Chapter Thirty-Seven: Enslaved

Tom sighed deeply as he followed Dumbledore up a long hallway hidden somewhere beneath the Eiffel Tower. They had descended far down, so far that the air was become hot. He had no idea how many hours had gone by, but the entire time it took them to get there, his thought were divided between his desire to see Hermione again, and a strange fascination he did not believe was coming from him.

"Does Gellert have an interest in geology?" he finally had to ask.

With a smirk, Dumbledore replied, "Yes, he does. How fascinating that you should know."

"It's never been a great interest of mine, and since I'm sharing now, I figured he must be the source. Will you tell me why we have come all the way down here, sir?"

"You'll be down here training in the dark arts," Dumbledore explained as if he were discussing the weather. "You can't become a Dark Lord if you aren't even dark, can you?"

"I've no wish to be the Dark Lord," Tom mentioned. "I had hoped to gain employment in the Ministry and make some kind of a difference."

"A Mudblood, making a difference?" Dumbledore scoffed mildly. "That would be interesting."

"You needn't be so crude," said Tom, holding his head high. "Surely you must have seen how powerful half-bloods can be. I believe we are the key to the future. You can only inbreed so much before you ruin the lot."

"You must come to my way of thinking, Tom, if you hope to see Hermione alive again," he said then, his eyes piercing right through him. A strange stirring within him took him completely by surprise.

"The two of you were lovers," he said in shock.

"And you may keep that information to yourself as well," Dumbledore added. "I've enlisted five elves to take care of you while you are here. They are servants of my family, and will do anything I ask of them. So if I were you, I would not try to be a hero."

"No, sir, I won't do anything to rock the boat down here," Tom said. "I've no idea how to get out again, have I?"

"If you tried, I fear you would become hopelessly lost, dear boy," said Dumbledore with a smirk. "And before you get any bright ideas, I may as well tell you the other part of the puzzle. You've been searching all this time for Gellert Grindelwald's horcrux, haven't you?"

"Yes, at your directive," Tom grumbled. "I suppose it was me I was searching for the entire time, right?"

"Oh, no, Tom," he smirked. "There was another horcrux before you. An accidental horcrux, one not meant to be created. You see, in my youth I had a sister, and she was treated quite horribly by a group of Muggles. Made her quite mad, I'm afraid. Gellert and I had been planning to run away together, to right the wrongs of the world, but then he accidentally killed her, and the horcrux came to reside within me."

"All this time, you've been the horcrux?" Tom gasped. "And your supposed fear of facing Gellert was a lie? You knew he'd killed her all along?"

"Of course I did," Dumbledore chuckled. "Did I not once tell you that the secret to greatness is to fashion yourself as very good, and vanquish a very evil foe? I made a big show of taking Gellert Grindelwald down while you lay unconscious a few hours ago. It's made me the greatest of men for now, but if I want to be truly revered, I'm going to need a foe even greater than he."

"And you mean to create one in me," Tom added with a sneer. "Careful, old man, you may be biting off more than you can chew."

"Am I really, Tom?" he laughed. "You haven't got an evil bone in your body. Yet. But you will have, before Gellert and I are through with you. Do let him come out and play sometimes, he grows very restless otherwise."

"When I figure out how to get even—and I will figure it out," Tom seethed, "you'd best hope that I'm not as evil on that day as I am feeling right now."

"I think I'll take my chances, Tom," he said in a mild tone. "I'll be sure to tell Tom Junior what a brave and wonderful father you are, though I doubt he will ever find out for himself."

Tom's jaw clenched tightly as he restrained himself from doing Dumbledore a bodily harm.

"I'll just be going now, Tom," he said. "I won't be seeing you for a few years, but you'll have plenty of things to occupy your time. I'll give Hermione your regards."

As Dumbledore strode off into the darkness, he grinned at the sound of an anguished sob, followed by a scream only a man who truly felt the pain of loss could possibly give. Then, feeling he had wasted enough time underground, he walked briskly back the way he'd come in, feeling a growing anticipation at the thought of rejoining the girl to tell her what had transpired.