[2] after darkness → tom riddle

Chapter Six: A Dark View

Hours had passed since their encounter with their old school friends from Hogwarts, and they had finally returned back to the giant manor in west county of Wiltshire. The four had arrived at the gates and began to walk up to the building. They walked in silence, hand-in-hand with their wives as they admired their surroundings.

Once they reached the front door, it opened by itself and they headed into the large living area. Sat inside was Tom Riddle and his followers laughing and joking with a glass of whiskey in each other their hands, except the females drank wine.

"You're finally home, I see," Tom Riddle spoke from where he was by the fireplace, "what took you so long?"

Alatar gave his infamous devilish smile as he took off his coat and placed it onto the coat hanger. "You'd never guess who we ran into today," Alatar laughed as he watched Tom's eyes grow darker as they began to focus on him more.

"Who?" Tom asked he lifted his head up and watched Alatar poor himself and his wife a drink.

"Ophelia Lockwood," Alatar turned and faced Tom.

There were gasps within the room and whispers between the men and women in the room began. Tom, however, kept a straight face, though his heart was racing.

"A very fine message came from Caspian Rutherford," Malfoy laughed, "he told us to tell you everything that happened with our little encounter, and then for you to shove it up your arse. He's always been ever so rude."

"She was with Caspian?" Tom asked and surprised look on his face.

Alatar nodded, "she was, along with her beloved Emory, Dove and Rune Lufkin, Nicole Andre, Morgandy Crook, as well as my beloved little brother, who is now married to Helen, may I add. And Ophelia is also married to Emory, they have two children."

Tom's eyes grew darker as he chucked the glass from his hand against the wall, the glass shattering as soon as it came into contact with the wall, light curses came from his mouth as he tried to compose himself. Everyone flinching from where they sat, as they feared for their own safety. Tom threw his head back and laughed once he fully composed himself and traced over Alatar's words, "Dove and Rune Lufkin? I've known since day one they'd marry, who else is married?"

"I'm assuming Abbott and Fawley are, I saw rings and they were holding hands, as well as Nicole Andre and Theodore Rothschild," Lakyn perked up.

"Wow," Lachlann laughed, "you killed the poor girl's boyfriend and she goes off and marries one of his best mates."

Tom chuckled at Lachlann's comment and nodded his head over to him.

"Morgandy had a wedding ring on her too, looks like she moved on from Starr too," Alatar scoffed, "as well as looking pregnant, so it's obviously a man she's married to, I'm assuming it's the man that we saw with them, I didn't recognise him."

"Her sexual orientation doesn't matter, but it is surprising how they've moved on and married others," Tom shook his head.

"Who else was there?" Orion spoke up from where he was sitting on the sofa next to his wife, Walburga.

"Yes, Orion, your sister was there with Ignatius, they're married you know, there's now another ring there," Lacey, Alatar's wife rolled her eyes as she drank her wine.

"If Ignatius was there that means Iakona was too," Walburga looked at Lacey.

Lacey nodded, "cosying up to Edison Convington too," Lacey laughed, "it's like they've all formed together after all Iakona did have two rings on her finger."

"As did Twyla, no doubt Enoch proposed as soon as they left school," Malfoy laughed as he looked to Arkin, "oh, kind words from Ophelia Lockwood herself, she sends her love to you four, Arkin, Annabeth, Orion and Walburga, as well as her congratulations on your marriage."

"She's done that to spite us, hasn't she?" Annabeth looked to Malfoy.

"No," Arkin shook his head, "she would never spite anyone when it comes to their happiness, especially Orion, they were such good friends once."

Orion and Arkin looked at each other, Orion soon had a broken-hearted frown on his face. It wasn't a surprise to Arkin, he knew Orion regretted leaving with Tom. He missed his sister, and he missed his best friend. From day one Arkin has encouraged Orion to leave, but he knew his wife would never forgive him nor would anyone else for that matter.

Tom looked to Malfoy, his heart began to race as he came out of his trance.

"Huw and Iolo were there, as well as Archer, Daxten and Vincent," Tom looked at Malfoy, "even Elowen and Olivia, as well as Franko, Felix and Geraldine?"

"Archer's married," Malfoy looked at Tom, "but I'm sure I told you that after my last visit to the ministry, Geraldine and Vincent are married, as for Daxten and Elowen, I'm sure they're a thing but there's no ring."

"What else did you find out?" Tom asked.

Malfoy looked to his wife, and then back to Tom, "Ophelia is an auror, she works with Carr at the ministry," Tom took in a deep breath and Malfoy looked into Tom's eyes.

"That was a full gone conclusion," Odgar Nott spoke up from the furthest side of the room, "as soon as the attack was over we knew she would be after us."

"Shut your mouth, Nott," Tom spat as he turned to look at a slightly intoxicated Odgar, "she obviously would, and you four provoked her. However, I'm not concerned about Ophelia, there's some things that you do not know about her, she'll be stupid to try and come after us."

"Of course you'd say that," Odgar argued back, "after all these years, you still think she cares for you, do you honestly think you can charm your way back in and make her fall in love with you again? And the provoking? How else are they going to get anything out of her?"

"Cruciartus curse," Lakyn whispered to her husband.

Tom gave a quick evil-filled glance to Lakyn, but soon fully turned his body and began to walk towards Odgar.

"What? You gonna gimme a taste of my own medicine?" Odgar shrugged, "why are we just sat here waiting around, Tom? We were killing people, mudbloods may I add, when we were seventeen, then all of a sudden we have a battle against Ophelia Lockwood and Alatar's pathetic excuse for a brother, and we stop."

Tom stopped in front of him, he stared him up and down and gave him an obnoxiously dirty look. "We stopped because only they know," Tom looked at Odgar, "Ophelia no doubt will not do anything, but that doesn't mean Carr or Oliphant won't do anything. Those two are so concerned about Ophelia they're probably building an army."

"Building an army?" Malfoy spoke up, "trust me, there was no one new there, it's the same people."

"Ophelia knows my ways, I told her too much when we were in school," Tom looked back to Malfoy, "she knows everything, and I only told her it all because I thought she would join us, same with her godforsaken twin cousins, how could have I been so stupid?"

Tom walked over to the side table that was filled with alcoholic liquor, he grabbed a glass and began to pour himself a whiskey. Instead of stopping at the reasonable rate to take whiskey in one, he filled it right before the brim and drank the whole thing in one. "I'm worried," Tom admitted, "I'm worried that she will be the one to cause our ultimate downfall."

Orion caught eye contact with Tom, "you know she's got it in her, you know she's going to come back more powerful than ever."

Tom nodded, he winced at the thought of Ophelia taking him down, he knew he had to stop it.

"I've got an idea," Tom perked up as he looked at each person of the group. Tom grabbed a piece of parchment from the side and began to scribble something down on it. "I need one of you to use your parents' connections to the ministry to see when Ophelia works," Tom spoke up, "then I'll pay her a visit, just me, alone, try to reason with her."

"No need too," Arkin stood up, "auror's only get two days off a month, considering it's a weekend, no doubt Ophelia took yesterday and today off, so she'll probably be back in work tomorrow."

"Then I shall pay her a visit tomorrow," Tom gave a low smirk.

"Anything to see her again," Odgar whispered to himself at the back.

Tom sat down in the leather armchair, focusing on the fire whilst blocking out the surrounding noise that came from his followers. Mentally preparing himself for tomorrow.