cold as you ||t. riddle||

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

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𝖋𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖞 𝖗𝖊𝖚𝖓𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘
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Elena wandered around the mansion until she found the backyard. The colourful flowers, tall trees, cats and butterflies... everything looked so beautiful, so peaceful. She looked around, it was almost 2 p.m and there was no one there, not yet anyways. She spotted a marble bench in the corner. She sat down waiting with her head in her hands.

She didn't want to think about anything, she had so many questions but no matter how hard she tried she never seemed to be able to answer them. Why was he there that day at the cave? Why was Tom there? After everything could she really trust him? Maybe Grindelwald could help with the first question. It seemed like counting on bad people to help her had become a habit of hers. She sighed as a distant clock struck. 2 p.m. Still no one.

She stood up ready to leave, Tom could come back to the hotel on his own.

"I didn't think you'd show up." she heard a voice say.

"You wanted me to, so I did," she said and turned around. There stood Grindelwald in the flesh.

"Yes, with the Riddle boy."

"Well, this is technically his house," said Elena, taking a few steps forward. "Why am are we here?"

"I have come to warn you."

"Warn me? About what?"

"The Riddle boy," he took out a skull-hookah from his bag. "He is going to bring destruction, unimaginable destruction. He has already started."

"I know that."

"Do you know what he did to Rin?"

"He said they just beat him up." Why did everything have to come back to Rin.

"And you believed him?" He scoffed, "See for yourself what that boy is capable of."

He inhaled deeply through the tube and exhaled. Inside of what looked like a very thick fog, Elena saw a green light flashing. Screams and cries echoed in her ears. Hogwarts destroyed, hexes and curses thrown around everywhere. It was overwhelming, this could not be real. She saw Tom's face, it slowly morphed into something else. Pale white skin, red eyes, slit nose... He almost looked like a snake. Soon, the fog cleared and Grindelwald stood before her once again.

"What was that? It- it was horrible." she stuttered.

"That was the future. Yours. This is what's going to happen if you don't stop the Riddle boy."

"Why should I believe you now? If you can see into the future why didn't you warn me about Rin?"

"You've gotten reckless," said Grindelwald, "Show some respect."

"Those things you just showed me are no different than what is going on right now because of you!"

"I never did any of this for personal gain. Power is merely a tool. I do not fight out of hatred. I believe that the Muggles are not lesser, but other. Not worthless, but of other value. I don't want war, I want freedom. Don't you want that?"

"I do but- but this can't be real." She had found herself agreeing with Grindelwald more than she did with Tom and it was scary. Tom scared her enough as he was but what she saw, that was terrifying. "Why? Why are you telling me all this? Why me?"

"Because you can and should always trust family, Elena." What was that supposed to mean? "How do you think I knew who you were? Where you were all those years ago? Why would I trust someone I didn't know with the hallows? Your mother and father tried to hide you from me all those years but they didn't do a good enough job it seems."

Elena couldn't believe it. All this time, they were trying to protect her? "Who are you?"

"I am your grandfather, Vivian is my daughter. Has she come to you yet?" Elena shook her head, he continued, "I see, she will." He turned away.

"Wait! Don't go!" Elena was desperate. "I have so many questions."

"I'm afraid they'll have to wait. I have to go now. Don't let anyone take you down. Don't forget who you are."

As the man disapparated Elena fell down on the floor, looking at where the man once was. She was left all alone to be protected, what kind of a mother would do that? Did Dumbledore know who she was all this time? What had Tom done to Rin? And the vision he had shown her, if that was who Tom was going to become where would she be in all of this. She couldn't even cry, she wanted to desperately, but she was in shock.

She heard steps coming her way, she took out her wand that she had put into her boot, ready to attack anyone that came for her.

"Elena, are you okay?" she heard Tom say.

She slowly put her wand back into her boot and stood up wiling her tears. "I'm fine. Are you done?"

"You're not fine." He helped her stand up. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

"Why are you lying to me?"

"Stop. Don't touch me!" Elena pushed his hands away, a few tears escaping her eyes. "Please, just... Let's go."

He gave her a questioning look and nodded. "But we have to make one more stop. These murders won't go unnoticed."

"You killed them?" She didn't even know why she was surprised. Especially after what she saw would happen in the future. 

"Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all."

"Come on, I need you."

She nodded and followed him out of the mansion. Her mom, Tom, now Grindelwald- her grandfather, everything seemed to get worse by the second. She was like a ghost that followed him around and she felt like one. She wasn't even aware of Tom leading her back to the old man's cabin. The man still laid where they had left him.

"Work your magic then Elena."

"I don't understand, what am I supposed to do?"

"I killed them with his wand, now you'll make him believe he actually did it, do what you did to me in the cave."

She just nodded, she didn't have it in her to argue with him right now. She did as he told, went in his mind and did her best to plant a memory that never existed. She had never done anything like that before, altering a memory was fine but creating one... that was different. When she was done she felt weak, she could barely keep her eyes open. "It's done."

"Are you okay?" said Tom, ready to catch her if she fell. He put one arm around her back, making her body lean on his until she could walk on her own. "You saw him again, didn't you?"

"Yes," Elena whispered. "I'm fine now. Are you done here?"

"One more thing." With a wave of his wand he teared down the cabin, leaving nothing but rubble behind.

Elena looked around the demolished cabin that once housed the descendants of Salazar Slytherin. The man was still alive but his soul was no longer there, he was merely a pawn in Tom's game and he didn't care that the man was going to be sentenced to a life of misery. She turned to Tom, his eyes glimmered with fascination and satisfaction, he looked as though he had done everything he had ever wanted to do, but this was just the beginning. This new Tom she was seeing now looked a lot like Grindelwald's vision.

And here she was, wrapped up in his arms, depending on him to stand up. She had done so all year, if it wasn't for Tom she wouldn't have gotten over Rin, or even find the courage to confront him. The Tom in front of her now was different though. Slowly fear crept into her mind, who was she but the scared little girl in that cave? Who was she to him but a girl he could so easily get rid of if he wanted to? She never should have let her guard down, was it too late to go back now? Everything her grandfather had said, they could all really be true. What was she supposed to do next? Was she so deep in this mess that she couldn't see the light at the surface anymore?