Tom Riddle - Downfall

Chapter 75: Family

I nod and think about it for a moment. But then I remember something I've been suppressing all this time. "Tom, we don't have any more secrets from each other, do we?" Tom notices the way I hesitate and how I look away for a moment. He raises an eyebrow carefully, and he looks at me, a bit concerned about this sudden shift in my mood. "Do we have any more secrets from each other? No, why do you ask?" My facial expression tells him that there's something more to my question...
"I have to tell you something. Before my mother died the night before, she told me who my father was." I take another cigarette and lean over the balcony railing.
Tom's eyes widen in surprise, and he seems to get slightly tense as he hears me say this. He stares at me for a few moments, as if trying to process this piece of information that I had just told him. He stays silent for a bit, but then he speaks with a low voice. "Who is your father?" He also leans against the railing and lights a cigarette. I grin briefly and then look at him seriously. "You won't believe it, but it's Acturus Black. He disowned my mother because of his family. Then he found himself a pureblood wife. I'm half of one of the most powerful wizarding families. Can you believe that?" I say with a slightly ironic undertone and take a drag of my cigarette. Tom stares at me blankly, clearly in disbelief over what I had just told him. After what feels like an eternity, he finally manages to answer, and he speaks in a low and solemn voice "Acturus Black...your father is one of the most powerful pureblood wizards in the world and one of the members of the most powerful family in the world. I can't believe it. This changes everything."
"Not for me. He left us. He's nothing for me. " I stub out my cigarette."I just wanted you to know"
"I understand. He left you, and he doesn't even know you. He's never been there for you. But you are part of the Blacks. Even though he didn't raise you, and you don't respect him, he is still your father and a part of who you are. You can't change that fact." He says gently. He takes a deep breath, seemingly realizing that my father is not a topic I like to speak about.
"I can't change it, but I can ignore it."

I turn around and walk into the house, Tom following me. It's clear that I don't want to talk about this any longer. The boys are partying inside, most of them already pretty drunk. Enzo hands me a glass of whiskey as soon as I walk in, and I laugh. Even though the pain is deep and I miss my mother, I know that I will avenge her. And this group here will help me. It won't be the last night that we celebrate and move around in this constellation. More and more, I am a member... a member of the Knights of Walpurgis, but Tom is much more than a leader to me. I can hardly breathe around him, and he will always be more to me. In no time at all, I feel the effect of the alcohol setting in as my senses begin to be filled by the party all around me. Enzo hands me a glass of whiskey again, and I take a sip and grin at him. I see how the boys have already started getting drunk, and I begin to feel the excitement of the atmosphere creeping up my spine. I feel like I've become more of a full member of the Knights of Walpurgis with each passing event here. This is definitely not going to be the last one...

A few days later, we're all on the train to Hogwarts together. We share a compartment, and the atmosphere is quite relaxed. I try as hard as I can to hide my pain. My thoughts are all about finding out who killed my mother and what exactly happened. The only one who sees through me is Tom, but he's at least as determined to get to the bottom of it as I am. It seems like everyone is just enjoying the ride to Hogwarts. We are all feeling fairly optimistic about the new school year ahead, and I'm looking forward to getting back to a normal life. The only one who seems to be slightly more silent than everyone else is me. I can feel Tom's gaze at times, and I can see that he's watching me with a determined and intense expression. We are all talking about our plans for the new school year. The conversation is pretty casual, and everyone is getting along really well. At one point, Tom speaks up and looks at all of us with an expression of determination. "We need to focus on more than just studies this year. We have to focus on our goals and what we want to accomplish with our group. We have to continue the fight that began last year, and we have to get stronger." He looks at everyone directly in the eye one by time.
The boys nod, and Enzo says, "This year we're more powerful than ever." Enzo nods at me as if to say it's my doing.
Markus Nott: "If only those miserable mudbloods weren't running around everywhere. They make me sick. " Tom's face hardens, and he looks at Markus with a cold expression. "We'll get rid of those mudbloods one way or another. We can't let them run around free and pretend like they're equal to us. We can't have our way of life threatened by these mudbloods anymore." He says in a harsh tone. My attitude never went in that direction, but since the death of my mother, I feel differently. She died for the rights of muggles and muggleborns, and what good did it do us. She's gone. Forever. I nod in agreement and watch the conversation unfold. I can feel the anger and passion growing inside of me. The death of my mother really changed me, and it changed my point of view on these things. I feel deeply connected to the Knights of Walpurgis, and I can understand why this fight and this group is so important to them. The boys keep talking about their goals and plans for this year, and I'm listening closely.