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 watched the fire die down for what felt like ages, the orange embers glowing ominously underneath the black char all but extinguished. She felt a small breeze behind her and curled up softly into the chair, trying to warm her body.

"If only the cold was the only thing I felt right now."

She took another sip of firewhiskey as she watched the ash rise up from the glowing wood, falling towards the floor softly. Watching the fire had always been one of her favorite things to do growing up in the house, observing the flames spit wood and debris into the air, their remains floating to the floor like snow. She raised her hand to her lips gently and stroked her thumb across them in thought.

"Are we all not made to rise up from the ash in times of defeat?"

As a little girl she always had likened herself to that of a Phoenix, rising out from the charred remains of her former life into her new. Over and over the cycle repeated itself until she had finally become a woman, the powerful witch she had always known she was destined to become. Now she felt her life changing once more and the ash spread across the floor reminded her that she needed to keep fueling her strength and determination, for this too would pass in time and she would emerge more resilient than ever...or so she hoped.

"It's getting late and as much as I'd like to sit in front of the fire all night...tomorrow may be the day I finally get all the answers I need to fix all of this. I should make sure I'm well rested." Lyra mused as she stood up from her chair slowly, sloshing the rest of her firewhiskey into the hearth. Placing her glass down gently on the table, she made her way slowly into the unlit hallway, tired and weary from the night's events.

She paused momentarily at Sani's door, unsettled with how their conversation had ended, still angry with the judgment he had passed upon her and the guilt he had tried to make her feel for just simply just being herself, for persevering.

If only she could explain to him the trials and tribulations she had gone through. How her choices were made because they were fundamental.

"But were all your choices necessary?"

Raising her arm towards the door, she quickly pulled it away, deciding that it was a road she would rather not go down. Her business was her own and she no longer felt the need to justify herself.

"He'll never understand. It's better to just let it go. There's no need to explain yourself any further to those who do not see things the way you do...if they would rather live in a cage that others have made for them, then so be it."

Crossing her arms around herself while she made her way to her room, a small light still faintly glowed underneath the door frame to Tom's quarters and she felt herself looking longingly at the light as she passed by.

"At least someone appreciates me for who I am..." She thought sadly to herself before entering her room and quietly closing the flimsy wooden door behind her. A sharp pang radiated through her head and she quickly walked over towards her desk, picking the potion bottle up from where it had landed and took a large drink of its contents, wincing as it went down her throat.

"Strange. I don't remember it tasting so foul..."

She winced, trying to clear the taste from her mouth as she sat down upon the small bed, softly cradling her head in her hands.

"There was so much more I wanted to talk to Sani about...I had wanted to discuss the visions I had in the woods...and the dreams that I've had of recent..."

She frowned when she thought back to her dreams, images in her head she had so casually pushed into the back of her mind. Never before had she ever dared to entertain or ponder their meaning, divination a useless matter in her eyes, but after her ordeal in the swamps of Louisiana and what she had learned tonight, now she was unsure.

"...Perhaps dreams or certain aspects of magic should not be so carelessly placed aside…"

Lyra sucked her teeth once more at what she had been told, the disappointment Sani had expressed at the choices she had made in life.

"Could he have been right?" She mused as she recollected what he had said about the void in her life that had been made by her mother's passing. "I thought I had grown past this..."

She had remembered the anger and the rage that had erupted from within her when her mother had passed. The blame had been placed upon her mother's weakness and she had projected her fury towards the world for taking what had been hers. Diving into her education and her future had been her only solace and she had pursued it relentlessly, determined to surpass everyone in skill around her. But the hole in her life was indeed still there, as Sani had so cruelly pointed out and the dreams she had experienced of late led her to wonder if she was still clinging to an unresolved sadness she could not let go of.

"How could I let go of that pain that shaped me? It taught me everything…without it I would not have found my courage...my resolve…"

There was more to the dream that had led her to be wary, the strange tongue she had heard so often had recently presented itself in her waking life. Tom had spoken the rare language and up until now she had impressed upon herself not to think upon it again. As she questioned her dreams further, the parallelism started to fester inside her mind, it was too unique of a coincidence to be ignored any longer.

