i am lord voldemort • Tom Riddle

Alternative Timeline: XXIX

A/N:
At the behest of a few lovely readers' comments, I've decided to make an alternative ending, like the title of the chapter suggests. Also, like the title suggests, this ending will begin to deviate near the end of chapter 29, so everything up to the end of this chapter will be the same as the original. I hope that makes sense?

The real question, of course, is whether I'm sadistic enough to kill Ophelia off twice 😈

I'm just kidding, don't come for me. I swear she lives this time.

Without further ado...

Chapter XXIX:

Ophelia placed an ear to the dark, polished wood, but either the door was too thick or it was enchanted against eavesdroppers, because she couldn't hear a thing besides the rustle of Tom's robes skimming the ground as he swept up to join her.

A hand found the small of her back as he said, "Calm down. We don't know why they're here, yet," but the tightness in his expression was far from reassuring.

"That's true." She swallowed. "They could be here for you, as well."

She'd been trying for humour, but it fell flat. Tom merely shook his head.

"Doubtful. The Ministry adores me."

Had anyone else said that, she might have suggested they had narcissistic personality disorder. Unfortunately, Tom was probably right. Not everyone received a reward for contributions to the school, after all.

"I'm going in," she decided, and pressed her palm against the door, pushing it open again.

Quick as lightning, Tom darted forward to pull it back closed by the handle. "Oh, no you are not."

She blinked, sure she'd misheard. Had he not learned his lesson about trying to tell her what to do yet?

"Come again?" she challenged.

Tom would have had to be deaf to miss the dangerous note of defiance in her voice.

"Have you taken leave of your senses?" he hissed, as though that was indeed a distinct possibility.

"Considering they might be here for someone I'm rather fond of — that being myself — I think I have a vested interest in going in there to figure out if that's true or not!"

"And we will figure that out," Tom agreed tersely, still clutching tight to the brass door handle. "But I am going inside. Alone. By myself." Like that wasn't enough clarification, he added, "Without you. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Ophelia crossed her arms, stepping graciously out of the way. "Go right on ahead."

His stiff posture eased, but only slightly. "Stay out of sight," he instructed, and slipped inside, easing the door shut behind him.

For someone so smart, he sure was dumb sometimes, Ophelia thought privately when she began her count to ten. At five, her patience dwindled and she decided he was probably far enough away for her to follow.

As the old saying went, she reminded herself, it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

Besides, he deserved to be duped if he believed she'd actually take a back seat on this. It wasn't just her being impulsive or impetuous, either. If the Ministry were really there looking for her, then her best chance of evading them was from within the castle. At least inside she could sneak away in some hidden passage, like the one they used to sneak her into Hogsemeade. Outside of it, what was she expected to do? Wander blindly through the Forbidden Forest until she got far enough away to Apparate?