbed my hips with his hands. After he gave a few intense shudders, kissing me even harder and squeezing my flesh, he collapsed onto me and rolled over to the empty side of the bed. Although the whole experience felt like it had lasted hours, probably not more than fifteen minutes had gone by.

I looked over to Tom, and he was breathing heavily with is eyes closed and his hands lying on his chest. Quickly he pulled the blankets over himself to be covered. I smiled a little bit, knowing that he was nervous like me. I could feel my face flush and my body radiating. What had happened was indescribable, and I honestly didn't want to stop. But Tom looked exhausted. He had done most of the work so I didn't say anything.

I desperately wanted to cuddle close to him, but I wasn't sure how he would handle it. Although we had been close just moments ago, Tom was very fickle and I didn't want to ruin our mood. Still, I couldn't resist moved a little closer to him on the bed. Tom didn't make any reaction and kept his eyes closed. I almost wondered if he was going to go back to sleep.

I, however, was wide awake. While I studied his face, I was hit by the reality of what had happened. Tom Riddle, who I had loved and adored since I was in Hogwarts, had sex with me. I didn't give it much thought before, but now I wondered what exactly had made Tom change his mind about us. Did this change our relationship now? I mean, of course it would – but did it mean that he would start seeing me as his woman rather than his servant? I sighed. Probably not, but I wouldn't give up hope so quickly. Then I wondered if this was a one-time thing, which Tom would never speak of again. I kept staring at Tom as he was sleeping, or at least appeared to be sleeping. Maybe I dreamed all of this? I began pinching my skin to wake myself up because I desperately wanted to know if it was all my imagination.

The pain told me I was wide awake, which made more nervous than I thought I would be. If what happened between us was real, what do we do now? I wasn't sure, but I knew that I desperately wanted to wrap my arms around him and feel his skin. He seemed like he was sleeping pretty deeply so I decided to risk it. I shifted myself closer to him and slowly laid my left arm across his bare chest. He didn't move, so I put my face close to his. I wanted to kiss him as well, since we had kissed so much earlier and it was such a pleasant feeling. I brought my face close to his, slow enough not to wake him. As I went to put my lips onto his, I saw one of his eyes open to look at me.

Startled, I jumped off him. I snatched whatever covers were near me and pulled them up to my neck as soon as I realized I was completely naked. He opened the other eye and looked back at me amused. Then he said, "I'm hungry."

I huffed - he was always hungry. I went to stand up and tried to take the sheets with me to wrap myself up. However, Tom was holding onto them as well and refused to give it to me. "Just be naked," he laughed. I blushed again and quickly knelt onto the floor to gather up my clothes and to hide myself behind the height of the bed. Thankfully it was still pretty dark in the house so he couldn't see much as I put on my underwear and nightgown. Even though I had just been so vulnerable with him, we had been caught in the throes of passion. Now we were much calmer, and I was afraid that he would analyze me and find out all my imperfections. He did that to everything and everyone, so I knew my body would not be free from his scrutiny. As I stood up fully clothed, he flicked the candles on and the house lit up. It was so strange to see him lying half naked in bed with his hair astray and his eyes full of amusement.

I found my way around the kitchen, and it felt surreal to make us dinner. I had done it for days on end now, but today it was so different. Before I had made dinner for me and my master but now I was making dinner for me and my lover. Last weekend I had harvested some of my winter crop, so I decided to make a soup out of it with some chicken broth I had preserved. I glanced back at Tom every so often. He simply lied there on the bed watching me cook. It seemed like he was contemplating what had gone on between us.

I thought about it too. I felt like I had tried very hard in the past year to just act as friends and nothing more. Now, obviously, I couldn't be that way. Didn't he realize that would happen? But I wasn't sure what he wanted – would he allow me to act lovingly to him as I so dearly wanted to? Or would he be cold with me like usual and then change when he wanted my body? Or we may never even have sex again, which would be very sad indeed. But at least I had the memory in my heart. Whatever the future held, I knew that I cared and loved him more than anyone in my life, and I truly would follow him to the ends of the earth.

As the broth began to boil, he said to me in a serious tone, "Eva, I want you to listen to me. Don't equate what happened between us to mean that I love you because I don't."

I turned around to look at him warmly. "I understand. I really didn't expect you to. But you can't expect me to change my feelings easily either."

I turned back to the soup and pulled it off the stove to serve. As I was setting the table, I heard Tom sit up and get dressed. Although a part of me wanted to watch, I knew he wouldn't like it – just as I had not liked him to watch me earlier. I smiled to myself realizing how silly we were being.

