Disclaimer: Oh, if only I owned Tom Riddle…-grins wickedly- Unfortunately for me (rather fortunately for our dear Dark Lord), I do NOT own Tom, or any other part of the lovely universe created by J.K. Rowling.

A/N: The quote for this chapter is from the novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The quote is about ivory (as in the expensive stuff they kill elephants for), but it is what inspired me in the way Luna is feeling about Tom. They aren't identical but this ever-present unseen thing inspired me. See the connection? If you do, you're as twisted as I am! Yayyy!

Also, Tom makes an entrance back into the story, however brief, mostly because it's not as much fun to write without him.

"The word 'ivory' rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. … I've never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion."
--Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Three: Scar Issues

Tom. It was Tom. Tom was everywhere. He was around each corner of the corridors; in her dreams. Blue eyes or red eyes – for the first time, Luna didn't care what color they were so long as they belonged to Tom. To see those eyes again – but, no. Still, she could not escape it, could not escape him. Her pillow – she could smell him on it, though he had never lain there. That smell, his soap mixed with his own musk mixed with egotism…it intoxicated her. His voice echoed in her mind, his name a sigh on her lips, his memory the breath in her lungs.

And each day the necklace grew heavier around her neck. Day by day, perhaps minute by minute – rather than her pain easing, her burden became harder to bear. And the necklace was always around her neck, always there to remind her.

She knew what Harry had told the Others – she thought of them that way now, Harry and the Others. They were no longer Ginny, Hermione, Neville, and Ron. They were only a single unit, all with the same opinion of her. Because Harry told them that Tom had used her, that Tom had never really cared. And the Others pitied her. Luna did not want their pity.

Luna felt betrayed by Harry – he had seemed to understand. Truthfully, she had not approached him about her feelings of betrayal, so he never got to explain; she also understood why Harry would believe that. Everyone believed Tom to be soulless, heartless. But Luna knew better, because Luna was the one who had the glowing red necklace around her neck day after day, night after night. It never stopped glowing.

She kept it carefully hidden from Harry, always wearing it under her robes. It occurred to her that by keeping a secret from Harry, she was betraying him also, and she felt guilty. Harry and Luna had been one another's confidants, for Harry felt, rightly so, that Luna would not judge him. And they had always been open with one another. By concealing something from him, Luna wondered perhaps if she had been changed by Tom – not for the better. But she still could not bring herself to sacrifice what she had left of him. And secretly, late at night when she lay awake, she would sometimes admit to herself that even if she had wanted to give it to Harry, she didn't think she could. The necklace pulled her to it. She often woke up with her fingers entwined in its chain, and whenever she bathed, she bathed as quickly as possible, for it bothered her to remove the necklace for any amount of time.

The Headmistress had excused Luna from class indefinitely last Friday, as she had already taken the courses. Sometimes Luna went to her classes anyway, just to get out, but more often than not she was in her dormitory, reading and reading the hours away with Othello curled up on her lap. She left for meals, but often brought the food back to her dorm to eat; she occasionally made the excursion to the library for more reading material, but as she merely grabbed the first books she saw, this took little time before she was back in her room again.

The entire school was abuzz with what had happened to Loony Lovegood on the train. Of course, only Harry and the Others, as well as Headmistress McGonagall knew what actually happened, but that didn't stop rumors from flying around, rumors so colorful that even Luna thought they were absurd. In spite of the sudden interest in Luna, her roommates continued to ignore her, just as they always had.

Luna would have been in near-perfect isolation had it not been for Harry's constant notes sent to her dormitory, courtesy of Hedwig. At first they were generic, asking how she was doing and inviting her to eat dinners with him and the Others. Then, just as Luna's mind again skittered to the thought that Harry had in some way betrayed her by dismissing her relationship with Tom, Harry seemed to catch on that he had hurt her feelings. Luna suspected that Hermione had clued him in. The notes became even more frequent, turning from friendly concern to apologetic to pleading her to see him.

Understanding the emotional distress she was causing Harry, Luna agreed to eat dinner with him one night in late September.

"Budge up there, Dean," Harry said, making room for Luna. As she sat down next to Harry at the Gryffindor table (which still felt strange to her) she could feel the eyes of her friends on her. For the first time, she realized how much she really missed Cat. She felt her heart sink another inch into her stomach. But right now, she had Hermione piling food on her plate, insisting she looked peaky; Ron bent low over his own food, avoiding eye contact; Ginny trying valiantly to keep Neville from clinging to Luna and never letting go; and Harry quietly observing her.

"What's going on, Luna?" Harry asked quietly.

Luna observed the students filling the Great Hall, talking and laughing but always with a cloud over their heads: Voldemort. Noting that the Others were listening to the conversation whether they wished her to know it or not, Luna took a sip of pumpkin juice before answering, "You know, Harry. I didn't confide in you only because I felt you needed the information." Luna suddenly realized she was ravenous and began attacking the food Hermione had piled in front of her.

