AN: Warning! Graphic violence/torture ahead. You can skip to the very bottom or the entire chapter it if you want to. You've been warned.
He watched.
Watched as they walked around high and mighty after what they had done. They relaxed and had fine; patted themselves on the back for a job well done. Walked with their heads held high at their accomplishment despite the minor detail of disobedience that tarnished their victory. They thought they were on top of the world, with just a few words of praise from their Master, but they had another thing coming.
They can accept the pats on the back and congratulations from their comrades, float on the cloud they had placed themselves on, it wouldn't last long. No, he would wait, wait as their inflated egos made them careless; then he would strike.
When they least expected it, when they were alone and vulnerable he would come; and they would pay.
xxx
Abel Gibbon walked through the dark, empty alleys of Knockturn Alley, slightly inebriated from the gathering he had just left. He had been partying almost non-stop since the incident, celebrating his victory that only he had been able to do. Well, he had help of course, but that was beside the point. He was still standing and he had never felt prouder of himself; proud to be one of the Dark Lord's faithful followers. He hadn't really lived until now, when he was on top, in the spotlight for a job well done. And why shouldn't he? He had gotten rid of Potter. Something no one had been able to do. Not even the Dark Lord, though he would never say that aloud.
Gibbon knew that he was the most polished wand in the box, but he was known to show some promise and he had. He had proven it to everyone, especially the Dark Lord. Yes, he had gotten for insubordination, and boy did it hurt, more than usual, but he did disobey an order and you do not do that. But the Dark Lord had praised him! Told him good work and that he would be rewarded in time. Gibbon didn't know what that meant, but it had to be good. He couldn't wait!
Until then, Gibbon had been busy socializing with all the popular people who knew of his accomplishment. Unlike his partner in crime, he enjoyed the praise and attention that everyone bestowed upon him. The celebratory dinners, the pats on the back...he could get used to it. Sure, he didn't do much that night, but he had found Potter by following his friends. And it had not been easy, it had been exhausting and took all the magic that he had to perform the spell but he had done it; Jugson had done most of the work at the house, but it didn't matter. He had set the place on fire. Oh, that had been a sight to see.
Watching the house go up in flames with Potter trapped like a rat inside, screaming and lashing out as he attempted to escape. Not that would be able to, they had made sure of that. Eventually, Gibbon hadn't been able to hear Potter anymore over the crackling of the flames and the sounds of the house caving in; only the occasional shout of fear. It had been like a dream, it was too bad that he hadn't got to stay and watch and listen to Potter's end as the Order had shown up, but oh well. They had done what they had come to do and it felt good.
He still had the memory of Potter's screams to fill that hole. It had been glorious and terrifying, no doubt surrounded by the fire and smoke. Unable to breathe, trapped, and- what was that?
Gibbon stumbled as he turned around and glanced about. Nothing. He had thought he had heard or felt something had been there. Maybe I just had too much to drink, he thought and continued walking.
Now that he thought about it, the alley was remarkably empty for a Friday night. He wondered where everyone was...
Ah. There it is again, he thought swinging around. He gripped his wand in his hand and waved it menacingly. "That's what I thought," he muttered drunkenly as nothing showed itself. Tucking his wand away he turned around...only to meet a hooded figure.
"Wha-" was all he got out before everything went dark.
xxx
The hallway was dark and devoid of people as it usually was at the manor, but Elliot Jugson preferred it that way. He could be out there, like his comrade Gibbon, partying and reveling in their victory over Harry Potter, but he was not that kind of person. He was more of one to bask in silent victory, not show off. Showing off more likely got you into trouble, no doubt what Gibbon was doing at that very moment. No, he preferred the quiet solitude that he found with his own company, maybe a few others who enjoyed the same. Like now, he just wanted to sit back and relax, maybe have a glass of wine to celebrate and wait for his reward. And that was all that mattered, his reward. The Dark Lord had promised that it would be big, life-changing. Jugson couldn't wait.
