darling, dearest, dead

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! !TW! !

13/9/1943

       New rules have been set to school.  Students must always be accompanied by a teacher. Everyone must be back to the common room by 6:30 at night, sharp.

        Tom and Freyja usually sit alone at the common room late at night, but today the room was filled. You couldn't do anything out in the castle, so all the kids were inside. It was a hell for both of them. They hated crowded places.

        They both sat with their legs crossed. Tom had his every day look. Freyja was looking down, no where specific. She wanted to light the whole place in fire. She hated the loud noise. Her arms were crossed and she was tapping her foot swiftly on the floor. She was biting the inside of her cheek, taking deep breaths.

      Tom turned and noticed Freyja. He realized she was completely annoyed with the chaos around her.

      He quickly grabbed her by the hand and got themselves out of there quickly.

    Tom started slowly running in the dark place, trying not to be seen by the professors.

"Where are we going? " Freyja questioned, knitting her eyebrows together.

"You'll see"

      Soon enough they were in inside the room of requirements.

"That was chaotic! " Freyja complained as she sat in one of the leather armchairs.

"Thought you liked chaos "

"Well not that kind... "

     With a flick of his wand, Tom lit a fire inside the fireplace. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting the teachers to react like this" Tom confessed.

"Of course they would. They found three almost dead student and a threatening message! What did you expected?"

"Three? "

"Another one was found today in the library. Don't you control this thing"

"Well, I do but not every move. Anyway, you are right. We should have guessed something like that would happen"

"I am always right, darling"

     Tom sat in the other armchair, in front of Freyja. He let his head fall back. He started massaging his temples.

"I realized something today" Freyja whispered

"What? "

"I know nothing about you"

"Well, you know that I am the heir of Slytherin"

"Don't mean that. I mean things about your past, present or future. What you were doing on that orphanage? Did you had any friends? What are your fears, weaknesses? What goals do you have for the future? Why did you wanted to open the chamber? "

"Why should I trust you to tell you those things? "

"You shouldn't. But since we are  'partners', I Believe we should know some things about each other. "

"Things like favourite colour or childhood trauma? "

"Both "

"Do you trust me enough? "
   
    She didn't responded. She looked him deep in the eyes. The only light that was illuminating the room was the fire. You could not hear the rain from outside. One of the advantages of the room of requirements is that it is soundproofing.

    "I am waiting for an answer, miss O'Lone. "

"No"

     He smiled with her negative answer. He flicked his eyelashes. Tom's mind is a labyrinth. You can never be sure of what he is thinking or what he is feeling.

"Do you believe in love, Freyja? "

"You change subjects really fast"

"Do you? "

"No. " She crossed her arms.

"Why?"

"Am I supposed to have a reason?" She looked annoyed with the conversation topic. She broke eye contact and glanced at the walls around her.  Her eyes traveling every where but Tom. Her thumb was on her mouth. Her nail picking on her dead skin of her lips.

     She liked that place. No one knew about it. It was always empty. The perfect place to come if you want to relax and take some time off.

"Well, no. But... "

"But nothing" She interrupted him  "End of discussion"

"Do I sense tension, O'lone?"

"I just dislike the topic. Why don't we talk about something else?"

"Like what?"

"What are you planning on doing when you graduate from Hogwarts? "

    He raised his eyebrows. He loved it when that topic of the conversation was him. He loved drawing all the attention. He loved talking about his plans.

"I would like to become a defense against the dark arts professor"
   
     Freyja raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes. She leaned closer to Tom.

"Why you are so surprised, O'Lone? "

"If you want to be become just a professor, then why you created that  ... cult... of yours? "

"I am not going to become just a professor. I am planning on doing great things."

   She rolled her eyes. She didn't want to make that discussion with Tom again. She did admire his ambition and thirst for power but he does talk about it a little too much.

    Her mind started to wonder. She mailed her mother four days ago to let her know they found the chamber of secrets but she hasn't responded yet.

     She always respond between two or three days. She is never late. What is happening?

    Lilith had mentioned to her daughter that she was having some problems but she didn't said what. Freyja was worried that someone else had learned about the chamber.

