All I Ever Wanted Was the World

Chapter 9

"This is very- er, planned." Harry said slowly, looking over the edge of the boat before coming face to face with a deceased human body.
Harry looked away quickly, startled that he'd seen something so- so-
"-I made it somewhere around my age and I seemed to have it figured out. Though, quite predictable." Tom stated simply.
Harry just nodded his head and looked at the approaching island.

"And that's where his- your- horcrux item is?" Harry shivered at the thought.
He wasn't even sure what it really meant as the boy didn't quite explain it fully.
"Good observation."
Tom replied.

                    ☆*:.｡.  .｡.:*☆

Now, they were quickly arriving to the small island in the middle and Harry began to feel uneasy..
"What's going to happen once we get there?" he asked, feeling more uncertain than curious.
"You'll just have to deal with it when we get there," Was all Riddle said, brushing off the other's question,
"you ask too many questions. I thought you were supposed to be a powerful young wizard... Where is your knowledge?"

While it shut Harry up (who was heavily embarrassed and wanted to shout that he grew up with muggles), it didn't keep him from worrying quietly.
If Voldemort- or Riddle, had made it difficult to get through it, there must've been another trap ahead like the one Riddle had made him face before.

They arrived shortly after and Harry was out first, quickly getting out before Tom set down the anchor.
Once the older boy was out, he 'gracefully' made his way over to the bowl-shaped object.

To Harry, he thought of a bird's bath, though by the context surrounding the cave, he very much knew it wasn't.

"Come here," Tom said after a moment, and, reluctantly, the raven-haired boy did so.

"What is it for..?" Harry, who knew way better than to trust a future Dark Lord, hesitated.
"Drink everything from the basin," Tom had said, conjuring a goblet in a moment.
He dunked it into the liquid- which Harry had no idea of what it was.
He was wary.
It was almost emerald in color, reminding him of-
"Drink. Fast." Tom had said, his tone holding more force as Harry slowly took the offering.
He hesitated, glancing at the older boy and staring at the swirling liquid before taking a breath and quietly obeying his command.

He quickly chugged all of it, feeling no effect. He then dunked it in again, repeating the process about three more times before it hit.
That's when everything went gray.
He dropped to his knees, nearly dropping the now empty goblet.

He clutched himself as he began shaking madly.
The memories of his past quickly rushed through his head.
He ground his teeth together before feeling the goblet disappear from his hand.
"Please- no!" He shouted, a flash of green blinding him.
He was starving and he felt the painful squeezing as a reminder from the stomachaches he'd get from starving for a week or two.
The headaches when he'd constantly stumble and hit his head on the hard ground or be hit by Dudley.

Then it was the dreams and the manor. Malfoy Manor.
Voldemort torturing him, just like he'd done before he'd vanished, his body was lit with flames, he was burning and he was hot, so hot-

Everything was a blur and it was too fast. He let out a piercing scream, his hands grasping at whatever they could.
Something firm, something clothed, that's what he was holding at the moment.

"Drink this, it'll make you feel better." It was a smooth, buttery voice that promises to soothe his pain. It was a promise to end the nightmarish memories that plagued his mind.

It sounded like the promise of water.
There was a goblet at his lips and he drank like he never had before, gulping the liquid down with an intensity he hadn't had before.

Everything hurt more, he felt like he couldn't breathe, the fire was back and roaring higher than ever.
He doubled over, grasping at his hair tightly.

Tom was quick to refill the goblet and keep Harry from pausing.

Harry pushed the last cup of the liquid away from him, refusing to drink anymore.
"I can't-" He breathed heavily, his throat dry and tight.
He was grasping at Tom, standing shakily and holding onto him tightly as he leaned onto him.
"I can't," He repeated, the word repeated so often that he couldn't even tell of what he was saying anymore.

Tom held his nose closed and he knew then what was going to happen.
He gasped for air and his mouth opened- he felt the welling of tears in his eyes.
He was forced to drink the last of the liquid in the cup, nearly screaming while Tom held the goblet to his lips. 
He was holding Harry with one arm, covering his mouth as he reached into the basin and pulled out the locket.

Harry cried, thrashing as much as he could.
It was as if everything was worse than it'd ever been in his life and god- he was scared.
He was terrified again, back to being locked up. Harry could feel the curse run through his body as it was cast by Voldemort, lighting every nerve and fiber of his being on fire. He saw the flash and then Cedric's grey eyes- the look on his face of shock before he crumpled to the ground.
Tom had dragged him to the edge of water and dunked the cup in.

The inferi were quick to move, but Harry's thrashing had somehow managed to hit one of them in the skull.
Tom had rushed back with Harry, forcing him to gulp down the water with the same method.

"The trap." Tom had muttered, still holding onto Harry as the other calmed down.
"What- where?-" Harry was looking around wildly as Tom raised his wand.
He was reluctant and thought of using Fiendfyre, but he knew they still needed to make their way back out. 

Instead, he settled with using the Firestorm charm.

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆

He was quick to drag the both of them to the boat, knowing the inferi would lose interest in them both while they dealt with the blazing fire.
Harry was holding his head and rubbing his temples.
"You should've warned me."
He said shakily with a bitter tone. Tom took out the locket.
The boat moved and soon they were nearing their exit,

"It's fake,"
Tom had kept his face impassive and his eyes narrowed dangerously before he slowly opened the locket.
"A note- of all things."
He cursed under his breath and was quick to stand when they arrived.

It was a while before the both of them had left the cave.
Harry felt as though was the worst experience of his life- and the most bothersome thing was to have to painfully be weakened twice- only for their treasure to be a fake.