Would it be riches? Valuable trinkets? Rare books? A house out in the country? Anything he would receive would be welcome, it was from the Dark Lord after all. And he was generous at times, very generous depending on the type of job it was and how well it went. This particular job was very high stakes and had gone off without a hitch. Only the fact that they had done so on their own and had thus been punished was the difference, but Jugson had calculated that into his thinking and it was but a minor offense. The reward would be just as good. How could it not when they had gotten rid of the Harry Potter? Oh, how victory was sweet. If Jugson walked a little straighter, prouder, then so what, it was an excellent victory.
Maybe I will join Manson for a drink, he thought pausing in the hallway; he was suddenly in the mood. He turned around to make his way back to the drawing-room where he had originally come from and came face to face with a cloaked figure. He blinked startled and took a step back, but the figure didn't move.
"Can I help you?" Jugson asked.
The figure only stood there, head tilting to the side as if studying him. The action sent chills down his spine and instantly his guard was up.
"If this is your idea of a joke Avery, it isn't funny," he snapped pulling his wand out and pointing it at the figure threateningly. The gesture didn't even faze it and continued to stare at him. "Stop it!" he said. Still, no reaction. "I don't have time for this," he said, "screw you." He was no longer in the mood and sidestepped the figure to go around it.
He didn't even have a chance to move when the figure attacked.
xxx
"...on..."
"...bon... a up."
"Gibbon wake up!"
Gibbon head snapped up and he blinked around blearily. "Wha-?" he mumbled and smacked his lips; his mouth felt like it was full of cotton. He moved his arms and found them tightly bound, and did as what any other person would. He panicked. As a result, the bonds got tighter.
"Stop that, Gibbon, you'll only make it worse," Jugson said.
"Yeah, yeah. I know that" Gibbons said calming down. "What happened?"
"No idea," Jugson replied and glanced over at him, "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!" Gibbon bristled.
"Well, then how else do you explain it?"
"I don't know, they are so going to regret this when I get out of here...where are we anyway?"
Jugson looked around the room, that wasn't really a room, covered in old stone top to bottom of what he could see. Which wasn't much, he could barely see what was a few feet in front of him, there were no windows and it was completely dark, and there was a constant drip...drip somewhere nearby "I don't know, but it looks like some sort of dungeon."
"A dungeon? Why? We didn't do anything."
"I wouldn't say that. There are plenty of things we have done."
"Oh, very good. I knew you were smart," a voice said in the darkness, soft and smooth as velvet.
Gibbon and Jugson looked toward where the voice was coming from. They could see a vague shape of a man in the gloom, but that was it.
"Boy, you are in big trouble. Do you have any idea who we are? Who we work for? Do you?" Gibbon sneered.
"Gibbon, shut up!" Jugson hissed. He had no idea who this man was, but he was getting a really bad vibe from him. Surprisingly, Gibbon did shut up, probably starting to sense the same thing as the figure started to step toward them with smooth, measured steps.
When the figure made it within a few feet of them, torches lit up from the walls, basking the once dark room in light, blinding them. Blinking his eyes, Jugson looked up to see a man, early to late thirties, pale skin, and black hair that fanned across dark blue eyes that were boring into him as he drank in the sight of the figure. He instantly lowered his gaze, fear running through him in that split second when their eyes met. He heard Gibbon's sharp breath and saw him dip his head in a similar matter; so it wasn't only him who knew they were in deep shit.
"What do you want with us?" Jugson asked lowly.
"Want?" the man asked, "What I want is not the right question to ask Jugson, what I will do to you? That is what you should be asking."
"How do you-"
"Know you? Oh, I know you two very well. I should, I recruited you," the man said pacing in front of them," though I never thought you would betray me."
"Betray you? We don't work for you!" Gibbon stated.
It was then that it clicked for Jugson. The familiar feeling of power and intimidation, the fear he felt being so close to the man, yet oh so intoxicating at the same time. There was only one person Jugson knew that made him feel this way.
"Ah," the man commented as he realized Jugson had figured it out.
Jugson shook his head in disbelief, "It can't...you...my- my lord?"
"What? My-" Gibbon paled as he too realized who the man was, "Oh fuck."
"Indeed, Mr. Gibbon."
