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It was a particularly overcast afternoon at Hogwarts when Daphne Rose found herself wandering through the ancient stone corridors, her thoughts wrapped in the memory of her most recent conversation with Tom. No matter how much distance he tried to place between them, she felt herself drawn back to him, like an invisible thread connecting them in a way neither of them fully understood.


___


Her feet led her, almost instinctively, to the library again. As she turned the corner into the grand, arched entrance, she caught sight of a figure she hadn't seen before. A girl about her age with sleek, chocolate-brown hair that shimmered faintly in the dim light. She was seated in the very spot where Tom usually sat, her posture was regal, with an air of quiet intensity that reminded Daphne of him. The resemblance was undeniable, yet there was something softer about her features - something warmer.


___


The girl looked up from her book and met Daphne's gaze, and her eyes were striking, stormy grey - the same eyes Tom had. For a moment, neither spoke, but there was a spark of recognition in the girl's expression as if she had been expecting Daphne. "You must be Daphne Rose," The girl spoke, her voice lilting but carrying an edge of knowing. It wasn't a question but a statement, as though she already knew the answer. Daphne blinked in surprise. "Yes, I am. Are you are?"


___


The girl stood gracefully, closing the leather-bound book with a soft snap. "Aurora. Aurora Riddle." Riddle. The name sent a jolt through Daphne, though she kept her expression calm. Tom had never mentioned a sister. Then again, Tom hardly ever spoke of anything personal at all. She glanced at Aurora with curiosity, wondering how much this girl shared with the cold, guarded boy she had come to know. "You're Tom's sister?" Daphne asked carefully, studying Aurora's face for any hint of emotion.


___


A faint smile tugged at the corner of Aurora's lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yes, though you wouldn't know it from how rarely he speaks of me." Daphne sensed something unspoken in her words - an undercurrent of tension, perhaps even sadness. "I didn't know Tom had any siblings." "Few do," Aurora replied, her gaze drifting toward the towering bookshelves around them. "Tom and I... we live in different worlds, even though we share the same blood. He keeps his distance from me, just as he does with everyone else."


___


There was a pause, the weight of her words heavy in the air. Daphne nodded slightly, understanding all too well how Tom isolated himself, even from those who might care about him. "I've noticed." Aurora turned her eyes back to Daphne, her gaze sharper now, as if assessing her. "But you - he doesn't shut you out entirely, does he?" Daphne hesitated, uncertain of how to answer. Tom didn't exactly let her in, but he also didn't push her away as he did with the others. There were cracks, small ones, in his icy demeanor, and she had seen them, however fleetingly. "I'm not sure. He doesn't make it easy to tell."


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Aurora studied her for a moment, then gave a soft laugh - though there was no warmth in it. "He never will. Tom believes in power above all else. Emotions, connections, people - they are all weaknesses in his eyes." Daphne's heart tightened "But you're his sister. Surely, you must matter to him." Aurora's expression darkened, her eyes hardening. "I did, once. Before Hogwarts, Before he learned what power truly meant."


___


Daphne frowned, something about Aurora's words gnawing at her. "Why are you telling me all this?" Aurora sighed, a faint shadow of sorrow passing over her face. "Because I've seen the way you look at him, Daphne You're not like the others. You see something in him, don't you? Something beyond the cold, unreachable exterior he shows the world." Daphne swallowed, feeling exposed under Aurora's penetrating gaze. "I-I don't know what I see. I just... I think he's more than he lets on. I believe he feels things, even if he hides it."


___


Aurora shook her head, her expression softening with a strange sort of pity. "He may feel, but he won't let those feelings shape him. He believes feeling makes you vulnerable, and vulnerability is something Tom despises more than anything." Daphne frowned, her chest tightening. "But it doesn't have to be that way. He doesn't have to be alone in all this." Aurora's eyes flickered with something - regret, perhaps, or maybe frustration. "You think you can change him? That you can reach him where others have failed?"


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"I don't know if I can change him," Daphne said quietly, her voice resolute. "But I want to try." Aurora looked at her for a long moment as if weighing her words carefully. Then she stepped closer, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. "Be careful, Daphne. Tom doesn't see the world the way we all do. He's always calculating, always looking for an advantage. And even if you mean well, that won't stop him from hurting you if he thinks it serves his purpose."


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Daphne held her gaze, unflinching. "Maybe. But I'm willing to take that risk." Aurora's lips pressed into a thin line, and for a brief moment, Daphne saw the pain hidden behind her carefully composed exterior - the pain of someone who had once tried and failed to reach the boy who had become Lord Voldemort. "I hope you know what you're doing," Aurora said softly before turning to leave. As she disappeared into the shadows of the library, her parting words echoed into Daphne's mind, lingering like a warning. But as Daphne sat back down, her heart heavy with both doubt and determination, she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he was worth saving after all,


Word count: 969

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