Inception: Rise of the Heir
Tom Riddle disappeared for 10 years. Where did he travel and what did he do during his absence? This is my feeble attempt at a Tom Riddle backstory, right before he rejoined the world officially as Lord Voldemort.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my o/c's.
Her surroundings were dark and hazy, she could hear echoes of voices that she recognized from many years past, but her vision was muddled and she could not see clearly, despite her frantic attempts to rub her eyes. Her hands grabbed at the dirt and dried leaves that lay around her as she tried to sit up, she knew exactly where she was, she had been here before many times. She felt the cool mist of the forest hit her face as she took a deep breath in, the dream was always more or less the same and she already knew what to expect.
She lay in wait, waiting for the serpent to slither up her leg from the shadows, but he did not come. Her surroundings were still and quiet and nothing was at all what she remembered, usually she would have awoken by now. Lyra stood up shakily as she held her hands out to maintain her balance. She felt the dead leaves fall from her dress and onto her feet, as twigs and branches snapped beneath her. The wind around her licked at her exposed arms and legs as it sent a chill through her spine. Shivering, she wrapped her hands around her for warmth and wondered what was happening.
A twig snapped to her side and she quickly whipped her head around to see what it was, but it was no use, her vision was still convoluted and blurry.
"Who's there?" she said as she relaxed her arms cautiously.
She gasped as the same strange language she had always heard the serpent speak, suddenly filled her head, soft and gentle.
Lyra spoke, anxious to discern the strange words. "I can't understand what you're saying…"
There was no response.
She bit her lip as she bowed her head, wondering what the words could mean. Was there something someone was trying to tell her?
Lyra drew a breath in sharply as she suddenly saw a blurred figure appear before her and felt her heart beat wildly as a soft hand touched her face. A finger rubbed her cheek softly as it tucked a stray wisp of her hair behind her ear. She raised her hand slowly to meet the hand that lingered on her neck, just behind her ear, but when she went to touch it with her fingers, the hand had disappeared and all she felt beneath her palm was the heat of her own face.
Lyra awoke suddenly in the soft sheets of her bed, her hand on her face as she tried to piece together what had happened. She recalled the dream she had just woken from, the strange language she couldn't understand and the soft touch on her cheek that had felt so real and as she opened her eyes she realized what had transpired before her world turned dark. Her stomach dropped as she shot up in bed and looked around her surroundings wildly, her eyes finally falling on Tom as he sat next to her bed in the small wooden chair.
He stared at her for a moment before he relaxed his body and spoke, his dark eyes fixed on her.
"What happened-" she said weakly as her stomach continued to fall.
"Your eyes turned as black as night." He said as he eyed her curiously, leaning back in his chair.
"What?" Lyra said as she continued to stare at him, confused and disoriented.
Tom stood as he made his way over to the other side of the room, staring out the window into the daylight as he spoke once more.
"You asked me to tell you what I saw that night in the woods...I saw it again last night."
Lyra looked away, her face expressionless as she fell silent.
"I thought you wanted to know, should I stop?" He said softly.
"No. Please... I need to know." She said as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself.
He looked at her once more, her usual demeanor was now absent and in its place an unsettling vulnerability appeared. He felt something inside him stir as he started again. "Your eyes became as black as the darkest night, and your hair was no longer the same but stringy and frayed, as white as snow. Skin, like dried leather, decrepit and decayed, that gave off the smell of a rotting corpse, fingers long and clawed, soaked in dried blood. Teeth as black as coal, hidden behind putrid and flayed lips. Your face…"
A choked noise came from Lyra's throat as she looked up at him with horrified eyes. Tom walked over to her and sat down in the chair once more as he finished his thought.
"Your face no longer your own, full of pestilence and lesions, the skin pulled over bones that could be seen through large gaps in the cheeks and forehead-"
"I've heard enough." Lyra said as she stopped him, slowly rising from her bed, and walked across the floor to stare into the hearth, covering her mouth with her hand. Tom's gaze followed her as he softly spoke.
"You act as if you did not know."
She started into the fire as she replied shakily. "I know that the things I have done are quite befitting of a monster. But until this moment, I had no idea that I quite literally became one...let alone one as repugnant as you've described. I know nothing of what happens to me once I lose consciousness. The world turns black and I remember nothing. "
Tom stood up from his chair as he watched her gaze turn from the dancing fire towards the window. The room was silent and all that could be heard was the crackling of the flames from underneath the cauldron.
