It's here! I'll admit a lot of my inspiration went into Tom's nightmare so...oops. Also, I just posted a new one shot featuring these two so go check it out!
*Time skip to the day before the trial
✌🏻
Listen: dead myrtle from the Great Gatsby soundtrack
18| the nightmare
July 19th
It was dark.
That's all Tom was aware of when he came to his senses. He knew he was dreaming because he no longer felt the mattress beneath him. Instead, he felt the cold hard ground. He pushed himself up and sat there trying to make out anything around him. It was dark.
Dark and cold and quiet. He stood up slowly and felt something brush against his leg. Looking down, he realized he was in his school robes. Seconds later his surroundings became light enough to see he was in a hallway. The walls were stone and decorated with carvings in the pillars and archways. He was in Hogwarts. Where exactly in the school, he wasn't sure. He looked all around himself to see if he could pick out any specific feature. Nothing stood out however. It was just one of the many halls in the castle with little significance. Tom sighed in frustration. He turned back to the direction he was originally facing and started walking that way. His footsteps echoed off the walls of the empty corridor. There were no other sounds around him and darkness consumed any space.
It began to feel to him that the corridor had no end as he was traveling down it. He didn't remember seeing others winging off of it either. Shaking away the chill that was beginning to climb up his spine, he continued forward. Suddenly another smaller hall appeared up to his right. He stopped in front of it and saw a single torch lit at the end. He contemplated going past it until he heard a sound. Listening he closer and not hearing it again, he decided to keep going. After taking one step, he heard it again. It was a strange sound, low in tone and hard to understand.
Tom hesitated before entering the dark hall and once he did he was enveloped in the dark. The only sense of direction he had was the one torch. He kept his eyes on it as he made his way toward it. Upon reaching it and the end of the hallway, the the torch went out. Another lit to his left shortly after. He followed each torch that lighted and realized he was being lead somewhere. The trail of torches stopped at a door which he didn't recognize.
Tom placed his hand on the door and pushed it open. To his surprise, he was in a girls' bathroom. He didn't hear the noise again or see the source of it. The only thing about the room that didn't seem unnatural was the constant dripping of one of the faucets. He studied each faucet carefully until he identified which one was dripping. As he moved away from the door it slammed closed behind him. The sound echoed in the room followed by a low hissing sound. Nearing the sinks, he stopped after noticing one was broken. He knew where he was now.
More hissing echoed off the walls and he couldn't tell where it originated from. A shrill laugh suddenly came from behind him. Tom turned around but saw nothing. The chilling laugh was still echoing off the walls.
"Now, don't tell me you are that ignorant. To not notice everything around you. Very disappointing."
The voice clearly came from where the stalls were. Tom stared at the dark corner of the stalls knowing whoever spoke was there. "What do you mean?"
There was a low chuckle. "You have grown soft in your time with them."
"Them? Meaning the Merins."
"Oh yes. Such a happy little family you've become a part of."
"The Merins have graciously welcomed me into their home. It's merely temporary."
A sigh was heard. "No, you're becoming like them. It's pathetic."
Tom was confused. Who was in his dream and why were they saying these things to him? He refocused on the spot, "who are you?"
Another laugh. "I thought you could have guessed. But yet again, I'm disappointed." Then there was silence and more hissing. "Who else would know of this room? You see, I know everything you do. I've seen everything and done everything you have."
Tom watched the dark spot intensely as it grew closer. Focusing harder, he could make out a dark figure. Suddenly he felt a breeze on his back and felt a chill run through his body.
"Because, I am you."
The voice came from behind him, right next to his ear. Tom jumped and turned around quickly. Instead of the figure he expected to see, he was in front of one of the sinks. Something reflected off the mirror and he moved closer to see what it was. When he looked in the mirror, he immediately pulled back. What he saw wasn't his own reflection. It was a pale man with red eyes that resembled a snake. Voldemort.
Tom's eyes snapped open. His heart was racing and he was sweating. He sat up quickly when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's ok. It's just me," came Ava's soft voice.
Tom's eyes snapped up to hers. He still had a wild look on his face and she held a concerned one. He took a few deep breaths before shaking her hand off. He brought his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his face. In a way he was hoping to get the nightmare out of his mind. He groaned, "what time is it?"
"Just after noon. You were asleep for almost two hours." Ava gingerly sat next to him, watching him carefully. "My mum was beginning to worry. Did you sleep last night?"
"Restlessly. It took me a while to fall asleep." That's why he cane up to his room, to try to rest. He sighed and sat up to look at her. "What have I missed?"
Ava shrugged, "nothing really. My mum stressing about tomorrow and Lizzie has been asking questions non stop." She watched him as he stood up to stretch and straighten his clothes. "I went through some of my grandfather's old things we had."
Tom raised an eyebrow while turning to her. "Did you find anything of interest?"
"Sort of." She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Tom. "This was buried in a stack of newspaper clippings and letters."
Tom studied the folded piece of paper she handed him. It was very old and wrinkled, slightly faded from the years of sitting. It was a photograph of three men in their late twenties or early thirties. He watched the photo move as they smiled at the camera and each other.
"Which one is your grandfather?"
Ava leaned closer to watch the photo with him. "He's the one on the left."
