A/N: Hi! Here is the long-awaited part 2 to my story. I have a good reason as to why it took me so long to post this one but I can't say it now as it pertains to the chapter itself! Nevertheless, this chapter is over 30,000 words long, the longest I've ever written I think, so brace yourselves!

Thank you for all the lovely reviews and DMs! I am so grateful for the feedback as it motivates me with this story! Just know that I appreciate each review very much! On that note, I did receive a DM asking me about my story. First, just to clarify, that although this is an AU, I am trying hard to keep it as canon-compliant as I can but of course, for the plot of the story, there will be differences. Secondly, I am trying my best to get Ron to stop using offensive terms as much as I can but just remember since he has been a bigot for many years, such vices are hard to stop. But he will get there:)

Without further ado, please enjoy this chapter. Keep sending reviews if you can! On a side note, I hope this coronavirus thing comes to an end soon and for those affected, I pray and wish you a speedy recovery! Take care.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story.

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE DIADEM, PART TWO

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath" - Portia, The Merchant of Venice.

.

.

.

Ron's heart skipped a beat.

Sometimes, all it took was a single word to turn your world upside down.

Grandpa?

Like any nasty shock that one experiences throughout the course of their lives, the realisation didn't fully sink in on Ron. At first, all he did was stare blankly at Hermione who was also still in shock as the Muggle from their memory bolted away from the dead bodies on the floor. Before the memory could continue, a bright white mist descended upon them and Ron found himself transported back to King's Cross station, with Hermione on her knees staring at where the memory once stood.

Grandpa.

And then it hit him.

Like a wrecking ball smashing against the brick wall of a building, the entire foundation came crashing down as waves and waves of realisation hit Ron with incredible ferocity. Shock gave way to another emotion, one in which Ron was too familiar with.

"Your grandfather killed my parents…" Ron whispered as the anger started to build. Ron turned to look at the bushy-haired witch who had now gotten over the shock of the memory as her teary brown eyes turned to him.

"Ron, wait," Hermione said, already pleading in her tone yet that only increased his anger. As he heard her voice pleading, Ron couldn't help but hear his mother's deafening scream just before it was cut short by a bullet to her head.

"YOUR GRANDFATHER MURDERED MY PARENTS!" Ron bellowed as he advanced on Hermione who stood to her feet before backing away in fear. It was, in that instant, as Ron watched Hermione moved that his mind started to run wild. No longer was Hermione a witch, one who learnt spells at Hogwarts and was a schoolmate of his. No, Hermione was different now. She was the spawn of the monster who killed his parents, the product of a creature that ripped his childhood away from him. Unknowingly, Ron could only fathom one word to describe Hermione Granger.

Mudblood.

Ron's thoughts quickly turned to the memory of his mother. He would never know what it was like to be in her arms, to be completely happy. He would never get to see that beautiful smile on her pudgy face as she looked at him with love and affection. Instead, all that Ron could see of her face was a mess, pieces of her nose, skin, and eyes strewn on the ground, blood pouring everywhere as her husband lay dead, the only merciful thing was that he never got to see what happened to his wife.

All because of him. All because of Thomas Granger.

"Ron, listen to me," Hermione spoke as she tried to keep her voice steady. "We don't know if that's the truth. Remember who the real enemy is, Ron. Tom's been playing us from the start. This could be another one of his tricks. He's a liar, Ron."

Liar.

The story of his life, wasn't it? His entire life predicated on lies. Lies build to protect him. Lies which drove a wedge between him and his siblings. A new thought struck Ron. Did Dumbledore know? Was this the reason that Dumbledore insisted for him to work with Hermione Granger? Just another way for the old man to dissuade his guilt by getting him to work with the granddaughter of the killer of his parents. The thought made Ron feel sick as his anger continued to build. Ron knew his temper had always been a problem yet he couldn't give a damn. These were his parents, his parents who would have given him a good life filled with love and happiness, like the one Hermione had with her par-

"What were you going to tell me before?" Ron said, his question surprising Hermione judging by her expression. "In one of your memories, you said that it wasn't what you expected it to be. What were you going to tell me?"

"Ron, I don't thin-"

"TELL ME!" Ron yelled as Hermione shrank underneath the loudness of his voice.

"In the church," Hermione responded hastily as she continued to pace away slowly. "Back in the church when I followed my parents, I overheard them saying that my grandfather had killed himself." Hermione quickly recapped the memory once more as Ron took in every word. In the most screwed up of ways, it all started to make sense. Ron recalled how Hermione had told him that her parents didn't want her to go to Hogwarts, only to change their minds when she was three. The very age in which his parents were killed by her grandfather. No doubt, probably over the guilt of his parents' death, Hermione's parents had given in to McGonagall's wishes of allowing their daughter to go to Hogwarts to learn more about the world in which her grandfather had cruelly impacted.

Did Hermione know?

Ron studied Hermione's expression, one of fear and shock staring back at him. Ron could still recall the shocked look on her face when her eyes met with her grandfather. The logical side of Ron told him that her expressions were genuine, that Hermione couldn't possibly know and that this was just as much of a nasty shock to her as it was to him.

They're all liars, Ron. That's what everyone has been doing to you since you were young. Draco lied about his mission. Aunt Narcissa lied about knowing the truth. Dumbledore lied about knowing what happened to your parents. Who can you trust, Ron? Who else is there left to trust?

"Ron, please," Hermione begged as being caught up in his thoughts, Ron had realised that Hermione had managed to cut the distance between them. "We just need to get out of here. Get you away from Tom before you get hurt. Once we're free, we can sort things out. Please, Ron? Please."

"Get away from me!" Ron snarled as he jerked himself away. The image of his parents' bodies on the floor still laid a few feet away from the pair as Ron averted his gaze away, not wanting to look at the sight of his father's lifeless eyes and his mother's brains being strewn all over the ground.

"Stop this now!" Hermione yelled as for a moment, Ron thought she was directing her anger towards him. Instead, his eyes turned to see the red-faced witch glaring furiously at the sight of a smirking Tom Riddle whom Ron had forgotten was there.

"He doesn't need to see this. He doesn't need to believe your lies!" Hermione screamed as Tom gave her an incredulous look.

"Lies? How black is the cauldron compared to the kettle." Tom spoke coldly as he narrowed his dark, eyes at Hermione. "You see this, Ron? The Mudblood actually called me a liar when I'm the only one who has shown you the truth."

"My grandfather isn't a murderer and he did not kill himself!" Hermione snapped in despair though Ron could see from her expression that doubts had started to creep in.

"I admit, with my powers, I could have altered your memories and manipulated the pair of you easily," Tom spoke in a condescending tone at Hermione as if she were a small child. "But as you said, Mudblood, if I were to do that, why would you be here? I felt your presence as soon as that fool Dumbledore send you inside Ron's head. I could have easily disposed of you, ripped your fragile little mind into millions of pieces but instead, can you imagine the look on my face when I saw the memory of this floating about in that disgusting Muggle head of yours? As soon as I realise the memory for what it was, I couldn't help but lead you both to it."

Ron turned his head slightly to look at Hermione whose expression was one of angry denial though Ron could see that it was faltering.

"No, Hermione Granger," Tom spoke in an eerily calm yet authoritative manner. "I did not lie. I did not manipulate. I did not change a single thing. What you see before you is true, all of it. Dumbledore lied to you, just like your parents did. Your grandfather did not, though. He came to see one more time but you were so preoccupied that you hardly noticed him confessing. Do you want to see it? Your grandfather's guilty confession? Would you like to know what your grandfather said to you just before he died?"

Hermione could only gape wordlessly as Ron noticed her eyes brimming with tears. As he stared at the witch, her tears did enough to diminish his anger towards her. Instead, Ron turned his rage and frustration towards the young Dark Lord.

"That's enough, Tom," Ron said firmly as he glared at Tom. Tom narrowed his eyes back at Ron before shrugging.

"Ah, well, another time then," Tom spoke as he sneered at Hermione before turning back to Ron, clapping his hands in anticipation. "So Ronald, shall we proceed? Shall we get back on that train?"

"The train?" Ron repeated as Tom gave an impatient growl.

"Yes, the train1 It's time we get to your soul, isn't it?" Tom grinned as he raised his hand. Before Ron could reply, Tom's face suddenly contorted into fury as he glared past the pair and let out a ferocious yell. "You!"

"Yes, Tom, it is me."

Both Ron and Hermione gave a start as the pair turned around to see Dumbledore gazing sadly at the bodies of Arthur and Molly Weasley. While Dumbledore was indeed quite old, Ron had always seen him be rather sprightly for his age. This version of Dumbledore was far from his usual self as Dumbledore looked sicker and worse than he ever did.

"Professor!" Hermione cried with a rush of concern as she made her way to Dumbledore who gently shook his head.

"It's okay, Miss Granger. I could sense you needed my help." Dumbledore said before turning his attention towards Tom. "Hello there, Tom, it's been a long time since I've seen this version of you and I have to say, though I am not superficial, you look much more dashing in this image."

"Which is more than I can say for you…Albus." Tom replied with a sneer as he sized up the older wizard. "You've seen better days."

"All of which came before I got to know you, Tom," Dumbledore replied as Tom's eyes flashed red.

"Quite a cheek on you, old man," Tom replied as he slowly made his way towards Dumbledore. "You're not strong enough to hold both spells, Albus. The one you cast on the Mudblood here has already taken its toll, has it not?"

"Do not use that term," Dumbledore replied.

"And do not think that you can control me!" Tom snapped angrily. "In here, I am a God compared to you!"

"You've always had a problem with power, Tom." Dumbledore sighed as his wizened body started to tremble. "It has always been your greatest weakness. It prevents you from seeing who is truly in power here."

Dumbledore turned his head towards Ronald as he muttered a single line. "I'm so sorry, Ronald." Though the appearance of Dumbledore had startled him, the surprise was slowly wearing off. As Ron's mind tried to process what was happening right now, he could still feel his heart pounding from the rage within him. Words failed to escape his lips as all Ron could do was stare blankly at Dumbledore.

"Sorry?" Tom laughed incredulously as he rolled his eyes. "Sorry? You hear that Ronald, the old man is sorry. Never mind that he was the one who approved the mission that got your parents killed. Never mind that he was the one who separated you away from your family. Never mind that he was the one who constantly lied to you over and over again while using you to do his bidding. Even I have to admit you have some cheek about you, Dumbledore!"

"Ron, what does Tom want you to do?" Dumbledore said hastily, ignoring Tom's words. Yet no reply came from the redhead who stood there staring back at him. Without wasting a second, Dumbledore turned to Hermione for answers. "What does Tom want?"

"He wants Ron to get on a train with him to get Ron's soul," Hermione replied quickly as she explained briefly what had happened. A look of surprise came onto Dumbledore's face as he turned his attention back to Tom.

"I would never have expected that of you, Tom," Dumbledore replied as Tom gave a mock bow. "Perhaps I've misjudged your nobility."

Dumbledore's words affected Tom as the latter's face darkened with fury. "You dare mock me here, you blathering old fool?"

"I would have thought you would have forced Ron into giving up his soul," Dumbledore replied calmly, ignoring Tom's taunts once more. "Perhaps you're not strong enough?"

"Not all wars need to be won by strength!" Tom snapped. "Besides, this may be hard for you Muggle-loving fools to understand but Ronald here is more than capable of making the right decision. He understands the need for me to take control, to take over. Any agreements on his part would be binding and considering the state of the world and the leaders (Tom smirked at this point) we have in charge, I would be the lesser of all evils."

"You're right. Ron is capable of making the right decision." Dumbledore said as he turned to Ron, his blue eyes twinkling back into Ron's own. "But even the best of us can use a little help, once in a while."

"From who? You?" Tom laughed as he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, Dumbledore buckled over as the old wizard dropped to his knees. Hermione let out a gasp as Ron's eyes widened at the sight before him.

"What did you do?!" Hermione yelled as Tom ignored her, his eyes staring angrily at Dumbledore.

"Your walls aren't going to hold on forever, Dumbledore," Tom said as he frowned angrily at the wizard. Ron and Hermione both stared at Dumbledore whose own expression was one of filled with determination and concentration.

"Tom, there is no need for us to resort to this," Dumbledore spoke as he winced from what looked like immense pain. "I propose a trade of sorts if you will. Let Ronald and Hermione go and take my soul instead."

Dumbledore's words appeared to have the desired effect as Tom appeared shocked for a moment while Dumbledore blew a sigh of relief. Hermione had helped their Headmaster to his feet as Ron slowly made his way towards the two of them. Though he was angry at Dumbledore, the Headmaster did look to be in incredible pain. Ron turned to face Hermione and was surprised to see the witch in her own mask of concentration. Before he could speak up, Tom had replied.

"You know, I have to give you credit, Albus," Tom spoke as the trio turned their attention to the young Dark Lord. "For a moment, I was actually considering it. I mean, deep down, despite my utter disgust towards you, there is a part of me that vaguely admires you for your powers. And to be able to get into your mind and retrieve it from your soul…" Tom spoke as he licked his lips. "It is indeed extremely tempting."

"So why don't you, Tom?" Dumbledore said as Tom shook his head.

"Ever the manipulator, aren't you Albus? You know, anyone else might think your sacrifice as noble but I know you, Albus. I know who you really are. You probably couldn't give a piss about the Mudblood or even yourself, given that injury of yours but…the thought of me taking away your greatest weapon, now that is where you draw the line. You see, despite all your spells and your magic and your powers, you still aren't able to give me what your apprentice here can. Immortality. The dream of every great sorcerer. His ability to time travel would allow me to achieve my goals with the simplest of ease."

"And who says you can't have both? What's that common Muggle expression? Have your cake and eat it too?"

Tom looked perplexed as Dumbledore let out a sigh.

"Consider it a foolish request but hear me out. You, Tom, can break Ronald down and take control of him without him giving permission. Of course, Ron giving permission to take his soul would certainly be easier and will no doubt make the unification of your souls considerably stronger but I'm offering you to take control of my mind here, Tom. Something you will never have a chance of doing so ever again."

"And why would you do something as foolish as that?" Tom retorted.

"Because I believe that Ron here can beat you if he has more time. The time he and Miss Granger will need to get away for a while and recharge themselves, even for a moment before duelling you for control of Ronald's mind. But should you choose not to take my offer, then rest assured I will be using all of my remaining strength to destroying you here. Of course, I will not be able to beat you but I can hurt you very, very much. So let's see if Tom…I mean…Lord Voldemort is able to handle a couple of teenagers or are you still that same, deluded little boy who tried his best to better me but failed miserably?"

If Ron thought Tom looked angry before, it was nothing compared to his face now. Tom's face had contorted into that of a wild animal, red flashing in his eyes coupled with a sinister smile, almost maniacal in nature.

"I know what you're trying to do, old man," Tom said as he took several steps forward until he was a foot away from Dumbledore. "But you're not going to get me that way. Neither your compliments nor your challenges will have any effect on me and do you know why, you ignorant git? Because I can still have my cake and eat it too. It's as simple as this." Tom said as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Almost instantly, Dumbledore collapsed to his knees once more as a piercing scream came from his lips. The sight of Dumbledore writhing in pain threw both Ron and Hermione in shock as the latter grabbed their Headmaster's shoulder.

"STOP IT!" Hermione screamed in distress as Tom gave a wicked laugh.

"The old man thought he could get one over me." Tom laughed maniacally as he glared with glee at the sight of Dumbledore doubling over. "You pathetic weak excuse for a wizard. You think you can trick me? ME? LORD VOLDEMORT? After I am done with you, all that's left is for me to rip apart your two students here and take full control of Ron's soul."

"You asshole!" Ron yelled, coming to his senses as he pointed his wand at Tom, only for Hermione to grab his hand. "Let him go this instant!"

"Oh, he speaks now, does he?" Tom laughed as he glared daggers at Ron. "I tried to be nice. I tried to make you see things my way. But it seems you're just as pathetic and worthless as your dead parents, Ron. Can't make the tough choices, can you? And you call yourself a Slytherin? Story of your life, isn't it? Always being manipulated by someone smarter than you."

Before Ron could utter a single word, Hermione spoke up instead.

"Speak for yourself," Hermione replied as she shifted her hand away from Dumbledore's shoulder onto his head while her other hand gripped Ron's arm tighter. "Now!" Ron turned to see Dumbledore nod his head as he smiled at Tom. All of a sudden, Tom yelled in pain as around him, Ron could see the white light of the memory getting brighter and brighter until he blinded with nothing but white.

