Inception: Rise of the Heir
After the murder of Hepzibah Smith, Tom Riddle disappeared for ten long years. He sank deeper into the Dark Arts & pursued knowledge that others could only dream of, consorting with the darkest members of wizarding society. With his eyes set on North America, he has no idea that the magic he so desperately seeks will shape his life & his inevitable future for years to come. TomxOC
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my o/c's and my own storyline.
Lyra cursed softly and grabbed her stomach, wincing in pain as she reached over the large cauldron, pouring and stirring each ingredient carefully into the potion, her teeth gritting in agony. The longer she spent on her feet, the more misery she was in.
Sharp aches lanced through her stomach once more as colorful spots flashed before her eyes, making her whole body shake from weakness. Her delicate fingers balled themselves into fists out of irritation, her trembling knuckles turning white. She had stood in the same place for hours, mixing, chopping and mashing ingredients for the potion, adding them slowly, making notes in her book as she changed and swapped out certain elements, trying to make it more effective. The monotonous work had taken a toll on her energy and she was growing increasingly frustrated as she progressed, exasperated with her body's unwillingness to keep up with her mind.
Feeling her insides roil and churn in anger, she suddenly grabbed the glass that stood on the table next to her and threw it against the opposite wall, screaming furiously, her chest falling and rising in agitation. Regretting her sudden outburst and looking at the broken glass strewn across the floor in displeasure, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, trying to regain her composure.
"Everything has to be brewed perfectly…" she thought as she looked back to the book, her eyes skimming over the page that now had scribbles and marks written angrily all over it. "If I don't time things out correctly and precisely, this will be a waste and I'll have to start all over again. I should have been able to do this more quickly but my body is slowing me down.."
Lyra looked to the small window that overlooked her room and closed her eyes as the light from the sun shone into her room, signaling the beginning of a new day.
"Another day...let's hope this one won't be wasted like all the others." she thought bitterly, leaning her weight against the table next to where she stood, slowly bending over to rest her palms out before her on the dry cracked wood of its surface, her head bowed in concentration.
"I don't even know if this potion will work, but it's the only option I have right now...If only I could figure out why I lose myself, what all of this is, I might be able to pinpoint how to control it."
She grimaced once more as her thoughts fled back to Tom and what he could have witnessed. "It's already too late to hide what I am, but perhaps if Tom told me what he saw I could get an clue as to what I'm dealing with... I might be able to stop this..."
She rubbed her stomach tenderly as her figure hunched over the table, it did little to cure her aching wounds, but it helped enough to give her momentary respite from the pangs of pain erupting from her stomach. She uncorked the Wiggenwald potion and took a long drink from the bottle as she placed it down once more, wiping her mouth in disgust.
"This draught has lost its potency. In order for me to heal as quickly as I need I would have to brew another one, which I can't do at the moment...I can barely mix the ingredients for Homenum Hobus without my body giving out on me - let alone prepare another set of ingredients. Even if I could, the hearth isn't big enough for both. I would have to throw away everything I've done so far-"
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a gentle knock on her door. Grabbing her wand quickly she pointed it at towards the doorway, the hinges groaning loudly as it opened.
Her eyes narrowed as she saw Tom enter her room and close the door quietly behind him, his face calm and collected. Lyra felt the anger rise in her chest once more, outraged that he would enter her room without permission. Last night had been a different matter entirely, she could forgive that, but today was another matter and she would not condone his entering whenever he pleased.
Although they had already been together for some time, she was still unaccustomed to travelling with company and while her mind had been so consumed with her endeavors, she had completely forgotten to bar the entrance to her room with the proper enchantments.
"You shouldn't be out of bed." He said matter-of-factly as he glanced in her direction, closing the door behind him. He looked at her for a moment, noticing her wand raised angrily at him and slid his attention to the broken glass scattered across the floor, it's previous contents smattered against the wall, trickling down into a small pool on the floor.
"Is this how you treat someone who has just saved your life?" he spoke calmly as he took a few steps towards her, his eyebrow slightly raised in amusement.
"Get out." she hissed at him through clenched teeth, cringing as a wave of new pain tugged at her insides.
"Or you'll do what exactly?" he said arrogantly, pulling his own wand out. "You can barely stand. I'd be surprised if you could even hex me properly in the shape you're in."
Lyra's face twisted in indignation and she quickly raised her wand over her head, suddenly crying out in pain as her body folded out from underneath her, finally defeated from the strain she had put on it.
Tom took another step towards her, his voice soft and gentle. "I told you you needed rest. Doing all this is counterproductive to your health and whatever it is you're trying to do can wait."
She held her hand to stop him and turned her head, a frustrated flush rising on her cheeks. "I don't need your help." Slowly picking herself up, she stood to her feet once more, her breathing ragged and heavy as she made her way over to her bed, sitting down carefully and looking past him, towards the window.
"I don't have much time Tom. Every moment I waste here on this bed - in this room, is detrimental to-"
"To what?"
She turned her head towards him and her eyes raked over his, silently pleading. "I need you to tell me what you saw the other night."
