I took in a deep breath, staring at the stack of four journals before me. The pages that were filled with dark magic, thoughts of murder, plans, devotions to Tom Riddle and his pure blood cause. I grabbed the locket in my hand as tight as I could, allowing the darkness to take over.
Darkness.
Black faded across my eyes and I spun down into the alternate world that I had seen before. I was sitting in the Hogwarts library, looking at him and he was looking at me.
"Armena, it is so nice being able to see you again."
Tom Riddle was seated before me, dressed in his Slytherin robes. His dark wavy hair was smoothed back into perfection. Not a single hair was out of place. It was terrifying how much we resembled each other from the shape of our eyes, to our wavy hair, to our tall and lanky frames. Yet, his eyes were haunting and hollow. He sat causally in his chair, his face the picture of someone who had no soul. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out.
"I see you got my message" Tom Riddle hissed at me.
With slow movements, my fingers went up to touch my neck. The feeling of sharp pain reminded me of the thin, purple burn lines around my neck. His lips curled up slightly, almost as if her were amused. I closed my eyes clutching the locket close to my chest.
I was playing a very dangerous game, but I had to know.
"What do you want from me?" I snapped.
"I had a feeling that you have been, let's say, letting curiosity get the best of you" he let out a low chuckle. "Am I correct? Have you been lying to the ones that you love, Armena?"
How did he know?
"You are not real!" I spit, the venom and the hatred for my father clear with my tone. "And if you mean finding out about your little cult or gang here at Hogwarts, then yes."
I crossed my arms over my torso, feeling slightly childish. Almost as if I was hiding something that I did from my parents. No, this dark wizard in front of me was most certainly not my parent. We shared the same blood and that was it.
Tom Riddle let out a low and menacing chuckle. His eyes blazing with delight over my words. I felt a wave of nausea roll over me. I didn't like this. Something felt so utterly wrong and dirty being here with him. All alone in this alternate universe where no one knew where we were. My friends were all in class. How much time had passed since I left that room panicking? Would they find my cold, dead body lying on the Slytherin common room floor? Would they even care if I died? They had only known me for a few short months, what was I to them? I was just some witch, a new project for them to take over. I felt all of the anger start to flow within me. Like it was consuming me and the darkness within me was taking over.
Something was wrong.
"My friends and loyal followers, Armena..." he leaned forward, "saying it's a gang just sounds so... wrong."
"Oh let me correct that then," I kept my gaze on him, refusing to back down, "your Death Eaters."
"And yours" he lowered his chin towards me in respect.
"You are wrong on that one!" I fired back.
I clenched my jaw tightly, narrowing my emerald eyes at Riddle. He just looked back at me, not even caring about the expression of pure hatred on my face. He just simply waved his hand, sending another pulse of anger through my body.
"Lestrange and Nott are no more than mere friends..." he drifted off, almost as if he were reminiscing about his past life. Yet nothing about this moment felt nostalgic in any shape or form. "I would say similar to the gang of friends you have made here in Slytherin. How wonderful is it that the young Nott boy and you are acquaintances. I always had such high hopes for that boy, too bad his father was weak."
His voice was laced with disgust. I tied to steady my breath, preparing for the next name he was going to speak.
"Theodore is so much more..." he paused, thinking on his words, "... well let's just say, he has what it takes to be a great dark wizard. I truly wanted him to join our ranks during the war, unlike young Draco."
My pulse begin to thrum in my ears at the mention of Draco's name. I dug my nails into the palm of my hands. I could feel pricks of pain form where my long nails pierced my flesh.
"That boy is weak, pathetic even. It's a shame he comes from a long line of pureblood wizards" he spit, "such a loss of talent. He was so weak last year, couldn't even complete a simple task of killing Dumbledore. That boy is so scared, just like his pathetic father."
"Keep. Draco. Out. Of. This." I snapped. "Keep all my friends out of it!"
He tilted his head to look at me, curious about my loyalties to the boy. I tried my best to school my emotions. To raise that cool and calm façade that Riddle was so skilled at.
"Do you care for the boy Armena?" he tilted his head to one side.
"No!" I snapped, folding my arms over my chest.
Liar.
"Are you lying to me?" His eyes seemed to be blazing. "You know I will find out Armena, I always find out everything you do. How do you think I know about what you have been doing with Nott's journals."
I let out a deep breath through my nose. I could feel the frustration and anger roll through my body. I needed to calm down. I needed to breathe. This was just a nightmare, a figment of my sick and twisted imagination. I knew nothing about this was real. He couldn't touch me, he couldn't snake his way into my thoughts. It was only a nightmare.
"Caring is for the weak" he hissed, spitting the words. "Love makes us all weak! It is the biggest fault of man. Knowledge is what brings us ultimate power. To have knowledge, to have the power that you have Armena, that will make you the most powerful witch that has ever walked this earth. Don't you want that? Don't you want to be great and powerful? To be feared by everyone around you. To have those friends kneel before you as your most loyal followers. Love is a sickness and you must rid yourself of it!"
