Tom Riddle Imagines

Childhood Best Friends pt 4

3 years later

Y/N Y/LN

My life has been hell. Hell on earth. Grindelwald kidnapped me in second year, and tortured me all summer. Some days he'd give me a break, and let me explore. But those weren't any better. Everytime I went exploring, I'd stumble upon his prisoners, that I could've sworn he ordered there personally, so I'd find them.

They'd plead me to help them and each time, I'd promise. "I'll try, I'll figure something out" I'd tell them. Only when I left for a few moments, to make sure the coast was clear, Grindelwald would somehow kill them and disappear again.

Grindelwald has a calculated plan, a cunning plan. He kidnaps me every summer then during school, he'll leave me be. This way no one knows what's happening. He casts a strong spell, which hides the injuries, and always loads my trunk with energising potions.

He's also ensured to threaten me, so that I don't blab to anyone. But he's not my only worry. The other thing I have to worry about is Tom Riddle. Once my best friend, now my bully. Him and his group of 'friends' pick on me all the time, call me names, trip me up, beat me.

As if the damage from Grindelwald wasn't enough. I've wondered a few times what would happen if I ended it all. I got my answer to that aswell. Nothing. Nothing would happen, because Grindelwald has eyes on me all the time.

I tried to end it all a few times, but somehow each time, I'd wake up in the infirmary. The teachers got concerned. Dumbledore in particular. But what use was he anyways, when he made a blood pact with Grindelwald to never turn on him in the past? So that left me utterly alone, at the mercy of both Tom Marvolo Riddle, and the darkest wizard of our time, Gellert Grindelwald.

*****

It's now summer, and us 5th years have calmed down to allow us to focus on or O.W.L.s. Last week, Dumbledore announced that he'd be leaving for urgent business, though he didin't say what that business was. Today, we got the answer. This morning, following our potions exam, Dumbledore gathered the shcool for an announcement.

Once we were all seated in the Great Hall, he announced that Grindelwald had been defeated and sent to Nurmengard prison. At the news, I had froze, not believing it was true. After the last 3 years of him torturing me, and seeing his ruthlessness, his cunning, I needed proof to believe it. So when we were all free to go, I headed upto Dumbledore's office and waited for hhim to come up.

Once he arrived, he was shocked to see me, yet I demanded the proof I needed to give me peace of mind. Dumbledore was confused, yet he allowed me to see the memories of him defeating Grindelwald and the ministry taking him away in the pensieve. Once I had that clarity, I was overjoyed with happiness, so much so, that I hugged Dumbledore, depsit emy dislike for the man.

I thanked him repeatedly for a whole ten minutes, before calming down and leaving. He offered me a chocolate frog before I left, and wished me luck for the rest of my exams. My happiness was short lived however, when I stepped onto the 4th floor and was cornered by Avery. I managed to distract him, and ran as fast as I could up to the 7th floor. I paced in front of the blank wall, until the come and go room appeared, then ran in and hid.

Ufortunately for me, it seemed that Tom's will to find me was much stronger, given that he and his followers barged in 30 minutes later. At that point, I had been in the middle of crying in relief that Grindelwald had been defeated, and that I'd no longer be physically tormented by him.  The boys had seen me crying, and began to make fun of me. Avery snatched the chocolate frog, that I had yet to eat. 

I tried to snatch it back, to fight back, but there were 7 of them and only one of me. Then, they started hitting me again, poking, me pulling my hair, whilst Tom just stood and laughed. They knocked me to the floor, and then finally, left me be, as I cried. Not from the physical pain, but because of the pain of Tom's betrayal. 

Clutching my wand tightly, I stood on shaky legs and pointed my wand at Tom. "I hate you!" I shouted, before throwing a spell at him. To all of our surprise, it hit him in the face, leaving a large cut on his face. Abraxas stepped forward instantly to attack me again, but Tom held him back. "Leave us. I'll deal with her myself" Tom commanded, his tone icy. The boys nodded, and scampered out of the room, leaving me face to face with Tom.  

"Oh, Y/n, you stupid girl. You shouldn't have hit me with that spell, because now, I'm going to have to hurt you" Tom smirks. "You started it Tom! You! We used to be best friends, we protected each other, swore to never let anything come between us, and then you broke your promise!" I yelled at him.

"Because I found out, you're a pathetic mudblood" Tom scoffs in disgust. "You're a fucking half blood yourself! You're not far off me either, beacuse your mother couldn't even perform magic, she was a squib!" I shout, making his expression darken with anger, but for the first time, I wasn't afraid.

"Do you even know what I've been through? The hell you and Grindelwald put me through?!" I scream. Tom freezes when I say Grindelwald's name, and he tilts his head in confusion. "What do you mean, the hell me and Grindelwald put you through?" Tom asks. "What do I mean?" I laugh humourlessly. 

"I mean, Grindelwald kidnapped me in sedcond year, when you first started drifting away from me. I went back to the orphanage over summer, without you. When they saw me alone, the others started targetting me again, beating me. One night I went for a walk outside. I couldn't sleep, my nightmares of you plagued me.  During the walk, I heard a noise, but saw nothing, when I turned back to head inside, Grindelwald snatched me" I begin to explain. Tom listens carefully, his expression blank, but his eyes looked much softer.

"He supposedly had some issue with my parents and sought revenge by hurting me. He tortured me the rest of that summer, then he let me go when third year started" I tell Tom. "Why? Why would he let you go?" Tom asks confused. "To avoid suspicion of course. He wanted to be able to kidnap me again next summer, and continue inflicting torture upon me. He did this every summer, until now. Dumbledore defeated him now, and he's in Nurmengard, for the rest of his life. When I was crying as you lot barged in, it was in relief that he's been defeated" I explain. 

"Besides him, you and your 'friends' have been tormenting me. I never got any relief from Grindelwald's torture, because you lot started attacking me as soon as I returned. The pain was too much to bear Tom. I wanted to kill myself, and Merlin know, I tried. But Grindelwald wouldn't give me that freedom either. He had eyes on me at all times, people informing him of what I did in cschool, so he'd command them to save me. I woke up in the infirmary everytime, wishing I had died" I tell Tom as tears stream down my face.

"How come there have never been any scars then?' Tom asks. "He covered them. He'd cast glamours, which hid the physical damage he did to me. If you really need proof, then here. Revelio" I mutter, and all the scars, wounds and bruises become visible to Tom. I assess hish reaction, and the guilt is evident in his eyes.

For the first time in my life, I see tears well in Tom's eyes, and he sinks to his knees before me, as the tears begin to fall. "Forgive me Y/n. Forgive me  please. I know I don't deserve it, but I beg you for mercy. You didn't deserve what I've done to you, what I've had done to you. I don't deserve you" he cried. 

I watched him silently, a part of myself missed him, wanted to forgive him, but I wasn't going to give him mercy that easily. "I'm not going to forgive you. At least not yet" I tell him softly. "Then, I will spend everyday of the rest of our lives, making it up to you until you do. I was a fool, a monster for hurting you, Y/n. Now I realise what I've done, I know I can neither live without you, nor live with you hating me. So I will spend the rest of my life trying to make this right. I will care for you, protect you. If you see that I fail, then I'd gladly die by your hand" Tom says determinedly.  

I glance down at him and sigh. "Very well, you have yourself a deal, Riddle" I mutter. He beams up at me, and places a gentle kiss on my hand. And from that moment on, he stays loyal, and stays by my side.