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.

Silence hung in the air like a thick fog after rainfall, eerily unnatural like a morning sky without the sun. Tom stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say; she made no sound, no acknowledgement that she was aware of his presence, but he could feel the grief radiating off her like angry waves, poisoning the air around them. Stepping forward softly, he knew he had to be gentle, in times of mourning others proved to be irrational, unpredictable and there was nothing that made him think she would act otherwise.

"I need to be alone right now Cassian."

Her voice was soft and uncharacteristically hollow, her body still turned away from him, stiff and rigid, looking much like the corpse that lay next to her. Glancing quickly over the dead man's body, Tom wrinkled his nose in disgust. To be truthful, he was only sorry about the man's passing for her sake, if not for that he would feel nothing at all. Sani had made it perfectly clear that he mistrusted him and Tom knew that had he lived, he might have proved a thorn in his side, luring Lyra away from him.

"Cassian isn't here...but I could go and get him if you like." He replied softly, watching her statue-like silhouette relax slightly, her head lifting slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Tom." Lyra said, his name falling from her lips almost inaudibly.

He waited a few moments for her to speak once more, but was only met with a deafening silence, her body still turned away from him.

"If I'm bothering you, I'll can come back later if that's what you desire-"

"No." She spoke once more, this time louder, more desperate. "Stay...please."

He frowned and walked towards her once more, painfully aware of every step he took, the sounds echoing off the walls as if the room lay empty. As he turned the corner of the bed and glanced at her face, he was surprised to see how calm her expression was, if there was any hint towards how erratic her emotions had been before his arrival, she had hidden it well.

Tom sat down gently next to her, unsure of what to say and stared ahead instead, uneasy with the situation, knowing he would have to break the silence first.

"He looks peaceful."

He felt Lyra stir uncomfortably beside him and silently cursed himself for his choice of words, wishing he could leave the room, ridding himself of this absurdity.

"Yes."

Irritation started to flood through his body at her short response and he turned his attention towards her, scouring the details of her face for any sort of invitation to speak. He needed more than one word answers to be able to spark a conversation, to be able to tell her what was plaguing his mind.

"How does it feel?"

At the question, he watched as her face turned towards him, her expression surprised and he restrained the urge to smile as her lips parted, confused by the question.

"That's more like it."

"What do you mean, how does it feel? You surely meant to ask how I feel?" She replied softly, her voice hesitant and somber.

He shrugged and upon further inspection noticed the dried tears stains upon her cheeks, relieved that he had been spared the emotional display. He himself had never cried and to watch others display such acts of weakness unnerved him.

"Not particularly. I've never been close enough to anyone to have ever experienced loss...I was curious to know how it felt."

Lyra stared at him strangely and took a slow breath, her forehead wrinkling as if she was trying to think of what to say. "It feels...like something that belongs to you has been stolen. And you have to continue on knowing you can never get it back, never hold it again, never touch it. It feels like fall leaves under a frost...like a river that's completely run dry...and all you can do is just sit and remember when everything used to be so much different."

Tom remained silent, his eyes watching her hungrily.

"Does that paint a good enough picture for you?" She said quietly, placing her hands atop her lap as she turned her head down.

"Yes."

"I've never been good at this." Lyra said softly, her hands picking at the black fabric of her dress.

"At what?"

"Grief."

"It's understandable. Not many people are."

"If it wasn't for Sani, I don't know what would have happened to me."

He paused for a moment and looked at her, knowing that behind the illusion of beauty he had placed on her days ago, lay a face that he much prefered, scarred and burned from the dark magic she had performed and endured. "You would have survived."

She nodded and bit her lip awkwardly as if their conversation made her uncomfortable. "I should have been there for him."

"None of this was your fault."

"I could have been kinder at the very least. Our last conversation did not go very well."

"Why is that?"

"He told me there were things about me that needed to change. Naturally, I disagreed."

"Nothing about you needs to change." He replied softly as she let out a half hearted laugh. "You do yourself a disservice when you let what others think about you cloud your judgement."

