Tom looked at where Evelyn slept. The ghost of a smile almost crept onto his face as he watched the sleeping girl. His sleeping girl, he should say. He had come back to the room to check on her just to make sure that she was doing alright. The charms guarding his dormitory were strong—any spell he did was practically impenetrable—but he still trusted himself to look after her more than any magic.

It was why he made her stay in his bedroom even when he slept elsewhere, usually the Chamber of Secrets where the grunts of a basilisk lulled him into a restless sleep. Tom's bedroom was guarded heavily by all sorts of spells, mainly ones that disallowed anyone other than him and her to enter. Even Mattheo would be locked out. If he tried to enter using magic, a curse would rebound onto him. Nowhere was safer for Evelyn, Tom was sure it.

Nowhere other than his arms, of course.

Evelyn began to stir, whimpering in her sleep. Tom peeked into her mind to find a nightmare of the lake outside of the Black family mansion. Whether she knew that was where her father drowned or not, he didn't know. Regulus had been pulled under the thick, goopy water by Inferi that guarded the Black family from those who attempted to make it past the wards using the water. Why Regulus had ever decided to get into the water was something Tom would never know. No one in their right mind would venture where the Inferi lie. Perhaps Regulus wasn't in his right mind.

The girl's eyelids fluttered rapidly, her fear increasing even more. She began to lightly thrash in the bed. Tom walked over and placed a cold kiss on her forehead. Sleep, Little Dove. And in your dreams, think of me as I think of you, he bade her mind, allowing his shadows to enter and caress her back to sleep. Immediately, Evelyn calmed down. It was almost as if her soul had sensed its partner nearby, calming from just his presence. Tom wished that he could stay with her to keep the nightmares at bay but he couldn't.

He had business to take care of.

He tightened his cloak. It was black and long, belonging to his father at one point. It had taken years for the rotten smell of death and ash to leave the fabric. Now, it just smelled of cold musk. At first, the cloak resisted him. It hardly settled on his shoulders, wanting to be back with his former master. What it had failed to realize was that Voldemort was gone and Tom had risen from the ashes in his place. It soon learned its place. Now, it molded to his body as if the dark cloak was one.

Tom apparated to the chamber. It, too, was his father's, though it had never obeyed his command quite as well as it obeyed him. Voldemort was a poor excuse for a parseltongue, borrowing words to fill in the gaps he didn't know. He attempted to teach Tom but he hadn't realized that his son didn't need touching; Tom was a prodigy from the moment he could speak.

Plus, the giant basilisk answered to him much better.

She waited at the edge of the chamber, hissing occasionally as she circled through the giant statue of Salazar Slytherin surrounded by great stone columns. It was a menacing sound that haunted the boy at the center of the room. She obeyed Tom's every command. Master and servant. His father's master had been Nagini but Tom found her to be worthless and slaughtered her shortly after his father died. She was easy to kill, even as a child.

Angus McLaggen was covered in a mixture of mud, water, blood, piss, and vomit. Perhaps a bit of shit, too, but he had already smelled so badly at that point that Tom couldn't tell. He whimpered every time the basilisk made another noise. Good. Let him fear when he had the audacity to make her afraid.

Tom didn't believe in second chances. Not when it came to Evelyn.

By now, Mattheo was probably spreading the rumor about how the same boy who attempted to kiss Evelyn without consent was conveniently missing. The professors never suspected him—not when he was their best student, their charming head boy—and the students wouldn't dare question Voldemort's son. They all knew the darkness that lingered beneath his skin. Get too close and it might snap.

Mattheo was always good about spreading the word discreetly. It helped that his friends yapped endlessly about any bit of gossip they could find. This usefulness of theirs was the only reason Tom was even remotely... "friendly" to them. He didn't care for friends; he had no use for them. But Mattheo's friends? Well, the purebloods did have some merit.

His brother would plant whispers among the different houses, whispers that would only rise when they found Angus McLaggen's body in the Forbidden Forest in a week's time. Mauled, they would say. Perhaps by werewolves.

Or perhaps by a giant snake and the wand of the man controlling it.

The gossip of Hogwarts was annoying and rather impertinent but it did have its uses. At first, it made the other students steer clear of the handsome yet sinister boy. No one would be in his way, not if they thought that the charming orphan could murder them in a heartbeat without a morsel of remorse.

But now, Mattheo's whispers would make one thing absolutely clear: Evelyn Black was off-limits to anyone who did not wish to die a very painful death. She was not to be touched, not to be ridiculed, and certainly not to be kissed.

It was a shame that Angus would learn that far too late.

