Stolen Time A Tom Marvolo Riddle Fanfiction completed

Chapter Fifteen

At nine o'clock that evening Tom knocked on Cassiopeia's door. Not waiting for her answer he stepped inside. Cassiopeia was sitting at her dressing table, brushing her hair.

Tom noiselessly closed the door behind himself and watched Cassiopeia getting up and walking over to her night desk. Sitting down on the bed, she carefully opened the first drawer. Tom noticed that her fingers were trembling when she reached for the vial. She eyed the small bottle in her hand for a moment before she finally closed the drawer and turned to him. For a moment their gazes locked and they looked into each other's eyes. Then he slowly walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, pulling his wand from his pocket and twirling it in his fingers. Up to now neither of them had spoken a word.

Cassiopeia gazed at the yew wand in Tom's hands, and a look of surprise crossed her features. "I haven't seen this wand in quite a while," she stated quietly.

Tom stopped twirling the wand and thoughtfully looked down at it. After a moment he said, "The Elder Wand is doubtlessly powerful in combat. But tonight..." He paused, his eyes still trained on the wand in his hands. "This is personal. Tonight I want a wand that's always been loyal to me, and me only. Tonight I need my wand."

A small smile flickered across Cassiopeia's face. She felt a comforting warmth spread deep inside. She had grown used to Tom's emotionless personality long ago and she knew him well enough to be aware that this was one of the most emotional statements she would ever get from him. Cassiopeia put her hand on Tom's. Her fingers brushed carefully against the wood of his wand and suddenly the memory of sixteen-year-old Tom standing next to her bed, his wand drawn, his eyes drenched in cold fury, his voice deadly calm and icy flashed through her mind. "Do you regret that it didn't work?"

For the fraction of a second Tom looked confused. Then he guessed her thoughts and slightly cocked his head. "No," he replied, "I never did."

The corners of Cassiopeia's mouth twitched into a smile and she withdrew her hand and carefully opened the lid of the vial. For a moment she eyed the purple potion thoughtfully. Then she asked hoarsely, her gaze still fixed on the potion, "Does it hurt? Did you ever ask them if it hurts?" Her voice was calm but Tom didn't miss the hint of anxiety.

He cast her a sideways glance. "You are strong," he said evasively. "Don't focus on feeling pain."

Cassiopeia turned towards him and their eyes locked once again. "I hope you know what you're doing." Her voice was only a whisper. Tom kept looking back at her but didn't reply. Finally Cassiopeia took a deep breath. Then she put the vial to her lips and drank the potion.

Immediately she felt coldness flooding her body. She cringed and lay down on the bed. And then, quite unexpectedly, she felt Tom pressing his lips gently against hers. She opened her eyes and wanted to raise her hand but her arm was already numb. Tom was still looking at her, his dark eyes calm and reassuring. Cassiopeia focused on the taste of his lips on hers, desperately trying to block out the piercing pain that felt like millions of needles that were cutting through her. And then she lost consciousness.

Tom slowly pulled away and watched her frozen form for a moment. She looked so calm and placid.

Suddenly a thought crossed his mind, accompanied by a strange longing. He exhaled slowly, pursing his lips. It would be so easy. There would be no mental shields, no limitations whatsoever. He would be able to see it all, and she wouldn't hurt, she wouldn't even know.

His wand twitched in his hand. The idea of using Legilimency now was truly tempting. And yet, for some incomprehensible reason, he couldn't quite convince himself to get going and invade her mind because to his utter surprise something inside of him vehemently rejected this kind of betrayal. He narrowed his eyes and looked down at his wand. He had never experienced this before. It surely felt strange.

Finally he glanced back at Cassiopeia and clenched his fist. "Damn, it would be so easy..." He cocked his head. "How on earth do you do that?"

Then he focused on the ritual again, concentrating hard for a moment, before he tightened the grip on his wand and set to work.

One hour later Tom was almost done. He carefully healed the last cuts and covered Cassiopeia's body with a blanket. Then he sat next to her on the bed and leaned back against the headboard.

Throwing a look around the room, his gaze fell on a bookshelf. With a wave of his wand he summoned a book from the shelf and started reading, occasionally eying Cassiopeia for any sign of the freezing potion beginning to wear off.

He had been reading for nearly two hours when Cassiopeia finally stirred. Tom closed the book and glanced at her. She groaned and opened her eyes, slowly turning her head towards him.

"How do you feel?" Tom asked.

Cassiopeia groaned again. "Like I've been run over by a train or maybe hit by a Bludger, smashing every single bone in my body...." She carefully turned her head a little further until she could look at him. "Did it work?"

Tom cocked an eyebrow. "Of course it did."

"Don't blame me for asking. I just feel a whole lot older than before," she stated drily.

Tom chuckled. "Don't worry, that's only temporary, probably due to the injuries."

Cassiopeia carefully raised her arms and examined her skin. However, there wasn't much to be seen. Tom seemed to have healed the cuts almost tracelessly. But then again, she knew she shouldn't be surprised. After all, it was Tom. He was mostly perfect at doing magic anyways. Cassiopeia slowly wiped her face with her sleeve.

"You need to rest," Tom stated calmly. "Get some sleep and in the morning you'll feel much better."

He made to get up from the bed but Cassiopeia seized his arm and held him back. "Please stay here. Stay with me."

Tom eyed her for a moment. "Are you sure?"

The corners of Cassiopeia's mouth twitched slightly. "Of course I am."

Tom continued to look at her, his expression unreadable. After a moment he nodded. "Fine. But you'll have to let me change." He smirked and threw a pointed glance at Cassiopeia's hand holding his arm.

Cassiopeia let go of him and watched him leave for the bathroom. Moments later he returned and drew back the covers, slipping into the bed next to her. She turned to look at him again. "You know, you got me into this, so I think it's only fair if you stay through this."

Tom looked back at her and smirked. "I could imagine worse. But now you really have to sleep." He waved his hand and the lights went out.

Lying down, he felt Cassiopeia resting her head sleepily against his shoulder, and he listened to her breathing becoming calm and even almost instantly as she fell asleep.

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Author's note: Hope you liked the chapter :)