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.
The xanthic sun had started to creep in through the open window of the small room, light pouring into the dark corners of the walls, spreading upwards and outwards until all remnants of the night had been banished. From behind closed lids he could feel the warmth of the day licking his face and almost immediately he felt his eyes flutter open, unsure for a moment of where he was. Tom groaned slightly and felt a stiff jolt of pain race down his neck, his head still firmly resting on his hand and as he lifted his arm from off the desk and suddenly he remembered where he was, the events of the night prior slowly rolling through his mind like angry waves. Grimacing, he looked around the room and ran his fingers through his dark hair, annoyed with his carelessness, that he had fallen asleep not only unintentionally but in her presence as well.
He stood up from his chair carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible and glanced towards the bed, hoping to see her figure burrowed between the sheets sleeping soundly, and let out a soft exhalation of relief when he realized his wish had been granted. The bedsheets rose up and down softly as the gentle sound of her breath met his ears. His eyes trailed her calm and flushed face, her dark hair splayed wildly across the pillow, wrapped carelessly around her pale fingers entwined between its strands and he frowned momentarily.
"It wasn't my intention to spend the night..." He thought to himself as he continued to watch her curiously. "But at least she stayed put."
He smoothed out his shirt carefully, tucking it back into places where it had become askew and rolled his sleeves down, carefully buttoning them around his wrists. Walking hastily towards the door, he found himself turning around to take one last look at her, for reasons he was unsure of and reached for the handle, pausing as a knock could be heard from the other side.
"Damn it."
The voice was deep and masculine and he felt his mood sour further when he recognized who it belonged to on the other side.
"Lyra!"
He remained silent and felt his heart start to beat angrily in his chest.
What was once a knock, turned into a series of large banging thumps and Tom turned around quickly, watching in displeasure as her sleeping form had suddenly started to wake, soft groans escaping from between her parted lips. The booming continued to ensue from the other side of the door, the voice now panicked and angry.
"He'll wake the whole household up if he doesn't-"
"Lyra!"
Two mismatched eyes suddenly met his as she sat up in bed quietly, the expression on her face angry but calm. Lyra gave him a strange look as she quickly summoned a robe from her purse and tied it quickly around herself as she walked towards the door, waving her wand carefully over her head, her hair elegantly smoothing away from her face and into the loose curls he was accustomed to seeing. Opening her mouth to speak, she attempted to address him, but was interrupted once more by the angry knocking, instead giving him another odd look.
"Believe me...I'm just as displeased with the morning as you are.." He thought bitterly to himself, trying to ignore the loud noises coming from the other side of the wooden door.
"You shouldn't still be here-" She whispered, but by the final knock she had lost her patience and instead of waiting for his reply, sucked in an angry breath through her teeth, reaching for the doorknob. Quickly turning the handle, he watched as she slightly cracked the door open, her face peering through the opening furiously.
"Cassian what is the meaning of this-"
Without warning he pushed into the room, visibility distressed and upset.
"We need to talk now, this can't wait. For a moment I thought-I was afraid-" He stopped talking as she raised wand pointed irately in his direction.
"How dare you-" She started.
"I wouldn't have woken you like this if it wasn't important-" Cassian stopped talking as he noticed Toms dark figure standing behind her, quiet and brooding. "What is he doing in here?" He spat nastily.
Lyra closed her eyes in annoyance and turned towards Tom, trying to repress the heat that rose in her cheeks, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear instead. "It's not your business."
"It's nice to see that you were entertaining while-"
At his insinuation, she turned around quietly and pointed her wand closer towards him. "If you know what's best for you, you won't finish that sentence. Remember I've cursed you for less."
"As much as I would love to see this play out...perhaps it's best if I try to diffuse her anger...well placed as it is."
Tom walked up behind her calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder to ease her tension. He felt her body relax momentarily under his touch and gave her a reassuring squeeze as he tried to speak.
"I was merely-"
Lyra cut him off and crossed her arms over her chest, replying to Cassian cooly. "If you must know, I felt unwell last night and Tom was kind enough to look after me."
He felt a small smile tug at his lips, enjoying the jealousy that started to etch itself across the handsome wizard's face.
"Well isn't that chivalrous." Cassian sneered.
"Leave us." She said coldly, starting to turn her back on him. "Whatever it is you needed to tell me can clearly wait. There are things that I need to do and I can't waste any of more of my time-"
"Sani's dead."
