Chapter 34
Tom's birthday
The few students who had chosen not to return to their homes during winter holidays were witnesses to an unusual scene during their breakfast on Christmas day. Little did they know, at this point in time, that it would soon become part of their meal routine.
Three students whose dislike of each other had been openly proclaimed – and even escalated into duels at time – walked in together for breakfast that morning as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Two boys known as the ultimate rivals of Hogwarts from the respective houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin opened the way talking in a very relaxed manner, even grinning at each other from time to time. A girl most students in the school usually avoided was trailing behind the two boys, her eyes trained on a notebook she was reading.
Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy halted in the doorway leading to the Great Hall, looking around as if trying to decide which table to sit at. Liliana Karkaroff bumped into the two of them, as she had been too entranced by the notebook to notice them stopping.
"Hey, watch where you're going, Karkaroff," Draco snapped. "I still want to be able to use my feet in the future!"
Liliana lazily raised her eyes from the notebook to look at him. She very slowly backed off, smirking at Draco's glare. She had effectively stomped on his left foot.
"Oh, sorry, Malfoy," she said with a clearly fake apologetic attitude which only aggravated Draco further, but prompted Harry to burst into laughter seeing the "Slytherin prince's" priceless expression. "Any reason for suddenly stopping in the middle of the way?"
"It's not like you were actually watching where you were going anyway!" Malfoy snapped, only increasing the mirth behind Liliana's sorrowful expression.
"Take it easy, Malfoy," Harry said. "Where should we sit then?"
"Zabini and Goyle are looking at us as if they would like to have our heads on a plate," Draco said with obvious distaste. "Perhaps it's better if we..."
"Are they now?" Liliana interrupted, glancing over his shoulder. She noticed Zabini's glare. "I never liked them anyway," she added and muttered something which sounded awfully like a curse.
A second later several big spiders appeared out of the blue on the Slytherin table, prompting the two students sitting there to yelp and scramble to get away from the table.
"I guess we can have a quiet breakfast now," she said. As she reached the table she waved her hand and the spiders vanished. When she sat down she caught another glimpse of Zabini's retreating back; he was still glaring at her over his shoulder.
"I think the dislike is mutual," Draco remarked sitting down.
They heard a yelp and noticed that somehow Zabini had landed painfully on his butt. A thin layer of ice had appeared out of the blue at his feet on his way out.
"Ouch, someone is still in a bad mood," Draco commented lightly, filling his plate with delicious food. "Well, at least you're not taking it out on me."
She briefly glared at him, before returning to the notebook.
"Are you sure you want to put up with that?" he winked at Harry, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.
The Gryffindor turned a deep shade of red and averted his eyes; despite the time they had spent together lately, he was sure Liliana did not exactly see him as a possible boyfriend.
As he ate, his eyes wandered to the two notebooks she had brought with her. With a shiver, he noted the initials engraved on the cover of the second one on the table, next to her untouched plate.
"Why are you going around the castle with that thing?" he asked before he could prevent himself.
She stroked the cover of Riddle's diary absent-mindedly, before her eyes settled on Harry.
"There are a number of spells he wrote in there which I want to try."
"How do you know they are not dangerous?" Harry retorted. "Just get rid of it!"
"She's been sleeping with it under her pillow for two months already," Malfoy said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like it's suddenly going to eat her."
Harry still appraised her with a worried look, although she had immediately resumed her reading.
"And the other one?..."
"Grindelwald gave it to her. I suppose it's full of dark magic."
"It's probably the most interesting thing I have read so far," she said softly, turning the page.
Harry and Draco eyed each other rather uneasy. The Gryffindor shook his head, as if trying to wish away all the thoughts regarding Liliana's use of those two notebooks. At that moment, an owl flew over the table dropping identical letters to him and the Slytherin girl.
She raised the letter and merely looked at the seal. She then dropped it back without opening it. Harry read his. It was from the Headmaster inviting him once again to his office to take care of "pending issues". He knew what these were.
"As discussed last night," he said to Liliana, getting up from the table. "I'll handle it."
She nodded quietly. He did not notice her lingering concerned gaze which accompanied him until he disappeared through the doors of the Great Hall.