"Perhaps my judgment is clouded." She said sullenly as she pulled at her dress once more.

"I disagree." He stared at her carefully before continuing. "Not that what I think matters, but I would not change any part of you...you are as you should be."

"Then why do I feel this overwhelming sense of guilt?"

He shook his head and shrugged gently. "Guilt is a useless emotion Lyra. It would be best if you discarded the feeling completely. We cannot change the things we do and one should not feel bad or terrible after the act in question has passed. It only creates more problems."

Lyra nodded in agreement at his statement and remained quiet for a few moments before speaking once more, her voice dripping with regret.

"I never got a chance to properly thank him for what he did for me...or tell him how I truly felt."

"I think he knew how you felt about him."

He watched her hands tremble slightly in her lap and he slowly moved his own hand carefully to meet hers, placing it gently on top of them. Tom waited anxiously, anticipating her reaction and felt a jolt in his chest when instead of removing them, she instead opened one up delicately and entwined her small fingers between his.

"I've never felt this way before."

He frowned and turned towards her, trying to appear more sympathetic. "Sad?"

"No…that's not it."

"Then what?"

She paused as if she were fighting with herself on whether or not she should continue and closed her eyes, shaking her head miserably. "Alone."

"I thought you preferred to be alone." He hired softly, rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb, unsure of how else to comfort her.

"I did...I do…" she stuttered slightly, her shoulders slumping in frustration. " But this is different."

"How so?"

"I've always desired my solitude, avoided others because it was my choice. But I always knew in the back of my mind - if I ever needed it - there was one place I could go to, one person I could turn to when I needed advice...not that I took the opportunity often. Now that Sani's gone...I don't have that option anymore…"

Tom quietly let her speak, his thoughts racing through his mind when a realization suddenly occurred to him. She herself had just provided him with a long awaited opportunity, a moment in which he could further his agenda.

Closing the small distance between them, he pulled his hand gently from hers and placed it around her back, comforting her, mimicking what he had seen others do. A small flutter started to rise in his chest as she suddenly placed her head upon his shoulder, welcoming his embrace.

"For the first time, I am truly alone."

The statement took him by surprise and he turned his head towards her watching as a single tear rolled down her cheek, onto her lap.

Dismayed by her small display of emotion, he tried to remind himself that for others it was natural. No one but he seemed to be able to think logically and control their emotions. He knew that although there was much they had in common, there were still weaknesses about her that he could not change.

He felt her body stiffen up, as if she had suddenly realized that she had let her guard down, almost as if she could feel the disgust radiating from his body and he felt her hand move quickly up towards her cheek, trying to wipe the evidence of her grief away before he would notice. He met it suddenly with his own and squeezed it reassuringly before letting it go, placing a finger under her chin to guide her face towards him.

His dark stare searched her own, a rich brown eye that reminded him of the deepest pools of honey, warm and brilliant like the sunset, the other as blue as the ocean, fathoms deep with flecks of grey and he slowly moved his hand to her face, gently wiping the tear from her cheek. He paused momentarily before his fingers trailed her skin once more, tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.

"You're not alone. You have me."

Her expression widened in surprise and softened as she looked upon him, a pained emotion spreading across her face.

"Don't say such things…" She said suddenly, averting her gaze from his.

"Why?" He asked innocently, trying to coax the answer out from her.

"I…" She trailed off, unable to finish her thought and closed her eyes defiantly for a moment, as if she were struggling with what to say. Opening them up once more, she stared blankly, her voice suddenly empty and flat as if she were trying to veil her feelings. "You're leaving."

"And you're still trying to deny what we both know..." He thought to himself. "Say it. Say what it is you want to say Lyra."

"I am."

At his words she frowned and shook her head, once more trying to avoid his attentions.

"It seems like I'll have to force the words out of her."

"Lyra…" he whispered softly, his face closer to hers than it had ever been. He stroked her cheek once more and waited for her to look at him. As her gaze rose to meet his, he felt another pulse of heat radiate throughout his body.

