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Voldemort stood under the shadow of the night sky. The house that stood before him was a quaint cottage in the village of Puddlemere, just west of London. He peered into the window to see two small girls with dark ringlet curls dancing in the living room of the house, their dressing gowns twirling about as they spun, hand in hand. They couldn't have been any older than five or six, he thought to himself.
He tore his eyes away from the two girls at the sound of a voice. A woman had entered the room. Her dark hair was pulled back and she wore a pale blue dress with a cream colored apron tied around her waist.
She was older than Voldemort remembered her, but the pale blue she wore brought on a flood of memories. Memories from a time he had been known by a different name. Her features had changed ever so slightly over the twelve years they had been a part. But the smile that was painted on her face hadn't aged a day.
"And just what do you two think you're doing out of bed?" She was standing with her hands on her hips, looking down expectantly at the young girls. She paused, her face stern for a moment before softening, that timeless smile gracing her lips once again. "Well go on then, off to bed you two." She shooed them out of the room and the two girls scurried down the hall.
Voldemort watched as the woman went to work picking up the stray toys that had been played with throughout the day. His eyes were torn away from his subject once again when a man entered the room. He was tall, with blonde hair and ordinary features. The man approached the woman from behind and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
"Come to bed darling, this can wait until morning," he said, planting a kiss on her cheek. The woman clasped the man's hands in her own and gave them a squeeze.
"I'm almost finished dear, you go on." He gave her a peck on the lips before disappearing down the hallway. She went back to work picking up the various items that were strewn about the room, placing all of them in a chest in the corner once she was finished. She stood there, hands on her hips, as she admired her work.
Voldemort watched her every movement. She was different than the girl he had left so many years ago, but somehow she was completely the same. Her mannerisms, her smile, the way she subtly tucked that one stray curl behind her ear. They were the same now as they had been the night he had left Ellison Pennifold.
He had decided he wouldn't look back when he left, and he hadn't. It would be easier that way, he had told himself. A clean break. He had known his time with her had been coming to an end, and he wouldn't have dared ask her to accompany him down the path he would take. Besides, she wouldn't have agreed even if he had asked. They were destined for different things. Tom had known that before he had allowed his feelings for her to take over. He had known how it would end. Her heart would be broken, but she would move on ... she was strong that way. She would meet someone. Make a life for herself. And he... He would become the most powerful wizard of all time, with nothing holding him back.
It had been harder than he had expected, leaving her. Thoughts of her had consumed his mind while in Albania. Upon his return, he had taken a job at Borgin and Burkes. He had considered looking her up then, though he hadn't known what he would do if he found her. If he could just see her, lay his eyes on the girl who had taken his soul, or what was left of it, captive. But he had resisted those temptations, and it had become easier over time. Slowly, she had slipped out of his mind. Becoming a distant memory.
It had been quite easy to leave the second time, after he had secured the cup and the locket from Hepzibah Smith. But now, twelve years later, here he stood, laying eyes on her for the first time since that night so long ago, and it was like he had never left.
She was striking. The girl he had left was now a woman. And he had been right. She had made a life for herself. A quiet life. With a husband and children. It had been what she wanted. Something Voldemort had known he would never be able to give her. He would have been happy for her if he hadn't wanted to march inside and curse the man that now held her in his arms. He had been overcome with jealously at the sight of another man kissing her. The thought was foolish, of course. He had been the one to walk away all those years ago. And when he had, he had known she would move on. He had wanted her too. Or had he?
His mind was now racing. What had he expected? For her to wait for him? To welcome him back with open arms? Would he have accepted them if she had? Of course not. He willed the thoughts to stop. He hadn't come here to get her back. He hadn't even come here to speak with her. Come to think of it, he didn't actually know why he had come here at all.
He had left his visit with the new Hogwarts headmaster in a rage. He had met with Dumbledore to inquire about the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts. He didn't know what he had expected. Albus Dumbledore had always had a vendetta of sorts against him. He would certainly never let him set foot inside the castle to teach students. Voldemort had known this. Still, the encounter had left him furious.
The trip hadn't been fruitless though. The diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw would never be found. That he was sure of. During his time at Hogwarts he had penetrated some of the castle's deepest secrets. Tonight, he had climbed the stairs to the seventh floor, hastily walked past the unicorn tapestry at the end of the left corridor, and a door had appeared. The same door that had appeared to him so many times before. He had entered the Room of Hidden Things for the first time in over a decade and placed the diadem, quite haphazardly he admitted, atop a table cluttered with dusty school books and an old, chipped bust of a warlock.
He had left in a rush, not bothering to place any protective enchantments around the crown. After all, he alone knew the true qualities the room possessed, and he alone would know that the 'lost' diadem of Ravenclaw was there in the castle. But somehow he had found himself standing here, in the little village of Puddlemere which was miles from Hogwarts. The whole thought of it made Voldemort angry. Why had he let her creep back into his thoughts after all this time?
