Masquerade¹ → Tom Riddle [Rewritten] ✓

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

"You took your time Evelyn," Tom tapped his foot against the floor impatiently.

"I did tell you I had never travelled by Floo Powder before! It's not my fault you ran off." She rolled her eyes, making her way towards him at the desk.

"Go up to your room," he handed her an old golden key, "get into something warm, we'll be out for a while."

Evelyn made her way up the wooden staircase, glancing briefly at the moving portraits on her journey. She followed behind Tom until she found her room, "see you soon," she nodded politely at him before she disappeared into her room.

Evelyn unlocked her door with one swift movement and hurried inside, dropping her bag to the floor and glancing in the room. The room contained a small bed, neatly made, two straight-backed chairs, a washstand, a bureau--without any mirror--and a small table. There were no drapery curtains at the dormer windows, no pictures on the wall. The room lacked any signs of life. Although Evelyn supposed they would be spending more time outside, doing whatever Tom had planned for their visit.

Evelyn pulled a navy jumper over her sweater and bundled her coat around herself as though she was preparing for hibernation. She picked up her bag and flung it over her shoulder, pacing in her room until it was almost time to meet Tom. After five more minutes, she hurried down the grand staircase and headed out of the door, her heart racing with every step she took.

As soon as she noticed Tom appear behind her, her face quickly turned sour. "Why are we even here Tom?"

"We are here for business," he muttered, beginning to walk towards a dense patch of woodland.

"What business do you have in Albania?" She trailed behind him, speeding up until she was walking directly beside him.

"There's something hidden in this forest, something that I desire."

Evelyn searched her mind, exploring every memory she had until she remembered her dream. Tom was searching for a diadem: not just any diadem, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. "What do you want with Rowena Ravenclaws Diadem?"

"So you figured it out, took you long enough. Why I want it is none of your business though Evelyn, you will find out soon enough." He picked up his pace.

"Why am I here then?"

"You agreed to come," he reminded her.

Evelyn sighed, "well yes, but you asked me here."

"I require something from you, something you know that I do not."

"You don't know where the Diadem is, do you?" He shook his head. "That's why I'm here, I know something you don't."

He scoffed lightly, "unfortunately, you do indeed."

Evelyn smiled briefly, before continuing forwards and disappearing into the dense woodlands.

All of the trees were tightly knit, just one strand in a massive web of life. Green leaves, yellow leaves, red leaves. It was a rainbow of rich, autumnal colours. The scent of earth and water drifted through the air. It was a picture of serenity, one which would endure for many long years. Evelyn and Tom trekked for hours until the sun had dipped below the trees and the moon has risen to its peak.

"When do we stop?" Evelyn asked, her breath becoming raspy as she spoke.

"When we find the Diadem," Tom replied bluntly, picking up his pace and delving deeper into the forest.

"I'm tired," Evelyn said stopping in her tracks, "we are stopping right now."

Tom turned to face her, "what makes you think I take orders from you now?"

"The fact that you just stopped." She smiled at him, his face scrunching and twisting in discomfort. Evelyn dropped her backpack on the dusty ground, reaching deep inside and pulling out a tent. With a swift movement of her wand, her tent assembled itself and stood upright.

She put down her bag and placed it inside of her tent before turning around to see Tom had already assembled his and was unzipping the tent door. "Goodnight Evelyn." He said, turning away and entering his tent without another word.

Evelyn felt the corners of her lips slowly turning upwards at the sound of his voice but quickly stopped them in their tracks. She climbed into her tent cautiously and sat down. Tom and Evelyn had walked for hours and her feet were killing her, slowly she lowered her body onto the ground of the tent and the second her body hit the ground, she was out like a light.

Her sleep was surprisingly undisturbed. In her sleep, she was a child again. In her dreams, she had comfort, freedom and love. In her sleep, she had it all, everything she had missed and everything she had ever wanted or needed. She didn't want to wake up. A carousel of dreams continued through her mind, happy memories causing her lips to curl upwards into a smile. Evelyn felt blissful. She finally felt at peace.

Abruptly, her bliss was cut off by a sharp screeching sound. Her body instinctively flung upwards as though she was being pulled. Her mind was aching with curiosity as her body pulled her out of her tent and into the forest. It was as though there was a magnetic force calling to her, she wasn't in control of her body.

Darkness surrounded her. Stepping into the forest robbed Evelyn of one sense and heightened the others. It was disorientating to be almost blinded but given the ears of a wolf. Blackness nurtured a sense of claustrophobia inside her that she was unaware she possessed, although the woodland stretched unbroken for miles, Evelyn felt trapped inside the darkness.

Ahead of her was a narrow path, which was made uneven by the knotted roots that crossed it, branching at intervals: there was no map to follow, but even if there was, the perpetual dark prevented her from even considering using one.

Evelyn wished to stay still, but an invisible force pulled her forward, deeper and deeper into the forest. Silence was broken by a piercing metallic screeching in her ears, causing Evelyn to let out a muffled scream. Something or someone was calling out to her, demanding to be heard, and Evelyn had to oblige.

She traipsed through the darkness, using only her hearing to help her navigate herself toward a tall tree. As soon as she looked up, she saw the source of the noise, she spotted a sapphire glow emerging from atop the tree, a sapphire glow she knew she had to explore, it was calling out to her and she had to listen.

With the light from the glowing sapphire, Evelyn could finally see her surroundings, hundreds of trees surrounded her, but this one was different. Whilst everything about it seemed usual, upon closer inspection, Evelyn saw it. Hidden within the grooves was a shape, a shape she had seen in her common room for six years, the shape of Ravenclaw. She ran her fingers across the markings with a sigh, she had done it.

Looking up, Evelyn knew what she had to do, she had to climb. Her hand latched onto the first branch and she used her strength to pull her body up, grasping onto another branch and continuing the climb to the source of the light. Whenever she felt as though she could carry on no longer, she simply glanced at the glow and felt revitalized, it was calling for her, begging her to come and Evelyn was willing to oblige. She simply had to.

As she got nearer the top of the large oak, she noticed a silvery peak peering out from the tree, a diadem. A diadem she had been seeking, a diadem that for some reason, she needed to find, she simply had to do it.

She kept climbing until the diadem was within arms reach. Extending her dainty fingertips, she shivered as she felt the cool metal against her skin. "I did it." She found herself whispering. As she touched it, she recoiled, as though an electrical current of power was surging through her, she felt like a true Ravenclaw.

Evelyn clutched the Diadem tighter as she heard a rustle deep within the forest, "is anyone there?" She had to protect it, no matter the cost. She raised her wand, aiming it in the direction of the noise, a spell resting on her lips ready to be sprung at any moment.

Suddenly, a jet of bright amber light collided with her body at full force, pushing her from the branch and causing her body to tumble to the floor. The Diadem fell from her grasp and as her vision began to fade she heard a voice that she wished she hadn't. The realisation only truly sunk in as she drifted into unconsciousness.