His eyes drifted down towards her lips and he felt himself transfixed upon them, frozen in the moment he himself had willingly created.

"Tom...I don't want you to go." Her voice cracked.

It was exactly what he needed to hear, what he had waited so anxiously for; the affirmation from her lips that had proved his suspicions, validated his desires and before he could even realize what he had done, he had closed the small distance between them and gently pressed his mouth to hers, the world falling out from underneath him.

He felt her body grow rigid at first and then relax under his touch, making his heart beat wildly in his chest. Her lips were soft, softer that he had ever dared to imagine and before long he could feel her body melt into his, welcoming him to continue. Begrudgingly, he forced himself to pull back from her and exhaled softly, stroking her cheek as he continued to speak.

"Lyra, come with me...please. I can help you."

She looked at him, her face filled with confusion and another feeling he knew all too well and she whispered quietly. "I can't. You know this. How can I leave? You know what it is I have to do...I can't give up until-"

He rubbed her bottom lip with his finger absentmindedly, their faces still intimately close. "I'll go with you to find the cave."

"I don't want you to delay yourself any longer…" Lyra murmured "...you've already done enough...and finding the cave doesn't mean I'll discover anything new."

"I can choose what I want to do with my time...and you're right. Perhaps you'll find nothing. But I can't let you stay here and waste away."

He responded, his eyes retreating from her lips to her eyes once more. "But if you decide to come with me, I must ask you for something in exchange."

Her brows wrinkled in confusion and she whispered, her breath soft against his face. "And what would that be…"

"If we find nothing, if we've reached a dead end...you'll leave with me and not look back."

"I would be a terrible burden." She said miserably, her head suddenly turning away from him.

"You can't hurt me Lyra." He replied, his tone less gentle than it was before. Tom cupped her face tenderly and turned it back to him. "I don't care who you harm, I don't care what you do. You will always be worth something to me...you've already helped me more than you ever understand…and I need you by my side."

Her mouth opened as if to respond and he interrupted her once more. "I won't lie to you, I can't always be around to help your condition or suppress it, but whether you kill one person or one thousand people...I will always want you close to me."

Her eyes searched his, as if she were looking for any sign of deceit, any inkling that he was only saying such things to torture her, but for once the words he spoke were entirely truthful. No half lies, no deception.

Without warning he felt her lips upon his and he did not resist her, the feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced and with every passing second their kisses became softer, deeper, desperately seeking as though they both were discovering something new.

Tom lifted his mouth from hers and waited as her eyes fluttered open slowly. She stared back at him, her face glowing and immediately it was everything he needed to know. Without warning, he suddenly felt another fire ignite inside his body, the heat tearing at him savagely and he fought silently to restrain himself.

"I'll go with you."

The words had barely escaped her lips when he found himself drawn to her again, holding her neck softly as his lips devoured hers and in between every kiss he savored her breath mingled with his own, her taste, her scent. Her hands finally embraced him as they found their way to his chest, climbing higher and higher until they eventually entangled themselves into his dark raven hair.

This time it was her that broke away from him, her breathing short and ragged. He felt annoyed that she had ended the moment so soon, intoxicated at the calm it had brought him, the first moments in a long time where hadn't analyzed the world around him or felt obligated to push towards the future.

He wondered briefly how she felt and watched the heat spread across her face, her cheeks rosy and vibrant.

At once, he recognized how dangerous the feeling had been and in its throws he had found himself too entrenched and consumed to care about anything else.

That could not happen.

Is that why she too had pulled away? Perhaps she also had felt the same and retreated to maintain her focus?

His thoughts were interrupted as she cleared her throat softly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before rubbing her forehead. "I need to prepare for the funeral."

Tom watched as she calmly turned around and looked towards Sani once more, placing her hand upon his. "He deserves a proper burial...the one he would have wanted."

Regaining his senses and snapped from his mind by her actions, he remembered his original intent for disturbing her and stood up carefully, his voice calm and collected. "Lyra...there's something else I need to tell you...something I should have told you last night."

