His Saving Grace

Chapter 34 - Unraveling Truths & Dark Side

For some reason, Tom wanted to question Professor Slughorn about horcruxes. In my opinion, he would grow suspicious if Tom approached him again with such inquiries, again.

Twirling and levitating my quill, I completely tuned out Slughorn's teachings. I was counting down the minutes until the lecture would end because if Tom was serious about seeking more information from our Potions teacher, I wanted to stay with him. Tom had always been a teacher's favorite but, with reason, I was always perceived as the nicer out of the two of us. Also, maybe I could help avoid questions which answers would reveal too much.

In the blink of an eye, the class concluded and students started leaving the chilly dungeon room.

I stood up, walked over to Tom and said, "I am staying with you, it will be better if we are both here."

He merely acknowledged my claim with a knowing look, grabbed my hand and led me towards the professor's desk.

"Professor, Athena and I wanted to bring forth a question concerning what we spoke about a few months ago.", Tom said with a sense of suave self-assurance and wearing his 'polite' student exterior.

"Oh of course, anything for my most excellent students.", Slughorn exclaimed as he walked in circles around the front of the room.

"Professor, is there any other way to make a horcrux without having to ki..."

"Without having to... you know...", I interrupted Tom's question and hesitantly finished the inquiry before Tom could say anything else as my hand still held his. Once the question was out in the open, I made a "cut your throat" gesture in order to tacitly explain what Tom and I were trying to express.

He moved his eyes from our faces to our hands then back onto our faces and answered, "Well... If there was another way, we would know. So, I do not think there is."

My face dropped, but Tom remained unfazed by what Slughorn had just confirmed.

Following up with a completely different question I asked, "Professor, do you know anything about my parents?"

Based on Tom and Slughorn's confused faces they were not expecting the question, but the professor appeared to know everything so I had to ask.

"They were both great students sorted into Slytherin, I was just starting out as a teacher when they arrived. Your mother went on to become a Prefect and Head Girl, just like yourself. She was quite beautiful and always aiming to be the very best. Your father was very intelligent, but stuck to himself a lot and was always asking questions similar to those of Mr. Riddle over here. Yet I am afraid I do not remember much else, Miss Alastair. I know you must miss them tremendously. Their untimely deaths were a loss to many.", Slughorn replied.

I groaned mentally, but whispered a simple thank you. No one ever seemed to know anything about my parents or if they did know something they would hide it. It feels like their entire life story was a taboo topic. Something I noticed, and concerned me, was that many claimed I was just like my mother and Tom was strangely similar to my father. This parallel could only lead to chaos.

After this, Tom seemed prepared to throw thousands of questions Slughorn's way, but I pulled him closer to me and started dragging him away after quickly thanking the professor for his time.

"Athena, I was not going to ask anything that would possibly expose us. I would never place you in such a position, trust me some more.", Tom spoke once we left.

Turning around to face him directly I laughed, "Simply having kept your part of our promise seems enough reason for me to trust you, but I do not want Slughorn giving you too many ideas."

Showing off the smirk displayed on his lips, Tom grabs hold of my waist and crashes me into his chest. Placing my hands on his torso, I stared at him waiting for a verbal response.

"I have found the Chamber of Secrets.", Tom excitedly whispered.

He had gone and done it now, he found one of the most scary and mysterious places in the school. Supposedly, it was not even real, but I never believed that. According to legend, the Chamber of Secrets was created as a hidden chamber only meant to be opened by the heir of Slytherin. Salazar Slytherin, similar to Tom, believed in blood purity and had a killer monster residing within the chamber.

Abruptly pushing him off me, I asked him if he had lost his mind.

"I have not lost my mind darling. Salazar Slytherin has permitted me to continue his noble work and I cannot disappoint him."

"Tom, you made a promise!", I cried out.

"We are closer to the end of the month, things change.", he replied in a hushed tone with a sense of darkness coming over him.

In that moment, I broke and exploded simultaneously.

"You are treacherous, despicable, and full of hatred. I feel disgusted and completely stupid for believing that you would let yourself even consider another alternative. You have broken my heart Tom, you have broken it into tiny little pieces that cannot be glued back together. I have done everything and more for you, but you cannot repay me in the smallest of ways. I cannot talk to you in a kind manner or with a nice unbothered tone anymore, it obviously does not have any positive effect.", I exclaimed growing angry and clumsily swinging my hands at the despicable man standing in front of me with an indescribable look plastered across his handsome face and lost eyes. "I am telling it like it is, you are going to regret this and I do not condone any of the actions you are contemplating. I am not even angry anymore, I am just disappointed. I know you're battling between the darkness and the light that stems from within you, but you've chosen to turn off the burning candle of light that not even your plans had been capable of diminishing once before."

"Athena, do not leave me again.", was the only thing Tom managed to mutter out.

"I won't leave, I physically cannot bring myself to and I hate it. I hate the way you make me feel, I hate the way you're the reason I smile yet the reason I'm so broken beyond repair, I hate the way your Slytherin ring makes my hand feel cold, I hate your constant lies, I even hate the fact you seem to somehow remember everything, I hate you so much, but what I hate the most is that I cannot hate you... not even a little. I can't. It's impossible.", I sneered as the tears had finally started flowing.

Tom tried to wipe my tears away, but I slapped his hand away. I roughly wiped away all the tears that stained my face and I turned away from Tom. I could not bring myself to look at him in this precise moment of vulnerability and brokenness.

"I will see you later, do not follow me.", I roared as I left him.

What had he been hiding from me? Will he really not change his mind?

I just hoped he had not activated anything dangerous when he found the Chamber of Secrets.