the devil's redemption [tom r.]

32|| Amortentia.

"I never thought of that before. Could it be, that Willow– my own best friend, is a spy?" Rosalind felt the pointed claws of betrayal slashing away at her heart. What did she do to deserve this?

"Everything is possible, darling. How did you first meet?"

"Well, Willow and Oliver sat in the same carriage as me, and after the sorting. . they were the ones that approached me again," Now she truly started connecting the dots. It all made sense. Perhaps, after all, she shouldn't feel guilty for killing Willow's mother.

"That's quite suspicious, actually," Tom added, leaning back on the couch with a disgusted sneer on his face. "They outsmarted us though, which is somehow disappointing."

"But then, why would she expose herself and tell me the truth?"

"Maybe she really is devastated, and maybe we're exaggerating. It could be that Willow doesn't know where her mother's loyalties lie, and everything else was a coincidence."

Rosalind could do nothing but nod, agreeing with him.

"I still can't believe I killed a person, an actual human being. . A mother," Rosalind mumbled, feeling a hard tightening in her chest. It was no doubt that she spent the last month sulking about the crime that she committed. She was a murderer.

She always thought that: How dare she take the life of another human being? No one has the right to simply seize away another person's loved one. She was a monster, and that's what she believed.

Tom leaned closer to her, his hand cupping her left cheek. It was very rare for Tom to show any notions of consolation and care, and that's why she was taken off guard. "Listen here Rosalind," He was determined as he spoke, somehow maddened by the fact that Rosalind was feeling guilty. "It's not your fault she joined Grindelwald's order, careless of the danger it offers. He's a dark wizard Rosalind, he would've killed her anyways if he found out that she let your mother escape."

Rosalind chuckled humourlessly, to which Tom furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"But you're a dark wizard as well, and I joined your order. Doesn't that put me in danger?"

Tom withdrew his hand, but she tried to bury the disappointment when his warm touch left her. "I'm a dark wizard that would do anything to protect the only person he cares about."

This simple statement sent her heart into an erratic haze. "W-what do you mean?" But she knew exactly what he meant, she just wanted him to say it more clearly.

"It means that you're not in danger, as long as I'm around."

Rosalind gulped, trying her best not to get any closer to Tom, for she couldn't really control her actions much, at that moment.

"Now, to our important matters," Tom started, getting up and pacing around the room for a bit.

"I have a task for you," He stopped, grabbing a large tome from one of the shelves. "You have to find this."

Tom opened to a certain page and gave her the book. Rosalind examined the drawing, one of a fancy tiara. The book was very old, its pages yellowing around the edges, and its binding frail and tattered. It was definitely hundreds of years old.

"This is the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw."

"And I have to find it, when it's lost?"

"Well, there is always a chance of finding it, I need it for a very serious matter Rosalind." Tom explained, sitting on the arm of the couch, just beside the french blonde.

She tried to dismiss the fact that his proximity to her really made her anxious and self conscious.

"What do you need it for?" Rosalind inquired curiously, looking up at him as he zoned out for a bit.