Before He Was Voldemort (A Tom Riddle Fanfiction)

Chapter 13: Seven Horcruxes

25 November, 1943

For the past couple of weeks, my proposition to get closer to Corinne so she will trust me has succeeded. Originally, I only intended to meet up with her at the Black Lake once or twice, but I did a bit of tinkering to the plan. Never did I- or she- expect for us to be meeting almost every single night. I can conclude that her reliance and, dare I say, infatuation with me has grown considerably. All I have to do is kiss her and she turns to putty in my arms.

A foolish, lovesick girl, Corinne is.

And yet, I regrettably admit that our many midnight rendezvous have proven not to be a nuisance to me, but rather a leisure. A leisure that I find pleasant. My focus should be towards deceiving her. I must keep my goal in mind.

Tonight, instead of meeting Corinne, I am taking a great risk. It may or may not benefit me as I hope, but I must try. Obtaining the last bit of information I need about Horcruxes is crucial to my progression.

I must know if it is truly possible to split my soul again. And I know just the person who can provide me with the validity I seek.

- T.M.R.

* * *

After what occurred earlier that day in the broom cupboard with Tom, receiving a kiss that still left Corinne weak in the knees, it was very hard to concentrate on any other task. Which is why she had just now finished her Potions essay, with an hour until curfew to spare. Slughorn had given the class a couple of days to work on their essays on Golpalott's Third Law regarding antidotes, the deadline being tonight after dinner. That meant she had to get her finished essay to Slughorn's office before curfew. For lateness, and the fact that she had put forth only half the effort on it- thanks to a specific someone- Corinne could most likely slide with an Acceptable mark.

She, along with a few last minute studiers, currently occupied the library. Even though the room was still open, it was obvious that the librarian was eager to retire to her living quarters for the night. A couple of students would not stop yawning, causing a chain reaction of yawns throughout the library. Corinne herself was fighting to keep her eyes open. It took a considerable deal of willpower to urge herself to stand and head towards Slughorn's office to turn in her essay.

Merlin, why did it have to be so far?

Though curfew was creeping up on them, several drifters still lingered in the corridors. Among those were students returning to their dormitories, couples swinging their intertwined hands to and fro as they continued their evening strolls, and Prefects reporting to their stations for patrolling. Corinne kept her head down as she walked, hoping by doing so that nobody would see her. She really wasn't in the mood to be bothered.

Unfortunately, to Corinne, Professor Slughorn's office was located all the way up on the sixth floor. She took the normal route up the main staircase, which was littered with students migrating up and down it. Her eyes stayed down, watching her feet clomp up the stone steps. She took note of her shoes, where a few splatters of ink still dotted them from the incident with Drusilla a few weeks back. The memory made her cringe.

The sixth floor seemed to take a decade to reach. The corridor was completely deserted, lit by dimming lamps hanging from the ceiling and luminous moonlight from the few windows lining the walls. Pillars cast long sideways shadows across the floors, which Corinne counted as she treaded onwards. She turned left once she reached the large blank wall at the end of the corridor- it seemed like a room should be located on the other side of this wall; it was quite the wasted space- where Slughorn's office was in sight. But now she wasn't alone. Voices were approaching.