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Lily, Hugo and Lilith walked into the great hall. The tables were already filled with food on the occasion of the feast. They sat together and started talking. Same old thing. A boring background noise. She let her thoughts wander to the meeting at the lake... he had come to her and sat there for minutes. A loud, deafening silence. Strange and bewildering. His eyes... where had she seen them so close? Deep down she knew she couldn't have just seen them in a dream. Or maybe she had...

" May I have your attention please?" spoke headmistress McGonagall. " Today is a very important date. We celebrate the anniversary of the end of the second wizarding war. The day Harry Potter killed within these very walls the darkest wizard of all time. For twenty-five years we have lived in peace. Mending, rebuilding our society. But never forget: the man Mr Potter defeated was once a boy, who walked through the corridors of Hogwarts. Not different from any of you. The monster inside him, kept well hidden. His looks were alluring and he was an extraordinary wizard. He left this place as a young man full of potential and came back as a snakelike creature, twisted and power hungry. As humankind often tends to make mistakes all over again, let us hope history won't repeat itself. Never forget what an old wise man once said, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light..." she paused, looked to the Slytherin table and nodded slightly. "Now let us eat and celebrate!"

" Why do I get the feeling there was a subtext to this message ?"

" Got the same feeling, Os. She was definitely addressing someone..." Lily answered sadly.

Even McGonagall is getting suspicious... She feared Albus had delved into something he couldn't turn his back to. Something powerful. Something dark. She looked towards the doors. She thought she saw a shadow. The ghost of a memory. A dark haired boy...

Lily jumped up and left the great hall with an excuse. Her focus strained on the ghost. She felt drawn to him... Who was it? Her heart was beating fast, just like that night in the forest. The ghostlike creature knew his way round the castle. In the middle of a lonely corridor, it stopped and turned around.

No...

This time she took courage and spoke " Who are you?"

" I think you know who I am, Lily."

" But I want you to tell me..."

" I am you, and at the same time I am me." She was scared and puzzled. What did he mean?

As if reading her thoughts he said " Deep down you know. I am Tom Riddle, but Tom Riddle IS a part of you. Never fear, I am just a memory. A 78 years old memory. I cannot harm anyone..."

She felt all but reassured. He WAS dangerous. His words like honey venom.

" Why are you a part of me? Are you part of my... soul?" she asked not knowing what to say.

" Yes. And no. Whatever you see is purely yourself. You are me as I am you." he smirked and disappeared just like smoke. Lily fell to her knees. What is he? Why can't anyone else see him but me? He can't be a part of me... I mean... but she didn't have the heart to press on her internal debate. Instead, she started to cry. Pouring her questions, doubts and fears on her Gryffindor robes. She never heard the steps approaching. So when someone put a hand on her shoulder, she froze. Was he back? She freaked out. An inner voice told her not to turn around, but she did. What she saw, wasn't Tom nor a mocking, ghostly reflection of herself. It was someone she'd rather not have met. Not in her present state.

" Go away, Malfoy." she said, her words broken. Her blue eyes shining with tears.

" There's a broomsticks store just round the corner. I think I will take you there. Then you can explain what happened."

" You will do nothing of the sort. Over my dead body..." but she was too weak to fight. And he was too strong. He took her in his arms as if sheweighed no more than a feather. All the time avoiding her eyes. His only weakness.

Once in, he put her gently on her feet. " So, do you think you'll finally explain to me what's happening? First the dark forest, then this..." he was staring at the wall over her shoulder.

" Why do I always have to explain? Why is it always me? Never you" she spat angrily.

" I... I explained. I really did... you... just don't rem- Whatever..." he looked at her for the first time that night. His eyes anchored to hers. Pleading eyes. Lily was trying to make sense of what he had just said, what he didn't finish to tell her. But again, she felt too weak to think. Too tired. She just wanted to go back to the dormitories and let sleep take her into oblivion. She got up, slightly trembling.

" Where do you think you're going?"

" Somewhere. Wherever. I really don't feel like talking. You know how talking ends up with you. I don't want it to happen again."

" Oh, I think you do. You just don't like what happens afterwards." Lily hadn't even realized he had got that near. He bent his head and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her, which was what she wanted, in spite of all the red alert warnings flashing in her mind. But he simply touched her neck with his lips and kissed it. Then he nuzzled her ear and whispered: " Only, this can never happen again." Before she knew it, he was out of the store and far away from her. Coldness seeped into her very bones. " I would do it all again, if I had the chance..." she said to none. Deep down she hoped that in some way he would hear it and come back. That never happened. He didn't.