"These dreams...they must mean something..."

Initially, she had felt there was too much on her plate to shift her focus towards something so insignificant, so uncertain, but with his departure looming before her, she felt a sudden urge to interpret its message.

"If there even is a meaning at all…"

She rubbed her eyes and cradled her head into her hand, irritated that she dared to waste more time on such a ridiculous idea. But still...could it be that her dreams were trying to warn her conscious self of danger ahead or were they trying to tell her that there was another path she needed to follow?

"There is something wicked about him…" Sani's words echoed in her mind and she frowned, annoyed that his sentiments still lingered within her head. "There is nothing Tom has done that could be any worse than my own actions."

She felt her stomach twist once more at the idea of his departure and felt a knot form in her throat. "It's been hard for me to admit over time, but the way I feel around him has changed...it's...different...he makes me feel comfortable, I've never felt that around anyone before…"

Her cheeks started to rise in color as she thought back to the previous night, how she had spent the night with him underneath the stars in the canyon and how he had shown her nothing but kindness…and how he had expressed his desire once more for her to follow him.

"I've always trusted my instincts, they've never led me astray, why would they be wrong now?"

A sharp pain started to rise behind her eyes and she closed them tightly, trying to distract herself.

"I don't want him to leave, but I understand that it's necessary. He needs to pursue what he set out to do and I must focus on the present situation at hand. But why am I feeling so distraught over this? I knew this day was coming."

After what Sani had uncovered tonight, she knew there was no way she could leave, although the idea of leaving with him had tempted her greatly in the past. The answers to all her problems seemed finally within reach and she could not justify abandoning them so recklessly to satisfy such weak desires, no matter how hard her instincts cried out towards him. Their parting was inevitable, regardless of how much she desired it to not be so. Her mouth suddenly felt as if it was full of sand and she pleaded with herself to see reason.

"You need to forget all of this. You need to put it behind you and once he leaves, never think about it again."

Her heart could take no more grief, no more holes left by others who saw fit to abandon her when she grew accustomed to their company. She had seen to it for years that she remain alone and unattached, it was for the best. No commitment meant she could have no weakness, no love meant that heartache and grief could never touch her again. For the most part, society and the people she knew had made this task easy. But Tom had somehow made it past her walls and had brought them tumbling down and because of this she knew he had to leave.

For her sake and for his.

Suddenly, she cried out in pain, the dull throb had moved from her temples and bled to her ears, the crown of her head in torturous agony. Lyra felt herself suddenly unable to think about anything else and instead plead silently with her body to stop her anguish. Breathing deeply for a few moments to recollect her strength, she grimaced and walked over to her desk once more, taking another swig of the green potion.

"Has it always looked so dull?" She asked herself as she gently placed it back down, trying to look at its contents through squinted eyes. "I remember the potion looking slightly brighter than this…it used to sparkle like an emerald in the sun..."

Suddenly a sharp bolt ripped through her stomach and she felt the world fall out from underneath her feet. The familiar feeling sent a chill down her spine as she realized what was happening.

The potion could no longer keep her at bay.

"Not here. Not now. Please."

As she struggled to retain control over herself, she glanced at the serpentine tattoo on her skin and immediately pressed down upon the mark in desperation. It was all she could think to do as the sickness started to overtake her, the pain exploding throughout her body as her world suddenly turned dark and faded away.

Tom frowned as he closed the door behind him. The night has been daunting and the events had troubled him greatly.

"We were not alone tonight."

He felt his mouth tighten as he began to pace the room unsettled by the idea. He had no proof, but it was the only explanation that he could come up with. Neither Lyra, nor Sani had heard the voice and he had deduced that the only reason he could hear it was his natural gift at legillimacy. It was not often that others' thoughts and feelings intruded upon his own, but when he was within close quarters to someone who could not control their emotions, the silent whispers and memories that were kept deep within their own minds sometimes leaked through the cracks like water pouring out from a sieve, inflicting themselves upon him. As much as it was a gift, it was also a curse. None could deceive him, he could see through to their lies as if he had opened a window to their soul, but he was not safe from their vanity, their weakness or their emotions.

