Sometimes, I make plans, such as updating in a hotel with no public computer. Then, obviously, these plans fail - and I end up about 5 days late on my updates. Granted, there are people who don't update quite so frequently, still I feel bad about it... however, now I am back home. Italy was amazing, but way to warm if you ask me.
Thanks to all those read, fav'd, alerted and especially to those who reviewed.
On we go with the story.
The knock on my window had me wide awake in less than a second. I sat up straight. My eyes ghosted over to the window and my lips parted slightly. It couldn't be possible. I got up - bare feet on a cold floor - and opened the window.
"What are you doing here?"
"Will you let me in, I'll explain."
Tom didn't even wait for me to step aside, he simply climbed in.
"Tom, you... my parents!"
He pulled out his wand and pointed it to the wall. "Muffliato."
He turned back around to me. "I won't go back there, Lorraine, I can't – please. I know I ask much of you, but could you... could I? Please let me stay for a while."
I stared at him, unable to say anything. And what? I couldn't deny him this wish. But I couldn't just say it was okay. My parents... they would so be not okay with it. "I..."
He had stepped closer and suddenly his lips were on mine. The feeling was exceptional – I just realized how much I missed him even the past few weeks. I felt myself melt into his embrace. I felt myself giving in. As he pulled away, I muttered: "Alright. Okay. I'll talk to them. You can stay."
I stared at the newspaper article on my lap. It couldn't be, it couldn't be true. I had trusted him... him, the boy who just sat down in our living room, the boy who had showed up yesterday to beg me and my parents to host him, at least for two days. My parents were charmed by him from the very first moment. To them, of course, he didn't show his despise for muggles, muggle-borns and those who associate with them. Such as us.
And now this.
MUGGLE-MURDERS SOLVED – CRAZY WIZARD CONFESSES TO BE GUILTY
I hadn't ever thought about any infliction of Tom's with this until I fully read it.
Morfin Gaunt (38) was already imprisoned for three years because of hexing a Muggle. When confronted, he freely confessed to have murdered three Muggles, namely T., Th. and M. Riddle in Little Hangleton, North England.
There was too much of a coincidence as to it being just that. I knew what he had done; I simply knew it.
I jumped on my feet, grabbing the newspaper and running down the stairs. I knew my parents were not at home, they had gone out shopping with my younger siblings. Tom had just requested for some time to lie down. I wouldn't grant him the favour.
I busted into the room and threw the newspaper at his feet. "TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE!"
He looked at me, calmly and picked the article up, his face without emotion while he read through it. "Seems like my uncle's never changed."
"Don't try to fool me, Tom!"
He sighed heavily and put it down. "What do you want to hear, huh? That I'm sorry?"
"I want the truth." I was close to tears.
He stood up and stretched out his arm, but I flinched. "Don't touch me."
"Alright then. I went there and I met my sucking uncle, mentally disabled, almost killing me just for approaching him, until the moment that I talk to him in Parseltongue."
"And?"
"Well, he told me most interesting story about my mother and my filthy, unworthy asshole of a father who left her alone while pregnant, with no money at all. So I..."
"So you went and killed your father and your grandparents, for what? Revenge?"
"Right!"
By now, I was crying for good. "And again, you blamed an innocent! What did you do? Changing his memory..."
"Yeah, and?"
I took several steps back. "I don't even know you anymore, Tom!"
"It's Lord Voldemort, you know?"
I laughed bitterly. "Never, never will I call you like that!"
I saw something glowing in his eyes, was it hurt? Injured pride? At least he was sad. Of course, I was giving in right that minute. He had to suffer from what he had done!
I moved to him and caressed his arms. "You'll always be Tom to me, that's just it... I'm still on your side, you know?"
"Riddle honestly spent the holidays with you?"
"Yeah. He showed up the third week and then stayed. Truth be told, my parents loved him."
Lydia shook her head. "My parents would've never allowed it."
"Beg you. It's not like he slept in my room."
"Not?" Olive seemed a little disappointed. She was very pale. Myrtle obviously had decided to haunt her, seen as Olive had often bullied her – even the day that she died.
"No, he did not."
"So, you still haven't slept with him?"
"Olive, please."
"Now, come on. Of course I'm interested."
I shook my head in disbelief. "This is really none of your business."
"Tell you what, Lydia. This is supposed to mean yes, I actually did sleep with him."
"It's not supposed to mean that!" I snapped and got up, marching out of the common room.
"Lorrie! Lorrie, come back!"
I rushed down the staircase and through some corridors until I finally leant against a wall. I felt like I was trapped. Trapped with my sick-making-curious friends, trapped with my murdering boyfriend, trapped with my fucking life.
I stayed where I was and fought the tears, until suddenly I heard footsteps and I looked up.
"Malfoy! What are you doing up here?"
"Was just headed for the Ravenclaw tower. Lord... Tom told me to give that to you."
I glared at him – for almost saying Lord Voldemort – but took the small package and the note attached to it.
"He said I should make it clear that this is most valuable and you should watch it very carefully."
I unwrapped it and found a ring in it. It looked very old, like one of these things that were passed on through generations. It really was rather beautiful. I unfolded the note and read. For all the times I didn't have something to give you – consider this a part of me that's always with you. I frowned. Why would he give me something so precious – both in a material and in an emotional way – just like that. For no obvious reason at all?