Tom squinted to study him closer. He could see the shared features between him and Carmine. Unlike his son, Cornelius was clean-shaven and had longer hair that was pulled back. The other two men also had long hair from what Tom could see. They looked like three normal men that fit in with the time, but Tom wondered if they were all part of Grindelwald's movement.
"Those were his two closest friends. He told me stories about the silly things they did together." Ava sighed as Tom gave the photo back to her. "I was able to meet one of them, Gabril. I think he's on the right and the middle one is Adrian."
"Why didn't you meet him?"
"Oh, he died from an illness years before I was born." She refolded the photo and held it between her hands. "I enjoyed hearing about them and their adventures." She smiled sadly at the memory.
"Something's bothering you. What else did you find in your grandfather's possessions?"
Ava bit her lip, staring at the floor blankly. "I found an old journal he kept." She looked at Tom, "starting from when he was younger. Most likely from around the time this picture was taken. His friends were mentioned a lot in the older entries."
"Are there some from later in his life then?"
"Yes, a few."
Ava moved her eyes away from his to something above him. She reached towards Tom's head and he flinched away. She paused before continuing. Tom tensed when he felt her touch a piece of his hair. He stared at her as she concentrated on what she was doing. Smiling shyly, she moved away again. "You had a piece sticking out." Clearing her throat, she looked down. "Anyways, there were just a handful of journal entries from just before his death. A few of them were eye opening."
"You've read them all?"
"Not all of them." After hesitating, she recalled one of the entries. "I found one that I wished didn't exist, but was more proof that he wasn't who I thought he was."
Tom stood straighter in interest. "What was it?"
When Ava met his eyes she stopped herself from speaking. She swallowed when he raised an eyebrow, confused at her reaction. "Well, it was about some of the events that happened during...during the dark lords' first movement."
Tom felt his heart jump at that. "I'm guessing you're not talking about Grindelwald."
Ava slowly shook her head. "He talked about one of his acquaintances supporting him. This person's son happened to be a Death Eater." She trailed off before taking a breath, "and my grandfather was pleased by that."
Tom stared at the floor in thought. He understood her grandfather's interest with Grindelwald, but this was unexpected. "It would make sense I suppose. These Death Eaters seem very similar to Grindelwald's fanatics."
"Tom," she waited for him to look at her before she said it. "They were worse."
"Worse?"
Ava nodded. "There was more organized chaos and destruction than random." She shrugged, not sure of how to word it. "In short, they were far more cruel."
"I see." Tom closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. "Yet another thing to add onto their list tomorrow," he said as he made his way past her to the door. He needed air.
"It's going to be okay Tom."
He stopped just as he opened the door. He was breathing deeply to keep himself calm. Even though he didn't turn around to face her, he was listening to her.
"I know it's going to be hard, but you'll get through it. We'll help you."
He didn't say another word as he left the room and rushed down the stairs. He didn't pause as he passed Gwen in the sitting room or Lizzie in the kitchen. He needed out. Once he reached outside, he collapsed on the porch steps. As much as he tried to hide it, he wasn't prepared for the next day. He was deeply terrified.
...
July 20th
Pacing and silence filled the room between the Merins and Tom. They were ushered into this small room as soon as they arrived at the Ministry. To avoid unwanted attention preceding the trial, as they were told. Tom was sitting in one of the chairs, staring at the wall in front of him without focusing on it. He was attempting to keep himself in control, but he could hear the constant string of voices outside the door. Carmine's pacing was also preventing him from concentrating on himself. Ava was sitting in the chair next to him. He could feel her glancing at him in concern.
Ava finally had enough and looked at her father. "Dad, could you stop your pacing? I think it's only making things worse."
Carmine stopped and looked at Tom when Ava nodded in his direction. "Sorry Tom."
He nodded shortly and stayed silent. Ava sighed, "I think we're all a little nervous."
"Rightly so." Carmine leaned against the wall. "I won't sugar coat it. This is going to be a very long, difficult trial. We should be nervous." Sighing, he went to Tom and placed his hand on his shoulder. "However, I believe in the end, things will work out. Remember, Tom, you're not him. You're not what they think you are."
Tom looked up at Carmine, surprised at his supportive words. Before he could say anything, the door to the room opened. Miss Baron-Coax entered and gave them a tight smile. "It's time to go. You're trial begins in just a few moments. Mister Merin, you may take your daughter and take your seat with your wife once we leave this room. Come along."
She stepped out of the door to allow them to exit. Carmine patted Tom's shoulder, encouraging him to get up. When they left the room, Tom was being directed towards a different door than Carmine and Ava. He hesitated, beginning to lose his nerve. Before they disappeared through their designated door, Ava quickly went to Tom. She pulled him into a hug, ignoring his tenseness. "Everything will be fine. I'll be right there in the room with you," she whispered. She gave him a reassuring smile before leaving him.
"Come Mister Riddle."
Tom took a deep breath and pulled himself to his full height. He would not let this get to him. No matter what they throw at him, he will not show weakness. He made quick strides to the door as it opened and entered. The trial has begun.
To be continued.
AN: I'm both excited and nervous for the next chapter. Excited, because that means we can move onto the next part of the story. Nervous because writing it will be hard...
Wish me luck!