Always Together

32. The Foul Truth

Chapter 32 — The Foul Truth

Caitlyn was very much stressed the next days. Especially with the exams coming in June.

"Exams?" asked Seamus Finnigan. "We're still getting exams?"

To which McGonagall replied, "the whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard. Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible. And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."

Three days before the first exam, McGonagall bursted in the Great Hall during breakfast and announced, "I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly.

When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

There was an explosion of cheering. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than he'd looked in days. Even Caitlyn wasn't smiling. She couldn't be caught. She had to go and finally leave the diary in the Chamber and close it forever. And maybe erase everyone's memories.

"It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!" Ron said to Harry. "Hermione'll probably have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days' time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they're over."

Right after breakfast, Caitlyn went to the Chamber of Secrets. After passing through many pipes, she got to a clearing where a boy was standing. Caitlyn held the diary in her hand and threw it over the floor. With that sound, Tom Riddle turned around and smiled.

"Well, hello, Caitlyn. Missed me?" he asked sarcastically.

"No!" she answered furiously. The smile faded away from Riddle's face. "I don't want anything to do with this anymore! I can't be your little slave!"

"Oh, that's a shame," Riddle said in a mocking tone. He advanced a few steps. Caitlyn tried backing off but he placed his hand around her throat and held her tight. "You listen to me, silly girl. I have been patient. Very patient. I listened to you talking, I have been nice to you. And you're not even willing to set me free. I do not tolerate betrayal. Now, you will do exactly as I say, or I will rip your throat and kill you. Get it?"

She nodded scared. How could he say that to her? She was his daughter!

"Good." He let go of her throat and started walking back and forth. "Now, you will go to the corridor where that bloody cat was found and you will write on the wall, 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever'. Then return here. And don't you dare disobey me." She stared at him frightened. "Go. Or do you want to die?"

She shook her head and spun around. Once she exited the Chamber with her heart racing wild. But still, she did as her father said. She walked up to the corridor where the first message was: THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE. She gulped. With her wand, she made a knive appear from thin air and stuck it in her wrist. Then she removed it.

Red blood started flowing out of her wrist while pain filled it also and Caitlyn closed her eyes disgusted. Then she took her finger to it until it had enough blood on it to write on the wall in foot-high letters, 'H', she took more blood. And again and again, until the message was complete: HER SKELETON WILL LIE ON THE CHAMBER FOREVER.

She thought of not going back to the Chamber, but in the end, she went, because she knew she'd get in trouble otherwise. She went through Moaning Myrtle's bathroom again and into the Chamber of Secrets. She ran passed the pipes and faced Tom Riddle again.

"Did you do it?" He asked, his back faced at her.

"Y-yes," she stuttered and gulped. "And now...?"

"And now I kill you," he said, turning around. His eye were only filled with evil.

Caitlyn didn't know what to feel. First atonished, then scared, and finally, confused. She couldn't understand why he'd do such thing. She was his daughter. She helped him.

"W-why?" she asked, her voice tremeling. "I did what you said. Why are you doing this?"

"Because —" he made a pause "— because for me to gain a body of my own, I need to trade with somebody else. You'll be dead, I'll be alive." He face was livid. The horror...! "It was so easy to get you to trust me," he continued. "You did as I said at first. And then I wiped away your memory. But you are bright. You figured it out."

He paused again.

"This was always my plan, daughter. Always," he proceeded, crossing his fingers. Caitlyn played with hers. Then she started walking back, but she fell on the floor. "You think you can escape me? Silly girl." He shook his head in disapproval. "Tut, tut, tut, not so bright. You will die, girl, you will. And I will come back, more powerful than ever."

"Who are you? Because I think you no father at all!" she finally said.

That wasn't the man he said he was. He was no man, in her opinion.

"I am Tom Marvolo Riddle," he answered truthfully.

Then he withdrew her wand from her hand, which she had taken out of her boot. He was no longer a ghost, he was filled with colour. His eyes were just like hers. Them he wrote in the air in red light: TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE. He waved the wand and the letters started moving until it made a full sentence: I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.

And with that, he pointed the wand at Caitlyn. A pale light came out of Caitlyn's body and started going up the wand, involving them both in a net of magic. And then into Voldemort's hand, arm, shoulder, neck, head, and with that it got to his feet. And once she lost senses, he dropped the wand. The light disappeared but it was still giving him strength.

Lord Voldmort was coming back.

Her father was coming back.

Caitlyn was going to die.

Justice be damned.

—-

So sorry I didn't update last Friday, but my school kidnapped me and took me to Spain! Just kidding! But I did go to Merida with my school. Just a few hours away...

Question of the update, cuz dats still man thing: Who knows where I got inspiration to 'Justice be damned.' — clue, the original sentence has another words in 'justice', but it wouldn't make sense in this situation?

Lots and lots and lots of love,

Mad

PS: Thank you every single vote and comment! They make my head spin around! In a good way, obviously...