January 1943, 5th year
"Say," Nott leaned closer and lowered his voice, "do you know what Riddle plans to do after graduation?"
Naenia took her eyes off the duelling pair on the platform and turned to him.
"I don't."
She hadn't even spent a single thought about it so far.
Nott raised his eyebrows. "Really? I thought he would have told you, at least."
Naenia shrugged and turned back to the platform. "He didn't."
Avery and Lestrange were trying their best, but they didn't stand a chance against Tom who was clearly playing with them. Weatherton was watching them intently, ready to interfere at any moment. He had only reluctantly agreed to let Tom, who was still the best duellist, face two opponents at once. Their instructor should have known that he wouldn't even break a sweat, Tom was that good.
"And you didn't ask?" Nott said next to her.
"No."
Both Avery and Lestrange were knocked back simultaneously as their combined shield broke, but Tom didn't attack them further. He waited for them to stand up again. Naenia wondered whether he was doing this on purpose, because he wanted to bring a point across, or whether he was just amusing himself at their expense.
"Aren't you at least a little bit curious?" Nott asked
"Not really," she said.
Nott touched her shoulder lightly, focussing her attention back on him, and gave her a look.
"Has it occurred to you," Naenia said, raising an eyebrow, "that, maybe, he doesn't have any plans yet?"
Nott huffed. "This is Tom Riddle we're talking about. Best at every subject at Hogwarts, ambitious above all. Surely, he already knew what he wanted his future to be the moment he first set foot into the castle."
"Not that I know of," Naenia said. "And he isn't the best at every subject."
For one, he didn't take all subjects available to the students. For another, Naenia bested him at Potions and Study of Ancient Runes. He was 'only' the best at everything else.
Nott rolled his eyes. "My point still stands."
One of Lestrange's legs gave out under him and he dodged Tom's next spell entirely by accident, while Avery was hit in the chest and fell over rigidly. It looked like a Petrificus Totalus or a similar spell. Several students cheered, though it was unclear at whom it was directed.
"Have you asked him and not received a satisfying answer or do you not want to ask him?"
Nott frowned as he watched Tom make quick process of Lestrange. "Either. It was Avery and Lestrange who asked and you can see where it led them."
Naenia blinked. "He challenged them to a duel, because they asked what his plans for the future where?"
Nott gave her a false laugh. "No. Riddle is putting them on the spot, because they questioned his authority by not believing him when he told them he had no plans yet, even though it was clearly a lie."
"That's…" Naenia didn't even know what to say to that.
"Disturbing?" Nott finished for her. "Highly unsettling? And still, they admire him without a single doubt clouding their minds."
"They all do," Naenia said, "except for you and Black. That's why he's keeping them around."
Nott nodded. "Loyal followers who can give him access to anything he could ever wish for. It is also why Black and I must treat especially carefully, lest he decide we have outlived our usefulness."
"You don't mean to imply he would dispose of you, do you?" Naenia asked incredulously.
"As in make us mysteriously disappear? No, I don't think so. But he could humiliate us, or make sure we would never cross him in so many other ways that death might have been the merciful choice."
Meanwhile, Weatherton had started recounting the battle and pointing out everything Tom had done right and the other two had done wrong.
"And still you follow him," Naenia said.
Nott shrugged. "There is so much to gain from being close to him. Although I think Black has different motives. Might be more careful, if I were him."
They both watched Tom getting praise all around as Weatherton called an end to today's meeting.
"You are the only one capable of slighting him and getting away with it unharmed and not because you are so powerful – at least not only because of that."
Naenia sighed. "Because he wants what I have and he has not gotten it yet – nor will he ever, if I can help it."
Nott gave her a doubtful look. "Do you truly think that's all there is to it?"
"Don't you?" she said quietly.
He hummed as Tom made his way towards them, the crowd willingly making space, Avery and Lestrange following close behind. "I'm not so sure."
Naenia wanted to believe that Tom was really her friend, but she couldn't bring herself to.
"Congratulations on yet another duel won," Nott greeted Tom and then the others with, "Your sacrifices will not be forgotten."
"Sacrifices sounds good," Rosier said, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and was now laughing openly. "Had to sacrifice their pride and dignity to make Riddle shine even brighter."
"We weren't that miserable," Avery protested. "And everyone knows how brilliant Riddle is, so it's not like they expected much from us."
Lestrange only nodded. He was favouring one of his legs.
"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" Naenia asked.
He gave her a strained smile. "I think I do."
Tom gave him a sharp look, then called for Mulciber who came bustling through the slowly thinning crowd immediately.
"Help Lestrange to the Hospital Wing, will you?" Tom said and Mulciber obeyed without a word.
Tom, meanwhile, offered an arm to Naenia and then led her and the others out of the room and to their common room.
"Weatherton will allow you to take part in the duels again, starting next week," Tom said to Naenia.
She smiled. "That's good to hear. I was starting to get bored."
He arched an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that Nott provided for good company."
"Oh, he does. But I don't have to stand around in a room full of boys waiting for their chance at a fight to have a conversation with him or any of the others, do I? I only agreed to continue attending the Duelling Club, because partaking in duels turned out to be a somewhat instructive experience. If I can't duel, then I don't see any reason to attend."
Tom's face brightened. "Then it is a good thing I talked to Weatherton. He was only concerned for your health, babbling nonsense about fragile girls."
Naenia laughed. "But you can't deny that I am fragile. I can barely lift a few books on my own without a featherlight charm."
"Not possessing physical strength does not equal fragility, certainly not in battles – as you have proven so very often."
Naenia tilted her head. "I suppose our definitions of the word 'fragile' differ, but I agree with the rest of your statement."
