Chapter 35: The Snake and the Eagle
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Tom had managed to wrap her parents around his finger as easily as one would fall off a log. It frightened Estela if she was honest – the way he could manipulate people so effortlessly and shape their opinions with a charming smile and a few well-placed words. She didn't think it would be so easy for him to do that with Grace and William, but now she understood why everyone at Hogwarts admired him so much. That, in its self, raised her admiration for Dumbledore even further, as he seemed to be one of the only people who saw through his act.
Her parents were treating Tom like a son, not unlike Headmaster Dippet himself, actually. Grace practically doted on him, and kept making an extra effort with whatever she did whilst he was around.
William was very impressed with him too – and Tom knew exactly what to tell him. William always did admire a confident and clever person; especially if they had the same opinions as him, and Tom knew exactly what to tell him.
He did it all so well: the timely compliments, the perfectly placed displays of his knowledge, and that bloody charm that was the final ingredient in his recipe to winning them over. Estela was so impressed with the way he had done it all that it was no surprise that her parents readily approved of her going to visit him. William had been a bit hesitant to begin with, though. After all, going to stay with a boy was still a big fatherly issue for him, but after consideration he gladly agreed. If only they knew the truth about Tom Riddle.
"I told you I have a way of getting what I want," Tom said with a smirk as he sat down at the small wooden desk in the guest bedroom, with a look of supreme confidence on his face after just having dinner downstairs, where he'd been the focus of attention as usual.
Estela crossed her arms disapprovingly as she walked over to him, furrowing her brow. "I can't believe how easily you won them over."
He sneered. "Perhaps I'll teach you some day."
Estela rolled her eyes before they fell on a small photograph that was on the desk where Tom sat. It was just visible underneath one of his many books that were piled up high on top of it. She pulled it out from underneath the books curiously and regarded it.
"Where's this?" she asked Tom, whose face had become unreadable as he watched her examine the photograph.
It was a very plain looking photo, and Estela wondered why Tom even had it – he didn't seem like a very sentimental person at all. It was a picture of a large, rocky cliff that seemed to have an entrance to some sort of cave on its rough side. The sea seemed to be crashing severely into the cliff, and it looked as though it would be impossible to enter without magic.
"I went there when I was younger. It was the orphanage's version of a holiday: a trip to the gloomy seaside," he told her in a reserved manner, maintaining that unreadable expression with complete ease.
Estela took one last glance at the picture and had a strange and almost unnerving feeling about the image. There was something eerie about it in some way, and she found it strange that Tom would keep a photo of such a place. Something must have happened there – something that made him happy, a fond memory, perhaps, and she wondered what that was.
"Have you packed?"
"Not yet," Estela replied. They were leaving for Albania tomorrow morning, and Estela could hardly believe it. They were actually going to find the diadem. Her diadem. "I don't really know what to bring."
"Bring whatever you can," he said simply as he got up from where he sat. He towered above her, and Estela found the sudden change in height a bit daunting.
He strolled around the room casually and examined his environment as though he had never been there before, even though he'd slept there for the past few days. She found it rather odd and kept a close eye on his every move and made sure her wand was within her reach as her parents wouldn't be home for a while "Do you have a tent?"
Estela stared at him with a slightly surprised look on her face. "A tent?"
"A tent," he nodded.
"I thought we were staying somewhere?"
"We are, but you never know when it might be useful," he said, his countenance slowly leaning towards a more amused one.
She narrowed her eyes at him and sighed. "I think we might have one in the attic," and she passed him and went out into the hallway. Tom followed casually behind her and leaned against the bannister as Estela performed an unlocking charm on the door to the attic.
"Why are there security charms on the door?" he asked her curiously, his desire for valuable or interesting items gradually awakening.
"Grace and William insist," she said as she continued to wave her wand and cast jets of soft blue light at the door. "I'm not supposed to know the incantations, but I'm an observant person," she said with a sneaky smile.
The door clicked open and Estela gestured for Tom to follow her upstairs. The stairs were narrow and steep, and the wood was different to the rest of the house. It looked like nobody ever came up here.