At his words she turned around slowly and stood up to meet him, her face confused and bewildered. "Last night? What else could there have been about last night that I missed?"

Tom looked her in the eyes as the heat in his body subsided, this time there was no sarcasm in his voice, no cynicism and no comfort to be had. There was only truth and a fleeting display of concern behind them. "There was a reason I had to end the conversation between you and Sani so early."

"And why would that be?"

"We were not alone last night."

"What do you mean?" She said quickly, her voice now wary.

"Someone or something was among us."

"How do you know this? Are you sure - "

"I heard whispers Lyra...a voice that belonged to neither of us, nor Sani...I felt...emotions, thoughts...and I cast a charm around us to muffle the rest of what was discussed, but I'm unsure how long they were there, what they overheard or mostly importantly why there were there in the first place."

Lyra bit her lip and started to pace quietly, trying to ingest what Tom had told her. "Do you think whoever it was knows about my condition? Am I the reason they were there?"

"I'm unsure." He spoke quietly. "We've moved around a lot. So either they were around from the beginning, or they could have only picked up our trail a few days ago."

"How could I not have noticed this?" She said, sitting down on the bed angrily. "I've let my guard down far too much since I've arrived here -" Catching her next words she took a deep breath and looked towards him. "How could they have followed us without being noticed?"

"I thought about this myself...I have a few theories...but I'm not quite certain on either of them...I'm more interested in what they were after...and the consequences it has brought or will continue to bring." He looked down towards the dead man.

"Consequences?" Lyra looked at him strangely, following his gaze until she realized what he meant.

"You think Sani…"

"I don't think his death was a coincidence Lyra. And now that we're on the topic, I can't think of any other reason as to why your potion would have been tampered with, unless someone knew exactly what it was."

"You're right...the potion I'm less concerned with...it had started to lose its potency anyway." She said quietly, glancing at Sani as she sat down by his side once more. "But this...I brought this upon him."

"You don't know that." Tom replied calmly, still looking at her through dark eyes. "There's no evidence yet that confirms that you are the person of interest."

"What else am I to think? Why else would someone be lurking in the shadows?" Lyra stood up and pulled her wand out carefully from her pocket.

"Does it really matter Lyra? He's dead." Tom spoke quietly, trying not to sound harsh.

"It matters to me. I want to know how he died." She said softly, waving it over his body, murmuring to herself. After a few moments of silence she let out a soft growl, indicating her displeasure.

"Magic doesn't appear to be the cause."

"Lyra…" He started softly.

"Poison then…" She murmured to herself softly, touching her hands gently against his face, starting to inspect it for any tell tale signs of foul play.

"Lyra…" He spoke, his patience waning. "Why does any of this matter?"

She turned towards him slowly, her face distant and forlorn. "Because when I find who did this to him, I want them to suffer exactly as he did before I kill them."

Tom walked over towards her and touched her cheek gently before letting his hand slide down her neck and onto her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'd like to see that...and they will play. But right now you need to remain focused. Don't let your fear control you."

He paused for a moment and saw her eyes grow distant from the thoughts that raced through her mind.

"Do you trust me?"

Her eyes snapped towards him and she spoke without hesitation. "Yes."

"Then trust that I will help you fix all of this."

"I can't have someone following us for my own reasons."

Nodding gently, she looked back at him and he watched her eyes grow cloudy with concern once more and she turned her head towards him sharply. "Has anything gone missing?"

Tom shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of."

"The book?"

"It's useless now that Sani has passed, but it's safe. I took it back into my possession once I realized what was going on."

"Always one step ahead."

He chuckled softly and ran his hand down her arm, his fingers accidentally grazing the small bracelet around her wrist, looking at it carefully before letting it go. Noticing what his attention had been drawn to, she smiled half heartedly and sighed.

"It was my mothers...I've never taken it off." She said rubbing it softly.

"You've had it long then?" Tom curiously asked, peering at the old piece of jewelry, the wear upon its face betraying it's age.

"I guess...I can't remember."

