Tom Marvolo Riddle. The most infamous dark wizard of all time. His legendary rise to power as the Dark Lord will forever strike fear in the hearts of those who hear the tale. Still, little is known of Tom's life before his transformation into Voldem...
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As always, I'd love your votes and comments on this chappie! :)
Ellison and Tom sat in the Great Hall eating breakfast. The night before had been a long one, filled with Defense against the Dark Arts essays, and piles of Charms notes they were expected to memorize before the next exam. Ellison had been at her usual spot: the work bench in the corner of the Slytherin common room, working tirelessly on the assignments while she waiting for Tom to return from his Prefect duties. The last time she remembered looking at the clock, it had read a quarter to one. Shortly after, she had fallen asleep, waking this morning, to find herself in Tom's bed. He had evidently found her and, like so many times before, had carried her up to his room. The morning had come too soon for Ellison's taste, who sat at the Slytherin table, nursing a bowel of porridge. She looked up at Tom, who seemed a bit drained himself.
"What are you thinking about?" Ellison asked, laying her spoon down.
"Hmm?" Tom mumbled, his eyes floating absent mindedly in her direction, as if he hadn't realized she was sitting across from him.
"I asked what you were thinking about," Ellison repeated, taking in his appearance properly for the first time that morning. Dark circles were beginning to form underneath his eyes and he looked preoccupied with his thoughts.
"Oh," Tom replied halfheartedly, "Nothing really... just our Charms exam today." Ellison eyed him suspiciously. She found it hard to believe Tom, who made straight A's with little to no effort, was concerned about a Charms exam. Tom, who seemed to realize she was on to him gave her a reassuring smile. "I would tell you if it were something else ... promise."
"Something tells me you're not though," Ellison retorted, her eyes narrowing even more. Before Tom could respond a small parchment envelope landed on the table before them. Ellison looked up just in time to see her family's owl, Cornwall, fly back out the window from which he had come. Her eyes traveled back down to the letter Cornwall had delivered. It was addressed to her, from the Ministry of Magic. She looked up at Tom who eyed the envelope with interest. "This conversation isn't over you know," she said, throwing Tom a side glance as she opened the envelope. He smirked, his eyes never leaving the envelope.
Ellison, discarding the envelope onto the table, unfolded the thin parchment that had been inside. The ministry seal shone brightly at the top of the paper, highlighted by the golden wax it had been stamped with. Ellison read the letter to herself:
Ms. Pennifold,
We were delighted to receive your application for Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic. Your father has spoken very highly of you and I, as well as my counterparts, look forward to meeting with you to discuss your future here at The Ministry of Magic upon your graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Sincerely,
Theodosia Higginbotham, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic
Ellison read the letter over again, trying to make sense of the words scrolled across the page. She hadn't put in any application for Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic. In fact, she hadn't put in applications for a Ministry position at all. She read the letter to herself again, realization hitting her for the first time as she read the words out loud, "Your father has spoken very highly of you." Warmth flooded her cheeks as she stood abruptly to her feet, slamming her fists against the table. Without saying a word, she headed for the door, making her way down the corridor that would take her to the Slytherin common room. It wasn't until a hand grasped her shoulder at the entrance of the common room that she realized Tom had followed her out of the Great Hall.
"What the bloody hell was that about?" He asked breathlessly, turning her around to face him. He gazed down at her, his demeanor quickly changing to one of concern. "Come on, let's go up to my room." She clutched the parchment in her hand, her knuckles white, as Tom led her up the spiral staircase, sitting her down on his bed before shutting the door. "What's in that letter?" he asked calmly. Silently, she handed him the parchment, feeling as though she might explode. He took it from her, his eyes scanning over the page, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he read it. "You applied for Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic?" he asked, glancing up from the paper.
"Apparently," Ellison replied, her tone thick with sarcasm. She stood to her feet, unable to sit still any longer. She walked over to the window, staring out at the bright blue sky. Her father had really done it this time. This was truly some of his best work ... submitting an application to the Ministry under her name - for Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic of all things.
"So I'm guessing your father is the one who submitted that application," Tom finally spoke, his eyes finding hers' in the reflection of the window. She turned around to face him.
"If that's what you want to call it," She began, feeling the anger rise within her again. "More like he called in a favor from a few friends." She shook her head in frustration, "He's really outdone himself this time..."
"Have you spoken to him?" Tom asked, his voice calm and steady.
"Humph," Ellison scoffed, "Not since Easter holiday ... before that, it was Christmas ... and before that, summer." She turned to face the window again, leaning against its frame. "Why would I bother talking to him when he doesn't listen to what I say?" Silence filled the room. Ellison fixed her gaze on the skyline, trying to avoid the eyes she was sure were studying her intently from across the room. After a moment she felt arms wrap around her from behind, bringing her back to her senses.
"I didn't know it was this bad," Tom said softly, hugging her close to his body. She melted against him, closing her eyes as a single tear slid down her cheek. They stood there together for a moment, neither saying a word.
"You're so lucky," Ellison finally spoke, opening her eyes, meeting Tom's gaze in the reflection of the window.
"How's that?"
"You have your entire future to plan out for yourself," she began, turning in his arms, placing her head against his chest, "no one telling you what to do or who to be..."
"I suppose so," Tom began, pondering her words for a moment. "But you have people who care about you and your future ... I don't." Lifting her head up, Ellison looked at him. His words had been matter-of-fact, almost cold. He hadn't said them to make her feel bad, but she did. Here she was angry at her father for something he had done when Tom didn't even have a father ... or any family for that matter.
"I care about you," She said finally, wrapping her arms around his waist. He pressed his lips against the top of her head, planting a light kiss on top of her hair. Holding her tight against him as if she could disappear at any moment, he whispered, "I love you."
GUYS! Its been too long since I last updated, and I'm so sorry to have kept ya'll waiting. This semester has been so busy, I just haven't had the time to write like I've wanted to! I promise I'm going to try and do better though! Stay tuned for more from Tom's POV ;)
P.S. I'm currently working on some ideas for a WWII based story. I'm trying to cook up some new ideas because as much as I would love to keep it going forever, this story will eventually have to end (IDK how/when yet - lol) Let me know if you would be interested in seeing that. I've been brainstorming for the past month or so and have a rough outline of a plot but I want to know what ya'll think!