"Thank you for what you've told me...I would not have known it otherwise...but I must ask, why is it you did not tell me that morning or any sooner, are you not frightened at what I might do-"
He let out a small snort as he approached her. "I've seen far worse things than what ails you and it does not deter me. As for why I didn't tell you, I was unsure myself as to what I saw."
He tried to maintain an innocent face as he lied.
She bit her lip as she ran a hand through her hair. "I do not remember the things I do Tom...I have little to no control once that-thing-takes over. I have tried. I have fought it...but I am losing and now it happens more frequently than it used to."
"If I could offer some insight perhaps…" Tom said softly as he raised an eyebrow.
She looked towards him and nodded, giving him the permission to continue, her face expressionless.
"Whatever it is, it does not seem to want to engage with those that may be able to defend themselves. I noticed this last night as it tried to run from me, rather than attack. It only tried to defend itself, once provoked."
"That's why it is always no-majs." she thought to herself as she bit her lip once more. "It prefers easy prey."
He looked at the broken and discarded glass of potion on the floor and tried not to smile as he watched her face intently.
"She has tried the potion already and judging by the looks of it, it has failed. This is your opportunity."
Lyra looked at Tom and nodded as he continued.
"...I don't know what it is that ails you Lyra...but I think perhaps, the potion you intended to brew might be your best chance of holding whatever this is at bay. Until you find a solution of course."
She shook her head in irritation as she motioned towards the potion. "While I appreciate your insight on a better ingredient for the potion, I'm afraid it didn't work."
He continued to walk closer to her, pausing only inches away from where she stood by the fire and spoke gently. "I could help you."
Her gaze rose to his as she searched his face, her eyes alight with suspicion. "And how is it you can help me?"
Tom pulled the vial slowly from his pocket and watched her eyes transfixed on the green powder glowing beneath the glass.
"Standard ingredients may not possess the potency needed to make your potion successful, but I hold in my hand a very rare ingredient, mix this in with your draught and I'm almost sure it would work."
"What is it?" She said as she moved her eyes from the vial to his face, narrowing them in suspicion
"Does it matter?"
Lyra looked at him and bit her lip, she knew he would not tell her and it was pointless to ask. "How do I know it isn't poison?"
She felt ridiculous the moment the words spilled from her mouth, she had already established days ago that if he had wanted her dead he would have already done so.
"Do you trust me?"
Lyra at the contents of the vial carefully and stared into his eyes once more, they bore into hers hungrily, waiting for her response. She felt a flush creep into her cheeks and felt uncomfortable at the expression in his eyes and how she had reacted to it..
"Of course I don't trust him, but he's also given me no reason to distrust him either. He saved my life...he's kept my secret-no doubt for his selfish reasons, but still...he's never hurt me.."
Irritated by her lack of response he spoke again softly looking into her eyes. "Let me help you Lyra."
She recoiled from his voice and turned away from him. "And why is it you feel this need to help me Tom? What could you possibly gain from that?"
He fell silent, rolling the vial between his fingers, carefully deciding on his next words.
"She's proving to be more stubborn than I initially thought she would be…"
Lyra sighed as she stood at his side once more, following his gaze into the fire underneath her cauldron. "What is it you really want Tom?"
He looked at her for a moment before he spoke in his same calm and gentle voice. "It is clear to me that you are uncomfortable with my presence. I simply wish to choose where we go, so I may take what I need from this country and leave. Nothing more."
Lyra sighed as she wrapped her arms around her once more. "Nothing comes for free Lyra, you knew this was going to be inevitable. If that's his only request, you should be relieved."
"I don't even know where to start looking for answers at this point. I thought I could take my time and do this logically, but it's become quite apparent there is no rational way to approach this and if what he says is true, his potion will at least keep my other side in check for a while. Perhaps this is the best way to get what I want and rid myself of his company for good. The faster he finds what he wants, the faster I'll be alone once more."
She sighed as she relaxed her arms and looked up into his face, watching as his eyes grew eager awaiting her response. "Fine."
He gave a half grin as he closed the distance between them and slowly reached for her, grasping her left hand softly, unraveling her fingers as he stared into her eyes and placed the vial into her palm, gently closing her hand when he was done.