They reached the top of the stairs and the heavy door to the attic opened slowly with a long and loud creak. The attic was large and very spacious, and shelves lined the walls of the long, dusty room. At each end of the attic were two large, round windows that let in rays of sunshine, in which many dust particles were distinctly visible floating serenely around them.
"I haven't been up here for years," Estela said whimsically as she looked around and ran her hand along one of the dusty shelves.
"I can tell," Tom said dryly as he observed his surroundings, eyeing the many shelves intensely for something that he may find interesting.
"You look over there, and I'll look over here. Grab anything else you think we might need as well," Estela said as she gestured for Tom to go and look at the far end of the attic whilst she looked at the other end.
Tom obeyed and went over to the other end of the attic. He was surprised at just how big it actually was, and at how many things were up here. The many shelves that lined the walls were full of boxes, books and chests and he wondered what they all contained. He found it strange how many things these people owned, when everything that he owned was in his suitcase below them.
After rummaging through some boxes for a while, he came to a stop near a large chest that was barely visible underneath a large pile of fabric. He looked over to the other end of the attic to where Estela was. She was fully absorbed in her own search duties by the looks of it, and so Tom lifted the layers of heavy fabric off of the chest.
It was a reasonable sized chest, and its redwood was layered with a coating of dust and bits of fabric. It didn't look very fancy, but Tom wondered what lay inside nevertheless.
He tried lifting the lid, but it was sealed tightly and would not budge. Casting another quick glance in Estela's direction, he pulled out his wand and tapped and top of the chest. To his delight, he heard a faint click from within, and he managed to lift the heavy lid of the chest.
As he peered inside, he noticed it was full of what seemed to be lots of parchment and photographs. He picked up the piece of parchment on top and examined it, it looked like a letter. It was addressed to someone named Lena and it seemed to be coded. Tom was puzzled as he read through the letter, and got quite aggravated as he couldn't understand what the message meant. It was signed by somebody named Astor.
He wondered who these people were as he continued to rummage through the chest's contents. There were what seemed to be endless amounts of letters inside, all addressed to Lena from Astor, and all written in code. He felt aggravation within him as he wondered what was so important that it must be coded. Also, why did Grace and William even have these?
As he delved in deeper, he found many more photographs that were underneath all the letters. Most of them were of a man and a woman who he supposed to be the mysterious Lena and Astor. He examined a few of the photographs to see if he could recognise them.
The man he presumed to be Astor was a tall, well-built man who had a hard expression lingering underneath his thick facial hair. However, when he was with the woman who Tom thought was Lena, the hardness of his expression disappeared, and he seemed much more humble.
In some photos, he was dressed in thick fur clothing, and was photographed in various locations that didn't look like Britain. The man looked strong and proud, and in one photo he held his wand aloft whilst sparks shot from the tip. Tom thought the man looked fairly young, but his dark facial hair, strong build and fur clothing made him look much older, and rather powerful.
The woman, on the other hand, looked her age. Tom suspected she must be in her twenties in some of the pictures. She had a kind and timid expression, which was very different to the man she was pictured with. She was tall and slim, and practically the exact opposite of the man. She wore elongated, blue and grey dresses that flooded to the ground as liquescent as water, and had long, dark hair that flowed down in natural waves as it almost reached her waist.
The photos were fairly unclear, but upon closer inspection Tom froze. As he examined the woman's face, he recognised her instantly. She had grey, misty eyes, a pale complexion and pretty features. She looked like a slightly older version of Estela. The realisation hit Tom hard as he looked from the woman to the man and realised that these were Estela's parents.
Tom knew that Estela didn't know very much at all about them, but she rarely spoke of them. He wondered if she even remembered them.
He picked up another photograph, and in this one there was a third person. Sat between the man and the woman was a small child with dark hair and large bright grey eyes. The two adults smiled down warmly at the child as she seemed to be giggling up at them toothlessly. He would recognise that face anywhere.
He felt his breathing quicken as he shot a glance in Estela's direction and ran a hand through his black hair. He knew something about her parents that Estela did not. He knew something about them that perhaps nobody else knew. Tom knew why they were dead.