Tom's head jerked upwards suddenly and looked towards her, a sinking feeling rising in his stomach.
Lyra stopped and turned towards Cassian, a disconcerted look spreading across her face as her mouth opened and closed slowly. A few moments passed between them until she shook her head, narrowing her eyes at him in disbelief.
"Impossible. I saw him off to bed last night...he was fine."
"Clearly he was not."
"I don't understand." She shook her head and started to pace the room, rubbing her head slowly. "He seemed fine…"
"This could not come at a worse time…" Tom thought to himself grimly as his eyes trailed her face, grief stricken and wild.
"I told you he was ill Lyra."
She looked towards him angrily and turned around in disgust, the hem of her robes twisting against the floor behind her.
"I got back in from New York only a few moments ago, I told him I would be back...and although it was early, I knew it was unlike him to not be up and about-"
Cassian approached her slowly, his voice nostalgic and suddenly gentle "-you know he liked to tend to the garden during the sun's first light-I went to check up on him and…" he voice cracked as he walked towards her.
"I don't believe you."
He frowned at her and replied venomously, harsh words pouring from his mouth. "Believe what you want. You can go and see for yourself...place your hands upon his cold fingers if you truly don't believe me-"
"Enough." She said softly, her eyes forlorn and distant as if her mind was somewhere far away. "Leave me."
"Lyra...You can't just dismiss this...I'm just as shocked as you-" Cassian reached out towards her, his arms opening to envelope her in an embrace, but she stepped back from him quickly, turning away from them both.
Tom stared at her backside and felt a frown tug at his face, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He knew that the old man's passing was more than just a difficult goodbye, it also meant that any chance Lyra had had of discovering new information about her condition had just disappeared.
Cassian's deep and irksome voice broke him once more from his thoughts, pleading with the woman beside him "Lyra...please don't shut me out or push me away. We can get through this together...you know how much he meant to me as well-"
"I need to be alone."
"Lyra...please…"
Tom ran a hand through his hair and felt a twinge of relief that she wanted privacy, in matters of grief he could not empathize, for he had never cared for another person enough in the world to be upset by their untimely departure. Death was a cruel mistress and he had made it his life's goal to avoid her wanton fingers. He stepped past Cassian, feeling a set of angry eyes trail his back as he walked out through the door and out into the musty hallway.
"Now to do what I should have done last night…"
The smell of last night's fire still lingered upon the air and a thought suddenly occurred to him as he quickly made his way towards the living area, avoiding the old wizard's room, the door slightly cracked and instead walked towards the front of the familiar fireplace. Reaching above the mantle, his fingers searched blindly, grasping at empty air until they clumsily grazed up against the old leather book, still laying where he had hidden it the night before. He retrieved it carefully, the spell of concealment still upon it and tucked it under his arm.
"For safekeeping…" He told himself. "I have a feeling the old man's death wasn't a coincidence."
Looking downward at the piles of books Sani had shown them last night, he took the small text that had held the information about chindi under his arm as well, unwilling to let Cassian discover or meddle in his affairs or hers. Now that they were no longer alone, he would have to take extra precautions to hide her secrets and his own.
"There must be something in the old man's book that will give me some sort of explanation for what I saw last night…" He thought back to the small red orb he had witnessed and narrowed his eyes curiously. "Sani is no longer part of the equation, which means she's been left to her own devices once more…"
As he made his way towards his quarters, he took one last glance down the dreary hallway, watching as Cassian stood outside Lyras room, his arm propped up against the closed door. He turned his face towards Tom and from the distance he thought he could see a solitary tear roll down his cheek from behind bloodshot eyes and retreated into his own room silently wishing he could wallow in the man's pain.
"Weak." He thought to himself.
Unmoved by what he had witnessed, Tom quietly opened and closed the door to his own quarters, muttering a few incantations around its frame to ensure his privacy. He placed the small book upon his desk and ran a hand through his hair, letting out an exhausted sigh. Pulling his wand from his pocket, he waved it quickly over the book of shadows he had concealed and narrowed his eyes towards it, placing it carefully inside his suitcase.
"This book is useless to me once more...but what's even more frustrating is the cause of Sani's death…The entire night I was under the impression that the stranger in the house was there because of Lyra...perhaps I was wrong. Maybe the intruder was after someone else...but why kill a sick old man? Unless…"
He glanced towards the small book and quickly sat down in the chair, hungrily prying its pages apart.