Tom sneered as he looked down at the boy. He took step after slow step towards where he sat, bound in the puddle. Angus was no longer gagged; it wasn't necessary after Tom cut his lips off. They were somewhere in the corner of the chamber. Perhaps the basilisk ate them, a little amuse bouche for what was to come.

Tom had sneered as he tore off each lip with the same knife that had killed the insolent death eaters only weeks ago. He hated the sight of them, hated that they had touched his Evelyn. How dare that silly little boy touch his queen? Tom wished in that moment that he had the resurrection stone so he could continue to raise Angus from the dead over and over, just to kill him again and again.

And still, it wouldn't be enough. Nothing would be enough, not when the boy had taken something that was rightfully his. Evelyn would never get her first kiss back and Tom would never forget the sight of her pressed up against that wall, helpless tears in her eyes as she attempted to fight back. If he hadn't gotten there when he did... there would have been no corner on this Earth that the boy could have escaped to.

He should have been there sooner. He should have apparated the moment he felt even the slightest bit of her discomfort. But he was in Hogsmeade dealing with a rogue Death Eater who dare thought he could spy on him. The Shrieking Shack gave a perfect cover-up for Tom's... interrogation.

He was just about to get information out of the old man when he felt it: Evelyn's fear followed by the sensation of pure and utter disgust. It felt like tar had been poured on top of him. Something was wrong. Something was wrong.

Tom tried to search Evelyn's mind but it was too full of fear for him to make sense of anything. All he could tell was that she was still at Hogwarts, somewhere in the corridor. He knew she had served detention in the library—something he had already spoken with Professor McGonagall about, as Evelyn would be receiving no more detentions after that evening. Last he had checked, she was fine, if not a bit frustrated with Irma Pince's unpleasant attitude.

He slit the man's throat without a second glance, not even staying to listen as the blood choked through whatever he was about to reveal. Honestly, Tom didn't care. He could slit a thousand throats, find a thousand death eaters, get a thousand rats. But he only had one Evelyn. And if she wasn't safe, he wasn't about to risk her for information.

Tom's mind was so crowded with panic that he had trouble apparating to Hogwarts. Normally, when he apparated, he had to focus on finding the cracks within the spells that surrounded the castle. But that was just it: with his mind too fogged up by Evelyn's fear, he couldn't focus. At least not quickly.

Finally, he reached the corridor and saw a man pushing his girl against the wall, kissing her with his filthy fucking mouth. A large sense of rage flooded through his mind. No, he heard Evelyn sob in her mind. Please. No.

That was enough to make him see red. He immediately tore the pathetic male off of her. He had never wanted to murder anyone more than he did in that moment. Tom clenched his jaw almost as hard as he clenched his fists. The boy attempted to plead for his life but it was too late. He had already incurred the wrath of the most powerful wizard.

He remembered the grin that came to his face. "Oh, McLaggen." He walked up to where the boy lay and looked down on him with a cruel sort of smile, his wand pointed at him as it practically sealed his death warrant. "You will wish that Death found you before I did because he would have been far more merciful."

The cruciatus curse flowed from his lips easily, its red light casting upon the male as if his magic had been itching to perform the spell from the moment he heard that vulnerable voice in Evelyn's mind. The boy screamed and writhed on the floor as if Tom would be dumb enough to not cast a silencing spell.

You can do more later, his inner voice reasoned. Now, you need to focus on her.

That was enough to snap him out of whatever trance the boy's torture had put him in. He immediately bound and gagged Angus, sending him to the chamber. If he was smart, he would stay put. Even if he could escape the tight spell Tom cast, his freedom would only draw the attention of the basilisk. She didn't eat those that Tom sent to be tortured, knowing she would get them in due time. But escapees were another matter entirely.

To his surpirse, Evelyn didn't seem fearful of him. No, she seemed relieved, like he was some bullshit white knight in shining armor instead of the Dark Lord with a death snake. He didn't question it, instead pinning her against the corridor wall and erasing every single memory of that stupid boy from her mind.

He kissed her gently at first and then with a fervor that he couldn't explain. All he wanted was her. Her scent wrapped around him and choked him, the scent of fresh rainwater, vanilla, and parchment with a hint of something darker behind it. Her hair brushed against him, the long, loose waves cascading down her back in a way that made him want to wrap his fist in it and pull it as he showed her what it was like to be owned in every way. Perhaps another day. Soon.

Kissing Evelyn stirred something inside of him, something he couldn't quite explain. It was like there was a hole inside of him and he hadn't noticed it until she was kissing him and filling every bit of him with her essence. She was everything he hadn't realized he'd been missing.

