LIFE AFTER DEATH
Part Seven: Dreams.
He could hear crying, a slight sobbing, not that of a baby, but of an adult. It sounded familiar, he knew. "Tom," he heard the sobbing voice say, "find her, please, I can't bear her being away from me…!" It was Ginny, he noticed, her redhead bowed, her hands holding her face.
"Shh, don't worry," he heard himself say, "I'll find her, everything will be fine, darling." He knew something terrible had happened, something in the back of his mind was telling him so.
"It's m-my fault, Tom, p-please forgive me," he heard her say in a desperate voice.
"How can it be your fault?" he said in a low voice, pulling her to him, and lifting her tear-stained face up to look at her. "It isn't your fault," he said in a finishing tone. "They wouldn't harm her, Ginny, I know they won't, just trust me."
"I want her back…" she whispered, sniffing, and she held onto him desperately. "I love her so much, Tom."
Tom woke up then, and found Ginny sitting up beside him, with baby Elizabeth in her arms; she was feeding her, a peaceful smile on her face as she looked down at her daughter adoringly. "I didn't hear her cry," he said in a tired voice, having just woken up.
His voice made her turn her attention to him. "That's because you were probably snoring too loud to hear anything else," she replied.
"I don't snore," he stated, lifting his hand to rest on Elizabeth's head.
"How would you know? You are asleep when you do it," she pointed out, returning her attention back to the suckling baby with a wider smile on her face. "I'm only joking," she said upon noticing his sturdy frown, "you don't snore… that much."
"I'm not rising to the bait, Ginny," he said in a sure tone as he sat up, and looked over Elizabeth, her eyes were shut, as if she were sleeping. "I wonder," he began with a smirk on his face, "how you taste, Ginny. Flavoured? Sweet? I'd rather enjoy the latter…" he nibbled on her earlobe, whispering things of no importance at all.
"Tom… the baby…."
"I know she is there," he murmured, "can't I simply kiss you?"
"She's done, now," Ginny said quietly in response as she pulled up the strap of her nightdress, and shifted off the bed to place Elizabeth back in her crib to sleep again. When she came back, Tom had lain down once more, seemingly waiting for her to return to bed with him. Sighing inwardly, she slipped under the covers, and was met with Tom's insistent lips on her own. Deciding to give in on the principle that she needed to keep him sweet today, she responded readily, threading her fingers through his hair, and laying her other hand on his back, moaning in all the right places when he reached certain parts on her neck, though some of his kisses, she indignantly thought, were really just in the right place…. But, it was not to be, as the sound of a knock brought Tom back to reality, and in a state of aggravation, he stormed to the door and flung it open; it was a House Elf, who no longer Apparated into his Master's quarters having had to iron his fingers the last time he did.
"What?" Tom said impatiently.
"Mr. Lucius Malfoy is coming to see sir, he is waiting for sir downstairs," the House Elf replied in a quivering tone.
Tom sighed, and looked back at Ginny lying in bed, he had had a feeling he was going to have extra fun with her and now it was bloody well ruined. "Yes, yes," he said in an irritated voice, waving his hand to signal for the House Elf's dismissal, "tell him to wait longer." He shut the door, and leant over Ginny, stroking her face longingly.
"Important matters that need your expert seeing to, I suppose?" she said, her voice soft, and perhaps sympathetic to his aggravation. "There is always tonight, Tom."
"Not if I'm needed elsewhere, my sweet," he said, turning away from her to dress, and to stop himself from taking her right then, like he had originally planned. When he had finished dressing he finally faced her. "Maybe tonight," he smirked as he took her hand to kiss it.
"Have fun," she called as he left the room.
Ginny stayed lying in bed, wondering what Lucius Malfoy wanted at such an early time in the morning; perhaps it was something to do with Ron and Hermione, had the betrayed Tom, unwittingly? Then she thought, no, Hermione was not an unwitting person, and she would have told Ron what they shouldn't do. She snuggled deeper into the covers, and pillows, and fell back to sleep.
She wandered through the long corridors, the darkness enveloping her as she cried silently. It seemed like that was all she ever did now. Then she came to the bedroom, to find an angry-looking Tom pacing in a furious manner in front of the fireplace, and there was a warming blaze in its hearth. "I won't fail, Ginny," he said in a determined voice as he turned to look at her, "I'm not giving up."
