Unravelled² → Tom Riddle [Rewritten] ✓

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Before she had a chance to react, she felt his hand on hers, heard the familiar whip-like crack of Apparation and felt her stomach turn. She felt to the floor, clutching her stomach, "let me go back, I have to go back," she shook her hand, pulling away from Albus' firm grip.

"It's okay, you're safe here," the woman she had encountered in the Manor smiled at her, "he can't hurt you anymore."

"You're safe darling," the man, Frank, said to her.

"Alice, Frank," Albus turned to face them, "please leave us alone for a moment." He smiled as they walked out of the office before turning back to face Evelyn.

"Although I am pleased to see you again Evelyn, it is a shame of the circumstances, do you not agree?"

Evelyn said nothing.

"Now others may not be aware that you were in that Manor of your own free will Evelyn, but I think it will become apparent soon." He looked her up and down, "you will stay here, at Hogwarts and, it would be much appreciated if you could help us. You are no prisoner, but I would think twice about trying to leave, I fear some other members of the Order may not take a liking to you once they hear of your...shall we say willingness to remain at the Manor. Do I make myself clear?"

She nodded, it felt like when Tom had taken her from Hogwarts, she wasn't entirely trapped, but leaving would be so much worse for her. "I will stay here."

"I thought so," he reached out his hand, helping her to her feet, "although you are no prisoner, you will be confined to a spare sleeping quarters. It would be appreciated if you could surrender your wand," he motioned to the breaking wand in her hand.

"It isn't mine," she gulped, but handed it over nonetheless,  flashes of Sara's body sprawled across the floor entering her mind. He had done that, he had killed her friend.

"Evelyn, you might not be aware, but we are in a war. It is kill or be killed, and now is not the time to be weak. I cannot make you help us, I cannot force you to join the correct side, I can only hope that you choose for yourself. And I would recommend making that choice sooner, rather than later. The sooner this war ends, the better for all of us." He glanced up at a picture sat on his desk, a picture in which most of those photographed were no longer with him. "Now, we shall discuss at a later date your time in the Manor, I hope the discussion should be pleasant, but I cannot force you to behave in any certain way. Before we move,  is there anything else I should know about for now?" He looked her up and down, "anything of urgence?"

She felt the phial in her pocket, taking a deep breath, "no, nothing." Evelyn knew that the Order wanted Tom dead, and perhaps her memories would be the key to that, but it wasn't something she was willing to risk. She would not share anything, she would wait, however long it took for someone to rescue her, someone to take her back to the Manor. She would wait until she was back where she belonged, she would not speak, she would not let them take him down.

"I shall escort you to your quarters and soon, we shall have to discuss everything about your time in the Manor, I should like to think it would be information you surrender, however, should you fail to do so, I believe some of the other members may have no qualm with a little bit of persuasion to loosen your tongue."

She gulped, she would not let someone hurt her, she simply wouldn't. Evelyn followed him up a large staircase and into the teachers quarters. "Your room shall be locked at all times, we wouldn't want anyone getting in or out now, would we?" Albus shot her a wink, closing the door on her and making haste back to his office.

As soon as she heart the door shut, Evelyn fell to the ground.  She clutched the phial with one hand, her tumb tracing silvery mist inside, her other hand resting on her stomach in an attempt to stop the post-Apparition nausea.

It took her several minutes to be able to compose herself, but she knew whatever the next few days or weeks or months held for her, would almost be worse than her time in the Manor. Dumbledore wanted to use her for her memories, he wanted to use her as a weapon, a weapon against someone she cared about and it shattered her. Evelyn didn't betray people, not when they trusted her, and she wasn't about to change that for her old teacher.

Her teacher was no saint, he spoke of sides, of right and wrong. But he too was a killer, he too was responsible for death that could have been avoided. He might have eventually been the one to take down Gellert Grindelwald, but Evelyn had not forgotten which side he had first been on.

She was not some pawn he could use, she was not some weapon he could bring out when he was losing the war, she would not fold for him, she would not sacrifice who she was. She would share nothing. 

Evelyn held onto her phial of memories, "he can't have you," she whispered, rising to her feet. She would have to hide them, given she had never had the chance to view them herself, no matter what was done to her, there was little she could offer that would help the Order. She knew it would be wisest to dispose ot them, to pour the silvery liquid away, to crush the glass at once, but it was still a part of her. When she eventually got out, she would view them once and for all. 

Reaching down to the floor, she lifted a loose floorboard under the bed, sliding the phial into a place it would not be found for years.