CW: mentions of abuse

Chapter Seven: Learning a little each day

Once some of the fish had been prepared for lunch and the rest left to cook in the cauldron for supper, Tom led Merope to the classroom upstairs. Her eyes widened seeing the little library - she had never seen so many books in one place before. While her eyes wandered over the rest of the room, Tom walked over to the shelf and removed a 1st year charms book for her to study.

"Today, we will begin with simply reading the text." Tom explained, gesturing for Merope to sit at the table. "When you have questions, ask. We will review the first chapter together once you have finished."

Tom placed the book in front of Merope. "I will be over by the window creating glass, it should be a fairly quiet process."

She simply nodded her head, staring at the book in front of her as though it were gold.

"All of these books are yours to learn from," Tom added. "So you needn't be afraid to touch them."

She looked up at him then, giving a very small but radiant smile. "Thank you!"

Tom was taken aback by this sudden burst of bravery from Merope, but pleased. "You are welcome. Please, go ahead and start. There's parchment and ink if you wish to take your own notes."

With that, he walked away from the table until he was at the edge of the room. He could have lectured Merope instead of having her read, but he knew she would prefer to learn this way, at least until she gained some confidence. It placed the least amount of pressure on her when he was completely out of the picture. And besides, magic could not be summoned simply to please others - it was inherently tied to the witch or wizard. If Merope was going to access her magical potential, it would need to be for herself.

Tom's current task; however, was to create glass from sand. It was a complex and taxing process, but between his magical power and Death's wand, Tom felt confident he could complete all the windows in the home today. Focusing on the sandy patch of land he saw earlier that day, he summoned a large amount of it with his wand. He levitated some of it into the air and began spinning it quickly in the air, heating it until it had formed into molten glass.

He imagined the shape he wanted for Morfin and Marvolo's window first, a simple rectangle. It formed easily enough, but needed time to set before being placed in the window frame. Tom doused the glass in water to cool it, and then gently lowered it down to the ground. That was easy enough. Tom thought to himself.

He continued with the other windows on the lower floor, heating and shaping glass. It was soothing, watching the molten glass form into the shapes he asked it to, then settling onto the ground. It made him feel in control. Once he had finished the first floors' windows, Tom turned back towards the table to eat his fish and check Merope's progress.

Merope had barely touched her food, she was so absorbed by the book in front of her. Tom was bemused by this, but also… proud? He quietly sat down and began eating, but she didn't even look up from the page. She had nearly completed the chapter introducing charms. She seemed to struggle with some of the words, but she silently sounded them out. She was so determined, her brow furrowing and her finger guiding her place.

"Is it difficult for you?" Tom asked, cringing when he realized he had scared Merope. She started, then stared at Tom.

"To read, I mean," He continued.

She bushed, embarrassed. "Yes, my eyes… they make it hard sometimes." Her hand went to cover her face.

Tom had not mentioned her eyes, though they were distracting. Both her and Morfin had eyes that looked in seemingly opposite directions, probably due to the inbreeding Pureblood families engaged in. The vain part of himself pitied her, but the logical side did also wonder if it could be helped by St. Mungos in the future.

"It's okay," he spoke gently. "I think your eyes are pretty, and I think maybe we can fix them so it's easier for you to read."

She snapped her face back up to look at Tom. "Really?" she breathed, not daring to hope that it would be possible.

"Yes, I think we should go to St. Mungos and have them see if it can be helped."

She looked momentarily frightened, but then contemplative.

"Oh," Tom added. "I also wondered. Do you own a wand?"

She nodded, sheepishly producing her wand from a pocket in her robes.

"Excellent! Now, today we're not going to actually perform any magic. But we are going to practice proper wand care."

Tom summoned two rags from the old clothing that had existed in the house, cast a cleaning charm on them, and then set them down on the table. He then summoned a small container off of the bookshelf.

"Now," he explained. "We are going to take the rag and place a small amount of the wax on it in order to polish our wands." He demonstrated first, then pushed the container and a rag towards Merope.

"Okay." she mimicked Tom and began gently polishing her very dirty wand. Tom smiled, polishing his own as well.

"If you have any questions about the chapter, you may ask me while we polish." Tom spoke again, hoping Merope would open up a little more.

She did not speak at first, still contemplating the trip to St. Mungos.

"Um," she finally spoke. "When we do start practicing spells, what are we going to start with?"

"That's a good question. I think we will start with the levitating Charm."

He had decided beforehand that they would practice all of the spells that would have a practical use, while simply studying the rest. "We'll also begin learning how to make various potions for around the house."

She nodded, seeming to accept this plan. She looked back down at her wand, gently massaging the wax into it. The wand had begun looking almost black, but was now turning into a dark honey color.

"I would like to go to St. Mungos, please." She asked, so quietly that Tom barely heard her. It was her first request.

"Of course, would you like to go tomorrow? I need to check on your brother and father anyway."

She flinched at the mention of them, so Tom added. "You don't have to see them if you don't want to."

Merope nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay, tomorrow then, please."

They continued to work in silence, Tom also cleaning Marvolo and Morfin's wand once he had finished with his own. Marvolo's wand turned out to be a light aspen color, while Morfin's was a dark ebony shade. After the task was completed, Tom handed Merope a beginner's potion text, instructing her to read the first chapter of it while he finished creating windows.