...

What's going on?

As soon as the thought crossed Ron's head, the white light started to fade, only to be replaced by a pale, yellowish hue. Ron found himself staring at this yellow light as the scene around him started to form shapes. He felt his feet kicking against something hard as Ron's mind started to focus on the yellow light as it became smaller and smaller, almost like a yellow lamp shining from above. It was then that Ron realised he was staring at a street lamp. Turning his head around, Ron could see that he was in the middle of the street where brick houses surrounded him on both sides. The grey sky was filled with dark clouds and a few crows passing ahead. Around him, the buildings looked old and run down while the street was deserted with the exception of two cars and a bus that looked retro in nature. Turning his head to his right, Ron found himself staring at Hermione whose eyes were focused on a building a few yards away from them.

"Hermione, where are we?" Ron asked as Hermione turned to look at him. For a moment, Ron wondered if this really was Hermione as he knew Tom could manipulate the memories or that he could be inside of one of Hermione's. All of a sudden, the short bushy-haired witch burst into tears as she threw her arms around Ronald's neck.

"Ron, I'm so, so sorry." Hermione sobbed as she pressed her head between his shoulder and his chest. As Ron felt his robes getting wet, a battle of wills was taking place inside of him. A large part of him wanted to shove Hermione aside, the thought that of him comforting the granddaughter of his parents' murderer filled him with disgust. Yet something inside him felt pity for the witch. It was clear to Ron that Hermione had no idea about who her grandfather was or what he did. Realising that this was neither the time nor the place to be having an emotional discussion, Ron decided to shove his feelings aside and concentrate on the task at hand.

"Hermione," Ron said firmly as he gently lifted the witch's face from his robes. The sight of a teary-eyed Hermione staring up at him made something stir inside Ron but just like his other emotions, Ron quickly shoved it aside. "What happened? Where's Dumbledore and Tom? Where are we?". Ron's questions appeared to have done the trick as Hermione stopped her crying, her hands now quickly rubbing away the leftover tears.

"Dumbledore tricked Tom, Ron," Hermione said as she took a deep breath to compose herself. "While Tom was busy taunting him, Dumbledore was speaking in my head. Due to the spell, he cast upon me to send me here, we have some sort of telepathic link between us. He told me of his plan, his horrible, horrible plan."

"Why? What's so horrible about it?" Ron demanded.

"You saw how weak Dumbledore was," Hermione explained as she rubbed her nose tenderly. "The spell he cast to get me into your head was already taking its toll and to put himself in your head as well, it was getting too much even for someone as powerful as Dumbledore. There was no way we could have defeated Tom and Dumbledore told me that Tom never needed your permission explicitly with regards to your soul. He could either influence you to give it to him or just tear you apart. The former is easier to do and makes your bond much stronger but given how things were going, it seems that Tom has given up that approach."

"You don't say," Ron replied, though his tone was more concerned rather than sarcastic.

"Anyways, because of that, Dumbledore decided to make one final move. He knew someone like Tom would never give you up and so Dumbledore decided to trick him. He tricked Tom into trying to force himself into Dumbledore's mind. Someone like Tom would never have passed up on that opportunity and Tom did exactly what Dumbledore expected him to do, by forcing himself into Dumbledore's mind. That was his mistake. By forcing himself into Dumbledore's mind, Tom also had to let down his defences and Dumbledore used his remaining powers of Occlumency to shield our whereabouts from Tom."

"His remaining strength?" Ron repeated as Hermione let out a whimper. "Is he…"

"Dead? No, far worse. Right now, I suspect Tom is tearing into Dumbledore's mind, learning every new spell, memory and ability he can. Only after he has done so, will Tom start to look for us." Hermione replied. "But you know what this means right? Dumbledore will be in a catatonic state, unable to function for the rest of his life. This means he can't do anything that he's supposed to do. Which then means –"

" - The timeline has already been changed," Ron said, finishing Hermione's sentence as the realisation finally dawned on him. "But wait, how does that change anything? Don't we still have to take the diadem off my head? If we do that, all I have to do is turn back time and destroy the Horcrux once more."

Hermione gave Ron an incredulous look. "And if we don't do that, that Voldemort will win but this time, he will have everything that Dumbledore has. All the magical ability of Dumbledore coupled with his own powers! Not to mention everything that Dumbledore knows from the members of the Order to the Ministry's proceedings. Every secret that Dumbledore has kept, every plan Dumbledore intends to use against him. If Tom beats you, he wins the war easily. Not one, not even Harry can stop him. The odds just went in his favour by a considerable amount, Ron!"

"Great! That's just fucking great!" Ron cried angrily as he threw his arms into the air. "What the hell was Dumbledore thinking?!"

"He wanted to give us time to organise ourselves. Time for you to figure out how to beat Tom."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that? Did Dumbledore tell you that as well?"

Hermione opened her mouth before hesitating. "Well, not exactly."

"Figures," Ron grumbled in frustration. "So what vague thing did Dumbledore say?"

"He told me in his mind that in order for you to find the strength to beat Tom, you need to find a power in which Tom knows not. Something that Tom could never do. He said that you have it in you, a force so powerful that it diminishes everything around them. Only when you choose to truly embrace it, will you have the strength to defeat Tom and free yourself from this prison."

"Wow, that helps! That's not vague at all!" Ron said sarcastically as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Have you seen where we are now? Where do you think Dumbledore send us? Don't forget that you have a link with Dumbledore as well. When Tom forced himself into Dumbledore, he created a pathway, a bridge between their two minds and since you and Dumbledore are linked as well…"

Hermione didn't finish but instead started to motion towards her surroundings. Ron took a moment to look around, his eyes surveying the environment around him. It seemed that they were in some part of London, a rather shoddy, run-down part of it but something about the buildings seemed off. All around him, the infrastructure looked rather out of place for modern Britain and the houses seemed to look quite ancient in nature.

"Wait, I recognise that building," Ron said as his eyes focused on the building with the bus in front of it. It was a square building, rather large and made of grey bricks. The building was run-down just like the others and was surrounded by high railings. Yet despite seeming like a grim place to live in, the buildings appeared clean as Ron took another step towards the sign plastered outside its gates.

"Wool's Orphanage," Ron said as his eyes widened in realisation. Almost on cue, the bus doors suddenly flung open as a parade of young children came barrelling out along with a few adults who looked rather distressed. One of them, a middle-aged woman with grey hair and pale skin, emerged from the bus with three young children in tow. The first two, a boy and a girl were unrecognisable to Ron but the final boy with jet black hair and a bored expression nearly caused Ron to yelp out in surprise.

"Bishop and Benson, please go directly to bed. And as for you…" the woman said as she turned her attention to the final boy. "Please see me in my office now."

"Yes, Mrs. Cole." The final boy spoke as he made his way inside the orphanage while Mrs. Cole merely shook her head at the boy.

"Oh, Tom, what did you do now?" Mrs. Cole said before entering the orphanage.

…

"We're in Tom's memories?!" Ron whispered as he and Hermione followed nine-year-old Tom Riddle into Mrs. Cole's office.

"It's the last place Dumbledore believe he would look and why are you whispering? We're in a memory, remember, we don't exist." Hermione said as the pair entered the office. Just like the orphanage, Mrs. Cole's office looked just as neat though it looked small and cramped. A makeshift bed was placed in the corner of the room where rows of metal filing cabinets filled its sides. One of the walls was filled with pictures of children. In all of them, Ron could see genuine smiling faces and laughter and some even had pictures of children with their adopted parents. This brought a small smile to Ron's face. Despite the gloomy outlook, it seemed that the orphanage was a good place for a child to live. Ron turned his attention to Tom who had a blank expression on his face though his eyes were closed until Mrs. Cole entered the room.

"So Tom, how are you feeling?" Mrs. Cole said as she stood in front of Tom while leaning against her desk. Though her arms were crossed, Mrs. Cole had a gentle look on her face as she studied the young orphan.

Tom looked at Mrs. Cole, his dark eyes now opened as he stared blankly at her. "I'm feeling fine," Tom said curtly as he averted his gaze.

"So, did you enjoy yourself on the trip?" Mrs. Cole asked.

"I suppose."

"What was your favourite part about it?"

Tom didn't answer. Instead, he heaved an impatient sigh as he folded his arms.

"Tom?" Mrs. Cole asked calmly. Tom turned his head to face his caretaker, his blank demeanour had changed to one of anger.

"Why don't you just tell me what I have to do instead of all these stupid questions!" Tom cried angrily as he glared at Mrs. Cole. Ron exchanged a look with Hermione as the pair expected Mrs. Cole to reprimand Tom for his tone. Instead, Mrs. Cole said nothing as she squatted to her knees.

"I just want to know what happened out there. Both Amy and Dennis said –"

"They're liars! Both of them are liars! If anything, Billy probably put them up to it!" Tom snapped. Mrs. Cole started to place her hand on Tom's shoulder before stopping herself.

"Actually, neither of them have said anything. They said that the three of you took a trip towards the cliffs and afterwards, they left you to do their thing."

"Really?" Tom said as if the idea that his two housemates hadn't thrown him under the bus baffled him.

"Really." Mrs. Cole said with a smile. Tom inched his head closer towards her, studying his caretaker intensely before softening his expression.

"I'm sorry. It's just that we were playing a game and we got carried away."

"What game?"

"Hide and Seek," Tom replied instantly though his eyes darted about the room.

"I see." Mrs Cole said as she raised her eyebrow. "So where did you hide? Because when I ask the other adults, they said they couldn't find any of you three."

Tom studied Mrs. Cole again, his dark eyes staring back at her before relenting. "We were in a cave. We started playing the game and ended up in a cave."

"Where you decided to go exploring?" Mrs. Cole said.

"Yes, we were playing the game and…wait a minute…" Tom said as his eyes widened in anger. "How did you know we went exploring?!"

"Amy told me." Mrs. Cole replied with a smirk as Tom glowered at her.

"You lied to me!"

"And you weren't?" Mrs. Cole said with a triumphant look as Tom could only glare in response. "Honestly, Tom, after all this time, I know that it's useless to get the truth out from you. All I care about is your safety and well-being as well as your friends. Amy and Dennis looked pretty shaken up when they came back from the cave. Can you tell me why?"

Ron expected Tom to keep silent or to shout back at Mrs. Cole. Tom did neither of these things. Instead, his face began to crumble as he looked back at Mrs. Cole with a sad expression on his face.

"They were both making fun of me just like Billy did. They said that I was weird and that I was a freak. So I scolded them back and maybe I might have said some things that were really bad but…" Tom stopped talking as he started to get misty-eyed.

"Seriously?!" Ron said to Hermione as both held an incredulous look to their face, watching Tom's little performance. Mrs. Cole, however, appeared not to be moved by the little display as she shook her head before looking back at Tom.

"Tom, there has to be more to it. Dennis was saying the Lord's Prayer repeatedly when I spoke to him. Whatever it is you did must have spooked them terribly."

"So take their side!" Tom yelled suddenly as he stood up from his chair. "That's what everyone does to me. It's fine! Just punish me and get it over with."

"I can't punish you if I don't know what you did. So can you please just tell me? I promise no matter what I will support you." Mrs. Cole pleaded as Tom shook his head. Sighing, Mrs. Cole stood to her feet.

"Very well. I will need you to help rake the yard tomorrow. You may go now, Tom."

Tom didn't move as he raised his head from staring at the ground. "Do you think I'm a freak, Mrs. Cole?"

"No, I do not." Mrs. Cole replied gently. "I just think you're a young boy whose temper sometimes gets the better of him. There's nothing wrong with you, Tom."

"Do you think I'm special?" Tom said suddenly as Mrs. Cole gave him a puzzled look.

"I think everyone is special in their own way, Tom. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Tom replied before sighing. "I'm sorry for what I did, Mrs. Cole. I'll apologise to Amy and Dennis tomorrow."

"That's good to hear." Mrs. Cole said as she motioned for the door. "You may go back to your room now, Tom."

Tom turned around as he made his way to the door before stopping in his tracks. Both Ron and Hermione followed Tom's gaze to an object that had been nailed at the door. It was a wooden cross with the figure of Jesus carved in its centre.

"Mrs. Cole, may I ask you something?" Tom said, turning around to face his caretaker.

"Certainly."

"Why do people say the Lord's Prayer?" Tom asked, much to the surprise of everyone in the room. "Why do we pray to someone who died many years ago?"

"There are many reasons as to why someone would say the Lord's Prayer." Mrs. Cole answered as she studied young Tom intently. "Some say it to remind themselves of who they are, others say it as a way to seek courage or contentment while reminding themselves that each one of them isn't perfect. As to why we pray to Him, I suppose it's because Jesus himself was a very special person."

"A person? Isn't he the Son of God?" Tom said as Mrs. Cole laughed.

"Yes, he is but there's so much more to that question, Tom. Why are you suddenly asking all these questions about Him? Are you finally becoming religious?"

"No, I'm just curious," Tom replied. "I've heard that this Jesus person had many powers. That he was magical. And that even after his death, we still pray in his name and I don't understand why."

"Yes, he did perform miracles according to the Bible." Mrs. Cole said. " I don't know about magical but Jesus was known to change water into wine, walk on water and even raise the dead. We pray to him because Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins. He's our Lord and saviour."

"He died for our sins?! Why would anyone die for us?" Tom exclaimed as the thought of it seemed to confuse him in some way.

"People aren't perfect, Tom, that is true." Mrs. Cole replied. "And that's why He is so special. To sacrifice oneself to save all of us. That's why we treat him with reverence, even watching our words so that we don't say his in vain."

"Wow…"Tom spoke as he looked awed by the thought. "Can I be like him?"

Mrs. Cole gave a light chuckle. "Well, you can strive to be as good as him although I don't anyone can be like him. Jesus is perfect, Tom. Perfect in every way."

"Perfect," Tom said as he looked to be deep in thought before smiling at Mrs. Cole. "Thank you for listening to me."

"Anytime." Mrs. Cole said with a smile. "I like this side of you, Tom. So inquisitive. Perhaps we can have more such discussions in the future."

"Of course," Tom said as he turned around, his back towards Mrs. Cole. Ron and Hermione studied the look on his face. There was something in his expression that appeared insidious as Tom sported a malicious grin while his eyes glinted underneath the light of the room. Staring at the cross once more before reaching for the doorknob, Ron could hear Tom whisper under his breath.

"Lord and Saviour. I like that." Tom said before leaving the room, as Ron and Hermione followed suit.

….

"That was weird," Ron said as he looked at Hermione who nodded.

"He actually said he wanted to be like Jesus." Hermione scoffed as she shook her head. "At least we know why he refers to himself as a Lord."

"Well, wizarding families also have Lords to their title. So he could have gotten the idea for that from them." Ron reasoned as Hermione nodded.

"But the way he acted around Mrs. Cole, that crying façade of his…I shudder to think what he really did to those kids." Hermione said before stopping in her tracks. "Wait a minute, where are we now?"

Ron stopped as well as his eyes started to look around them. No longer were they inside the orphanage but instead found himself staring down an empty corridor with oil lamps lighting the sides. Staring at a bench a few metres from them, Ron suddenly recognised where they were.

"Hermione, this is Hogwarts!" Ron said excitedly as both he and Hermione heard a loud chatter of voices coming from the adjacent corridor. Rushing towards the source of the sound, Ron and Hermione found themselves staring at a crowded corridor where groups of Hogwarts students chatted loudly as they made their way throughout the castle.

"We must have jumped memories. Where is…there he is!" Hermione exclaimed as she pointed towards a group of students. Tom now looked more like his Horcrux version although he seemed to be slightly younger. He was also not alone as Ron could see a group of Slytherin students gathered around him, all of them seemingly giving him admirable looks.

"Come back here, Warren!" came a voice from behind Ron as he turned to see a third year Ravenclaw student with pigtails and large glasses running past him in tears followed by a large Ravenclaw girl with brown curls chasing her. Hermione let out a gasp.

"Ron, that's Moaning Myrtle!" Hermione said as Ron's eyes widened in recognition.

"Leave me alone, Hornby!" Myrtle cried as without looking, she nearly crashed into one of the Slytherin boys surrounding Riddle.