"Please stop talking in riddles," Harry replied impatiently, ignoring the food on his own plate.

Luna swallowed too quickly; the food caught in her throat painfully before retreating into her body. Harry's demeanor reminded her all too much of Tom sometimes; diluted and less potent, yes, but several things about the two young men were similar. "I don't mean to."

Harry sighed, and his impatience turned to indulgence and fondness for Luna. All traces of Tom were lost. "I know."

Taking another swig from her goblet, Luna said, "It's just…you don't think he really loved me."

Ron choked conspicuously on a piece of carrot and Ginny began thumping him on the back. Hermione eyed Ron disapprovingly before returning her gaze to Harry and Luna.

"You're right, Luna. I don't," Harry replied honestly.

Luna glanced at Hermione before saying, "I think you're wrong."

"Luna…what could possibly make you believe…," Hermione began, but trailed off.

Harry shot a look at the curly-haired witch. "Did he ever tell you he loved you?"

For a moment, Luna was tempted to rip the necklace from beneath her robes, to shove it in his face, glowing in all its dark glory, and say, He said it through this, Harry. Do you see how it's red, even now? But to tell Harry of the stone would be to risk losing it, so instead she said, "No. He never told me he loved me."

"See?" Harry said triumphantly.

Luna gazed complacently up at the ceiling, which was a deep purple, dotted with stars. "You would have used my answer against me no matter what I said."

Harry allowed a lull in the conversation to prod the food on his plate with his fork and to exchange meaningful glances with Hermione. Ron had recovered, but he was pointedly staying out of the conversation. Neville had succumbed to the delicious food, and Ginny was trying to keep it that way while still listening with one ear.

"I told you because I thought you'd understand," Luna said quietly to Harry.

Harry slammed his fork down on the table, causing Ron to look up in spite of himself. "Damn it, Luna, what's to understand?" Luna balked at his outburst, but he continued. "You fell in love with Voldemort, Luna!" he hissed at her, so quietly that only she could hear. "The Dark Lord. He killed my parents. He's incapable of love. He couldn't have loved you back."

"I won't listen to you bang on like this."

"Am I supposed to have nothing to say about you being the Dark Lord's little bit of skirt?" Harry spat, losing his temper.

And then Luna slapped Harry across the face. There was a moment of quiet from those surrounding them. Ginny gaped like a fish out of water and Neville's pumpkin juice, which he had been drinking, was now pouring steadily into his lap.

Luna herself seemed stunned by herself, though it came across as only a look of mild surprise. Harry seemed to have regained control of his temper and now looked as though he felt like quite a prat.

The noise erupted again suddenly. Hermione began to babble about something unintelligible, though she was most likely reprimanding one or the other. Ron muttered a stunned, "Blimey," and Neville noticed suddenly that his pants were now soaked through with pumpkin juice.

Luna said, "Come with me." She led Harry out into the Entrance Hall, leaving the voices of the students behind. "You don't know him," she said, once they reached solitude.

"No one does! Including you, Luna!" Harry said rather loudly.

"Yes, I do," she insisted quietly.

"You see? He's a master at deception and he deceived you, too!" Harry whispered fervently, seizing her hand and gripping it slightly too hard to be comfortable. "I've defended you and your absurd beliefs for as long as I've known you, but this is just too much. You must realize that. I feel like I'm losing you."

Luna cocked her head at him. "Have you no faith, Harry Potter?"

"Not in Lord Voldemort," he replied, shaking his head.

"Not even in me?" she murmured.

Harry paused. "Luna…I've seen more powerful witches and wizards than you fall before him."

"I'm not weak, Harry."

"You're not Voldemort either."

"I don't need to be," she said.

"To know what's in his head, you do. You must understand, Luna." His hands released her own small one and his shoulders sagged. "I can't watch your light go out because of him. Not when I truly believe he was only practicing his manipulations on you."

"I do understand," she said after a long moment. "I know exactly where you're coming from on this. But I can't believe it, Harry. I have to hold on because it's all I have."

Harry looked up into her face and watched as a tear overflowed from her eye and trickled down her cheek. He shook his head again and took both of her hands in his, very gently this time. "It's not all you have. You've got Ginny and Neville and Ron. Hermione, too. And Othello. You've got your dad. He loves you more than anything. And you have me, too."

Luna squeezed his hands, and then brought him into an embrace. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry smiled into her hair. "I'm here for you, you toss-pot." He hugged her tightly, but a sudden, burning pain ripped through his head. His scar was on fire, it was ripping his head apart –

He was hugging someone…his face was buried in soft blonde hair…a light scent of citrus filled his nostrils…he pulled back and saw huge gray eyes, full of love and concern…he fell to the ground...

Voldemort pulled out of Harry's mind, wondering if he'd just seen what he thought he'd seen.