   Maybe they were threatening her mother. Maybe someone wanted to enter Hogwarts and threaten Freyja -or even Tom-. Maybe her mother was abducted. Or maybe she was just busy and Freyja was just overreacting.

"What are you thinking? " Tom noticed Freyja was daydreaming. She blinking very few times and her gaze was glued to wall in front of her. She wasn't moving. Her eyes we're melancholic and sad. Tom was seeing Freyja sad for the first time. She is really good at hiding her emotions.

"Nothing"

"I can see that it is clearly not nothing. It's okay if you don't want to tell me but you seem sad. It would be better if you talk to a friend"

"Friend? You don't have any friends"

"Partner"

    She was having doubts on whether or not she could trust him. But eventually she gave in. She started explaining the whole situation to Tom. Her eyes filled with tears but never letting them out.

"Do you have any idea who would be doing something like this?" Tom asked once she was done talking.

"No."

   Tom quickly realized that Freyja did not want to continue talking about her mother, so he changed the subject.

"Today at lunch, before we got interrupted by Bella, you started saying something. What is it? "

"Oh yeah. "  Freyja got a piece of paper from her front pocket. It was a brown, big paper, folded badly. The ink was smudged and the words were hard to read.   "I made a small list about who our next target could be. "

"Okay, but this better be a few people because I think Dumbledore is starting to suspect us. "

"What if we kill this time? Not just petrify. Kill. "

"We'll see. Give me the list. "

    Freyja passed the paper to Tom and he read it carefully. After he was done reading he fold it again and looked at her.   "Freyja, we said a few people. There are 47 names here. That is definitely not  a small list!"

"Well, I dislike a lot of people. And it is not even done. " She let out a big breath and looked at the ceiling. She got lost in her thoughts again. She imagined being so powerful that she could get rid of everyone she wanted. She imagined everyone in the world envying her.

"I dream about that too." Tom stopped the comfortable silence.

"Did you entered my mind? "

"I noticed ,that you specifically, when daydreaming, it is way easier to enter your mind. Be careful, someone might use it against you. "

"Can you stop doing that? They are my private thoughts!"

"They are not private to me"

"They are not private to me..."  She said in a mocking way  "Who do you think you are? "   She was angry. She furrowed her eyebrows and gave him an dirty look.

"Excuse me?"

      Even though Freyja was irritable, she wasn't the type that would start a fight. Tom was getting irritated when someone was trying to fight him. And her behaviour and attitude was the worst thing she could do. But she wasn't aware how far Tom would go to rule.

"You heard me! There are two things I can't stand. Stupidity and arrogance. You act like a God but we both know that you are nothing but an arrogant son of a bitch. "

   Tom's eyes had widened. He was heavy breathing. He was trying to restrain himself from doing something he would regret later. But what am I talking about... He is Tom Marvolo Riddle. He doesn't regret anything bad he does. But she was annoying every single nerve of him. His blood was boiling. He wanted to tear her apart. They were supposed to coexist harmoniously. But what she just said... It made Tom furious.

"What did you called me? "

    Freyja sensed that she was in big trouble. It was the first time she was seeing Tom so angry. Not even when they duelled. His eyes had fire. That's when she realized what she did. She wasn't supposed to say that. But she was tired with Tom's behaviour. She didn't want him to read her mind. It was totally normal to react like that when someone doesn't respect your boundaries.

    Freyja wanted to take back what she said. To go back in time and just close her mouth. But that wasn't like her. She was taught to always talk when something it's bothering her. To use her voice in a society that only men's voice were being heard. She wasn't Tom's property. She didn't own him nothing. He thought that her personal thoughts are his thoughts and she didn't liked it. So she spoke.

     Tom's problem wasn't misogynistic. No. He would react the same way if a man had said the same thing. That's the thing with him He doesn't hate women, he hates everyone.

   Either way, now it was too late.

"Say it again" Tom demanded.

"You heard me" Despite her fear, Freyja tried to appear like that strong woman she is.

"And you clearly don't want to take the risk of saying it again"

   Tom got up from his chair and moved towards Freyja. She got up and tried to reach for her wand, only to realize that she left it in the common room.    "I said that you are an arrogant son of a bitch"  Come on, Freyja, this is not time to play the hero.  She thought. But little did she knew that Tom hadn't left her mind the whole time.

