faded ink of the fated (part 2) - tom riddle
A/N: Apologies for the wait, but here is the second and last part for faded ink! it took a bit of a darker turn than I initially had planned but I think I'm satisfied with it. let me know what you think!
"How do you know he is your soulmate if he does not have a tattoo?" Alice inquired as she sat behind you with crossed legs, brushing through your hair with slow, deliberate movements. "I mean, what if he is tricking you? How can you—"
"Alice." You warned her sternly and she immediately quietened. With a heavy sigh, you turned to face her and her hands fell from your hair. "I can just feel it—feel him. I have no doubts about it, and neither should you." You said with a pointed look.
She lowered her eyes shamefully and you felt a twinge of guilt. "I just worry about you. Do you not think it is bizarre? Ever since you guys determined you are soulmates, he has not left you alone. It would be sweet if he was not so...so possessive about it." She expressed her thoughts slowly.
You furrowed your brows in confusion. "He is not being possessive."
She shook her head in reply, as if in disbelief at your obliviousness. "You are blinded by him." That was all she said before she stood up from her spot on the couch and moved towards the stairs leading up to the dormitories. "Goodnight."
And just like that, you were left there, sitting in front of the crackling fire as doubtful thoughts swarmed your head.
It was the next day when you first noticed it.
Tom was surrounded by his friends as they talked lowly with each other. You thought of calling out to him or even walking towards him, but you stopped in your tracks when the one you recognised as Rosier slightly bowed his head to Tom and muttered something about seeing him at midnight before walking away.
Yes, Tom Riddle was the Head Boy and yes, he was respected by the student population of Hogwarts— but bowing? Surely you were not back in the Middle Ages for such formalities between friends.
Yet you did not think too much on it. Perhaps the Slytherin purebloods had their own aristocratic and outdated customs. Instead you left the safety of the shadows and revealed yourself in the hallway. Tom instantly sensed your presence and turned to look at you. You smiled at him, and without breaking your stare he dismissed his friends with a flick of his hand.
"That looked like a quite intense conversation." You stated with a teasing tone as you approached one another. "I hope I did not interrupt."
He smirked smugly as your hands slid around his neck and you rose on your toes to place a small peck on his lips. "Believe me, darling, this is a much welcome interruption." He murmured against your lips before capturing them with his own once again. Youn felt yourself drown in his kiss, the feeling of his lips against yours so blissful, that you wondered if you would ever get enough of it.
His hands tightened around your waist as he deepened your kiss and you pulled his hair instinctively. He groaned at the feeling before pulling away to attach his mouth to your jaw, kissing his way down to your neck.
"Tom." You breathed out, unable to form coherent thoughts with his hands and lips on you. "We are...fuck—we are in public." You managed to splutter.
Though he remained unfazed and continued marking up your neck. "Tom." You repeated once more. "I have to meet Adrian, I will be late."
You felt him freeze and his body became tense in a matter of seconds. He pulled away slowly to look at your face with a speculative gaze. "Adrian?" He repeated slowly and for a brief moment you could have sworn you saw his eyes flash red.
"Yes. We have rounds together tonight. You know I cannot avoid my Prefect duties."
He hummed lowly before dropping his hands and taking a step back from you. Something had changed in Tom's demeanour from the moment you had uttered the other boy's name and his behaviour was starting to worry you.
"I will see you later then." He concluded with a tight smile and with that he turned on his heel and walked away without a single glance back.
"Hey!" A male voice sounded from behind you as you got out of your last class for the day, and a second later your name was called by the same voice once more.
You turned around, trying to identify the caller amongst the crowd of students that seemed to be rushing to get out of the classroom. You saw Adrian pushing his way through the students, elbowing and nudging everyone out of his way before he finally reached you.
"You okay there?" You asked him as soon as he stood before you, jittering in his place.
"Me? Oh yeah, perfect. Uh— I wanted to tell you that I had to switch partners for tonight's rounds. I have a— uh— an important matter I need to attend to and well, I think Mary would be a better company for you anyway—"
You cut off his rambling with a hand. "Stop. Take a breath."
He halted and per your instruction, he took a deep breath before finally calming down and stopping his nervous fidgeting. You watched as he looked anywhere but at you and suddenly it hit you.
"Did Tom ask you to switch?"
His eyes met yours in a panicked state, which was enough of an answer for you.
"He did." You answered your own question. He was about to open his mouth to speak, and noticing the absolute horror on his face, you decided to assure him. "Do not worry. I will not tell him anything."
His body slumped in relief and he gave you a smile. "Thank you."
"Have a nice day, Adrian. I'll see you in class." You said and as you turned around to leave, he suddenly grabbed your wrist. He looked around before lowering his head to speak with a hushed voice.
"I would be cautious around him if I were you. You do not know the things he does behind closed doors." And with that, he nodded goodbye to you and left, but his words kept echoing in your head as you stood alone in the corridor again.
