a/n: Well, here it is, Chapter 4. Took long enough to get out there, huh? Sorry for the delay, I was dealing with a writer's block. I'm over it now, and fully prepared to finish the Tom Chronicles! Know how much I feel like J.K. right now? I mapped the whole story out on a paper placemat in a restaurant. :) Enjoy!
Chapter 4
Tom doubled over, panting. He didn't know why he was running, still. There was no way that Potter could follow him all the way out here, yet he still ran. He ran from the truth. The terrible, cold truth that Kristen was dead, and he may damn well never see Lily again. He had no reason to live. ...So why live?... a voice in his head said. ...Why even bother?... ...Because I may find Lily again!... ...Fat chance of that, bub. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if they placed her in a fat lot of Muggles... Tom clutched his head and screamed aloud, "STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" ...Aaah, but why should I? I've got nothing else to do... Tom started running again, and an evil cackle sounded in his head. He ran for what seemed like hours, always on the move. He ran through the forest as if he could escape that evil voice in his head. Finally, he tripped on a tree root and fell face down into the mud. "Who are you," he screamed. ...Tom, you disappoint me. Honestly, I would've thought you had guessed by now. I am the great Lord Voldemort. None can escape my wrath... Tom started to cry. He cried like a baby. He didn't know why, but he did. It was all he could do, just lay there, face down in the mud crying. He felt absolutely horrible. If he hadn't done what he had in his 6th year, Kristen would be alive, Lily would be safe in his arms, everything would be right with the world. If only he knew then how much it would affect his later life... He got up and started walking... Now he was always running. Ever running. He didn't like running. He liked to be in one place. He had become much skinnier in the 17 years that he had been running, what with barely stopping to eat and sleep. He started to think about his daughter. Lily was about a year and a half old when taken from him, she would be about 18 now. The age he had been when he had fallen in love. Maybe his daughter was in love as well. He wondered if she had been accepted at Hogwarts. Maybe she was, being a pureblood. Or maybe she wasn't, being raised by Muggles. He hoped she had, and had experienced all the thrills there, just like her father. All of a sudden, he came upon a thick brush, and just beyond it was a campfire. Sitting by it was a lone man, that Tom instantly recognized from his years at Hogwarts. He stepped into the clearing.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Lucifer Malfoy."
"Lucifer? That's my damn father's name. I'm LuciUS Malfoy. And judging from the wanted posters all over the world, you're Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"My name is not Tom. I have never even heard of him. I am Lord Voldemort."
Lucius snickered. "Voldemort?"
Tom sneered. "And what kind of name is Lucius?"
Lucius turned bright red. "Fine, your Lordship. Have it your way."
"Have some respect, Lucius. After all, my picture is all over the world, you know."
Lucius nodded, serious. "I admire your skill in the Dark Arts, Voldemort."
"Thank you. I was thinking about forming a clan... I would do anything to get back at the Ministry and Henry Potter for what they did to my life."
"A clan, eh? What would they be called?"
"I was thinking about something fear-imposing, like 'Dark Warriors.'"
A snicker came from the fire. "Dark Warriors? You'd be lucky to scare a mouse with a name like that!"
Tom glared at his old friend's snobby son. "Well, do you have anything better, your high-and-mightyness?"
"As a matter of fact, I think I do. But look at you, Voldie. Your barely skin and bones. 20 years of running and hiding must really make a man hungry, eh? How long has it been since you've eaten?"
"I have only been on the run 17 years, thank you very much. But it has been a couple of weeks since I've eaten."
"Then come here and sit awhile. Eat your little heart out for all I care. I think I might know a few people who might be interested in your little clan."
"Really? I'd much rather meet them than eat!"
"Well, too bad. An infamous leader of a dark clan must have something to eat first. Sit. Eat."
Chapter 4
Tom doubled over, panting. He didn't know why he was running, still. There was no way that Potter could follow him all the way out here, yet he still ran. He ran from the truth. The terrible, cold truth that Kristen was dead, and he may damn well never see Lily again. He had no reason to live. ...So why live?... a voice in his head said. ...Why even bother?... ...Because I may find Lily again!... ...Fat chance of that, bub. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if they placed her in a fat lot of Muggles... Tom clutched his head and screamed aloud, "STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" ...Aaah, but why should I? I've got nothing else to do... Tom started running again, and an evil cackle sounded in his head. He ran for what seemed like hours, always on the move. He ran through the forest as if he could escape that evil voice in his head. Finally, he tripped on a tree root and fell face down into the mud. "Who are you," he screamed. ...Tom, you disappoint me. Honestly, I would've thought you had guessed by now. I am the great Lord Voldemort. None can escape my wrath... Tom started to cry. He cried like a baby. He didn't know why, but he did. It was all he could do, just lay there, face down in the mud crying. He felt absolutely horrible. If he hadn't done what he had in his 6th year, Kristen would be alive, Lily would be safe in his arms, everything would be right with the world. If only he knew then how much it would affect his later life... He got up and started walking... Now he was always running. Ever running. He didn't like running. He liked to be in one place. He had become much skinnier in the 17 years that he had been running, what with barely stopping to eat and sleep. He started to think about his daughter. Lily was about a year and a half old when taken from him, she would be about 18 now. The age he had been when he had fallen in love. Maybe his daughter was in love as well. He wondered if she had been accepted at Hogwarts. Maybe she was, being a pureblood. Or maybe she wasn't, being raised by Muggles. He hoped she had, and had experienced all the thrills there, just like her father. All of a sudden, he came upon a thick brush, and just beyond it was a campfire. Sitting by it was a lone man, that Tom instantly recognized from his years at Hogwarts. He stepped into the clearing.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Lucifer Malfoy."
"Lucifer? That's my damn father's name. I'm LuciUS Malfoy. And judging from the wanted posters all over the world, you're Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"My name is not Tom. I have never even heard of him. I am Lord Voldemort."
Lucius snickered. "Voldemort?"
Tom sneered. "And what kind of name is Lucius?"
Lucius turned bright red. "Fine, your Lordship. Have it your way."
"Have some respect, Lucius. After all, my picture is all over the world, you know."
Lucius nodded, serious. "I admire your skill in the Dark Arts, Voldemort."
"Thank you. I was thinking about forming a clan... I would do anything to get back at the Ministry and Henry Potter for what they did to my life."
"A clan, eh? What would they be called?"
"I was thinking about something fear-imposing, like 'Dark Warriors.'"
A snicker came from the fire. "Dark Warriors? You'd be lucky to scare a mouse with a name like that!"
Tom glared at his old friend's snobby son. "Well, do you have anything better, your high-and-mightyness?"
"As a matter of fact, I think I do. But look at you, Voldie. Your barely skin and bones. 20 years of running and hiding must really make a man hungry, eh? How long has it been since you've eaten?"
"I have only been on the run 17 years, thank you very much. But it has been a couple of weeks since I've eaten."
"Then come here and sit awhile. Eat your little heart out for all I care. I think I might know a few people who might be interested in your little clan."
"Really? I'd much rather meet them than eat!"
"Well, too bad. An infamous leader of a dark clan must have something to eat first. Sit. Eat."