a/n: thank you for your patience! after getting covid, having a massive writers block, and other events, i am finally publishing the last three chapters of the story. i would recommend rereading the last chapter or at least the last bit so you can jog your memory :)
The train rolled to a slow stop and Y/n felt her body slightly lunge forward.
She opened her eyes, suddenly remembering where she was. On her lap was Tom, whose eyebrows were knitted in exhaustion. Fleamont, who was sleeping besides Nagini in the opposite compartment, promptly stood up and stretched his arms beside him.
"Let's go, you two."
As they stepped onto the platform, Y/n felt the cold air nip at her bare skin. She suddenly realized how severely underdressed she was in her tank top and trousers and rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself up.
Tom nonchalantly slipped his own coat onto her shoulders, and Y/n had to bite the side of her cheek so she wouldn't make a fuss of it. Now wasn't the time for arguments, she supposed.
"I have to find a place for Tom and Dumbledore to meet," Fleamont adjusted his collar and cleared his throat. "So Y/n, try to stay out of trouble, okay?"
Y/n pursed her lips at the thought of having to roam a castle - one where she was considered a traitor and fugitive- alone and completely vulnerable. But even though she was still unsure about Fleamont's plan and if it would work, she complied and nodded silently.
As Fleamont began to make his way down the south side of the platform, Tom turned to look at Y/n, his face expressionless per usual. Her eyes searched his for a hint of disappointment, but it seemed that their split did not affect him as much as it seemed to affect her.
"Bye." Y/n tried to smile as best as she could.
"We sure say that a lot, don't we?"
She drew in a deep breath and bit her lip. "Hopefully we won't have to anymore."
Tom slightly nodded and smiled back as his eyes fell to the floor. Y/n shifted towards him and wrapped her arms around his body tightly, throwing him off guard. Tom, who wasn't used to physical touch unless it was in bed, uncomfortably patted her back and internally begged for the hug to end. Even though he hated intimacy, he would have rather dealt with a touchy Y/n than an irritated Y/n.
Then Y/n withdrew, an odd smile on her face. And in one swift movement, she slipped behind the staircase and entered the bush that surrounded the platform, leaving Tom puzzled and slightly agitated. He rolled his eyes and slipped his hands into his front pockets, furrowing his eyebrows once again before turning on his heels and trailing behind Potter.
Once Y/n could see he was out of sight, she pulled out the black leather journal she had stolen from him and gripped it tightly in her hands. She bit her lip slightly in anticipation, her heart beginning to beat madly.
Concealed by the bushes, she tried to navigate her way up the mountain, her pet snake following closely behind.
Throughout the journey, she could not tear her eyes off the diary. The gold embellishments of Tom's names seemed to make the memory of Myrtle and her visions flash rapidly throughout her mind. Tom, her Tom, was not someone who would get out of this unscathed, so what damage could this really do? And even though it would hurt her to hurt him, Y/n always turned to her better moral judgment.
She could already hear Fleamont scolding her about how he told her to 'stay out of trouble', but Y/n had a job to finish.
She headed towards the girl's bathroom, the one outside the Astronomy tower that she had stood in several months before. The air in the room was thick and heavy, the moisture heaving through her nose as she inhaled deeply. Tom's jacket began to stick to her skin as Y/n started to sweat from the paranoia of getting caught; she had to reassure herself that no one in their right mind would want to go into a bathroom like this, not after what happened in there.
Y/n ran her fingers along the sink's intricate engravings- they were snakes coiling their bodies around the faucets and handles. Y/n smiled as she looked back at Nagini -who was perched behind her- for a second, then turned back to finish her mission.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she began to recite the incantations. The same incantations she had heard coming from the mirror many times before, and while she was still hesitant on how well she could imitate him, by the sudden sounds of pipes moving and concrete shifting, she was certain she had done it.
Nagini's eyes stared intently at Y/n, almost as if to ask: How?
Y/n shrugged. He talks in his sleep.
The journey down the rabbit hole ended abruptly as she felt her feet hit the stone floor hard. She navigated through the darkness of the tunnel until she reached a large circle gate, which seemed to stand between her and what she needed.
Open, She managed to hiss in the foreign language as the lock seemed to slide open and the gate welcomed her inside the chamber.
Each second seemed to only confirm her and Fleamont's suspicions: Tom Riddle was the heir of Slytherin. Her prophecy had all made sense now; it seemed to be some sort of ridiculous way for the universe to end their ancestor's feud.
For someone who values privacy so much, you'd think he'd keep his diary locked up while he's asleep. Y/n sniggered to herself as she recalled the many restless nights she had stolen his book for this very moment.
Then, she sensed it creeping up ahead of her. Y/n covered her eyes quickly, her muscles suddenly tensing. She didn't think she'd get this far.
Wand firmly gripped in her hand, Y/n stood still for what felt like hours. She hadn't planned out this far, in fact, she wasn't even sure what she was doing here in the first place.