When Harry entered Dumbledore's office, he was not surprised to find Snape there as well. It seemed that since his cover had fallen in the presence of the Dark Lord, the headmaster did not keep any part of his plans hidden from the potions master anymore, as he had used to.
The two of them were studying the golden cup from a distance as Harry approached the headmaster's desk. Dumbledore raised his head to gaze at Harry.
"Good morning, Harry. We are waiting for Miss Karkaroff to begin."
"No need for that, professor. I will destroy it," Harry said calmly.
Both teachers eyed him worriedly.
"Please, professor. I want to do it," he added hastily, wishing to avoid providing them with additional explanations for Liliana's absence.
"I know she's back at Hogwarts, Harry. I also know that destroying the Horcruxes affects her, but that has never prevented her from doing it before. She did not come to see me after her return yesterday evening... Is she avoiding me?"
Using all the means he had at his disposal, Dumbledore had managed to prevent the news of Grindelwald's death from being published in the Daily Prophet. However, he was sure it was just a matter of time before it transpired that he had been present at Nurmengard, and worse, that it had been Lord Voldemort who had killed the other dark wizard. No one could delay Rita Skeeter from meddling for long. He could only imagine the panic that Grindelwald's death at the hands of the Dark Lord would create in the wizarding community.
He wondered if the girl knew that her grandfather had been killed. Probably not yet, otherwise she would have come to see him. Why was she keeping her distance? Most likely more things to hide...it was the only explanation he had.
He sighed, and, pulling aside one of the portraits of previous headmasters, he retrieved Gryffindor's sword from its hideout.
"In case you need it in the future and I am not around, you know where to find it, Harry," he said, handing it to his student.
Harry nodded, ignoring Snape's suspicious look.
"But it will present itself to you when in need anyway," the headmaster added.
Harry grabbed the sword and turned to face the Horcrux, while Dumbledore and Snape stepped aside.
"Open!" he ordered in Parseltongue, and, raising the sword, he struck down against the cup before the Horcrux had even begun to manifest. As the Horcrux was destroyed though, terrible pain shot through his scar and he dropped the silver blade. He was getting dizzy from the intensity of the pain and somehow his body seemed disconnected, he was no longer in the room with Dumbledore and Snape but in a shabby, old room, staring around at the decaying painting on the walls, frustration growing inside of him as he could not find what he was looking for...his ring was gone, someone had taken it. So it was happening: they knew, they had started finding his Horcruxes. He was then flying into the night like a shadow and one moment later he was standing in a familiar place, but his anger was only increasing because dark magic had been used to tarnish his hiding place, the cave, and the Inferi had all been wiped out, and his locket was gone. He knew now who'd done it, and his anger turned into something else, more dangerous; Harry felt even more pain, but it was not his scar burning, but rather Riddle's own pain; it felt as if a knife had cut through his chest. He had to protect Nagini now, since she was the only one he could still protect, the other Horcrux being at Hogwarts, if not already destroyed by his cousin. He was standing outside the cave, staring at the giant snake and Nagini was looking back at him, her eyes unmoving, but somehow feeling the uncertainty he was also feeling...
The scene dissolved and he was at Gringotts now, making his way out of the bank, while countless goblins' bodies lay on the floor, and Nagini was following him closely once more. Still, his anger was far from calming down.
"Harry! Harry, please!"
Harry felt the pain slowly dissipating and Dumbledore's voice trying to bring him back to reality. He felt Snape pulling him to a standing position when the room came back into focus. He still felt dizzy and had to sit down on the chair.
Dumbledore raised the sword and placed it carefully into its hiding place.
"What happened, Potter? Are you all right?" Snape asked, bowing to study his face. His fathomless dark eyes seemed worried for once and it almost made Harry laugh bitterly.
"I saw him, professor. I saw Riddle. He knows we have found and destroyed them. You were right, one is hidden here in the castle. The other is Nagini and he is now keeping her at his side all the time for safety. Riddle is insanely angry. I think he killed most of the Gringotts' goblins. He might come here next."
He said this to Dumbledore, ignoring Snape. Since the moment Snape had confessed to him his personal feelings for Harry's mother, the Gryffindor had systematically tried to avoid any contact with the potions teachers. It was simply too much for him to handle at the moment.
Snape straightened and took a step away from him, and Harry could tell that he felt hurt by his behaviour.
