The next morning, there's a knock on my door, I'm getting ready for class, and Kim has already gone to breakfast. "Who is it?" I ask, a little annoyed. Tom's voice suddenly comes from behind the door. "Can I speak to you?" His voice is soft and calm as he talks softly through the door. He doesn't wait for an answer, and he continues to speak. "I know you need time to process things, but...please, can I come in?"
"Come in, but I'm not quite finished yet..." I slowly open the door for him and let him in, I haven't got a top on yet and look for one from the closet, nothing he wouldn't already know anyway.
As I let him into the room, Tom's eyes roam for a moment at my body. His eyes are filled with desire, but he tries not to look at me for too long. He has seen my body before, and he knows that he should not stare at me so intently and for so long when I'm getting dressed. So he tries to distract himself by looking away before it gets too obvious.
"Have you lost your tongue now?" I say as I put on my top and take a step towards him.
The teasing from me forces a quick response from Tom. He knows he can't just stand there and let me make jokes about him. He shakes his head, and he stares at me seriously as his eyes look into mine.
"No," He says softly. "I haven't lost my tongue. The reason why I've come here is because I want to tell you something."
"Okay, then tell me." I'm nervous because at this point, it could be anything. Tom takes a few deep breaths, and he seems to be weighing his words carefully as he looks straight at me. He wants to make sure nothing he says can be misinterpreted by me, so he tries to speak as clearly as possible.
"After talking to you last night, I couldn't sleep at all. In my sleep, I felt incredibly guilty and remorseful for what I told you. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, so I really didn't know what to do. But then, I thought of something."
I continue to listen to him and wait to see what comes next.
"I was considering what you said, and I realized that you are absolutely right... The thought of taking someone's life for my own is... wrong. No matter what the circumstance is." He pauses for a moment, and he studies my face to see my reaction. He hates seeing the worried expression on my face, and he quickly shakes his head and keeps talking.
"I will never do anything that would harm you, but I will protect you always. I would do anything, and I mean anything, to keep you safe."
I nod. "I understand you, I just don't want you to go down that path. It will change you and... dark magic has its price, you know." I look at him worriedly and gently take his hand in mine, I look up at him, and his expression softens. Tom looks back at me, and his expression softens as well. He looks relieved that I'm starting to understand, and he even lets out a shaky breath that he didn't realize he was holding.
"I know you're right, and dark magic is something I do not want to mess with. I just... I care for you far too much to be willing to risk you... And I know that sounds strange coming from me, but...I can not lose you." he says it with an almost obsessive tone, and I know he means it, I lean my forehead against his, and he gently takes my head by the nape and pulls me close. Then Tom presses his forehead to mine, and I can feel his breath against my skin. He holds his face with one hand, as his other hand rests on the back of my neck. He's so close to me now, and I can feel his heartbeat from where I'm. It is pounding so intensely against me that it's almost deafening, and it's sending chills straight down my spine.
"You should have told me straight away that you created a Horcrux when you killed your father..." I whisper softly as we still hold each other in our arms. Tom's eyebrows twitch at the mention of his father's murder, and he looks away from me as he is forced to face this memory. His expression becomes one of remorse, and he shakes his head slightly.
"I know you're right... I had a difficult time thinking of how to tell you, so I kept pushing it off until I couldn't anymore. I should have told you the truth from the start, but I couldn't bear to see you that upset and angry with me."
"You know that doesn't make sense because if you lie to me or keep something from me, I'll be angry,"
"But..." Tom starts, but he ends up stopping after that. He honestly doesn't know how to reason against me, as I clearly do have a point. He realizes that he shouldn't have kept something like this from me for so long. He also realizes that he has been acting really selfishly.
"You're right..." His voice is soft and apologetic as he speaks quietly. "I won't lie to you anymore."
"Let's go for breakfast, I'm really hungry." I wink at him and take his hand lovingly.
Tom can't help but smile at her wink, and he squeezes her hand tightly. His expression remains full of relief, and he nods his head slowly in understanding.
