Braving the Past

Chapter 49: The Captive and the Healer

It wasn't long before Tom heard the click of the lock and the door opened to reveal the ever untidy hair of Harry Potter. Behind him was Luna with a kind smile on her face, her wavy hair pulled into a braid that was coming undone. She had a small plate of food in her hands.

Harry stiffly handed Tom a glass of water, which he downed immediately, then Luna gave him the plate of warm toast and eggs.

"It's not much," she said. "It's a little difficult for us to get food these days, but I hope it helps."

Tom extended his thanks before inhaling it all. Luna didn't seem bothered and observed the window, but Harry was still as stone, watching Tom with suspicious eyes.

"Why are you here, Tom?"

Tom swallowed his last bite and stared at him before replying with a sigh. "I thought I'd made that quite obvious yesterday," he said. "But it seems you're intent on wasting my time."

Harry glared and folded his arms.

"I mean, why aren't you off directing your followers to wreak havoc somewhere? Why would you care about my best friend? And why the dramatics with..." He gestured vaguely to Tom.

Tom narrowed his eyes in incredulity. "You seriously still think I'm him? All red eyes, pale face, and extreme case of pompous disdain?"

Harry shifted his feet, eyebrows scrunching, then gave his head a small shake.

"Don't play games with me," he said uncertainly.

"Let me just clear the air once and for all," Tom said, raising the hand not tied to the bed. "I am not your Dark Lord." He said this slowly, as if speaking to a child.

Harry whipped out his wand in a flash, then seemed to think better of it and took to pacing the room instead.

"Forget it," Harry muttered. "I don't even know what I expected to happen here."

His hand closed around the door handle when Luna stopped him.

"Wait, Harry." She put her hand on his shoulder, looking at him. He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I've met both You-Know-Who and Tom Riddle, and I see a very big difference between the two. Please give him a chance."

She looked over at Tom. "And please be a little more reasonable?"

Tom rolled his shoulders, but nodded his head when her light eyes continued to bore into him.

"Let's start from the beginning again," she suggested, coming to sit beside Tom on the bed. "Tom, why didn't you tell me your last name when we first met?"

"The latest events should have filled you in on that bit." He tugged on the rope again for emphasis. "You would have placed a label on me before you even knew me, like your leader here."

"You don't know me very well if you think that," she replied lightly.

"Clearly."

"Alright, enough of your macho show," Harry cut in. "Assuming for the moment that you're not actually - him - why do you claim to know Hermione?"

"Because I do know her."

Harry growled, spun around and kicked the door. Tom heard Charlie skitter a couple steps away in surprise on the other side.

"Stop playing games with me, Riddle!" he yelled. His fists clenched and unclenched. Luna eased over then gently took the wand out of his hand and slipped it into his pocket, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Hermione -" Harry's voice caught in his throat. He cleared it and tried again. "Hermione is very important to me. So I would appreciate it if you would work with me here." He looked at Tom with vulnerable eyes. "Is Hermione really alive?"