He had known for a while now, but didn't tell Estela. He didn't know how. It wasn't that he was afraid of upsetting her as much, it's just that he didn't feel the need to inform her.
Putting the pictures back into the chest, he returned to the letters and attempted to decipher them once more. It took a while to understand the essence of what was being said, but now that he knew who they were he could understand a bit more.
It appeared as though Astor was moving around the country in search of someone, and Tom thought that he knew who. Lena seemed to be constantly on the move too. She was fleeing. Lena and her baby were running – they were running for their lives.
"Found it," came a voice from behind him. He had been so absorbed in attempting to decipher the letters that he hadn't heard Estela approaching, and in shock, the pieces of parchment flew out of his hand as he turned to Estela hurriedly.
Estela was holding a large, rolled up tent in her hands and was looking down at him with a perplexed appearance. Slowly, she put down the tent and stepped closer.
"What are those?" she asked him cautiously, her tone changing completely as she evidently became suspicious.
Tom had attempted to shove the parchment back into the chest, but Estela had picked up one of them off the floor that had landed by her feet. Tom sighed as he watched her closely, there was nothing he could do now.
Estela looked meticulously at the photograph in her hands and felt her entire body become frail. Her vision even blurred a bit as she took in the sight before her. In her hands was an image she had never seen before, but she felt as though she knew it, and the people in it, better than the handle of her wand.
It was a photo of a man, a woman and a small child. They looked elated as they smiled down at the little girl who was giggling happily between them. She knew the people in the photograph. Every single one of them. It was her mother, her father and herself.
A small breath of air escaped her lips as she couldn't find the simple ability within her to fashion any words. Without hesitation, she kneeled down next to Tom and examined the chest's contents.
"What? Why?" was all that she managed to say.
She hardly knew anything about her parents, yet here in her home was a chest full of items belonging to them. Photographs, trinkets and what seemed to be letters. Why had Grace and William never shown her these? Why did they even have them? Estela knew that they were friends before her real parents died, but they hardly even spoke about them.
She felt utterly weak as she picked up a letter written in a strange looking language as she ran a hand over the smooth parchment. This was her father's handwriting. It seemed silly, but she felt so close to him just by the touch of the parchment on her skin.
"What do these say?" she asked Tom faintly as she picked up more letters that she couldn't understand.
Tom stayed silent for a while, but hadn't taken his observant eyes of her for an instant. He seemed weary of something.
"They're coded," he said in a voice that was softer than usual, and he seemed to be controlling it very carefully.
"I know, but why?" she asked herself, furrowing her brow and tucking her hair behind her ear to look more closely at the letters. "They're my parents," she said, looking up at Tom who was still watching her steadily.
"I know," he said simply. "You look just like your mother."
Estela smiled as she looked at the photo and felt that weakness overwhelm her again.
"Can you work out what they mean?" she asked Tom in a small voice as she handed him a letter.
He hesitated before taking it out of her hand slowly. He scanned it briefly before meeting her gaze once more. He paused before he spoke. "I can understand the idea of it."
"Really?" she asked him delicately. "What does it say?"
"Estela there's -" he began, but he paused again. Estela was slightly taken aback at how hesitant he seemed. "There's something I know that I should have told you by now, I suppose."
Estela surveyed him but did not speak as she crossed her arms over her chest as a feeling of insecurity and anxiety came across her.
"This symbol here," he said, pointing to one of the symbols on the letter to Lena. "The feather - well I believe that it represents Ravenclaw," he informed her as she sat in silence. "Now this star, I believe that this is referring to you, Estela. Your name is 'star' in Latin. Now," he said, his voice becoming lower and more cautious, as he pointed to another symbol. "It's a snake."
"Slytherin?" Estela asked him slowly. "What does Slytherin have to do with anything?"
"If you look at the order of the symbols, and guess at what these mean," he said, pointing to various other cyphers, "we can gather that your mother, who I think is represented by the sun because Lena means 'light' in Greek, is running from the snake, in order to protect the star – meaning you, of course."
Estela felt her stomach drop as Tom wrapped his mind around the cyphers and it all seemed to fit into place.
