Aberration; Tom Riddle

XXII

T O M

Shocked was a understatement. This couldn't be true. Tom thought that his deepest desire would be centered around his reign of absolute power. Perhaps his thirst to be the most powerful dark wizard known to history. Maybe just even gaining significant amounts of knowledge. However, what he saw in the lake was utterly confusing. He didn't know how the lake thought that was his desire, it had to be a lie.  It was definitely a lie. It was forming deceptions to mess with his head. His whole life had been focused on gaining power but now someone had altered it. He hated this. Tom tried to convince himself it wasn't true, thinking of any explanation to justify it, but when he continued to stare at the picture forming in the ripples of the lake, he felt lost.

His deepest desire was her. HER.
How could it be her when his main ambition was ruling the wizarding world. How could she overturn that?

None of this was real.
He loathed her and this would never change.

The ripples in the lake continued to show him a picture of Estelle reading on his lap, while he stroked her hair. A smile fixated on both their faces. Before the ripples disappeared the scene moved to him kissing her on the lips, the smile growing as she wrapped her arms around him. She was his. He was hers.

That was apparently his innermost desire.

Tom would never let this happen.

"Tom is everything okay?"

He snapped out of his raging thoughts. He didn't want to hear her voice. No- that made it seem so real. He tared his eyes away from the lake as his eyes clashed with hers. "What did you see in the lake?" Tom asked.

"I saw myself being the head of the house." Her voice seemed unstable to Tom.

"Tell the whole truth," he drawled. Tom knew she was partly lying about her desire.

"That was the whole truth. Now what was your desire" she tested him.

"Once you tell me your true desire i will tell you mine" he refused.

Estelle looked at the floor beneath her, sliding her fingers over the ripples of the lake. "You were there" she admitted.

"What do you mean i was there."

"You were a-part of my innermost desire. It's your turn to tell me yours," she continued.

Tom could not believe it. Her desire also contained him. He didn't know if he should lie or tell her the truth. Tom tried to calculate the best outcome possible but he could not figure it out. He decided it was in the best interest to lie. "I had gained a significant amount of power."

"There's something more to it, isn't there Tom." she replied. she got up from the cold ground as she felt the first flakes of snow land on her hair.

Tom watched her as she smiled and stuck out her hand to catch the flakes. In his eyes, she looked exquisite. He could stare at her for ages and never get bored. Something within his soul shattered. Good or bad, he didn't care at this moment. "You were my desire."

She looked shocked. "What."

"I don't know what you've done to me but you're apparently my deepest desire. I do not know if the lake is wrong or right." The arcadian flare of the full moon blessed her.

Suddenly, he felt his head pound. The voice getting louder for the first time for months. why did this have to happen now. Tom began to dig his nails into his skin, blood pooling in its indents. "Tom ." she spoke. "maybe the lake it telling the truth. you have not left my mind since the day i met you."

With that single sentence, he wanted nothing more than to possess every part of her. He rushed forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him. "what are you doing to me?" The snow fell towards them, the forest guarding them momentarily from any interruptions. His hand harshly snaked around her neck. "you're mine Harper. remember that."

She smirked. "That goes the same for you Tom. If I'm yours, you are mine."

Tom let out a equally devilish smirk. Merlin- is this why he could not stop approaching her? Was it because she challenged him in a way no one else could. Although the voice chanting viscous things at the back of his mind was getting louder. He would not let it control him at this very moment. This moment would be his forever. He walked forwards and pushed her against the rough bark of a tree. "you really are something else Estelle."

It was just him, her, the moon and the stars. it was their little secret.

A sky full of stars and he was solely staring at her. He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, pulling away and staring into her eyes. She chuckled. "Merlin i've waited for this moment." With that his lips collided back on to hers. She tangled her hands in his soft hair, letting the warm feeling overcome her. Tom felt like he was at home when he was with her. Of course he had never had  a home but whenever he was in her arms, he felt like everything was going to be alright.

"You are going to regret the moment you met me." he whispered in her ear.

"Even if i do. that's for my future self to worry about."

Tom kissed her on the forehead. "We better get back before they think you've killed me or something." he joked.

"Me. Kill you?"

Tom brushed the stray strand out of her face. "You are a bit scary love," he chuckled out, a sinful smirk gathering on his lips.

Estelle grabbed his arm and pulled him through the forest.

Tom stared at her. Of course he didn't like her, he didn't have the capability to. However, he was curious about her. He wanted to know everything. After that, he was going to throw her away. He had to. Curiosity was bound to die out.

Then she would mean nothing to him.