He frowned as he thought back to Lyra, it was not his intention tonight to abandon her alone with her father but he knew that the conversation could not proceed further until he was able to examine the room alone and figure out who's presence had made itself known to him.

"Her situation is precarious...if anyone were to find out, it wouldn't take long before she was dragged away in chains...or worse…"

A small voice at the back of his mind nagged at him, mocking him for his concern. "Why should you care what happens to her? This was not the purpose for your voyage. You should have moved onto another place by now. You become weaker by the day…"

He glanced down at the pieces of parchment she had given him, her neat calligraphy scrawled across the pages. Tom felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth as he brushed his fingers up against them. "No. Not weak, I have found something more useful than I had ever imagined, something more than just spells and ancient magic and I can't leave her behind. Lyra's talents are too valuable to me…"

"Yes. Her talents could be used to your advantage but it is worth putting off your own interests to suit hers? You've already gotten everything you've needed, she's served her purpose...besides, she's already rejected you...twice."

Trying to quell the anger he felt rising in his chest at his last sentiment, he rolled his sleeves up to cool himself off and sat down at the desk, running a hand absentmindedly through his hair. The small black tattoo caught his attention from the corner of his eye and he stared at it for what felt like an eternity.

"That damned swamp witch…" He muttered to himself under his breath.

The gift was not something he had sought out, it's existence had evaded him entirely until he had learnt of it from Madam Celestin, but it had been too much of a temptation to refuse. His lust and his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had somehow convinced himself it was in his best interest to harness it's magic, binding himself to her eternally. He had learned that there was much to be gained by such an ability, but he had also acknowledged that it had also become a curse.

"Our lives are forever bound…"

He could use the magic in the future to bind others to his beck and call, rewritten, the ritual entirely one sided, but a new spell would not alter what he had done in the bayou; their paths were now joined and there was no charm or spell that could undo it. He had been too foolhardy, too greedy and his desire had blinded him to the consequences of his actions. It had only multiplied his selfish wants and he now found himself conflicted, torn between his desire to take his leave and continue to collect new magic from around the world and his right to claim what he felt was rightfully his. She had given herself to him as he had also given a piece of himself to her in that moment and he could not allow outside circumstances to interfere. No part of him would be left behind, if part of him resided with her, then she needed to follow him, he needed to persuade her.

"Something needs to be done…" He thought to himself darkly as he tapped his fingers upon the desk. While he was intrigued by what the old man had told them about what could be ailing her, his enthusiasm had stopped once he had realized that any chance he had of convincing Lyra to leave with him had disappeared with the discovery of new information. He had watched her listen to Sani's words intently, her hands trembling white as they clutched the chair she sat upon, her eyes hungry and alert for more. He understood the look in her eyes and knew she would not go willingly if there was something that could be done about her predicament. She had expressed it to him before and had repeated it once more in the canyon-despite their intimate conversation and he knew if he were to bring it up again it would prove futile.

Her rebuffs would have convinced him of her resolve if only he had not seen what truly lived behind her eyes, the emotions that had flickered momentarily behind them, betraying the words that poured from her lips. "She would come with me if she were free..."

A grimace tugged at his lips and he let out a small bitter laugh. "But how? Short of disposing of the old man, I fail to see any other way to stem her quest...as much as the idea tempts me...it will not do. Her points are valid in certain aspects...I cannot be around to subdue the beast inside all the time...her change is unpredictable and dangerous."

Tom stared at the neat handwriting once more and frowned, pushing the papers aside. A small book stared out at him from the mouth of his suitcase and he reached forward, picking it up gently into his hands. A soft smile raced across his face as a small piece of parchment fell out from within the book's pages, reading the calligraphy silently, the author of it the same as the others scattered across his desk.

Tom

There is no friend that you'll find that is quite as loyal as a book,

But great literature doesn't always give up its secrets all at once.