    "Oh ,my dearest Freyja. I agree with you. It is not time to be the hero. Especially when you are clearly not. Stop pretending we are different. I told you that multiple times before and I will tell you again. You think you are the good kind of bad. But there is not a “good ” side. No. Let me remind you that you also did some very bad things before. Don't forget that. Let me remind you of that time you bullied your classmates. Or that time you threatened to kill a girl. Oh and, let's not forget that time you killed your cousin. "

     She was tearing up. She was supposed to be the strong girl. The one that didn't need someone to save her. But right now she did. No one knew they where in here. No one could hear them. Tom's face was centimeters apart. His lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes we're filled with pity.  Freyja was looking at the floor trying not to cry. She was afraid he will kill her. Her whole life she was in Tom's position. For the first time, she was the victim.

    Not the very first one. She felt like that again. That time almost eight years ago. Flashbacks from that day started to flow back in her mind.

   The walls were painted with her father's blood. In the floor they were laying the lifeless bodies of her family.

    And there she was. Hidding behind a wall, trying to find rescue in her mom's hug.

   Her mother's arms were locked around her, trying to keep her from moving.

    Lilith's hand was covering her daughter's mouth, preventing her from making any noise, while hearing the love of her life slowly fading away. The screams her own children were making while being murdered were making her ears bleed.

   Hot tears were running through both, mother and daughter's eyes, wetting their cheeks.

  
 
      Tom was living  that moment with Freyja. Seeing what that night was like. Seeing the dirty floor of the living room,of the O'lone Manor. Seeing the life leaving their bodies. Hearing the O'Lone family being brutally murdered. And there they were. Freyja and her mom curled up in on of the kitchen's corner. Their eyes red and swollen from crying. Lilith's hand still over little Freyja's mouth. Freyja had stopped crying. She was getting used to it. It was going on for hours.

    Tom kneeled in front of the nine year old. He saw the light leave her eyes. The once happy little girl, who was getting excited over butterflies, become that cold, evil woman, who gets excited over power, that she is today.  He saw the girl's memories. She saw her playing with her dad in the grass of their manson. He saw her chasing butterflies in the garden. He saw her braiding her older sister's hair. He saw her playing the piano with her younger brother.

   But he also saw her future. He saw her crying to sleep every night after having the exact same nightmare. He saw her mother teaching to her every spell of dark magic ever existed,so she can defend herself in the future. He saw her mother yelling at her at how she needs to become the best.

    Tom got away from the young girl and got back to reality. He recognized that she has been through a lot, but that doesn't change that fact that she insulted him. He was pissed of with her.

   He took his wand out of his pocket and pinned her against the wall.

"Maybe now it is time for you to go meet your siblings and dad." He whispered in her ear, making a shiver go down her spine.

     He was right. Maybe she can finally see her family again. She missed them. She wanted to meet them again. She wanted to hug her dad like a little child. Play with her brother like they used to. Talk with her sister now that they are both older. For a moment she thought to give up and just let him kill her.

"It is time for your mother to lose another child"

     That sentence made Freyja rethink of what she thought earlier. No, she couldn't do that to her mom. She couldn't stand loosing her only daughter. She had to fight. She knew that she couldn't stand a chance against Tom. He had a wand. She was unarmed. Defenseless. Naked. Exposed. In front of the greatest wizard of all times. That was pissed with her words. That was holding his  wand, ready to say the deadly words. 

    But she couldn't give up so easy. She was an O'Lone, after all. Such a legendary family. She won't stop.

"But you will not meet them anyway. You are not going to heaven. No, darling. You will go straight to hell."

   His long fingers embraced his wand tightly. He moved away from her. He pointed the white wand at her.

"Avada Kedavra "  The words left his mouth and a green light left his wand. Freyja's lifeless body fell in front of him. Quicker that falling asleep.

   He was happy for a second. But then he realized what he had done. He just killed his partner. The only person who understood him. The only person he could do mischief with. The one that helped him with the chamber of secrets.

What have I done...

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