Early upload! I decided to upload every couple of days, since I already finished it.

Bad news: I gained 15 pounds, so I asked my boyfriend to put me on a diet. I have never been angrier in my life.

Worse news: I did my taxes and I owe the government money. I paid it. And cried a little on the inside.

Goods news: I have lots of work to do, which means lots of money.

Better news: I'm re-reading Harry Potter. Half-way through the Prisoner of Azkaban.

And that is this week's summary of my frighteningly normal life.

Thank you so much for the reviews! It always makes me happy to know that someone is reading this story :D

Love,

Miki

Feeling depressed doesn't even cover how I feel. I know I have reached my lowest point.

No one can help me.

When even Harry Potter is stumped, I know it's time to give up.

Sometimes I wonder if this is how I'm going to be spending the rest of my life. If Tom Riddle is going to torment me for the rest of my life.

The thought itself is exhausting.

Mister Potter sent me an owl the morning after I told him, informing me that he had asked Madam Pomfrey to prescribe me a Sleeping Draught. It helps me have a dreamless sleep, but I wake up exhausted and with a headache. He also told me if I see Tom Riddle again, to run the other direction.

What kind of advice is that? Of course, I want to fucking run away from him. He doesn't let me run away from him.

It's five in the morning and I don't feel like taking another dose of Sleeping Draught. I'll sleep through my classes if I do. Although it seems as if all I want to do lately is sleep. I get dressed, intending to sit in the Great Hall until breakfast is served. With my books tucked into my bag, I walk out of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Evelyn."

I stop dead in my tracks, inhaling sharply.

I turn around.

It's him.

He beckons me over.

Fuck him. If he's not going to leave me alone, I can ignore him.

I turn right back around and continue walking.

Suddenly, I'm slammed against the wall. I hit my head and for a moment, everything becomes blurry.

He stands in front of me, hands gripping my arms tightly, eyes ablaze with anger. "Don't ignore me."

"Leave me alone." I try to wiggle out of his grip, but he's strong. Very strong. How in God's name did he gain so much strength?

"No. You're mine, Evelyn. Mine."

"I'm not Lenore!" I snap. "You can't replace her with me!"

He laughs. It's a cold, cold laugh, chilling me to the core. "Oh no, you silly girl." He looks mildly amused. "You are her."

"You're insane. She died years ago." I try to push him away.

He grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You will be her soon enough. I have been implanting you with her memories. Soon, soon, her memories will take over and you won't even remember who you are."

"What?" I gasp, horrified. "How? You're not even real yourself. You're just a memory yourself."

He smiles wickedly. "Your history Professor at Salem informed you that locations as old as Hogwarts are haunted by memories. Do you know what makes those residual memories stronger, Evelyn?"

I think back to the private chats I had with Professor Bodeman. "Negative emotions?" It hits me. I'm the one causing this. I'm the one making him stronger. "You've been feeding off of me. Feeding off of my discontent of being here, my anger towards my mother…"

"At first, I had to feed off of your cursed jewelry box. You were angry at your mother, but it wasn't enough to make me manifest physically. All I could do was show you memories. What I needed was for you to be afraid."

"But you stopped…"

"To conserve energy. To wait for the perfect time…"

His reply is terrifyingly simple. "So you can manifest physically."

"And to have enough power to get rid of Potter. His father was a menace and his son is a menace as well."

"Did you… did you hit him with the Bludger?"

"Of course I did." He looks offended that I didn't attribute that incident with him. "But apparently I'm not yet powerful enough to kill him."

Can this really be true? Can a memory become this powerful just from negative emotions? It sounds like something out of a bad horror movie.

But it's probable. With a powerful dark wizard, anything is probable.

"Don't look so worried." He plants a soft kiss on the corner of my lips. I twitch. "It will all be over tonight."

Before I can ask what he means, he disappears.

I take in a shaky breath and lean against the wall.

I've been doing this to myself.

Unknowingly, I have been making him stronger.

I caused James' injuries.

The guilt is overwhelming.

Why didn't I realize this? Why didn't I think about this possibility? Professor Bodeman had told me that such things occur.

It just never occurred to me that it would happen to me.

He's grown too powerful. He may be a memory, but he can do damage now.

Because I gave him the ability to do so.

My eyes tears.

What have I done?

I need to stop him.

I started this. I need to end it.

I need to…

There's only one way I can stop him.

It's all going to end tonight.