From Her Reflection {tom riddle}

part xxxvii - beautiful, beautiful boy

a/n THANK U FOR 10 K THATS SO COOL also sorry for the slow update i think I'm just delaying the end of the book bc i don't want it to end :(((

Horace Slughorn swung the door of his small one-story house open to greet Y/n and Tom.

"Good afternoon, Professor. May we come in?" Each word rolled off the tip of Tom's tongue, barely giving the professor time to react.

After a moment of disbelief, Slughorn jumped in his place.

"I cannot let the Dark Lord or any supporter of his enter my home! I value my dignity and my life, thank you very much-" Before he could shut the door, Tom swiftly held it open with one hand, a sly smirk on his face.

"Please, Professor. We mean no harm."

Horace grimaced, his feelings conflicted. If it had been several months earlier while he was on a paid backpacking trip across Italy whilst he ate cheese and drank expensive wine, Slughorn would have been more than glad to let two of his highest achieving students in. But now, he was facing the Dark Lord and his known associate, Y/n Gryffindor. 

"I must insist, Horace," Y/n spoke up, her voice soothing and calm. "I can't speak for Tom, but I can speak for myself. I have no intention of getting you in trouble. All I ask is for you to make a phone call for us."

"And if I don't?"

Tom's hands flexed angrily, but Y/n placed her hand on his lower back, reminding him to keep calm.

"Then we will respect your decision and leave you, unbothered."

Slughorn examined his students for a moment, ruminating on his decision. They were simply children, one being a murderous cult leader and the other, allegedly a traitor to the ministry.

"Do you know what they say about you, Y/n?" Horace raised his eyebrows at the student he once called remarkable. "They say you conspired with the Dark Lord and went against the Order. They say you intentionally compromised hundreds of lives for a boy you were infatuated with."

Y/n bit the inside of her cheek as her face slightly burned red with annoyance.

"And let me say this, Horace. If I were 'conspiring' with the Dark Lord, why didn't I reveal the location of the Order to him?" Y/n squeezed her knuckles tight as Tom flexed his jaw in an attempt to keep a low profile. "I could have done a lot more damage with the information I had, I'll tell you that."

Slughorn squinted for a moment, his eyes pacing back and forth between the two. Y/n gulped anxiously as Tom eyed her, slightly irritated.

"Alright, fine. But only Y/n can come in."

He held the door with one hand as Y/n stepped inside his quaint house, leaving Tom to wait outside alone. Slughorn motioned to his armchair where Y/n took a seat as he handed a cup of cold tea to her.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting guests."

Y/n brought the cup's rim to her lips and let the drink consume her tastebuds, its sweet bitterness overwhelming her. She hadn't had anything this good in so long.

Slughorn sat down in a chair across from her, his hands placed on his knees as he watched her anxiously.

"You were such bright students," He suddenly spoke up as his eyes fell forward towards the ground.

Were?

Y/n took another long slow sip and inhaled the chamomile's scent.

"I don't know what they've told you, Horace, but I assure you that I am not a traitor- a complete traitor."