He looked at her as she searched his expressions for any sign of what he could be hiding from her and relaxed his face innocently. He wasn't willing to divulge what he had learned about her, not yet.
"I'm unsure of what you mean." he said, blinking quizzically, his emotions disguised by a guiltless mask.
"Don't lie to me Tom."
He put his hands in his pockets and leaned up against her wardrobe, looking back towards her arrogantly.
"What did you see?" She said as her voice shook, trying fervently to hold her temper in.
"What did I see? I saw a dying woman barely clinging to life. I saved you." He said softly, breaking eye contact with her and turning to lazily stare out the window. He enjoyed watching her squirm, watching the dissatisfaction flush her pale cheeks as he denied her what she so desperately wanted to hear. "But if I had known how upset my kindness would have made you, I might have thought twice about wasting my time."
"Could it be possible that she doesn't know what she becomes when she undergoes her change? Is this why she's so desperate to find out what I know?" he thought to himself, continuing to ignore her venomous stare.
Lyra eyed him suspiciously and let out an exasperated sigh. Arguing with him was getting her nowhere and with every passing minute she could feel her strength fading. Although she had made a silent vow to herself earlier, that she would force him to tell her what he had seen, she knew that in her condition she did not currently possess the strength in order to make him comply.
"I'll have to try a different method then."
She pulled herself into bed weakly and stared up into the ceiling, carefully considering her next words. Asking kindly would not work, nor would physical threats...but she could make his life more difficult and take away what he needed most.
"I'm sorry that you feel that way Tom, please don't mistake my agitation for ingratitude. That was never my intention...perhaps I've projected my anger and frustrations onto you wrongly." She said gently, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"You'll feel better once you've healed and you'll realize that this is all folly." He said silkily, running his long pale fingers lazily over his wand.
"That being said, I do want to tell you how grateful I am for your concern over my well-being - and because of that, coupled with my own personal reasons, as well as your own personal safety, I don't think it wise for us to travel together any longer."
Lyra turned her head towards him and watched his eyes flicker with anger, the rest of his face impassive as he struggled to contain himself.
"Your far too weak to travel by yourself...I think it wiser for me to-"
She cut him off and shook her head, her voice low and deliberate. "As you said, I'm in need of rest and it will be a long time before I think I will be able to travel once more, I think it best you go on alone so I don't waste anymore of your time. I myself know how precious time can be."
Tom stood up and grasped his wand tightly, taking a quick step towards her, his temper rising in his chest. His eyes caught hers briefly, a violent gleam of red flashing across them.
"Good. Now I have his attention." she thought as she watched his face flush in anger.
"You agreed-" He started. Lyra raised her hand slowly as if to silence him.
"I know what we had agreed upon Mr. Riddle. And you yourself agreed to stay out of the woods...had you done so, neither of us would be where we currently are, nor would we be having this conversation. But it seems that life has made liars of us both." She let out a soft sigh and continued "...As I am not on retainer and there has been no monetary exchange, I am not obligated to fulfill whatever promises I have made to you. Unfortunately, it seems I have taken you as far as I can due to unforeseen circumstances. I can't endanger you or myself any longer..."
He stared at Lyra with an expression she couldn't quite place, his eyes rigid and cold, her focus shifted to the wand still grasped tightly in his hands, his knuckles turning white from whatever rage he was suppressing.
"You-You actually think you could hurt me?" he sputtered out uncharacteristically, his voice indignant and full of disdain. "You have no idea with whom you're dealing, the things I could do to you if I wanted-"
"Ah. There's that anger that lurks right beneath the surface. This is the real you Tom, the violent man behind the soft words and patient disposition." She thought as she kept her demeanor calm and collected, staring up at him smugly. He was playing perfectly into her hands.
"And you do not know what I am capable of Tom, nor do I...and that is exactly my dilemma." She replied, a soft sigh escaping her lips, it was no use in hiding it, especially if he already knew.
Lyra narrowed his eyes towards his wand and raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to kill me Tom?" She propped herself up on the bed slowly and stared at him, a look of amusement dancing in her eyes while she nodded towards the small piece of wood in his hands. "Make it quick then."
He stood before her seething, clenching his jaw tightly as he raised his wand towards her. The words he so desperately wanted to say lingering on the tip of his tongue.
"It would only take a moment...a simple spell and this could all be done and over with. You've done this before for lesser reasons. Show her what the consequences are when someone defies you..."
"Have you ever killed a person with your bare hands? Or have you always let your wand do your dirty work for you?" Lyra interrupted him as she reached for her own wand, twirling it around her fingers absent-mindedly, a strange expression spreading across her face.
Her words caught him off guard as he opened his mouth to reply.
"And why would I ever have to use my hands for such things?" he spoke vehemently.
"She's testing you. Do not give in to her." He reassured himself as he lowered his wand, his face full of resentment.
"I thought you of all people would understand. To understand your own strength."
He scoffed in anger and lifted his wand back up.