Tom realized, in that kiss, that he could never let her go. He had thought before that he might protect her, be close to her. But it wasn't until he kissed her that he realized he wanted her by his side, ruling the world with him. He wanted her to be his queen, his Dark Lady, his everything. He wanted to own her mind, body, and soul, wanted to consume her just as she was consuming him with one little touch of her lips.

Something awoke inside of Tom Riddle that day in the corridor. Something he couldn't explain, something he didn't even want to try to explain. Something his father had never quite understood.

He forced himself to keep his hands on her waist and her cheek because if he didn't, he would fuck her in the middle of the corridor. He was already extremely tempted but there was a large part of him that knew that she deserved better. Perhaps if his night had stuck to his orignal plan, she could have gotten that. But now...

Now, she had been through much. And he wouldn't push her, not when he had eternity to ravage her as he wanted.

"Tom," she moaned into the kiss, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his neck. The sound of his name on her breathy lips went straight to his dick. It took everything in him not to bend her over and make her scream it until she could no longer walk. Soon. Very soon, my darling, he growled mentally but she wouldn't have heard it, not when he shielded her out so she wouldn't accidentally see what he was doing less than an hour ago. "Tom," Evelyn moaned again.

That had him pulling away even though he really didn't want to. But she'd had a long night and he refused to add on to it.

Tom checked on her with a gentleness that felt foreign to him, gentleness that Angus probably wished he still had. The boy had long stopped crying. He had accepted his fate long ago.

Another flash of red released from his wand. But for some reason, Tom found himself bored. Perhaps it was because his mind was in another part of the castle, laying next to a woman he desperately wanted to hold.

"I'm finished with you," Tom spat before casting a spell that undid the bounds. "I shall make you a deal, McLaggen."

The boy rubbed his hands as if he couldn't quite believe they were free. Then, he gulped. "Y-yes?" His voice was hoarse from all of the screams.

Tom nodded with an upturned chin. "There's a basilisk within these chambers. If you can escape her and make it to the door on the other side of the room, I will let you go free. You will be forgiven for your crimes."

Angus looked around nervously, his eyes darting around for any sign of the basilisk before they landed on the door just fifty meters away. His eyes shone with something. Hope.

Tom grinned. It was just too easy.

Angus nodded. "A- alright."

Tom bent down and looked at him. "Then what are you waiting for? Run."

The boy scrambled to his feet and began to sprint to the door. "Wait," Tom muttered to the air around him. "Let him have hope."

His footsteps splashed in water on the floor of the chamber. They echoed within the great stone walls. Tom's grin turned sinister. "He's all yours."

The basilisk darted past him, slithering quickly on the floor as if it were the most natural thing in the world, chasing insolent boys. It was natural; after all, she was born in this very room, the servant of his ancestor, his father, and, now, him. The others used it on stupid goals, like killing mudbloods.

Tom liked to use it in more... fun ways.

He grinned as the basilisk caught Angus just one meter away from the door. The boy's screams echoed even louder than the shrieks of the snake. She would enjoy playing with him before killing him in the early hours of the morning with her venomous fangs. Tom would be long gone by the time she finished; she usually enjoyed landing the final blow when he was away. It was more intimate that way, he supposed.

He left the chamber and apparated back to his dormitory where Evelyn lay peacefully in his bed. She had curled in on her side, her hair fanning behind her small body. Tom cleaned the blood off of his face and undressed into just a pair of pajama pants before crawling in next to her. He brought her body to his and breathed deeply when he felt her warmth. The smell of fresh rainwater and vanilla filled his senses.

Tom couldn't help but enjoy the way his body melded to hers just like the cloak did to his, a part of her knowing, even in sleep, that the missing piece of her soul was there once more.

Evelyn stirred slightly. "Tom?" she muttered sleepily. Her voice was always so quiet, so delicate against the dark walls of the room.

"Shh. Go back to sleep, Little Dove."

She wiggled out of his tight hold. He was about to protest and bring her back when she turned around and curled against his chest before sighing happily. His arm snaked back around her waist and closed any gap that remained. Then, he kissed her forehead before drifting in darkness.

But instead of dreams of screams, of torture, of destroying his enemies and gaining all-consuming power, he dreamed of her. He dreamed of many nights just like this, sometimes kissing, sometimes talking, sometimes just quietly admiring each other in the shadows, always ending with her in his arms.

And Tom didn't realize until he woke up the next morning that their minds had joined through their unexplainable bond in sleep, dreaming together of a quiet love that emerged from the darkness that surrounded them.

We don't have a lot of Tom chapters so hopefully you like this one! They're always a lot darker than the Evelyn ones but I like that. I like seeing the different side of him, the side that's beginning to fall for her. What do you think of it, of them, of their explained bond? I'd love to know.

Thanks for all the support, my luvs, I do truly appreciate it and it makes me smile 3