Basilisk, kill the basilisk. She repeated to herself, but her body refused to move.
Nagini, now aware of the imminent danger her owner was in, hissed loudly and managed to fend off the larger beast for a brief moment.
Do something, you fucking idiot! Y/n smacked herself on the forehead and lunged forward, random attack spells fired from her wand. Nagini, who, for her small size compared to her foe, had managed to make two deep cuts but the Basilisk was far from backing down.
Suddenly, the larger snake lashed its fangs out and dug it into Nagini's side, causing a loud yelp to escape from her mouth. Y/n stopped in her place as Nagini's poor cry for help echoed through the empty chamber, and all she could feel was the sudden rush of anger that coursed through her.
"Fiendfyre! Fiendfyre! Fiendfyre!" Y/n shot the spell everywhere, hoping one would hit the Basilisk, which it did. She heard another loud squelch and peeked through her eyes, finding the large snake withering madly. It lashed its body back and forth as it reacted to its sudden blindness, and Y/n took this opportunity to grab her injured companion and run.
As the flames from her spell began to consume nearly every inch of the chamber, its elaborate statues, and well-kept beast, Y/n tossed the diary of Tom Riddle into the fire, watching the orange and yellow hues burst the book into a ball of light. She turned and dragged Nagini's body back through the tunnel, her face drenched in sweat and a satisfied smile etched across it.
Thinking only off of pure adrenaline and paranoia, Y/n ran to the only place she could think of.
--
Nagini was wrapped in bandages and coiled up next to the fireplace as Y/n lied on her back. The Room of Requirement looked much different this time, which she assumed was because of her dire circumstances.
Her snake was barely breathing or moving, only making small gasps of air. Y/n had tried all the healing spells she could think of, and even the Room couldn't offer good medical supplies. The prospect of Nagini dying nerved her profusely- she wouldn't know what she'd do without her.
Suddenly, the walls behind her shifted and slow and heavy footsteps began to approach her. She didn't have to even look up to know who it was. She could sense his ego from the back of the room.
"When Fleamont said lay low he did not mean it literally." Tom hovered over Y/n's lying body with an annoyed expression on his face. "But by the looks of Nagini, you didn't stay out of trouble as he'd asked. Do I even want to ask what happened?"
Y/n stared up at Tom, whose eyebags seemed darker than usual. His regular arrogant and poised look was gone and replaced by what merely looked like a shell of Tom. Perhaps she was successful in destroying his Horcruxes, whether it was the Basilisk or the diary she will never know.
He must have known it was her, the answer must have been as clear as day. But even if he did, he certainly didn't show it.
Y/n rolled onto her stomach and shut her eyes. She couldn't just tell him that she was trying to destroy his other Horcruxes - oh - and god forbid she told him about the prophecy. Y/n couldn't even imagine the fit he'd throw.
"No." Y/n sat back up, her knees tucked to her chest and her chin resting on them. "No, you don't."
Tom rolled his eyes as he bent down and gently caressed the snake. "Christ, I can feel her pain. She's dying."
Y/n shifted uncomfortably. He could feel it, he said.
Tom tended the snake's wounds cautious and carefully like a father would their child. Y/n could feel a smile creep up onto her face and even a bit of heat onto her cheeks. She had never even thought of the prospects of having a child or raising a family or even getting married. Perhaps she would have found a good husband by now, someone like Fleamont who was respectable and kind and protective.
Perhaps she would have if not for Tom.
She immediately tore her eyes from him and let them wander around the room, finding it empty except for the very predictable mirror that stood opposite of her. Her reflection was gone, replaced with only the spitting image of her in a long floral gown, her hair tied up neatly into a braid. This image of her stood beside a large flower field, the rows and rows of yellow and pink steering off into the sunset behind them. It was serene and undisturbed.
From her reflection, she could see the life that could have been, her life before the war and before Tom.
Suddenly, he reappeared next to her, his old and worn-out clothes replaced with a farmer's suit.
"Tom, get out of the way you're covering the flowers." Y/n rolled her eyes as she turned to find Tom still crouching by Nagini. She knitted her brows and quickly looked back at the mirror to still find his reflection still standing beside her.
"What flowers? I don't see any flowers." Tom frowned as he made his way over to her and crossed his arms.
Y/n shook her head. These fucking mirrors.
"You don't see the flowers in the reflection?" Y/n huffed and stepped aside as Tom inspected the glass carefully. Then, his eyebrows raised in amusement. "What? What do you see?"
"Nothing. It seems like a regular mirror to me."
Y/n scoffed. "Bullshit. I saw your reaction."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Tom-"
"We should really get back to Nagini and not focus on your weird hallucinations-"
"But it has weird engravings on the frame, look-"
But Tom had already grabbed Y/n by the wrists and dragged her back to the fireplace in an attempt to cease any further investigation. She twitched slightly under his grip, suddenly aware of how close their bodies were to each other.