"Let me tell you from experience Tom, it takes far more willpower to kill someone with your bare hands. You can see the fear in their eyes, you can feel their delicate bones underneath your hands and you can feel the life slip away from underneath you as they grow cold beneath your fingers. You really have to mean it…and when it is finished, you feel what it is you have done truly shake you to your core...because it wasn't quick, it wasn't easy and you had to continue on for longer than you could ever imagine to accomplish it."
She eyed him arrogantly as she continued.
"To me that is more gratifying than anything a simple spell could produce."
He considered her words carefully and eyed her from where she sat. Her glare was filled with defiance, ablaze with an emotion he recognized in himself, her hands trembling as she ran them through her hair.
"I see no difference."
She looked down towards her own wand, held loosely in the palm of her hand and began to tap it gently against her thigh as she focused on him once more, her gaze piercing his.
"I understand ambition when I see it Tom and I would never condemn a person for how they choose to satisfy theirs. I know what it is you seek, it's not difficult for me to imagine why a wizard would travel this far and go through such lengths. I could feel that there was something...different about you from the moment we met. I don't have to pry into your affairs to know what it is you want. Your aura feels like death Mr. Riddle, I would know, it has been my bedfellow for quite some time now."
He lowered his wand again, speaking softly. "You know nothing of what I've done, what I have accomplished, what I desire..."
She spoke calmly as she looked past him and out once more into the daylight. "I don't care what you have done. It makes no difference to me. I could only surmise what you've accomplished and I'm sure many would be jealous of your pervasive knowledge.. I myself have dabbled extensively in the dark arts and I understand the thirst for more."
He looked at her, still enraged by her bold words and her decision to break their agreement.
"You see Tom not only do I not fear death, but I know that you won't kill me."
His jaw flexed as he stared at her coldly, his voice threatening as he closed the distance between them.
"There are other ways to get what I want." He quickly raised his wand once more as he stood before her, holding his wand under her chin, watching as he pressed it into the soft flesh of her throat.
Lyra let out another soft laugh as she dismissed his threats, lazily moving the tip of his wand away with her finger.
"You could torture me, yes. I'm sure you'd enjoy that very much. But what good would that do? Seems almost counterproductive for you..."
He lowered his wand from her flesh hesitantly as he considered her words, realizing she was right.
"Damn her."
She smiled at him victoriously, her gaze confident and unwavering as each mismatched eye looked into his.
"You won't do anything because you know as well as I do that you still need me."
Lyra grimaced and stood slowly, walking carefully over to where he stood, blocking his way. "However...I would be willing to rescind my withdrawal if you give me what I desire...but that of course is up to you."
"And what is it exactly that you desire?" he said, his eyes flickering from her clashing eyes to her lips before he looked away.
"I know exactly what she wants. But if I tell her what it is I know, then I won't have any leverage or say as to where we go. But if I do not, then this trip may as well be a wasted effort."
Her voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You know what I want, Tom. I'll give you a few days to contemplate my proposal, until then your rooms will be paid for and your board kept. Now if you don't mind, I find myself in need of the rest you keep lecturing me about."
She turned away from him as she waved her hand carelessly, opening the large wooden door for him, signaling that their discussion was over.
He turned towards the entryway angrily as his mind raced.
"Wait." She stopped him quickly and pointed her wand towards her desk, he watched as two small packages wrapped in brown paper floated towards him.
"What is this." he spoke indignantly, the expression on his face unreadable and disconcerted as he looked back from the items towards her.
"I'd almost forgotten…I purchased these for you a few days ago before our little...mishap."
He stared at the small parcels as they floated in the air before him, unsure of why she had purchased him anything at all. He took them suspiciously, unwrapping the small rope that held the paper together and stared in confusion as his eyes beheld the books that he now held in his hands.
"Gifts…? But why?" His brow wrinkled as he continued to stare at the literature he had been given, unsure of how to react. The rage that had grown in his chest started to subside replaced by a something strange, another feeling unfamiliar and foreign.
"Consider it as a thank you." Lyra said as she ran her hands through her hair once more, biting her lip as she tried to look away in unease. "You seem to enjoy reading as much as I do...so I thought that maybe-"
He frowned and stepped forward to leave the room, pausing for a moment when suddenly he turned his head, his brown eyes staring in hers once more as he spoke gently.
"Moonstone dust."
She looked at him, a puzzled expression spreading across her face as she tried to make sense of what he had said.
"What-?"
"Moonstone dust would be far more effective than staghorn caps…" he trailed off as he turned his head once more and quickly left the room.
Lyra tilted her head in confusion, opening her mouth to interject but he had left the room before she could even reply. Her eyes softened as she closed the door and wrapped her hands around herself, a sigh of exhaustion escaping from her already parted lips.
So this was definitely a more interactive chapter, going forward in the story from this point on there will be a lot more conversation and interactions between the two of them. I predict I SHOULD be able to post another chapter soon as my job has now closed due to the worldwide pandemic of covid 19 going on. Nothing to do but write and write. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter, I tried to keep tom in character...I do try to base his personality on more of the chamber of secrets Tom Riddle rather than the characteristics Lord Voldemort would have portrayed. He's still secretive and outwardly reserved, but I do think that he would OCCASIONALLY slip up when it comes to his true personality. Review, Follow & Fav!