"In Little Hangleton when we visited Morfin, do you remember what he said?" Tom asked her warily.
"He said a lot of things," was all that Estela managed to say.
"Yes, but he said something very odd when he saw you," Tom said darkly. "He seemed to recognise you, but that would be impossible. You'd never heard of him before. Then he said something rather odd after mentioning the locket. He said, 'eagles be easy birds to kill'."
The memory of these words flooded back to Estela as she remembered the crazed look in his eyes. Then she remembered something else – the crumpled up piece of parchment that she saw when she went back to the Gaunt shack. The drawing of the bird lying dead in a pool of blood. An eagle. The symbol of Ravenclaw. A symbol representing her parents.
She remembered the look on Tom's face after Morfin had seemingly recognised Estela, and she remembered how he seemed to be figuring something out in his mind. Now she knew what. Tom had figured it out right then and there. He had figured out that the Gaunts killed her parents.
"You knew the moment he recognised me, didn't you?" she asked him in a voice no louder than a whisper.
"I looked into his mind," Tom said calmly. "It was Marvolo, my grandfather, who killed your father. Morfin killed your mother. Marvolo saw them as a threat. He wanted his family to be the only remaining descendants of Salazar Slytherin, so when he found out about your family, he wanted them gone, especially since they were connected to Ravenclaw too. His desire to get rid of them was accentuated when he learned that they had the locket."
Estela stared unblinkingly at the chest before her. Thoughts raced through her mind faster than the Hogwarts Express as everything fell into place in her mind.
Quickly, she placed the letters and the photographs back into the chest and slut it tightly before she got up and walked up to the window. She looked outside at the never-ending stretch of green before her as she tried to calm herself.
Why didn't Tom tell her? Yes, of course it's a sensitive subject, but he should have told her. Also, why didn't Grace and William show her the chest before? Did they know what happened, too? Why was she kept in the dark about everything?
She bit her lip and let out a long sigh as she tried to keep her emotions under control. Tom had already seen her cry twice before, a third time would just come across as weak, even though any normal person would fully understand her right to cry after finding this out.
"I should have told you," Tom said from behind her in a low voice. He had come to stand behind her as he too looked out of the window before them.
"You're right, you should have," she said coldly as she felt her voice start to quiver.
"I understand you're feeling -"he began composedly, before Estela turned on her heel to face him as she stopped him mid-sentence.
"You don't, Tom! You have no idea what I'm feeling! You murdered your only remaining family in cold blood when I'd give anything just to spend a day with mine! You don't have a clue how it feels to know that your parents were murdered because of some stupid bloodline that you never even wanted to be a part of!" she shouted, her voice rising and shaking further.
She noticed a small flash of rage colour Tom's expression for a moment, before he clenched his jaw and regained a calm expression.
"They were killed simply because they were related to people from over a thousand years ago, and because they had some silly little locket!" she spat. "It's not fair... It's not fair..." she repeated as she felt the first tear run down her cheek.
Without warning, Estela rested her head on Tom's shoulder as she could no longer hold back her tears. Tom stood frozen for a while, having no clue what to do with a crying girl before he slowly wrapped an arm around her. He felt her entire body shaking as she sobbed and she felt so small and innocent as she pressed herself into his body.
Tom waited patiently for her to finish, and eventually she pulled away and tried compose herself.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling foolish. She wished she had Anthony or Cayra here now, or somebody who would understand her pain and would be happy to lend her a shoulder to cry on.
She stepped away from him, but Tom stepped closer. He lowered himself a bit to meet her height as he looked directly at her, their eyes locking.
"Do you know why I killed Morfin?" he asked her darkly. She shook her head. "Because of what I saw. Because of what he did to you, Estela. I didn't even give it a second thought. I knew that anyone who put you through that much pain and misery deserved to suffer," he explained, regaining his height as his eyes danced with triumphant rage. "I don't care about family, but I do know how much it means to you."
Estela blinked as she looked up at him, her cheeks still wet and her hands still shaking.
