riddle ▷ Tom Riddle Era

R E L E V A T I O N S

The dark stone walls seemed to close in on the pair, and Arabella reached out with her hands to feel the walls and feel her way through the darkness. She could sense Tom inches behind her, his breathing shallow and excited. "Tom," she whispered. "Hold the back of my robes. I don't want to get separated." 

Although the corridor seemed normal, there was the stench of old and powerful magic in the air, sour and bitter like acid in Arabella's mouth. If they weren't careful, a powerful charm could split them up without them ever realizing until it was too late. Arabella nor Tom had any idea what awaited them at the end of the tunnel, and both wanted to be within each other's presence when they found out. 

However, instead of grabbing the fabric of her robe, Tom curled his fingers around Arabella's waist. She shivered. 

"I think I can see light," Tom said, his breath fanning across the back of Arabella's neck. "We are almost at the end of this tunnel." 

Soon enough, they emerged into a round chamber with a large slab of stone in the middle. "Merlin's beard," Arabella said as she got closer and realised what it was. "Tom, this is a coffin. We're in a tomb." Looking around, Arabella noted that despite the age of the room, the stone was clear of dust or cobwebs. A golden shimmer gleamed in the corner of her eye and Arabella knew there was a powerful magic in this room. More powerful than anything she had felt before. Tom felt it too and he trembled with anticipation and awe. 

"I'm opening it," Tom said quietly. He pulled his wand from his sleeve and waved it. "Bombarda," he said softly and the lid of the stone coffin exploded with a bang. 

Arabella screamed and lifted her hands to cover her face. Shards of stone flew everywhere but didn't hit either her or Tom. She glanced over and saw he had quickly cast a shield charm around the both of them silently. His normally expressionless face was glowing with anticipation, his eyes gleamed brightly and his wand arm was tense and trembling with his power. He was beautiful. He was powerful. 

Arabella came closer to Tom and they both gazed into the stone. 

"Merlin's beard," Arabella said again, the same time Tom laughed. 

A girl lay in the stone chamber. Black haired and pale, Arabella recognized her instantly. Albeit she was older than in the painting, Arabella knew she was the girl from the second painting by S.S. 

"How is this possible?" Arabella said, glancing over at Tom. He shrugged and brushed the girl's face with a finger softly. 

"She's warm," he said and grinned. "Who is she?" 

Before he could draw his wand to lift her from where she lay, there was a sudden bang and a flash of black smoke. Arabella and Tom leaped away from the tomb and glanced over to where a table now stood, smoke still lifting from the wooden surface. He glanced at the girl one more time then inched slowly to the table and picked the letter up gently that sat in the middle by itself. His eyes lifted to meet Arabella's and he smirked and peeled the envelope open. 

"It says, to wake her, we have to tell a terrible truth," Tom said, his eyes scanning the parchment. 

"A terrible truth?" Arabella said. "What does that mean?"

But Tom didn't answer Arabella. Instead, he leaned down and whispered something into the tomb and when he stood up again, a gust of wind suddenly blew around the chamber despite there being no way for wind to get in. Magic. Whatever Tom had said as his terrible truth, it had been accepted. And now Arabella had to do the same for the girl to wake up. Whoever she was, Arabella hoped it was going to be worth it. 

Tom watched and stood back to give Arabella her privacy to say her truth and waited with his green eyes never blinking, always watching. Arabella swallowed and leaned forward. She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly seemed dry and she wondered if anything would come out if she tried to speak. She hadn't told anyone this. Edmund knew, but that was only due to him being a nosy gargoyle and snooping in her file. That reminded Arabella- if Tom was so powerful, he would be able to erase it from her records. That would be the next act she took once they were out of this chamber. 

"We don't have all day," Tom quipped suddenly. "Whoever she is, I want her awake so I can make her tell me about the paintings." 

Arabella nodded and breathed in deeply. Then she whispered softly and felt her heart drop into her stomach as it always did when she thought or spoke of it. "I was conceived under false pretenses. My mother was one of Grindelwald's most loyal fanatics and my father was a high-born Pureblood. My mother wanted to usurp him from his post so she poisoned him with a love potion, had me then got him sent away for having an illegitimate child. Once she was done with me, she abandoned me. I will never be able to love anyone because of how the love potion messed me up." 

Arabella shuddered and wiped her face furiously. She hated the fact that her mother had used her only as a means to an end, and when the end was met, she threw her out like yesterdays trash. Being conceived under a love potion meant she could never truly love someone. Her heart was cold. She was born to be a weapon to be wielded against others. 

The wind blew around the room again, but this time, the chamber was filled with a green light and it flashed fantastically around the chamber for a few brief seconds. When the light died, the girl was clambering out of the coffin, stretching her arms and neck, her dark eyes sparkling dangerously like onyx in the night. "Well, well, well," she said, her voice deep and melodic. "It sure feels good to be awake again. She stepped from the tomb, her dark hair falling straight down her back. She was clothed in a silver slip that seemed to glow like starlight and made her pale skin appear almost luminescent. She was ethereal. 

Tom gazed upon the girl with narrowed eyes and held his wand tightly. "Who are you?" 

The girl glanced at his wand and laughed. She waved her hand absentmindedly and Tom's wand went flying from his grasp and hit the stone wall on the other side of the chamber with a flash of golden sparks and fell to the ground. He gaped at her, in a moment on unusual surprise. He glanced over at Arabella who had fallen back to his side in shock and fear and reached out. With strength, he pulled her quickly behind him and pressed her against his back, shielding her from the woman from the tomb. 

The dark-haired girl noticed this and smiled, revealing white teeth behind her red lips. "You don't have anything to worry about, dear Tom," she said happily. "We are, after all, related." 

"Who are you?" Tom asked again, his eyes narrowing at the revelation of his relations with her. 

"Dear, descendant," the girl said softly. "My name is Sinclair. Sinclair Slytherin."