"Watch where you're going, you filthy Mudblood!" the boy yelled as suddenly the corridor became quiet. Everyone, including Hornby, was now staring at the group of Slytherins and Myrtle who looked quite frightened.

"Oi! Don't call her that."

This time both Ron and Hermione gasped as an extremely tall and large third-year student pushed his way through the crowd. With bushy black hair which had not yet turned into a large beard and light skin, Rubeus Hagrid emerged from the sea of students like a towering ship sporting Gryffindor colours to a thunderstruck Hermione and Ron.

"Hagrid." The Slytherin boy drawled as he gave the half-giant a sneer. "Here's another one of your filthy creatures for you to protect. Make sure you take care of her properly otherwise she can't find a mate when she grows up. On second thought, maybe she can mate with one of those beasts you have in the Forbidden Forest."

This comment earned a chorus of laughs from the group of Slytherins though both Ron and Hermione noticed that Tom was quiet, rather he looked disinterested in the matter as though mocking Muggleborns was beneath him. Ron noticed that Tom stared at Hagrid, his eyes flashing as though a thought had occurred to him.

"Yer lot just watch your mouths," Hagrid growled as he made his way towards Myrtle. "You okay?" Hagrid asked as Myrtle just stared at him in terror.

"Leave me alone!" Myrtle yelled as she took off to the sound of jeers from the Slytherins.

"Be careful where you go. You don't want the monster to get to you, do you, Mudblood!" The Slytherin boy jeered.

"Stop calling her that!" Hagrid roared as he took a step forward though the Slytherin boy did not back down.

"Enough, Dolohov!"

The corridor grew silent as everyone turned their attention to Tom. With a chastising look on his face similar to Hermione, Tom gave Dolohov a reproachful as the latter cowered under his glare. Turning towards Hagrid, Tom fashioned a smile, one that looked genuine, as he nodded his head.

"I will be reporting Dolohov's actions to Professor Slughorn. Hagrid is right. We should not be using such terms, especially considering what is going on. Five points from Slytherin." Tom said as several students gasped. Ron and Hermione exchanged confusing looks as Tom, who seemed small compared to Hagrid, merely nodded his head before moving off, his gang of Slytherins following behind him. Ron and Hermione gave Hagrid, who had a bemused look on his face, one last stare before taking after Tom.

"What the hell was that about?" Ron asked as Hermione appeared to be deep in thought. Ron grunted in frustration before nudging Hermione who nearly leapt in the air before glaring back at Ron.

"Now is not the time to keep your thoughts to yourself, Hermione!" Ron snapped.

"Fine!" Hermione exclaimed. "You remember what I told you about the Chamber of Secrets and the diary? Well, I think this is the year Tom opened the Chamber, his fifth year. This is the year where Hagrid was framed by Tom for the Chamber opening."

"Wait, Hagrid was framed?" Ron asked.

"Yes, Hagrid was framed by Tom. Tom decided to close the Chamber because he didn't want Hogwarts to be closed but not before framing Hagrid." Hermione cried exasperatedly as the pair followed the group of Slytherins up the stairs and into an empty classroom.

"But how did Tom –" Ron began to speak before Hermione shushed him. The group of Slytherins, which consisted of Tom, Dolohov and three other boys were now gathered at the front of the class with Tom seated on the desk while the other boys sat in front of him.

"You took points off me?" Dolohov asked Tom, though his voice was quavered out of fear rather than anything else.

"That's because you're being an idiot, Dolohov!" A tall Slytherin with blond hair spoke as he gave Dolohov a withering look. "Now is not the time to draw attention to ourselves."

"Lestrange is right," Tom said darkly as he gave Dolohov a menacing stare. "Learn to control yourself and act more like a Slytherin, you fool."

"Apologies, my Lord," Dolohov spoke as he bowed his head. The gesture seemed to work as Tom's expression began to soften. Ron exchanged a look of amazement with Hermione who nodded. Even in his fifth year, his friends already addressed him by his future title.

"If I may ask again, my Lord." A weedy looking boy with messy brown hair spoke. "Why are you only Petrifying the Mudblood scum? Why not just be rid of them?"

"Because, Avery…" Tom said as he let out a frustrated sigh. "If I start killing Mudbloods, what would happen to Hogwarts? The school will be closed down and I will be sent back to that miserable orphanage."

"You could stay at my home, my Lord. It would be an honour to any of us." The last boy with sleek black hair spoke as the others also murmured their approval.

"That is indeed generous of you, Rosier, but as you all know, that fool Dumbledore has been keeping an eye on me since I first stepped into this school. If I were to leave that blasted orphanage without any reason and live at any of your places, he would know and I know he would object. I have considered writing to Dippet but that is only as a last resort. No, we will stick to the original plan. As long as the Mudbloods keep falling, their parents will remove them from the school but Hogwarts will remain open. This is my home and I intend to stay here for as long as I can."

"Of course, My Lord," Rosier spoke as the others nodded as well.

"Where is Abraxas Malfoy? I am in need of his service." Tom asked as Lestrange spoke up.

"He is currently in detention but whatever service you require, I will gladly help you, My Lord," Lestrange spoke as Tom studied him.

"I am in need of placing a valuable item in his vault for safekeeping. Is yours up to the task, Lestrange?" Tom asked as Lestrange smiled.

"Of course, my Lord. My family's vault is the most protected place in all of Great Britain, maybe even the world." Lestrange spoke as Dolohov gave a snort.

"All our vaults are," Dolohov spoke as Lestrange scowled at him. "It's in Gringotts, is it not?"

"Does yours come with the Gemino Curse, Dolohov? Because mine does together with a multitude of other curses and wards. Not to mention, even the Ministry doesn't have the authority to open our vault considering the Binding spell we have on any Ministry official forcing their way through."

"What about the goblins?" Tom asked as Lestrange bowed his head slightly.

"They are only authorised to open the vault should we want it but should any of them try to take anything, let's just say my family has a nasty surprise waiting for them," Lestrange said with a smile as Tom looked slightly impressed.

"Very well. I will make use of it."

"Oh, thank you, My Lord. Thank you!" Lestrange said as his face turned to delight.

"Now, leave me. I have some business to attend to." Tom spoke with authority as the four Slytherin boys stood to their feet. "Oh, and tell every Slytherin that Rubeus Hagrid is off-limits. Do so discreetly. I have plans for that giant oaf." Tom spoke. If such a request seemed strange, none of the other boys seemed to think any of it. Instead, each boy merely nodded before making their way out of the classroom, leaving Tom all alone.

"Not one to question his authority, are they?" Hermione spoke as Ron agreed. Even as a fifth year, Tom's influence over his peers was apparent for all to see. Turning his attention back to Tom, the handsome wizard looked to be deep in thought. Suddenly a smile came onto his face as Tom made a beeline for the door. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look before following him. As they walked, they noticed that Tom ignored every student he passed, including those who acknowledged him. However, he greeted each member of the faculty enthusiastically, all of whom gave him admiring looks.

"Quite the Slytherin, isn't he?" Hermione said as she made a gagging sound. Though Ron hated the thought, he couldn't help but admire Tom's personality. Even the way Tom carried himself had a certain dignity to it as he continued to gather admiring looks everywhere he went, including a few swooning ones from witches who stared at him.

"He's like a Quidditch star," Ron said as Hermione chuckled slightly. The thought of the Dark Lord playing Quidditch did seem unusual yet after the display that Tom put up for the sake of his reputation, Ron wouldn't put anything past him.

Reaching the second corridor of the castle, Tom stopped before a large, oak door as he adjusted his tie. A glance at the door told Ron that this was the office of a professor with the name Silvanus Kettleburn being imprinted in silver letters on the door. Before Tom could reach for the knob, the door flung open as a rather short wizard with wispy grey hair and hazel eyes exited the chamber.

"Professor Kettleburn," Tom said loudly as he gave the professor a slight bow. Professor Kettleburn turned his head upwards to face Tom as a look of delight crossed his face.

"Tom! How are you, my boy? How are you?" Kettleburn spoke enthusiastically as he fumbled with a large stack of papers. Instinctively, Tom raised his hands to offer his help to which Kettleburn gratefully accepted.

"I'm good, thank you, Professor," Tom spoke with a smile on his face, his voice silky and smooth as he beamed at the Professor. He might be an evil wizard but young Tom is a fucking good actor! Ron thought as Tom walked alongside Professor Kettleburn down the corridor.

"I was just on my way to see Professor Beery about the Mandrakes when I came across your office, Professor," Tom spoke as Kettleburn nodded, his face now looking slightly sombre.

"Well, hopefully, the Potion would be ready in time. Horace is doing all he can for those poor unfortunate students."

"I tried to offer my help to Professor Slughorn but he turned me down," Tom said with a sigh. "I only wish I could do more to assist."

"Well, I can speak for Horace when I say that we are all grateful for your help, Tom, but this is a very delicate issue. It is unfortunate that such circumstances have fallen on us but what can we do, Tom, what can we do."

"Indeed, though I'm wondering…actually never mind, I'm just being nosy, that's all." Tom replied with a nervous tinge in his voice.

"Ask away, my boy, ask away."

"It's just that with everything going on with these attacks, I can help but wonder about the creature that's causing it." Tom sighed.

"Well, unfortunately, Petrification is a rare but not uncommon side-effect of many creatures," Kettleburn spoke as he frowned in thought. "What creature do you have in mind?"

"Well, I couldn't help but think that maybe…we might be wrong as to what the victims are experiencing. Petrification is a catatonic state, not unlike some of the creatures you've taught us like the Goblin Octopus and the Fernwig Fly. A bite from any of these creatures could induce that same state in our victims."

Kettleburn stopped in his tracks as he turned to gape at Tom. "My boy….that's exactly what I told Dumbledore! Instead of just trying to find this so-called monster or Heir of Slytherin, we should be looking into the type of creature doing it!"

Kettleburn clapped his hands loudly while chatting excitedly. "Yes, those creatures do come in mind but do you know that there are other forms of creatures that can induce the same sort of paralysis? Creatures like the infamous Chinese Centiworm or one of the Trapezing Bats of the Amazon can do such damage as well! Not to mention, of course, an Acromantula."

"Acromantula, what's that?" Tom asked, feigning ignorance though Ron and Hermione could see his eyes twinkling with anticipation.

"Acromantula is a giant species of spider native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia. They have eight black eyes and can grow up even as large as a small elephant. They often hunt in groups although each colony has a king or queen reigning over them. Females are typically larger than males though it is common for the males to take over the reins. For one to cause a similar reaction as those faced by our victims, that Acromantula would have to be as large as a small dog."

"I see," Tom said politely before shaking his head. "Anyways, forgive me for prattling on, Professor. I do sometimes think too much of such things."

"Oh, nonsense my boy, nonsense," Kettleburn said as he beamed at Tom. "Your curiosity and impetus for learning is something I wish I could instil in all my students. Fortunately for us, if it is an Acromantula, the Mandrake Potion will also serve as an antidote."

"That's good to hear," Tom replied as the pair walked down the corridor. As Ron tried to follow them, Hermione grabbed him by the arm to slow him down.

"He's very clever, no doubt about it," Hermione spoke as she glared at the back of Tom. "It's obvious Tom already knew that Hagrid had an Acromantula for a pet and no doubt, read about what it can do. Now, he's planted that thought into Kettleburn's head so that the professor will back up his story that Hagrid opened the chamber."

"Hagrid had a pet spider?" Ron said with a shudder. He hated spiders.

"Yes, apparently Neville and Harry had the unfortunate task of meeting Aragog in the forest."

"He named the spider?"

"Seriously, that's your takeaway from this?" Hermione said huffily. "Come on, Ron, we need to focus on getting out of your head."

"And exactly how do we do that?" Ron said as he stopped walking. "Hermione, all we've done so far is look through two of Tom's memories. What are we even supposed to do?"

Hermione scratched her head before taking a deep breath. "We just need to look at what Dumbledore said. He said something about you having to do what Tom could never do. That was the key for us to get out of here safely."

"Okay, except it seems that Tom's been handling his situation just fine. Everything he has planned has worked in his favour." Ron replied.

"Then perhaps that's the key. It's not something that Tom sought out to do but something he could never do, even when presented with the opportunity."

"And that something is what I have to do?" Ron exclaimed doubtfully. "Still seems vague, Hermione."

"It's the best we got," Hermione said in exasperation as she turned to look down the corridor. "Hey, where did Tom go?"

Ron and Hermione took off down the corridor. As they turned around the corner, Ron suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Hermione snapped.

"Shut up for a second and look!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione froze in her step as she looked around her. Instead of ending up down another corridor, they found themselves standing in the middle of a large toilet with cubicles in front of them while a series of faucets and mirrors stood in the centre of the room. Another memory Ron thought as he looked around.

"How did we end up here?" Ron said as Hermione gave a squeak.

"I know where we are. We're in the second-floor girl's bathroom. Ron, this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets!" Hermione cried out loud.

"Wait, the entrance to the Chamber is inside a girl's bathroom?!" Ron exclaimed. Before Hermione could respond, the pair could hear a voice coming from the circle of taps on the other side. Turning around the bend, both Ron and Hermione yelled in fright.

In front of them stood a giant serpent with vivid, green skin and looked twenty feet in length. It had large, piercing yellow eyes and its skin had armour plating though parts of it were covered in scarlet feathers. Yet what frightened Ron the most was its enormous mouth where long, sharp fangs with dripping black blood surrounded the interior of its jaws. In front of the serpent was Tom, who sat on the floor with a smirk on his face as he continued to hiss to the creature.

"It's the Basilisk!" Hermione said as her face looked white. "I've seen it before, obviously not directly otherwise I wouldn't be here with you."

"Fuck, that's the creature that terrorised the school?! How the hell did it get around? The thing's massive!" Ron said as he and Hermione took several steps back until they were almost touching the cubicle behind them. Though Ron knew he couldn't be physically harmed by the memory of the Basilisk, it was impossible not to be terrified by such a ferocious and vile beast.

"It moves through the pipes that go all around Hogwarts. The Basilisk can shrink its size to fit in." Hermione whimpered. Before either of them could say anything, a loud voice from behind them gave both students a start.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here!"

"What the hell?!" Ron said as he stared at the cubicle door which was directly in front of the snake while Hermione's eyes widened in realisation.

"God, no!" Hermione cried as the voice came again. "I can hear you and you're definitely a boy so please leave before I report you!" The voice was familiar to Ron as he turned to see Riddle doing his best to usher the snake to leave through the gap in the sinks.

"I can still hear you…you know what, never mind…if you think that you can just waltz in here, then you are very much –"

"Myrtle NO!" Hermione yelled in vain as the cubicle door swung open as a young Myrtle stepped forward to come face to face with the snake. The effect was almost instantaneous as Myrtle's eyes widened before the young witch fell onto the floor, dead.

"No!" Tom cried out loud before glaring at his snake and whispering large hissing sounds. The Basilisk, which had been licking its fangs at the sight of the dead witch, closed its eyes before turning and disappearing down the gap which was now closing. As Tom crouched down to inspect Myrtle, so did Ron and Hermione. Myrtle's face was forever etched in horror and though she looked as if she was frozen in shock, all three of them knew that she was dead. Hermione pointed Ron towards her glasses which were now cracked on the floor.

"If she had those on, Myrtle would be still alive. Instead, she stared directly at it." Hermione whispered sadly as Ron nodded his head. Both of them turned to Tom who looked to be frozen in shock as well.

The black-haired wizard was now beside Myrtle's body, his hands carefully placed so as not to disturb the body. Tom studied the body as his eyes trailed up and down the witch lying on the floor before shutting his eyes, his face now forming a frown.

"Wait, is he upset?" Ron said as he pointed to Tom whose expression seemed to mirror grief. "The Dark Lord is upset about killing a Muggleborn?"

"No, it can't be," Hermione whispered though she too was fascinated at the look on Tom's face. "But it does seem like he's affected by what he just did."

Ron let out a snort. "Yeah, I'm sure he's all broken up because of it."

"Well, it's not surprising. This was his first kill. Tom had never killed anyone before this and he is technically still young. Perhaps it's possible for him to feel remorse for what he's done." Hermione reasoned as she thought to what McGonagall had previously told her about evil.

Even the Devil was an angel before he fell.

All of a sudden, Tom's eyes sprang open as Hermione gave a tiny yelp.

