Sorry this chapter took so bloody long, but towards the end it deals with something that is rather critical to the outcome of the story. Stay tuned, because you can probably guess where the next chapter is going to take place. ;)
Chapter Four – Tom Riddle
Ron Weasley was lying on his back in one of the Hospital Wing beds. He had a touch of a dreamy smile on his face and his eyes were clouded with a sort of lust. He was vaguely aware of the pain in his right hand and oblivious to Millicent Bulstrode who was in the bed next to him muttering curses his way under her breath.
"Kindly hold still Miss Bulstrode," Madam Pomfrey lectured as she once again positioned Millicent's head to face the ceiling. "Careless, reckless behaviour," the nurse continued. "Five weeks of classes and already I've had more preventable accidents coming from Professor Lockhart's classroom than Potions and Care of Magical Creatures put together. Surly the Headmaster will hear of this!"
Millicent tilted her head to glare at Ron again at the mention of advising Dumbledore of what had happened in class today. Shadowed by bushy, untamed brows Millicent's eyes narrowed and her pale lips pursed in anger as Madam Pomfrey continued to lecture them both about taking precaution in class. While practicing a simple spell Ron's wand had malfunctioned yet again. Both ignoring every angry word coming out of the nurse's mouth, Ron and Millicent fantasized about a more vivid outcome of the accident that had occurred in their Defence of the Dark Arts class.
Millicent imagined wrapping her plump hands tight around Ron's neck and wringing him lifeless for causing her entire face to break out in oddly shaped boils while Ron wished his wand had burned more than just his hand so that he could feel his nurse's soft, gentle fingers rubbing medicated cream into more than just his palm. She was sitting on the edge of the bed quietly humming a mellow tune.
Ron took a deep breath and let it out in a slow sigh as Jessica dipped a single finger into the small container sitting on the bedside table, coating her finger with thick, white lotion before she slowly began to lather it across Ron's open palm. He sighed again when the cool cream made contact with his skin. His smile widened and his eyes slowly drifted shut. Jessica smiled and rolled her eyes as she sensed Ron indulging in the sensation of her treatment.
Within a minute or two the swell and blistering reduced to almost nothing. Jessica watched Ron's palm, admiring the effectiveness of the remedy. She picked up the container and looked at the label again.
Inferno-Placatus.
Jessica smiled. It was written in Snape's handwriting, as were nearly half of the remedies stored in the Hospital Wing. He provided a basic supply of medical potions while the rare sophisticated remedies came from Rubens Winikus.
As Jessica gently ran the tip of her rounded fingernail along the curves of Snape's handwriting, she saw in the corner of her eye that Ron's eyes were opening and his smile was broadening. "I reckon I'll need a little more of that before I go," he said.
Jessica could clearly see that his injury did not need any more of her attention, but thought it sweet that he was trying to coax her into another hand massage. Even if Ron hadn't been sweet on her since last year, Jessica knew that the tingly sensation she left behind after an expert massage was enough to have any man – or boy – pleading for more. Even Snape wasn't immune to her effective treatment. She loved nothing more than to hear him moan in satisfaction throughout a sensual back massage and then groan in disappointment after she brought it to a close.
"I assure you, Mr. Weasley," Jessica picked up Ron's hand and showed him how much of the swelling and redness had subsided since he'd been brought in with his injury, "in a matter of minutes there will be nothing left of your burn. This remedy is quite effective." She smiled down at him and released his hand. "After all, Professor Snape isn't one to concoct his potions by half measures, is he?"
Ron made a grimacing face at the mention of his malevolent Potions Master. "I suppose not," he agreed hesitantly. A moment later Ron's bitter look took on an even more potent expression. He swallowed hard and muttered to Jessica out of the corner of his mouth. "Speak of the devil."
The warmth and comfort that began to grow in the pit of Jessica's stomach spread throughout her entire body and then intensified greatly as the Potions Master made his swooping entrance into the Hospital Wing. He glanced quickly at Jessica as she turned to look at him.
Snape didn't make a sound as he stepped nearer to Madam Pomfrey. Standing behind her, he crossed his arms in front of him. He took a deep breath and exhaled impatiently. Jessica could feel that he was not nearly as upset as he looked and was merely feigning his anger.
