Blinded By The Past, Ignored In The Future
Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX: Scolding
Response To Reviews:
Lissie: Thanks for all the compliments!
DANA: I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!!! *bows down*
DeadlyFate: It's not Voldemort. That would be very mean to Tom.
xcyanide: Don't worry. I don't think Voldemort would come walking down muggle London anyway…
deathsoul-shinigami: Well Tom and Lucius were best friends and he still is having reality problems. I just may make it Draco takes Lucius place as his best friend for this time period. That might cause problems for Hermione and Tom though.
Emma Ackroyd: Really? COOL! But I still think that the chapters were getting worse.
Marauder1prongs: Long review? Wow. Do that every time please.
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Previous Chapter: They left the store, Tom with his possessions, and just as they were beginning to make their way back to where they could bring out the brooms a piercing scream caught Tom's attention. He turned his head and whom else could he see but a hooded cloaked figure, heading straight toward them.
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"RUN!" Tom yelled to his comrades when he saw more of them appear. Hermione and Draco didn't need to be told twice; they took off in the direction that they were headed toward in the first place.
"Stupefy!" Remus's familiar voice shouted. When Tom looked around he saw many of the people from the Order charging at the Death Eaters and Potter, along with Weasley, were running toward him, Hermione, and Draco.
"What are you doing here?" Potter demanded from them once they were within hearing distance. He threw a glare at Tom and Draco. It was obvious that he knew they were the masterminds behind the idea.
"Now is not the time to discuss this," Hermione said, pointing to a Death Eater that had his wand directed at them.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Potter as he turned around. A small surge of jealously leaked into Tom's mind as he watched Potter defend them and most of all Hermione. He blinked in confusion. Why would be he jealous because someone was sticking up for Hermione?
In his thoughts he forgot where he was and what was going on so he was unprepared for the sudden force that knocked him off of his feet. If it wasn't such a serious situation Tom was sure that the Gryffindor trio would have laughed at him for his stupidity. Tom wasn't positive but he thought he saw someone creeping up behind Potter, wand extended. When his mind cleared he saw that it was indeed a Death Eater.
He looked to his side and grabbed the first thing in sight (a sharp edged rock) and threw it at the man. Caught off guard, the Death Eater stumbled backwards and Potter turned around at the noise then yelled, "Stupefy!"
"Errrr…thanks," Potter said as he turned back to Tom who was just getting to his feet.
"So you're not popular with the Death Eaters?" Tom asked with fake high interest.
"No, not really, you?"
"I'd have to say no. They seem to have it in for people with odd colored eyes and black hair," said Tom.
The sound of soft footsteps reached Tom's ears. "Turn around slowly and put your hands in the air then I may let you live," came the cold whisper into his ear. A shiver was sent down his spin as he did so and saw Potter, Weasley, Hermione, and Draco do the same. Tom's eyes met Lucius's and the elder Malfoy smirked. "So this is who you've been with. Not at all a shocking discovery since you long for the recognition of a hero like a foolish Gryffindor." His words rang through Tom's mind, engraving them into his very skull. He starred at his former friends as if hoping his stare would burn into Lucius's very flesh and render him as helpless as he now felt.
"Why not fight fair, Lucius?" Tom inquired, looking over Lucius's shoulder at the six Death Eaters that were standing behind him.
"Crucio!" hissed Lucius. Over Tom's screaming he shouted, "That's my answer, Riddle. I don't play fair if I don't have to." He turned to Draco and said, "You are in a lot of trouble and I expect good explanations for you associating with a mudblood, a Weasley, and Potter."
When the curse was lifted Tom found that he was lying on his back upon the ground. For the first time since they had arrived in London he truly felt the cold of the winter air. He fought his way to his feet and stood facing Lucius as if the Cruciatus Curse had never been used. "So it's all a game to you, huh?" He watched out of the corner of his eye as a few Order members snuck up on the unsuspecting Death Eaters. "Well I think you just lost." Lucius caught the glint in his eye and, not taking any chances, apperated away before the spells from the light side's wands hurled his way.
He gave a smile and short nod to Remus but he found himself cowering slightly at the angry look that half the Order, Remus included, was giving him. He looked at his feet in sham and at that moment he regretted every action (except perhaps his moment with Hermione) that took place that night.
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"You have broken every rule that we have created for you to obey for the soul purpose of protecting your safety, Tom," Dumbledore said to him with his usual disappointed voice rather than a furious one. He stood before the Order of the Phoenix at their Headquarters in the early hours of the morning, his head tilted toward the ground. Hermione, Potter, Weasley, and even Draco were in the other room probably already asleep. "What ever gave you the thought that what you did was alright?"
Tom bit his lip but still kept his gaze off of the people before him. His head pounded and he was dead tired. "I don't know, sir. But I can assure you it was entirely my idea. Draco had nothing to do with it," he lied. The last thing he wanted was for them to blame Draco who was, in an unspoken way, disowned by his father recently for his actions of sticking by him and Potter.
"Then why would Mr. Malfoy have come over with two broomsticks?" McGonagall brought up.
"I asked him to come by sometime ago and to bring them," Tom replied, careful to plane out his stretch of the truth.
"And what were your intentions for going to London?" came Dumbledore next question.