"H-how?" Jugson whispered a he looked the man over, glancing away frequently, afraid to catch his gaze.
"It took some time, but I was finally able to gain my old body back," the man said examining his hand, "but it is easier to rule with fear so I kept my disguise. To keep you all in line, but apparently, it did not work on some of you," he said, clutching his hand into a fist.
"My lord! We will always follow you," Gibbon exclaimed, "we obey every-"
"SILENCE! You are lying to me," the man said.
"No..." Jugson said shaking his head.
"Oh, but yes, you did."
Tom turned to the two men kneeling in front of him, cowering like dogs, afraid and confused; completely at his mercy. He had been waiting for this for weeks and now it was finally here. He had them right where he wanted them, and they would finally pay for what they did. It was why he had come as himself not as the Dark Lord that they knew. It was as Tom Riddle, a father and lover, that had nearly lost two very precious things; so he revealed his true self. It was not like they would live to tell anyone.
"You two disobeyed one of the most important orders that I've ever given," Tom said drawing his wand.
"N-No my lord. We never...we followed your every word!" Jugson exclaimed.
"If we did anything to displease you, I'm sorry, my lord," Gibbon said, bowing his head.
"Displease me?" Tom asked, "You have done more than just displease me," he said as he paced lightly in front of him, tapping his wand against his thigh. "Did you ever think, that there was a reason I called off the search for Harry, hm? Did you even use those brains of yours?" Tom asked softly, stopping in front of Jugson and caressing his cheek with his wand. "NO! YOU DID NOT! YOUR CARLESSNESS NEARLY COST ME MY DAUGHTER!!!!" he yelled, making them flinch.
Tom stepped away exaggeratedly, lightly putting a hand to his chest as they sat there confused at his words. "Oh! Oh, I am so sorry. I forgot that you didn't know. You see, Harry Potter is my lover," he explained turning away from them as if he was talking to himself, he didn't notice, or chose not to, their surprised faced and the dawning horror at what they had done. "He wasn't always, of course, it is a recent thing, unintentional at first, but now...but that is a whole story of its own," he stated waving his hand as if to banish the thought. "The point is that Harry has become very dear to me. But as the result of our first coupling, he bore me a daughter. A sweet, beautiful, innocent little girl," Tom said softly as he thought of them. He suddenly whipped around toward them, "and you two nearly took them from me," he snarled.
"M-my lord. I-I...we are so sor-"
"DO NOT APOLOGIZE!" Tom snarled and they flinched back, "Your apology means nothing to me."
"We- We didn't know," Gibbon protested weakly.
"Of course you didn't know. Do you think I would tell you all something so important like that? After everything? No," Tom shook his head and resumed his angry pacing, "no, I had to keep my family safe and protected. And they were until you two went behind my back and tried to kill them."
"We didn't know! We didn't know!" they both shouted, but Tom would hear none of it.
"I would never be able to see Harry again. Never be able to just talk to him, banter with him, see his eyes light up when he laughs or gets angry, to hold him, make love to him, to have his delicious cooking. It would all be gone. And my daughter. My sweet little girl..." Tom turned toward his two followers who cowered in terror; knowing now that there was no coming out of this.
"If you had succeeded in your endeavor, I would never be able to see my daughter grow up. See her smile and laugh, teach her all the things that I have learned over the years, see her rise into an incredible woman I know she will be..." Tom stalked forward and grabbed Jugson and yanked him forward so that he was kneeling in front of Gibbon; ignoring the yells and pleas for his life coming from the man. He used his wand to pull Jugson's tied hands up so that they were lined up with his face; so they could both see what was going to happen. Tom made the fingers straighten and slowly drew his wand in a line just below the knuckles. Jugson started to scream as his fingers got cut off one by one. "She would never be able to feel the smooth wood and warmth of a wand, the magic that flows just beneath the surface of her skin. To enjoy the warmth and affection from her mother and myself as we hold her," Tom whispered, and with a slash of his wand, Jugson's hands were gone too.
Jugson screamed as he felt his hands fall into his lap and felt a wetness in his clothes as his robes soaked up the blood. The pain was unbearable.
