Always || Tom Riddle

Traitors

The front door of Elworthy cottage flew open, connecting with the old stone wall with a particularly loud thud, tea cups now very much forgotten and smashed on the floor, the Aurors turned to face what had been the cause of the noise.

After that, time seemed to slow, the Aurors leapt to the floor, as Tom sent the killing curse at them in a flash of green sparks. Grabbing Amber's arm tightly as she screamed in fear, I dragged her down with me to the floor, freezing every so often to avoid the flurry of spells and debris that was being sent our way.

Crawling towards the front door, I made sure to keep Amber as far away as possible from the danger, as Tom took on the two Aurors, who so far, were just managing to hold their own. When the door looked close enough, I stood, keeping an iron grip on Amber, and pushing her behind me inching slowly closer to safety.

While Gavin, the older of the two Aurors kept Tom busy, sending a few stunning spells and occasionally, the Cruciatus curse, whenever he got hit by a particularly nasty spell; the youngest Auror seemed to notice my presence once more, now protected by his co-worker, he sent me a lopsided grin, I was now back to my usual self, and he looked as though he had just recovered the greatest find of his career.

My hand moved to where my wand was in my pocket, only to find it gone, and on the floor among the smashed tea cups. Now in panic mode, I pushed Amber to the side as he sent a hex at us, ducking out of the way, I slowly stood after the hex went over my head, and hit the wall behind me, looking from the smoldering hole in the wall to the Auror, I had, had enough of his games. Concentrating hard, I lifted a kitchen knife into the air with my mind, all the while performing a body bind on the Auror as the Knife moved tantalizingly slow towards him, the lopsided grin no longer present on his lips, his life was now in my hands, and I was not feeling merciful. Half noticing that Gavin was now lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, and Amber now in the safety of her father's arms, I sent the knife closer to the Auror, my panic, and fear, turning into confidence and power.

"You knew it was me all along didn't you? You were just awaiting the perfect moment to strike."

"Y-you can't do this, I-I know people....very powerful people, who will come after you." The Knife halted mid-air, I had intended to strike, but while no longer worried for my own safety, I had a Horcrux, I feared for Amber, who was the most vulnerable out of all of us tangled in this mess, she was innocent, merely tainted by the actions of her parents. Noticing that what he had said had some form of control over me, the Auror kept talking.

"Kill me, and this will never stop, this...cycle of killing and fighting and killing, it will never end, not until we get you, and trust me, we will get you. If not today, next week, or the week after, because you are too important to us now, you have ruined our lives, you have tried to steal from us the very thing we hold most dear...a normal life, with security and a lack of...your lot."

"Clara, look at what he is doing to you, don't allow him to get to you" Through my jumbled mess of a thought stream, I faintly heard Tom's voice beside me, just before he forced my guards down, making me let go of the Knife and Auror. In shock, my focus went to Tom, who was now concentrating on the Auror who writhed frantically on the floorboards, silently screaming in pain. Tears welling up in my eyes, I picked up Amber, rushing out of the cottage and into the fresh air, the rain battering my skin as I trudged through the now muddy field towards the forest for shelter.

"Mummy?" Amber clutched to me, a confused expression etched onto her youthful features, as she squinted through the rain and sea mist behind me.

"Mummy?!"

"What?!" Finally turning my attention to her, she nodded her head to behind me, where Gavin stood, blood staining his ripped clothes, as he began to stumble towards me, wand in hand.

"I shall give you one chance to drop your wand to the ground, and surrender"

"My son, my only son, he died because of him, he who must not be named killed him in cold blood, I think it's time Lord Voldemort had a taste of his own medicine!" Gavin feebly sent the killing curse at me, only for me to deflect it using wandless magic. This was the only time I was glad that I had taken the time to learn to use magic without a wand. Snarling like a wild animal, he sent another curse my way, only to find that yet again, I was easily able to deflect it, but the angrier the aging Auror grew, the stronger his spells became, making them harder to fend off.

"STOP! At least allow me to put my daughter down, she has no part in this" A slight nod of his head let me know that it was safe to let Amber go.

"Amber, run" Jumping down from the safety of my arms, she turned on her heels and fled, just as she was about to reach the treeline, Gavin sent a spell her way. Hardly shocked by his actions, I sent the spell back at him, sending him flying through the air and hitting the ground with a hard "oomph", as the air was pushed out of his lungs.

"Never try to harm my daughter, ever again, if you had done that a few years ago, I would have killed you!"

"And now?" Having caught his breath back, Gavin seeming to have given up, remained on the ground, as my clothes began to stick to my skin, now thoroughly soaked through from the rain.

"Now, I intend to use you for valuable information, you will help me, whether we have to make this painful or not, you will answer me. Where is Harry Potter?" The Auror began to laugh nastily, growing paler as his wounds reopened and bled. Falling to my knees, I tried and failed to heal him, he was preventing me from closing the wounds.

"Cut off one head, and two more will grow"

"No!" Letting out one last mocking raspy laugh, his eyes glazed over. Screaming angrily, I stood, doing my best to brush the mud from my knees. Tom appeared through the mist, a worried expression on his face.

"Clara, where is Amber?"

"When he attacked me, I was forced to act, and sending Amber away to safety seemed the logical thing to do" Tom's gaze moved from the body of the Auror to meet my eyes in a split second, by the looks of it, he was not happy, for when he replied, his tone and demeanour was harsh and unreadable.

"And, do you have anywhere in mind where she may have gone?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Because just before I ended the Auror's pathetic existance, he told me of how cutting off one head-"

"Creates two more?" A frown appeared on his forehead, as Tom started to fully realise the amount of danger they were now in.

"Clara, we need to find Amber, if what I beleive is true, there are more Aurors on their way-"

"But this was just a check of all the houses in the village, there is no way they could have known for sure we were here, they said so themselves!"

"CLARA WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME?! They knew all along it was us, we have been watched very closely the whole time we have been here, we have traitors in our midst. I should never have told anyone of our whereabouts-" My heart now thudding very loud and fast in my throat, I swallowed hard, my eyes flickering over to the dead Auror's body in fear.

"Who do you think betrayed you?"

"There is no question of who did this, I knew he was cunning, but I never thought him to be unloyal..."

"You don't mean-"

"Malfoy?" A nasty smirk curled the corners of Tom's mouth, haivng confimed who we both suspected to be a traitor "That, my dear, is precisely whom I am talking about"

AN: I am really sorry there is such a big gap inbetween updates, it takes a while to write something that I think is good enough for you guys to read, and I have a lot on at college at the minute. Anyway, enough with the excuses, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that you would be so kind as to vote and leave a comment! Thank you!