"We don't have time for this, Y/n." Tom's voice suddenly became very low and hushed. "Something serious is about to happen."
Y/n's mirror escapade seemed to quickly disappear as she was brought back to the unfortunate reality she was living in. There were no flowers, no pretty sunsets to admire. Only the present, which was the precipice of a dark wizard war.
"How did the meeting with Dumbledore go? I'm surprised you weren't shipped off to Azkaban."
Tom huffed. "We came...to an agreement. A lifetime sentence if I help the Order rather than a death sentence."
Y/n inhaled sharply, and her disappointment must have been very obvious to Tom. How had she been so naive? Had she really thought that after all he had done, all they had done, both of them would walk out of here a free man?
Tom crossed his arms and stood a bit straighter, his eyes growing softer as he stared down at Y/n. "But I won't let them. They'll have to capture my dead body before I'll submit to any of those filthy-"
"But aren't you sick of this? Of constantly running away?" Y/n looked Tom straight in the eye, which made him shift uncomfortably. She peered up at him with such discontent that Tom felt his own skin begin to crawl under her permeating gaze.
He cleared his throat as his eyes darted towards Nagini. The atmosphere in the room had suddenly shifted, and not for the better.
"I know you're the heir of Slytherin."
Tom's lips curved into a sly smirk as he chuckled but Y/n's expression remained grim.
"Well, as if it wasn't obvious enough. Who else would be worthy of that title?"
Y/n remained silent in the name of pride as she crossed her arms and huffed. Tom raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh come on, are you seriously gonna treat me differently because of my house? We're not in school anymore-"
"-That's rich, coming from the blood supremacist." Y/n snapped as she pursed her lips bitterly. "But it makes sense. Everything makes sense now." She muttered under her breath. She would never reveal the contents of the prophecy to Tom, not if she wanted to see it be completed. She would have to take this secret to the grave.
"What are you going on about?" Tom brushed his thumb across her chin and lifted her face so he could see her clearly in the midst of the darkroom. "What is that pretty little mind of yours thinking about?"
Y/n felt a rush of euphoria erupt in her. He called me pretty.
This small but sincere remark allowed Y/n to recognize how much she had let her guard down around Tom. She let herself be blinded by the things he had done, the person he had become. Even after the war was over and the two found a way to escape, could she ever live a normal life with him? Did normalcy even exist with Tom?
She covered her face with the palms of her hands and rubbed her temples, exhaling deeply. God, she hated the way he could put her under a spell with a simple word, how he could make her legs feel like jelly just by looking at her. She wished she could just have a bit more time with him, just a few more minutes before-
He suddenly pulled her wrists apart, smiling at her as he crouched down. Even in the darkness of the room, she could see his mahogany eyes sparkling in the moonlight. Their noses slightly touched and all Y/n could hear was their breathing and all she could feel was Tom.
Their lips parted for only a second before Y/n gave in and kissed him harder, her hands clasping around his jaw. Tom pressed his forehead against hers and exhaled sharply as if he were trying to hold himself back.
"They attack at dusk." He muttered quietly, afraid he would be disrupting the quietness of the room.
"I'll be with you-"
"No, you can't." She could hear Tom choke on his own words like his voice was betraying his heart. "They can't see you helping me. Or else they'll take you too."
"Then they'll take me. I'm better off in a cell for the rest of my life than being here without you." Y/n didn't want to cry in front of him, and she tried as hard as she could to fight the urge. But her body reacted instinctively, and she could feel tears begin to prickle her eyes.
Tom sighed, closed his eyes, and smiled.
"God I wish I still hated you."
"Shut up, don't say that." She could feel herself grinning too, despite the tears that began to stream down the sides of her face.
Stop crying, stop crying-
"Why do you have to make it so difficult?" Tom opened his eyes and traced his fingers across her stained cheeks and down the streaks that flowed down her face. She knew that if he had the capacity to cry, he would have.
"Tom-"
"It's true. You know it's true." Tom finally stood up straight and held her head tightly against his chest, his hands tangling themselves in her hair. "You were better off without me."
"Stop talking, please."
And he did. He did so that they could fully relish their last moments together in peace. With both of their eyes closed, Y/n and Tom felt their hearts beat rapidly against each other.
Then, like clockwork, the sounds of shouting erupted from down the hall. They withdrew from each other, both understanding the signal. They would have to leave, again, and their reunion would never be certain.
"I'll always find you through the mirror, Y/n." Tom smiled in an attempt to reassure her, but for the first time, Y/n wasn't so sure he was going to.
She couldn't even find the words to say when Tom began towards the door of the Room of Requirement, his eyes never tearing themselves from her. All she could think of was that stupid smile etched on his face, and how she'd never forget a smile like his.