I ignored his words, focusing on the ones that truly mattered. I wanted to push his buttons. I wanted to show him that he was wrong. But could you prove to the devil that he was at fault?
"Did you not care for my mother?" I folded my arms over my chest.
He threw his head back, letting out a sinister burst of laughter. It seemed to go on and on for ages. The sounds of the wicked notes filling all of my senses. It clogged my airway and my body went taught with fear.
When he was finally done, he lowered his head back to my direction. "You consider her your mother? She is just as much your mother, as I am your father."
I let out a quick huff of laughter. Silently thanking myself that I was able to breathe again. Yet, that wicked sickness still swam around me. Almost as if it were waiting to attack.
"That's one thing I have to agree with you on" I shook my head, "I wouldn't even consider you family."
"My point exactly" he leaned forward. "Poor Armena, no one ever loved her. Like I said, caring is a sign of weakness. Love will make you weak. How do you think I got this far in my endeavors?"
"That is what makes me and you so different! I have people who care about me! The only people who cared about you, are people who are scared of you. They worshiped you out of fear, not devotion!" I snapped. "All you are is a boogeyman in the dark. A tale of fear for parents to tell their children. My friends care about me, Tom. They mean more to me than you or my mother ever did!"
"You think your friends care about you Armena? They are just scared of you. A prodigy of me and a Lestrange" he hummed, his lips curling. "You are something to fear."
"I am not your fucking prodigy!" I screamed.
"So much anger Armena, you remind me a lot of myself when I was at school" he chuckled.
"I am nothing like you!" I hissed, "never compare me to you ever again."
"Oh but you are. It is just a matter of time before all of that hate and anger inside of you comes pouring out."
I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. It was as if someone was holding my tongue between their fingers. My mouth felt sticky and dry.
"You have such power, such darkness running through your veins. I know you can feel it, you can feel the darkness asking to come forward" he hissed.
I shook my head violently, trying to wake myself up from this nightmare.
"You can't escape it Armena. It is in your blood quite literally."
Your blood. The words that Draven and Felix repeated to me over and over again in my nightmares. I wanted to leave. I needed to leave. This was such a mistake, I fucked up royally.
"You're not real..."
"Oh, but I am very much real" he eyes glowed in the darkness of the library.
"Harry Potter killed you" I hiss.
His hands slammed down hard on the wooden table, causing the entire room to shake violently. I felt my body start to retreat but I had to be strong. I had to prove to not only him, but to myself, that I was better than this.
"Don't you dare speak that filthy name to me Armena. That was merely a party trick performed by his weak little friends. You see Armena, that even in my absence, I can be very persuasive. Not even death can truly stop me."
"I won't become your fucking little protege" I spit.
"Such anger. You might not now, but I see how much the darkness intrigues you. You see, I know exactly what is happening to you, because the same thing happened to me. You have spent days and hours researching dark things, that no good wizard would ever dream of reading. You like the idea of power and people being at your command. You want the darkness, Armena. I can smell it on you."
"You disgust me. You're words make me fucking sick" I snapped.
"Just say the word Armena and you could have an entire army of darkness at your side."
I narrowed my eyes at the man before me. I felt my skin become hot with fury. His words struck something inside of me that I had been holding back.
"I will never, and I swear on my life, become like you."
The words poured out of my mouth with disgust. His lips pulled up in a grin, knowing that he won. He had made me so angry that I couldn't push down the fury any longer. Suddenly he reached forward grabbing my wrists violently. His body hovering over me in a sinister way.
"It is your choice if you decide to follow your legacy now..." he hissed in my face. I could feel his hot breath on my flesh. "Either way, darkness will find you, Armena. It will always find you. It is your blood."
He let go of my wrists, pushing me back into the chair.
In an instant, I was falling through the sky and just like that, I was back in the common room. The dark wooden table sat before me, covered in Theo's grandfather's journals. I touched my wrists, the pressure still prominent where he grabbed me.
All the blood rushed through my body with vengeance and fury. All I saw was red behind my eyes as all the anger came bubbling up to the surface. The scales were tipping, darkness was washing over me.
"Theo..." I said through my teeth.
Before I had any time to think about my actions, I knew what I had to do. I scooped up the journals and stormed to Theo's room. Without knocking, I kicked open the door with my boot. The hard wooden structure flew open and slammed against the wall. I marched into the room, noticing the three beds lined up. Theo was sitting at his desk, writing a letter. I stormed over to him, slamming the black journals on his desk.
"What the—" he looked up, seeming shocked by my presence.
"Take these back, I don't want them" I felt my bottom lip tremble.
Anger surged through my body again. That flaming, pulsing, scalding anger. That red hot and white burning anger. My pulse thudded in my ears, muting out every voice around me.
Hold it together.
