Burning Obsessions; Tom Riddle

50: While You Were Gone

[victoria's pov]

Five years ago, Tom Riddle, Voldemort, disappeared entirely from the world, defeated by a young boy I had yet to meet. Not even a year after our lips touched for one final time, it had been declared that he was defeated, at the death of James Potter and Lily Potter, his wife.

Sirius Black had been arrested for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and as for their final friend, Remus Lupin–he had entirely disappeared. Not a single word has been heard from him. Though that night was an everlasting night celebration for many in the wizarding world, it was very much the opposite for me.

Despite all of this, I had a strong feeling Tom was not really gone. I knew it and the ring that hugged my finger proved so.

But the only people who were gone in my life was Druella, who I found hard to face. I could not stand still at her funeral. I hadn't even known that vomiting was possible for an immortal until that day. If only it cleansed me of my ache.

I haven't stepped on the Malfoy Manor grounds since 1945. That was fourty years ago. It was now 1985.h

As I sat at the end of the table in the manor, I faced the remaining death eaters that had not been arrested.

Cygnus Black, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Narccisa Malfoy, and Abraxas Malfoy. Including one I did not know, Antonin Dolohov, they called him.

The door opens once again and a little platinum blonde boy peeks his head in.

"Mother, the Notts have arrived," the five year old declares.

"Allow them in, Draco."

The young boy, Draco, whips his head to an elf.

"You heard mother, Dobby!" he exclaims. "Go get fetch 'em."

As he disappears from the room, footsteps emerge and in comes Theodore Nott and Christina Nott. Behind them are their two five year olds, Alex and Theodore the second–now, little Ted. They spot me and wave harshly until their mother brushes them off into another room.

Christina had not been the same cheerful woman since she learned Theo's connections with the death eaters. She too, had fallen under the same fate as most. She still loved Theo very much, hence why she was here, but she had also changed.

I could almost say she looked like she went through hell.

Her smile was no longer frequent and she had stopped talking to the rest of the outside world completely. As she sits beside Theo, who avoids eye contact with me, she gives me a simple nod.

Slowly, I turned my attention to Lucius Malfoy, who had summoned us all.

"You look good for a sixty year old man, Nott," Cygnus comments. "Unfortunately, time is not fair to all."

I knew he was speaking about Druella. Ignoring him, I change the discussion.

"Why have you called, Lucius?" I asked. "You know I'm not a death eater."

"But you may know of his whereabouts," Lucius says and withdraws a familiar journal. "I believe the dark lord has also left you a possession."

It was his old diary. The exact one I hadn't seen for decades.

"Where did you get that?" I demanded. "You have no idea-"

"You're right, I have no idea," he says. "What exactly is so important about these that the dark lord has to entrust them with only his loyalists?"

I then realised I was the only one in the room who knew about the horcruxes. He had never told them.

"You shouldn't question him," I say warningly. "Just because he's gone now..."