"I don't really know, sir," Tom answered. It was partially the truth. After all when he first set off with Draco and Hermione to London he had just wanted to look around. In a seat in the corner he saw Remus sitting by a window, the bag of Tom's bought items from Diagon Alley in his left hand, and he was rubbing his forehead with the other.
"Remus tells me that he had given you no money and yet you have these muggle items now. How did you get them?" asked Dumbledore.
"I stole the money from a muggle woman and bought them," responded Tom, no change in his tone. He heard several sighs and he looked up for the first time to see Remus's eyes turn to him. "I'll find a way to make it up. I swear!" Tom pleaded.
"Yes, you will, Tom. But that won't change the fact that you did it," stated Tonks. "I still can't believe you did. Was there something that you wanted that badly?"
Tom grinned, knowing if he told them that she was right they would laugh or poke fun at him. He shook his head "no" but couldn't get rid of the grin plastered on his face.
"Do you find this amusing, boy?" growled Moody, his magical eye looked as if it were looking straight through Tom. As Tom went to respond he coughed hard several times, making is throat sore, and he smiled nervously up at the ex-Auror.
"Well whatever you've managed to catch out there in the freezing cold, whether it be a simple cold, pneumonia, or bronchitis, I believe that is punishment enough. But you do understand that if anything like this were to happen again you might not like what the consequences would be?" said Dumbledore. Tom nodded and focused all his might on not coughing again. After all he did have some dignity.
"Now that-" Dumbledore was cut off by Tom who was now having a coughing fit. "Molly, if you would kindly take Mr. Riddle to a room and so a check up on him. I'll go retrieve Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy for their side of the story."
"Of course, Professor." Mrs. Weasley got up from her seat by her husband and put a hand on Tom's shoulder so she could guide him out of the room. He stopped suddenly and turned to Dumbledore.
"What about my stuff?" he asked, pointing to the music items that Remus was holding.
"I'd prefer if he worked for them first, Headmaster," Remus said.
"You heard him, Tom," said Dumbledore. "Now go rest. You haven't slept at all last night and the sun will be out in a few hours." Tom sneezed in response then Mrs. Weasley continued her job. Too tired to take notice of the beauty of the old Black Manor, Tom was finally led into a nice large room.
When Tom lay down on the comfortable bed he heard even paced footsteps coming into the room but barley could make out the short conversation between Mrs. Weasley and the visitor. "Hello, Severus."
""The Headmaster wants you to give him this and if he needs it a Dreamless Sleep potion that I have here," came Snape's voice. There was a pause before he continued "I'm not an expert on medical standards but it seems to me that Riddle has more than a cold."
"I agree but how could he have gotten something else so suddenly?"
"I haven't the slightest guess," said Snape. "But Lupin made the remake that he doesn't care, which is a blind lie." Tom felt a knife stab through his heart. He had angered Remus to the extent that he truly didn't like him anymore. Not sure if it was from his "cold", the Cruciatus Curse, or the fact that he was tired, he began to drift off to sleep as he felt Mrs. Weasley's cold hand touch his burning forehead.
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"Ruby!" came his own voice through the surrounding darkness.
"Rid, let it go! She's gone. You can't help her!" shouted Lucius.
"I told you, nephew, that your Gryffindor ways would get your friends killed one day," he heard Grindelwald say.
"You killed her!" he shouted.
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Tom jumped up, covered in sweat and breathing heavily. His eyes darted around the room and his heart sank when he realized that he wasn't in his room at Remus's house. Just as he was about to stand up the memories of London flooded back to him and he sat down on the foot of the bed, starring into the darkness of the room. He couldn't have been asleep that long since it was still dark out.
A light shinning in his face caught his attention after a few minutes. Voices from outside the doorway stirred up his curiosity even more and he found himself creeping silently toward the door.
"Tom does indeed have pneumonia. He will be confined to bed for the next week. Anyone who sees him up and about should send him back to bed or come and inform me," he heard Dumbledore say.
"Can he come back with me after the week is over?" Remus asked.
It took awhile for the Headmaster to reply and Tom could tell that he was thinking it over. "By the end of this week if he's feeling well enough he can go back with you, Remus, but if not he'll have to stay here a little longer. Though I am a bit worried. When we took him to Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts yesterday he was out cold the entire way." Tom blinked in confusion. Someone had taken him to Hogwarts to see the nurse and he didn't even remember it?
"I just can't believe he's been asleep since yesterday morning," stated Tonks.
Tom's brow furrowed. He had been asleep a full day? How could that be? He didn't even feel the slightest bit rested.
"Excuse me, Headmaster," he heard Remus say. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even hear the footsteps that were coming nearer. He only reacted when the door swung open, knocking him off of his feet. Before he could even sit up he was grabbed roughly by the back of his neck and practically throw onto his bed. Remus busied himself with the blankets, covering Tom from his neck down. Then he watched Remus pull out his wand and say an incantation. Seconds later he could feel that he was strapped into the bed.
Remus looked at him once as he said, "Go to sleep. I'll bring you something to eat in the morning." He turned toward the door and left, slamming it shut. Tom blinked his eyes when the light from the hallway disappeared and did the only thing he felt he could.
"Remus? I'm sorry! Sir?" He waited for what seemed like forever for a response but it never came.
