Hogwarts: a school of Witchcraft and Love (Tom Marvolo Riddle x F!reader)

Chapter 3-09

'Merope secretly fell in love with Tom Riddle, an exceptionally handsome and wealthy Muggle. Her father was livid when Morfin revealed this to him in the summer of 1925, and attacked her physically, but was restrained. Ministery official Ogden arrested both Marvolo and Morfin, who had cursed Riddle because his sister found him attractive. With her family gone, Merope manipulated Riddle into marrying her. She left the shack with a farewell note revealing her marriage to Riddle, and her existence was never again mentioned by Marvolo.'

The Gaunt's book gifted to you by Mrs. Cole rested in your lap, cradled by your folded legs under the duvet. You didn't know what time it was, but the darkness outside told you it was late enough.

Now that there were no classes you needed to study for, you spent most of your free time with Alyssa, and when she wasn't with you, reading up on the Gaunt's history. You just felt horrible for the woman, Merope, especially when reading the next part that chronicled her childbirth.

'She returned to the orphanage on a bitter New Year's Eve. We took her in, and she had the baby within the hour. And she was dead in the next.'

Your hand trembled too hard to keep your wand steady, and you lay it next to your book on the blanket. Just how tragic could someone's life really be?

You couldn't say how much Tom knew about his family but the afternoon when he eavesdropped on you and Mrs. Cole, his reaction was... Intense, to say the least. You wanted to save him the pain of knowing the rest of it which was why you decided to keep the book to yourself for now.

Despite the late hours and the sadness, you kept reading. It wasn't like you could get any sleep in without a Sleeping Draught anyway.

The next fragment in the book held you with an almost physical force, causing your grasp on the tome to tighten.

'The locket was stolen by Marvolo's daughter Merope Gaunt, who sold it to Caractacus Burke for ten Galleons, a price far below what the priceless artefact was truly worth.

The locket was bought from the Borgins and Burkes shop by a wealthy witch with an affinity for rare or valuable items.'

The significance of the locket to Tom was unfathomable. It wasn't just a trinket, but his birthright, a symbol of his heritage. Your vow to retrieve it for him had been made a year ago, and now, the time had come to act.

Closing the book with care, you set it aside, lowering your head on the fluffy pillow. Christmas break was on the horizon. The perfect opportunity to go beyond the safety of Hogwarts and the orphanage and embark on your top secret mission.

You counted down the days, each passing twenty-four hours marked by the tearing of a calendar page. You were more than happy to go when the last day of the term was here. It was ironic because you were once desperate to get away from the orphanage, and now it was the other way around. Not only because of your upcoming visit to Borgins and Burkes, but also because Hogwarts felt lot more negative with the Ministry meddling and investigating Myrtle Warren's death.

It would do you good to escape from that for two to three weeks.

You mentally prepared yourself for the visit, rehearsing your inner Tom Riddle to get the information you were after. You had performed well enough with your impressions of Minerva McGonagall together with Will Diggory.

This was going to require a whole lot more brain power.

There was an eeriness to the magical marketplace and the storefront of Borgin and Burkes. But as you exited the alley leading up to it, there, just a few paces ahead, stood a figure cloaked in shadow.