Extreme Ways ( A Tom Riddle fanfiction )

Chapter 36

"And - and the diadem?"
"It remained where I had hidden it when I heard the Baron blundering through the forest toward me. Concealed inside a hollow tree."
"A hollow tree?" repeated Harry. "What tree? Where was this?"
"A forest in Albania. A lonely place I thought was far beyond my mother's reach."

HP7

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Evelyn glanced tiredly at her aunt. It's been just a couple of days that she said goodbye to Hogwarts and she was ready to leave with Tom for their journey in Albania.
They lied saying they were going to Italy as a little graduation present, although they weren't in safe times and more people were dying in the wizarding war.
Tom cared to plan the trip, finding a way to reach the country and get some muggle money. Sadly or luckily there were no magic communities close to that forest, so they would have been all on their own.
Evelyn just hoped that the research wouldn't last too long.
She rolled her eyes as her aunt kept insisting on finding a job after returning from their trip. The witch was more concerned with making her niece get an employment than with the idea that the girl was leaving for a journey alone with a boy to a far country for the first time.
Her uncle joined the discussion, supporting his wife's point of view.
"I'm not ready to work at the Ministry. It's the Ministry that took my parents away" Evelyn said angrily.
"Your parents struggled to get the job they liked" her aunt replied firmly "They loved to make researches and to travel, so they got those missions. If that's not what you like, then find something that you like to do here".
Evelyn frowned at those unexpected words. Travelling and researching was right what she and Tom were going to do. It sent a chill through her.
"I need this little journey with Tom. So I can clear my mind" she concluded firmly.
Nothing was going to stop them. After years of researches, it was time to check if they had any chance to find the relic.

The impatience grew as she and Tom fled from England and traveled Europe on magic and muggle means of transport, until they finally reached the country called Albania.
Their only way to get oriented in total strange places was using the maps that Tom carefully studied.
"This must be the forest she mentioned" he said confidently as they left the main road to walk amongst old trees "We just have to find a hollow tree".
"If that tree is still there. Many centuries passed and there could be nothing left of that tree or someone could have found it in all this time" the haste that drove them there started to darken as they walked deeper into the forest.
Tom rolled his eyes "We already argued on that. That diadem is magical, I'm sure it preservated itself somehow. We just have to detect its magic".
"I do hope so. But we already roamed around the forest for hours and I felt nothing".
"Maybe it's time we use magic" Tom took his wand and raised it "Accio diadem!".
As expected, nothing happened.
Tom tried some more advanced summoning spells and charms to detect magic objects, with no results.
After the sunset, they decided to stop roaming to create a camp for the night.
The most important thing was to take some rest in the safest way, so they focused on the protecting spells.
Evelyn raised the barrier around their camp, then felt Tom at her back as he united his magic to hers to make the protection stronger.
"This should be enough" he said in the end, lowering his wand arm "Do you feel it's safe?".
She smiled at him and teased him with her wand brushing his neck "I dare anyone to try to pass through it. Unless there are other magical creatures here we are not aware of".
"I don't think any creature could survive against our barriers" he tried to pull her wand away from her grip, getting the result that he pulled the girl closer.
She chuckled, enjoying the sensation of fear mixed with excitement, but she focused on other necessities "Aren't you hungry?".

The first night in the forest was quiet. Tom made the tent the most comfortable as possible, still they were so worried they had troubles falling asleep and spent hours talking about their plans.
She curled up on the blanket, pulling Tom's arm closer around her, also to feel the comfort of his body's warmth. It would have been a nightmare to wake up alone.
The next day was just the same. They roamed all around the forest, checking every hollow trees, but with no success.
Evelyn's positiveness evaporated and also Tom became irascible, although she was careful not to cause him losing his temper.
Tom didn't want to leave that forest without the diadem, but they didn't plan to spend more than a couple of days in that forest and they were running out of food.
Tom offered to steal something from the nearest muggle village, but Evelyn insisted that it would just bring the wizards of the Ministry on them.
The fascination for the forest was turning into hatred. Evelyn wondered how the Grey Lady could have lived alone in that lonely place just for the love of that diadem. Evelyn would have traded the diadem for some decent food and company without a second thought.