They entered the common room where Rosier chased away a group of younger students taking up their usual seats. Naenia split off from the group at that point, wishing them all a good evening, and retired to her dormitory, where she made herself comfortable with Marin in her lap and one of her books on Necromancy no one else was supposed to see.
She may have forgotten to turn up for dinner, because later that evening a house-elf brought her some food 'courtesy of Mister Riddle'.
She got a stern look from him the next morning and a reminder that she had to take proper care of herself or there would be consequences. Naenia assumed he meant her health and not whatever he and his flock did to the students who offended them in any way.
"To make it up to me," Tom said to her on their way to the Great Hall, "you shall have to cancel your meeting with your little Hufflepuff and accompany me to our private room this afternoon."
Naenia only sighed and complied. Amelia wasn't very happy at first and even less when she asked for the reason and discovered Naenia had missed dinner, but accepted postponing their promised walk to the next day.
It didn't surprise Naenia to see that Tom had arranged for a proper afternoon tea when they entered their private room up on the seventh floor. He had probably asked the house-elves to deliver the meal for him.
"I have a question for you," Tom said, after they had settled down.
Naenia was preparing tea made from the leaves in her little box, but had Marin look up at him. Tom knew that meant he had her attention.
"What do you know about Horcruxes?"
Naenia took in a sharp breath. "Where did you learn that word?"
She slowly set the tea pot down on the table, not heating it.
Tom shrugged. "I read about it in one of the books Rosier provided me with and it made me curious."
"So you asked Professor Slughorn for permission to enter the Restricted Section of the library and conducted your own research," Naenia said dryly, looking at him with narrowed eyes.
A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "You know me so well. Although the Restricted Section turned out to be rather disappointing, only had the book Rosier had already provided me with." He gave her an assessing look. "You clearly have prior knowledge on this topic."
Naenia could not believe her ears. "Enough to advice you against it."
"Who said anything about putting it to practical use? This is purely hypothetical."
"I would hope so," Naenia said sharply. "Or we might as well end our friendship right now."
Tom frowned. "And why is that?"
"Let's start from the top, shall we? What do you know about Horcruxes?"
His grimace turned into a smile. "Why, I know how to create one such object. By deliberately performing the act of murder, using this to split off a part of one's soul and then hiding that part in an object. Do you want more details? Or hear what else I have learned about them?"
Naenia eyed him warily and said, "No need."
The unmasked glee in his eyes unsettled her. This was no minor matter. This was serious and very, very dangerous territory.
How long had he been able to keep such a big and dark secret from her? When had he started being able to deceive her? She had always prized herself to know him best, to be the one he didn't have to pretend with, but that clearly wasn't the case anymore.
She shouldn't be so surprised with this, really. Horcruxes were the very thing that Tom longed for – a means to reach immortality. Although, they really weren't.
"Do you know what true immortality means?" she asked and watched his emotionless mask slip back into place. "It means to lead an eternal existence, to never die. By creating a Horcrux you split apart your soul, which is the very essence of your being. You do not become truly immortal, because both the Horcrux and your original body can still be destroyed."
"But even if the body is destroyed the soul remains on earth," Tom said with false calmness. "And destroying a Horcrux is a very difficult feat indeed, as they are said to be nigh indestructible, but need to be broken beyond repair."
Naenia did not want to hold this conversation, but clearly Tom wouldn't let it go. So she could only try her best to deter him from this dreadful path he had found for himself. There was still hope. He had not made a Horcrux, yet, and there were other means to achieve immortality.
"And what would you do?" she asked. "Without a body. Wander the earth forevermore, seeking a new body to inhabit, relying on others to provide you with a new vessel?"
Tom's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "The elixir of life makes you dependent on it in every way, it is too great a risk. But if one were to make a Horcrux that person would not need for such a thing. That person could live independently."
"And then wither away and die while their soul remains on earth, broken beyond repair, unstable. No, this is no true immortality, Tom."
"But would a soul split into seven parts not counteract that? Would each part not become stable by upholding that magical number?"
"Seven –?" Naenia could not keep the horror out of her voice.
Tom raised his hands in a dramatic gesture, his face alight with excitement. "Can you truly not see it? The possibilities this opens?"
"And the sacrifices that have to be made? What about them?"
His eyes hardened. "What about them?"
"Murder, Tom," Naenia said, not pleading, never pleading, "as I have told you before so many times, is a violation against Death Himself. It is a horrible, horrible thing to do. And creating a Horcrux is even worse still. It is a perversion of Death, of live, even of immortality. Only the most gruesome fate will await those who dare commit such an atrocious act."
Tom considered this for a moment, hand on his chin, and Naenia waited, painfully, for several minutes.
Finally, he raised his eyes to hers again and said, "If a Horcrux could be created without committing murder, would your opinion on it change, then?"
"What else could possibly be so horrific that it would tear a soul apart?"
"There is bound to be something," Tom said, still calm and ever so cold. "I am sure I could find something that would not… 'violate Death'. What, then, would you think of a Horcrux?"
Naenia stared at him.
He could not be serious. He could not.
"Please tell me you do not actually plan to make one."
Tom looked her straight in the eyes and with an open expression he lied to her, "I don't. I told you, this is purely hypothetical."
A lie. A lie right to her face and he thought she would believe him?
"No matter what kind of act is performed to tear the soul, the Horcrux itself is still a perversion of life and death. Nothing will change that."
Naenia rose from her seat, put away her tea box and Marin and left the room without another word.
She could not bring herself to stay any longer.
AN
Not even the Necromancers would ever commit such a terrible thing (the Lémures, at least) – even if it wouldn't include murder. So what does this say about Tom, then, that he is willing to go to such lengths?