Tom had arrived to sit at the table right when I was taking out my own chair. He had tried to fix his hair, but it was not quite back to normal. He wore his pajamas again. At first I thought it was strange he didn't wear regular clothes, but then I realized it was nighttime. My internal time was so broken because we had slept all day; it felt like it was late morning not early night. Suddenly the stove buzzed to indicate the time was at the top of the hour. It must have been around six o'clock or even seven due to how dark it was outside.

We silently ate our soup, and I couldn't imagine any conversation that wouldn't be awkward. However, the heavy silence was also becoming hard to bear. I would catch a glimpse of Tom every so often to see what his expression was. His face was a mask, like usual. But I remembered I had broken that mask not long ago. I wanted to do it again, but I felt like I was walking a thin line that I couldn't even see.

"Is…the soup okay?" I said slowly, probably dripping with discomfort. I felt like it was the only unloaded question I could ask.

I watched him, waiting for some kind of response. He raised an eyebrow and quickly looked at me. "It's fine," he replied coolly. He went back to looking at the bowl that was almost empty. He swirled his spoon around in it, and then let it clatter into the bowl. He stared at the bowl as he spoke, "It tasted fine."

"Good. I'm glad it was fine." Another intolerable silence passed between us. "I thought maybe I would prepare a chicken tomorrow. We have quite a few now." Tom nodded uninterestedly. He didn't look at me. After trying to find a conversation for us to relax with, I decided to ask more about where the Selwyn brothers were sent to.

"Indus and Dorado should be on their way to Italy. Did you know this Italian wizard because of your Borgin and Burkes job?"

Tom sighed and caught my eye. His tone was bored. "Yes. Orsino Amani is a dark objects dealer who I had dealings with. I assumed he would be the best fit for those two, and maybe even find them some work to do. Also, the Italian Ministry doesn't tend to work well with the British Ministry concerning convicts, so that was another plus."

"Oh, how do you know?" I asked, taking a last bite of soup.

"Amani told me. Something to do with one of the more recent goblin wars where Britain wouldn't give Italy back their deserters. I'm not sure," he waved his hand impatiently, "but I doubt their doubles in Azkaban have been found out so it doesn't matter."

He leaned back in his chair and began to fiddle with his wand. He kept his eye on me now, studying me intently. I wanted to keep talking because it distracted me from my emotions. "I do hope they make it there without an incident." Dorado's suffering face under the Cruciatus curse flashed in my mind. I remembered how he left, so pleased that he had been tortured. He was like a demon in human flesh.

My eyes found Tom and instantly I remembered his expression as he cursed Dorado. Maybe it was Tom who was the demon rather than Dorado. "My lord? I am curious why you sent Dorado away first. Something about what you saw in his mind?"

A dark glare came over Tom, and he didn't seem very keen on talking about it. I probably should have chosen another topic, but I had been curious since the event happened so fast. I remember Tom saying something about how Dorado wasn't allowed to think about me. Part of me was disgusted that I was in Dorado's thoughts, but the other part felt elated to know that Tom didn't like it either.

"He was acting inappropriate," Tom said coldly.

"Well, it was just in his thoughts. I'm sure he wasn't going to do anything. If he tried something, I would have made sure to even out his other eyebrow."

Tom gave a half chuckle but still looked as if he would rather talk about something else. I stared at him intensely and lowered my voice, "I think you just wanted an excuse to curse him for what he tried with me this morning… and last night."

His eyes widened with surprise and he said, "Last night too?" Then he huffed and crossed his chest. He thought about my words for a few moments then gave a wicked smile. "Maybe I did… it was certainly fun."

That wasn't the response I had expected, yet it was not completely unsurprising. My heart pounded as he leaned in closer over the table to me. His eyes were hungry like they had been earlier that evening. "Perhaps I should do it more often. To be safe, you had better stay in line – unless you want to be next."

He burst out laughing after seeing my face. I most definitely had a frightened expression since I was sure he was about to pull his wand out and indeed curse me. My heart pumped faster, and I stood up quickly to grab the dishes. Although he may not have been serious, Tom still gave me goose bumps. I almost couldn't believe we had been so intimate less than an hour ago and now he was jokingly threating me. Then again, this was Tom Riddle.

I stood next to the sink enchanting the dishes to clean and dry themselves when I felt his hands touch my waist. I froze, remembering everything that had happened to us. Was it going to happen again? I tried to keep my hopes down so that it wouldn't be crushed if he pushed me away like usual – but it was very difficult when he was so close to me.

Then Tom rested his head against my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my body. His hands moved up my stomach and ended on my breasts. He began to kiss my shoulder, and I could feel his warm breath. It dawned on me that our encounter today was not a one-time deal. While my heart began beating faster I gave out a cry of pleasure.

Tom turned me around quickly and kissed my lips briefly while pulling my body close to his and moving his hands all over. The next moment, he pulled off of me, grabbed my arm, and began to drag me back to the bed.