"Harry, be careful with that connection. You know he can also use it against you," Dumbledore said. "Given the situation, it proves most opportune, but try to use it wisely. Don't overdo it..."
Harry nodded. "It's not like being in his mind is a pleasure for me, professor. He's always animated by such awful feelings, I don't know how he stands it...he's always so angry, so vengeful, so hateful. It's beyond anyone in their right mind could handle. When I said I am sorry for him, I meant it. I can't imagine being him."
The Gryffindor shuddered with disgust and Dumbledore gave him a sympathetic look.
"It's terrible, Harry. He's indeed, very pitiful, but it is an existence he chose for himself. One can only imagine what will happen to him when he will finally be destroyed, together with all his Horcruxes. Most likely he will wish he were dead more than anything else.
"What is important right now," Dumbledore added, "is that we find the diadem rapidly. I am counting on you."
"I'll do my best, professor," Harry promised. He watched Dumbledore hide the cup inside the drawer of his desk and knew their meeting was over.
"Harry, one more thing. It's Christmas after all. This is for you," Dumbledore said, taking a small parcel out of the drawer and offering it to Harry.
"Thank you very much, professor. Merry Christmas!"
When Dumbledore and Snape remained alone in the room, the headmaster looked gravely at the other teacher.
"She's avoiding me," he said. "The moment to tell her has arrived. I can no longer postpone it."
"What if she refuses?" Snape asked warily.
"She won't refuse. She knows that Harry cannot survive Voldemort. It's the only way. If she wants Voldemort dead, she has to kill Harry first," Dumbledore said categorically. Deep inside though, he hoped that Liliana had not changed her mind about her cousin.
Despite the promise he had made to Dumbledore, it proved impossible for Harry to find the whereabouts of the Grey Lady in the week that followed. He went to the Ravenclaw tower many times, asked the four Ravenclaw students who had stayed at Hogwarts to tell him if she had been spotted anywhere, but seven days later he still had no idea how to find Helena...
One of the students informed him that the ghost's disappearances were not unusual. At some point she had been missing for more than three months. Her being rather shy and difficult to approach was also confirmed by most students.
It was not a very encouraging start, to say the least.
"When she is in the castle, she spends most of her time in the Gryffindor tower, reading," Lisa Turpin informed him. "Surprising, huh?"
Surprising indeed, Harry agreed, taking down the stairs to the Chamber of Secrets on New Year's Eve. As he entered the spacious room he was "welcomed" by thick smoke. It looked like Karkaroff was practicing. Again. It was all that she had been doing ever since she had gotten back from Nurmengard. Harry had no doubt that she had tried out already all the spells in Grindelwald's notebook.
He heard Malfoy coughing and then the smoke disappeared, and he could see the two Slytherins facing each other in the centre of the room. They had obviously been duelling. Malfoy put his wand away, and Harry noted again that Karkaroff was unarmed. She was getting better at producing complex spells without a wand, and while Harry thought this was something admirable, he knew she still had some trouble fully controlling her magic, and this was rather scary. Something could go wrong at any moment, or worse, she could fail to produce a defensive spell when in danger.
He wondered idly whether he should get a wand for her as a present, but then he remembered that Olivander was not making any wands. At least not for them. He had another client now, one who demanded exclusivity...
"Hi Harry," Liliana said, giving him a smile, which he returned. "We have just finished."
He continued to eye them, feeling a little bit of envy. He was never present to their duels, nor had they taught him anything at all. From many points of view, they were far from becoming another Golden Trio at Hogwarts. He would have liked to duel with Liliana just once, to know where they stood...after all, he was still the best DADA student at Hogwarts.
He had not asked her to show him the notebooks, but he supposed that her motivation was simple: she thought he did not want to learn the kind of magic she could show him. Although she was partially right, he had to admit that he was fairly curious about what those spells could do, and most importantly how to defend against them.
"Hi. I was thinking that we could watch the fireworks from the Astronomy Tower. What do you think?"
Malfoy snorted: "No way, Potter, I am not spending New Year's Eve with you. I am going to see my parents tonight."
"No offence taken, Malfoy," Harry replied, amused.
"Have a nice evening you two," Malfoy said, and with a smirk, passed by Harry and left the room.
Liliana shrugged and returned to her desk, picking up Tom's diary.
