Manipulative (Tom Riddle fanfic)

Chapter 16

"Hey, Lucas," I say cheerfully, tapping him on the shoulder, today is Thursday and classes are over. He turns around with a big smile when he recognizes my voice, "Hey Jane."

"Ready for the Transfiguration homework?" "Honestly, no, not at all," he slings his bag over his shoulder and waves goodbye to his friends, "but luckily I have help." "Well, don't think I'm going to make all your homework for you." "Not even for a chocolate frog?" "Hey, not fair, you know I really like those things-"

"It's safe to say you have an addiction to those frogs, Jane, you pretty much need them to survive." I roll my eyes playfully.

"A day without chocolate frogs is a day not having lived." Lucas chuckles and together we walk to the library and start the homework.

Tom sits a few tables away from us and stares at me all the time over his book, but it doesn't really bother me.

Lucas is getting better at Transfiguration and even starts to like it when he turns a library book into a fluffy duckling, "I'm going to keep this one." "I don't think Madam Pince is going to like that very much."

"Sounds like her problem," Lucas mumbles, but he turns the duck back into the book anyway.

"Miss Lupin?" I jump up horrified as I hear Snape's voice behind me, when I turn around I remember again that this is Mattheo, probably... All day I kept in the back of my mind that Snape could be Mattheo because I don't know when he is going to come to me and whether he would even come to me or not. 

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Miss Lupin? It's about your last Potions essay." "Of course, Professor." I get up and Tom walks over to us, he grabs my wrist, "I'd like to come along, professor, because I have a few questions about the essay, myself"

"Then I would like you to ask that later, Mister riddle." Would Snape decline his favourite student? Does this mean this is Mattheo?

"Bye Lucas, bye Tom, I'll see you guys soon." Tom grudgingly lets go of me and I follow Mattheo-Snape, as soon as the door of the empty classroom closes behind us, he comes closer. "Jane, I've waited so long to talk to you," says Mattheo in Snape's voice, it's quite disturbing.

He wants to take my hand but I take a step back, "Sorry, Mattheo, but I find this very strange." "Mattheo?" SNAPE asks me confused, my eyes almost pop out of my head, IS THIS SNAPE? "Just kidding, Jane, I'm Mattheo."

I have no idea what to believe now and look at this man in fear and puzzlement. "Do you want proof? In our second year, you had eaten Fudge Flies that were like expired for a year or something and you were sick in bed for three days. I had to feed you chicken soup for those whole three days because the other soup was "not good enough" for you."

Okay, Snape can't possibly know this, but it's still weird to see "him" say it. "I was hoping you'd have forgotten about that by now..." I mumble, making Mattheo-Snape laugh.

"Okay, back to serious business, Jane, I really missed you. You don't know how happy I was when Pansy told me you were coming." I smile a little and sit down at a table. "But she also told me about something else, Tom forbade you to go to a normal toilet and he said if you didn't do what he ordered you to, that it meant that you didn't love him... Jane, that's pure manipulation..."

Without looking at him I shrug, "He's just really worried about me..." Mattheo-Snape takes a deep breath, which Mattheo does a lot, "Jane..." "Let's talk about something else, how do you know that to open the Chamber of Secrets a sacrifice must be made?"

"That thing Tom and I have with snakes, that we can talk to them, it's called Parseltongue, we can do that because- Because we're descendants of Salazar Slytherin, and he's the one who made the room..."

"Are you serious? But what-?"

"If I tell you this, please let me finish, okay? Our father is a dark wizard, he is extremely dangerous... That's why I couldn't tell you that Tom was a danger to you, because then he would tell our father that I care about you. He'd do terrible things to you then, Jane-"

"Who is your father?" I ask, tense. "Jane, let me first-" "Mattheo, please..." Mattheo-Snape takes a deep breath and looks at the wooden floor.

"My father- My father is Voldemort..." It feels like time has stopped. "No... You can't- Mattheo please tell me you're joking."

"Let me explain, Jane, I don't want to be like him, I really don't. When I first saw you, the way I saw the world completely changed, you became my world."

It's so hard for me to look through Snape's face and see Mattheo, but still, I see him, I see my best friend. "Mattheo..." I whisper with tears in my eyes.

"Tom took an interest in you as soon as he found out you were special to me, in our second year I started seeing you as more than just a friend. As soon as he saw that, he came to me, he said he would love to meet you, that's why I told you to stay away from him..."

I hear Mattheo's sadness in Snape's voice and it breaks my heart, "If only I had heard this sooner..." "Please tell me it's not too late-"

"I love him, Mattheo, despite everything, that feeling doesn't go away, I believe the Tom I saw at the beginning is still there, he loves me too. He's just afraid of losing me, that's why he's acting so weird, but give me time, I'll make sure-"

"Jane, please..." he's almost crying and I jump up to give him a hug, unfortunately, it's by far the most awkward moment of my life, he even smells like Snape; which is probably because he is also wearing Snape's clothes, I've got no clue managed to get those...

"It's hard to explain, but- I kind of know it's bad for me to stay with him, but he's the only one who makes me happy now... I can't live without him." "No, Jane, no..."

"I'm sorry, Mattheo, really." I break the hug and now also have tears in my eyes, "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?" I continue, intending to end the conversation.

"You won't let him sacrifice you, will you? Right?" "Tom isn't going to sacrifice me, I'm sure he loves me, he really does." "You know nothing at all, your "relationship" consists of nothing more than lies, and the things you have "in common" are not a fucking coincidence, he stalked you for more than a year until he was sure he could seduce you effortlessly. And whatever fucking bullshit story he's told about a Mary, I don't even know how many lies he's telling you, but-"

"I'm going, I don't want to talk about this anymore." Mattheo-Snape grabs my wrist but I pull away in a panic, it's terrifying when my "professor" tries to hold me here.

"Sorry," I mumble with a dry throat as I walk out of the room to the library, luckily he doesn't follow me.

"There you are, Jane, I followed your advice and turned the empty bottle of ink into a champagne glass!" I force a smile, feeling quite upset because of the conversation with Mattheo, and sit down next to Lucas, "Let me see." He shows me how he can change the ink bottle and smiles proudly, "What were you and Snape talking about?" "About my Potions essay, he gave me an O+ and told me he really liked it."

Tom suddenly appears behind me and puts his hand on my shoulder, "Let's go, Jane, you've studied long enough now." His voice is cold and I worry about what he's going to do when we're alone.

With a nod I start putting my books in my bag, "Bye Lucas, I'm proud of you-" Tom pulls me back.

"Bye Jane..." Lucas mutters, staring at us in confusion as we walk away.

Back in his room Tom calmly turns towards me, "What did Professor Snape want to talk about?" "He wanted to compliment me on my essay." "I got an O+ too, why did he only talk to you?"

"I don't know-" "Then I'll ask him about that tomorrow." I freeze, Snape won't remember this tomorrow since he wasn't the one talking to me...