A Future Riddle
Eternal Death
Riddle had long ago vacated his leaning position against one of the many marble serpent statues that lined the hall of the chamber. He had been so surprised that the Jinx had taken on his Basilisk with nothing but her own strength that he hadn't even realized when he had moved closer to the battle.
He hadn't known whether to laugh at her stupidity, her audacity, or her foolish courage. So, rather than making up his mind, he had simply watched.
He had tried to fire a stunner at her when he saw her twisting out his snake's fangs, but the giant serpent had turned at that exact moment and taken the spell itself. Riddle hadn't wanted to risk hitting his pet again, so he reframed from further fire. It had been apparent by then who was going to win anyway.
His snake, though bloody-mouthed, was still very much in charge and Jessie was just barely holding on.
Right when Riddle thought Jessie could no longer hold on, his snake panicked and crashed its head against the stone floor. In that instant, Riddle could see, and hear Jessie's spine shatter. It was a sickening crunch.
Riddle smiled a humorless, satisfied smile. Though the Basilisk was dazed, the battle was as good as over.
Riddle was just about to walk over to the pair and say his last snide words to her broken body when he saw her clutch the elongated, extracted fang in her bloodied hand.
Momentarily forgetting his wand, his thoughts screaming NO! he sprinted as he had not since his days in the orphanage when the bigger kids would pick on him. His soul driving thought was to save his one true friend in the entire world.
Naturally, the event happened in slow motion and Riddle was incapable of reaching the scene in time. All he could do was watch in horror as the Vampire drove the fang into the brain of the ancient magical creature.
Riddle cried out in agony as if it were he who had just been killed and ran the remaining distance to his pet. He crouched down next to the eye of the Basilisk and stroked its scaly head, murmuring soft, comforting words through his tears. It was not until its last, shuttering breath had left it that his gaze shifted to the unmoving Vampire.
His emerald eyes flashed red as he stared down at her lifeless form. Pulling out his own wand, a look of utter hatred adorning his face, he lifted his arm to cast incendio when, from the partially opened vault door, a figure screamed in a terrified shrill, "TOM!! HELP ME!!!"
Riddle quickly whirled around to face a tear-streaked Clarona being roughly pushed into the chamber by a black-cloaked stranger. Clarona saw Tom and a pathetic look of frantic hope filled her eyes, "HE'S ONE OF THEM TOM!! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!! HE-"
SNAP!!!!
Clarona never got to finish because the dark figure holding her twisted her head so hard, her spine snapped. The dark figure coolly stepped over her prone body, being careful not to touch her out of disgust and advanced on the future dark lord, his features hidden behind the dark shadow of his cloak.
In a sarcastic drawl he said, "Oooops... Too late. -I already killed her. I wonder what she was about to say?" The figure stopped just short of Riddle who was menacingly still, waves of hatred radiating off his black, almost pristine dress robes.
"Do you think this will change anything?" Riddle finally hissed in a deadly whisper.
Fritz lowered his cloak and grinned. "Yea. Actually, it already has."
Riddle leveled his wand at Fritz's chest and said, "You're wrong...INCENDIO!!"
A huge fireball flew from his wand and engulfed Fritz in a red inferno.
An evil smirk threatening his lips, Riddle finally released the spell and said, "They say that fire is the devil's only friend. You'd better get used to it...well, that and being a big pile of ash."
Riddle was suddenly stuck behind the head by a silently cast bludgeoning curse. He whole body fell forward from the impact, but he managed to keep his feet and quickly pivoted to see the laughing face of a very unburnt Fritz as he said, "Daft little git, it's not me who needs to enjoy being burnt in the deepest fires of hell. I'm very happy to inform you that that pleasure is strictly yours."
Riddle's eyes became completely red as he slowly, almost lethargically laughed in that high-pitched other worldly screech of his.
Fritz's eyes widened slightly for an instant, but he regained his cool and said, "I knew I was funny, but hey.. let's not take it overboard."
Eye's still blazing scarlet, Riddle said, "But it IS funny. For you see, I shall never go to hell," Riddle took a threatening step toward Fritz, "I shall never die." He took another ominous step. Fritz held his gaze and his ground. "And..." One last step. "I shall never be defeated." The two were now so close that they could feel the magical energy radiating off the other.
They both raised their wands at the exact same moment, but instead of casting the killing curse like Fritz opted to, Riddle took a page out of Jessie's book and using his wand like a wooden stake, plunged it straight through the heart of the ebony-haired demon.
His killing curse lacking the necessary emotion to back it up-it's funny how receiving a fatal blow can do that to one, Fritz mused as his skin started to disintegrate-only managed to give Riddle a very beautiful, jagged cut across his left cheek.
In the second it took for Fritz's pale skin to fade to ash, Riddle's lips twitched into what might be described as a grin and he said, "The 'Professor' will join you shortly."
Fritz's last look was one of total despair as his eyes frantically sought out Jessie's inert form.
Finally, as if a gentle wave had come to wash away his spirit into the vastness of the heavenly bodies, time and space, his body was reduced to ash, and that ash exploded into a fine golden dust that littered the dank air and flew to every corner of the chamber.
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Not even pausing to relish in his victory, Riddle immediately walked over to the prone form of Clarona, and leveling his wand at her still-warm body, took a deep breath and intoned, "EXPERGO EXANIMUS-INFERI!"
A chilling supernatural wind blew up around her body and lifted her into the air. Her features began to glow a deep, muddy red as her muscles began to spasm.
Tom watched all of this intently and as soon as her eyes opened, revealing nothing but two lifeless, black pits, he raised his wand yet again and commanded, "BASIO ANIMA!"