She didn't quite know what to do next. He had killed him for her. She ought to be outraged, and she was, but in Tom's mind it was one of those things that he thought was a kind gesture. She didn't know what to say or do. There wasn't any kind of barrier between them, except for his own arrogance and inability to feel anything. But somehow, she knew he cared enough to do what he did. If he didn't care, why would he do it? Why would he do everything he has done for her?
Slowly, Tom lifted his hand up to her face and wiped away her tears. His face was completely blank apart from a slight look of confusion riddled across his handsome features.
She knew this expression. He was unsure, he was hesitating and he was experimenting. She had seen this expression one before in Little Hangleton, a place that would now haunt her mind for more than one reason.
Gently, his hand moved down to her jaw as he tilted her head upwards and she saw his icy eyes brush over her lips. Then, just as slowly, he kissed her.
She closed her eyes as the kiss completely demolished her, and her entire body felt limp at the feel of his hand on her face and his lips on hers.
She felt as though a part of him was lost, a very large part that made up who he was. The part that's twisted, evil and narcissistic, and for just that moment, she could pretend that part of him never existed.
It was a feeling of union: like she'd found a part of her that had been missing for a long time, or the final piece of an unfinished jigsaw puzzle. His lips were soft against her own as she kissed him back. She could sense that he was still cautious as their lips moved together.
Estela finally understood how much she had been longing for this moment, but also scared of the notion that she might never feel his lips against hers again. She sensed Tom's definite uncertainty, and she knew that he was confused by what was happening. But she was comforted by the fact that if he didn't care about her, this wouldn't be happening.
She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but she felt a definite emptiness when Tom pulled away.
They both stood there for a while, unsure what to do or what to say. Tom's expression was completely unreadable, and Estela felt her face reddening the longer she looked at him. She cleared her throat.
"You can be a gentleman and carry the tent down," was all that she managed to say. She couldn't restrain herself from mustering a sly smile as she gestured towards the tent on the floor.
"You're giving me another order?" he asked teasingly, curling his lip slightly.
"Yes, it's been far too long since the last one, and I rather enjoy bossing you about."
After they had gone back downstairs, leaving the chest full of Estela's parents' belongings and the secret of their kiss deep within the attic, Estela finished packing for Albania. As she packed, the fact that Tom was in the room just metres away from her made her feel content, and she couldn't manage to wipe a small smile from her face as she could still feel the ghost of Tom's warm lips against hers.
She had just placed her packed trunk on the landing when she heard the sound of the front door shutting downstairs. Grace and William were home, and she was going to ask them about the chest in the attic. There was no way they could change the subject if she asked about her parents now.
Grace and William greeted her warmly as usual, but they knew from the serious expression on her face that something was wrong. She led them into the living room and sat them down.
"I found the chest in the attic full of my parents' things," she said.
Grace exchanged a worried glance with her husband and sighed deeply. She knew William was frowning underneath the moustache that was wriggling above his lip.
It turns out that they did know all about the letters and their contents. They knew why her parents were dead and yet they never thought to tell her. Apparently, it was for her own protection, and that it was better left unsaid that she was a direct blood relative of Slytherin and Ravenclaw.
Estela couldn't believe it. They had kept her in the dark about so much! She raised her voice at them in protest for the first time in years. She hadn't shouted at them like this since as long as she could remember, but the anger just overwhelmed her and she couldn't control it.
"It was for your own protection, Estela! If you knew the truth you might have faced the same danger as your parents did – and we didn't want that!" Grace explained, trying to keep calm, but she was evidently upset. "When your parents brought you to us, we were responsible for protecting you, Estela! We didn't want any harm to come to you, and so we couldn't risk you knowing about your ancestry."
"Well did it ever occur to you that I'd find out anyway?"
"We were going to tell you some day, Estela, when we thought you were ready. When we felt the time was right," William said.
She shook her head in disbelief. "I knew nothing about my parents except for their names and a vague memory of what I thought they looked like! You can't imagine what that's like."
They both seemed very upset as they sat there in silence. Estela understood why they kept it from her, in a sense, but she also had the right to know the reason behind her parents' deaths. It was as though they thought she couldn't handle the information. If only they knew half of the things she'd had to handle over the past year.