"You, stupid, idiotic little girl," Tom whispered angrily as he glared at the body of Myrtle. "Do you have any idea what you've done to me? I swear, if they close down Hogwarts because of you, I will do my best to torture your pathetic, little spirit and hunt down your family before tearing them apart."

Tom removed his wand from his robes and for a moment, both Ron and Hermione expected him to do curse at Myrtle despite how useless it would be. Instead, Tom whispered an incantation to which a small, black wisp of smoke came out from his wand before disappearing out of the room. Tom pocketed back his wand, his face now softening as Tom stared back at the witch.

"So this is how it feels like," Tom whispered with a blank expression on his face. Ron and Hermione watched as a small smile started to form on Tom's lips before turning into a smirk. As the smirk turned into laughter, Ron felt a shudder as he stared into the dark eyes of Tom which now held a malicious glint to them. This was the version of Tom from the Horcrux, his facial expressions now matching the evil look that the previous Tom held as he savoured what he had done.

"He's laughing." Hermione gasped as if her eyes couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"He's evil, Hermione. I thought you already knew that." Ron said as Hermione shook her head.

"It's not that I don't believe, Ron, it's just…he just committed murder and couldn't care less about what he'd done. Even serial killers have a moment where they felt guilt or remorse but Tom…"

"He's a monster, Hermione," Ron said as Hermione turned to face him. "He kills Muggleborns, Hermione, that's what he does."

"But we're not talking about killing an animal or a plant here, Ronald. We're talking about killing a human being. A human being who had a family, who was once a baby, who grew up with people who knew them, who had good days and bad days, whose experiences shape them up and who probably has plans for the future and now all that…it's just gone. There's no time travel, no going back to fix things, it's just…gone." Hermione said as Ron stared at the witch. Hermione looked quite distressed and Ron had an inkling as to why that was. Nevertheless, he pushed the thought away from his head.

"Hermione, we need to focus," Ron said as Hermione nodded her head.

"It's okay. I'm okay. It's just…never mind… you're right. I always thought that there will be some form of hope for Tom, you know. I get that he grows up to become a monster but I thought that maybe there would have been some hope."

"There's no hope for someone like him," Ron said darkly as Hermione turned to look at him with a strange look on her face. "What?"

Before Hermione could respond, the door to the girl's bathroom swung open and in walked a girl of average height with messy black hair and a pointed nose followed by Lestrange who closed the door and stood guard by it. Hermione squeaked once more.

"That's Walburga Black! Sirius's mom!" Hermione exclaimed as she recognised the witch whose head hung at Grimmauld's Place. Walburga walked towards the scene, her green eyes widening at the sight before her before looking at Tom.

"Is she…" Walburga asked as Tom nodded his head. The shocked look on Walburga's face only lasted a few seconds before a small smile appeared on her lips.

"What would you like me to do, my Lord?" Walburga asked as Tom took a step towards her.

"I need a favour, Walburga."

"Anything, my Lord, anything!" Walburga said excitedly, her face now eager to fulfil any request from Tom.

"I need you to report this. Say that you've entered the bathroom and found her here. I need you to be hysterical. As unfortunate as it may be, I will need you to shake her a little, maybe even shed a few tears. Show that you have concern for the Mudblood. Can you do that?"

Though the thought of showing concern for a Muggleborn, even a dead one, would disgust someone like Walburga, the thought of helping Tom far outweighed any reservations she might have. Walburga nodded eagerly as Tom gave her a curt nod.

"Wait a few minutes until both Lestrange and myself are far from here. If anyone should enter before that, forget about that and just start…bawling." As Tom headed towards the door, Walburga called out to him.

"My Lord, if it pleases you, my family will be hosting a gathering at my home during the summer. It will be an honour for us to host you, my Lord." Walburga said hastily although she had a hopeful look on her face, reflecting her desire to curry some goodwill for the future Dark Lord.

"Do a good job and I'll consider it," Tom said dryly as he and Lestrange took their leave as both Ron and Hermione followed them.

"My Lord," Lestrange spoke as soon as they entered back into the corridor. "I would like to offer my gratitude. This school is better off without one less Mudblood."

"True." Tom sighed. "Unfortunately, that stupid bint dying was not part of the plan. The school might be closed down because of this."

"What would you do, my Lord?" Lestrange spoke as Tom rubbed his forehead, his expression deep in thought.

"I will write to Dippet, requesting that I can remain in Hogwarts indefinitely should the school be closed. However, should he choose to reject me, then I'm afraid I will have to close the Chamber of Secrets. As much as I enjoy taking out Mudbloods, it would serve no benefit to me to have the school closed."

"I understand, my Lord," Lestrange spoke as the pair continued to stroll towards the staircase. "But wouldn't the school still be closed even if you shut the Chamber?"

"Not if the person who opened the Chamber gave himself up," Tom replied as Lestrange gave him a puzzled look. "Do not worry, Lestrange, you know me. I always have a plan."

"That you do, my Lord. That you do." Lestrange said while giving Tom an admiring look. As the two reached the top of the staircase, a loud, wailing scream could be heard down the corridor. Ron and Hermione turned around for a moment and by the time they looked back, the scene around them had changed.

….

"Hermione, I have a feeling we're not in Hogwarts anymore," Ron said to Hermione who shot him a strange look. "What?"

"Nothing. You just made a reference to a famous Muggle movie." Hermione smiled as Ron looked blankly at her before admiring the scenery before them. They were standing in a country lane bordered by high, tangled hedgerows, beneath a summer sky as bright and blue as a forget-me-not. Less than a metre from them was Tom Riddle, pale-skinned, black hair and as handsome as ever walking down the path. As they walked down the lane, they came across a wooden sign with two arms, one pointing back to where they came and the other straight ahead.

"Little Hangleton!" Ron exclaimed. "Hermione, this is the memory where Tom confronts Morfin."

"Yes, I know," Hermione replied as the pair followed Tom down the lane. There was nothing to see but the hedgerows, the wide blue sky overhead and the swishing figure of Tom ahead. Then the lane curved to the left and fell away, sloping steeply down a hillside, so that they had a sudden, unexpected view of a whole valley laid out in front of them. Ron could see a village, undoubtedly Little Hangleton, nestled between two steep hills, its church and graveyard clearly visible. Across the valley, set on the opposite hillside, was a handsome manor house surrounded by a wide expanse of velvety green lawn.

"Riddle Manor," Ron exclaimed with awe as he stopped for a moment to admire its beauty. Tom had done the same, although he wore a grim expression as he stared at the house. Reaching into his pockets, Tom pulled out a flask before unscrewing its cap and drinking down the contents. At first, nothing seemed to happen until Tom gave a shudder and a smile broke onto his face. Hermione, who had been observing the entire thing in silence, suddenly had a look of realisation on her face.

"That's clever," Hermione said grimly as Ron stared at her. "I've always wondered how Tom was able to subdue Morfin without using magic. Don't forget, Tom is still underage here and any magic made in the presence of an underaged wizard would automatically activate the Trace. He just used an Aging Potion, if I'm not mistaken."

"Aging Potion?! But he still looks the same." Ron said, causing Hermione to roll her eyes.

"Of course he does, he only needs to be older by a few months to be seventeen."

"Wait, so you're saying if I want to do underage magic outside, all I have to do is take an Aging Potion?" Ron cried incredulously. "Wouldn't someone have figured that out by now?"

"Not your standard Aging Potion, Ron," Hermione replied as the pair followed Tom. "One that has to be modified so that the person who takes it won't get caught. It's extremely tricky, quite difficult but possible. And he is Voldemort."

"That's true," Ron replied, thinking if anyone could have pulled it off, it would most definitely be Tom. They were now walking down the steep downward slope where the lane turned right into a gap in the hedge. Walking down the narrow, dirt road which was crooked and filled with potholes, they came towards a clump of dark trees. As the copse opened up, Ron's eyes could discern the small house half-hidden amongst the tangle of trunks.

"What a horrible place to live in," Hermione whispered as Ron nodded his head. As from the memory, Ron's first thought was that the place had to be inhabited; its walls were mossy and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows, which were tiny and thick with grime. On its front door, someone had nailed a dead snake on it. As Tom made his way slowly towards the shack, Ron grabbed Hermione's hand.

"Hermione, wait," Ron said as Hermione stopped in her tracks. "Maybe we shouldn't go inside. We've seen this memory before. We should at least try to do something different if we want to get out from my head."

"Okay." Hermione agreed as they watched Tom knocked on the door. "What do you reckon we do?"

Ron ran his fingers through his red hair as he looked around him. Despite the cloudless sky, the shadows cast by the trees made the copse quite dark.

"How about we try just walking away from this memory?" Ron said as he turned around to walk back towards the dirt track. After several steps, Ron found his feet unable to move.

"What the hell?" Ron said as Hermione gave a shrug.

"It didn't hurt to try but I figured we couldn't leave. We're tied to the parameters of Tom's memory and that's as far as you can go."

"Bloody hell!" Ron cried in exasperation as he threw his hands into the air. Ron could feel the exhaustion growing in him as he fell to the ground, sitting down on a patch of grass.

"Ron!" Hermione cried in alarm as she sat down next to him. "Get up!"

"Leave me alone, Hermione." Ron groaned. "I'm tired and I need to sit."

"That's precisely why I can't leave you alone!" Hermione snapped. "If you were to fall asleep, so does your body and that would mean the timeline would be reset!"

"Wait, so I can't even rest for a bit?!" Ron growled as he punched his fist to the ground. "Bloody hell, Hermione! Why didn't you say that before?"

"I thought you knew," Hermione said as she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back up. "Come on, Ron! If you stand, you're less likely to fall asleep!" Hermione pleaded.

"Let go off my arm, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed as he pulled his arm away, almost causing Hermione to fall. "You've done enough already, haven't you?"

"Done enough, what are you talking about?" Hermione demanded as Ron looked away. He had promised himself he would deal with it afterwards though it seemed, given their situation, there may not be an afterwards.

"Nothing," Ron mumbled as Hermione smacked him on the arm. "What the hell, Granger?!"

"Say it," Hermione said fiercely as she glared at him. "I dare you to say it!"

"Fine!" Ron roared as he stood to his feet. "You want me to say it? You want to talk about this now?"

"Can't think of a better time, can I?" Hermione goaded him as Ron felt the rage returning with a vengeance.

"Okay, fine! You want to know what I really think?!" Ron roared. His temper was now coming back in force and Ron knew there was no taming the beast. He had to let it all out now.

"I can't bloody take it anymore! I can't take all the memories, all the lies, I can't even bloody stand you!" Ron yelled, riding on the wave of vengeance. "The fact that Dumbledore asked me to work together with the granddaughter of my parents' murderer disgust the fuck out of me! I can't stand listening to you. I can't stand looking at you. Bloody hell, I can't stand even being close to you! And to think I actually felt sorry for your grandfather passing away! Merlin, if anything, he got off easy, the fucking coward! He's the bloody reason why Ginny and I aren't close, why my family fell apart, why my loving parents are dead! He ruined my life, Hermione, you hear me, he fucking ruined it!"

As Ron glared at Hermione in anger, he could see the witch's eyes brimming as she stared back at him, almost ready to break down in tears. Yet this time, Ron didn't care.

"You don't think I know that, Ron?!" Hermione yelled back though her voice seemed to be cracking. "You don't think I can't understand how you must feel or how horrible I feel having found out the truth? I've been denying the idea of it for quite a while now but even I had to face up to the fact that Tom was telling the truth! My grandfather was my hero, Ron! I looked up to him and when I grew up, I couldn't understand why my parents hardly even mention him anymore! Now I know the truth, now I know what he did. And it's killing me, Ron, it hurts like hell!"

Even with Hermione swearing, Ron couldn't bring himself to calm down. A dam had been broken and all his angry thoughts were flowing like a thunderous wave, unable to stop.

"A hero? He's a fucking murderer! He should have been locked up in Azkaban, being Crucified over and over again for the rest of his life! Did you see what he did to my dad who tried to help him? Or the way he blew up my mother's brains?! MY MOTHER'S BRAINS WERE ON THE BLOODY FLOOR! All they ever wanted to help Muggles and this is how a Muggle repays them! Everything my parents fought for, gone in an instant!"

"He was under the Imperius curse," Hermione whispered as her face turned white. "He didn't know –"

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO MAKE EXCUSES FOR HIM!" Ron bellowed as he advanced on Hermione, who cowered under his rage. "Don't you dare try to justify what he did, what Dumbledore did! My parents were good, innocent people and see what them being good got them. Maybe I should fall asleep and let Tom take over! This world is fucked up anyways, it can't be helped!"

"And what about Ginny? Or Draco? If Tom takes over, do you honestly believe that he's going to spare them?" Hermione snapped. "He's a monster, Ron. Pure evil! Look at how he reacted to killing Myrtle!"

"No more of a monster than your grandfather, Hermione," Ron spat back as Hermione's face now contorted into anger.

"You. Take. That. Back." Hermione whispered angrily as she removed her wand. "My grandfather made a mistake but he is nothing like Tom."

Ron took a step forward as he removed his wand while fixing a defiant look towards Hermione. "Never. He's a killer, Tom's a killer, there's nothing separating the two."

"Ronald Weasley, I'm warning you…" Hermione whispered dangerously. "Take that back before I hex you so bad you wish you were dead!" As Ron stared at Hermione's wand, a rational part of his brain urged him to back down. Yet all Ron could see was his mother carrying him in the garden, his mother whose brains were splattered on the ground, his mother who loved him dearly and would have given a much happier life surrounded by family. I don't care Ron thought angrily. He killed my mother.

"No," Ron replied as he raised his wand. "So what are you going to do about it… Mudblood?"

A loud CRACK! sounded as Ron and Hermione found themselves being blinded by a flash of bright light.

…..

Ron felt himself landing on something hard as the white light dissipated from his vision. He was staring down a long, wide hallway which was lined with a red carpet and surrounded by lamps. Along the walls were Muggle oil paintings of people, some of whom bear a resemblance to Tom.

"We're inside the Riddle House," Ron exclaimed as his eyes caught sight of Tom who was now standing in front of a large, oak door. Ron surmised that Tom must have Apparated to the hillside where the Riddle House stood and slowly made his way up the hill. The same thought seemed to occur to Hermione who stared at Tom before turning her attention to Ron.

Their wands were still drawn out as Hermione and Ron stood staring at each other. Though his anger had been replaced by surprise, Ron could feel it creeping back though another emotion was now growing in him. Ron could see that Hermione had a similar reaction as her curiosity seemed to get the better of her. With silence and tension between them, Hermione walked towards Tom, shoving slightly against Ron as she stood behind the Dark Lord. Suppressing a harsh remark towards the witch, Ron followed suit as the pair followed Tom into the room.

The drawing-room at Malfoy Manor was one of Ron's favourite places to be yet it was nothing compared to the Riddle House. Spacious beyond his expectations, Ron found himself staring into a large room filled with ostentatious items from beautiful Ming vases to suits of shining armour placed all around the room. In its centre was a large brown table, flanked by two red sofas of intricate design and expensive material. There was a fireplace with a roaring fire as well as a large portrait of a family of three hanging over its mantelpiece. Though Ron couldn't recognise the parents who both had stern faces and wore expensive suits, the child who sat between them could have been Tom himself, an identical twin whose only difference was that he appeared older.

On the other hand, Tom looked to be indifferent to what surrounded him. Instead, he looked to be rummaging inside his robes with a blank look on his face and a cold expression in his eyes. All of a sudden, the door to the room swung open again and in walked the person from the family portrait, his eyes widening at the sight of Tom in front of him.

At first, confusion came across the other man's face as he stared at Tom before that expression soon gave way to a frown.

"Who are you?" the person spoke as he studied Tom intently. "Are you one of Father's guests?"

Tom said nothing as he continued to stare at the man, his eyes holding a deadly glare as he stood perfectly still.

"Are you deaf?" the man now cried, a tinge of annoyance in his tone. "Did you not hear me? Wait, did Frank put you up to this? I knew Father should have gotten rid of that old coot after the war."

Tom said nothing, though this time he took a step towards the man. Even though Tom was a sixteen-year-old boy, Ron could feel the rage radiating from him as the man now looked slightly disturbed and uneasy at the sight of the tall, handsome wizard. For the first time since they arrived, Hermione finally spoke.