"Tell him I said thank you. And I'll keep it safe."
He nodded gravely and turned around to leave. I stared at the ring in my hand and suddenly I knew what to do with it.
"No, it's impossible!"
"Is it?"
"She just said that for me to stay!"
"Well, obviously you were wrong."
The man fell on his knees before me. "Please... please, don't."
I wouldn't be merciful, though. I would do as I had planned, nothing could keep me from it. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
A green flash enlightened the room and the man fell backwards.
I gasped and sat up, my hand instinctively searching for the ring that I wore around my neck with a chain. Like this, I was always hiding it; keeping it safe like he wanted me to, but still I kept it close. Close to my heart.
I looked around and found that no one had noticed my waking up. The Silencio-Charms around the beds worked perfectly, as always. Ever since he had given me this ring I was having all kinds of dreams... as if I – as if I wasn't myself. But it couldn't be right? Why would the ring do that? And why would Tom want me to have something like that?
"What's that your reading?"
"Of no importance."
"Come on. You got that one from the restricted section. I'm not even sure you're allowed to read that."
"Of course I am, and now would you please drop it?"
I sat down across from him and sighed heavily. "No reason to hide, you know? I won't go and hand you over. Although I could."
He glared at me, but I just smiled at his death-stare. He was the one to have murdered several people, not me.
"You won't, though."
"Naturally."
His eyes were still fixed on mine and I tried to fight the urge to let my eyes drop to the floor. Sometimes, the look in his eyes was just too intense for me. This time, though, I won. His features softened and his glance became less threatening.
"It's really not that important, I'm just... searching for extra-information."
"Who do you want to impress, this time?"
"No one. Not that kind of extra-information."
I frowned, but he wouldn't give me any details. It was of no use to inquire farther when he got like this. All tied up and keeping things to himself.
"Why didn't you give me the ring on your own?"
His eyes flashed up again. "I was busy."
"What a compliment."
"It was urgent to me that you get it and I couldn't go. Prefect duties and stuff. So I ordered Malfoy to do it."
I smirked at him.
"What?"
"You ordered Malfoy to do it. So much for friends."
He looked confused and I had to laugh at his puzzled expression.
"You know, usually I ask my friends to do me favour. I don't order them."
"Merlin, will you just leave me alone?"
I sighed heavily and got up. "Of course, master, however you please."
He glared at my sarcastic statement, but I didn't care. He was no fun in this kind of mood.
"Now listen up, you moron, if you think you can scare us with your silly stick, then you..."
"CRUCIO!" I didn't have the patience for this. I could tell by the horrified looks of his family that they believed me now. I released the curse and whispered: "That was because I was never good enough for you. AVADA KEDAVRA!"
A green flash enlightened the room and the man fell backwards. The scream of his wife echoed through the room.
I woke up, screaming myself. How could that be? What could it mean? I felt for the chain around my neck. It had to be it, there was no other explanation. I had to something about this and I had to do it soon.
"What's it about this ring? What does it do?"
He stared at me, faking surprise, but I saw through his disguise. "What do you mean?"
"Don't take me for a fool, Tom. I know it's something special – I've been having these dreams, you see..."
He frowned, then he caught my arm and dragged me out of the entry hall, into some corridor in the dungeons. I didn't object. He didn't want to be overheard, what probably meant that he was going to tell me the truth. "What kind of dreams?"
"I see... it's as if I look through someone else's eyes. I murder people, Tom. Every night, these dreams keep coming back..."
"You murder people?"
"Yes," I whispered. "It's some form of magic, isn't it? It's not just jewellery. Tell me what this is about."
"I can't."
My eyes narrowed. "Very well then." With one swift move, I ripped the chain of my neck and threw it into the darkness ahead of us. "You can keep it to yourself."
His face held a look of pure horror as he turned around and whispered: "Lumos!" It didn't take him long to find it and get it off the floor. He checked if it was still whole, his face expressing genuine fear and worry.
"How dare you," he whispered. "I told you, it's a part of me."
I stared at him. Naturally, I had taken this as a metaphor. "What are you hinting at?"
His eyes fixed on mine. "I told you I would become immortal."
I shook my head. "You can never be immortal."
"I can. This very ring contains a part of my soul. For it's outside my body I cannot die."
I kept on shaking my head, as my eyes started to fill with tears. "It's not true. That can't be."
"It is very true, I'm afraid. It's a horcrux."
"No."
"I murdered my father and I ripped my soul apart! I put that part in this very ring."
I backed off. "No... no, no. You can't have."
"I have. And it's not the only one."
My back hit the cold wall behind me. "What... what else?"
"The diary you gave me."
Tears were streaming down my face. "Who? Who did you kill for that?"
"Myrtle. I transformed the diary and now it has the ability to possess whoever confides in it. The Chamber will open again when time is due."
His voice was soft, almost gentle. He moved towards me, but stopped as I flinched.
"Why? Why did you give it to me?"
"For safekeeping." He ignored my warning glare and he stepped in front of me to whip my tears away. "And because – you already have my heart. You should have a part have my soul, too."
Before people come and tell me about this last sentence being completely OOC, I want to remind you that Tom's a highly manipulative person and that I imagine that he tells her what he thinks she wants to hear. The way I imagine it, I guess.
Reviews make my day. Just saying.