"I should have pursued whoever it was last night instead of her…" Now that the wizard was dead, he was unsure if he should even mention the stranger to Lyra. "It might hinder her rationalization...make her more paranoid...her judgement will only get more clouded than it is now…"
But how could he justify hiding this from her?
Flipping through its contents and pushing the disruptive thoughts from his mind, he started to read the book for what seemed like hours, comparing and contrasting Lyras symptoms and ailments until he stopped at a page, the excerpt catching his attention.
"Skadegamutc…" He frowned at the subject title and shook his head in frustration, unable to pronounce the word. Tom kept reading, relinquishing any hope he had of trying to understand the strange verbiage and began to stroke his forehead absentmindedly.
"...also known as a ghost witch. The Ghost witch, a Wabanaki legend, is an undead monster, created upon the death of an evil wizard who refuses to part with the land of the living. The only recorded sightings of the ghost witch are all but legend, stories meant to entertain and terrify their audience. To this day, only a few select tales remain of the creature so feared and reviled by their indigenous communities, that most natives will not even mutter the name, unwilling to evoke such an evil. Due to a lack of evidence that these creatures ever existed at all, no known literature details on how exactly a Skadegamutc can be created…"
Tom ran his finger over a crude drawing on the next page, it's hollowed eyes and decrepit form all too familiar to him and he began to read the entry underneath.
"..it is rumored that the witch will come to life at night to kill, eat, and prey upon those who are unfortunate enough to cross it's path… A predatory and unearthly figure, the ghost witch must continue to hunt and feed on its victims to maintain its strength and restore its physical state."
Tom quickly flipped to the next page and continued to soak up the information hungrily as his eyes fell across a particular passage, a detailed story of what had happened the last time two living beings had encountered the haunting figure.
"...Two men, eager to provide food for their village went hunting and after a fruitless day of scavenging found themselves lost along their way home. Seeking shelter, they came upon an empty home in the woods and decided to settle for the night, for the sky was dark and tomorrow would begin a new day, the sun's light improving their odds of safe passage home..
Desperate and cold, they entered the small and deserted home, wary of their surroundings and to their disgust, they found an old corpse lying on an old bed across from them, putrid and decayed. After much deliberation, they decided that although the situation was not ideal, the corpse could not harm them and that the person had simply died of natural causes long ago, mummified by the elements and harsh terrain. They placed the cadaver carefully in the corner, so as not to disrespect the dead and took the bed for themselves, sharing the small space for warmth. Settling in, they built a small fire for heat and prepared what little they did catch for their dinner, deciding afterwards they should retire for the night and that at morning's first light they would leave.
After a few hours had passed, one of the men woke suddenly from his slumber, a myriad of strange noises and horrific sounds coming from within the room. Frightened and unsettled by the disturbance, he searched for its origin and upon his discovery, he stood there in shock; the corpse had come to life and had begun to prey upon his friend's body, brutalizing him in the process. Sharp teeth and long claws had torn flesh from bone and he watched in horror as it fed upon the massacred man, the remains of what used to be his heart dangling from its terrifying fingers. Frightened by what he had seen, he started to run from the house of horrors, eventually finding his way home after two long days and another night of travelling.
On the first night that he had fled from the home, he realized he had been followed, a strange noise erupted from behind him and as he turned to look, he realized that nothing was there except a small red ball of fire. Afraid he would suffer the same fate as his friend, he did not rest or sleep and instead continued to walk desperately towards his village, terrified that the beast would devour him. On the light of the second day, he finally reached his destination and ran towards his house, passing out from fear and starvation.
When he awoke in the morning, his neighbors, concerned with his disappearance and strange behavior asked him what had happened and with some coercion, finally told them, fearing he would be ridiculed. Disbelieving his tale and afraid that the man had left his friend out of avarice to starve in the woods, they formed a search party to go retrieve the lost villager, despite the man's warnings. Eventually they stumbled across the house themselves and when they entered its decaying ruins, a corpse lay where the man had described, alongside the remains of their neighbor they had intended to rescue, his throat tattered, his body disemboweled and were horrified to discover that the corpse was covered in blood, the newly torn flesh still between its teeth. Taking their dead friend quickly out from the house and burying him with dignity, they then turned towards the shack and set it ablaze, attempting to prevent anyone else from suffering the same fate. While they watched the home erupt into flames, screaming could be heard from within, high pitched and blood curdling. Just as the walls were about to cave into the flames they heard a final scream of despair and watched as a big ball of fire rose from the ash and exploded, never to be seen again."
