Popular Monster | Tomione

Chapter 02: This is War

It's the moment of truth,
and the moment to lie;
the moment to live
and the moment to die.
~ 30 Seconds to Mars ~

~Hogwarts, 13th July 1943, Friday~

With a stare from his eyes, Tom Marvolo Riddle closed his trunk with a combination of wandless and accidental magic. Weaving a small net of slender black chains around his possessing with his right hand, he moved his left hand with the Ring of the House of Gaunt to the concealed and magically enlarged breast pocket of his vest. He felt the dark magic flowing through his skin as he pressed the leather cover of a part of his soul against his skin, enjoying the rush of the power it promised him.

Tom grinned a full teeth grin as he remembered how primitive humans were when they were standing face to face with death. What a shame that they don't teach the Dark Arts anymore. Not even the Grey Arts were taught at that goddamn school.

The memory of the high-pitched scream and the sound of the splatter of blood against the stone walls aroused him. As much as he wanted to give in to the arousal, he had to pack his things and get ready to leave Hogwarts for the summer.

Oh how he dreaded think back to the orphanage his sorry mother gave birth to him in. Mrs Cole has been nothing but cruel to him since the moment she sensed that he was special, magical. As a muggle, she couldn't grasp the intelligence and power of such a small child. But unlike her, Tom knew he was smart and could do things others cannot do, and he used it for his own profit. In such a cold and gruesome world, his magic was the only thing keeping him alive.

It kept him from freezing to death when Mrs Cole's assistant, Martha Koch, poured ice cold water regardless of the weather over him as a punishment for the smallest of mishaps, bursts of magic. His magic lit up his world whenever he was locked up in the box of shame, a small box made of chipboard where small splinters stood out everywhere, piercing into his skin and drawing his precious blood out of his body. It was his magic that healed his wounds, promised him that out of all bad things that could happen to him, he still will be able to survive in the end.

For Tom Marvolo Riddle, his magic was his sun ray on a cloudy day, his bonfire in the permanent winter.

The fact that wizards too could, no, will die, scared him shitless and made him question the legitimacy of the rules and laws he was taught. Magic was there to help the wizard! Magic could do anything, anything that muggles cannot imagine! He could use magic to read someone's mind, to catch and store his memories, to predict the future, but he cannot use it to prolong his life? Or to prolong any other person's life.

Why on earth do wizards and witches have a hospital to cure them from any sickness and injury when in the end, their patients are left to die when the powerless magic they were allowing themselves to use didn't work. Of course it wouldn't work! Because it's too powerless, too superficial to heal the major wounds. No wonder they refer to their clients as patients, because patience was the only thing that held this structure of a house of cards together.

There was no Good nor Bad, just power.
There was no Light nor Dark, as Light is just a lighter shade of Dark and Dark a darker shade of Light.

"It is time, we should head out."

Abraxas Malfoy's blonde hair moved into his sight and gestured towards the door of their shared dorm. Tom nodded at him and with a curl of his finger, his trunk levitated and followed him through the Slytherin common room.

"My Lord, I would like to repeat my offer. Malfoy manor is always open for you", Abraxas said and nodded slightly.

"I have an important task to complete in the summer, but I will remember your generous offer, Abraxas", he said and flashed him a smile.