A/N: I know the timeline on this is screwed up and that the time frame
that Riddle was in school doesn't follow his reign as Voldemort, but I'm
skipping that part. I know the time frame doesn't align with the books and
I'm sorry.
"Pearl, my dear. Long time, no see." Tom breezed in the doorway, followed by his two Death Eaters. He pulled down his hood and Pearl almost gasped. He was even more handsome than she remembered. His jet-black hair seemed even darker than before and his eyes were still the same cold grey that she fell in love with years ago. No one else could understand the feelings and emotions she had for him and how he had hurt her when he left her high and dry. She fingered the engagement ring on her finger, concentrating on Ryan, her fiancé.
"Tom, what are you doing here?" she said, not backing away. Fury raged in his eyes.
"My name," he said slowly, "is Voldemort. Lord Voldemort to you." He laughed the same laugh that made her smile years ago. "Where have you been hiding?" he asked, his voice deadly serious again.
"Nowhere."
"Didn't you recognize me? I'm the most feared, powerful wizard in the world!" his voice rose with each word. "Didn't I tell you, Pearl? Didn't I tell you that one day I would be the greatest wizard in the world?" He waved his hand around to his followers. "And I was right." A satisfied smile filled his face and Pearl felt anger rage in her brain.
"Why did you leave me, Tom?" she asked, her voice just as cold. "You left me just like that, without a goodbye or anything."
His face changed and he looked thoughtful, almost resentful. "I never did see you after that. Why didn't you come back to school?"
"What do you care?" She turned away, her eyes burning. She didn't want him to see her crying.
"Aren't you afraid of me, Pearl?" Tom's voice was deadly quiet and she had to strain her ears to hear him.
"No."
"Well, why not?"
She spun on her heels to face him. "Why not? I'll tell you why not! Because you are still the same Tom Riddle I went to school with. You're still the same Tom Riddle I got into trouble with. You're still the same Tom Riddle that I would sneak off to meet during class and."
Her voice faded away as Tom was giving her knowing looks. Understanding, she put two and two together and realized that his Death Eaters wouldn't know about their Dark Lord sneaking off to meet his girlfriend during his school years. That would seem unprofessional.
"The fact remains, Tom," she continued in a calmer voice, "is that you are still the same Tom Riddle I fell in love with."
For a brief, fleeting moment, she saw what looked like pain in his eyes. He looked as though he wanted to drop to the ground and crawl to her, begging for forgiveness. Instead, his eyes hardened, and a cold smile crept across his face. His eyes wormed their way down her body and landed on her hands. "What's that?"
She realized he was talking about her engagement ring. "A ring," she answered.
"I realize that," he said, giving her a patronizing look. "I meant, what is it doing on your finger?"
"Did you think I was going to stay single forever, Tom?"
"I told you already, it is Voldemort."
"I remember," she said bitterly, recalling the cold day in December when he had told her he was going to use that name. "It's stupid," she had said, causing him to become extremely angry.
"Whatever your name is now, you are still Tom Riddle, whether you like it or not, and power won't change that!" The small girl playing in the back room interrupted Pearl's rage.
"Mommy? Are you okay?"
Tom's look became even more condescending. "Whose that?" he asked and Pearl fought the urge to reply with a snide comment on if he didn't know who the girl calling her 'Mommy' was, he was in more trouble than she thought. No, she had even a better idea, a better attack plan.
Looking him straight in the eye, she held her head high and replied, "She's your daughter."
"Pearl, my dear. Long time, no see." Tom breezed in the doorway, followed by his two Death Eaters. He pulled down his hood and Pearl almost gasped. He was even more handsome than she remembered. His jet-black hair seemed even darker than before and his eyes were still the same cold grey that she fell in love with years ago. No one else could understand the feelings and emotions she had for him and how he had hurt her when he left her high and dry. She fingered the engagement ring on her finger, concentrating on Ryan, her fiancé.
"Tom, what are you doing here?" she said, not backing away. Fury raged in his eyes.
"My name," he said slowly, "is Voldemort. Lord Voldemort to you." He laughed the same laugh that made her smile years ago. "Where have you been hiding?" he asked, his voice deadly serious again.
"Nowhere."
"Didn't you recognize me? I'm the most feared, powerful wizard in the world!" his voice rose with each word. "Didn't I tell you, Pearl? Didn't I tell you that one day I would be the greatest wizard in the world?" He waved his hand around to his followers. "And I was right." A satisfied smile filled his face and Pearl felt anger rage in her brain.
"Why did you leave me, Tom?" she asked, her voice just as cold. "You left me just like that, without a goodbye or anything."
His face changed and he looked thoughtful, almost resentful. "I never did see you after that. Why didn't you come back to school?"
"What do you care?" She turned away, her eyes burning. She didn't want him to see her crying.
"Aren't you afraid of me, Pearl?" Tom's voice was deadly quiet and she had to strain her ears to hear him.
"No."
"Well, why not?"
She spun on her heels to face him. "Why not? I'll tell you why not! Because you are still the same Tom Riddle I went to school with. You're still the same Tom Riddle I got into trouble with. You're still the same Tom Riddle that I would sneak off to meet during class and."
Her voice faded away as Tom was giving her knowing looks. Understanding, she put two and two together and realized that his Death Eaters wouldn't know about their Dark Lord sneaking off to meet his girlfriend during his school years. That would seem unprofessional.
"The fact remains, Tom," she continued in a calmer voice, "is that you are still the same Tom Riddle I fell in love with."
For a brief, fleeting moment, she saw what looked like pain in his eyes. He looked as though he wanted to drop to the ground and crawl to her, begging for forgiveness. Instead, his eyes hardened, and a cold smile crept across his face. His eyes wormed their way down her body and landed on her hands. "What's that?"
She realized he was talking about her engagement ring. "A ring," she answered.
"I realize that," he said, giving her a patronizing look. "I meant, what is it doing on your finger?"
"Did you think I was going to stay single forever, Tom?"
"I told you already, it is Voldemort."
"I remember," she said bitterly, recalling the cold day in December when he had told her he was going to use that name. "It's stupid," she had said, causing him to become extremely angry.
"Whatever your name is now, you are still Tom Riddle, whether you like it or not, and power won't change that!" The small girl playing in the back room interrupted Pearl's rage.
"Mommy? Are you okay?"
Tom's look became even more condescending. "Whose that?" he asked and Pearl fought the urge to reply with a snide comment on if he didn't know who the girl calling her 'Mommy' was, he was in more trouble than she thought. No, she had even a better idea, a better attack plan.
Looking him straight in the eye, she held her head high and replied, "She's your daughter."