You stood outside the classroom with unease as you mentally debated if this was a good idea.
You and Tom had built a bridge of trust and understanding ever since you found out you are each other's soulmates, and you knew doing this would ignite that bridge and burn it down to ashes.
But you were exhausted. Exhausted of being told to not trust your soulmate and exhausted of everyone knowing something you did not.
So with one last deep breath, you took out your wand and nonverbally cast the spell on the door that separated you from Tom and his friends.
And then you heard everything.
"Will you ever tell her?" A voice that you recognised as Malfoy's question.
Your brows furrowed in confusion. Tell who?
"With all due respect, I do not advise you to tell her. She does not seem to share the same...values as us." Rosier chimed in and your scepticism grew.
The room went quiet and for a split second, you worried that you had been discovered eavesdropping. But then Tom spoke and your breath caught in your throat.
"Just because she is my soulmate does not mean she has to know everything, Malfoy."
You flinched. He was hiding something from you, something that even his friends, your friends, did not want you to know. You were quite close with both, Rosier and Malfoy and this felt like a betrayal.
What the fuck did he just call him?
"—either way she is bound to feel it when you split your soul again. Your connection might disappear. It is why you do not have the tattoo in the first place. I do not mean to overstep but—"
"Then I suggest you shut your mouth, Avery." Tom threatened, his tone so deadly, you felt a shiver run down your spine.
You took a step back from the door in utter bewilderment, your hand coming up to your mouth to muffle the sob that escaped your throat. Tom had split his soul. He had used magic so dark, that his entire being had been tainted and his soulmark had disappeared. And that was not even the worse part.
What you could not grasp was that he was planning on doing it again.
Knowing that he could lose you.
"Immortality demands sacrifices."
You could not listen to this anymore. You backed away from the room, tears slipping down your cheek without your will and all you could feel was the agonising pain that seemed to crush your heart into pieces.
You skipped breakfast the next morning, choosing to sleep your pain away. Alice—bless her soul— had figured something was wrong, and knowing you well enough to understand you needed space, she had not bothered you. She had kissed your head before leaving, announcing that she would inform the professors that you were sick.
Yet as the time for dinner passed and you still stayed in your bed, you knew she would come back to ask questions. And you prepared yourself as you heard thumps on the stairs, knowing she would come in any second.
"Riddle, back off!" You heard Alice yell angrily.
"I told you she does not want to see you right now! Leave her be—"
"Get out of my way before I make you." He threatened in a tone you had now grown to hate.
And then the door slammed open as Tom stormed in with a look of pure rage on his face.
You clutched your wand under your sheets as your eyes landed on his dishevelled form. His hair was a mess, his tie was undone and hanging around his neck and you had never seen him so discomposed and your stomach twisted at the sight of him.
When his eyes landed on you they immediately softened.
He was about to open his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it.
His body froze and he looked at me as if I had just asked him to Crucio himself. Your name left his lips in a broken whisper and you had to look away before you could crumble beneath his stare.
"Just leave, Tom." You repeated, voice shaky and desperate. Yet despite your pleading, he did not budge.
"Did someone do this to you? I will murder—"
"Why the fuck do you even care?!" You exclaimed angrily. "Since you do not even want a soulmate, seeing as you are splitting your soul and planning on breaking our connection indefinitely." You seethed with rage. "Merlin, were you ever going to tell me? Why would you string me along if you did not even want me?"
He recoiled back at your venomous words in shock. His hand went up to push his messy hair back from his face in panic and he closed his eyes for a brief moment to collect himself.
You laughed bitterly at the question. "Of course. That is all you care about."
He shook his head. "No. No. That is not what I—" He took a deep breath. "Yes, I have split my soul but that was before I found you."
"But you are planning on doing it again." You stated but he was quick to deny it.
You resisted the urge to slap him. "How can you stand in front of me and lie to my face? I heard you!"
"I lied. I lied to them. That is what my followers expected of me. But I do not plan on doing it again. Not if it means losing you. I promise."
You hated him. You hated how he sounded so convincing and genuine and you hated the fact that all you desired was to run back into his embrace. But what you despised the most was how you could not hate him. No matter what. Your heart ached for him. And the pain was a burning reminder that he had imprinted himself into your soul.
It fueled a storm in the pit of your stomach, tremors jolting through each nerve to consume you with wrath.
"Please." He whispered and as you gazed at his eyes all you could see was desperation. He uttered your name again and you shivered. He sounded raw and feral.
He slowly stepped over to you until you were mere inches apart and you did not have the will to push him away. You could not. "I love you."
Your vision turned black as your head fell against his chest and you felt everything all at once. Your senses heightened as the searing pain engulfed your body, blazing through each nerve like fire and you struggled to breathe.
You screamed, or at least you think you did but he hushed you and held you tighter against his chest.
"This was the only way I would not lose you." He told you as he continued to hold you. "Now a part of my soul will live in you, and yours will live in mine. No force in the world can break us apart."