Lyra

"Secrets indeed…" He thought to himself as he stared at the parchment, filled with an emotion he entirely detested. Still, it had felt like ages had passed between them since she had first gifted him the books, since he had first seen her elegant script upon this piece of parchment and although it had only been months, he felt that he had somehow known her longer. A realization suddenly hit him as he placed the small scrap of paper onto the table.

He had tried to appeal to her intellect, to persuade her by logic to follow him when he knew that the look behind her eyes had nothing to do with rational thinking. He had admitted it to himself before in other scenarios where he knew not everyone would be swayed to him through the same method. With Lyra it was time to try something different.

"Not everyone will be persuaded to your side by intellect or by reason, nor will intimidation tactics or anger work on those who are more strong-minded than others...in Lyra's case perhaps the best way to appeal to her is through the heart, rather than the mind."

The realization made his mouth run dry and his heart beat wildly in his chest. He had used his sexuality before to attain what he wanted, he understood long ago in school that there were those who would do anything for him, that their lust for his physical appearance blinded their better judgment. He had never felt anxious or hesitant to use it to his advantage before, so why did it bother him now?

"Because this time it feels different…"

And it was.

Although it amused him to win over others by flirting and through flattery, he had never actually had to act upon any of his insinuations. Nor did he ever feel the desire to partake in such useless displays but with Lyra it had become very apparent how much he found himself egged on by his own curiosity.

Tom stood up from the desk quickly and started to pace the room, trying to settle the uneasy feeling that rose in his stomach. With Lyra it had been so easy to appeal to her mind, it worked eerily similar to his own, her determination, the desire for more knowledge regardless of consequence. Presenting himself in such a different manner made him uncomfortable, the physical act of sharing himself with another sat uneasy in his stomach. How could it even be done? Unfortunately it was nothing he could plan and the idea of having no control over the situation irritated him beyond measure.

The look behind her eyes suggested to him that he was not alone in his feelings, but if she felt strongly about them, she had retained her control over such emotions…but then again had she?

"Was it her mind that convinced her to act like she has or was it something else?" He asked himself quietly, his pacing starting to ease, unsure of the answer.

"-and despite your own convictions, is your stubbornness and inability to leave her behind solely based upon rational thought? You've chalked it up to selfishness and an inherent disability to let go of what you deem yours...but perhaps your choices are controlled by something far more illogical-"

He felt that strange emotion well up inside him once more and it made him want to scream aloud in rage, to grab a knife and carve out what he had tried so desperately hard to avoid. It was not possible, he was letting his mind run away with him and he needed to put a stop to it before it continued any further. He hated her with every fiber of his being...and yet he also did not. Often his mind wandered to her, a distraction he had come to despise, but what he thought about elicited no feelings other than those he could still not quite understand.

Lust? Desire? Fondness?

"It is an obsession." He tried to remind himself. "Nothing more."

Tom felt a pang of anger erupt from within himself for falling prey to the vomitous clutches of physical attraction, but also his incessant hesitation to do what he needed. He had never feared pain or failure before, why should this be any different? He would take what he wanted and that would be the end of it.

Trying to quell the emotions that knotted themselves deep within his chest, he tried to distract himself and thought back to the book and the content that Sani had transcribed. Breathing deeply in and out he remembered what the old wizard had said and he sat down softly onto the bed, his heart no longer pounding in his chest for the wrong reasons.

"...numerous abominations to magic. A ritual of regeneration, made from blood, bones-A vile potion using the blood of a newborn babe-spells that would cause more pain than any of the forbidden curses combined…"

He could care less about what the book had been made from, or its grizzly origins, neither had repulsed or shocked him and he felt no need for the text to remain in his hands-it was entirely useless except for the pages the old man had transcribed.

"Horcruxes will only prevent my corporeal being from destruction. They do not protect my physical form. But if I were to possess a spell to regenerate my physical shape, the possibilities could be endless..."

He frowned as he rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip. "But how to retrieve the pieces of parchment without anyone realizing?"

