Promised And Kept - Tom Riddle x reader

Part 9 - Equals and Apathy

Tom's hands were still shaking when he opened the front door of his house after coming home from work, his mind still racing, heart pumping to the thrum of a thousand silent screams. The thing he had encountered in the Ministry had truly rattled him, scared him to the bones. It wasn't true though, he thought - a pathetic attempt to calm himself down. Forget about it. Ban the memory, push it out. Another deep breath as he opened the door and stepped inside.

You were there waiting for him, greeted him with a kiss and pulled him by the hand toward the living room. "Camille and Ben are here already," you said but stopped in your tracks once you had looked at him properly. "Are you okay?"

Tom shrugged, erasing whatever expression his features had held as he loosened his tie. "Yes."

"Are you sure? I can tell them to come back another day."

"No, it's alright. I had just forgotten they were coming."

You looked him up and down once more. His posture had straightened, head held high again and his eyes pierced back into yours like they always did. "I just-"

"Darling," he said, a lazy smirk tugging on the corner of his lips. "Everything's fine. Work's just been busy today, that's all."

Alright then. You took his hand again and went into the living room.

Camille and Ben were here so you could tell them everything you had found out about the M.R. house. Before you began, Tom asked Lip, one of the Aurors guarding the house, to join as well. He liked to keep him up to date since Lip worked in Longbottom's team.

Philip "Lip" Callaghan, stood tall and broad in the room, his energy alone took up a lot of space. Brown eyes and short blonde hair softened his appearance, even though he didn't need a wand in hand to look intimidating. He sat down next to Ben, who had watched him since the Auror had entered the room - if in awe or shock, you couldn't tell. Lip was merely a few years older than Ben, but sitting next to each other made them look at least a decade apart. 

"Should we really be talking about all this with a stranger in the room?" Ben asked and raised his hands apologetically. "No offence though."

"Callaghan isn't a stranger," Tom berated. "He's an Auror and works for me. Technically, I should only talk to him about those matters and not to you."

Ben nodded, brows raised as Lip leaned over and said, "No offence."

"So what did you find out at Miss Smith's?" Camille asked.

"We asked Scrook about the M.R. house and he told us what it means," Tom stated.

"The elf told you?" Ben asked. "Just like that?"

Tom eyed him sternly. He would not admit to using an unforgivable curse in front of an Auror. "I'll spare you the details, but yes. Just like that."

"So?" Camille asked. "What does it mean?"

"Muggle Riddle."

A murmur passed through the room. All three of them came to the same conclusion at once. "Your father's house?"

"Exactly. Morfin must be hiding in my father's old muggle estate. I've done some research today and Lloyd from Muggle relations gave me the address. Lip, I need you to tell Longbottom about it and send someone there. I couldn't find him today at the Ministry, I would've told him myself."

Lip leant forward, intertwining the fingers of both hands. "I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Why?"

"Malfoy Sr. put Longbottom on leave today. Abraxas is filling in for him."