Extreme Remedies ( Tom Riddle Era )

Chapter 37

"We drew up a landscape
We climbed down a ladder
Carved out a memory
To follow the pattern
And now on a clear glass wall
I can see my faith
You know it s never too late

...

A vision is a portrait
A palate of colors
We swim in an ocean
With blindfolded lovers
And now that I ve found my side
Oh, I finally realize that it was there the whole time

Oh, if you re hearing this
I must have made it through
Oh, when the clouds are burned
Open up my window
I see the sky's still blue

Sky still blue, Andrew Belle

~~~~~~

Although they had been away for just few days for the holidays, Hogwarts looked different to Evelyn's eyes as she silently followed Tom back into their school.
He didn't want to share about his loss except for the closest people. And he hated any comforting words related to that topic.
Respecting his need of silence, day after day Evelyn watched him getting back his student life and his duties as Prefect.
Although he looked struggling deeply with his sorrow, his grades weren't affected.
At the first lesson of Apparition, he succeeded in apparating at the first try.

The more she kept an eye on him the more she felt intimidated. Weeks later, although he wanted to pretend that he moved on, she saw him as a boy who lost his compass and was disoriented.

"He turned very quiet" Dumbledore commented, when she looked for his company since he was the only wizard who she hoped could undertand and help "He keeps overworking, but he doesn't like to speak".
"Same with me" she murmured with a sigh.
"He needs to open up, at least with you" Dumbledore suggested strongly "Keeping all inside will damage him".
"But what can I do? He knows that I'm always there for him and I can listen and support him whenever he needs me. But he is just speechless. Or he can't find any words to express how he feels".
The wizard nodded thoughtfully "Maybe only time can recover his wounds. You are an orphan too. That's a sad, yet fundamental thing in common. So you're the one he most likely will ask for help".
Evelyn stared nervously into his penetrating blue eyes and confessed "He scares me a little. We hunted the dragon and I saw how powerful he is. Now he is relying on that power to deal with his sorrow. I just have the same fears of when he opened the Chamber and I feared that he could surrender to the dark arts".
Dumbledore leaned on the desk to place a hand on hers "You're not alone in this battle this time. His loss makes him vulnerable but we won't let him take the wrong path".
The girl nodded, promising to herself to do anything to help Tom out of his sorrow.

After seeing him leaving dinner without eating much, like a shadow Evelyn followed Tom through the castle as he focused on his patrolling shift.
Nothing about his expressions and his gestures betrayed his emotions.
Evelyn wondered if it could be good that he learned to wear that mask so easily.
Tired of being just an observer, she walked out of her hiding corner and insisted on him to give up on his boring patrolling.
"You can't distract a prefect from his duties" Tom complained without much confidence.
They were on the seventh floor, so Evelyn knew where they could go.
Ignoring his complaints, she walked back and forth and pulled his arm, opening the door that appeared in a wall.
"Sorry to say it, but you look sick" she commented eyeing him after locking themselves in the Room of Requirement.
"I'm fine. I just have a lot to do".
"Maybe you need some rest. You're too thrown into your duties".
"It's the only way to stop me from thinking too much".
"Is it?".
Tom blinked slightly confused, then sighed and hugged her.
She wished the hug could last longer, but he unwrapped it without letting her go.
He pulled her hair back and hid his face in the crook of her neck.
Evelyn stiffened as she suspected what he wanted to do.
His lips tasted her skin but they weren't enough to chase her tension away.
Evelyn felt it was wrong, but she didn't have the strength to tell him to stop. She didn't want him to feel rejected.
His fingers started to unbutton his shirt, then moved to undress her, but eventually Tom broke and started to sob on her shoulder.
"It's alright" Evelyn comforted him, hugging him tightly and encouraging him to push out his sorrow.