"Oh no, you don't. Not tonight," Harry said, closing the distance between them and yanking the black notebook from her hand. "Let's go."
He threw the diary back on the desk and pulled Liliana after him. She reluctantly accepted being led out of the room. She had seemed absent-minded to Harry all week long, whenever he had actually seen her, because most of her time had been spent in the Slytherin chamber.
She had also stayed away from Dumbledore, exasperating the old headmaster with her attitude.
"You know, things will only go from bad to worse between the two of you if you continue to avoid Dumbledore," Harry said, as they climbed the stairs of the Astronomy tower.
"I am not avoiding him personally, I'm just trying to stay away from trouble," she said casually, although Harry could sense the tension behind her words.
"And how's that going to happen? He has specifically asked for you several times, and he has asked Snape and Malfoy about you too. You cannot go like that forever."
She hesitated for a moment, lingering behind Harry.
"I can't put up with this act for long, Harry," she said. "He's making me play a game I am not ready to play until the end. A game of lies and deceit, which goes beyond anything I have imagined when I arrived here. I thought in the beginning that he would support me in my quest to defeat Voldemort. He has not trusted me for a moment or given me any chance at all. How can I report to him about my progress regarding the Hallows when he's sent me away on purpose, when he's the one who has them in the first place? Should I go there and pretend I don't know anything about all that, preferably with a big smile?"
The Gryffindor waited until she was in front of him and they both stepped outside on a small terrace, right above the entrance to the castle and overlooking Hogwarts grounds. Everything was surrounded by the thick darkness; but beyond the Forbidden Forest they could see the sudden explosion of coloured light, which died after a few moments, like a fallout of stars.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Harry, looking at her surreptitiously. Liliana seemed to forget her troubles for a few moments before this fascinating, joyful Muggle manifestation.
She leaned down on the balustrade of the terrace, watching them with interest for a while.
"What are they?" she asked curiously.
"They are called fireworks. Muggles launch them in the night sky during big parties. It's always like that on New Year's Eve.
"...and get really wasted," he added after a moment, handing her a bottle.
She lifted it and smiled.
"You are full of surprises, Potter. Hogwart's poster boy spending New Year's Eve with a trouble maker in the bristling cold, getting wasted."
Harry smiled back. "I told you before, my life here was never what you imagined it. Cheers!" He lifted his own bottle in a toast to her.
They drank in silence for a few moments, ignoring the cold, their eyes following the lively display of lights that was getting more entertaining by the moment. They could also hear music somewhere, probably a concert. It was shortly after midnight. A new year was beginning.
"Imagine being one of these people," she suddenly said. "Completely ignorant of the dangers awaiting them if our world falls at the hands of Voldemort."
"It's better that way," he said smoothly. "You know...about what you said earlier, putting up a mask when confronting Dumbledore...I have done it as well. I had to lie to him in the past and I had to lie to him recently again. It's not pretty, I always feel guilty about it, but it just has to be done at times, you know."
She looked surprised, but she did not comment.
"I still remember in my fourth year, even he thought that I had found a way to put my name in the Goblet of Fire to take part in the Triwizard Tournament," Harry continued. "It was so frustrating, everyone believed I had done it and everyone was saying it behind my back. Even my best friends. There is no such thing as blind trust."
"That's why you were so suspicious of me when I arrived?" she asked. She put the bottle aside, watching the young man carefully.
Harry snorted. "Let's be honest, Karkaroff. Everything about you was strange from the beginning. Being followed by a pack of Death Eaters, all the way from Drumstrang, attacking Bellatrix that way, plotting something with Snape and meeting secretly with Dumbledore...and then the most important thing, you were such good friends with Malfoy."
Liliana's eyes widened. "Nothing seems to have escaped your notice, Potter," she said appreciatively, grinning lightly. "I reckon that I will have to be much more careful about you in the future. You have real talent to become an Auror."
He almost rolled his eyes, all the while flushing lightly when hearing the compliment.
"In fact that is precisely what I want to..." he started, but they were interrupted by a noise which seemed to be coming from one of Liliana's pockets. She frowned, slightly disconcerted, and extracted a small crystal sphere from inside her robes. It was filled with a blue smoke and vibrating.
"You've got to be kidding me," she murmured, and Harry could feel the annoyance in her tone. "You want to see me NOW?"