A sudden coughing fit from the outside broke his attention as he heard a door softly close, the hallway suddenly empty and void of noise whatsoever. "It appears the old man has gone to bed..."

He was unsure of how the conversation had shaped itself after he had taken his leave, but judging by how quickly the night had ended, it could not have gone well. An idea started to present itself to him and an early night for the household just might provide him with a chance to attain the information he desired.

"If Lyra retires soon, perhaps it will give me not only enough time to search the room for our slippery friend that has taken to hiding in the shadows, but I'll be able to borrow the parchment and transfer it to another before anyone wakes...Neither Lyra or Sani would even know..."

He waited anxiously to hear Lyra's footsteps follow Sani's and grimaced when he was met with a deafening silence. Scowling, he maintained his seat upon his small bed and suddenly found himself met with another unsettling idea.

"If I were to wait until Lyra goes to bed before grabbing the parchment, there would be a small moment in time where the book would lay unprotected. If there are any unsuspected guests in the house it would give them the perfect opportunity to retrieve the book for themselves. I can't let that happen."

Standing up silently from the bed he walked towards his door and murmured a disillusionment charm over himself softly, watching his body take on the same color as his surroundings. It was a temporary spell, but it would provide him with enough invisibility to blend into the background of the house, so as to avoid being seen by Lyra or anyone else.

He held his breath for a moment and closed his eyes, reaching out towards the door before him, murmuring another spell under his breath. Stepping forward carefully he pressed himself into the door and walked through it, the feeling unpleasant and rough. Passing through solid objects had never been his favorite to learn and he detested the awkward feeling, as if his body was being pressed through some sort of sieve. Shaking the discomfort off as he stepped into the hallway, he silently made his way through the darkness and into the dimly lit room, his eyes falling upon Lyra's figure still sat quietly in the chair.

"It appears I was right in my assumption that tonight did not go as well as she had hoped." He thought as he watched her from afar, her body curled up elegantly into the chair, trembling from the lack of warmth as the fire died down. Her face was fraught with misery as she sipped on her drink and he knew at once what bothered her was more than just her ailment.

A small urge rose within him to make himself known, to provide her with the comfort she appeared to need but he thought better of it once he caught sight of the book, this would be his only opportunity to retrieve the information he wanted. He felt his heart burn and watched her raise her thumb to her lips, stroking them gently, her face lost in thought.

Looking away quickly, he tried to push his feelings aside and frowned. "She's resilient enough to find comfort in herself, just as you have done in the past...Although this might have provided you with the chance you needed to appeal to her emotionally, it is not the right time...keep your attention focused upon the book. Those pages are invaluable…"

Tom watched as she got up from her chair quietly and tossed the rest of her drink into the fire, making her way softly down the dark hallway to her room and waited until he heard the door to her room shut gently behind her.

"Finally." He thought to himself quietly, pleased with his plan as he made his way over towards the book, reaching for the long parchments tucked into it's bindings. Pulling them gently out from within, he glanced over the rough script and smiled, tucking them into his pocket. A noise suddenly broke him from his concentration and he aimed his wand into the darkness, listening quietly as a pair of footsteps could be heard.

"It appears I was right, we are most certainly not alone…" He thought to himself and glanced quickly towards the book, grabbing it quickly and placing it over the mantle of the hearth. Waving his wand over it, he quickly recited another disillusionment curse over it's cover and watched as it slowly disappeared from sight. If anyone else were to look for it, it would not be found. Only he knew where it was safely hidden.

He heard a door shut and he felt his heart beat anxiously as he wandered towards the dark hallway, anticipating what could lay before him.

"Lumos." He raised his wand above his head and felt his face fall when there was nothing in the hallway save for himself.

"I know I heard footsteps..."

" Revelio!" Raising his wand once more, he spoke quickly and stood alert, waiting for something to reveal itself. But to his dismay, nothing lay before him but darkness.