He frowned as a small detail inside one of the stones caught his eye, something hadn't noticed before. Inside lay an etching of a small letter, fashioned into the shape of a 'B'.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small picture of a woman beside Sani's bedside "Lyra...what was you're mothers first name again? I seem to have forgotten…"

"My mother?" She looked at him, puzzled and shook her head. "Her name was Mara...why do you ask?"

He gestured towards the photograph and replied. "Curiosity. Is that her?"

Lyra followed his gaze and nodded, the silence between them awkward and tense until she broke it, changing the topic.

"Tom…"

"Yes?"

"Not a word of what has happened here can be expressed to Cassian. It will only complicate matters. Best to let him think he passed naturally…"

"Of course."

"And as much as it pains me to be in the same room with him right now, I suppose it's time. Sani was not only a surrogate father to me, he was his as well. It is both of our responsibility to prepare the body..in Sani's native custom."

"Native custom?"

She sighed and shook her head.

"You'll see."

Feeling that their time alone together had come to an end, he silently nodded and began to walk away from her, eager to get back to his room.

"Tom, when you leave could you possibly send for him? I'd like to get this done as quickly as possible."

He silently nodded and exited the room, his mind was swimming from all that had transpired. Once he was back inside the drab hallway, he found that he did not have to search far for the blonde wizard, for no sooner had he closed the door behind him, Cassian appeared, quiet and seemingly from out of nowhere. He stood in front of Tom glowering as if he knew what transpired within the rooms four walls and raised an eyebrow irately.

"Well?"

Tom raised his eyebrows innocently. "She's asked for you."

The wizard looked at him bitterly before pushing past him and into Sani's quarters and Tom could not help but grin smugly as he walked away, complacent and victorious.

After Tom had taken his leave, Lyra let out a soft sigh and wrapped an arm around herself, the other resting around her collarbone, rubbing it gently as if to soothe herself, her mind and heart racing from what had transpired. She had not expected the events that had occurred between her and Tom to play out as they had and she felt a heat rise in her cheeks as she thought back to his gentle touch, his caring words and finally the intimacy that had left her...overwhelmed.

"To say the least…" She thought to herself and grimaced when she had remembered her promise. "What have I agreed to?"

His proposal and her hasty agreement to it did not upset her, it was in fact quite the opposite. She felt her heart flutter in her chest and tried to ignore the nagging voice in her mind that spoke out against it, that she once more was being too reckless and carefree.

"But I'm not. Tom is right...if the cave is a dead end, I'll have to look elsewhere for answers...I've almost exhausted all of my options here.."

She bit her lip painfully, knowing full well that in that moment, she had agreed, not for the sake of her condition but for selfish reasons instead. Her desire to remain close to him.

Lyra's happiness had been short lived however as her thoughts strayed back to the more troubling situation that he had presented her with and she felt a knot twist itself into her stomach. "I have tried my hardest to keep my condition a secret, to not let anyone know or even suspect it...how could someone have discovered me? It's impossible...nothing about this is right...and Sani - "

She looked to the old man sadly and rested her head into her hand. "Sani was unfortunate enough to get caught in the middle."

For the life of her, she could not figure out why someone would kill a sickly old man and felt the anger build up inside her heart, brick by brick. Whoever did this to him would pay for it - in the most painful way possible.

"Lyra?"

Ripped from her thoughts as she heard a familiar deep voice, she composed herself quickly. "Cassian."

For a few moments the silence passed between them unscathed until he stood at her side, staring at the old man under the sheets and spoke calmly. "He looks like he's sleeping."

Lyra narrowed her eyes and sighed softly. "If only."

His deep voice broke the ice between them once more, this time his tone more gentle. "Lyra...I have to apologize for earlier this morning…"

She turned towards him and raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh?"

"...and I shouldn't have been so angry at you the past few days...his illness had nothing to do with you. Even if you been here these past years...nothing would have changed his condition."

He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his soft blonde hair. "It was unfair of me."

"It's fine." She said softly, trying to sound less irritated with his presence. "All we can do now is try to give him the burial he deserves."

