Always || Tom Riddle

The best day in a long time

"Well, well, what do we have here?" My breathing hitched in my throat, in truth, I was afraid of Wormtail. Not of him, but of what he had the ability to do, he was actually proven crazy by the doctors at st Mungos. Thankfully, my voice remained strong and steady as I answered.

"I was just exploring" 

"Exploring hmm?" Wormtail suddenly lurched for the door, putting the key in the lock and pushing it open before I could get in his way. Taking out my wand, I followed him into the darkness. By the looks of his hunched over back, messy hair, and clothes, had the basement door not had numerous charms on, so that it could only be opened by the key, Wormtail would have used magical means. 

"Ollivander...where are you?" The scrawny looking man's voice echoed off of the walls, sending a shiver down my spine. He really could not get any creepier if he tried. My wand was pointed directly at Wormtails head, so should he try to inflict pain upon Ollivander, he would have his memory wiped. Eventually he found Ollivander, curled up, and sobbing in a corner. With water dripping from the ceiling onto his malnourished body, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Wormtail suddenly turned to me with a wicked smile on his face. 

"If you would be so kind as to leave" I was about to protest when I looked at the pleading look Ollivander sent me, he wanted me to leave. Taking one last look at the pair, I headed back out of the basement and  up to the hallway, where the death eaters were now filing into. The meeting had finished. Most of them ignored me as they passed by, but some, such as Draco, sent me weary glances, before practically running back to their rooms or leaving the manor to go home.  Snape stepped out last, and paused, sending me an unreadable look before taking off downstairs, curious, I walked towards the window, watching Snape closely with my eyes as he apparated away.

"Getting into trouble, as always, I see" I didnt need to look over my shoulder to know who it was, as arms snaked themselves around my waist. I knew it was Tom, and by the look of his blurry reflection on in the rain covered window he was back to his normal self.

"How did you know?" 

"I always know, whether you be upset, angry, annoyed...I can read you like a book, Clara" At that I turned my head over my shoulder, so that my eyes met with his ebony ones, I was left speechless by the amount of love and sincerity they held. For a moment, we stood just staring peacefully at one another, before Tom's eyes flickered over to the window once more. 

"Its stopped raining, and I have been inside for too long. Come on, lets take a walk" Taking Tom's hand, we grabbed our cloaks, stepping out of Malfoy Manor, and into the gardens. The smell of freshly mown grass and post rain was what hit me first, being closely followed by the cool breeze that moved my hair around gently.  Making for the lake, we sat by an overly large oak tree, watching the clouds go by as we held each other close for warmth. 

"Clara, I want you to learn more defensive spells" 

"But-" I pulled myself away from Tom so that I could see him better, his black curls had been blown around by the wind, and his expression was deadly serious. 

"No but's, you need to learn." He paused, seeming to be thinking. Then he moved forward, closing the gap between us and taking my face in his hands, his eyes boring into my own.

"I just couldn't bear to see you get hurt" Planting a quick, yet loving kiss on my forehead, he re took his seat underneath the tree, leaning against it for support. While I became entranced by the way the waters surface was changing with the direction the wind blew.

"What did you plan to do after Hogwarts?" Tom suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had been growing for the past couple of minutes.

"Use a love potion on myself and get married" 

"Why on yourself?" At that I clambered back over to him, climbing onto his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck, snuggling as close to his as possible while taking in his scent. 

"Because I will never love anyone more than I love you" I didnt need to look up to know that Tom was utterly shocked at sudden show of affection, for he had frozen, before humming softly in happiness, kissing the top of my head and wrapping his arms around me to pull me closer to him.

"I love you too, Clara. More than you will ever understand. To me, you are like the last precious stone left on Earth, rough around the edges, but with a hidden innocence and beauty inside. But even if there were a million precious stones left on Earth, and I could choose any one of them, I would always choose you" Lifting my head from his chest, my eyes met with his own, before we drew closer and I was pulled into the most passionate kiss I can safely say I have ever had, we were gripping each other like our lives depended on it, while I was running my fingers through Toms hair and pulling him closer to me still, it seemed we could not get enough of each other, even when the sky above us began to roar in disapproval, and the once snow white clouds turned black, as the rain began to mercilessly beat down on us from above. When lightening began to strike we ran hand in hand back to the manor, helping each other out of our cloaks and sitting beside the newly lit fire in the hallway. 

This had surely been the best day I had ever had for a long time, the question was, how long would the peace last before it all fell away beneath our feet, and exposed us to the fiery pits of hell awaiting us below.