Increased - a sequel to Turned

Chapter Seven

Two weeks later, Tom emerged from his room again after isolating himself from the rest of the close followers of his that resided in his home.

The six boys at the dining room table sat up straight and bowed their heads when he entered the room, bags under his strained eyes.

"My Lord," they all mumbled, in more synchronization than they had in their early stages.

Tom sat down at the head of the table, grabbing the tea from the place that they set everyday, hoping he would attend their meals. The boys watched timidly as Tom finished a long sip from the cup. Silence followed for a moment, broken by Abraxas' slick tone, "Going grey, are we?"

"I am painfully aware of the stress that this locket has physically put on me," Tom responded, too distracted with the item to be cross. He waved an unstable hand over the hair, attempting to perform a spell to change it back to its former dark shade. It failed, the grey hairs remaining.

"My Lord, how long has it been since you've slept?" Abraxas asked. The rest were too afraid to speak, knowing the blond haired boy was the only one who could speak casually to him.

"A month, maybe three," Tom guessed.

Abraxas furrowed his brows, "You were only in there for two weeks."

"Oh."

Antonin observed Tom from the furthest seat at the table. He had gone down in the ranks after Tom discovered his generosity towards Elizabeth. "My Lord, can I ask what about the locket is keeping you so occupied?" Antonin asked with confidence.

"Let it rest Dolohov," Malfoy cut in.

"No, Malfoy, it is alright," Tom began. "You all deserve to know about this mysterious locket that showed up two weeks ago." The boys leaned forward on their elbows, curious to see what he'd say. "I do not yet know the magical makeup of it, but this locket holds a mirror inside that possesses the ability to show me the small fragment of the girl's soul that existed within her horcrux. It works similarly to a portrait, showing her physical form and being able to conjure responses based off of what she had said in her life. The thing that has been keeping me up all these weeks is the most curious of all. Every now and then, I hear her heartbeat. I don't know how to explain that part, but I have been trying to find an answer."

There was a pause of silence. Antonin kept quiet. His mother was a large fan of two-way mirrors, and he knew exactly what they were, but he didn't open his mouth.

"Anyone have any input?" Tom posed, surprising the boys at the fact that he asked for their opinion.

No one replied. "I didn't know that you could preserve the energy from a horcrux into another object after death," Abraxas commented.

"Neither did I," Tom shrugged, rubbing his thumb over the necklace. "She was the undoubtedly one of the most powerful people in the wizarding world," he sighed.

"My Lord, if we could take the necklace off of your hands, perhaps you could rest for more than a couple hours," Abraxas suggested.

As much as he didn't want to give it up for more than a second, he nodded and scanned the table. After eyeing each boy, he landed his gaze on Antonin. "Dolohov," Tom slid the necklace across the table to Antonin, who nearly jumped at the smooth gliding sound of the locket. "Take care of it," Tom stood, retreating to his room with his plate in hand.