"She would never be able to feel what it is like to successfully brew a potion, nor able to smell its intoxicating aroma," Tom continued, ignoring the screams as Jugson flailed his arms; spraying blood everywhere. "To smell the flowers as they bloom or the change in seasons," Tom grabbed a handful of Jugson's hair and pulled his head back so that his neck was bared. He ignored the pleas of mercy and Gibbon's sobbing and gently traced his wand up his neck and up his face. Jugson could sense what was coming and tried to shake his head, but Tom's grip was tight. "To smell the delicious food that her mother makes when she comes down for meals. It smells so good! To come home and have the aroma surround you as you walk in the door," Tom savored the thought as he traced Jugson's nose carefully with his wand, "and that...is something that should not be missed," Tom hissed and with a swish Jugson's nose slid off his face and onto the floor with a splat and the screaming started again.
"B-Blease! by lrd!" Jugson cried through his tears. Blood dripped from the stubs where his hands used to be. He felt his body going into shock as the blood loss started to make him dizzy and it was hard to breathe from the mess where his nose used to be. He just wanted it to end, but from the look on his lord's face, he was far from done.
"Oh no, no, no Jugson," Tom breathed and waved his wand over the stubs, and his nose; instantly they were cauterized. "You don't get to just go to sleep now. Not when you so easily caught our home on fire and just sat back to watch," Tom hissed and glanced at Gibbon who shrank back and tried to make himself as small as possible, but Tom wasn't done with Jugson yet; he would deal with him later.
"Blease! I'b sowy!" Jugson cried.
"Sorry? You're sorry?" Tom asked angrily, "were you sorry when you watched the fire consume our home. As the smoke invaded my little girl's lungs so she couldn't breathe or see in front of her? That's all she has you know; being that small, she can't do anything on her own yet. She has to rely on her senses to tell her that something was wrong and something was wrong. Did you not hear her crying, Jugson. See her lying there helpless? Or did you sit there and just watch. Taking those senses away. It is only fair that I take yours, is it not?" Tom asked while caressing his cheek with his wand, trailing it upward towards his eyes.
Jugson shook his head, tears dripping out of his eyes in fear and pain, "Blease...my lrd, blease."
"No? Not your eyes? You want to keep them?" At Jugson's nod, Tom nodded in understanding, "Ah, I see. Not the eyes then, good idea. I do want you to see everything that I do to you. How about these then?" he asked tapping Jugson's ears with his wand. With a jab of his wand, an audible pop was heard and blood started dripping out of Jugson's ears.
Jugson screamed as his hearing was suddenly cut off and everything went white for a minute. He couldn't feel anything but pain and now, his hearing was gone. Everything felt off balance and he felt like he was tilting over when he was rooted to the spot where he had been placed; he wasn't moving. He could feel himself talking, screaming, but he couldn't hear it. He could hear nothing, just...silence.
"I bet that didn't feel very good," Tom commented, ignoring Jugson's high pitched screaming. "But you can't hear me anymore, yet you can still see me, isn't that nice?" Tom asked looking directly at Jugson's tear-stained face and gesturing between their eyes. " As I said it was only fair. My little girl wouldn't be able to hear either, she wouldn't be able to hear my voice or Harry's. Be able to listen to music, and all the other sounds that we all hear on a daily basis like you did." Tom's eyes narrowed as Jugson kept talking, saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again, loudly. "You know what else my daughter wouldn't be able to do?" he asked, then said slowly, "Talk."
Jugson's eyes widened as he read Tom's lips and shook his head, but Tom raised his wand and made a slashing motion. He screamed in pain as he felt something in his mouth tear-free and tasted the coppery taste of blood; it was soon filling his mouth and he was gagging on a big lump of something so he spit it out; it was his tongue and it now joined his other dismembered limbs littered around him. He screamed or tried to as he started to breathe with the blood filling his mouth. In front of him, Gibbon was staring at him, screaming in silent horror from behind the Dark Lord. He could only imagine what he looked like with his hands and nose missing and blood pooling from his destroyed ears and his mouth. But it was only what they deserved, he knew that now; he was going to die and he could only guess what Gibbon was going to go through once their Lord was done with him.