Grace made an extra effort with dinner that evening for two reasons: to cheer Estela up and because she and Tom were leaving the following morning. The table was full to the brim with different kinds of food, and it reminded her of a feast at Hogwarts.
There was an awkward tension between her and Tom at the dinner table that evening, and his presence was extremely evident as he sat next to her. Grace seemed to pick up on their unusual silence and Estela noticed her eyeing them uncertainly from across the table.
"What have you two been doing today, then?" she asked as she poured some gravy onto her plate with her wand.
Estela swallowed the food in her mouth and looked over at Grace who was watching them both. She nudges Tom forcefully under the table because he wasn't saying anything either. Their unusual silence made William look up from his plate too.
"We've been packing," said Tom casually, and Estela was thankful somebody finally spoke.
"Yes, packing," she added quickly, nodding to Grace. And then there was silence at the table once more.
Estela quickly looked down at her plate but saw Grace and William exchange glances out of the corner of her eye.
"What is it you wanted in the attic?" William enquired and Estela felt her face reddening at the mention of the attic as she cleared her throat.
She snuck a glance at Tom and saw he was watching her with a small smirk and she felt as though she could hex him then and there.
She couldn't tell them that they were looking for a tent, because they had no idea that they were really going to Albania. They thought that Estela was going to stay with Tom and his 'parents'.
"A tent," Tom said from beside her and Estela gave him daggers. What was he doing?
"A tent?" William asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I received an owl from my parents this morning and they asked if Estela would like to accompany us on our annual camping trip. We visit a lovely little countryside village in Surrey every year," he informed Grace and William with supreme confidence. He smirked at Estela who shot him a fake smile.
Estela couldn't help laughing internally at the thought of Tom going off on a merry family camping trip, and they seemed to notice her amusement. She tried to compose herself.
"Yes, I thought it would be a fun idea to go, if it's all right with you," she said in a tight voice, trying not to laugh and making sure to maintain her false smile.
"Yes, I see no reason why not," Grace said as she looked at William who regarded Estela and Tom for a moment before he nodded in approval.
Tom flashed them a charming smile that let his arrogance and triumph shine through and Estela laughed nervously.
"Tom says he's quite good at singing campfire songs, you know," she said with a mischievous smile as she took a sip of her drink to hide her laughter. She saw Tom's face drop as his eyes bore into hers and she almost choked on her drink at his reaction.
Estela finally understood why Tom got so amused at seeing her being embarrassed, well now he was having a taste of his own potion.
"Is that so?" William asked in astonishment as a smile grew under his moustache and Grace was watching him with pleasant surprise.
Tom gaped at them before he cleared his throat and regained his charming façade. "Yes," he said involuntarily. "Yes, that's true," he said through gritted teeth and Estela watched him glaring at her with a hunger for murder, but she couldn't help but laugh.
"Campfire songs?" Tom asked Estela furiously as they made their way upstairs.
"What?" she asked him innocently. "I'm sure you have a lovely singing voice," she said with a grin as she ran upstairs ahead of him, but he caught up to her effortlessly.
"You enjoyed that, didn't you?" he asked as he grabbed her arm as they reached the top of the staircase.
"Very much," she leered up at him with a mischievous expression. He smirked.
"Well don't get too used to it - after tonight it will be back to usual. No more taking orders and no more embarrassing comments."
"We'll see about that," she said smoothly as she released her arm from his grip. With one last glance at him she made her way to her bedroom and flashed him another sly grin as she shut the door behind her.
He was right. Tomorrow they would be off to Albania in search of Ravenclaw's lost diadem. It would be back to Tom's bossiness and arrogance, his dark and dangerous attitude and who knows what else would be waiting for her in the unfamiliar Albanian forest.
Author's notes: Hello, lovely readers! Sorry for the late update, my life has been pretty hectic lately so I haven't had much time to write at all. Due to this, I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit rushed, and please tell me if it is!
Also, let me know if you liked this chapter, and as always, I look forward to reading your comments!
Thank you for all your votes, comments and of course for reading, and until next time, nox.
-Emily.