Tom pushed the book away from his and rubbed his face thoughtfully. "A red ball of fire…"
The story's smaller details were eerily similar to what he had experienced himself and he thought back carefully to what Sani had told Lyra, how he had expressed concern that more than one sickness had plagued her. "This story says nothing about a ghost or any kind of possession...but perhaps the old man was onto something…"
He himself had put very little stock into old wives tales or stories, in his past he had chalked them up to exactly that, but from what he himself had seen and because there could be no other explanation he found himself hard pressed to discount the legends.
He continued to read the excerpts with an obsessive eyes, scanning through the pages so as not to miss a single scrap of information, his eyes dancing across the page in a violent fervor.
"If the creature in question is the same...this story is nowhere near as gruesome as what I have witnessed. Still...this 'ghost witch' has nothing in common with the Chindi the old man had described yesterday...is it even possible that two separate entities could inhabit a single body?"
The idea fascinated and frustrated him at the same time. Peering into his briefcase he noticed the grisly book, its leathered carcass dancing under his eyes in the light as if it were mocking him. A realization suddenly hit him and he furrowed his brows in concern.
"Perhaps the two entities are not separate at all…"
He thought back to what he had done for her the night before, how he had tried to sort through her skewed and distorted memories from that day in the cave and grimaced to himself. "The cave. What happened that day?"
Tom rubbed his eyes carefully and pushed the small book away, instead picking up the strange text she had accidentally gifted him, tapping his fingers against its cover in irritation.
"How had she known to purchase the book? Was it a mere coincidence that something like this had ended up in her hands?"
It was a small detail that he had not given thought to before, but now it nagged at him, tearing through his mind.
"If it were not for the book, we would not have come here...she would not have had any inkling as to where to look...I would not have stumbled upon any of this information...the old man might not have died…"
Not that he cared.
"But still…"
It was unrelated to everything they had discovered and yet, somehow he felt it was. It was an annoying, gnawing, unshakeable feeling and he could not dismiss it no matter how hard he tried.
"Best to keep it close." He thought as he placed it back into his case, closing the lid tightly before whispering the words he knew no one else could speak to seal it shut.
Onto the more pressing matters at hand.
"Despite the effect I think it might have on her if I tell her the truth, I need to tell her what I discovered last night...why I interrupted the conversation and why I don't think Sani's death was an accident. It's against my better judgment...but I've never seen her act rashly before. Besides…how do I maintain her trust if I were to keep something like this from her. No. The truth must be divulged."
Tom rubbed his thumb against his bottom lip carefully and smiled to himself. "Perhaps the old man's death is a blessing. With nothing left to keep her here...no answers left to be had...I might be able to finally persuade her to accompany me. All that's in my way is that damned cave and the intruder...and whatever it is, whoever it is...once they've been dealt with, she'll have no reason to refuse me again...I just need the right moment..."
Running his hands through his dark hair, he slowly got up and walked across the room. He needed to find Lyra and set his plans into motion. His departure needed to be delayed, but only slightly. Soon every loose end in this country would be tied up and he would be onto his next pursuit.
Lyra walked into the eerily silent room and looked towards the bed slowly, the dread rising in her stomach until her eyes fell upon Sani's lifeless body. Feeling a lump form in her throat, she swallowed quickly and exhaled, trying to maintain her composure.
"He seemed so alert last night…"
Grimacing to herself, she walked around the small bed and sat down atop the old woolen comforter gently, moving her hand over towards his own, which lay unresponsive and still at his side.
She gasped slightly as her hand brushed against his, unprepared for the cold touch even though she was all too familiar with the feeling, death had never been a stranger to her. Closing her eyes she grasped his hand and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall, the sensation unfamiliar and unwelcome.
She quickly looked around the room to distract herself and felt her gaze fall upon a small photograph of a woman next his beside, the one face that Lyra could never forget, no matter how hard she tried.
"Mother…"
She had been too young to understand at first why Sani had taken her in, but over time she had grown to acknowledge that perhaps her mother had meant more to him than he had let on, strange reminders of her could be found in every corner of the house, giving her fleeting suspicions of his true feelings. Whether her mother had reciprocated those affections or not, she had never known, nor cared; deeming whatever happened in the past to be unimportant and something better left alone. Asking questions and opening up old wounds would bring no solace to either of them.
"I wonder if you're with her right now…" she thought to herself bitterly and let out a ragged breath, stroking his hand gently with her thumb.