"His father," Hermione whispered with recognition in her eyes. The thought soon clicked in his head as Ron stared back at Tom who was now sporting a familiar ring on his hand while the other appeared to be holding something in his robes.

That's Tom's father. This is when he murdered his father and his grandparents! Ron thought frantically as Tom broke the silence, his voice as cold and dangerous.

"Hello, Father."

At first, Tom Riddle Senior looked bewildered at what his son said. Confusion gave away to curiosity as Tom's father studied Tom's appearance, silently processing what seemed to be a younger version of himself. After what seemed like an eternity, comprehension soon crossed the elder Riddle's face as he spoke softly.

"No…it can't be…how?"

"Merope," Tom replied curtly as he paced around his father. "My mother."

"Merope?" Tom's father repeated, looking even more dumbfounded than ever. Ron looked towards Hermione who was just as confused as he was.

"Don't pretend like you don't know!" Tom snapped as he glared daggers at the man. "I have spent countless days tracing my past and where I came from. For many years, I thought my father was a powerful wizard and my mother was some pathetic whore whom he slept with and discarded like a piece of parchment. I've spent an eternity pouring through documents and writings, trying to find out my history but never once did I come across any family bearing the name Riddle."

"Wizard…parchment…what are you talking about?!" Tom Sr. said looking more confused than ever.

"Only in recent years did I finally have to admit defeat and face the truth." Tom continued, ignoring his father's reaction. "My father was not a wizard. So I looked into my mother, forcing myself to return to that wretched orphanage and finally, after months of research, I finally came across the truth. That my mother was a witch and my father was nothing but an arrogant Muggle who thought himself better than her. Who married her and shagged her and finally deciding to be done with her the moment he found out that she was pregnant with me. And yet despite the hardships that I have to face, here I stand before you, the prodigal son returns to confront his father!"

Tom Senior's eyes widened as he gaped, aghast at Tom's revelation. As he stood there, white in the face, Tom's father reached for a nearby chair and instantly collapsed into it.

"You're my son…. I have a son?...No, no…I would remember…But you do look so much like me…" Tom Sr. stammered as he ran his fingers through his hair. Tom gave a scoff as he gave his father a look of pure contempt.

"Pathetic. But then again, I expected nothing less from a Muggle." Tom said scornfully as he pulled a wand. "Muggle?" Tom's father said though Ron's attention had shifted to something else. Ron glanced at the wand in Tom's hand, which was much shorter than expected. That's Morfin's wand! He killed his father with it Ron thought as a quick look at Hermione showed that she was thinking the same thing.

Tom's movement did not go unnoticed as his father looked startled while staring back at Tom with fear.

"What is that?"

"Oh, this?" Tom laughed wickedly. "It's called a wand, Father. It's what I'm going to use to kill you. Goodbye, Father. Say hello to my mother for me."

"NO!"

At first, Ron thought that the older Tom must have shouted back in fear, only to realise that both Riddles were now facing the door. At the entrance stood two people, an elderly man and woman, both of whom Ron recognised from the portrait.

Tom's grandparents.

"It can't be…" Tom's grandmother spoke as she stared between Tom and his father. "Jacob, you said –"

"Laura." Jacob Riddle replied in a warning tone as he glared at Tom, his expression a mixture of anger and disbelief. "You're not supposed to be alive. They said both she and her son died."

"Who told you that? Was it Mrs. Cole?" Tom demanded, dropping his hand though Morfin's wand still remained firmly in his grasp. Before Jacob could answer, Tom's father spoke up.

"Father, what is going on? You knew that I have a son? Who is Merope?" Tom exclaimed as he stood to his feet, staring at his father for answers. Jacob Riddle opened his mouth to speak, only to let out a sigh.

"The past always comes back to haunt us," Jacob said as he made his way past his son towards the fireplace. Reaching for a poker, Jacob tended to the burning coals on the hearth before turning to face his son. Taking a deep breath, Jacob started to explain.

"When you were young, Tom, your mother and I always spoiled you. You were our only child and we loved you dearly. There was nothing that we wouldn't do to protect you. About seventeen years ago, you were dating young Lady Cecilia. Your mother and I couldn't be more proud of your choice, such a distinguished lady from a good family. Then, one day, out of nowhere, you decided to dump her for a new girl, a poor, uncivilised girl named Merope Gaunt who lived just on the outskirts of our village. You became besotted with her, your romance with that girl growing day by day. Safe to say, your mother and I were dumbfounded. What could have caused this sudden obsession, no one could tell us. We pleaded with you for days, trying to get you to see the light. That girl was not right for you, you who come from a better class of people, you who will inherit our fortune and create our legacy. Merope Gaunt was a stinking mongrel, hardly befitting of someone so pure."

Both Ron and Hermione looked to each other, taking in the irony of the situation.

"But then the wolf in sheep's clothing finally reared its ugly head for one day, without informing myself or your mother, you and her ran off towards the town's parish and eloped. The news spread like wildfire, the squire's son had run off to marry the tramp's daughter. The die was cast and I spend two weeks trying to convince you to divorce her but you refused. So one day, I confronted Merope without your knowledge and lo and behold, she told me the truth. That, and though this may be impossible to believe, Merope Gaunt was a witch and she had used some sort of love spell on you. Then she revealed the worst news that I have ever received in my life, that the reason for your sudden marriage was because she was pregnant with your child."

Tom Sr's face had now turned a deathly white while Tom stood, glaring at his grandfather with contempt.

"Can you imagine?" Jacob cried loudly as he pounded his fist on the table. "A child! Fortunately for us, she hadn't told you at this point and that she had a change of heart. Merope foolishly believed that because you were now a father, that you were finally, truly in love with her. So she removed whatever curse she had upon you and thankfully, you came to your senses and rejected her. Your mother and I quickly sent you off to Paris to clear your head but there was still the issue of the child. Legally, that child of hers would still have some say in our fortune, not to mention the scandal it would cause if the truth came out. So long as Merope Gaunt was trotting about in the village with her belly hanging out, questions would be raised. I tried to persuade her for abortion but Merope wouldn't hear of it. So I arranged for her to stay in London in secret where she and her child could live out the rest of their days in secret, never to return here. I offered her gold in exchange for her silence but the tramp refused. I should have realised then what she intended to do."

"It would have been a happy ending for all of us," Laura added, as she now turned her attention to Tom. "If it hadn't been for your bitch mother."

"Mother, what are you saying?" Tom's father asked while Tom said nothing, his eyes fixing Laura with a cold stare.

"When she was in the final days of her pregnancy, Merope wrote you a letter, wanting to reveal the truth. She wanted her son to know her father and decided that perhaps upon seeing the child, you would have a change of heart. Luckily for us, your father intercepted the letter and burned it before it could reach your eyes. But we knew it would only be a matter of time before the truth reared its ugly head again. Not to mention, you were finally getting better, you even started seeing someone new. So your father and I made a choice, a choice in which I would gladly pay over and over again if it means protecting you, Tom."

"What did you do?" Tom Sr whispered as Laura took a deep breath.

"We visited Merope one final time in London. Her apartment was a mess and she had been living off scraps, even selling some of her heirlooms for gold though I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy those horrible things. Your father and I tried one last time to persuade her but Merope was stubborn. She was determined to see you, that she felt guilty for tricking you and hoped that by revealing the truth, you would see the light. But she never got the chance. Because…"

"Because?"

Laura looked to her husband, who now had a resigned look on his face.

"Because we killed her," Jacob said passively as Hermione let out a gasp. Ron turned his attention to Tom who now wore a shocked look on her face while his father shook his head in disbelief, his widening eyes staring a hole through his parents.

"No…no…Mother, tell me it's not true!" Tom Sr pleaded to his mother who nodded her head.

"It's true," Laura replied coldly. "Merope and I were having tea and when she wasn't looking, your father slipped something in her drink. A slow-acting poison that would have taken care of both Merope and her son. Since we visited in secret, no one knew we were there and I had laid a false trail so that the authorities would not suspect us. The last we heard was that Merope Gaunt had stumbled into an orphanage and tried to give birth but both she and her child had perished."

"You killed an innocent woman." Tom Sr whispered in disbelief as his mother gave him an incredulous look.

"Innocent? Innocent?!" Laura spoke indignantly. "That vile woman put a spell on you and forced you to marry her and have her child. She raped you, Tom. Death is befitting for someone like her."

"The poison should have worked," Jacob added as he now staring suspiciously at Tom. "And if Merope had died, then so should her son. Was the orphanage lying to us or perhaps you are?"

"I never did trust that woman," Laura said bitterly. "I always knew that Mrs. Cole was hiding something."

"How did he survive?" Ron turned to Hermione who, like Tom, appeared to be deep in thought. Suddenly, the expression on Tom's face began to change and so did Hermione's, with the latter now looking stricken.

"Merope. She must have used her magic to save her son."

"But Dumbledore said she never even lifted her wand," Ron whispered as Hermione turned to look at him.

"Not all magic requires a wand, Ron. Merope loved her son. She sacrificed everything to allow him to live." Hermione whispered as a tear dripped down her cheek. "Just like Harry's mother."

For the first time, Ron felt his heart ache slightly for Tom. Just like him, Tom had a loving mother who was murdered by Muggles. Ron could only guess as to how angry Tom must be feeling, the rage evident in the handsome wizard's eyes as Ron watched Tom gripping his wand even harder. Before he could do anything, Tom's father spoke once more.

"This doesn't make sense!" Tom Sr yelled out as he glared at everyone present in the room before deciding on his father. "You said that I rejected her, right? That means that I must know who she is, or at least have some idea as to the mother of my child-"

"We don't know that this IS your child!" Laura interjected.

"But I don't know anything! I have no fucking clue as to who this Merope girl is! How is that possible?" Tom Sr exclaimed, the handsome Muggle now tugging his hair in desperation.

"That's the one thing that still baffles me," Jacob answered as he exchanged a look with his wife. "About a year after you returned from Paris, we passed by that abandoned shack and you suddenly asked me who lived there. I didn't want to get my hopes up but then Laura insisted that we asked you about her and you couldn't tell us a single thing about Merope Gaunt. Perhaps whatever spell she had used on you had caused you to lose your memory. We decided not to question further, it seemed that our prayers had been answered."

"So it's all true, then?!" Tom Sr cried as he began to contemplate the situation. "You really killed her? You and Mother?!"

"We loved you, son," Jacob replied.

"We would have done anything to protect you," Laura added as she reached out for her son who backed away so fast that he nearly stumbled to the floor.

"No…you're…you're murderers! Both of you! I had no part in this!" Tom Sr exclaimed in disgust as he turned to Tom. "If you are truly my son, then please know that I had no idea about any of this! If I had known, I would have stopped them. I truly would have."

"Tom…" Jacob began to speak.

"SHUT UP!" Tom Sr yelled in a frenzied manner as he glared at his father. "You've done enough, haven't you? Both of you! How could…I would have never believed…now, I get it. Now I understand why the Lord struck me with my situation! He was punishing me for your choices!"

"Tom, what we did has nothing to do with your issue!"

"Save it, Mother!" Tom Sr snarled as he glowered at Laura. "You laid this curse on me! My last two marriages, gone because of it. And all that time wasted seeing every professional I know, doing charity and praying to the Lord for forgiveness. All of it for nothing. Because nothing I do can ever redeem myself in His eyes!"

"Tom…"

"I CAN'T GIVE YOU A CHILD, FATHER!" Tom Sr roared in anger as his loud tone startled his parents. "I can't conceive! It wasn't Mary's fault, it wasn't Patricia's fault, it was mine. All those nights I spent, crying and wishing that I was a father only to find out that I actually am one! Both of you deserve to spend the rest of your days, rotting in prison!"

"Prison?" Tom spoke up for the first time, his voice as cold and malicious as it had ever been. All three members of the Riddle family were now turning their attention to Tom, who was now looking at the door. All of a sudden, all the doors and windows slammed shut as a gust of cold wind burst from the fireplace and extinguished the flames, leaving nothing but smouldering embers. This display of magic put both his father and his grandparents on edge as all three were now looking at him in fear. Even though Ron knew Tom could not see him, both he and Hermione had backed away from the wizard, the murderous expression on the sorcerer's face was horrifying to look at.

"You killed my mother and you think you're going to go to prison?" Tom spoke in a cold and calculating manner as he advanced slowly on the trio. Ron could see that all three were now trying hard to move away yet neither of them could move an inch as they cowered under Tom's violent gaze.

"You filthy, disgusting, pieces of vermin." Tom spat as he glared daggers at them. "You're nothing but pathetic, worthless bits of Mudblood scum. You dare speak of purity as if your child, my father, was somehow better than my foolish mother? My mother came from a long line of Pureblood wizards who descended directly from none other than SALAZAR SLYTHERIN HIMSELF!" Tom roared as fury radiated from all around him. "Your son not even worthy enough to exist in our presence, let alone mix his disgusting blood with any of us! Do you even know my name?" Tom cried with a mirthless as he smirked wickedly at Jacob. "She called me Tom after my father. Can you even begin to imagine how humiliating it is for me to be associated with the likes of people like you?"

"She called you Tom?" Tom's father spoke with melancholy.

"An embarrassing, unfortunate mistake on her part, one in the series of a long line of mistakes. My mother may have been a pathetic imbecile but at least she was better than any of you. She should have killed you both when she had the chance! But no matter, I can rectify that now."

Tom raised his wand towards Jacob as Laura shrieked. "You won't get away with this!" Tom gave her an incredulous stare before letting out another laugh.

"I'm not as stupid as you, you Mudblood bitch!" Tom said as Laura screamed for help. "Go on then, scream, yell, cry, beg for your pathetic life but there is nothing you can do! No one knows I'm here and I've been planning how to do this for a very, long time."

"Killing is not as easy as it seems," Jacob replied as he put up a brave front though it was obvious that the courage summoned was nothing but a ruse. Tom gave Jacob an indignant stare before a smile broke out on his face.

"Then I guess it's fortunate for me that I've done this before. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

A flash of green light burst forth from Morfin's wand as Laura dropped to the floor, silenced forever with a look of horror on her face.

"NOOOOO!" Both Tom's father and grandfather yelled in vain.

Tom's father looked at his son.

"Tom, you don't have to do this!" he begged. "Please stop this now, you can still do the right thing!"

"Oh but I am!" Tom exclaimed as evil shone through his eyes. "Do you know what I've been doing, Father?! I've been studying up on my magic, practising my spells and getting more and more powerful with each day that passes. I will expand my already growing group of followers and when the time is right, I will declare war on the Muggles that would put even the one that's happening now to shame. Once I've conquered the Muggle world, I would rule over all of you, making every Muggle man, woman and child toil for me and my kin until the end of time. And the best part is I will make sure that every one of those Muggle will know which family is responsible for all their suffering. The Riddle legacy will be forever tarnished with misery and pain. Your family's name will be dragged through the mud till the mere mention of it is no better than dragon's dung."

Though Tom's father clearly had no idea what some of the terms meant, the message was loud and clear. "Please, Tom. Give us a chance to repent, a chance to redeem ourselves."

"No, you won't," Jacob spoke, the shock of seeing his dead wife on the floor was now replaced by a look of anger. "Despite all your mighty words, you're just as vulnerable as us…Muggles. Your mother was killed by poison. Do you really think the other Muggles will allow themselves to be walked over and ruled by someone like you? We have endured thousands of years being slaves to people who wanted to rule over us and we have always prevailed! We have weapons that you wouldn't even believe, weapons that can destroy the lot of you in a blink of an eye. Perhaps not today, perhaps not tomorrow, but someday, someone will come along and kill you. To end what I started, what I could not finish."

For the first time, Tom looked slightly unsettled as the wand trembled in his hand. This reaction did not go unnoticed as a small grin broke out on Jacob's face.

"Scares you, doesn't it?" Jacob goaded. "All that magic. All that power and still not even you can prevent death from coming. Just like your pathetic mother, with all her strength, dying all alone with no one to remember her. All your talk and you're just like your mother. I suppose that will probably be your fate, Tom! A pathetic death for a worthless piece of shite!"

The movement was so fast that it took Ron by surprise as the green flash of light flashed out of the wand and landing squarely between the eyes of Jacob, causing the last expression on the Muggle's face to be one of shock and terror. Tom Senior let out a yell as he stared at his parents' bodies, lying motionless on the floor. Gathering about his wits, he turned his attention to his son who was now pointing the wand directly at him.

