Poison Ivy | T. Riddle ✔

[23] The Quest For Power

Days lapsed into weeks, and weeks into months, but still Tom couldn't succeed in gaining access to Perseus's mind. Knowing that it was near impossible now, he decided to take a different route. Of course, it was quite probable that Perseus wasn't the only person who had read all those books and stored such knowledge. It was quite likely that someone else too knew more about the Dark Arts than he did.

Since dealing with Perseus was almost fruitless, he knew he had to switch his target and try his means on him. And the first person that came to his mind, who would probably have what he wanted, was the sage Kushtim.

But in order to win his trust, he had to be more cautious than ever; the sage had sensed his motives earlier and that was one of the many obstacles that stood in his path to his targets. The greatest obstacle being none other than Perseus's stubbornness itself.

Multiple times, the thought of simply getting rid of Perseus once and for all had crossed his mind. But whenever he faced him, he would fail to put that thought into action. Even though the mere sight of Perseus Burke, with his annoyingly calm demeanor and threatening blue eyes, was enough to spark anger in him; he still couldn't try to kill him.

Every time he decided to just get the deed done, Demelza's face would flash before him and he would unwillingly surrender at recalling the concern in her brown eyes and her love for Perseus and the rest of her family.

He could not afford to let Perseus die and he could not afford to keep him alive ether. Whichever option he chose, it only held suffering and tribulation for him.

Whereas, thinking of Demelza made him feel even worse than before. The more he tried to banish her from his thoughts, the more her presence lingered in him. And the fact that he had to put up with her cousin on a daily basis wasn't of any help either. It was like consistently adding fuel to the fire. As if in some form, she was still there to haunt him with her sweetness and her undeniable innocence.

He was roused from his thoughts by a knock on the door. His eyes flickered towards the side room as if trying to check whether Perseus was safely out of intervention or not. Realizing that he was sound asleep, he stood up and made his way to the door. 

He wasn't surprised to see William Avery standing there. Tom had been expecting his visit since quite some time now since he was one of his trusted and foremost followers. He had begun to gather a bunch of witches and wizards around him who supported his ideas on pureblood supremacy and Dark Arts accumulation. And Avery had been placed in charge of managing the newly formed group of his followers.

"Come in, Avery," he opened the door a little wider, gesturing him to step inside.

Avery stepped inside; his head bowing low and an evident streak of fear glistening in his eyes, "thank you, my Lord." 

Tom Riddle had slowly begun to discard his real identity, taking up a pseudonym Lord Voldemort in front of his followers. It was the name he wished to be called by; a name that would not be so low as to remind of his filthy Muggle father, a name which would strike terror in the hearts of men and women alike.

And seeing the slight forbearance in Avery's demeanor was exactly what he relished. He wished that every soul would fear him just like the man in front of him was showing at the moment. In so many weeks, this was the first time he felt a little satisfaction slide into his heart. The first time he felt that his motives were worth all that he was sacrificing. 

Ever since the incident of black dust, his hopes were waning. But seeing William Avery, a privileged and influential pureblood, addressing a halfblood like him as his Lord, acted as food for his power hungry soul.

"What news do you have of London?"

"All is well, my Lord," Avery spoke up, "the top tier of the sacred 28 is with us. The Blacks have provided their support even though they don't wish to be a part straight away, the Malfoys have pledged their loyalty and so has the Lestranges. And my family, as always, remains loyal to you."

"Still not enough to challenge the Ministry as of now," he mused, "I can not proceed until I have a decent amount of wizards at my favor. We are talking of a change, William, and changes come only when there are more actors to induce the factor."

He nodded as if he had understood what Riddle had said, however in reality, the words had just flown through him. All he knew was that he was there for fulfilling orders and not for pondering into the reasons of why those orders were being executed.

"Anything else you wish to know, Master?"

Tom's eyes furrowed as if deep in thought, "any news of the Burkes?"

"I have not yet contacted them, besides they are not in a state to comply with us either. With their only son gone on an escapade and the rest of the family weaning out... But if you command, I will present your ideas to them and ask for their cooperation."

"No, no," he shook his head, eyes becoming even less focused on Avery as if the intensity of his thoughts had somehow increased, "I do not want their cooperation. I only want someone to keep an eye on them and inform me what they are up to, that's all. Anything about them which I may have missed though?"

Avery did not know why he was so intrigued about the Burke family, however he knew it wasn't his place to ask so he simply obliged, "they have sent their daughter in the Malfoys' care for the time being. I have heard she was too distressed after all the family has been through and needed a change of atmosphere."

"The Malfoys?"

"Yes, my Lord. Abraxas Malfoy's wife is her first cousin and it is more than plausible that her mother thought the Malfoys' abode was the safest place for her."

Tom nodded slightly, "I see. And how is Abraxas faring with the tasks assigned to him?"

"He has considerable amounts of shares in the Ministry and the Ministry is way too dependent on him for all their financial needs. I believe he is working his best on clearing a path for your plan to be put into action. But it would be best of you ask him about it in person."

"Of course I know that," Tom stood up and Avery did the same, knowing that the meeting had ended and it was time for him to leave. Deep down, he was even relieved of leaving at last. "You have been a faithful follower, Avery, and if you continue to work for me with such devotion, you shall be greatly rewarded."

"Thank you, my Lord," he bowed once again before finally stepping out of the house. No wonder Tom's mere presence was nothing short of a death sentence for him. It was something in his outlook that scared Avery badly, and he should be aware of that since he, Riddle and Abraxas Malfoy had been schoolmates. The very first to join Riddle on his mission towards the Dark Arts. He was afraid of him thus since he had seen him at his very best and his very worst of times.

And no one knew it better than Avery and Malfoy that Tom Marvolo Riddle was the true personification of a lethal serpent. A basilisk that not only kills from his venom but also from his murderous stare.

After Avery had left, Tom closed the door and locked it, his thoughts taking  on a different route altogether. He knew he had to visit Abraxas Malfoy soon. And the reason wasn't only that he wanted to find out how he was tackling things at the Ministry. The real reason was that now the Malfoy Manor housed a soul which was of great value to him. 

And that pure sweet soul was none other than Demelza Burke.

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