Fate Untold (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter 9: Tom Riddle Has a Heart

Ashley laid stomach-down, lounging on the floor of her dormitory. Her legs casually swung in the air as she sketched a rough outline of the stones she'd found in the Forbidden Forest. She connected each one the exact ways the pebbles did, forming a large pentagram. She drew the points as the different colored crystals of the boulders placed on each spot. She began mentally selecting from her list of friends, assigning one to each point. However, she stopped and frowned when she noticed something...odd about the picture. Moko, watching from over her shoulder, was quick to comment about her sudden pause.

"What is it?" He hissed curiously.

"I don't know... I feel like it's missing something." Ashley replied, chewing on her bottom lip.

Due to a helpful flash of memory, she then remembered the first time she had been shown the magical symbol. Her hand moved on its own accord and in the middle of the pentagram, a rightful 'X' was plotted. She grinned, satisfied with her work, and pushed herself up from the floor. She put her things back in her trunk and pocketed her sketch just as an owl swept inside the room. Recognizing it as the Malfoys' messenger owl, she gladly accepted the offered envelope and sent the owl on its way. She tore open the envelope and furrowed her eyebrows at the lack of parchment inside. Instead, what she found was a small silver key. Upon touching it, she was immediately overwhelmed by the uncomfortable feeling of using a portkey.

She was dropped on her back and forced to close her eyes to steady her spinning world. When she was confident her sight would be fine again, she opened her eyes and was met with a smirking Dark Lord hovering above her. He extended a generous hand, one she aggressively took hold of, and pulled her up to her feet.

"A warning would've been nice." She grumbled, glaring heatedly.

"That wouldn't have been nearly as much fun." Tom chuckled.

He turned and walked away, leaving Ashley to survey her surroundings. She had been dropped in a grand suite that could have only belonged to wealthy pure-bloods who lived to show off, none other than the Malfoys. Moko, who had not stopped complaining until that particular moment, had been the one to notice the coiled individual in one corner of the room. No longer irritated, he slithered down Ashley's persona and hurriedly asked her to cast Engorgio. She then watched him slither towards a cautious Nagini, blinking as the two serpents began to bond. The Potter Heiress smiled softly and shook her head before trailing over to where Tom was, plopping down cross-legged on the armchair next to his.

"Have you found the tree yet?" He asked upfront.

"If I did, I would have already told you." Ashley snapped.

The search for the Tree of Life, fruitless as it was (mostly), was a definite sore subject, enough to bring out the temperamental aftereffect of her sleepless nights. Having spent time with her soul-bonded had only helped so much, especially since they weren't entirely bonded. The nightmares of blood and murder were as present and vivid as ever.

Seeing Tom's fleeting look of surprise, Ashley quietly apologized and slouched into her seat. The Slytherin Lord scrutinized her through slightly narrowed eyes but chose to say nothing yet. He called for a house-elf named Libby who had been tasked to prepare tea for him and his expected guest. Ashley graciously accepted the teacup and thanked Libby, earning a little squeak from the timid creature. Once the Hogwarts Heirs were left alone again, Tom leaned back and rested an ankle over one knee, drumming his free fingers on his leg.

"What's happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't act so clueless. You're not acting like your usual irritating self. That obviously means something's wrong. Now, I'm going to ask again, what happened?"