"I know," she replied. "I miss her, Tom." He stared into the blazing flames of the fire; his arm resting on the mantelpiece, holding his head in is hand. Ginny had never seen Tom looking so distressed as he was now, and she reached out for him, she needed him to comfort her, to tell her everything would be OK. "I can't stand it anymore," she said in an upset voice, as she wrapped her arms around him.
"It'll be over soon, I promise," he said quietly. "Just let me deal with it now, you need to stop getting depressed, Ginny, it isn't good. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Tom," she answered. "It's just… I miss her so, and what if she wants me? I can't go to her…." A new flood of tears washed over her cheeks.
She felt him hold her closer. "I'll make them pay, whoever has done this, Ginny, they'll pay…."
"Mummy," a voice called. "Mummy?"
"Mummy, wake up, please!"
Ginny opened her eyes slowly, it didn't feel like she had been asleep for that long, and she saw Leo standing beside her, waiting with the utmost impatience. Like father, like son, her mind whispered. "Yes, baby?" she said softly, reaching a hand up to stroke his rosy cheek.
"Is Daddy going to teach me today?" he said in an earnest tone, as though he eagerly wanted to please.
Ginny pulled him up onto the bed as she sat up. "I haven't asked him yet, he's busy right now," Ginny explained, "and he might have to go away for today, but don't worry, darling, there is plenty of time."
Leo sat there for a while, not saying anything as his mother hugged him like she did frequently. "Can I see Lissy?"
Ginny smiled down at him, placing him back on the floor. "Go on then, make sure you don't wake her. Be extra special careful, OK?" Leo nodded in response. "And don't pick her up." Ginny rested her head against the bed frame, but determined not to fall asleep, and leaving Leo practically alone with the baby. She lifted her head when she heard the bedroom door open to see Tom walking in, with his stormy face intact.
She got up from the bed, and walked toward him. "What did Malfoy want?"
He sighed. "I'll tell you later," he replied, "maybe." Tom pulled her to him, and stroked her hair from her face. "It seems that I shall have to wait until tomorrow," he said in a disappointed manner. "I'm not going away, but I'll probably be back late." Ginny had sudden ideas of all she could do without Tom there; she could sneak into his study and sift through his things, perhaps even find that contract…. He kissed her neck, taking in her scent as he did so.
She reached up to lay her hand on his head. "Oh, Tom…" she murmured, her eyes closed, "one day, there won't be any problems for you and I."
He scoffed, kissing her head. "I hope that will be so."
"Are you leaving right now?" Ginny questioned.
"Yes, I just came up to tell you I'd be going," he replied, kissing her once again, before he turned to leave. Ginny sighed, touching her neck where he had kissed her, and she shook herself back to reality as quickly as possible. He must be slipping some weak love potion into her drinks or foods, but only slight doses… she wouldn't put it past him.
"When did this happen?" Tom said in a low, and dark voice, as he looked over the remains of the Riddle House. It didn't mean much to him, but it disturbed him, perhaps it had just collapsed, or… had someone deliberately destroyed it, did someone know about him? He was sure that everyone was dead.
"A few days ago, my Lord," Lucius Malfoy answered.
"How did you come upon this information?" Tom questioned curiously. "How did you find out about it falling down?"
"Gossip, my Lord," he replied. "My wife is a fervent gossip."
"Gossip…" Tom muttered. "Can lead to one's downfall, or even their success," he mused. "I want it searched."
"I've already had that done for you, my Lord," Lucius said, and he reached into his pocket, taking out a piece of worn, and folded parchment. "I haven't read it," Lucius added as he handed it over.
Tom cocked an eyebrow at this statement, but took the parchment, and unfolded it carefully. It was a letter, he saw, and he decided not to read any further until he got home, to his study, where he could contemplate over whatever it said for hours and hours. He folded it back up, and slotted it into his trouser pocket. "Do you think it was a deliberate attack, Lucius?"
"I can't be sure, my Lord," he replied, "not without reading the note."