Last night had not gone as planned and as reluctant as she was to admit it, their last conversation still weighed heavily on her mind.
Disappointment.
It had been the last emotion he had expressed to her before his passing. Disappointment-not for lack of achievement, for she had had an abundance of that, but for things about herself that she could not-would not, change. Although he had also expressed his love for her as a father would a child before they parted, it did not ease her troubled mind.
"If only he could have understood…" Lyra thought to herself bitterly, hating her existence more with every second that passed. This affliction had robbed her of more than she could imagine and she could not help but think that had she not lost control of herself, this situation could have been avoided.
"I should have been there."
Grimacing, she looked towards his hand and shook her head.
"Last night was not your fault." She tried to reassure herself as she felt a pit of despair rip through her stomach when she realized that last night had also cost her more than the one person left she could trust.
There would be no more answers, no resolution to what she sought and without his help she felt lost.
Once more, she found herself at a dead end.
The emotions that she had staved off for longer than she could remember welled up in her eyes once more and without want or warning she felt a single tear escape down her cheek and roll off her chin onto her lap. She stared strangely at the small wet stain that had been released onto her clothing and before she could understand, it was as if a floodgate had opened, her cheeks soaked with feelings of rage and regret, of sorrow and fear.
Tom stepped into the dreary hallway and listened for any sound of Lyra's voice and felt disappointed when he could hear none, walking silently towards her room, he glanced inside only to have his hopes dashed once more, the quarters empty and void of her presence.
"Where do I even begin once I find her? The situation is delicate and needs to be handled with the utmost care, but how?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft cough and he looked around to find Cassian standing before him, a strange and pained look upon the man's face. Watching as he struggled to speak, Tom raised his eyebrow in annoyance and spoke softly.
"I take it you're looking for Lyra as well."
Cassian sighed and rubbed his forehead motioning to the old man's room. "She hasn't come out all day."
"She'll come out when she's ready." He replied, turning around to head back towards his room, trying to abandon the current company and avoid false pleasantries. "I had hoped she would have maintained some composure by now…"
He felt a stinging irritation with her grief and could not understand what was left to be mourned. "The old man has passed, tears nor regret can bring him back and every second wasted on this...frivolity...is an opportunity missed."
"Someone should talk to her...I'm concerned for her well being-"
Tom raised his eyebrow skeptically at the man before him. "I think it would be unwise for you to disturb her-"
"Not me." Cassian replied curtly, trying to disguise the jealousy that spread across his handsome face and continued slowly "It pains me to admit it and I don't understand why, but for some reason, Lyra is different around you."
"I don't see that at all." Tom replied, the lie falling quickly off his tongue.
"Listen, I'm not thrilled by your presence and I know you dislike me as well but-"
"You would have to waste time thinking about someone first before you could ever decide to dislike them." Tom interrupted him softly, his eyebrows raising in a smug fashion as he pushed his hands into his pockets.
Cassian narrowed his eyes towards him and for a moment he seemed as if he would respond harshly, but instead let out a soft sigh and motioned towards the door once more. "Regardless, I care about Lyra...more than you could ever imagine and right now she needs someone...I wish I could be the one to talk to her, but I think it would be better if it was you."
"I could hardly imagine her being overjoyed by either one of us interrupting her."
"You're right. She won't like it...but she'd be more receptive to your attention than mine."
Tom looked at him strangely as he continued.
"All I care about is her...so please...go. Try to talk to her."
He watched the blonde man across from him look longingly towards the room and felt a smug satisfaction rise up in his chest, stiffly nodding before walking towards the shabby door. He quietly turned the knob and entered Sani's quarters, his eyes immediately resting upon her backside, ignoring all else as if there were nothing inside the room but her.
Sorry it's taken so long to update, but the holiday has been crazy! Really had tried to aim for an update before Christmas or New Years, but it just didn't happen. I wrote and rewrote this chapter multiple times...it's kind of been the trend for me as the story starts to wind down...although I said the story would end soon, it seems more likely a bit more chapters are necessary so it can end properly and all tied up. So now onto unpacking the chapter. Sani died...which kinda sucked because I really did like his character...and Cassian just makes you hate him and feel bad for him at the same time. LOL. I wonder how Lyra will take the news IF Tom actually breaks it to her…and if she'll react calmly or angrily. Lots of emotions and fun to come. Hope you guys enjoyed it! I will try to update soon, but definitely within the month! Hoping you all have a wonderful new year!