"I was advised of the malfunction caused by Mr. Weasley's wand today," he said icily. His hooded eyes lifted to Ron, whose face turned almost as white as the bed sheets.
Jessica leaned forward in a subtle attempt to block the young boy from Snape's view. Greatly intimidated by his teacher's mean scowl, Jessica could sense Ron probing desperately for a plausible excuse.
"Professor," Madam Pomfrey began, "if your purpose in coming here this afternoon was to deduct points or assign detention, you have wasted your time. This was clearly an accident and punishment is unnecessary."
"I have merely come to inquire of the well being of my student," Snape hissed, emphasizing the singularity as he looked down at Millicent.
Although I would not have inconvenienced myself had it not been for the chance to lay eyes upon my lovely Jessica, she heard Snape whisper in his thoughts.
His sentiments wrought a tiny smile and Jessica turned to glance his way before getting up to place the Inferno-Placatus back in the supply cupboard. She could feel Snape's eyes on her as she walked into Madam Pomfrey's office in the back of the Hospital Wing.
With a tiny creak, Jessica opened the cupboard door and aligned the Inferno- Placatus next to the large bottle of Skele-grow. She could hear Snape's low (but angry) voice inquiring about the accident that had happened in Lockhart's class and making a rude comments about Ron's malfunctioning wand.
"If I see that wand pointing anywhere near one of my students, I will have it confiscated," Snape warned just as Jessica came back from the office. "Do you understand, Weasley?"
Ron hesitated to nod. "But Professor Snape, it wasn't my fault," he claimed. "My wand just-"
"Do not argue with me," Snape ordered. "If you cannot control your wand, it will need to be replaced immediately."
Ron turned white in the face again and shrugged into the bed as Snape glared down at him. "Yes, Professor Snape."
Jessica stepped right in between the two and looked in Ron's direction. "You're free to go, Mr. Weasley," she said cautiously to him. "And do advise me if the blistering has not healed by tomorrow evening."
"Yes Ma'am." Ron nodded curtly and crawled off the side of the bed furthest from Snape. He walked as far as he could around the Potions Master and slipped out of the Hospital Wing.
Scowling, Snape watched Ron leave. He wrapped his arms tight across his chest and took a deep breath as he glanced towards Jessica. She had begun to straighten the bed sheets, preparing them for Madam Pomfrey to come along and sanitize them for the next occupant.
He stepped slowly towards Millicent's bed before letting his breath out slowly. "Miss Bulstrode, please see that I am advised the next time Weasley attempts another ill-conceived charm on you or any one from your House," he said.
Jessica turned and rolled her eyes. Snape's sole concern for his own House irritated her to some level, although, she knew he didn't feel all that concerned about Millicent's condition. His appearance in the Hospital Wing was purely dedicated to Jessica. She stole glances his way as Madam Pomfrey shared Millicent's diagnosis with the Potions Master.
Then, before she realized he was on his way to the Hospital Wing, the doors flew open and Gilderoy Lockhart proudly strode in, wearing robes of brilliant lavender and silver. Snape took one look at him and, from several feet away, Jessica could have sworn she heard him growl.
She looked at Lockhart and saw his award-winning smile aimed straight at her. With one hesitant look at Snape, she smiled courteously at Lockhart as he approached her with his chest puffed out broadly. Snape stood and watched heatedly from the foot of Millicent's hospital bed with his hands on his hips and a bitter scowl on his face. Madam Pomfrey was still chattering away, but Snape wasn't listening to a single word anymore.
"Good morning to you, my dear!" Lockhart bellowed. He chortled as his eyes eagerly perused Jessica's ivory nursing gown. Jessica had always thought it looked more like a plain bodice than a gown and the way Lockhart was eying her so thoroughly made her feel like she was wearing nothing but a lucid negligee.
"Good morning, Professor," Jessica whispered timidly, feeling Snape's eyes burning holes into the back of Lockhart's head.
"Ah, ah, ah," Lockhart said as he shook a finger at her. "Must I continue to beg to hear the sound of your lovely voice speaking my given name?" He smiled again and leaned his ear forward, expecting to hear Jessica voice his name.
"Forgive me, Professor Lockhart," she apologized. "Perhaps once you and I are better acquainted we may resort to more familiar terms."
