[2] after darkness → tom riddle

Chapter Twenty: 6574 days

October 31st, 1948

He was back again. She didn't think he listened, but he always does. He knew she would be alone. Dove and Rune were at Hogwarts, celebrating their first Halloween as a married couple by attending the Halloween Feast. Ever since they had gotten married, Dove had been living with Rune at Hogwarts during the week and on weekends she'd come back to live with Ophelia at their flat. It was just the three of them in the house. They could be their old selves when they were alone, they were always alone together. Achromatic was outside, wandering the streets somewhere, certainly not going to be back anytime soon.

The more he came over, the more wrong she knew it was, but she couldn't bring herself to turn him away. She still loved him, for all of his wrongdoings, and he still cared for her.

The first few times he came over after they reconciled, they just talked. They would talk about anything: politics, animals, muggles, travelling. She felt safe with him again. As though he never hurt her, as though he never killed her friends.

Soon after the visits became more frequent, that was when things became more intimate. It started off with an accidental brush of the finger, to purposely holding hands, to a light peck on the cheek, and then on the lips. Their little intimate moments progressed over time, becoming more intimate as time went on.

The first night they had sex was when she snapped back into reality, only for a brief second though. Her mind raced with thoughts. What was she thinking? Her eighteen-year-old heartbroken self would have killed her, but it just felt so right.

He came over more and more often. The more he came over, the more passionate things got between them. They were unable to control themselves around each other. But tonight was different.

It was Halloween, spirits were free to come out and play. But that wasn't the only prominent thing about tonight. It was the fourth month without her period. She knew she was carrying their child, and that's what made tonight difficult. She was going to tell him, and she was to put an end to their entire relationship.

He had the usual smile on his face when he saw her, he stepped forward, cupping her chin in his hand, bringing her face closer to his. When their lips touched, he felt whole, she felt incomplete. He tried to deepen the kiss, but she just stood there.

He stopped the kiss, released her face and stepped back. He scanned over face looking for a sign as to why she wasn't kissing back. And there it was, the sign. She was holding her hands on her stomach, he noticed she had gotten bigger on her stomach, but to be polite he didn't acknowledge it out loud. How could have he been so stupid? How did he not realise she was pregnant?

Pregnant. That's what she was. Pregnant. There was a growing fetus inside of her, their unborn child was barely five inches long. He was genuinely happy, delighted in fact. He didn't realise how much he wanted this baby until now. But when he kissed her again, that's when he knew he would never meet their baby.

He shook his head, genuine fear rising inside of him. "You can't." He said as he watched her face, she didn't show any remorse in her decision.

"We can't keep her," she said,

"Her," he repeated as he held out his hand and rested it on her stomach, "how are you so sure that it's a girl?"

"I just have that feeling," she smiled, "but, you and I both know we can't keep her."

"Why? We can start fresh, we can get out of here, I can take care of you both," he tried not to cry, but this was the first time he felt genuine pain, "we can be a family."

It hurt her to see him like this but somehow she knew that his intentions for the baby weren't as he seemed to let on, "Tom, please, you know we can't."