Edward Cullen thought he was the one to have dark secrets in the moment he met the new student at Forks High School, the mysterious and charming Harry Potter.
However, Edward slowly realizes that in addition to being mysterious, Harry hides secrets...
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CHAPTER XXVII
THE SERPENT AND THE BIRD
September 13, 1953
In situations of physical or emotional stress, a person's notion of time can differ a lot from reality: what are minutes, or even seconds, are seen by someone in that state as a small - but agonizing - eternity
That was what Harry was experiencing at that moment.
He had been in Father Riddle's quarters for just a few minutes, but in his view it could well be hours.
The relative silence also contributed to this impression, making the background noises louder than they actually were: the static sound of the gramophone on which it had stopped playing at some point... The continuous ticking of the old clock... The clicks of the wood that burned in the fireplace... All these sounds together made the boy's nerves go wild, as if he were waiting for something terrible to happen at any moment, further prolonging his agony.
Even though he wanted to get out of there, run away or hide, Harry remained quiet, his little body pressed against the door while Tom continued to sit in his chair, his face with an unintelligible expression.
"What's the matter, child?" the man asked at one point, raising his eyebrow.
Harry didn't answer.
The only thing he was able to do was look at the huge snake lying on the ground between the ecclesiastical's feet, and gradually feeling the imminence of a cry beginning to form. The snake, in turn, lifted its stout head in which a long forked tongue protruded from its mouth and fluttered in the air like a ribbon, watching it with large yellow eyes attentive as if it saw a mouse entering its den.
That was the trigger for Harry to overflow. Tears began to trickle down his cheeks as his heart galloped frantically in his chest and broken sobs rose up his throat.
Tom slowly lowered his gaze towards the point where the boy was focused, understanding the reason for that reaction.
"Oh..." he sounded a little nonchalant, getting up from his chair and walking slowly towards Harry.
Leaning his neck back when looking up, Harry found himself being examined by the man with his intense black eyes in contrast to his neutral face. Taking a deep breath, Tom crouched down to stay on a level with him.
"Shhh..." he put his index finger to his lips in silence "Are you afraid?"
Harry breathed through his mouth, unable to speak because of the sobs that continued to flow.
"Shhh shhh..." Tom went on, making a handkerchief appear in his hand "There is no need to be afraid. There is nothing to fear here."
The boy stood still while the man removed his glasses and used the handkerchief to dry his tears, carefully folding the piece of fabric and putting it in his pocket.