He continued watching her, she had let down her hair and untied her apron laying it over the back of the sofa. Despite his frustration, he couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked. He scanned her up and down, and as he drew his eyes up to look upon her face, locked eyes with her. He stood there for a long moment, staring in to those deep green eyes he had peered into so many years before. Realizing those same eyes were now gazing back at him, he froze.
She was staring at him, a mix of surprise and realization painted across her features. Their eyes remained locked for what seemed like an eternity. Neither moved. Neither said a word. They simply looked at one another. Then suddenly, with a crack, Voldemort disappeared, darkness replacing the spot where he had stood.
~
Ellison stood there, gawking out the window. Had she imagined the whole thing? No. There was no way she had imagined it. Tom Riddle had been standing outside her window just seconds before, she was sure of it. But it hadn't been the Tom Riddle she remembered. He was different somehow. His face was paler and had looked almost waxy. The sculpted cheek bones and chiseled features she remembered had looked hollow, and dark bags had circled underneath his eyes.
His eyes. That was how she had known it was Tom. Though the whites were now bloodshot, they had been the same eyes she had peered into twelve years ago. The same eyes that had haunted her dreams for years after that night. When she had gazed into them, there had been no doubt in her mind who the man standing outside her house had been. And then, as quickly as she had saw him, he had disappeared.
The night Tom left was ingrained into her memory. Though she hadn't been surprised when he left, his absence had left her broken. And she hadn't seen or heard from Tom Riddle since. She had heard whispers of his whereabouts. He had supposedly spent time in Albania before coming back and accepting a post at Borgin and Burkes. Then, after barely a year, he had disappeared off the face of the map, and she hadn't heard anything about the infamous Tom Riddle since.
It had taken time, but she had moved on. She had went on to become a healer and had met Amos Knott shortly after. He was a curse breaker for Gringotts and had found himself on the wrong end of a hex before being placed in Ellison's care. She had nursed him back to health, and when his stay in Saint Mungo's had come to an end, he had asked her on a date.
Amos was a kind, gentle man. They were married just a year after. She had quit her job after giving birth to their first daughter, Calla. She smiled. She had chosen the name after her favorite flower, the Calla Lily. The very same flower Tom had given her so long ago. Their second daughter had come just a year later. Amos had wanted to name her after Ellison. They had compromised and decided on Ella.
She loved her husband and children dearly. But seeing Tom had stirred up thoughts and feelings she was certain had disappeared years ago. Why had he come here tonight? Why had he chosen to, after all this time, come here and turn her world upside down with one look? He had walked out of her life twelve years ago but tonight it was as if he had never left.
She hesitated for a moment before walking towards the door. She turned the knob and stepped outside. She looked around, peering into the darkness. She knew he had aparated and was probably hundreds of miles away, but something inside of her had to be sure. She stood there for a long time, listening for any sign of someone in the darkness.
"What are you doing out here El?" She jumped at the sound of her husband's voice. He chuckled. "I'm sorry love, I didn't mean to scare you." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" She smiled.
"Just enjoying the night air." She clasped his hand and they walked hand in hand back inside. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You go on, I'm right behind you."... "I promise." She added when he gave her a skeptical look. Obliging, he retreated back down the hallway.
She turned to face the window, a part of her wishing the man who had been standing there would suddenly reappear. She turned, walking towards the hall. Pausing one last time, she looked out the window into the darkness. Letting out a small sigh, she flipped the light switch, darkness overtaking the room...
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READ THIS!!!!!!
Guys ... first thing's first, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you. This past year (I seriously can't believe its been a year. Crazy right?) has been a journey and you have all stuck it out with me. Maybe you were here from the beginning when this story only had two chapters published and 30 views, or maybe you're a newcomer and started reading this story when it had 25 chapters and 13K views ... whoever you are, you're the reason I kept on writing. Every vote, comment, and view made me want to sit down and write that next chapter, no matter how busy or unmotivated I might've been. YOU are the reason this story got its ending.
Secondly, I want to explain the ending, and how I reached this conclusion for The Girl Who Loved. Would you believe me if I told you that this was the first thing I wrote? Well ... BELIEVE IT, because it was. Last summer this chapter came to me. First as an idea in my head. Then as something I decided to put down into words. I knew I wanted to take it somewhere, maybe even publish it online somewhere. Through a series of weeks spent brainstorming and typing, then retyping I came up with the Chapter 1 you read at the beginning of this story. That's right folks ... everything you've read was written to lead us to this.
I began this story by setting the precedent that I wanted to stay as close to 'cannon' as possible. You see, I knew Ellison and Tom couldn't end up together. And if you knew anything about the Harry Potter universe before reading this story, you did too. But I think that's the beauty of it all. You and I knew these two characters would never end up together, yet you kept reading. Even though we knew this romance was doomed from the start, you soaked in each chapter and allowed yourself, as I did, to get sucked in. -THANK YOU FOR DOINGa THAT.
Finally - I'm going to make a shameless plug for this book's sequel! If you want to continue along with Tom and Ellison go check out The Girl Who Fought!