Back To Better A Tom Riddle Fanfiction Sequel

Chapter 11

When the spinning ended, Grace found herself in the library. It looked the same as always except everything was black and white, just like in an old movie. Grace ran her sleeve over her face but nothing changed.

Then she realized she wasn't alone. A boy of around 16 years was standing a few feet away from her, watching a girl that was sitting at a library table, bent over a parchment, a pile of books in front of her. The girl was turning her back on them, obviously oblivious to their presence. Grace looked at the boy. He was handsome, with dark hair and dark eyes, and somehow he strongly reminded her of someone she knew. Grace cocked her head, realization dawning on her, and suddenly she knew why this boy looked familiar. This had to be Tom Riddle, a teenage Tom Riddle. Her teenage father.

Grace felt her legs tremble and grabbed the library shelf next to her for support. She stood there watching the boy, her mind empty.

Suddenly the boy stepped forward and walked to the girl, his footsteps echoing through the silent library.

When he was standing next to her he said in a low voice, "I want you to come with me."

Grace followed the boy to the table just in time to see the girl look up. When Grace saw her face she gasped and her eyes widened. Grace could hardly believe her eyes but there was no doubt that this had to be her mother. Grace's thoughts were whirling inside her head and she bit her lip. Was she actually just witnessing a conversation between her teenage parents through some sort of strange diary? This couldn't be true, could it? How was this working?

Grace couldn't ponder the strange magic imvolved in this experience any longer because suddenly the boy motioned for the girl to follow him. The girl quickly got up and they left the library, Grace hurrying behind them, trying not to miss a single word.

"Where are we going?" The girl asked.

"No idea?" The boy smirked.

Grace frowned and cast a glance around. They were clearly walking down to the second floor girls' bathroom, a place that was rarely used nowadays, seeing that it was haunted by weeping Mourning Myrtle. Why were they going there?

Grace's train of thoughts was interrupted by the boy's voice. "I thought you wanted to see. So now you are going to."

By now they had reached the bathroom and the boy opened the door with a flick of his wand. Grace's frown intensified. Why should her mother want to be shown a girls' bathroom? Why ever was a boy even entering it?

Grace had just slipped inside the bathroom together with the two teenagers when the boy closed the door of the bathroom with another wave of his wand. Then he threw a quick look in every cubicle, obviously making sure they were alone, before casting a silencing and locking spell on the door and turning to the sinks.

Grace and the girl watched as he hissed in Parseltongue and the sinks slowly started to disappear, revealing an opening in the floor.

Grace's gaze shot from the disappearing sinks to the girl's face, trying to guess her thoughts. Sadly, the girl's face was an unreadable mask, not giving away any of her thoughts but at least Grace had the impression that she actually wasn't very surprised. Grace pursed her lips. What was this place?

"The Chamber of Secrets," the girl whispered as if answering Grace's question. There was a little astonishment audible in her voice. "I thought you said it wouldn't be safe to open it again."

"I said it wouldn't be safe to set the basilisk free again. But the basilisk will only come when it's called. I don't intend to call it tonight." The boy motioned for the girl to move forward and she slowly went to the rim of the opening in the floor. Then she cast a spell that slowed her fall and slid into the hole.

Grace quickly stepped closer and she and the boy followed behind, the boy closing the opening with another command in Parseltongue.

When they entered the Chamber a moment later, Grace was overwhelmed by the beauty and grandeur of the place. Obviously the girl was feeling the same because she whispered, "It's gorgeous," looking around in awe.

And then Grace was suddenly pulled away from the memory.

There was a short spinning sensation and then Grace found herself on her bed again, the diary lying next to her.

Grace's heart was beating loudly and she was breathing hard. Her mind was racing. What was it that had just happened? She let herself fall back on her pillows and rubbed her eyes. She had to suppress the immediate desire to sneak out of the dorm this very moment to go to Myrtle's bathroom and see for herself. It had felt so good to be so close to her parents, so close to her mother and she desperately wanted to see more of her and be close to her again.

Grace tried to steady her breathing. She needed to calm down. Whatever this had been, it hadn't been real. It had been a memory at best, the people acting in it not being real anymore. Her mother was dead. She wasn't there anymore and no memory would ever be able to bring her back. And still Grace couldn't help the feeling that she craved to dive back into this diary and witness more of her parents' past.

Grace rolled to her side and ran her fingers over the small leather book. Who could have known that this book was so special? Grace opened the book again, but the pages looked blank and innocent, showing no trace of the exciting journey she had just experienced. Grace pondered writing in it again, but then she decided against it. If her father had created this it was surely great magic. He wouldn't just let a random little school girl in on his memories only because she asked. No, first she would have to find out more, so that she could make the diary show her the memories she wanted to see.

Grace carefully closed the book and shoved it under her pillow. Then she closed her eyes and relived the memory she had witnessed again and again before finally falling asleep.

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Author's note: Thanks so much for reading, commenting and voting!!