Merope nodded, setting aside her mostly empty lunch plate, and eagerly began to read the new text. Tom smiled, definitely recognizing what he was feeling as pride this time, and walked back to the open space to complete the second floor windows. The first floor windows had cooled enough as well, so Tom placed each one into the house first. The wood around the space curled around the window frames, sealing them into place.

Tom quickly finished his bathroom and bedroom windows, but then took very careful and measured time with the large space in front of him. He wanted to leave the classroom very open and bright, meaning that the wall would be made almost entirely out of window fragments. He could have simply made one sheet of glass, but decided that he preferred the asymmetrical look of the triangular windows he created.

Tom was very lucky in this instance, for as soon as he had placed that last window into the home it began to rain heavily. That should be good for the plants. Tom mused, turning to check on his pupil. Merope had finished the chapter and was taking notes on which potions and charms she was most interested in from the table of contents in each text. He noticed with chagrin that love potions had made the list - perhaps they would need to have that conversation sooner than he realized.

"Come, let's see if the supper is ready." Tom took the plates from lunch and gestured for Merope to follow him down the stairs. She came readily, if albeit tiredly. It had been a very long and exciting day for her. The teen still could not fully grasp how much her life had already changed, but Tom's complete confidence and stability made her certain now that he would not leave her.

The fish soup was indeed ready to eat, so while Merope set the table Tom cut two slices of bread for them. They would need to get some food soon, at least until their crops were ready to harvest. Perhaps that would be a good time to explore the muggle village and set the stage for their new life. Tom may not be able to harm those fool-hardy muggles, but he would not tolerate them making any more snide remarks about his family.

My family… He thought suddenly, looking at Merope as though seeing her for the first time. She didn't notice, too absorbed in the delicious meal. But for Tom, this was a strange feeling - it wasn't love, but something close to it that he couldn't explain. He'd never felt so peaceful before, so… content. He had also never felt the need to protect anyone. And although he could technically consider defending the Gaunts' honor as defending his own, he no longer cared much for his life. He just wanted to ensure that the family would be strong and stable - that seemed to be the surest way to guarantee that he would not be born. He had been born as an act of desperation after all, Merope was so desperate for love and attention that she drugged a muggle for months.

However, Tom realized that now his desire for Merope to not need to be desperate was no longer purely for his own benefit. He had spent his whole previous life hating the witch in front of him, but now… now he felt he could understand her at least a little. He would never understand love, but he could understand all too well the need to be respected and cared for. Now, Tom wanted Merope to know she was taken care of, that she didn't need to throw herself at anyone. In fact, when he was finished with her, Tom wanted her to know that the world should be throwing themselves at her feet, not the other way round. She deserved the world for how she had been treated, and with Tom's new powers and influence, he could give the world to her.

He was startled when Merope stood, taking her bowl and spoon to the sink.

"Are you finished eating?" she asked Tom timidly.

"No, but you go on to take a bath and then bed." He spoke gently. "We have had a long day."

She nodded, relieved upon being dismissed. She had not wanted to be rude, but she was so very tired. She paused at the kitchen entryway.

"Can you… will you charm my hair again?" She asked, not even daring to look at him.

He chuckled. "Of course. I'll be here when you return."

She nodded quickly and disappeared. He was quite pleased with how quickly she had taken on keeping herself clean - he was afraid that would be more of a fight. Although, nothing he had asked of Merope had been challenged. She seemed so perfectly moldable and eager to please, yet Tom also wondered if that was just a side effect of the abuse. He would have to wait and see if more of her personality came through in the coming months.

Finished with his soup, Tom quickly completed the dishes and placed them back into the cupboard. He was still very proud of how the house had turned out, noticing that not a drop of rain had leaked through any of the house. He would need to set up wards around the house tomorrow before they left. He had not bothered with locks and keys, although he left a keyhole for show. Magic was simply a safer option when it came to defending the house - he pondered which ones he would place as he summoned supplies to create candles.

He had found a way to create them by using simple items from around the house and outside, so he was still peacefully creating candles when Merope walked back into the room in her nightgown.

"Oh, hello again." He spoke before waving his wand towards her hair. It immediately smoothed out and braided itself again.

"Thank you," she stroked her hair. "Um, what should I call you by the way?"

He considered that for a moment. "Mr. Evermore in public, but you can just call me Tom here." He smiled at her. "Now, off to bed Merope. You'll need your sleep for tomorrow."

She smiled. "Okay, good night… Tom." She said it hesitantly. She thought he deserved a more respectful title, after all he had done for her. She walked into her room though, quickly falling asleep in her room.

Tom stretched, leaving all but one of the candles on the table. He took the one he intended for himself and walked up the stairs to rest. He was already dreading the outing tomorrow, but he knew he would need to be strong for Merope. She had definitely not been exposed enough to others, so the outing would likely be stressful and overwhelming for her.

With that in mind, he set the candle into its holder and quickly went to take a bath. But he really could not stop himself from soaking in the tub, enjoying each moment. Yep, water was definitely his favorite place to be, with the rain pounding gently on the roof - it soothed him.

He dressed quickly, trying to keep as much warmth from the bath as possible, and padded quietly to bed. He fell quickly into a dreamless sleep, exhausted from all the magic he had performed that day.

Note:

We're starting to meet Merope! And exploring Tom's more complex emotions towards family will be a common theme in these first chapters, but I honestly think that's what makes Tom so interesting. He may not be able to feel love, but he can feel the rest of the emotions on the spectrum. He's starting to understand what it means to want to protect someone without an agenda behind it. And Merope is so eager and ready to love that it works somehow.