"Wait, please, listen to me. Please just listen…" Tom Senior begged as he stared at his son. Tears were now starting to stream down his face as the older Tom began to tremble.

"Tom, what my parents did was unforgivable. But I had nothing to do with it, I didn't know! All my life, all I ever wanted to be was a father. I have prayed so many times to the good Lord to grant me one and finally, you've returned to my life. Whatever happened today, I promise you, I will always protect you as your mother did. We can say that my parents, your grandparents, died from a brain aneurysm and since they're both old, it will be believable…"

"Save your begging. There is no changing what I've done." Tom whispered back harshly as his father shook his head.

"You're right. We can't change the past but we can change what happens from here on now. You must have had a hard life, Tom, I can't even begin to imagine how hard life must have been for you. If I could give anything to have all those years back, even those with your mother, I would do so in a heartbeat. I'm sorry for what has happened to you, I truly am. Let me help you, Tom. Let me help you in any way I can. Whatever it is you are, you called yourself a wizard, did you not? Let me be in your life and I promise you I will devote everything to learning more about you, to raising you, to loving you with all my heart. I know you might not believe me but it is the truth! You're my son, Tom. You're my son! I will do anything for you."

"Anything?" Tom repeated as a blank expression crossed his face.

"Anything." his father replied firmly as he gave his son a loving look. "It is not only responsibility to care for you, it would be my honour to do so. I was a foolish child when I was younger but not now. I've changed for the better. I've been giving my wealth to help those in need, volunteering my services to the village and the church. I've even been involved in many charities. I no longer have any selfish desires or needs, just the one to care for my son. Whatever happens, we can work it out. You're a good person, Tom. You're a good person."

"And how would you know that? You don't even know who I am?" Tom replied as his father smiled at him.

"I know because you are your mother's son. You're my son. Give me a chance, Tom. Give me a chance to give you the love and family you deserve."

For a brief, fleeting moment, Tom Riddle Junior looked as though he was considering it. His arm was no longer outstretched, instead, it laid by his side as he appeared to be contemplating his father's words. Tom's father noticed this as well as he stood up straight, his arms extended as if to welcome his son into a loving embrace. Tom took a few steps forward as he stood inches away from his father's arms.

"Are you asking me to forgive you? To forgive what your parents did to my mother?"

Tom Senior shook his head as he gave his son a sympathetic look. "No. Not yet. Give me a chance to prove myself to you and perhaps one day, maybe years from now, I would have done enough to earn your forgiveness."

"What makes you think I'm capable of that?" Tom said quietly as for the tiniest moment, Tom looked less like a Dark Lord and more like a fragile teenager, unsure of what to choose.

"Because you are your mother's son. You are my son! Let us be a family, Tom. Let me be your father." Tom Senior spoke as Tom looked up at him. Suddenly, the mask of vulnerability dropped from his countenance as in its place, Tom smiled from ear to ear, his face contorted into that of a psychopath.

"My mother…" Tom spoke dangerously as he leaned in towards his father. "Was a stupid whore who should have killed you and your putrid family years ago. I don't need her, I don't need you, I don't need anyone!" Tom snarled.

"Tom please!" Tom's father begged but it was too late. A flash of green light came and just as his parents did, soon fell the last of Riddles on the floor with nothing more than a frightened expression on his face.

"My name…is Lord Voldemort." Tom said coldly as he turned on his heels, strolling towards the door of the drawing-room as all around, the windows and doors fell open once more and fire returned back to the fireplace. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look with each other as Ron took one final look at the dead Riddle family before taking off to follow Tom.

…..

His mind was racing a mile a minute as Ron found it difficult to focus his thoughts. He had seen the way Merope Gaunt had been abused by her father and brother but did that justify her tricking Tom Riddle Senior into falling in love with her and having a child? On one hand, Laura hadn't been far off with her judgement on Merope yet, on the other hand, Merope did sacrifice her life for her son. Was she a good person?

And what about Tom? The circumstances surrounding Tom had felt awfully familiar to him. A wizard whose mother had loved him dearly and who was killed by a Muggle, a grandfather no less. Was Thomas Granger just like Jacob Riddle? These questions swirled about in his head as Ron took a look towards Hermione who looked to be equally disturbed. Tom's memory had interrupted their fight and for some reason, Ron no longer felt as angry towards her as he did. Instead, a new emotion crept up into him, one in which he recognised very well.

Guilt. Ron had called Hermione a Mudblood again, something he had promised never to do and yet there he was, spouting the same term that Tom used countless times. Ron cringed slightly as to how similar both he and Tom were. Both orphans, both had a bad temper and both found it difficult to let go of the past. Not to mention, just like Tom, Ron could also not –

"He was here?!" Hermione gasp as her voice dragged Ron away from his thoughts. At first, Ron thought that they were still in the Riddle House, given that they were in a long hallway yet the décor was vastly different. Gas lamped lit the corridor with a large chandelier hanging over it. There were ornate portraits on the walls yet none of the pictures were of the Riddle family. Much of the décor in the hallway seemed to have been made of serpents while Ron caught sight of an umbrella stand made from the severed leg of a troll. Ron caught sight of a grand staircase at the end of the hall where to his surprise, he could see plaques mounted on its wall decorated with shrunken house-elf heads. Tom was walking down the hallway, his back facing them before turning into the dining room.

"Grimmauld Place," Hermione spoke as she averted her gaze from the elf heads. "This is the Black Family Home." Ron knew where the Blacks stayed and had seen pictures of the exterior of the house though he had never stepped inside.

The dining room of 12 Grimmauld Place was large though its wallpaper looked rather grim with more images of serpents surrounding the room. The room contained a large wooden table with chairs as well as hanging light fixtures though the white glow of the lights was fading, giving the room an eerie feel to it. Ron's eye also spied an enormous dresser that held the Black family crest as well as china being placed on top of it. Yet all his attention was drawn towards the table where Ron could see several familiar faces seated all on the seats save for one, the empty chair had been placed at the head of the table. Dolohov, Lestrange, Avery, Rosier, Walburga Black as well as a few unfamiliar others were present as Tom took his place at the head of the table.

"You think Dumbledore is going to step in?" Dolohov spoke as he passed a copy of the Daily Prophet to Lestrange. On its front page were the words GRINDELWALD'S ATTACKS CONTINUE: WHERE IS ALBUS DUMBLEDORE?

"I pray he continues to take his time." Avery scoffed. "Grindelwald is doing what's right. Let's hope these attacks continue to take as many Mudbloods and Muggles as they possibly can."

"You think Dumbledore can stop him?" Rosier asked out loud as Lestrange scowled.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Dumbledore is the only one capable of stopping Grindelwald. I'm not too sure if he would."

"My Lord." Walburga Black spoke for the first time, addressing Tom who sat quietly in his seat, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. "Do you plan to reopen the Chamber?"

"Are you crazy?" Lestrange snapped as Walburga scowled back at him. "That fool Hagrid has already been identified. Re-opening the Chamber would result in re-opening the case."

"Pity," Dolohov exclaimed with a sigh. "I did look forward to more Mudbloods dying. "This comment brought about murmurs of approval as Dolohov looked rather pleased with himself.

"Don't worry my fellow Slytherins, I promise that one day, when I've become Head of Magical Law Enforcement, I will create a secret task force that will hunt down every single Mudblood in the country."

"Oh please!" Walburga scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "You? Head of the MLE? I've heard better bedtime stories that are more likely to come true."

"As compared to you?" Dolohov retorted as Walburga smirked at him smugly. "Tell me, Black, what makes you more qualified than me?"

"Well, for a start, you're not a Pureblood, are you? I've come from a long- line of Blacks, one of the most ancient and powerful Pureblood families."

"Please." Dolohov scoffed. "You're nothing more than an inbred daughter still harping on the past. Tell me when was the last time a Black had a Ministry position?"

Before Walburga could retort, Lestrange spoke once again. "While you two fools are fighting about such a lowly position, I fully intend to take over the Minister's office. Someone with much more control over Ministry policies. It's not like they can refuse me, I am a Lestrange and my family's reputation will ensure that future for me."

"Hey, Lucien, if you're taking over the Minister's office, can you get me a job as well?" Avery laughed as Lestrange rolled his eyes. The table soon descended into chatter as around Tom as all of his friends soon started discussing and insulting each other. Ron and Hermione watched as Tom, who had been deep in thought, suddenly looked slightly irritated. His dark eyes flashed open as Tom gave a low growl. Instantly, the entire table fell silent as everyone turned to look at Tom.

"Worthless," Tom whispered as he reached for the Daily Prophet before throwing it against the wall. "All of you are completely WORTHLESS!" Tom yelled, his thunderous voice causing a few of the Slytherins to jump from their seats. Tom now started to make a strange, hissing noise to which Ron finally recognised as Parseltongue as he stared at the serpent images in the room. Though his words were undecipherable, not a single Slytherin spoke up as they all bowed their heads with a shameful look on all their faces.

"Since the time of Salazar Slytherin, we have been plagued by the Mudblood disease," Tom said, finally reverting back to English. "Mudbloods have roamed freely in Hogwarts and in our streets for generations! In all that time, not a single Minister or any of his lackeys have done anything to change that! Why, you may ask? Because every single one of them is afraid! You all talk so big with all your promises just like all of them did and what has changed in all that time? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Tom stood to his feet as he pinched his nose in an attempt to calm himself. Ron could see a few of the Slytherins shifting about uncomfortably in their seats.

"You want to know what I've learnt in the summer?" Tom spoke again, this time with a much softer voice. "I've learnt that in order to change things, one needs to be brave enough to make sacrifices. I've learnt that in order to deal with the Muggle issue, one needs to be strong! Grindelwald will fall, mark my words. Dumbledore will either stop him or more than likely, kill him. Because at the end of the day, no matter how powerful you are, we are all vulnerable to Death."

Tom now started to pace around the table, shooting glares at anyone who dared to look into his eyes.

"Do you know why the Ministry has never been bold enough to make changes to Hogwarts? Or why the Statue of Secrecy still stands? Because, my dear friends, not a single one of them dared to go against the great Dumbledore himself! Throughout history, there have always been men like Dumbledore, powerful yet champions of Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers everywhere. And as long as there are men like Dumbledore pulling the strings of the Ministry, our situation will never change."

Tom had now circled the table and was now sitting back in his chair. "My friends, if we are to change the world, then we need to make sacrifices. Your so-called futures will be a small price to pay for the future for our kind. I have a solution and it is one that I believe will lead us down the right path."

"What is your solution, my Lord?" Lestrange spoke as all around the table, the Slytherins had leaned forward to listen, their faces eager to receive guidance. Tom beamed at his group as he studied every one of their faces.

"First, we need to deal with the problem at hand. Forget the Muggles and the Mudbloods, forget the blasted Ministry! There is only one person we have to deal with, one person who we need to worry about."

"Dumbledore…" Avery whispered as he glanced at the newspaper. Tom nodded his head.

"Exactly!" Tom's eyes glinted as he gave a thin smile. "For my plan to succeed, I must first grow in strength. I will journey to the darkest parts of Europe, learning all the secrets of the Dark Arts and become the most powerful sorcerer to have ever walked the earth. More powerful than Grindelwald or Dumbledore, more powerful than even the great Merlin himself!"

His speech was met with a loud chorus of cheers as all the Slytherins began to bang their fists onto the table in approval.

"It may take years but I will get there and when I do, I will need an army to lead. I will need loyal followers to do as I say. I will need soldiers to help fight in the war to save our kind. I will need generals, I will need servants, I will need more than just a generation of wizards to continue our fight against the wretched beings that seek to undermine and pollute our magic! I will need all of you to help me! Will you help me?!"

A cacophony of cheers broke out amongst the Slytherins as all of them voiced their approval. Every single one of them was willing to join Tom's cause with even some, like Lestrange and Black, began shedding small tears.

"Whatever you need, my Lord!" Lestrange spoke as he gently kissed the ring on Tom's hand. "I will dedicate every single thing I have towards your cause. Should I have children, they will follow you and so will their children and their children afterwards."

"Same here, my Lord," Avery added as Walburga nodded her head as well. This was where it started. The first group of Death Eaters Ron thought as he shuddered.

"My Lord, tell us what we need to do," Rosier said as Tom raised his hand. Immediately, the entire Slytherin group became silent. Tom gave Rosier a thin smile before taking a deep breath.

"I recently came face to face with a Muggle," Tom spoke as his friends listened intently though some of them recoiled at the thought. "And though he was scum, he did say something that has stuck with me for days. Magic, my friends, magic has done so much for all of us. Magic has allowed us to travel to places instantaneously, it has allowed us to change objects, to create something out of nothing and even allowed us to visit the heavens above. But there is one barrier in which magic has yet to conquer. The final barrier and it is this that the filth brought to my attention."

Tom's face grew serious as his dark eyes stared directly in front of him.

"I intend to conquer death," Tom spoke darkly, his words causing his friends to exchange looks among them. "The last great barrier of magic. I intend to do something that not even the great Dumbledore can do. When I go out into the world, everyone from the Muggles to the wizards to even the elves will cower underneath my power as I live out the rest of my days until the end of time. Not even Death will stop me from becoming the sorcerer I intend to be."

"My Lord…" Lestrange spoke with awe as his face shone with admiration for the handsome wizard.

"I've already taken some steps. Walburga," Tom said as he turned to the witch. "Tell your brother Alphard that I intend to visit Hogwarts tomorrow. As an assistant to the librarian, he can grant me access, can he not?"

"Of course," Walburga replied. "It shall be done."

"Good," Tom said as he started to give out orders to each of his fellow Slytherins. As Ron watched the scene unfold, he turned to look at Hermione who was no longer in the room. Exiting the dining room, Ron found the bushy-haired witch sitting on the floor in the hallway with a gloomy look on her face.

Ron hesitated for a moment before taking a seat next to the witch. His anger from their fight was now fully gone as Ron stared ahead though, from the corner of his left eye, he could see Hermione averting her gaze from him as the tension still laid between them. Before he could speak, however, Hermione broke the silence.

"I didn't want to stay in the room anymore," Hermione said, her voice barely a whisper.

"I understand," Ron replied. "It's just all Pureblood garbage anyways." His words reminded him of what he needed to do. Turning to face her though the witch still looked away from him, Ron swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

"I'm sorry I called you a Mudblood. I shouldn't have said that." Ron whispered as Hermione turned her head slowly to face him.

"It's okay. You were angry."

"No, it's not." Ron sighed as it was his turn to look away. Hermione placed her hand on his, her face now looking more despondent than ever.

"Ron…I…"

"It's okay, Hermione," Ron replied as he allowed the words to flow from his lips. "I don't know why I was angry with you. It's not your fault what happened to my parents. You didn't know either and it wasn't fair for me to take out my anger on you. All my life, I've always had this bad temper that I can never control. And it always brings out the worst in me. Like with Ginny. Like with you."

"It's not your fault, Ron," Hermione whispered back. "Your life hasn't been easy and you've been carrying quite the emotional baggage, it's only natural that it all comes out."

"Yeah…still…" Ron said as he ran his fingers through his crimson hair. "After seeing what happened with the Riddles and now this, I can honestly say that I'm not as angry as I was before. I don't know why either. Maybe it's because…in many ways, Tom and I are exactly alike."

"What?!" Hermione looked stunned as she turned her entire body towards Ron. "How can you even think that?!"

"How can I not?" Ron replied as he pulled his hand away. "Look at our stories and how similar they both are. We're both orphans from Pureblood families. We both lost our mothers who were killed by Muggles. We both had to live with other people and we both grew up surrounded by Purebloods."

"You're not evil, Ron!" Hermione cried indignantly. "You're nowhere as evil as Tom is. He's a murderer, did you forget that? Remember Myrtle? His own father?"

"Hermione…" Ron heaved as he bit his lip. There was no use in denying it any longer. "If I had given the chance all the years ago, I would have killed your grandfather for what he did. Of course, I didn't nor that I could but if he was still alive, I can't say for sure that I won't at least try. How's that for being similar? Tom and I ruled by revenger. Let's face it, Hermione. I'm just as bad as Tom."

Hermione said nothing as she gaped at Ron for the longest time before suddenly hitting him hard in the arm.

