A/N: Well, I suck. Five months. Who takes that long to update? Apparently me... I'M SORRY! Please, yell at me every so often. It makes me feel guilty enough to actually write. In all seriousness, I'm sorry for the delay. I should be back up and running now that school's out. If I haven't update by next week I will consider myself a failure! Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Who started this whole disclaimer thing? Grrr... I don't own Harry Potter or any of its affliates.

Love Doesn't Exist

Chapter Five

Felicity woke up with sharp pains radiating throughout her spine and neck. Her face was pressed against the side of the chair and her back was curved at an awkward angle. Yet Felicity was altogether glad Mr. Riddle hadn't decided to be a 'gentleman' and carry her to her bed. She didn't want him touching her even if it saved her from pain.

Felicity stretched her arms and yawned, finding it relieving to change positions. She decided she would try to stand, pain and all. Her muscles creaked and ached with every movement. She heard soft cracks from her back where her spine had finally realigned itself to the correct position. A few more seconds of stretching and Felicity felt worlds better, though her body still screamed fatigue.

The blonde made her way to the wardrobe and picked out an outfit for the day. A pair of black trousers and a white silk blouse. She changed quickly, as always, afraid that a certain someone would make an unannounced visit. Felicity cringed at the Muggle clothing. It was all so uncomfortable and dressy, or perhaps they were just the clothes Tom could snag. The latter was probably more likely.

Taffy entered the room with her characteristic pop. The elf carried a tray of food and looked surprised to see Felicity out of bed and dressed. "Missus are up early. Taffy brings Missus her breakfast." The elf broke into a wide smile. She looked incomparably happy just serving her Master. How anyone could enjoy working for that monster of a master, she couldn't tell.

"Yes, thank you. Just leave it on the table." She gestured to the small coffee table just in front of the fireplace. Taffy laid the tray on the wood and began to snap her fingers, as if about to leave. A question suddenly popped into Felicity's mind, and, before she could control it, the inquiry simply slipped out. "Taffy?" the elf held her fingers in mid-snap, "Where does your Master eat breakfast?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Felicity regretted ever having uttered them. Why should she care where Tom eats his breakfast? As long as it was far from her, it shouldn't matter. So why did she ask that? What dark pit of her heart scrounged up that awfully horrible question?

"Master? He don't take breakfast. Master refuses it. Taffy offers everyday, but Master is always working." Taffy suddenly took her right hand and planted it directly on her forehead, creating a loud slapping noise. The unexpected noise surprised Felicity. "Stupid Taffy. Stupid, silly Taffy." She repeatedly smacked herself on the forehead.

"Taffy." Slap. "Taffy." Slap. "Taffy!" She yelled. The elf stopped and stared at her mistress with wide, sorrowful eyes. "What's wrong?" Taffy wrung her hands together. She looked to the floor.

"I disobeyed my master." Strange how she could say that particular sentence grammatically flawless. "Taffy didn't say what Master wanted her to." Tears welled in the elf's eyes.

"It's alright, Taffy. Just tell me now and I won't tell Riddle." Taffy gazed into her mistress' eyes with adoration.

"Oh thank you, Mistress. Thank you! You is very kind to Taffy." Felicity smiled and Taffy gathered herself together for a moment. "Master wants Mistress to meet him in the Grand Library after breakfast. And if Missus refuses, Master says Master will drag Mistress there himself."

"Thank you, Taffy. But…where's the Grand Library?" She'd been in this giant manor for almost two weeks now and had seen all of two rooms: her bedroom and the Grand Hall. Even on the way to these rooms, Felicity couldn't see anything through the closed doors of all other hallways and thresholds.

"Oh! Taffy will shows Missus. After Missus is done with breakfast." She curtsied awkwardly on her knobby legs and vanished in a flash. Felicity sighed and sat down for breakfast.

"Mr. Malfoy?" Scott lightly tapped on his office door.

"Enter." The Auror said quietly, but forcefully. Scott twisted the golden knob and pushed forward, the door opening under the compulsion. Draco Malfoy sat, hunched over documents on his desk, the top of his platinum blonde hair shining in the low lighting of his office. He dropped his quill on the paper and glanced up. "What do you want, Mr. Fawcett?"

The boy had entered his office only a day beforehand with a special message from Harry Potter. And now, he was babysitting Scott and his search party. Quite frankly, Draco could care less what happened to Felicity Tylers and her brother. He had bigger issues to worry about. The pain in his left arm increased everyday. He had to clench it tightly just to make the pain disappear for slight moments. Draco tried not to think about what this throbbing pain meant. Of course, the Dark Mark had faded away as soon as Lord Voldemort had been dumped in the ground. What was the cause of the pain? Probably the annoying boy standing in front of him.