"Yes, that is what I shall do." Tom walked forward, stepping on the overturned path, and remembered the last time he was here. The last time he had walked over that path, he had left three dead bodies behind him, and a great feeling of satisfaction had filled him like he had never felt before. He was just 16 then. Now he was capable of mass murder. That was when he remembered Ginny; it was strange remembering a time that Ginny wasn't in.
He wanted to go, the place was making him aggravated, just looking at the ruins filled him with anger. Bastard, his mind sneered.
Ginny was sitting on the couch in the lounge, annoyed at finding his study door locked. She had been foiled so easily, and she knew that she would end up having to use her baby boy to betray his father. She didn't want to involve Leo, but it would be better for him, he was already feeling the effects of Tom's neglect, and this plan of hers could work both ways; Ginny would get the Contract, and Leo would be able to spend time with Tom.
She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece, it was midnight now, and she decided that there wasn't really any point in staying up to find out what had happened, she could wait until tomorrow, so she went back upstairs, and reluctantly gave into sleep once more….
Ginny could hear shouting as she stepped over dark shapes on the floor of the familiar hallway. What had happened? What WAS happening? She picked up the pace, but not so much as to alert anyone of her presence. The shouting she realised, where spells… someone was having a duel.
"Ron!" she heard a scream. "Stop it, you can't win!"
"Shut up, Hermione," presumably Ron held back.
Ginny could hear laughter as the two voices finished arguing with each other. "You won't have any chance at winning with her mouth opening," another voice intercepted. "Silencio, temporary silence, or an Avada, a permanent silence… which shall I give her, Mr. Weasley?"
"Shut up," Ron said loudly, in angry tone. "Shut up!" And the sound of a rebounding spell hitting a wall resonated throughout the house, and Ginny gasped, and leapt out of the way as a piece of ceiling fell within two inches of her head, and hit the floor with a deafening BANG!
"Very good, Mr. Weasley!" the other voice said in a patronising voice. "You almost had me then." Sniggers followed the last sentence. "Now, enough," the voice said seriously, and Ginny was getting closer to the commotion, "enough of these childish spells, Mr. Weasley, let's test your ability to give me a hard time…."
"I know Dark Magic," she heard Ron say.
"Yes, I'm sure you do, Mr. Weasley, I'm sure you do…. But, can you block this?" A loud bang, and a dull thudding sound coupled with the sound of the house crumbling. "I thought not…" the voice chuckled.
Then she heard Ron shout something, a spell?
"Ron! No!"
Tom sat at his desk in his study, now he would read the letter, and decide his next course of action. He unfolded the letter slowly, but without fear, no, he didn't fear anything.
T. M. Riddle, it read,
I'm sure I have your attention now that you have found something from your very well covered up past in ruins. I suppose we should talk about what else I know, shouldn't we? The great Lord Voldemort, who grew up as a pathetic Muggle boy, abandoned by his father, and his mother, who couldn't even be bothered to live for him. How tragic. But, don't worry, I am not so "pure" myself, I must admit.
I also know about your wife, lovely little Ginevra, oh yes, I know many things about your wife. Do you ever wonder whether she is truly loyal to you? Because I know the answer. Do you ever wonder whether those very, very complicated wards you set-up will protect your dear Ginny? Again, I know the answer. Sweet Ginny, she is so dear to you, so dear that she is that one big weakness that you just can't be rid of.
And the little boy, I'd keep a close eye on him if I were you, Mr. Riddle….
Tom stood up so violently that his chair whacked the ground with such force, the wooden back split. He almost screwed up the parchment and threw it into the fire, but stopped himself, and realised that he needed to keep it, to remind himself that the War wasn't over yet, there were still people out there trying to get to him, trying to get to Ginny….
A/N: In the next chapter, Tom contemplates the meaning of the letter, Leo has his first lesson, and Ginny gets to visit Ron and Hermione…. Dreams will start to become an important factor now, throughout the fic, but I'll probably keep them limited.
Sapphire Crystal: The smiles aren't genuine, but sometimes they are, Ginny is so manipulative you won't know whether she is truly smiling at him or not unless I indicated she was doing so. Thanks for your review.
Thanks for all your reviews, I really appreciate them, even if you've got something bad to say. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed the chapter, please show appreciation by clicking on that little button on the left labelled "Go". :D