Captured In The Night || Tom Riddle

21 - Home Is Where The Heart Is, Part 2

October 17th, 1941
Riddle Mansion

It was after dark and Merope was about to get ready for bed when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Thomas said.

"It's a bit late isn't it?" Merope said.

He opened the door as a woman stood smiling from the doorway.

"I'm so sorry to bother you. I've come on behalf of the Emperor. I need you and your wife to come with me."

Thomas frowned. "Is something wrong? Did we do something?"

The woman smiled kindly. "Oh no. Everything is fine. It is official though I'm afraid. I'll explain it all afterward."

"Let me get my wife," Thomas said.

"Of course." The woman smiled.

Thomas explained to Merope who frowned at having to get dressed. They followed the woman just outside.

"I'm so sorry to put you through this. It's urgent business. I can't explain until we arrive." The woman said.

"You work for the Emperor?" Merope asked.

They came upon a small cup in the yard. "Yes. Touch this portkey together please."

"You look familiar," Merope told the woman.

Thomas didn't approve of these magical forms of transportation but obliged. The entire thing felt off to Merope, but she pushed the feeling to the back of her mind.

They arrived in a large empty room. In the middle was a raised dais with the Veil.

"Why are we here?" Merope demanded.

"One moment please." The woman said. She waved a wand over the portkey. "Can't have anyone interrupt. I really am sorry."

Thomas straightened his suit. "You keep apologizing."

"I know." The woman held out a wand, "Avada Kedavera."

Thomas's body went limp and fell to the ground as if a string on a puppet had been cut.  Merope screamed and ran over to him sobbing. "No! Thomas!"

"Incarcerous!" The woman said.

Merope found herself bound in ropes. She waved her wand and Thomas's body was floated into the veil and back out again.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Merope asked.

The woman smiled kindly. "A man named Merrick took my brother. If I don't do as he says, he will kill him."

"You're the emperor's sister! Your Ariana Dumbledore!"

Ariana leaned over Thomas's body, wiped at his eyes.

"Don't touch him!" Merope ordered.

Ariana held up the finger revealing a shimmery substance. "Each body returned from inside the Veil has a small amount of this. It comes from wherever that thing connects to. Merrick wants it. I don't know why."

"Go to hell!" Merope shouted.

Ariana held out her wand as Merope breathed her last breath.

Hogwarts

Tom Riddle was having a strange nightmare. He was in Divination when he got the Grim in his teacup. When he looked up the students in his dream were dead.

He wandered the halls until he had a dreadful feeling in his stomach to find his mother. As if reading his mind, a golden doorway appeared and opened before him. The doorway turned into the veil with a white light shining through it. On the other side of it, he could see his parents with a witch. His father and mother lay dead next to each other.

"Mother?" Riddle whispered.

He was about to step through when he felt a hand on his shoulder holding him back. He turned to see a large man with sad eyes.

"You can't help her. You'd only suffer the same fate." The man said.

"Let me go!" Growled Riddle. He jerked away, but when he turned back around the veil had vanished. He turned to the man who was still standing there. "Who are you?"

"I'm family." The man answered.

Riddle frowned, "You're Cadmus Peverell."

Two more men appeared on each side and introduced themselves. "Antioch and Ignotus"

"Bring the door back!" Riddle ordered.

"Killing that woman won't bring back your parents. She's a pawn of a creature far more dangerous than you can imagine." Cadmus said.

"What are you talking about?" Riddle asked.

Antioch stepped forward. "In our youth, we found a connection between the world of dreams and connecting worlds beyond. We could only visit them mentally but It wasn't enough. In our arrogance, we tried to create a physical doorway to other worlds.  Instead, we ripped a hole in the fabric of reality and created what is now the Veil. We also released a creature from the other side.  At first, we thought to gain knowledge. We had no idea how dangerous it was. It helped us create three items. The Elder Wand, The Invisibility Cloak, and the Ressurection Stone. But he tricked us. He had no name, so we called him Death. Everything he touched, became twisted. Before we knew it, it was too late for us. Ignotus was the wise one, he didn't fully trust the creature, to begin with."

"What happened?" Riddle asked.

Ignotus smiled sadly. "It took me years, but I came up with a plan to trap the creature. The only way unfortunately was to trap it from inside the Veil. I sacrificed myself to make sure it could never come back to our world. But someone found a way, a man named Merrick."

"Is there a way to kill the creature, Death?" Riddle asked.

"We can't guarantee you can kill Death, but maybe you can stop the man who freed it. There are more of those creatures wanting to escape into our world. For some reason, Merrick is helping it." Cadmus said.

"How? Where is he now?" Riddle asked.

"We can't see him clearly. He can move through time. We can help you open the door you need to find Merrick. In the waking world, the Veil can't be crossed without either dying or chaotically ending up somewhere in time. In the dream world, we learned you can use the Veil to control where you go. It can take you anywhere you desire." Ignotus said.

"When I find Merrick, I'll kill him," Riddle promised.