Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Chapter Twenty-Two - Control

February was the coldest month at Hogwarts thus far. The grounds were completely frozen and the trees were devoid of any life. Although Tom had basically professed his love for Rose, while she was elated, she could not quite grasp how she truly felt about it.

She thought she would feel accepted, happy, wanted... but to tell the truth, she wasn't completely sure how she was feeling. She still felt conflicted. Perhaps it was because she had seen the monster Tom would grow to become, or perhaps it was because of the horrible things he had done in his past. Either way, it did not sit easy with Rose and she was not sleeping very well at night. 

The burden of Tom Riddle weighing heavy on her thoughts was not lifted and it was very draining on her mental health. 

Tom on the other hand acted as if nothing had changed. They spoke to each other in passing, and in class. Every now and then they would stay up late in the common room chatting, but they did not have meaningless conversations that most couples had. Everything Tom and her spoke about was usually in regards to his future plans. He was still completely obsessed and driven towards his goals, which doesn't necessarily always mean it's a bad thing, but Rose knew the horrors of Tom's plans, and it was causing her to grow weary of the prospect.

"So you still know nothing of the Deathly Hallows?" asked Rose one evening. She was curled up on one of the couches in the Slytherin common room next to the fire and had a blanket wrapped around her. The common room was known to get a bit drafty in the winter, so it wasn't uncommon to see students traipse around the common room wrapped up in blankets.

She watched Tom as he gazed into the fire. He was not curled up on the couch, but sitting upright in the armchair across from her, still wearing his school robes.

"That is not of importance right now to me right now," he did not look up.

Rose watched him carefully and studied his sharp features. Tom looked completely knackered. His skin seemed to be getting paler, his eyes appeared sunken and his brown eyes looked almost black. He looked the same way she looked a few months back and she wondered what was weighing so heavily on Tom's brain. If he wasn't worried about the Deathly Hallows, it had to be in regards to his Horcruxes.

Rose glanced around the room and they were the only two remaining. She glanced at her wristwatch and realized it was nearly midnight. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" inquired Rose.

Tom pulled himself from his thoughts and looked up at her. She searched his eyes for a clue as to what he could be thinking.

"Talk about what?" 

"Whatever's on your mind," she replied.

Tom looked back into the fire.

"You can tell me anything, you know," she said comfortingly. She wished that Tom would open up to her a little more, after everything they've been through.

Tom did not respond, as expected. Rose sighed in defeat and decided it was time to retreat to her dormitory.

"Goodnight, Tom," she said as she brushed past him. However, Tom grabbed her wrist and held her back. She peered at him, waiting for him to speak. He had not yet made eye contact with her.

"What are your plans after Hogwarts?" he asked her. She raised her eyebrows in confusion, wondering why Tom was worrying about that right now.

"You already know of my plans, Tom," she replied. "You know I want to stay at school and teach..."

"No," said Tom, finally looking up at her. "I'm talking about your long term plans."

Rose's stomach lurched, as she remembered how Tom had berated her over how much he detested the thought of marriage, children and a family. She wasn't particularly in the mood to discuss it with him now, but she was curious as to what was on his mind, so she humored him.