"Talking is a big thing in life and I haven't even heard her say her first word yet, I would have missed out on that. That is a big deal, don't you think? And all the other firsts? Walking, running, doing magic for the first time, her first day of school. Gone, just like that. But most of all, she would never be able to see the world around her. All the wonderful things that are out there, magic, creatures that you can only see to believe...she couldn't see me or Harry. She would never be able to enjoy anything if you had taken her away from me," Tom stated flatly, "and that is unforgivable."
Tom placed his wand between Jugson's wand and an incantation later, his eyes popped out and onto the floor. Jugson started to scream, Gibbon joining him in his horror, as his vision went dark; he could sense nothing. He was suddenly pushed over onto his back and he could feel blood running down his face and out of his ears, but most of all blood pulled in his mouth with no way to escape, he couldn't move. Breathing was impossible with his nose gone and his airway blocked by blood. This was it; he was going to die. Jugson knew his mistake now, even though he hadn't known the whole truth, he had disobeyed and had paid the price. He had no one to blame but himself and Gibbon, who would no doubt join him shortly.
Tom watched with disinterest as Jugson proceeded to drown in his own blood then, dismissed him as unimportant; instead, he turned his attention to Gibbon who was watching his comrade die in horror. "To think that you two could get away from this makes me sick. Going out having a fancy dinner, drinks, thinking of the prizes that you will receive from me. Oh, I know what you were thinking. I am not a fool. But you are getting a gift from me, probably not the one you were hoping for, but a gift all the same. For me anyways. You probably thought it was such a thrill to take out Harry Potter all on your own, thought you were so smart. And for once, you were Gibbon, I'll give you that. But you chose the wrong time to show off."
"M-my lord, please. I'm sorry!" Gibbon cried, "I-I would have never done such a thing if I had known that your daughter was in there. If you had told us-"
"Are you implying that this is my fault?" Tom asked incredulously.
"No!" Gibbon exclaimed in shock, "I wasn't saying that. I was just...I mean that...if I...knew..."
"So you are blaming me?" Tom said brandishing his wand.
"No! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I won't do it again."
"No, you won't. You know I thought of how I would kill you. Jugson got what he deserved, he was smart enough to know better than to go against me. But you...I didn't know you could be that stupid! When I give an order, I expect you to follow it."
"I know, my lord. I'm sorry!" Gibbon cried, glancing at Jugson who was no longer moving.
"You know, yet you still did it."
"L-Let me make it up to you, I'll do anything!"
"Make it up to me? There is nothing you can do to 'make it up to me'. You tried to kill my family!" Tom hissed at him. "No, you will die here and no one will know what had become of you and they won't care. You. Are. Nothing."
"M-My Lord..."
"Silence! I don't want to hear you blubbering, you lost your chance for any mercy the moment you decided to act on your own. You were the one to find them and you are the one to set the house on fire, then you just sat back and watched."
"N-No..."
"Yes! I can see it, right there in that mind of yours," Tom seethed, pressing his wand against Gibbon's forehead, "you stood there and laughed and gloated while Harry and my daughter burned. Let's see how you like it!"
The tip of Tom's wand glowed bright red and Tom stepped back away from him. Gibbon had closed his eyes, but he didn't feel any different and he opened them again. Looking around he saw that nothing was happening and thought his lord had changed his mind. "Thank you, my lord, thank you! Thank-" Gibbon stopped as he started feeling really hot and glanced up at Tom, who just smirked down at him.
"What's wrong, Gibbon? Feeling a little warm?"
Gibbon started panting as his body temperature started to rise. Feeling dripping coming from his nose, he raised his shackled hands and wiped at it and stared at his fingers; there was blood. It was slowly dripping from his nose and he continuously wiped at it to try and make it stop. He was still feeling hot and getting hotter that he started to perspire and he wiped at his forehead to wipe the sweat away...only for blood to be smeared on his arm. "W-What's...what's happening?" he asked, starting to panic. His eyes started to water and when he wiped them he was relieved to see it was only water, but as he continued to wipe for the fifth time, blood came away. It was then that he started to notice his arms, once where there was a nice tan was now turning black in several places. He started to scratch at it and his skin started to flake and crumble; not to mention it hurt like hell.