Cassian nodded silently and let out a choked noise. "I notified MACUSA to inform them of his passing, sent off all the proper documents…"

"Thank you. I hadn't even thought to do that yet…"

Lyra opened up her purse and carefully summoned a small bowl, placing it beside Sani's bed and filling it carefully with water from the tip of her wand.

"It's been a long while, but I assume you still know the traditional way to prepare his body according to his customs?"

"Yes." Cassian responded begrudgingly, wrinkling his nose as if he would rather have been anywhere but there.

"It was bad luck for him to have died here." She spoke softly as she poked her wand back into her purse, retrieving a small bag and placing it down on the bed beside her.

"Why is that?" He asked her, confusion spreading on his face.

Lyra let out an agitated sigh and walked over towards him. "Don't lie to me Cassian, you remember nothing he told us about his beliefs. Otherwise you would not have asked me such a question."

"I may have forgotten a small detail or two…" He admitted awkwardly, watching as she opened the small pouch, a small cloud of dust escaping from its opening. "What is that?"

"Ash."

"Ash? What on earth do you plan on doing with that?"

"Shh."

Dipping her hand into the bag gently, she pulled it out and started to rub her body with it, Cassian watching in disgust. When she was finished, she passed the bag to him and once more sucked her teeth in anger when he refused it.

"It must be done." She said calmly. "This is tradition."

"His tradition, not ours."

"His death, not yours." Lyra said harshly, holding the bag out for him to take. "If you take offense to this then you can leave now and I will lay him to rest by myself."

Hanging his head in embarrassment, Cassian quickly took the bag from her and followed suit, rubbing himself with the grey powder. When he had finished, Lyra motioned for him to place it down and stand by the head of the bed opposite her, following her lead as she gently rolled down the sheets and reached over, starting to undress the man.

"His body needs to be cleansed before it is dressed. Here." Lyra waved her hand over towards the bowl filled with water, which gently floated into the air and hovered above the body, making it easier for them to share and bathe him. Offering him a spare rag, Lyra frowned as his hand grazed hers, the feeling uncomfortable and unlike what she had experienced earlier with Tom. Unbuttoning Sani's shirt carefully, she dipped her own cloth into the water and began to work quickly, ensuring that she did not miss one spot on his chest.

"This is not how I pictured this would go." Cassian murmured as he started to mimic her actions, cleaning the old man's bare skin.

"One thing I've learned over time is that it does not do well for one to dream up elaborate fantasies about what happens after their death. It is often not what we would picture it to be….the same could be said for life."

"Many things in life are not as I pictured they would be." Cassian retorted gently, wringing his rag out into the bowl.

Lyra watched him and shook her head. "What is it about your life that isn't how you pictured it should be?

"I think you know the answer to that question Lyra."

"I left for my own reasons."

"That's not what I meant."

She tried to ignore his comment and continued to wash the dead wizard's body, running the clean rag gently across his body.

"Why him?"

"I'm not sure of what you mean."

"I think you do Lyra. Why is it that you prefer his company to mine? You barely know him."

The spark of annoyance she had felt burst into flames of anger at his question, but she took a deep breath and tried to distill them before answering.

"This is hardly an appropriate time Cassian."

"So you don't deny that you have feelings for him?"

"What I feel is of no importance."

"It is. To me."

She let out a soft sigh, knowing he would not let go of the topic until she had satisfied his question and dipped her cloth back into the bowl. "It seems like a long time ago...but do you remember how you got the job at MACUSA Cassian?"

He looked at her and tilted his head, as if he were doubting the seriousness of the question. "MACUSA contacted me and after my interviews I was given the position...why are you bringing this up and avoiding my question?"

She let out a soft laugh and shook her head. "Do you really believe that's how it happened?"

He remained quiet and gave her a strange look as she continued.

"You don't even realize the lengths I went through to help you Cassian...All these years and you honestly thought the job was given to you based on your skill? On an old family name?"

