Back To Better A Tom Riddle Fanfiction Sequel

Chapter 1

Author's note: I've been thinking about writing a sequel to my story "Stolen Time" a lot lately. So here we go :) I'd love if you joined me and discovered Tom's and Grace's story together with me! As always, I'm so happy if you leave comments or votes!!

"Let's go home."

Tom's thoughts were whirling inside his head. He frowned. He hadn't actually said that, had he?

Home.

There was no such place. He had been certain of this as long as he could remember. He had been certain. But maybe he had been wrong?

He tried to get a grip on his thoughts.
Where were they supposed to go now? Grace's home, the cosy cottage that finally, after so many years, had been so promising, as if - at last - it might actually become something similar to a home for him, had mercilessly crumbled to ashes before his eyes, together with his fragile plans of finally changing the course of his life.

Tom pressed his lips together, trying to ignore the irony of it all. Here he was, he, who had always been so proud of his uncaring, emotionless self, holding a girl in his arms who was trying to grasp that her mother, the only person he had ever cared for, was... gone.

Tom exhaled sharply. Then he pulled a little away from Grace and cleared his throat. He felt strangely awkward when he asked, "Are you ready to go?"

Grace slowly looked up at him and nodded. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Will Ben come with us?"

A sneer crossed Tom's face before he could stop himself. "No way, the Mu..." Realizing what he was about to say, he abruptly closed his mouth again and coughed. Then he carefully arranged his features into a sympathetic smile. "Uhm. No, I don't think so."

When he saw the disappointment in Grace's eyes, he added, "You know, I don't think he wants to come with us. But, of course, he can visit with you whenever you like." Tom clenched his teeth and suppressed a frown. He couldn't quite believe he was actually saying this.

Grace nodded again, seemingly oblivious to his reaction. Then she whispered, "I'll have to say Goodbye to him."

Wordlessly, Tom watched her get up and leave the room. After a moment he waved his wand and silently stowed her belongings in a bag.

When Grace returned a short while later, he got up and held out his arm for her. "I guess you have apparated before?" Waiting for her reply, he realized there was so much he didn't know about her.

Grace looked back at him, a wary look in her eyes. "Only once. When Ben took me here."

Tom pursed his lips and nodded. Then he shrugged. "Well, it's not too pleasant but there's no other way to get to my... place." He walked a step closer and motioned her to touch his arm.

Carefully, Grace put her hand on his sleeve. Tom took a deep breath and then pulled her into the spinning darkness of side-along Apparition.

A moment later they reappeared in the living room of his lair. Grace let go of his arm and curiously looked around. She didn't seem very affected by their Apparition. Tom suppressed a smirk. He continued watching her, not quite sure what to think. After all, he had never intended for her to come here and yet it didn't feel as strange as he had expected.

With a little surprise he realized that he really wanted to know what she was thinking. It took him quite a lot of self-restraint to stop himself from simply entering her mind. He exhaled slowly. After a moment he said, "I know it's different from what you are used to...." His voice sounded strangely hoarse.

Grace turned to look at him. A sad smile crossed her face. "I guess that's ok," she said quietly. "Everything is different now."

Tom saw tears building up in her eyes again, and he just stood there, watching her, and feeling rather helpless. How on earth was he supposed to console a grieving child? How was he supposed to make up for what she had lost?
This wasn't the way things were supposed to be. After all, he liked to believe that he was the greatest sorcerer in the world, and yet now he only felt like a stupid school boy.

He cleared his throat. "Are you hungry? Shall I get something to eat?" He knew this was probably the most stupid thing to come up with but he had to admit he had no better idea. And, after all, she had to eat something, hadn't she? Tom looked at Grace, hoping she wouldn't start crying again.

To his utter relief, she seemed to swallow her tears and nodded. Tom quickly turned and left the living room.

When he returned a while later with a tray full of food and a mug of hot cocoa, Grace had taken a seat on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Absentmindedly, she was looking into the flames. Tom placed the tray on the table in front of her and took a seat in the armchair next to the sofa.

After a moment Grace whispered, "There's nothing left of her, is there?"

Instinctively, Tom knew she wasn't expecting an answer. He pursed his lips. She was right, after all. There was nothing left of the cottage. There was nothing left of the belongings. He had made sure of that, in his rage and determination to destroy the last bit of the attackers.

But suddenly a thought crossed his mind. He looked at Grace. She was still watching the flames, her eyes unusually empty. Tom's voice was devoid of any emotion when he finally said, "You're right, the cottage is gone." He paused. "But your mother didn't always live there. In fact, for the vast majority of her life she used to live somewhere else."

Grace's eyes widened with curiosity and she finally tore her gaze away from the fire and looked at Tom. "Where? Can we go there?"

Tom nodded. "Yes." When he saw Grace's excitement, he quickly added, "But not tonight. It's been enough for a day."

*******

Later that evening Tom went into his study. Grace was by now sleeping in a room he had spent quite a while decorating according to her wishes. At least, she had finally relaxed a little and he had had the impression that the distraction had been healing for her, even if only a little.
In the end he had created a cosy room, radiating warmth and light, something he hadn't expected to ever be capable of. There was no denying it was in stark contrast to the rest of his dark lair. Yet, creating it had felt unusually right.

Tom sat down at his desk and leaned back in his chair. He had to make a decision at last.

He knew he had finally come to the point where two roads diverged in an uncertain land and he had to decide which to take.

He could either continue as if nothing had happened. After all, with Cassiopeia out of the way there was nothing to hold him back anymore. He could send Grace to Hogwarts and Cassiopeia couldn't object anymore.
He could take that familiar road that he had travelled for so long.

Or he could choose to walk down the stony, rugged, unknown road that was winding into foggy uncertainty.
He could end it all, and concentrate on figuring out which curse Cassiopeia had been hit with. He could concentrate on finding the remedy. Tom pursed his lips. The idea was intriguing. On the other hand, he had no doubt that with him leaving the scene the world would soon change once again, and the persecution would come to an end. The world would change and Hogwarts would surely turn back into the place it had once been. Grace could go there and even Cassiopeia would have approved of it.

Tom ran a hand through his hair. He knew that deep inside he had already made his decision before he had even started contemplating the alternatives.

He exhaled slowly. Everything would be so different from the decades before. Everything would change. Fundamentally. Drastically. Irrevocably.

But, then again, he knew that no matter which road he was going to take, everything had already changed the moment he had pointed his wand at Cassiopeia.

It had always seemed so simple.

Power and immortality - that had been all that mattered. That had been all he had needed to feel whole.

At least he had sucessfully fooled himself into believing this. By now he knew he had been lying to himself.

There had been something more important, something more valuable, something invaluable actually.

Something he had only learned to appreciate when he had lost it.

He knew he had to get it back, and that was all that mattered.