Lockhart stepped back, feeling disappointed that Jessica was continuing to grow more distant with every encounter. "Well," he began, trying to compose another smile, "perhaps that day is not so far away. My purpose in seeing you today is to enlighten you of the Halloween party the other professors and I will be having after the student curfew on the thirty-first." He clapped his hands together and bit his lip as he mustered a little more courage to invite her. "It's still quite a ways away, but I wanted to get a head start. I, uh, I would like to take this opportunity to, uh, become better acquainted with you, Miss Van Eden. Would you kindly, er, consider letting me escort you to and from the festivity? Or, I would even be obliged to have you accompany me in my private quarters afterward."
Lockhart smiled again and jiggled his chin.
Right behind him, Jessica saw Snape slowly approaching Lockhart, having overheard every word. Jessica swallowed hard and smiled weakly at Lockhart. "I am truly flattered, Professor. I thank you kindly, but I think that Professor Snape will be most aggrieved should I accept your invitation."
At that, Snape came to a halt right behind Lockhart and crossed his arms as he patiently waited for Lockhart to take notice of him. Instead, Lockhart chuckled. "Professor Snape?" Lockhart repeated. "My dear, you must be joking! I hardly suspect Severus will do as much as make an appearance. I've only known the man for a few short weeks, but I have not failed to notice that he spends most of his time lurking about the dungeons and rarely comes up for more than a meal or two a day." He tossed his head back and chuckled again. "Now tell me, what possible reason is there to believe that our dear friend Severus would mind the most eligible bachelor in the castle escorting the finest young bachelorette to a simple staff gathering?"
Lockhart's smile slowly faded as he realized that Jessica's apprehensive gaze was pointed not at him, but just over his shoulder. He saw the fret in her eyes and slowly turned around to stand toe to toe with the Potions Master.
"Do you really need it spelled out for you, Professor?" Snape asked. "Being one so inclined to the behaviour of our kind, I thought it would appear rather obvious." Snape stepped around Lockhart and placed an affectionate hand gently overtop of Jessica's shoulder. He looked up to see the baffled look on Lockhart's face and revelled in seeing his jaw quiver in anxiety and humiliation.
"I – I – I had no – no idea, Severus – Professor," he corrected. His face turned pink and he looked back and forth between Snape and Jessica, bemused by such an unlikely pairing. It was like sunshine and rainbows mixed with black clouds and thunder, Lockhart thought.
"Well now you do," Snape said and dropped his hand to Jessica's waist. "And I will have you know that Miss Van Eden will be in my company on Halloween night whether it be at the party or… lurking about the dungeons."
Snape leaned in towards Jessica and slowly looked into her eyes. With his face so close to hers Jessica thought he might even go as far as to kiss her. Jessica's inside churned with a desire to feel his kiss right now. With his nimble fingers gently caressing her hip and the unique aroma of magic in his robes ensnaring her senses, Jessica felt the burning desire to wrap her arms around him. Her lips began to beckon him as the heat consumed her, but the discreet professor turned away and released her completely.
Jessica's attention was returned to Lockhart. She looked apologetically at him and did her best to muster a smile as Lockhart continued to quiver in misunderstanding. He slowly started to step away from the pair. After clearing his throat, Lockhart pulled his cloak around his body and bared Snape a quick nod.
"Truly sorry," he muttered. "I'll just be going now."
Lockhart nodded again and turned around rather quickly, almost tripping over his own feet as he scurried out of the Hospital Wing. There was an evident skip in his stride as he made way for the door and on his way out he just about collided with a young, redheaded girl whom Snape recognized immediately.
"Beg your pardon, Miss Weasley," Lockhart said and then quickly excused himself. With her arms crossing tight about her chest, Ginny smiled up at Lockhart after she'd regained her balance and realized who had nearly knocked her over.
"It's quite all right, Professor," she said, although Lockhart was already so far down the corridor he probably hadn't heard her.
Snape promptly stepped even further away from Jessica as she walked over to greet Ginny. "Hello there, dearest," she said with a smile.
"Hello." Ginny returned the smile and noted the unique color of Jessica's eyes. "Like emeralds," she whispered to herself.