"Oww!" Ron cried out loud as Hermione continued hitting him.

"You-complete-arse, Ronald Weasley!" Hermione yelled as Ron flinched under her tone. "You are the most insufferable person that I have ever met. Listen to me and listen to me good! You, Ron, are an idiot, a prat, a git, a bigot, a bloody wanker –

"Hermione!"

"- but you are nor will you ever be a monster like Tom! Tell me when Hannah Abbott lost her parents, what did you do?" Hermione demanded as she glared at Ron.

"I…er…tried to turn back time to save them. But it didn't wor-"

"So?!" Hermione cried. "You tried, didn't you? Over and over again to save a Muggleborn's family, someone you've never talked to. And you got into that big fight with Blaise Zabini over it. Tell me, would Tom have done that if he had your powers."

"No, but-"

"Shut up!" Hermione exclaimed as Ron fell silent. "And what about what you're doing now? Who is it all for? Ginny and Malfoy, isn't it? Remind me again who spent their life keeping the truth about their parents' deaths from Ginny to spare her the pain? Who spent their life watching over their sister because he loves her more than anything in this world? Tell me, do you think Tom is capable of that?"

"Well, technically, Tom doesn't have siblings so-"

"All the more reason that you're different, isn't it?!" Hermione interjecting, cutting Ron off. "And who is currently here with me now, another Muggleborn, sacrificing everything to save the world from the same madman who he thinks is exactly like him? Just because you have a few flaws and made some mistakes doesn't mean you're as evil as he is. You may have some similarities in your origin story but here you are, choosing a different path than the one Tom intends to take. Here you are, apologising to the granddaughter of your parents' killer because you realised you made a mistake taking your anger out on me. Do you think Tom would ever do that? Do you? DO YOU?!"

All of a sudden, Hermione broke down in tears as her body started to shake. Temporarily shocked, Ron reached out and pulled her into a hug, holding her as tightly as he could.

"He killed your parents…Ron…God, I'm so sorry…your father…your poor mother!" Hermione sobbed into his chest as Ron pulled her tighter. He could feel his own tears trailing down his cheeks as Ron buried his face on top of Hermione's bushy brown hair.

"Hermione, it's okay," Ron whispered. "It's okay."

"No, it's not, Ron." Hermione croaked as she lifted her head, her teary eyes now staring back at him. "I don't blame if you hate me. I really don't. And even if it pains me to admit it, I can understand why you thought about doing that to my grandfather. I saw what he did, Ron and I can't even imagine just how painful it must be for you." As Ron stared back into the witch's eyes, he could see just how fragile Hermione had become. It must have been weighing hard on her too. Bloody hell, Ron, you are a prat! Ron thought as he gently wiped away her tears.

"I don't hate you, Hermione Granger." Ron muttered softly as Hermione started to take long, deep breaths. He could feel it all ebbing away slowly, his anger, his frustration, his pain. As the pair sat in silence, Ron pondered about everything that had happened to him this year and all the timelines he had to experience.

"What happened has happened and we can't change that," Ron said as he gave a dry laugh. "If there's one thing I've learnt from time travel is that we can't change the past. All we can really do is try our best to move on."

Hermione stared at Ron, her hazel eyes gazing back into his blue ones. Something was endearing about the way Hermione stared at him, the way her eyes searched deep into his. For some reason, Ron felt a warm feeling rising in his chest as he stared back at the witch. Eventually, Hermione pulled herself away from their trance about the same time as he did though Ron felt rather reluctant to do so.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered as she rubbed her wet cheeks. "I don't hate you either." The pair sat quietly in the hallway, both not wanting to look at the other as an awkward form of tension settled between them.

"So…" Ron said loudly, not wanting the tension to grow. "We still need to find a way out of here. Got any ideas?"

"Honestly, I'm drawing a blank right now." Hermione sigh as Ron gave her a mock incredulous look.

"Hermione Granger, not sure of what to do?! The world must be falling apart!" Ron said as Hermione rolled her eyes though a smile appeared on her lips.

"Oh, like you have something?"

"Hey, I'm just the lazy Slytherin remember. You're the Gryffindor bookworm." Ron replied as Hermione giggled. Ron felt his ears turn pink.

"The Slytherin and the Gryffindor. Sounds like the title of a book." Hermione exclaimed as she smiled at Ron. She does have a nice smile Ron thought for a moment as he felt relief at being at peace with Hermione.

"You know…the Hat wanted to put me in Gryffindor." Ron said, much to the surprise of Hermione whose eyes widened upon hearing his words. "But I couldn't abandon Draco, much less disappoint Aunt Narcissa. So I chose Slytherin."

"The Hat wanted to put you inside Gryffindor?!" Hermione repeated, the surprise still evident on her face.

"Yeah, said that I have courage," Ron replied as the thought grew in his mind. Courage? Was that the key? Despite the thought growing in his mind, Ron was doubtful. Tom had yet to display anything close to resembling courage and yet Ron couldn't shake it from his mind. The Hat did want to put him in Gryffindor, something Ron was sure Tom himself was not. Perhaps that's where I draw my strength Ron thought as a determined look came across his face.

"Hermione, I think it's time I faced him," Ron said as Hermione stared at him with surprise before shaking her head fervently.

"No, Ron, we're not ready. We don't even know what the key is."

"The key is courage, Hermione," Ron said as Hermione cast the same doubtful look. "And anyways, what else can we do? We can't just keep running into every new memory. Sooner or later Tom is going to find us and I'm getting more tired by the second."

"Ron, I don't think –"

"I have to do this, Hermione," Ron said as he helped Hermione to her feet. "I have to face him. It's time."

"Well then, I guess we're both in agreement there."

Ron and Hermione turned their faces down the hallway where a smirking Tom stood, his eyes now a bright red.

"Shall we?" Tom said as he snapped his fingers.

….

Almost instantly, the scene before them changed as Ron found himself back at King's Cross station. They were now on a platform where a train, looking eerily similar to the Hogwarts' Express stood before them. Tom was standing only a few feet away, his face looking bored as a terrified Hermione stood next to Ron, having already reached for her wand.

"Do you really think you can duel with me, Mudblood?" Tom said as he glanced at the wand in Hermione's trembling hand. "Go on then. Give me your best shot." Hermione exchanged a quick look with Ron before raising her wand, pointing it directly at Tom. "Stupefy!" Hermione cried loudly as Ron watched, expecting the red stream of light to burst from her wand.

But nothing came out. Hermione looked shocked for a moment before yelling out a series of hexes and curses with Ron following her lead. Yet nothing came out from their wands. Effectively, it was as good as pointing a stick at Lord Voldemort. Tom burst out laughing.

"You fools. Do you really think your wands can work against me? Your magic is useless here! On the other hand, I can very much hurt you. " Tom said menacingly as he snapped his fingers. All of a sudden, Hermione let out a bloodcurdling shriek as she dropped to the ground, writhing in pain.

"This is what a Cruciatus Curse feels like." Tom laughed as Ron dropped beside Hermione, trying his best to help her. "STOP IT!" Ron roared as he launched himself at Tom, only for the wizard to sidestep his attack and shove him towards the train. Ron felt himself hit the hard wall of the train before collapsing to the ground with a stinging pain on his head.

"Pain is all in the mind, Ron and since I have both of you under my control, it can easy to administer it." Tom drawled as Ron staggered back to his feet. "How did you like my memories? Did you enjoy a trip down my memory lane? I don't care that you saw those memories, Ron. If anything, I would have shown you them myself. You must be fascinated to see how an unwanted orphan like me went on to become the greatest sorcerer of all time."

"All I saw was a mental, sadistic killer." Ron retorted as he turned his attention to Hermione whose pain seemed to have subsided as she gasped for breath. Ron slowly edged his way back to Hermione while keeping an eye on Tom who seemed amused by his actions.

"Did you see the memory in which I made by Horcruxes?" Tom said as Ron placed an arm over Hermione. "As you already know, killing is what creates Horcruxes but when I tried to split my soul for the first time, I kept failing. I thought perhaps it was because my kills were months before I even tried to make Horcruxes but that wasn't the case. It was because I didn't allow myself to feel them, to really savour those kills. Myrtle, she was my first and you know what they say about that whereas my father, well, he was probably my most personal kill."

The way Tom's eyes lit up as he said those words brought a chill down Ron's spine. Here was someone who not only became a murderer before becoming an adult but one who took pride in them.

"I created the diary, and then the ring." Tom continued before shaking his head. "As for this one, well, this one, I'm afraid I had to make do with some lowly Albanian peasant when I left for my travels after graduating from Hogwarts. Not as eventful as the other two but then again, I was already getting better."

"They were innocent people!" Ron snapped as the smile disappeared from Tom's face.

"Innocent? You mean like my grandparents were innocent? Like her grandfather was innocent?" Tom snarled as he took a step forward, pointing his finger at Hermione. "Do I have to beat you over with a stick for you to understand? Muggles are all evil, Ron. They're all killers just like me. At least I'm doing it for a cause."

"You mean you're doing this for yourself!" Ron snapped back as Hermione gave a soft moan. "Everything you've done, you only did it for yourself, just to justify your ego. You're not a saviour, you're not a revolutionist, you're a coward. You reject your father's love even though he was innocent. You blamed Myrtle's death on Hagrid without even giving her a single thought. You may have had a hard life, Tom but that doesn't give you the excuse to become who you are. And here you are, telling me how wonderful it is to make Horcruxes when I know the truth. I know what truly scares you so much. You're afraid to die."

"Not anymore," Tom growled. "Now, I can't die! Now I am the Boy Who Lived…Forever."

"Well, you're right about that," Ron replied. "You know, when I was growing up, I've heard so many stories about you. I feared you, even respected you for all your achievements. Just like Draco and the Malfoys, I believed in pureblood supremacy just like you did. Draco and I even fantasied about how it is to be the Dark Lord-"

Hermione gave Ron an incredulous look.

"-and to see who you really are, well, let's just say it's a complete let-down. You're just a boy, nothing but a scared orphan boy who lets his temper get the better of him. And you're weak as well."

"Weak? WEAK?!" Tom cried as Hermione mouthed silently to Ron. What in the world are you doing? Ron gave her a wink before staring back defiantly at Tom.

"Yes, you heard me. Dumbledore once said we have to choose between what's right and what's easy and you Tom, you've always taken the weaker way out. When confronted with your mother's murderers, you killed them instead of seeking justice. When you accidentally killed Myrtle, you decided to run instead of owning up to what you've done. When your father gave you a chance to be happy, you decided to kill him instead because you gave in to your anger and hatred as you always have. That's what rules you. Anger and Hatred. It's why you're weak."

"Those words describe you as well, Weasley." Tom snapped as he raised his hand into the air. Ron mirrored his actions while smirking back at the young Dark Lord.

"It used to. But not anymore. I had the courage to face up to my mistakes. You, on the other hand, do not. You're in my head, Tom. It's time you left." And with that, Ron snapped his fingers as Tom's eyes started to widen.

….

SNAP!

SNAP!

SNAP!

"What the hell?" Ron said as he stared at his hand while Tom cocked an eyebrow at him. Ron continued to snap his fingers while growling in frustration.

"Oh, Bloody Hell!" Ron cursed out as Hermione gave him a dubious look.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Hermione asked as she kept a wary eye on Tom who now looked amused by Ron's actions.

"I thought it would work. I took a shot."

"What shot?"

"My plan was to use my courage against him. Did you not hear me calling him out for being weak while accepting that I had courage?"

"That was your plan?!" Hermione exclaimed as she stared at Ron with disbelief.

"Oh, like you were of help!" Ron snapped.

"I was being tortured!"

"So was I!"

"You hit your head on the train because you were too stupid to see where you were going!"

"Well excuse me for wanting to try something!" Ron snapped as they both looked towards Tom who was now chuckling while shaking his head.

"Congrats, Ron, you just succeeded in pissing him off!"

"Oh just keep quiet, Hermione!"

"That was your plan?!" Tom laughed hysterically as he clutched his sides. "That your power came from your courage?!"

"It was worth a shot," Ron said defensively as Tom ceased his laughter.

"It was pathetic. Courage, hah! What a worthless quality to have." Tom said as he smiled insidiously at the pair. "Who needs courage when you have nothing to fear? One of the perks of being me, Ron, is that there is no one more powerful or scarier than me. Let me show you." Tom exclaimed as he snapped his fingers.

Hermione fell to her feet, screaming in pain as she clutched her head tightly in her hands. "Make it stop!" Hermione screamed wildly as the pain inside her voice echoed in the background all around Ron.

"HERMIONE!" Ron cried as he dropped to her feet. "STOP IT, TOM. STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

This time, however, Ron found himself unable to move as Tom took a step forward, his outstretched hand now closed into a fist. Hermione began to shake wildly as she screamed, her eyes now shut tightly as her face contorted into pain.

"Hermione! Hermione!" Ron cried in vain as he tried to reach for her. "Tom, please make it stop. Please. I'll do anything, just make the pain stop!" Ron begged as Tom shook his head. All of a sudden, Hermione stopped screaming. Ron turned to see the witch gaping at him with her mouth wide open as her eyes were now white, having rolled to the back of her head.

"Noooo!" Ron screamed as he looked at Hermione in horror. "You've killed her!"

"No, I merely broke her," Tom said coldly, his voice laced with spite. "Her mind now belongs to me, as does Dumbledore. I'm afraid you are now truly all alone." Tom said as he snapped his fingers and Hermione disappeared into thin air.

"Wait, where is she? BRING HER BACK!" Ron demanded as Tom shook his head.

"No." Tom spat as he glared daggers at Ron. "I tried to be nice. I tried to make you see things my way but it seems that the old man was right. You're nothing but an insolent and disrespectful little git and I don't need your permission anymore. Instead, I'm just going to hurt you."

Tom snapped his fingers once more as a blinding, unimaginable pain hit Ron throughout his body. Ron screamed out loud as his face turned to anguish. The sensation that hit felt like a thousand searing knives being pierced into his skin from all around him as Ron continued to scream, his body now able to move as he shook wildly on the ground.

"Do you feel that? Good!" Tom spoke in a menacing voice as he towered above Ron who was lying and shaking on the ground. "You must be tired, Ronald. Why don't you just give in, give in to the pain and go to sleep?"

Despite his body screaming at him to give in, Tom's words provoked a series of thoughts in his head. Ron thought about Ginny and Draco who will no doubt be killed by Tom. Ron thought about Dumbledore and how the wizard had sacrificed himself to save him. Ron thought about Aunt Narcissa, Tracey and all of his friends and schoolmates and how they would all live in a world ruled by a psychopath. Ron thought about Hermione and about the horrors she and her kind would face if Tom had Ron's power in his hands.

"Never…" Ron croaked as he tried to fight the pain, though it was a losing battle. Reaching deep inside him, Ron refused to give in, using the pain to fuel his adrenaline to stay awake, to stay conscious.

"Impressive," Tom said sarcastically as he snapped his fingers once more. The pain was now excruciating, causing Ron to spit excessively as his blood felt as if it was literally being boiled. Yet despite him thrashing on the floor, Ron refused to give in, willing himself to stay awake.

"Fuck you, Tom!" Ron cursed out loud as he shot a defiant glare at his torturer. "I will never give in to you!"

"So you think you're stronger than me? You? A lowly wizard against the might of Lord Voldemort himself!" Tom roared, his anger clearly getting the better of him. "FINE! If I can't break you by hurting your body, maybe I break you by destroying your mind. I believe you called me a coward for when I faced my mother's murderer? Let's see if you fare any better."

Tom snapped his fingers once more as a blinding light hit Ron before giving away to darkness.

…..

Though he could not see anything but black, Ron knew he was still awake. His eyes were wide open and thankfully, the pain was now gone. All of a sudden, the darkness gave way to light as the scene around him started to change.

Ron found himself staring at a pink wall which looked pretty bare except for a painting of a seaside town hanging on a nail. Next to it was a white, oak wardrobe which had two oak tree shapes crafted onto its doors. Light filtered in through a window next to him as Ron stared at the woollen rug placed next to him at the foot of the wardrobe.

A soft cry caused Ron to jump around, his eyes widening in shock at the sight before him. Behind Ron stood a tiny bed with orange covers and a study desk with a bookshelf fixed from above it. Next to the bed was a pile of stuffed toys, many of which were plush animals. Yet it was the person asleep in the bed that Ron had turned his attention to.

