Before He Was Voldemort (A Tom Riddle Fanfiction)

Chapter 14: Astronomy Tower

December, 1943

The first blizzard of the year had finally dawned on Hogwarts the night prior, blanketing layers upon layers of fine powdery snow across campus. The lake resembled a sheet of glass and the soaring gray mountains surrounding the castle were nearly completely white. In the distance, the Whomping Willow could be seen twisting and shaking the snow off its branches, shuddering as if the tree felt the bitter chill of the air. Clusters of students gathered in the courtyard, taking advantage of the wintery weather by running and pelting each other with snowballs. It was a beautiful, serene sight, although Corinne was never particularly fond of the cold.

Which was why she was perfectly happy in her temporary hideaway in the Astronomy Tower. The library, her habitual refuge, was unusually full for a Saturday. And Corinne felt the need to branch out from the broom cupboard; it wasn't a very cheery place to stay for hours at a time. If anything, it was a perpetual reminder of her cowardice and tendency to run away from her troubles. She wished she had to nerve to move back into her old dormitory.

But that meant having to endure Olive Hornby and her equally wicked roommates. Corinne didn't know if she could put herself through that daily torture again.

Sighing, putting aside her trace of negative thoughts, she picked up a book from the library out of the pile of them beside her that she brought up to the Astronomy Tower with her and studied the title: Magick Moste Evile. This volume was dusty and bound in cracked and aged dark green leather, the thin pages inside loose from the spine. The letters embroidered onto the outside of the hardback gleamed a rusty gold. The book would have been a beautiful antique if not for the ominous subject matter the title clearly depicted. Corinne felt wrong holding it in her hands.

With a bit of persuasion and lying, she had managed to check out five books concerning the Dark Arts from the Restricted Section. Hogwarts's librarian was surprisingly pliable. Requesting not one, but five books about Dark Magic was anything but subtle, Corinne now realized, but ever since she overheard Tom and Professor Slughorn's conversation in his office a few nights back, she was overcome with a hunger to know what Tom wanted to know. She wanted to understand Horcruxes, so that she could come close- not completely, because that could only be accomplished by a miracle worker, but hopefully close- to understanding Tom. There was more to him than what he appeared to be; Corinne was sure of it.

She thumbed through the thin, yellowed pages of the book, anticipating for the word Horcrux to pop out at her. When she found it, her heart leaped with excitement, but soon deflated from the lack of information.

"Of the Horcrux," she mouthed, skimming her finger under the sentence, "Wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction..."

And that was it. Horcruxes received only a brief mention in the entire book, details of what the objects were nonexistent. Aggravated, Corinne huffed and dropped the book with a loud thwack beside her, grimacing at the noise she did not mean to make. Anyone near the Astronomy Tower could have heard it. Then she would get into trouble for sneaking up and hiding in here, like many other students did, usually to meet up with their beloveds or to snog.

Corinne decided to leave before risking the chance of being caught. Just as she finished shoving her books in her bag, she heard the sound of feet climbing the steps of the tower, making her freeze in mid-motion. They continued up the steps until they emerged from the shadows. Her whole body slackened in relief.

"What is with you and hiding in prohibited places?"

Corinne couldn't help but giggle as she gave Tom an amused look. "Who said I was hiding? And how did you know I was up here?"