"What's going on?" he asked.
"I have to go. Something important must have happened. It's my contact in Riddle's camp calling me to meet him."
"Wait, what? Now?"
"I must go," she emphasized again. "Thanks, it was fun!"
Harry did not like this at all.
"It could be a trap. I should come with you."
"I'll be fine Harry," she said, already acciocing her broom.
A few moments later, she disappeared into the night.
It was very quiet in the large, candle-lit drawing room. Voldemort's close followers sat around the table, looking at each other anxiously. Three seats were unoccupied and every one of them knew why; acknowledging the fact that two Death Eaters had been killed in one of their master's outbursts of fury made them particularly uneasy.
As of late he had been much calmer and had overlooked a number of mistakes or transgressions which he would have gravely punished in the past. Everyone suspected it had something to do with his new body and the energy he seemed to have acquired. He seemed to have grown more confident and permissive, but the recent incident regarding the theft by the Malfoys of one of his belongings had prompted a new wave of extreme violence on his part. Two of his Death Eaters had been caught in the room when he had taken revenge on the Goblins. Apart from more than 40 Goblins and guards who had died in the incident, Amycus Carrow and Yaxley had also been killed.
As the oak doors opened, they all looked up to see Lord Voldemort walk graciously into the room, the snake slithering closely in his footsteps. Nagini was shimmering, as if enveloped in a silver shield, and they realised that something must have happened with how carefully he was guarding her.
He took his place at the end of the table. He looked slightly different than only days before. They could only guess that the crimes committed recently had again started altering his appearance, unless there was something else happening of which they were unaware. His complexion was paler, contrasting dramatically with the glossy black locks framing his face. His cheeks were hollowed and he had dark circles under his eyes; clearly he had started having trouble sleeping again, if he had slept at all lately, that was.
As he sat down, Nagini curled at his feet and seemed to fall asleep. Voldemort had been missing for a couple of days and had taken the snake with him everywhere; they had no idea where he might have been or what he was up to, but everyone was far too worried for their own lives at the moment to care about his personal exploits.
"Report, Dolohov," he ordered softly, his unnerving eyes settling on one of his closest followers.
The man slightly bowed his head at the command.
"Milord, everything is going as you have planned. We finally have the ministry under control. We have placed everyone important, including the state secretaries and their close collaborators under the Imperius Curse. Pius Thicknesse is waiting to be appointed minister as soon as you order Rufus Scrimgeour's execution. Our men are on stand-by, waiting for your order, milord. When Thicknesse is appointed, he will be able to advise which members of the department chiefs should be kept in place."
Voldemort seemed to be pleased with the news. His lips curved slightly up.
"Get it done, then, no need to wait further," he said after a few moments. "And bring Thicknesse at the next weekly meeting. I want to test his allegiance."
Dolohov gave a curt nod, satisfied with his order.
"Also bring me Ciel Gambol on that occasion," the Dark Lord added.
"Yes, milord."
"Nott, situation with the vampires?" he inquired next, looking at the elderly wizard sitting to his right.
"As you ordered, milord, the ministry has reacted to the attacks. About 60 vampires were killed and many wounded. Alexander organised a counter-attack last Friday in which several Aurors died. Scrimgeour was extremely angry. They are now hunting down the vampires."
"Excellent," Voldemort smirked, satisfied with the way things were going.
"There's more, milord, if I may," Nott added, looking for his lord's permission to continue. "There seems to be some dissensions in the vampire camp. You remember that vampire who attacked Liliana Karkaroff while here..."
"Liliana Slytherin," Voldemort suddenly interrupted, his eyes flashing red. "She's my cousin, as I pointed out before."
The room froze in a deafening silence. The Death Eaters wondered what could have caused this unexpected reaction and they were all instantly haunted by Alexander's question about Voldemort's possible inclination for his cousin. He had let her live, after all, despite everything that had occurred since. The thought was unnerving.
Nott's eyes were unmoving, looking down, until the Dark Lord asked him to continue.
"I'm sorry, milord," the Death Eater said. "I have kept a close eye on him as you have told me to. He is not following Alexander's orders. He has continued to attack our men, only our men. He seems to be holding a grudge against you, milord."