Cassian stammered for a moment on the words he tried to string together. "I-I thought-"

"When I stepped into my position as Head of the Department, Sani wrote to me...informing me of your life, that despite the inheritance that you received from your family he felt you needed a job to give you a direction, to grow."

"He had no right!" He stammered as he looked down at the old man bitterly. "He told me-"

"You were squandering it all Cassian. Living your life as if you had no worries in the world. He asked if I would consider throwing your name into the pile of applicants for my department. He knew that I was searching for candidates and he wanted you to have a purpose...and I had the means to give you one."

"When the Magical Congress had contacted me about a position that was taking interviews, I assumed that my name was given based on a friendly recommendation of an old classmate…"

"Yes...me. I was hesitant, I knew how little you had thought of school, how recklessly you had ignored your education, but I did it anyway...because I cared about you."

"You never showed me any indication that you ever did."

"Cassian, whenever you looked at me, you could only ever see what I didn't do for you, my faults and how I prefered my solitude to human companionship. It was not my intention to shut you out. I was living my life the only way I knew how...and through the years I was also was looking out for you the best way I could...despite how little you deserved my help."

"I didn't know." He said quietly.

"You didn't know? You made my life miserable Cassian."

"You never understood that all I wanted was to be near you."

"I wanted to study and read. That's all. Instead you tormented me, destroyed my books, poked fun at me throughout our entire schooling-"

"It was all I could do to get you to notice me."

She sighed and shook her head.

"Regardless...When I placed your name in with the other witches and wizards to be considered, the Magical Congress questioned my choice, deeming your skills and abilities under developed for the position but I vouched for you...again and again until finally I got my way."

Lyra frowned as she placed her rag into the bowl waiting for him to finish. "There were applicants far more qualified than you were Cassian and I chose you."

"Why?"

"Because we were family. When your performance lacked at work, I went over it with a fine tooth comb and corrected all of your oversights, your mistakes...and I took it upon myself to teach you everything I could about our line of work to ensure your success."

"Why would you-"

"Because despite everything I considered you to be almost something like a brother to me...and I made a promise to Sani."

She watched as he placed his rag into the bowl and with a fluid hand motion, the bowl floated gently over to the night stand to rest. Pulling clean sheets from Sani's dresser, she laid them on the bed and watched as Cassian opened them neatly.

"All of this I never knew…"

"I never intended to tell you." She said quietly as she waited for him to pull out his wand. After each performed the same gesture, Sani's body raised gently into the air while the sheets wrapped themselves around him, preparing him for his burial.

"I refuse to accept that my role in your life has been downplayed to that of a sibling."

"It's never enough for you is it? Accept it or not, that is how I feel...how I've always felt and how it will always be. Cassian you are still young...you still have time to find someone else who would appreciate you for who you are...in ways that I cannot."

"I won't."

"You will."

Shaking her head calmly, she walked towards the door signaling the conversation was over. "I'll give you some time to yourself while I prepare the grave...I have a certain spot in mind and we have a long day ahead of us."

He stared at her through angry eyes and she could see the mountain of pain welling up behind them, but to comfort him would bring instability and suffering and she no longer had the patience to deal with either. The day had already drained her of enough energy and if he didn't understand by now, she knew that he never would.

Grasping the handle of the door quietly, she turned around, her eyes cast downwards towards the floor so that she would not have to look upon his face again.

"It would be best to burn the house while we have the light of day, a fire at night will attract too much unwanted attention. It's best you collect your belongings that still remain here and place them aside."

Leaving the room quietly, she could feel the angry gaze burning through her back until she had made it out into the hallway, letting out a soft breath of relief.

It FINALLY happened. 51 chapters later. (LOL) I said it was going to be a sloww burn. Haha. I really tried my hardest to make this chapter flow as effortlessly as possible and not make any part of the romance feel forced or unrealistic. I chose to do the kissing scene specifically from Tom's perspective bc he is the main character and it's only right that we understand what is going on in his head! Btw I felt that the atmosphere and setting for the kiss was perfectly suited for them. Their surroundings were totally inappropriate(...like who's first kiss is in front of a dead relative? Giving off flashbacks to G.O.T where Jaime And Cersei got weird xD.) and it shows exactly what kind of selfish and morally misguided people they both are...especially Tom, who took advantage of a situation for his own gain which is completely in line for his character.

