Darkness Within

The beginning of the end

I wake from one of my many naps startled with urgent banging at the dorm door.

"Adi! You need to come quick. Tom's gone mad!" Avery's voice exclaims through the door and I rush to open it, my heart races immediately assuming he's hurt someone, or himself.

"Avery? What's happening?" I ask in a panic.

"Lestrange only asked when you'd be back and he just lost it! Lestrange is in the hospital wing and Tom's almost completely wretched the entire bloody dorm!" 

When I don't respond Avery grabs my hand and drags me to the boys dorms.

"No Avery I don't think it's a good idea." I say in a small voice, literally being dragged back to him. I'm not ready.

"Adi, I wouldn't have come if I thought you were in danger, I'm more concerned he'll hurt himself than anyone else, you're the only one that can talk him down." He slows his pace and keeps a gentle tone as we reach his dorm.

"I'm sorry Adi, about what happened." He says as he gently pushes me into the dorm, shutting the door behind me.

My heart plummets when I see him. After two weeks apart a single look is all it takes to remind me of why I fell for him in the first place. His innocent eyes look up to the door and I get the sense that he's been searching for me everytime the door opens. The dorm is a mess, glass shattered everywhere, beds turned upside down, broken furniture and the mirror on the opposite wall hanging by a thred.

And Tom. My Tom, sat surrounded by the destruction, knees tucked into his chest, blood and glass shining from his knuckles. So vulnerable, so young looking, so lost.

His eyes widen and he rubs them quickly, almost unsure if really here or not.

"Adi?" His exhausted voice asks and I nod in confirmation as he stands.

"Yes Tom, I've come back." I say voice breaking towards the end as tears fall down both of our faces.

It's as if we are back in professor Slughorns classroom and I'm seeing him again for the first time, the same twinkle in his eyes, mirrored once again in my own and though my head tells me not to, my heart forces my body forward and I near sprint to close the distance between us, jumping and wrapping my body around his as he catches me.

I pull myself away slightly and connect our lips together, they move with haste and desperation together as I run my hands through his messy hair as he holds me close.

"I thought I'd lost you." He cries and I shake my head.

"Never." I tell him, and he carefully places me back to my feet, careful to put me down away from the glass.

"What did I do?" He asks, rhetorically to himself.

"Nothing a bit of magic can't fix." I say as I perform reparo charm and the room soon returns to its former glory.

Tom Riddle POV:

I couldn't believe it when she came through that door, even more when she launched herself at me.

It had been a rough two weeks, I missed her and I hated how weak it made me feel. She's finally mine, finally by my side, though of course I wished I could have done it a different way, but she gave me no choice.

I didn't want to hurt her. Truly. But she was going to leave me and I couldn't let that happen could I? She gave me no choice but to try and stop her. Merlin this is a mess, it's pathetic. Why does she make me so soft?

"I'm sorry Adriana." I say turning to her, to the beautiful face I've scarred. A large yellow bruise covers her right eye and small scabs are evident dotted around her face, as well as the large healing scar on her forehead.

"It's okay, you didn't mean it did you Tom?" She asks and I don't hesitate to reassure her i didn't. It was a lie, I think we both know that I meant to hurt her, enough to make her stay.

"We need to talk about something though." She adds as she takes a seat on the now upright and made bed.

"Do you really intend on making a Horcrux?" She asks and I stiffen, my previous anger at her ease-dropping reaches the surface, but I push it down and protect the both of us with an emotionless reply.

"Yes."

"But why Tom? I'm trying to understand." She says, her eyes pleading at me.

"Because darling, I am destined for greatness. I cannot afford to die. It would make me immortal, but rest assured my love. You'll be right there with me, we will do great things. We'll make you one and be together forever." I say, softening my tone once I decide the anger has evaporated.

"I don't want to live forever Tom. What you're suggesting Tom, it's against nature." She states, placing a hand on top of mine which i quickly slap away, to which she notably flinches and I feel a pang of guilt rise in my chest.

"We'll discuss it another time my love." I say, giving her a peck on the lips and wrapping my arms around her small frame.

Narrator:

They stayed like that for a longtime, they didn't know it but this was truly the point of no return. There was nothing that could prevent the path they chose.

This is only the first of many times that they would fight, he would hurt her and then he'd apologise. A never ending cycle of abuse.

And it would eventually kill her, and there was nothing the pair could do to stop it.

Adriana was never weak, she was in many ways stronger than even Tom ever was. She protected the people she loved and suffered so they could live. Her one regret, I suppose, would be that she was never able to protect him. From himself.