"That sounds good to me," He says softly, and he holds her hand tightly as they walk to breakfast together.
The next few days were relatively quiet, but Tom hardly lets me out of his sight. He sleeps in my room, or I sleep beside him every night. I noticed that since I was poisoned, he analyzes my surroundings closely and suspects everyone. He would prefer to have me to himself now. But he knows he can't lock me up, so he tries to stay calm. It's now mid-October, and we're going to the defense against the dark arts. Kim at my side and of course Tom.
The three of us are walking into the small classroom together, and Kim is quietly speaking with me on the side. Tom's attention has been on me and my conversation, but he keeps himself on high alert, always watching for anything suspicious. His eyes are scanning the room carefully, as he's been doing a lot recently since I almost died. He wants to make sure that I'm as safe as possible, and his gaze keeps lingering on me.
"The professor said we're treating Boggarts today. Can you imagine that? Do you think he has one there?" I say in amazement and raise my eyebrow at Kim.
"Hmm... I honestly don't know," Kim replies, looking over at the classroom door briefly before looking back at me.
"It's possible, but I'm hoping this lesson is as boring as it sounds. I definitely wouldn't want us to come face-to-face with a magical monster."
"But wouldn't you like to know what your worst fear is?" I say jokingly.
"Well, let's hope it's nothing too bad or horrifying," Kim adds to my joke, and she chuckles a bit.
"Personally, I would like to keep my nightmares as just that," She continues, being a little more serious now. "I don't think I would like to face my deepest, darkest fears."
"What about you, Tom? Do you want to see your darkest fears, or does a man like you have none?" I say teasingly.
"I can assure you, I have dark fears just like everyone else..." Tom replies, as his face grows serious and he starts to look uncomfortable.
"I would not want to come face-to-face with them. It's bad enough already, having to relive them in my mind, but actually experiencing it..." His speech grows more and more somber, and his eyes seem to be lost in thought as they stare at me.
"I didn't think you were afraid of your fears." I smile at him and kiss his hand supportively.
"Everyone is afraid of things," Tom replies softly, still looking away from me, as his eyes focus on the floor. He seems to be thinking about something deep.
It's obvious that our kiss does not go unnoticed by him, and he glances at me, feeling his stomach start to flutter when he looks at me. He quickly looks back down at the floor, and he doesn't speak for a moment. He can't deny that my support makes him feel slightly better, even if he doesn't show it. I wonder what Tom is so afraid of that he wouldn't face up to it. Tom will face anything, but I suppress the thought, and we sit down in the classroom. The professor tells us all sorts of things about Boggarts and how to fight them. We learn the spell "Riddiculus." But then he pushes out a box from which noises are coming. Tom is paying careful attention as the professor speaks, and he focuses on learning the counterspell for a boggart. But as soon as the box is pushed out from the podium, he sits up straight and turns to see what's happening. His attention is immediately caught by the noises coming from the box, and we are all waiting to see what is being revealed.
Professor: "There is a boggart in this box. He will take the form of your greatest fear, line up, hop hop. And everyone one by one" we form a line and then the professor opens the box, the boggart comes out and looks around, in the first row is Orion, suddenly the boggart takes the shape of a Niffler. Most people have to laugh for a moment, really? Orion is afraid of nifflers? Tom is standing two seats behind Kim, who is standing behind me. Orion casts the spell, and suddenly, the Niffler has become a cuddly toy. He laughs and says
Orion: "As a child, a Niffler used to steal my sweets." We have to laugh, and it's the next one's turn.
As the next student faces their boggart and is able to vanquish it, Tom is starting to think this is going to be a pretty easy exercise. He sees that most Boggarts end up taking the form of the simplest of fears, like the Niffler, and he feels his tense muscles start to relax a little bit.
YOU ARE READING
Tom Riddle - Downfall
Fanfiction"The monsters were never under my bed. Because the monsters were inside my head. Because all this time the monster has been me." This is the Story of Tom Riddle and his life in Hogwarts when he was 17 and Lucia Grey, a popular girl from Slytherin bu...
