evelynn | t.riddle

29 | TIME'S GIFT

TOM NOTICES THAT EVELYNN APPEARS SOMEWHAT LIGHTER AS SHE RETURNS TO HIM. He wouldn't be surprised if this was true - she never had the chance to bury Hedwig or say goodbye. Now, she has her Familiar back, despite not knowing before that Hedwig was her Familiar.

Now, Evelynn has her best friend back forever. After all, Phoenixes are immortal.

When she sits down, Evelynn murmurs, "Best Christmas ever..."

Tom hums, pulls Evelynn to his side without hesitation, and says, "You've got one box left. Want to guess what's inside?"

Evelynn studies it for a moment, then muses, "Well, it looks like a box for a piece of jewelry..." However, she isn't particularly fond of jewelry, so this idea seems unlikely. Growing up with the Dursleys, she was never encouraged to appreciate beautiful things, and by the time she arrived at Hogwarts, any lingering interest had been extinguished.

After a moment, she opens the box to reveal a Time-Turner. It's silver, with the inscription 'For when you need or want more time.'

After a moment, Evelynn exclaims, "Death... got me a Time-Turner." Even for Death, who mysteriously received her music from the future for her birthday, this is astonishing.

Tom hums, then asks, "I'd love to know how he managed that. Did he get it the same way he got you the earbuds?"

Evelynn nods, then abruptly turns her head to look at Tom with excitement. She just thought of a brilliant idea for a second birthday present for Tom, albeit a bit early. "Tom?"

"Yes?" Tom tilts his head, curious about what Evelynn could be contemplating that would make her look so thrilled.

"Have you made any decisions about your relatives yet?"

Tom shakes his head, responding, "Not yet. Why?"

Evelynn adopts an innocent look that Tom doesn't believe for a second - he recognizes that look because he invented it. "Evelynn? What are you thinking?"

"What if I took care of your father and your uncle instead?"

Tom blinks before asking, "Uh...what now?" His initial plan was to kill his father, his 'batshit insane' uncle, and his grandparents, as Evelynn often described them. However, that plan took a back seat as they explored their connection with each other. So, why was she bringing it up now?

Evelynn grins again, positioning herself on his legs so that he is trapped against the back of the couch and confined by her arms. For once, she has the upper hand. She did warn him that she would turn the tables one day.

"Your father and uncle have been in conflict for years, Tom, long before you were born, perhaps even before Merope first saw your father. The Aurors are always heading to Little Hangleton to Obliviate your father and reverse whatever Morfin has done to him. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Morfin killed him. It would be far less suspicious than the Riddles all dying from the Killing Curse and Morfin confessing."

Tom hums, his brow furrowing in confusion as he asks, "Why would that scenario be suspicious? It'd be an open and shut case, after all." As she said, Morfin and his father have been fighting for years. Morfin snapping after his stint in Azkaban wouldn't be suspicious at all.

Evelynn shrugs, saying, "You would think so, and so would I, but Dumbledore...except, wait, he can't have..." Now it's Evelynn that gets a highly confused look on her face, a look that's shortly replaced by disgust, fury, and horror. "Alright, so, he probably didn't get those memories years after they died." Merlin, what is wrong with that guy?! Does he seriously hate Tom so badly that he'd go to such lengths before he's got any proof whatsoever?!