Voldemort laughed softly, seemingly entertained by what was recounted to him.
"He's got it all wrong," he commented, amused at the idea that someone was actually looking for a fight with him. The Death Eaters slightly relaxed and some smiles appeared on their faces.
"He has also been spying on your cousin, milord. Greyback has reported to me that he has been spotted many times around Hogwarts."
Voldemort frowned at his words and the fun in the room died at once.
"Cesare Slytherin had banished all vampires on his lands, including one of their settlements. He deemed them dangerous and would not stand their presence. Jurgen was a wizard working for the Cesare Slytherin's family. A mudblood. He was attacked by the vampires in a clash, became one of them. He seeks revenge against your cousin and since that night, against you as well, milord."
Voldemort looked outside for a few moments, before answering.
"Don't waste time on him," he said. "Leave Greyback in charge of this. He should report if the vampire tries to approach my cousin."
Tom knew well that the vampire could not pose real danger to Liliana as long as she was under Dumbledore's care. He was also sure that his cousin would be able to handle things on her own.
His dark eyes wandered to one of the empty places.
"Where is young Parkinson?" he asked.
"He had a possible track to lead him to the Malfoy safehouse, milord." Bellatrix Lestrange replied in a tiny voice from a few seats down the table. "He left to find them."
Travis snickered from opposite her. He was happy that she had seemingly fallen out of Voldemort's graces for the moment.
"Milord," Bellatrix said, encouraged by her lord's silence, "please let me handle this task. I will bring my sister to you for questioning. I will do my best, milord."
But Voldemort threw her an annoyed glance and turned to another Death Eater sitting near Travis, completely ignoring her words. Bella bowed her head, her eyes filling again with tears at the thought that he did not trust her anymore.
"How come the Daily Prophet did not publish the news about Grindelwald's death?"
"Milord, there is a rumour that Dumbledore interfered. He has been trying to delay publication. One of the Aurors present at Nurmengard that evening has already sold his story to Rita Skeeter, but she has been denied publication by the chief editor."
"Get rid of him," Voldemort said. "I want to read that news tomorrow morning and I want it to be clear that I was the one to kill Grindelwald, and that Dumbledore was spotted at the site that night. It's the right moment to launch the campaign against Dumbledore. The wizarding community must know that their hero is not as innocent as he claims to be. Get Skeeter to deal with this campaign. She will be rewarded with a special interview with me when I publicly take over."
So, Dumbledore has been trying to prevent Liliana from finding out about Grindelwald's death, Tom thought. Of course, Dumbledore had no interest in creating panic in the community or with confronting the young witch, for that matter. Tom knew this was the right moment to kill two birds with one stone. This would be the final blow to the feeble trust between Dumbledore and his cousin. Tom's next target after the ministry's fall was the Order of the Phoenix. Creating panic in the wizarding world was one of the best ways to cause the Order to crumble.
"That's all for tonight, I will retire now," he announced, and stood. The Death Eaters jumped to their feet and bowed to him as he left the room, Nagini following him.
When Tom reached his room, he went directly to the balcony. The Parkinson residence's gardens were covered in eerie snow and so was the castle beyond the hills. The whole view was magnificent. He remembered it was his birthday, and sighed. Born at the boundary of the last day of one year and beginning of the other, he had always thought as a child that this had to have some kind of meaning. Later he had become sure that it could only mean that he would be the one to bring the old wizarding community into a new era where he would be the sole ruler.
In a few years, they would celebrate his birthday as the first day of this new era. He was sure that if things progressed as planned in a few months he would be able to take over the wizarding world publicly. Maybe he could postpone this until 31st of December next year, so that the day would coincide with his birthday. He liked to give a mystical meaning to everything. It was the best way to create a legend.
He brushed aside the layer of snow on the balustrade and leaned against it, his eyes trained on the castle. He really missed Hogwarts. It was the only home he had ever known.
But now there was someone there who was obstinately trying to destroy him, against all odds and common sense. Tom felt again his anger starting to boil up inside him.
How could she do this? Didn't she feel that it was completely wrong? Did she not know in her heart that they were inextricably linked now and anything she did to weaken him was only weakening her as well? Why was she stubbornly pursuing his Horcruxes when she should have understood by now that her place was at his side? He remembered their discussions preceding his body change and wondered whether her hate for him meant that she was disposed to die in the process of destroying him...
