Before He Was Voldemort (A Tom Riddle Fanfiction)

Chapter 23: Never Come Back

December, 1943

"Is this what your father meant for you to show me?" Tom asked Cyrus once they'd stepped in the library. They now hovered around a glass display case by the window containing a rather large and gaudy jewel-encrusted brooch. The ornament was quite hideous.

"This would be it," said Cyrus, seemingly absentminded and uninterested. "I see you're not impressed."

"Didn't your father say this was an heirloom of the Peverall family?" Tom peered through the glass in distaste. "It doesn't appear as outstanding as he made it out to be."

Cyrus snorted. "That's because it's not. My father should have said it was supposedly an heirloom of the Peverall family. With strong emphasis on supposedly."

Tom raised an inquisitive brow. He could detect an underlying truth regarding Cornelius Carrow's character. "So it's a fraud?"

Suddenly, Cyrus's nonchalance towards the topic disappeared. His expression was grim as he replied lowly, "One thing you ought to know about my father, Tom, is that he is not a virtuous man in the least bit. To him, business and reputation come before all." He paused and chewed his lip. "Sometimes even family."

Tom did not respond. He hated when people voiced their burdens to him as though they expected to be pitied. Therefore, he felt no sympathy for Cyrus. Hearing that his father was not the person he came across as being when Tom conversed with the man at lunch was no surprise. Ever since he arrived at Carrow mansion, tension and dysfunction among the family were evident as day.

Bored, Tom cast a glance around him until he spotted the Carrow's tapestry. That's when an idea struck him, and he acted on it without hesitation.

He whipped out his wand in one swift motion and pointed it at Cyrus, who didn't even have time to react. "Imperio."

It was too easy. Being in a vulnerable state, there was no chance that Cyrus would be able to resist the curse. Tingling warmth shot down Tom's arm as a yellow-green mist emitted from his wand, wafting over Cyrus's face. His features slackened noticeably, his eyes glossing over as he was overcome in a trance-like state. Tom knew the nature of the curse banished all worries of the victim and left nothing but ineffable happiness.

He thought it was far too harmless to be considered unforgivable.

Now submitted under Tom's full control, Cyrus sluggishly made his way over to the tapestry, obviously dimly conscious of his surroundings. He then placed his hands at the center of the fabric, causing the outline to flash briefly before the door materialized into a heavy carved door with a knob. Tom watched with eagerness and excitement as the door flew open, revealing a vault filled to the ceiling with glinting artifacts. A Gringotts vault was nothing in compared to this. The object he sought after could likely be in the midst of these treasures.

Impatient, he called out, "Accio locket!"

He waited, but nothing happened. It was worth the try, but in reality, something as simple as the Accio charm would not work on any object residing inside this vault. He would have to manually search for Slytherin's locket.

Before delving inside, he turned to Cyrus again, releasing him from the Imperius Curse and then obliviating him. The boy blinked, shaking his head in bemusement. His eyes darted around, acting as though he didn't have a clue where he was or how he got there. Finally, his gaze settled on Tom, his brows pinched together as he murmured incomprehensible phrases.

"Tom? What am I...where...what happened...?"

"You fainted," Tom told him simply, grasping Cyrus's shoulder with false concern. The boy's back was turned to the tapestry, unaware that the hidden vault door it contained was open. "I think you need to go lie down."