"I want to know what our first move is. I've already assembled some Aurors in training to assist us on our search. It shouldn't be too dangerous and they could gain valuable experience." Aurors in training? Kid, you're only two years out of the program. You're still in training, as far as I'm concerned.

"And under whose permission did you do this?" Mr. Malfoy glared at the young man with a stern look. The imbecile doesn't know the first thing about abductions…or authority.

"No one's permission, sir." The room went quiet. Suddenly, a look of desperation crossed Scott's face. "Look, I need to know if you'll help me find Felicity or not. If you say no, I'll do it myself. I just need to know so I can start the pursuit!"

"Relax, Fawcett. I'm going to help you. But there are more impending disasters with the rest of the world for the moment. Three murders, two abductions, twenty-six charges of wizard crime, and one lovesick kid who won't leave me alone long enough for me to do my job. Add a wife and child to the mix and you get Draco Malfoy. If you want to make yourself useful, go talk to her father. He might have some information. And don't speak to me again until you have your emotions under control. Dismissed." Scott exited the room with a silent defiance. And Draco held his arm in torture.

This particular spasm of pain was so horrible, Draco simply had to roll up his sleeve and find out what was so wrong.

His eyes widened. It was back. The Dark Mark was back.

Scott had walked the same route so many times he could be blindfolded and full of Firewhisky and still get there without as much as a second thought. As he marched on, a little more hurried than usual, Scott remembered back to a time Felicity and him were coming home from training.

He walked to the left of her always. It was the gentlemanly thing to do. His grandmother made sure to teach him that at least. Felicity found the courteous gesture rather annoying – as if she couldn't take care of herself – but never did have the heart to tell him. His right hand was intertwined with her left. He could feel cold metal against his fingers. The thought made him smile one of those 'once every million years' smiles that only a man is capable of and only a woman can receive. "What?" She asked with a playful voice.

"Nothing. I'm just a lucky man." He smiled again. She squeezed his hand, grinning.

"Yes. Yes, you are… Now tell me why." He stopped walking. To avoid being jerked, she stopped with him. There they were, staring right into each other's eyes. Amber met grey in a symphony of emotions.

He leaned down slightly and kissed her. "That's why."

"You're so banal." Their lips touched again.

"I thought normal women loved that kind of stuff." Their faces were so close.

"C'mon Scottie, you should know by now I'm no normal woman." She smiled mischievously, forced her hand apart from his, and ran down the walkway. "You know, in order marry a girl, you have to catch her first!" She laughed wildly, her smooth curls bouncing with each bound she took.

"I thought that was only for normal girls!" He shouted to her.

"I guess your cheesy little line worked on me after all!"

"I am a lucky man…" He whispered to himself. She laughed triumphantly and he took off after her.

What ever happened to those days? That was a stupid question. He knew the answer. He despised the answer. He screwed it up. All of it.

Scott saw black out of the corner of his eye. But as quickly as it was there, it had disappeared. It looked like a cloak of some kind, hiding in a nearby ally. His Auror senses tingling, the wizard continued to walk forward, using his peripherals to see at least somewhat behind him.

There it was again.

He was being followed.

Giant wooden doors were all that separated Felicity from the Grand Library. Taffy had vanished just moments before, promising that she would come back for the witch later. She took a deep breath, hoping that Tom was in one of his good moods (or at least, the mood where he didn't want to murder her), and she opened the door.

Felicity liked books. As long as they were mildly informative and not a complete waste of her time, she read quite a number of books back home. The point was, she liked books, but she didn't love them. Until now.

The room was as big as the Grand Hall. Row upon row of shelves upon shelves of books lined every wall. There was even one of those ladders designed for sizable libraries in the corner, sitting next to a giant wall-length window that paralleled the one in Felicity's bedroom. The room was decorated with gold and a pearly white. A great chandelier hung from the ceiling, though it wasn't lit and didn't look like it ever had been lit. In the center of the room were desks, chairs, modest floor lamps, and a comfortable-looking sofa. It was safe to say that Felicity's mouth was hanging open.

Seeing the library somehow made Felicity feel…calmer. More at home, dare she say it. There was something about the smell of the books and feel of the sun through the window that made her less…hostile. The atmosphere had changed. Three tons of Felicity's depression had lifted. She felt like more herself again.

Looking around for Tom, he was nowhere to be seen. She half-expected him to be behind her, about to whisper something creepily into her ear, just to make her feel inferior. But he wasn't there. No one but her… and the books.

Her simple black heels clicked and clacked on the marble floor as she slowly made her way through the library. It was her goal to read every single spine and drag her fingers across the beautiful titles. The immensity of the room had taken her aback and if she was forced to live in this house for the rest of her life, she was glad this library was at her disposal.