He felt hot, so hot, burning. He was burning! Gibbon started to scream as it became unbearable and fell over and started to thrash around on the floor. He tried rolling around on the floor to try and make it all stop but it did nothing, if not make it worse. "What did you do to me?!" he screamed.
"Just returning the favor," Tom said lightly, stepping out of the way of a flailing limb. "Not very fun is it?"
"I'm burning!" Gibbon screamed, "Fire!"
"Not exactly, but yes."
Gibbon continued to scream and thrash around as blood poured from every orifice that he had; dripping onto the already blood coated floor. His eyes started to feel watery and spots appeared in his vision, steadily getting bigger until eventually, his sight started to waver, until it went out completely. Gibbon screamed if possible, even higher as he felt his eyes give and felt a slimy substance start dripping down his face; reaching up to feel it, he felt it coming from his eyes, or more specifically, it was his eyes. The heat had become so hot that his eyeballs had melted in his face.
Gibbon now knew what the Dark Lord had done; he had set him on fire but from the inside. His blood was boiling at an alarming temperature that it was now seeking a way out, which was from everywhere. And his skin was blistering and burning on the inside, turning his skin black. When he rubbed it, the blackened skin would break and would bleed; and with his thrashing, cuts were opening up all over his body.
He begged and pleaded for it to end, but his Lord would not hear his pleas, no doubt watching, just as he had at Potter's place. And now he was the one being burned alive. Oh, how he regretted being the smart one for once. This was not what he had in mind when he thought of a reward. But now it was getting hard to think, his mind felt dizzy and he started to forget what was going on around him, what he was doing, why he was in so much pain, where he was, who he was...
Tom watched as Gibbon's mind literally turned to mush with all the heat. He started babbling nonsense and started to drool and flop around as he lost his motor functions until he just stopped moving. Tom made a face as he saw pinkish goo coming from his ears; he had a high tolerance for this sort of stuff, but there was a limit to what he can take.
It didn't matter anymore, he had finally had his revenge for his family. His anger had lessened but was still there below the surface. So as a last move against the two traitors, he set the two of them on fire and watched as they burned to a crisp, leaving nothing left. When they were nothing but ash on the floor, Tom was finally satisfied.
xxx
Harry lay on the bed in Tom's room reading one of the books that were on the shelf. Wynter was fast asleep in her transfigured crib and now Harry was just waiting for Tom to come back from where ever he had gone. Harry had felt anger off and on throughout the day coming down the link that they had shared, but that was it. He wasn't worried since sometimes "work" didn't always go the way Tom wanted it. So he waited.
Eventually, the door opened and Tom walked inside, closing the door lightly and walking over to the crib to look down at Wynter.
"Tom? Where have you been?" Harry asked closing his book and getting up. He walked over to Tom and he instantly knew something had happened; he just felt like something was off and when he looked at Tom's tired face and stained clothes, he didn't need to ask. He just searched Tom's eyes with a silent question that was answered in a minute nod.
Tom watched Harry's eyes widen slightly and look away; he then backed away and went into the bathroom, where he could hear water running for a minute and Harry came back out with a wet towel. Silently, Harry gently wiped the blood that had splattered onto his face with the damp towel and Tom let him. Harry continued to wipe any blood off of his neck and hands until there was none left and he tossed the now pink towel aside onto a chair. Stepping behind him, he slid Tom's robe off of him and tossed that onto the chair as well. He then continued to strip Tom of his clothes until he was down to his undergarments and then took his hand and led him to bed. He turned the sheets down and gave Tom a push to get him to lay down and then gently tucked him in before climbing over Tom and pushing his way under the covers next to him; where he snuggled up against Tom's side.
If Tom held him a little tighter than usual, Harry didn't say anything about it. Nor did he comment on what he knew Tom had done that night.
Nothing needed to be said.