Always || Tom Riddle

Freedom

Tears blurred my vision as I took lengthy strides down the pebbled pathway of Malfoy manor as fast as my legs would carry me. I wasn't looking back but I could hear Tom's screams and yells for his death eaters to find me. I thought I would get away before they did but was out of luck when I spotted two death eaters up ahead, thankfully they didn't look my way and so didn't see me all but dive into a nearby bush. Seconds later out comes To- no Voldemort as he called himself now, followed closely by his followers. Among the crowd I immediatley spotted Bellatrix...and she spotted me,instead of doing the loyal thing and alerting the Dark Lord she simply smiled deviously and pretended to keep looking just as everyone else was doing. 

I held my breath as Tom came near to my hiding place, and by near I mean inches away from me.Because I was squatting he would only see me if he looked down but compared to normal a sad look filled his dark eyes. When he was sure that none was actually near enough to hear him he began to talk to himself...or the air around him.

"Oh Clara, I only ever wanted you"This made me think, perhaps Tom could have been changed, had I tried more harder to do so rather than going along with his every whim and forgiving practically anything bad he had ever done against me. It was too late for him now though, he seemed to realize this for the sad look was replaced by an angry one.His eyes scanned the grounds and then looked up at the clouds which began to block out the sun, the first drops of rain falling to the ground.  

"Hurry up and find her!" Were the last words I heard from his lips before he took long strides back inside, the grand double doors closing behind him. After what seemed like forever the death eaters moved away from my hiding spot, giving me a chance to clamber out and dust myself off. It was then that the rat-like man walked out of the opening double doors.I now knew him to go by Wormtail, or so I had heard from Tom. Wormtail gave me an uneven smirk and dashed back inside to alert Tom I presume. Gulping I turned and sprinted,not caring that it was now beginning to tip it down, shortly after hearing footsteps behind me. Just as I reached the lake outside of the  Malfoy family woods I took another approach.If I distracted Tom,if I said something which would lead him to think about it, it would leave me with just enough time to escape. I stopped,took out my wand from my pocket and pointed it at him.He too slowed to a stop and raised his hands in the air,he was defenseless, that was of course unless he used wand-less magic.

"What do you think you will gain from running?" Tom demanded sounding surprisingly calm, but what his voice and expression hid, his eyes gave away. And right now, Tom was anything but calm.

"Freedom"

"What is that worth when you will constantly be hunted down,not just by me but by aurors.You are the most wanted witch in the country at the moment. If I let you go now it will only be a matter of time before you are caught again"Knowing what he was saying was true I lowered my wand to my side watching his every move carefully.

"If you leave now...you can never come back"Even as he said this he seemed to be practically begging me not to go. I should of known it would be like this.I guess I knew all along that leaving him was never going to be easy, but none ever said it would be.To make it even harder Tom had managed to change back to his old self, whether or not it was an illusion I didn't know,I only knew it made him look much more innocent,harder to leave, which was exactly  what he wanted. 

"But if I stay I will constantly be surrounded by...this.If you truly wanted to keep me away from danger then you would let me go. I am in far more danger of being caught with you than I am away!"

"You think I started this to merely gain power?I wanted to gain power to be able to keep you safe! I started that war so that all our problems would be solved, we would take over the ministry, use any aurors who proved their loyalty to us and kill those who didn't. We wouldn't have to take orders from anyone, we  would make the rules" As he spoke he used his words to distract me all the while getting closer, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close, as to not let me run off again.  

"Nothing is ever solved by wars"I whispered, afraid that talking would be too loud as we were so close our breath mingled together.  Memorizing his every feature I pressed my lips to his, wrapping my arms around his neck. When he began to kiss me back I knew if I did not let go soon I would never leave. With shaking hands I pushed him away from me, ultimately breaking the kiss. I took a step away from him but he made no move to stop me, he only watched, looking disheveled with his wavy dark hair ruffled, his shirt crumpled and his eyes looking tired, no doubt from sleepless nights.

"Goodbye Tom, I love you never forget that"Taking one last sad look and apparating away from him and everything I have ever known.