"I'm sorry?" Jessica said, not having heard what Ginny just whispered. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked.
Ginny kept her black diary held securely in her arms and took a deep breath. "Are you Jessica Van Eden?" the young girl questioned.
"I am. And you are?"
"I'm Ginny Weasley," the young girl said and offered Jessica a small hand. As she shook the nurse's hand, Jessica noted how cold and clammy Ginny's skin felt. And far more peculiar than that, she couldn't even sense the tiniest presence or emotion from the young girl.
"I came to look for my brother, Ron." Ginny peaked around Jessica's tiny form and perused each of the hospital beds. "He's not here any longer, is he?"
"No," Jessica answered and tried hard to pick up a trace of emotion from Ginny. "I told him he could leave not five minutes ago."
The black diary that Ginny had been holding onto so tightly suddenly slipped from her hands and fell at Jessica's feet. Jessica watched as the diary fell open, displaying nothing but an entirety of empty pages. She knelt down to pick up the tatty looking diary and folded it shut.
She had just begun to rise again when everything around her seemed to fade away into a cloud of darkness. The blur of Ginny's body slowly faded.
Jessica shut her eyes for a quick second and then opened them to see the Hospital Wing transforming into a swirl of colours and shadows. Then, just as quickly as it had all happened, the churning sensation ceased and the colours of yellow and brown turned to shades of dark green and black. Everything began to take shape and Jessica began to peruse the large room she was now standing in.
The ceiling was exceptionally high and from it hung a large cast-iron chandelier much like the one that had nearly crushed her a little less than a year back. At the end of each long arm was a lantern, half melted and unlit. There were six arms in total and each and looked very much like it was in need of dusting.
The fireplace was empty, although its walls were charred with black and ashes of grey littered the stone floor beneath. Long study tables and chairs were scattered about the spacious chamber and before the hearth laid a large area rug. Three long leather couches sat facing each other and on the shortest of the three Jessica could see the back of a boy's head. His hair was dark and had a touch of a wave just as her hair had when she was a young girl.
Jessica could hear the heels of her shoes click and echo as she neared the couch and the boy. He remained still with his head pointed down towards his lap.
"Hello?" Jessica voiced timidly.
Immediately, the boy's head turned sharply to the side, pressing his ear out towards her. Then he looked right at her.
Jessica quickly came to a halt as their eyes met and a silent gasp escaped her lips. The boy had a slender face and pale ivory skin and his cheekbones were well defined, much like her own. He stood up and returned the stunned expression. She saw that he was dressed in Hogwarts robes, but they were unlike the robes she saw the students wearing about the castle.
"Jessica," he pronounced in a smooth, fond voice. "I've been waiting a long time to see you."
Her eyes darted about the large chamber again, trying desperately to recognize something. The stain glass windows were large and patterned and engraved in the concrete walls were numerous patterns and eerie, intricate figures. "Where am I?" she asked quickly. "What is this place?"
The tall boy raised his hands and perused the chamber. "This was once my home," he told her. "It was meant to be your home as well."
Jessica looked around again, afraid to admit that she knew precisely where she was once she set her eyes upon the large, antique canvas portraying the man she knew to be the infamous Salazar Slytherin. Jessica recognized his face from the statue in the ballroom Snape had taken her to last year.
"This is the Slytherin Common Room," the boy said, although he knew Jessica had already assumed as much. "You'd have made Head Girl. I'm sure of it." He pointed his finger up a stone staircase where an old oak door blended into the shadows. "That door would have led to your private chambers."
"No," Jessica said and shook her head. "Even if I'd gone to Hogwarts as a student, I'd not have become a Slytherin."
The boy stepped nearer, his arms folded squarely behind his back. "How can you be so sure, when you share the same blood as Salazar Slytherin, and every generation between you has been sorted into his House? Even your mother – who came from a long line of Gryffindors – became one of us."
Jessica curved her eyebrows in inquisition and gently tilted her head. "Who… who are you?" she asked very slowly and quietly. His voice and his face seemed vaguely familiar, but to think that the boy before her could be the same man to whom that voice and those features reminded her of was impossible.
The boy raised a hand in front of him and motioned for Jessica to approach him. "Come closer, Jessica."
She hesitated for only a moment.