"Armena you are being ridiculous, they are just—"
I couldn't think straight. I wanted to hurt him so badly. I don't even know why I wanted to do it. I just knew I had to. Instantly, I had my wand up to his throat. A scared look grew on his face as my wand dug into his flesh.
"What fucking games are you playing at Nott" I snapped.
"Do it" that whisper came in the air.
He didn't answer me, he just held my gaze.
"Are you that dim witted?" I growled, the words hot on my tongue. "I said what fucking games are you playing with me!"
The look of confusion erased from his face instantly and a look of smug pleasure over took his features. His ocean blue eyes flashed into dark storms.
"You think I am playing games?" he grinned, "I will show you games. You like it rough don't you?"
The sexual tone in his voice only angered me more.
"How dare you think that—"
"Oh? But I do think" he chuckled darkly.
I pushed my wand deeper into his flesh, raising up on my toes so that I could look him straight in his eyes. There was no kindness that rested in those ocean blues. It was only pure and utter wickedness. He looked just like Tom Riddle. The very man that was seated in front of me only a few moments ago.
"Enough games!" I let out a low growl, my nostrils flaring wildly.
This only encouraged him more.
"Come on Armena, don't tell me you haven't thought about us. All the things we could do, the way I could make you feel..."
"You make me fucking sick" I spit meaning every word. "Were my threats to you earlier not enough for you? Do you need me to spell them out for you? Or perhaps I should demonstrate for you?"
"I quite liked your threats, turned me on honestly."
My body started to shake with fury. Red washed over my eyes and the only thoughts that were in my head were dark.
"Armena do it!" his voice whispered.
"Stay the fuck away from me" I hissed.
"Kill him for speaking to you that way!" the voice got louder.
No.
No.
No.
"Fuck!" I grabbed my head and screamed, pulling the wand away from Theo's throat.
"Hurt him!" the whisper came again.
I watched as Theo looked smugly at me. He gave me that all knowing look as if he knew exactly what was occurring in my head. I wanted to scream.
"Theo, fucking stay away from me!" I snapped, storming out of his room.
I slammed his door.
I needed help and fast.
I don't know what came to my mind in that very second but I chose the one person who I knew would give me answers. I ran as fast as I could up to the tower to find Professor Snape. I burst through his dark classroom, racing up spiral stairs to his office.
"Professor?" I yelled, frantically looking around the office.
But there was no response, only silence. That dead and haunting silence. It only made me want to scream more.
"Fuck" I screamed.
I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I need help now. I saw a flash of black appear behind me. I turned around and jumped, when I saw Snape standing in the doorway.
"What are you doing in my office, Miss Lestrange?"
I let out a deep, ragged breath. I felt my lungs constrict deep within my chest over the emotions that were pulsing through my body. My magic was fluttering deep inside of me, dying to be let loose. I knew that witches and wizards could lose all control when faced with trauma. Was this trauma?
"I really need your help, Professor"
I felt myself crumble before the black haired professor. I was completely and utterly terrified of what was happening. I was terrified of everything Tom Riddle had said to me, what Theo Nott brought to light. What had happened with the locket. Draco was right, I had gone too deep and people noticed.
He noticed.
My bloody father, Voldermort noticed. It was a matter of time before it all caught up with me. I just needed to know if I could get back to sanity before it was too late. Snape jerked up my robe, taking in my appearance with careful eyes. He threw me down in the chair below me and his arms grabbed onto the sides.
"Tell me" he hissed in my face.
"Are you working for him again" the words came spilling out of my mouth.
"What kind of question is that?" he hummed at me, drawing out his words.
"I asked... Are. You. Working. For. Him. Again" I said through my teeth, tears threatened to spill out of my eyes.
He pushed off of my chair, moving towards the end of his office. He carefully regained his composure, turning around to me slowly.
"Miss Lestrange, I can assure you, with much certainty, that I am not working with The Dark Lord."
"But you did work for him, didn't you!" I screamed, my skin suddenly scalding hot.
"I would watch your tone with me, I am after all your superior."
"And I am The fucking Dark Lord's daughter" I said through teeth.
"Yes, yes you are..." he hummed.
I dropped my head in my hands, curling over my own body.
"What is happening to me?" I muttered into my hands.
"I wish I could give you answers Miss Lestrange, however it seems that I am just as in the dark as you are."
"He said he can get into my head whenever he desires. Is this true?" I mumbled.
He didn't answer me.
"Is this true?" I hissed.
"Yes..." he hissed.
I felt the room suddenly grow cold. As if death herself came in and sat with us for a cup of tea. I wanted to curl up like a child and cry, but yet my body sat frozen as I stared at the obsidian haired Professor.
I was in over my head.
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Thank you guys so much for reading! Seriously like you have no idea how much I love seeing everyone read this story! 31K! Please keep commenting and sharing your thoughts I love seeing them and keep voting because it helps my story grow!
I want to hear what everyone thinks so far! Who is your favorite character? etc!
I will try and post an extra chapter today! This next chapter literally broke me apart so warning!