Right now it seems as if Tom has gotten what he wants, he finally convinced Lyra to agree to go with him, his only sacrifice? Time...which as we know he has plenty of considering he went missing for a total of 10 years.

We also see that he also gave in and told her his suspicions about Sani's death instead of changing his mind. This was important to me because I feel although Tom Riddle (in his own mind) has never considered anyone to be near his level of skill magically, I do believe he respected and gave chances to those he deemed worth his time. He also didn't condone weakness of any kind in those who shared his presence and to hide something like this from Lyra would have contradicted the faith he has decided to have in her strength. In his mind it was almost another test of sorts to see what she was mentally capable of.

...And Cassian. That devil. Lyra finally took him down a few pegs from his pedestal and we find out why she refuses to acknowledge his advances besides hid arrogance and overinflated ego. She considers him to be more of a sibling than he does her (which speaks volumes to her character, bc he really doesn't seem to deserve it...although part of her *kindness* I think can be attributed to her respect for Sani) , which is partially why she acts the way she does around him. Being kind does nothing to deter his delusion and obsession and I feel that even though he refuses to accept it, in her own way she felt some sort of relief for finally being able to tell him directly why it would not happen. Their entire dialogue in the chapter also explains why she has never forgiven him for his betrayal of her at MACUSA. Everything he has achieved, he has done so because of her. I don't blame Lyra one bit for being angry and bitter.

For all of you wondering about Lyra's last comment at the end of the chapter, I did a lot of research on Ancient Navajo burial rites and (I probably will get into it some more in the upcoming chapter.)and they're fascinating. In matters of death if someone was sickly and their end was apparent, they were usually taken out of the house to pass away in a different location. If a Native died in their homes, the homes would have to be destroyed so as not to evoke evil spirits and to not encourage the deceased being to remain behind as a spirit in the human world. Ash was also smeared on the bodies of those preparing the bodies for the funeral for the same reason. Bodies were washed and dressed, if done improperly, it was believed that the deceased person's spirit would return to their home instead of passing into the underworld. Funerals were also held as quickly as possible. So in Lyra's case her rushing the job is not done out of selfishness but custom. Respecting Sani as she did, she would know how to treat his death. As to Cassian speaking about "contacting MACUSA to let them know about Sani's death", I figured a wizarding government in some ways would operate the same as our own. When someone dies, naturally their government is usually notified for legal reasons, I can't imagine them not needing documentation for proof the someone had passed. Otherwise how else would they keep track of the wizarding community as a whole? To me this was just a little tiny addition that made sense.

Now onto reviews!

Kiracalico -

It's so hard sometimes when writing chapters, I have tons of notes for each one, filled with different ideas, excerpts that I have pre written, conversations/areas of interest that need to happen that sometimes it's just so hard to decide what to include/exclude, what needs to be re-written to flow cohesively...it can be super frustrating and sometimes the chapters go in directions that I didn't intend, but had to for the story to flow smoothly. Thank you for being so patient and hanging on! These last chapters are taking A LOT longer than anticipated.

Sani's death sucked to write. I absolutely loved his character, but without his death there would be no conflict. And if his character had lived it would have been harder to throw Tom and Lyra together. He most definitely would have gotten into Lyra's head and influenced her thinking. For better or worse…we'll just have to wait to see how she copes without him. We'll have to see in future chapters if she's able to get any resolution or if she's just stuck like this for life. Despite Tom's 'kind' words to her in this chapter, I can't imagine he wouldn't feel burdened after a considerable amount of time has passed. Cassian is just awful, misguided and misdirected. Her interactions with him are strained and unpleasant and I finally got to touch up a little on this in this chapter as to why. Tom is very manipulative and we definitely also see that here, he understands certain people very well and uses their weaknesses against them.

Thank so you much for your reviews, I always look forward to them!

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