But surely, the potion couldn't have possibly made only him aware of his feelings? Something inside her must have changed as well, it was impossible that it had affected only him. There were far too many signs that he was right... He did not count too much on her physical reaction to him, he was far too attractive for most women to resist him, it was just human nature. However, taking into account the way their magic reacted when they were together, the way she made him feel completely invincible, as if their raw magic was one and the same, she could not deny what was happening between them. With her by his side, he was sure he could rule forever, invincible. With her as his enemy he was not sure he would even get to rule in the first place. He had to make her see reason somehow. Perhaps she just needed some more time to come to terms with her own feelings for him. Of course it had to be difficult for her, she only knew half-truths and surely Grindelwald's death would not help her overcome her hate for him; on the contrary, it would only make it worse. But he knew he had his ways to persuade her. He still had his best cards hidden, ready to be used when she would be prepared to accept his truth.
He straightened and came back into the room, sitting in an armchair in front of the fireplace. Nagini slithered over the floor in his direction and put his head on his thigh, waiting to be petted, the way she always did.
Tom caressed her head soothingly, his eyes trained on the golden flames.
He had to approach his cousin soon. Not only did the situation demand it, but also he had to reluctantly admit he had developed genuine feelings for her. It was unnerving to no end and he had put up a dire, useless fight with himself until recently. He had tried to summon all his anger and hate against her, but it had been to no avail. The potion had worked because it had been meant to work. That very evening when he had stormed into Hogwarts and almost ended her life, he had felt drawn to his cousin. He still remembered the intensity of that moment when he had pinned her against the wall, ready to kill her, and they had looked in each other's eyes for the first time. Everything had changed from that moment on, the potion only further increasing and emphasizing these feelings, further connecting them with the power of their magic. The magic she had sacrificed for him that night had made him so strong that he had barely felt the destruction of his Horcruxes...
He was also aware of the downfalls of this connection, he knew how it made him vulnerable, depending on someone else...he had avoided that all his life. It was the reason why he had never become close to any girl in his youth. Tom truly despised love; people like Dumbledore could not even guess how much he despised what they praised so much. Love, which created such unhealthy obsessions, made people perform crazy sacrifices...love took over wizards' reason. Love had blinded his mother and made her pursue someone as unworthy as Tom Riddle Sr. Love had led her to her death in the end: her, a pureblood heiress of Salazar. Yes, Tom truly despised anything to do with love.
But now he was craving what he hated most, and the horror of it made him flinch. He stopped petting Nagini and she raised her head, staring at him, waiting.
If only Liliana would feel the same or give any sign that she felt the same, he would be perhaps willing to cope with it and follow his feelings to their completion. The thought of her reciprocating his feelings stirred an unexpected wave of joy and pleasure in him. He had to see her, and if he played his cards right, he would perhaps soon obtain what he longed for...
When Liliana landed in Diagon Alley, she almost dropped her broom in surprise. Ralph Parkinson lay on the stairs of the cafe where she had met him before, in a pool of blood.
Alarmed, she ran to him and raised his head, feeling the feeble pulse on the side of his neck. She blasted open the door to the restaurant and levitated him to the nearest table. She banished his robes and ripped his white shirt open to reveal several deep cuts in his chest and abdomen. He seemed to have lost a serious amount of blood.
He slowly opened his eyes and stared at her.
"All my veins seem to have suddenly been ripped open..." he murmured faintly. "I could not do anything about it, could not stop the curse, despite all my mediwizard training."
For Liliana it was easy to recognise the curse.
"Who did this to you?" she asked, rather superfluously.
"Draco Malfoy," he replied, through gritted teeth. "I had no idea he had become such a good duellist. I traced the Malfoys' on Dark Lord's orders, but when I got there Draco arrived and we duelled. Damn, it hurts..."
"So of all people, you called me?" she asked incredulously.
He stared at her, his face contorted in pain.
"Please, you were the only person I could think of, who might have known about the curse..."
"You're right on point," Liliana said. "It's one of my curses. The question is, why I would help you?"
"Please, I beg of you...If I go back to him like this, he will not hesitate to kill me for failing to execute his command! It's not my life I fear for, it's my mother's and my sister's. He will kill them for sure as well."
