Into Your Gravity ( Luna Lovegood & Tom Riddle )

Chapter twelve: presence

"Good heavens, what was that crashing sound downstairs?" Luna asked, fighting to restrain her daughter.

"Accident. Burke really ought to perform better maintenance on the shop." Tom watched the toddler fighting her mother, looking something like a captured wildcat, her black hair starting to pull free of the bunches her mother had tied it in. "You can let her down. There's nothing in here that can harm her."

"Nothing is cursed?"

"Not that she can reach from the floor."

Luna eyed him, and Tom felt a moment of indignation. Did she not believe him? He shoved that away, too. She had good reason not to believe him about such a thing, and why should she gamble with her child's life? At least she cared about her child, wanted her to be safe. Unlike your mother, whispered the cold voice in his head. He sighed.

After a moment, she seemed to decide he was being truthful, and she set the child on the ground. Immediately, Violetta started to scurry around the room, inspecting the things she found interesting. She pulled one of the books off his shelves and it fell to the floor, landing on its spine and falling open. Tom winced and forced himself not to go pick up the book and put it back in its place. The book had fallen open to a page that included gruesome artistic depictions of the results of various poisons, and Violetta started inspecting these pictures with a closeness and fascination that seemed to belie her age.

He returned his gaze to Luna, who was watching the child with her slight frown, but did not move to take the book away from her.

"She's too young to understand what she's looking at," Tom said.

"Perhaps," Luna replied.

Tom looked at the travel sack resting by Luna's feet and clenched his jaw. It had been a rash decision to say yes to her coming with him to Albania, and he wasn't quite sure why he had made it. He didn't need to complicate the process any further, not after failing last time. You'll do anything she asks when she looks at you with those big, grey eyes, you pathetic filth, crooned the familiar critical voice. "You're ready to go, then?" he asked aloud.

Luna nodded, still watching Violetta.

"Excellent. We'll be using Floo Powder to get there." He started across the room to grab his own bag.

"How did your conversation with Walburga Black go?"

Tom paused, then turned back to face Luna. She still watched Violetta. "I assume Burke mentioned that to you?"

She nodded again.

"Jealous?" he asked.

At last, she raised her eyes from her child to meet his gaze. "No. What right would I have to be? I wasn't here."

"Emotions are irrational."

Luna shrugged. "I don't agree with that completely. Emotions can make us behave irrationally, but they also give meaning to our lives. Besides, I would be happy for you. If you found someone to care about, I mean. After I left."

A cold laugh escaped him, but he found himself unsure what to say. Admitting Walburga meant nothing to him was the truth. Letting Luna believe she did satisfied his pettiness. He snatched up his satchel instead. "Let's go."