Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Chapter Five - Myrtle Warren

"Are you just going to stand there gawking at me or are you going to tell me what the hell your problem is?" asked Tom again, only in a more gentle tone.

Rose attempted to maintain her composure; only she couldn't make sense of what she had just seen. She wished she could remember the finer details of her nightmare. Where was she? Who were all of those people in the room? Were they the Knights of Walpurgis? It would have made sense, but the drastic alter in Tom Riddle's appearance made no sense to her. It couldn't have been a true vision... just a nightmare.

"I – I'm sorry," she sputtered.

"Did you have a vision?" he asked as he eyed her suspiciously.

"No," she answered honestly. She ran her fingers through her hair out of confusion and frustration.

Tom deftly stepped closer to her, she would have stepped back from him but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was still immensely drawn to him.

"Don't lie to me," he said sternly. "Tell me what's wrong."

Rose's eyes immediately welled with tears as she stared into his face. Was Tom really destined to turn into a monster? Wasn't there anything she could do to save him? His eyes were full of concern, but his facial expression showed no emotion to the girl standing in front of him.

"How many Horcruxes are you planning to make, Tom?" she said with eyes full of tears that were on the brink of falling down her cheeks.

He stared at her quizzically. He wondered what had brought her to this. He knew deep down that she had a vision, even if it wasn't in that moment. She had seen something that deeply disturbed her, and he could tell that she was scared for him. She feared for his soul.

"Seven," he breathed honestly.

Of course, thought Rose. Seven. The most powerful magical number. However, she knew that seven Horcruxes meant seven murders... her heart squeezed in her chest as she stared at the young man in front of her. Tom was so incredibly broken, and no matter how much she tried to shower him with love, he constantly bathed her in his pain.

"Seven," she repeated quietly. She wondered what he had been up to this summer... had he already done it?

"How many do you have?" she whispered, tears staining her face.

"Two," he said, stone faced. "You know this."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief. She still had time to save him...

"I'm not going to ask you again," he said. "What's the matter?"

Rose didn't respond. She just pulled his face closer to her until their lips met. This time, their kiss was gentle, but just as powerful.

Rose knew that the future was ever changing, and she felt compelled, now more than ever, to save Tom Riddle. She did not know how she was going to do it, but she knew that she needed to. His soul was broken, yes. But that did not mean that he was a lost cause. She knew that he loved her, in his own twisted, fucked up way.

"I'm fine," she said finally as she pulled away.

"Is this about my Horcruxes?" he asked, skeptically. She knew she would have to make up a story if she wanted to convince him. She was thankful there was a barrier up inside her mind. She could never tell Tom about the monster he was supposedly destined to become. She could lose him forever if she did that and it was not a risk she was willing to take. She needed to think of a lie, and it needed to be convincing.

"Sometimes," she began as she frantically tried thinking of a lie. It was hard lying to Tom, especially when you were looking directly into his eyes. "Sometimes my abilities scare me."