Burning Obsessions : Tom Riddle

54: Until My Last Breath

[victoria's pov]

What chaos you've brought upon us all, Tom.

For the past two years, the wizarding world had been corrupted by death eaters and Voldemort's command and wanting no part of it, I had retreated to the Nott Manor. Occasionally, Theo would be summoned to the meetings, leaving me home alone with nothing but nerves as he was gone.

There was no time for goodbyes, as Hermione, Ron, and Harry had disappeared soon after Dumbledore's death as if they left the country.

I had not heard a word since then and worried deeply every night with recurring nightmares of their corpses that awakened me in the middle of the night, causing Theo to run into my room alarmingly from his office that he so often lived in now.

My heart would practically be beating out of my chest until Theo's arms grasped me tightly until the fear was pressured out of me.

It had become a familiar thing for us to do naturally. Without a single word being spoken. But it was not unnoticed by some.

"When will you two get married?" Ted asked us at the dinner table one night.

Theo and I froze, Alex paused with his lips curving, and the house elves continued to work... but at a slower pace. The only noise was the quiet radio in the background.

"Ehem," Theo coughed, hoping the conversation would move onto a lighter topic. "Erm, I heard you both passed your apparition tests. How'd that go?"

It was only in their nature to be curious as the two young men still didn't have a clue about their father and my past, nor the present.

They woke up everyday, knowing nothing of the sort except for the things spoken by Lee Jordan on a pirate radio called Potterwatch–the most recent news being about the Malfoy Manor massacre–which I forbidden them to talk about outside of the home walls. And everynight, they went to bed, knowing nothing more than the day before.

This was all because I had pulled them out of school last week, afraid they would find out the truth.

"Don't try to avoid the question, we are not blind, father," Alex added onto Ted's question with a sneaky grin. "It's time to replace that blank ring on her finger. It's been years, don't tell me you're both 'waiting for the right moment.'"

Theo and I share an awkward look as Ted speaks up.

"There's never a right moment, especially now,"--Ted turns his head to me–"Would you say yes if my father proposed to you?"

Caught off guard, I almost choke.

"I- I would-"

Theo suddenly stands, excusing himself from the room. Ted and Alex share a surprised look and turn to me, concerned. I watch Theo walk out the room with a painful look on his face.

I stand and follow after him, leaving Alex and Ted behind with dumbfounded faces.

Catching up to Theo halfway up the stairs, his arm is trembling as he looks at me with his arm.

"It's worse this time," he barely managed to whisper. "I can feel it."

I tell a house elf to relay a message to Ted and Alex.

"Tell them we'll be back in the morning," I said, not knowing how long this would last. I turn to Theo as he puts on his cloak. "Where's your mask?"

"I- I don't know!" he exclaims and groans, panting. The snake bit into his arm. "We need to go."

"Not without a cover!" I say. "He'll kill you if-"

Theo vanishes in thin air and I frantically panic, running into my room for his mask. I open and rummage through the drawers. The first thing in sight is Rookwood's dagger before I spy his mask. Hesitantly, I take both before putting on my cloak, sensing Theo.