Burning Obsessions : Tom Riddle

53: The Ghost of You

[victoria's pov]

"Godric, I never would have thought after all these years he still loved you," Hermione exclaimed as quietly as she could with a heavy heart.

I was finally reunited with the order after three weeks, though we were now relocated at the Weasley's home: the Burrow. It was a tiny farm, but homely to all. They had animals that kept everyone busy and enough rooms for us all to share, especially now that the twins were off living in Diagon Alley at their flat.

Harry had yet to arrive and I suspected he probably felt alone or abandoned in his current muggle home. Maybe even a prisoner, but little did he know that home was the very thing keeping him alive.

The beginning of the summer was now anew, including the news of Voldemort being back. It was a shocker to many, despite Dumbledore and Harry being right along.

The young man was now being labelled as The Chosen One and the Minister had been replaced. Much was changing in the wizarding world and I knew it. We all did.

"I regret dragging him into all of this or ever meeting Theo," I confessed to Hermione.

"He would have followed you to the end of the earth anyway," Hermione said quietly. "Anyone in love would."

That was just the thing. He possibly couldn't have.

Ginny enters, not being able to read the room, and begs for us to accompany her.

"Please," she whispers. "I absolutely cannot handle her."

By her, she was referring to her future sister in law, who happened to be part veela. We nod slightly and stand, making way for the stairs.

"I'm afraid Miss Locke will have to join me on a little quest," Dumbledore's voice said from behind us.

Hermione almost jumps from his sudden presence and Ginny looks curious as I force myself to the exit.

"I'll be back tonight," I told them, though it sounded more like a question for Dumbledore, who responded, "Yes, you will."

Instead of apparating like I had expected Dumbledore to, he sets foot into the grassy field. I pick up my pace and follow him into the yellow straw as the sun begins to set. By the time he's done walking, the sun had already drowned at the end of the earth.

"I believe you know of Voldemort's horcruxes," Dumbledore says. "As I suspect you carry one with you."

My jaw clenches as he comes to a stop in the centre of the field, where a rock lays still.

"I've discovered that if we were to destroy all of the horcruxes," he continues. "Voldemort will turn back to the man he once was."

My heart slowly speeds at this news. Could it possibly be true?

"He'll return to be Tom Riddle?" I asked. "Are you sure?"

"Very much so," Dumbledore said.

Hesitantly, I removed the ring from my fingers for the first time in what felt like aeons. I hand it over to Dumbledore, who seems to tremble by the power of the ring in his hands. He placed it on the rock. Out of thin air, Dumbledore withdraws a sword.

"What is that?" I asked.

"The sword of Godric Gryffindor," he says and begins to chant quietly under his breath.

I step away as the grass around us seems to blow in the breeze with a loud rustle. The rustle is joined by the strong gust of wind and a dust storm forms around us.

Since the time I saw Dumbledore's great wrath in my visions, I could only have imagined what it was like until now. It was as if he could have held the Earth in his hands as he chanted and raised the sword slowly as a humming sound from the ring echoed in my ears.

I shut my eyes from the unbearable ringing and when it stopped, I opened my eyes and found myself alone in the grass. I heard shuffling behind me and turned fast, backing away.

I gasped at the man who stood before me.

Tom.

Not Voldemort, but Tom.

"Tom..." I exhale as he nears me.

He's grinning slightly as he gently reaches for my face, stroking it as he always did in my presence. I slowly wrapped my arms around him longingly just like I did when I last saw him.

"I'm not real, Victoria" he says softly. "I'm just a memory."

"Memories are real," I said, still grasping onto him tightly.

He breaks my grip and looks at me warningly. "I'm running out of time. You have to stop Dumbledore."

"But-"

"He's lying to you, destroying the horcrux won't bring me back," he says. "You must, for our sake."

"But Tom-"

His lips meet mine harshly a final time. I take in every piece of him as much as I can before the ringing noise grows louder and I'm brought back to Dumbledore in front of my eyes. Tom's words repeat in my head and I run toward him.

"Wait, stop-!"

Without a warning, he brought down the sword and it hit the ring, creating an invisible force that made me and Dumbledore stumble back. Around us, the grass also swung back as if a comet had hit the ground.

I turn to the rock, only to find the tiny gem and golden band apart, unscathed. The gem seems to be silent now, soundless. I pick up the ring before Dumbledore can and he takes the stone.

"There are more out there," Dumbledore says. "But we are one step closer to saving the wizarding and muggle world."

"You- you tricked me," I said with disbelief.

His face twitched with guilt, knowing he was in the wrong. Though he didn't apologise for his doing before he walked away, leaving me alone in the field with no one out for miles.

"It was the only way."

That was the last thing he had ever spoken to me.

Because not a year later, I found myself standing amongst a crowd of students at Hogwarts, mourning over his death as Harry cried over his body. Beside me was Hermione, who was muffling her cries. Another loss after a short battle between innocent children and death eaters.

It was truly an unfair war, the hands of the wizarding world slowly being taken by darkness.

Years ago, I was warned about a great war. By Druella and Enzo, but I knew so little of their warnings. They had tried to show me a glimpse of what had lay ahead in the future... Death and tragedy.

First Sirius... then Dumbledore. Everywhere the Chosen One went, death followed.

Voldemort followed.

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January 25th, 2024.