Bound by curiosity and a burning desire to place his familiar face, Jessica took a couple of long, vigilant steps towards the boy. As she drew nearer, she noticed the compassionate look in his pale, green eyes."
"Closer."
One more step.
Jessica could see her own reflection in his eyes.
"Now," he said softly, "look carefully and tell me who I am. I know you can see it." He reached a hand out and gently brushed a cold finger along the crest of her jaw. She jumped at the unusual feeling of his cold, rubber-like skin touching her face.
"To think that you could be the same man whose face I've seen in nightmares for so many years now is impossible," Jessica whispered timidly. "You're only a boy."
"Believe what you will Jessica," he told her. "But do not forget that in the world of magic, almost anything is possible. I can assure you that our resemblance is not a coincidence. You see me now as Tom Riddle, the man I was before you came along… even before I knew your mother."
Tom reached his hand out to touch her face again, but Jessica took a giant step back and glared furiously at him. "You speak as though you loved her. I know what you did to her, and I know what you did to me. You're not a man, only a monster," she hissed.
"You only remember a monster, Jessica," he said convincingly and held his palms open helplessly. "I would like to be a man again. You can help me become a man, even a father. I would like to know you Jessica, both you and your mother."
"My mother is dead!" Jessica bellowed. "You killed her!"
"No Jessica, you're wrong," Tom insisted in a calm voice. "Believe me, it was not my wish for her to be killed. My affection for her was genuine."
Jessica's bottom lip quivered slightly as tears burned the corners of her eyes.
"You must think terrible of me for leaving you so young, but you have to understand that I needed to leave you. I wanted you to grow up away from the terrible man I had become. I needed to bring about a revolution and do away with the wickedness that had possessed me before I could reunite with you."
Jessica slowly began shaking her head. "You lie," she said. "How can you possibly expect me to believe that nonsense after what you've done? You had my mother murdered and you tried to do away with me and the man I –" Jessica stopped immediately after she realized that Severus was the last person she wanted to involve in such a precarious conversation.
"The man you love?" Tom finished for her.
Jessica's heart sunk into her chest. She watched Tom raise a curious eyebrow as he saw the reaction in his daughter's face. He had indeed completed her sentence accurately and knew that this would work in his favour.
"You needn't be afraid of admitting your feelings for Severus with me. I'll not stop you from sharing your life with him," Tom assured. He took another step towards her and reached his hand out to touch her hair. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as his fingers stroked gently along the soft tresses of hair that were hanging over her shoulder. "Although, I must ask how it is possible that you defy everything that is Slytherin, and then give your heart and soul to a man who was chosen by our forefather and esteems him so greatly."
Jessica's stomach took on an uncomfortable jaunt of nausea. Even in the state of a sixteen-year-old boy, her father knew as much about her relationship with Snape as if he'd come across her in present day, for last year he had unfortunately witnessed as much of her association with Snape as Professor Quirrell had.
"I see fear in your eyes," Tom announced, "but you needn't be afraid. I have no wish to harm your or the Potions Master. In fact, I want to offer you the chance to bring peace amongst our differences. Your deepest desire is to live a humble life free of the fear I have caused you; the Potions Master's to protect you; and mine to put an end to the cold distance between us. This can all be done if you will help me do one thing, Jessica."
"I'll do nothing for you," she quickly declared.
Tom could tell by the cold look in his daughter's eyes that it was going to take a lot more persuading to convince her. He knew that nothing he accomplished in her lifetime was praiseworthy in her eyes. He'd terrorised her for over twenty-five years, murdered her mother, and kidnapped Jessica intending to turn her into a human weapon of destruction.
His cold hands closed around hers and in pleading he begged her to accept his spurious offer. "Help me return to the wizarding world as an equal so that we may live a life together as family and I will free you of the curse I placed upon you as a child. I can rid you of the nightmares, the threats and most of all the fear of placing the family you desire in danger."
For a moment Jessica's eyes softened and she found herself painfully fantasizing a safe future with a husband and children. She'd always wanted a family of her own and as she grew older she saw her window of opportunity growing smaller and smaller. Although she'd met the man she wanted to spend eternity with, convincing him to father her children was a quandary all its own. There was nothing anyone could do to talk him into becoming a father if it wasn't his utmost desire.