"...and what sounded like a door…"

He made his way quietly towards the first doorway in the hallway, which had belonged to the old wizard and approached it carefully, extinguishing the light from his wand. Leaning towards the door he raised his wand to his ear, about to utter an incantation that would allow him to hear more clearly when he was distracted by the crackling bolt of pain that crept up through his arm.

Familiar with the discomfort, he looked down at the serpent tattoo and watched as its angry mark turned black. Suddenly without warning, a loud sound exploded from down the hall, past his room, which made the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge.

"Lyra!"

Afraid the sudden boom of noise would wake Sani, he cast another charm to disguise the commotion from the hallway and ran towards her room, blasting the door open before him. He rushed into her quarters, unsure of what he would find and felt his apprehension grow as he looked around the empty space, the decor disheveled and battered.

He continued cautiously inside and looked over towards the desk that had toppled over onto its side, parchment strewn across the floor along with the contents of her potion, the vial shattered.

"Lyra?" Tom said softly as his foot brushed up against a large piece of glass. Crouching down slowly, he picked it up off the floor and sniffed it curiously, before placing a drop of potion onto his tongue. Instantly his eyes shot open in alarm as he tossed it back towards the ground.

"This is not the potion that I brewed for her...it's been tampered with...but how?"

A soft night breeze caressed the side of his face and he turned towards its source. Tom felt his stomach fall as he noticed the open window across from him, the curtains billowing in the wind that revealed the shredded and cracked windowpane and he felt his body tense up with dread as his eyes raked across the glass scattered upon the floor before it.

"There's only one explanation for all of this…"

He looked towards the window once more and hesitated. "None of this is necessary...you could leave now and continue your voyage without any more distractions...you could leave the outcome of tonight to fate as you had planned and let it have its way."

Tom turned around to leave the room and felt his arm burn once more. He stood still, unable to move either forwards or backwards, a war waging inside his head. Growling in frustration he finally stepped forward and pulled his wand from his pocket; he had made up his mind.

"Dammit."

He knew immediately where she was, his body felt the pull to her call, he only hoped he wasn't too late.

With a loud - CRACK- he disapparated out of the room and into the desert night.

So this chapter isn't as long as some of the others, but for continuity reasons, I didn't want to end it any later. So, it seems as if Lyra and Tom are both unpacking some of the emotional feelings they have and as usual it isn't going well for either of them. Maybe perhaps we'll start to see some romantic tension huh? I really wanted it to make it hard for Tom to understand certain emotions, because I just feel like instead of accepting a feeling it would be easier for him to rationalize it. We all know Tom/Voldemort does not understand love or feelings of physical attraction so I think he would really have a long battle ahead of him to even try to cope with such emotions. It would be something that drove him to the point of madness.

Lyra's got a whole bunch on her plate and her "father's" words have her really diving down deep into her psyche. Are her dreams something to fear or something to embrace?

Tom is just being typical Tom and has taken the parchment transcriptions for his own, but is anyone really surprised? You know he wasn't going to pass any of that up...and Lyra just made everything more complicated by turning at the end of the chapter, hopefully Tom will get to her in time! As always, please follow, fav & review! I love feedback!

So much more to come in the next chapters! Now onto reviews!:

Kiracalico :

Thanks! I know it's been about 2 months but I'm glad to be back! The Chindi is actually a fascinating topic as is a lot of Native American folklore, as everything I tried to give it a wizarding world twist and I hope to do it some justice! Of course Tom would be interested but as he's already split his soul multiple times, alas he is not a candidate! Bummer for him.

As for Lyra, I think it's difficult when we lose someone we love and no matter how hard we try, that void never really goes away. I think she tried her hardest to live up to her mother's ideas of what she should be and over time the idea of what she should be in her head started to grow a little warped. I would also think it's hard to take a step back and realize what you've been doing is wrong when you don't understand the full effect of your actions, nor want to. Perhaps if she gets answers to her problems her personality will change, for better or worse who knows!?

As for goodbyes, I don't know if either is ready to throw in the towel, but it seems that decisions need to be made soon! Could prove to still be a problem for one or both of them, but we'll just have to wait and see ;). As always, I always look forward to your reviews!