"What will you do for me, if I save you, Ralph Parkinson?" Liliana asked, watching him with cold detachment.
"Anything, anything that you ask me to," he whispered after a moment. She could clearly read the resolution in his eyes.
"Swear to it."
"I will obey any order you give me, I swear. My life is yours," he said gravely, pain written all over his handsome face.
Liliana realised that he was in danger and did not take the matter further. She started saying the counter-curse, her fingers poised above his wounds. The cuts healed progressively, despite her lacking a proper wand to do the job. She checked her work, her hand smearing the blood on his chest and abdomen in the process. Despite his weak state, Ralph's breath caught in his throat in reaction to her actions. He eyed her worriedly, but her face was screwed-up in concentration, her emerald eyes unreadable. She did not seem aware of the effect she had on him when her fingers practically caressed his skin.
Ralph breathed deeply, relieved that she had saved his life and even happier when she took a step away from him, rummaging for something in the pocket of her robes. She extracted a small medikit and handed him a vial of colourless liquid.
"Drink this," she ordered and he did not question. It seemed like a blood replenishing potion. A few moments later, he started to feel better.
He took his wand out of his pocket. "Aguamenti," he said, refilling the vial and bringing it back to his lips, emptying it once more.
"Thank you," he muttered, blushing lightly while Liliana watched him, an inscrutable expression on her face. "I could not stop the curse from spreading for the life of me, and I did not recognise it either. It's your own invention, I suppose."
"You were inspired to seek my help," she said quietly, watching him repair his shirt and buttoning it up. "Voldemort wouldn't have been able to help you with this."
"He would never help me anyway," Ralph admitted, standing and leaning against the table. He studied her face, wondering why he had not noticed before how fascinating her features and entire demeanour were, not only those unusual eyes, which seemed to read his every thought, without however letting any emotion surface from their depths...
"You should go now," she said suddenly, grabbing her broom.
"There is still one issue..." he said hesitantly. "He will know immediately what happened..."
Liliana quirked an eyebrow at him, amused.
"Don't make him doubt you then."
"It will not be enough this time. It never is, lately. He was very aggravated by the Malfoys. They stole something from him."
She pursed her lips in thought, then came to stand in front of him.
"Give me the memory of what happened at the safehouse," she said.
He gently extracted it from his mind and put it in the vial she had given him before. She sealed it and put it back in her pocket. She closed her eyes and seemed to be fully focused on something before taking the wand in his hand and giving him another memory. "Legilimens!" she whispered, and a moment later, the memory was there, implanted in Ralph's mind, he could see it as if he had been the one to experience everything. He had arrived at the safehouse to find it deserted. The Malfoys had run away...
"Are you sure this will work?" he asked.
"When he tries to use Legilimency on you, think about this memory first," she said. "He will not be able to see the difference."
Ralph nodded. He recuperated a small crystal sphere on the floor.
"About that," Liliana said. "How do you actually use it?"
Ralph pushed back his amused reaction at her question.
"You have to think about me while you hold it. It will do its job."
"Right," she said. "Try not to get yourself killed. For your information, Draco Malfoy is far stronger than you. I have trained him personally. As for Narcissa Malfoy, she's a much more powerful witch than people give her credit for. Much stronger than Lucius or her own sister Bellatrix. Pick your fights wisely in the future."
"Would you train me as well?"
The question took her by surprise. She turned around, to see Ralph watching her with an almost hungry expression in his eyes.
"You have chosen your master long ago, Parkinson," she replied.
"I have just sworn that I will obey your orders," he pointed out.
"But your allegiance is still with him, it has not changed," she stated matter-of-factly. "Don't fool yourself, Parkinson, I know you'll crawl back to him on the first occasion."
He bit his lip, his eyes hard with resolve.
"I will not," he said determinedly.
"We will see about that," Liliana said, before disappearing into the thick darkness outside.
A/N: Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. You had to wait more than one week this time, but it was also a longer chapter:)Thanks for reading and let me know your opinion!
You finally have an insight of Tom's thoughts, let's see what hidden cards he still has...we will also see what Liliana is planning in the next chapter.
Once again, I am very grateful to our beta BlackRoseRaven for the quick work on this chapter.
If anyone knows some good stories involving Riddle/Voldy please let me know.