All of the sudden, the black of her eyes glowed an intense, blinding white and she took a shuddering, gasping breath of life. Her features returned to normal and the ethereal wind that had picked her up left, allowing her coughing, choking form to roughly fall to the ground.
Spotting the pensive face of her beloved Tom, she began sputtering and crawling pathetically towards him.
With a look of the utmost disdain, Tom slowly backed away from her.
Still unable to form words, Clarona began to whimper.
Looking down at her like a king might a peasant, Riddle condescended, "My dear, you are now free of the Vampire's curse." She cautiously looked up at him, hope once again knocking.
He slowly shook his head, "Unfortunately, all that was needed to accomplish this feat...was your death." He paused, ignoring the look of terror her face displayed. "That, having transpired, has left you quite unliving I'm afraid." He looked anything but afraid.
Finally finding her vocal chords, Clarona cried out in a hoarse whisper, "Wha...What a-am I?"
Not even bothering to hide his pleasure at seeing her choking on her own fear, he nonchalantly answered, "You are the very first modified inferi." At her look of horror, he turned around and began walking toward the other unliving being in the chamber.
A wicked sneer adorning his pale, chiseled features, he said, "Congratulations."
He made sure he said it just loud enough for her to hear.
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While Clarona sat crying her eyes out on the stone floor, Riddle stood before the intrusive Vampire, pondering what to do with her.
He could always kill her. But that wouldn't be much fun seeing as she was rather unconscious. And, his earlier rage at the death of his pet had been quelled when he offed her Vampire cohort.
Doing what he did best, Tom Riddle logically analyzed the situation:
Lying before him was a very powerful, magically-inclined Vampire who somehow knew more about him than she was willing to let on. Yes, he could dispose of her now, but then he'd never find out what, or more importantly how she knew whatever she knew of him.
Convincing himself with his logical side that this was the reason he chose not to immediately kill her-and DEFINITELY NOT because he found her somewhat intriguing and challenging, he formulated a plan to discover her secret.
He would kill her after finding out.
This seemed to reassure the screaming part of him that said to kill her now and dance on her ashes.
Using the hourglass charm to check the time, he was pleased to see that it was around four in the morning.
He debated whether to float her in front of him or carry her with a weightless charm.
Hoping to keep a low profile, (floating bodies, for some reason, always seemed to stick out), he opted for the latter decision. He cast the appropriate spell and bent down to scoop up the bloody mess that somewhat resembled his Defense Teacher.
While part of him was completely disgusted at touching a filthy magical creature-especially one as infuriating and grunged up as she currently was-a newer, more annoying side of him, reveled at seeing her pale features this close up.
He struggled to look away, but much to his horror found that for once in his life, he was powerless.
For what seemed an eternity as he gazed at her, almost as if seeing her for the first time, one word seemed to escape his subconscious thoughts and in a soft sigh lingered on his lips for the barest of moments.
Beautiful.
He hated the word, and loathed it when its sickening, love-filled tones would reverberate around his castle but there was no other way to describe her.
'Why does she have to look so good covered in blood?' His inner thoughts whined.
Repressing the urge to bring his fingertips to her cheek and feel for himself if they were infact porcelain, he roughly averted his eyes, mentally kicking himself, and began to exit the chamber.
His eyes caught the still-bawling form of Clarona just as he was about to step through the chamber door.
Giving an agitated sigh, he said, "Silence." She looked up and finally noticed what it was he was carrying. Before she could inquire and possibly protest, he continued, "You will go to your dorm and act as though nothing is wrong. Technically, nothing should be."
For the first time in as long as Tom had the misfortune of knowing her, Clarona glared at him.
He laughed, "Well, of course! You're not really of the living, but so what? You're more alive than any other inferi-thanks to my own newly invented Dark spell. And you have almost all necessary life functions as opposed to this creature here." He hoisted Jessie a little higher in his arms. "Now, as a reward to me for bringing you back, a feat I'm sure not even Salazar himself would have dreamed possible, I want you to turn your attentions toward Orion."
A single tear ran down her face as she cried out in protest and indignation, "Why?!" Frustration began to show as well as she continued in a quieter, more fearful tone, "You're the one I love...why can't you love me too? Orion will never amount to anything. Why him? Why?" Choking back another wave of sobs, her voice cracked in the softest of whispers, "Why?"
"Because I can't, don't, and never will. Whereas, Orion, a pathetic influential member of Pureblood Wizarding society, who will now owe me a certain amount of allegiance, for some strange reason...does."
Clarona began to cry again as Tom scolded, "Did you honestly ever think I could have feelings for you? I'll admit, you were helpful to me in achieving a believable pureblood image, and I'll always consider you one of my followers, but gods do not bend to the will of mortals." His brow furrowed as he thought of the creature in his arms, but he vehemently shook his head and in an exhausted voice continued, "Just go to your dorm and do as I say. You're 'alive' thanks to me, so your life is basically in my hands. You owe it to me, now go. Before I decide that you weren't worth the trouble of bringing back from the dead."
Sniffling, and refusing to look at him, Clarona rushed past him and flew the chamber. Tom caught up to her a few minutes later as she realized she didn't know the way out.
His face giving away none of the misgivings he was feeling with his current situation, Tom used his wand to levitate the three of them to the Second floor girl's lavatory whereupon Clarona took one last reproachful look at Tom before morosely scuffling away toward the dungeons.
In his tiny black heart, Tom almost felt pity for her.
Squashing that revolting emotion, he spared a quick glance at the still form in his arms before making his silent trip to the Astronomy tower.