Jessica looked the pallid boy in the face and narrowed her gaze. Years of hatred built up in her expression and she drew her hand out of his grasp. "I'm very sorry," she began sarcastically, "but nothing you could ever offer me will be enough to convince me of your sincerity. I can't read you, as you are very well aware, but I know you are capable of nothing but lies. You're a foul, malicious brute and I'll not help you back into the wrath of chaos!"
"You can't hide behind the walls of Hogwarts forever, Jessica!" Tom shouted, suddenly losing his temper. "Soon you will see that you are more a Slytherin than you realize. Your powers have fully matured and soon you will be driven to use them. Without me you'll not be able to control your power and people will die because of you!"
Jessica felt her eyes sting as Tom hollered in front of her, his eyes taking on the impious expression she more easily recognized. "You're lying!"
"I will not lie to you!" he assured. "I created you! You are a part of me! No matter how hard you try, we will always be a part of you! Only I can help you!"
"I will die before I take on the likes of you!" Jessica said, tasting the first of many hot tears streaming down her crimson cheeks.
"It may come to that," Tom threatened, his voice full of promise. "When I return you and I cannot coexist as enemies. And I daresay that you will be strong enough to defeat me. Only together will you have the power to destroy," Tom said.
"There is nothing I wish to destroy," Jessica assured. She backed several feet away from Tom and wrapped her robes tight around her body. She noticed that the exit was directly behind her, but she knew she had a hopeless chance of escaping him.
"Don't be too sure of that," Tom warned. "Do you not want to destroy the evil and wickedness that has poisoned our world? Is it not your wish that the men who killed Espiranza receive their just reward?"
"Justice can be served without bloodshed," Jessica assured.
"Then join me and I will reward you with the lives of those men," Tom forced the words out of his mouth as his last desperate plea. "You can do with them as you please!"
Jessica covered her eyes with her hands and howled her protest. "No!"
In time to see Tom's teeth grinding together in a livid scowl, Jessica felt her own anger beginning to turn into bouts of nausea. The Slytherin Common Room swirled into a mix of dark colour. Tom's pallid face became enmeshed in the blurring spindle.
Jessica closed her eyes until the dizziness subsided.
When the spinning stopped, she slowly opened her eyes. Rising to full height, Jessica saw the tattered black diary in her hands and the small redheaded girl standing in front of her with her left hand outstretched.
"Thank you," Ginny said and took the diary from Jessica's hand.
The nurse swallowed hard and watched idly as Ginny turned around and left the Hospital Wing. The door swung shut and closed with a soft rippling echo.
She realized, after a long moment, that she'd not taken a single breath since finding herself back in the Hospital Wing. Upon this realization, Jessica released a heavy breath of air and gasped quickly for another.
Her heart was pounding ferociously within her chest, banging relentlessly against her tiny ribs. Feeling her weakened knees wobble beneath her, Jessica collapsed onto the tiny bed opposite Madam Pomfrey and Millicent Bulstrode. She closed her eyes and willed herself to regain some composure.
It was in the middle of a very long, very deep breath that she felt a warm pair of hands touch the bare nape of her neck. Jessica's eyes snapped open immediately when she felt the brush of his shoulder-length hair tickle her exposed flesh as he leaned over her shoulder.
"Is there something wrong?" Snape voiced in a delicate whisper. "You suddenly appear rather ill."
"I'm fine," she said and turned her head away from him. "But I need to go to my quarters and rest." Jessica lifted Snape's fingers from her neck and put her full weight onto her feet before standing to make sure that they would support her.
"Very well, I will escort you," Snape whispered and discreetly helped her to her feet. He wrapped a hand around her waist and began to walk her to the door.
"Thank you Severus," Jessica began, "but I'll escort myself."
Snape froze in mid-step. His black eyes, full of question gazed down into hers and he dared to ask why. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could utter a word, Jessica pressed a soft hand into the sleeve of his frockcoat and stifled his questions with a small kiss, shielded from the eyes of his student by his prominent height.
"If you'll escort me to dinner, I'd appreciate it dearly," she told him.
Snape let her fingers slip down his arm and then he let her go. "Then I will be by your quarters this evening."