"I see you like my library." Felicity drew a sharp intake of air that echoed through the space. What did I say? Whispered it in my ear. The surprise only lasted a moment. It faded into emotionlessness.

"I would be lying to say I wasn't impressed." She turned to face him. "How big is this manor anyway? So far, it's only been getting bigger." Felicity took the moment to investigate Tom's appearance. He wore a dark grey suit with a black button-up shirt, unbuttoned just enough to show a little of his pale chest. After a second, she found herself staring directly at his chest wondering what it would be like to… Stop it, Felicity. He's Lord Voldemort, for Merlin's sake! He killed your mother and brother and countless others. She looked into his eyes, instead. Of course, that wasn't much better.

"You seem to be forgetting we're magical beings. And I'm the most powerful since Merlin himself." He spoke condescendingly, derisively, as if she were a three-year-old.

"Right. Magic." There was silence for a few moments. But then Felicity did something she was pretty sure rarely, if ever, occurred in the Riddle Mansion. She laughed. And once she started, it was hard to stop. The sound was unnatural. Unfeeling. Uncaring. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed. It was certainly prior to Jack's disappearance, and even before then she hadn't laughed much.

Tom, however, found no amusement in Felicity's outburst. He stood there, as still as a statue with absolutely no expression on his face. "What do you find so entertaining, Miss Tylers?" The laughing stopped. Now she really did feel like a three-year-old getting scolded.

"Nothing." She pulled herself together very quickly. Staring at Tom, laughing uncontrollably… I've gone mad.

"Good. Now if you're quite finished with your girlish antics, can we proceed to the reason I called you in here?" Girlish antics? What does that even mean?

"Fine." Tom walked over to the center of the room and took a seat in one of the medieval-looking chairs. Felicity happened to notice his shoes made the same clacking noise on the marble.

"Sit." He gestured to a chair opposite his. Felicity did as he said. "I figured you might as well have some use while you're here." Thanks, Tom. "You see, I'm not the only dark wizard to have Horcruxes. I'm not even the first to use a human soul as a Horcrux. There are others, my dear Felicity, who are still alive, who are still a threat, who still have power. And these wizards will come after me... Ergo, they will come after you."

"And how do they know you're still alive?"

"Because they aren't stupid." He looked at her with the condescending glare once more. "Anyway, I'll need to discover what these wizards have used as Horcruxes and destroy them. We'll have an entire library to look through."

"Why should I help you?" Felicity asked, with eyes squinted and lips slightly pursed.

"I don't need anyone's help, Felicity. I am perfectly content at doing all the work myself. But since you're here, and have absolutely nothing else to do, you might as well. Considering they'll kill as soon as they find you, I didn't think it would be such a terrible plan for you to find them first. Understand?"

"Of course." There was a pause where Felicity thought. "Alright…I'll do it. Which wizard poses the most threat?" she asked, mocking Tom's self-important speech. He chose not to acknowledge the insolence.

"Gellert Grindelwald." Felicity's eyes widened. For a moment she could barely gather her thoughts.

"No, that can't be…that's just not possible…he's dead…Albus…Albus Dumbledore defeated him."

"No. That imbecile Dumbledore even directed Grindelwald to the abilities of Horcruxes. They then staged Grindelwald's defeat so he could slink into the shadows and search for the Deathly Hallows unobstructed. They even created a dummy – a clone – to sit and die in the Nurmengard prison. You see, I figured this all out in my fifth year at Hogwarts. I had always known there was something off about Dumbledore. That was the reason we despised each other."

"But, why? They all praised Dumbledore. They all called him the greatest Headmaster in Hogwart's history. Why would he do that? Commit such evil?"

"Because wizard or not, he was still a man. And he still wanted power. Power that the Hallows could bring. And of course, they say Dumbledore…loved…Grindelwald." He said the 'L' word with an obvious disdain, as if spitting on it and deciding it never existed. Felicity let this news all sink in. Needless to say, Felicity had never known Dumbledore. He was long dead before she even entered her years at Hogwarts. Therefore, Felicity had no way of deciphering whether Tom was really telling the truth or not. She had heard stories from Harry Potter…but were they true?

Tom simply continued. "Most of these books should be of service to us in one way or another. Right now, Grindelwald and I are on the same level. We know one another are living and we know we must find each other's Horcruxes. Beyond that, we have yet to discover any other information. So for the time being, you are safe." Safe? Felicity certainly didn't feel safe. The 'Second Greatest Dark Wizard of All Time' – robbed of the title of 'First' only because of Tom – was hunting her, even if he didn't know it yet. Add to the mix that Felicity was trapped in a mansion with the 'Greatest Dark Wizard of All Time' and even had a part of his soul tucked away inside of her and Felicity was the furthest definition away from 'safe.' She was 'screwed.'