Lyra felt a heat in her cheeks rise at the feel of his touch and retracted it quickly back to her side after he had let go.
"Once you've added it, stir the potion counterclockwise four times. After that the potion should be ready within the hour." he said softly as he turned to leave.
She nodded in acknowledgement as he walked towards the door, turning his head slightly as he reached for the knob.
"Oh and Lyra, seeing that today is the last day our rooms are accounted for, I'd like to set out for our next destination as soon as possible."
She raised an eyebrow as she looked towards him, already feeling regret for the bargain she had struck. "And where exactly would you like me to take you?"
"New Orleans. Meet me downstairs in three hours."
Lyra raised her eyebrows in surprise, as she opened her mouth to protest, but he had already left, closing the door behind him.
She turned around to face her cauldron and she uncorked the small vial in her hands, emptying its glittering emerald contents into the potion below. Her mind was fluttering with emotions as she followed Tom's advice and finished stirring the draught.
Anger and embarrassment were the first two emotions that struck her as she grabbed her wand and started to clean the mess she had made the night before. "How dare he order me around like a house elf. Where does he get off dictating to me what time we're leaving...I told him he could choose where we go, not when we leave...and to New Orleans no less! This is what you get for your foolish idea of bringing someone else along with you."
Her nostrils flared as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to quell her temper. "Think of where you would be if you did not take him with you? You would still be in the dark about your condition...and New Orleans is a perfect place to look for answers. You'll have resources down there..."
She felt a wave of nausea hit her as she recounted Tom's description of her the night prior. Bile rose in her throat as she painted a picture of herself with his words in her head. "How is all of this possible? This isn't like anything I've ever heard of…"
Lyra summoned a fresh dress from her bag and discarded the one she had been wearing. Placing the dress over her head, she caught a glimpse of her hair in the mirror and waved her wand elegantly towards her head, her hair quickly falling into soft perfectly styled waves. As she leaned over to see her reflection closer in the mirror, she flicked her wand once more and caught a small tube that flew out from her bag. Uncapping the top and twisting it gently, she applied the creamy red rouge to her lips and rubbed them together.
"At Least now I feel a little more like myself…" She thought as she continued to pack the rest of her belongings away, finally waving her wand towards the large wardrobe which shrank and slowly flew into her purse with everything else.
Rubbing her stomach tenderly as a new wave of wave of pain radiated from her wounds, she turned towards the potion and slowly dipped her glass in. The draught was no longer lilac as it had once been, but had instead turned into a sparkling shade of green.
"Well...here goes nothing. I hope this works, because the list of potions that don't are getting rather long..." Lyra thought sarcastically as she brought the cup up to her lips, hesitating only for a moment before she closed her eyes and drank deeply from the glass.
Wiping her lip gently, with the back of her hand she waited for a sign to determine if the potion had worked or not. She had expected the draught to taste vile, judging by her experience with the last few she had brewed and experimented with over the course of the month, but she was delightfully surprised to find it had tasted sweet with a lingering hint of peppermint.
"Well, that tasted a lot better than the last and I'm not having any adverse reactions just yet, so that's at least something."
She waited patiently as she bottled up the remainder of the potion in a large jar and whisked her wand around to clean her cauldron before summoning back into her purse. As she bent down to pick up the small black bag full of her belongings, she realized that by bending she should have felt pain from her stomach, but there was none. Rubbing her hands once more anxiously across her belly, she felt nothing but the soft touch of her own hands against the fabric that stretched across her skin.
"My pain is gone...does that mean it worked?"
Catching a glimpse of herself once more in the mirror, she gasped as she looked at her face. Her cheeks were now rosy and full and the scars under her eyes had vanished. The only imperfection left were her two eyes, a mismatched set of blue and brown. She let out a small laugh as she touched her hand to her face in disbelief.
"How could this be possible?" She thought as she continued to gaze at herself. "The effects of dark magic are permanent, how could a simple potion reverse all of this?"
She shook her head and shrugged it away as she realized she didn't want to know how it had been possible, all she cared about was what it had done for her and hopefully what it would continue to do. For the first time in a long while she felt hopeful at what the day might bring.
Hey guys hope you enjoyed that chapter! Another one coming soon, thank you to everyone who has commented, liked and added it to their favorites, it really means so much to me and it is a big motivator! Feel free to review and give me some feedback ! xx