For a moment, Camille saw the way his charming little smile finally faltered. It was enough to make Camille hesitate, wondering if she was making a terrible mistake. Maybe she was being too pushy but Camille didn't think asking about his family would be too much of an issue. No one really knew about his family or past. Tom just showed up to Hogwarts like everyone else, assimilating himself into the world of Slytherin's elite with ease. It was almost terrifying how he managed to climb up the ranks so quickly. And yet no one knew his secrets. Camille supposed that was how he managed to maintain his power and status in school. No one was able to get inside the impenetrable fortress that was his mind.
Until now.
"If I tell you, you must promise that you cannot tell anyone else," Tom remarked.
"Your secret is safe with me, Tom. I swear it," Camille nods, shaking her head.
"Let's go for a walk. I think we're finished here," Tom replied.
Camille nods in agreement. As much as she loved the shop, she also knew that there were far too many people here for them to talk about something so personal. If Tom was ever going to trust her, they'd need to talk alone. Just as they made their way towards the exit, the door opens. Daisy and Louis walked inside, holding hands with each other. They seemed to be becoming an item ever since the party. Camille felt happy for them. Louis noticed Camille with Tom as Daisy kept talking to him, sending her a brief wave and a small smile.
Camille waved back at him and Tom grabbed her hand, nearly dragging her out of the tea shop roughly. Camille looked over at Tom in surprise as they walked out of the shop. He had never been so rough with her before. It shocked her, of course. But Camille was trying her best to rationalize it. Perhaps Tom was in a hurry and he didn't want to delay any more time. He didn't mean to be rough or rude, he was just trying to rush out of the store.
"Now that we're alone, we can talk more freely," Tom replied, continuing to hold onto Camille's hand tightly. "I guess, the best place to start is the beginning, hm?"
"Yes," Camille nods in agreement. She was eager to hear what Tom had to say. She desperately wanted to learned everything she could about him.
"My mother was Merope Gaunt. You've heard of the Gaunts, haven't you?" Tom began.
"A bit. I heard that they were an ancient Wizarding family but they died out. One of the Sacred Twenty Eight. No one's heard from them in a long time," Camille answers. She was so busy looking at Tom, not realizing that he was leading her further away from the shops and to the wooded areas blanketed by pristine white snow.
"Indeed they were. They were a very wealthy and prominent family, descended from Salazar Slytherin himself. They had a habit of marrying their cousins just to maintain blood purity and Salazar's very own trains. Particularly the ability to speak parseltongue," Tom responds, "Although they were powerful, they were also incredibly violent and mentally unstable. Couple that with a love for the finer things in life, you can only imagine how quickly they spent their money and gold until the money dried up. A powerful and wealthy family reduced to nothing in such little time."
"Who's your father?" Camille inquired.
"Patience, Milly. I'm getting there," Tom replied. "My mother was one of the very last descendants. By the time she was an adult, the money was gone. There was absolutely nothing left. She grew up in a squalor ridden shack in Little Hangleton with my grandfather and uncle. They were absolutely abusive towards her."
[008] an act of kindness
Start from the beginning