Trapped in her own bubble of thought, the blonde didn't notice the large, levitating book floating towards her. Only when it was dropped onto Felicity's lap and a cloudy explosion of dust erupted from within the pages, did she jerk back and shake off the ideas in her head.

"Begin." Tom looked expectantly at his Horcrux. She answered by opening the book. He smirked, thinking she had finally been subdued.

Scott Fawcett continued to his destination. The discovery that he was being followed did little to perturb him. Of course he was hyper-vigilant – any sound or flash of movement would set off a rush of adrenaline that pulsated through his body – but he knew the man (or woman) was only doing reconnaissance. If he had wanted to kill Scott, he would have done so already.

The real question was why the man was following him. It may have been connected to Felicity's disappearance, in which case, he didn't mind the man. It was better that Felicity's captor know someone was looking for her. It would make him nervous. And men do stupid stuff when they get nervous.

The young Auror had by now turned onto the correct street. He counted six houses before abruptly stopping and facing the house on his right. It was small. Quaint. With wooden siding and a green door. Felicity had always loved how unassuming her little house had been; she would have made Scott move into her place after they were married. They argued for hours about that topic. He always wanted a new house. Somewhere where they could start fresh. Somewhere they could start fresh together. She wouldn't have it.

Scott knocked on the door. Nothing. He knocked again, this time also calling to Mr. Tylers. Still no answer. He tried the door. Open.

He hadn't been in Felicity's home in a long while. It had changed. Obviously, every picture of them together had been removed, but even beyond that the whole house seemed darker. It was messy. Papers were strewn every which way on the floors and tables. Dirty dishes lay on top of the papers in almost every room. The curtains were all drawn shut. The lights were all dimmed. Some chairs were turned over and photo albums torn apart. Scott couldn't really imagine Felicity leaving her home in such disarray. It must have been her father. "Mr. Tylers?" Still no one replied.

He found him, oddly enough, in the attic. A noise had alerted Scott that someone was rummaging through boxes in the small, musty space. He was one the floor, layers and layers of dust flying through the air around him. Tears cascaded down his face, already red from weeping. He sobbed as he looked through old newspaper clippings of the Hollyhead Harpies. Scott knew Jack was a recruiter for that team and Felicity had followed the news diligently.

He had aged since the last time Scott had seen him. A robust man, his gray hair was starting to recede as the line on his forehand and around his eyes increased. Looking down on his ex-fiancé's father, Scott couldn't help but feel the same sickly sadness that seemed to plague the entire house. He crouched down to Mr. Tylers' level.

"Mr. Tylers?" The man had no response. "Mr. Tylers? It's Scott. Do you remember me? I was engaged to your daughter for a while? I'm sorry about your son." Nothing again. "Look, I know this is tough, but I was wondering if you had any idea who abducted Felicity."

Finally, he spoke. "I loved him, you know. Lissy did too, though she wouldn't ever admit it." He had a faraway look in his eyes, as if somewhere happier. Or maybe as if nowhere at all.

"Mr. Tylers, do you know anything about Felicity's disappearan…?" The father interrupted him.

"Such a kind boy. He always shared his toys with others. Lissy never did, of course. It was all about success for her. Jackie just wanted to be loved. For everyone to love him."

"Mr. Tylers…"

"Who would want to kill my boy?" He paused, seemingly disoriented. "Lissy?" He called for her. "Lissy? Just like her not to come for her father. Jackie would have come."

"Mr. Tylers, you do know Felicity is missing, don't you?"

"Jackie would have come." Scott sighed. The poor man was a lost cause. The redhead didn't blame him. He lost his wife, beloved son, and daughter. He was alone.

Scott clapped him on the shoulder before turning to exit the attic.

"She's gone, Scott. Felicity was gone before I came home from Jack's funeral. She said she would be there, but she wasn't. I don't have anyone…left." A moment of clarity. Scott turned back around, hoping against hope Mr. Tylers had some kind of information for him. As quickly as the clarity came, it had vanished again. "Lissy," he talked to the air above him, "do you remember this game?" he gestured to the newspaper clipping in his right hand. "Jackie was so proud his team won, and we all went out for dinner? Do you remember that?"

"Lissy…?"

"Lissy…?"

Scott left the house with the sound of sobbing in his wake.

The next morning Mr. Tylers was dead.

A/N: DUN DUN DUN DUUUUNNNNNN! I was really working the cliffhangers this chapter, huh? Well, I hope you enjoyed! The fun has only just begun...