Chasing Infinity

Showdown

They watch the memories three more times.
She takes notes.
Writes down conversation and observations.
Tries to stitch information together to make sure they don't miss anything.

Time loses meaning as she sits on the floor, notes spread ahead of her.
The future she saw in those memories
Tom
Voldemort
The mindless killing
And Dumbledore using kids as toy soldiers.
Anything she can do to stop it, she will.

Anything to save those boys
Those kids
Her friends that she doesn't remember
But who met their horrible ends knowing all was lost.
If she could give them a different life, she would.
As long as she had Tom by her side.

Without Tom She's alone
And what would be the point then?

Tom mostly observes her work
And the memories
Bows furrowed trying not to miss any detail.

Everything about him tells her he hates to see himself like that.
Without any sense of clever moves
Blinded by his fear of losing control.

"People follow him because they fear him." He mutters as if to himself, "not because they respect him. Not because they even agree in the end."

World can't be ruled with only fear

She writes down.

"I wanted to think I'm cleverer than that. What's the point of being immortal if I'm out of my mind?"

She doubts he wants her answer, so she keeps her eyes on the work.

Tom sits behind her on the floor.
Caresses her bare arm with his long fingers

Her quill stops mid sentence.

Slowly he drops a strap of her top down her shoulder.
His lips touch her neck
And his hand cradles her jaw sliding down her throat to her chest

She closes her eyes

"I think we've seen enough by now." He hums against her skin.

His tongue slides down the side of her neck
And his hand drops inside her bra.

He nibs her skin.
She shivers, leaning into his touch.

"I'm scared we can't stop it." She whispers.

"I won't make seven horcruxes." Tom talks against her shoulder blade.

"So you say now."

"Hermione."

Tom moves fast, rounds her and puts his hand under her jaw,
Making it impossible for her to look away.
To hide from him.

She believes him
And she knows he believes it too
At the moment
And up until a few hours ago the moment was all that mattered.
But now... now there's a whole future of the wizarding world to be considered.

"That's not the future I imagined for myself. There was nothing I saw in Lord Voldemort I wish to have."

"But he was you!" She states almost Angrily.

It's true they're different now.
But Myrtle Warren is still dead
The diary is still a Horcrux
The ring is still a Horcrux
Tom Riddle Sr. Is still dead
The Slytherins are still under his control
Dumbledore is still a power-hungry bastard.

She's here
But she's not the girl in the memories
Her whole past is different
She comes from totally different environment
Her ambitions, goals, wishes and morals are entirely different now.
So how can they know for sure she's the change?

What if the future is set in stone and this reality will be just as bad?
What if it'll be worse?

"No he wasn't." Tom is still calm, still collected, still certain
And it frightens her a little.
Like this didn't touch Tom at all.
Like he's just analysing the information and redirecting his focus.