"Hermione," Ron whispered as he recognised the sleeping toddler version of the witch who looked sound asleep, save for a few soft cries coming out from her lips as she jostled in her bed. She must be having a nightmare Ron thought as he looked tenderly at Hermione whose eyelids began to flutter. With a yawn, Hermione opened her eyes as she looked about the room.

"Grandpa?" Hermione said as she looked slightly frightened. Lifting herself awkwardly out of bed, Hermione reached for a plush toy in the shape of an otter before walking slowly towards her front door. Ron smiled at the sight of young Hermione holding tightly to her otter before making her way towards the door, stopping herself as she stared at the doorknob which was too high for her to reach.

"I wish I could get that for you, Hermione." Ron sighed as Hermione made small, futile attempts to reach for the doorknob. Her face now looked even more frightened than it did before as Hermione stopped jumping, her eyes now darting to everything in the room. Suddenly, the doorknob began to turn slowly as the door creaked itself open, to reveal no one standing on the other side.

"Nice use of magic there," Ron exclaimed as Hermione looked bewildered for a moment before peering down the hallway. It was dark with only a fluorescent light hanging above being the only source of illumination. Hermione appeared to consider her actions before slowly making her way into the corridor.

"Grandpa?" Hermione called out down the darkened hallway. Suddenly, Ron heard footsteps coming from somewhere downstairs as from the darkness emerged a very familiar face. "Hermione, what are you doing?" Thomas Granger said as he scooped little Hermione into his hands.

Face to face with his parent's murderer, Ron could see that Thomas looked a shell of the man he once was. His messy hair now had several strands of wispy grey as his beard looked dirty and unkempt. His eyes looked red from crying as Ron saw them through his large horn-rimmed spectacles. Even his large frame and broad arms couldn't hide the fact that Thomas looked defeated as evident from his slouched posture.

"Couldn't sleep," Hermione said as Thomas gave his granddaughter a weak smile. "Come, let's get you to bed," Thomas said as he entered Hermione's room while giving the door a passing glance. "How did you open the door?"

"Dunno," Hermione said with a shrug as Tom gave a light chuckle before tucking Hermione into bed. He gently brushed her hair with his fingers before sitting himself on the bed next to Hermione. Ron could see that Thomas looked close to tears though he put on a brave front for Hermione.

"Grandpa?" Hermione spoke as she pointed at his face. "Sad?"

Thomas Granger gave Hermione a smile as he rubbed his eyes. "No, Hermione, Grandpa is just tired. Grandpa has had a very long week."

"Oh." Hermione spoke. "Work?"

"Yes, my angel. Work" Thomas Granger sighed. "Grandpa is tired of work. So very tired." Instinctively, Hermione opened her arms and gave Thomas Granger a tiny hug.

"Feel better," Hermione said as Thomas returned the hug while kissing his granddaughter on the forehead. This time, Ron could see a few tears escaping his eyes.

"Thank you, my precious otter," Thomas said as he pulled away while beaming at Hermione. "Would you like me to read you a story?"

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but only a soft yawn escaped her lips. Thomas chuckled as he shook his head.

"Perhaps some other time then," Thomas said as Hermione shook her head though her eyes seemed to be drooping heavily.

"Tell me a story, Grandpa. I'm listening." Hermione said as she shifted herself closer towards Thomas who heaved a sigh. "Very well."

"Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there was a little girl who became a princess. She lived in a beautiful country, filled with castles and lakes with tiny, little otters swimming about. The princess had two wonderful parents, both the king and queen of the kingdom and a rather, useless grandfather who was the king's father."

Hermione supressed a giggle as she grinned at Thomas. "It's me! I'm the princess!" Hermione exclaimed as Thomas laughed. "It's a story, Hermione."

"But it sounds like me! Except I'm not a princess."

"Every girl is a princess, Hermione," Thomas replied as Ron gave a smile. "But will you let me continue?" Thomas said as Hermione nodded though her face was now wide awake and eager to hear more.

"The princess loved to spend time with her grandfather and the pair of them would go through many adventures together. However, what neither the princess nor the grandfather knew was that their kingdom had a secret. Deep within the kingdom, hidden amongst the normal folk, were a bunch of…magical people. People who could cast spells and perform all kinds of magic."

Hermione's eyes widened to the size of saucers though she kept quiet, refusing to interrupt her grandfather.

"One day, the grandfather, who was a hunter by day, went on a hunting trip. He was caught by some bad people and as he fought back, the grandfather accidentally…killed two of these magical people." Thomas spoke as he averted his gaze from Hermione. "The grandfather was distraught, he didn't mean to do it but it was done and the worst part was that these two magical people were husband and wife and they had a family."

"Family?" Hermione repeated.

"Seven kids," Thomas replied as Ron held his breath. "Seven kids who will not see their parents anymore because the grandfather had accidentally killed them when he thought they were the bad people. The grandfather was distraught. He couldn't believe what he had done. And so, the grandfather went back to his kingdom to seek justice."

"Jus-tis?" Hermione spoke softly as Thomas nodded.

"The grandfather wanted to be punished. He needed to be punished for what he had done."

"But…accident!" Hermione cried out in disbelief as Thomas shook his head.

"Even accidents have consequences, Hermione. You won't understand this but it is important that justice be served. But there was a problem. Because the grandfather was the king's father, they didn't want to punish him. The magical folk were angry but they had to agree to it because they lived in the kingdom."

"So the grandfather is okay?" Hermione said hopefully as Thomas shook his head.

"The grandfather felt worse than ever. But then, he heard a piece of incredible news. His granddaughter, the princess, was actually one of these magical folk. This scared the grandfather because that meant that one day, the granddaughter would have live among these magical folk. The next day, one of the magical people met with the grandfather."

"Who was it?" Hermione asked.

As Thomas Granger gave a description of the person, Ron let out a gasp as his heart pounded in his chest. No, it couldn't be…

"The magical folk were very angry because they hated the normal people and hated that the grandfather was not being punished. So they made a vow that once the granddaughter was old enough to live with the magical folk, they would hurt the princess for what the grandfather did."

"No!" Hermione called out.

"The grandfather didn't know what to do. He loved his granddaughter so much and it was not fair that the princess was punished for something he did. So the grandfather made a deal. He would seek out a form of punishment befitting of what he had done and the magical folk would leave the princess alone."

"What did he do?" Hermione squeaked, her voice barely a whisper as Thomas held a pained look to his face.

"The grandfather…he went away. Far away where no one will ever find him again." Thomas spoke softly as Ron felt a chill going down his spine.

"Princess?" Hermione said as Thomas gave his granddaughter a smile. "Well, before the grandfather left on his journey, he went to see the princess one last time. And do you want to know what he said to her?" Thomas asked as Hermione nodded her head fervently though her eyes appeared to be closing. Thomas cleared his throat as he held Hermione's hand gently while speaking a tender, loving voice.

"Princess, you are by the the most brilliant person I have ever met. There wasn't a mystery or problem you couldn't solve. When you hear about what happened to me, you might not understand why I had to do what I did and that's okay. Because some things in the world can't be explained. They can't be understood, not by rational thought, not by logic, not by reasoning. You might beat yourself trying to understand why I could not just stay in my kingdom, protected by the safety of my family and continue to be here for you until the end of your days. Because I could have, I could have figured out a solution that would have allowed me to stay. But I fear that solution would have come at a cost, one in which I am never prepared to pay."

Thomas let out a tiny sneeze as he beamed at Hermione.

"Love makes us do silly things, Princess, and I love you, very, very much. I love you more than there are stars in the sky and water on this earth. Even if you take all the love that everyone has for each other and multiple it by infinity, it would still pale in comparison to how much I love you and I love you so, so much. I wish I could be here for you until the rest of your days but I'm afraid that can't happen. Instead, I only wish to say this. You once told me that I was your favourite teacher, that I taught right from wrong, taught you about the world, about people. Did you know that you were teaching me too? Every lesson about good and kind and sweet, I learnt as much from you as you did from me. So I'm not worried about you, Princess, because you're going to be just fine. And you ever feel down or if darkness gets to you, just remember who you are. You are a Princess and you will one day be a Queen but most important of all, you will always be my granddaughter and that to me will always be the most cherished thing in my life. I love you and I am proud of you. Always."

Young Hermione had fallen asleep, her eyes now shut as her tiny chest heaved with every breath. Ron watched as Thomas Granger looked down at his daughter, his eyes still wet from tears. Thomas pulled Hermione's blanket up as he reached for the toy otter, tucking it between the girl's arms. Brushing Hermione's fringe aside, Thomas leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep tight, my Princess," Thomas whispered as he continued to weep.

All his life, Ron had always pictured the man who killed his parents as a monster. Monsters were evil and picturing the Muggle as a brutal, sadistic killer of wizards was an easy thing to do. Yet as Ron watched Thomas crying by the bedside of his beloved granddaughter, his heart sank to the bottom. This wasn't an evil monster. Monsters don't cry. Monsters don't feel sorry for what they have done. Monsters don't feel love for others besides themselves. Thomas Granger wasn't a monster at all. He was nothing but a broken man who made a horrible mistake.

Mistake. Accident.

And for the first time in Ron's entire life, he felt sympathy for Thomas Granger. He now saw what he always missed in the memory of his parents' murder, that Thomas was horrified at what he had done, that he was confused at being under the Imperius Curse, that he was scared and it was his fear more than anything else that caused him to react this way. Though Ron never really knew his father, he wondered if Arthur Weasley, the wizard who loved Muggles more than anything else, would be ashamed of his son for what became of him.

Ron felt his tears trickling to the floor as he looked at Thomas who was now wiping his tears with a determined look on his face.

"Weak. That's all he ever was."

The voice nearly made Ron jump out of his skin as he turned to see Tom behind him, smirking back.

"Is that tears I see on you, Weasley?" Tom snorted as he crossed his arms. "By Salazar, you are weak! You should be rejoicing! Thomas Granger is about to kill himself. Look at him there, now writing his suicide note."

Ron whipped his head around fast to see that Thomas was now seated at Hermione's desk with a pen and paper in his hand. Looking over the Muggle's shoulder, Ron's eyes widened in alarm at what Thomas was writing.

"No!" Ron cried as he tried to stop Thomas, only for his hands to move through the Muggle like a ghost. "No, stop!"

"Stop?" Tom cried incredulously. "He's a monster. He deserves to die!"

"No, he doesn't!" Ron snapped back, his eyes now burning with rage. "It was an accident. A fucking accident. He's not a monster, he's just a man who made a mistake."

"A mistake that cost your parents' lives and your future!" Tom reminded Ron. "Look at what happened to you because of it! This is his fault! Everything that has happened to you is all his fault!" Tom exclaimed as Ron shook his head.

"No, it's not," Ron said as he turned his attention to Thomas Granger. "Bad things to happen to us, that's just life. What happened to my parents wasn't murder, it was a scared man who acted out and regretted what he did ever since he did it. He wanted justice but they never gave to him because he was a Muggle." Ron said, recalling the story. "And now, he's being forced to take his own life because if he doesn't, his granddaughter would suffer for what he did. It's not right. It's not fair."

"It is fair. A life for a life." Tom said as Ron took a step towards the wizard, his eyes fuming.

"The world isn't black and white, Tom! He's taking his own life just as your mother took hers to protect you! You want to talk about monsters? The only monster I see here is you. You took revenge on your grandparents for your mother and yet you killed your father who was innocent. You killed Myrtle in an accident yet you never showed any remorse the way Thomas Granger did. You plotted your rise to power, killing and hurting Muggles and wizards along the way yet you forget that Mrs. Cole, the woman who took care of you, was a Muggle and she was kind. You're filled with nothing but self-loathing, hatred and just pure…evil. You once said there was no such thing as a good Muggle? Your father, Mrs. Cole, Hermione!" Ron roared. "They were all good Muggles!"

"And him?" Tom said as he pointed at Thomas. "Is he good too?"

For a brief moment, Ron was stumped. It felt strange to call a person who killed your parents good but at that moment, Ron realised something else as well. The world isn't black and white. Merope Gaunt, who had lived a life of abuse succumb to her temptations to trick a man to marry her yet she sacrificed her life for her son. Dumbledore, who lied and manipulated people, did so for the best intentions because he didn't want to see them go through the pain. And then there was him. How many times had he insulted and bullied Muggleborns? How many times did he, like Ginny said, chose the wrong path? Was it fair to judge a person on their worst days? As Ron looked at Thomas, he felt his sympathy growing.

"Yes," Ron said softly as Thomas tucked his note into his pocket. Turning around to give Hermione one last kiss, Thomas headed towards the door.

"Don't!" Ron yelled and to his surprise, Thomas seemed to hesitate. For a moment, Ron thought that Thomas had somehow heard him through the veil until he noticed Thomas's eyes were staring directly at the sleeping Hermione.

"Don't do it." Ron pleaded, not caring if it was all in vain. "Your granddaughter, she grows up to be an incredible person, Thomas. She's caring and kind and she's…she's really good." Ron said, choking up as Tom let out a snort of derision. Ignoring Tom, Ron continued to speak.

"I know it seems like there's no other way. I know it seems like you have to do this but you don't! Your granddaughter once told me that if we only think that the desperate option is the right one, the only one, then all we're doing is convincing ourselves that it is the right thing to do. But this isn't the right thing to do. This isn't the right thing to do! You don't have to kill yourself!"

Ron felt a rush of anger at the person who had threatened Thomas Granger yet he pushed that thought out of his head.

"Your granddaughter, she needs her grandfather. I know what it's like to grow up with someone you love missing in your life. And although she seems fine, we both know that her world would be better, much, much better with you in it. Don't let your guilt consume you…don't…don't do this."

For a brief moment, Thomas's expression started to change as a smile broke on his lips, his eyes shimmering in the light of the room as Ron stood directly in front of him.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione." Thomas Granger whispered and with that, the Muggle opened the door and left Hermione's room. Ron attempted to follow him but found himself being blocked by some invisible force.

"Thomas!...THOMAS!" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs as he tried desperately to push past the force but to no avail. "Don't do this! For the love of Merlin, don't do this!"

"He can't hear you, Ron." Tom mocked as he let out an evil laugh. "He can't hear you because he's dead! Look at you, talking to me about weakness when here you are, a pathetic mess! You were actually crying for your parents' murderer, Ron! You! A bloody Pureblood crying over a Muggle! What a waste! What a useless waste of a wizard. Oh well, playtime's over. It's time for me to take control."

With that, Ron felt a force pull him away from the door as he crashed into the pink wall of Hermione's room. He could see Tom smirking at him, his hand poised to snap once more. Out of the corner of his eye, Ron caught sight of the sleeping Hermione, unknown to what was happening and what was about to happen. As Ron stared at the light creeping in from the hallway through the space of the slightly ajar door, he felt something heavy rising off him, a weight that he had carried for the past six years of his life.

"I forgive you," Ron said as he closed his eyes, his final thought turning to Thomas Granger as Tom snapped his fingers.

…..

"He told me in his mind that in order for you to find the strength to beat Tom, you need to find a power in which Tom knows not. Something that Tom could never do. He said that you have it in you, a force so powerful that it diminishes everything around them. Only when you choose to truly embrace it, will you have the strength to defeat Tom and free yourself from this prison."

SNAP!

SNAP!

SNAP!

Ron's eyes burst open. He stared up at Tom who looked confused and angry, glaring at Ron as he continued to snap his fingers.

"What the hell?" Tom said as all of a sudden, Ron felt a soothing warmth flow through his body. His senses began to perk up as Ron felt more alert than ever, more wary of everything that was going on. It felt almost as if his body was now in tune with his mind and with that, Ron felt a sense of power radiating through him.

A force so powerful that it diminishes everything around them.

Ron turned his attention to Tom, giving the wizard the same smirk that he had so often thrown back at Ron.

"Looks like you're not in charge anymore." Ron said as Tom shot him a furious glare.

"I am in charge!" Tom snapped with rage as he snapped his fingers once more. "I am Lord Voldemort, sorcerer supreme and I control everything in here! I destroyed Dumbledore, I destroyed Hermione and I will destroy you!"

"Oh…" Ron said as he closed his eyes. For reasons unknown, Ron could feel Dumbledore's and Hermione's presence in him, swimming about in Tom's body. "Thanks for reminding me." With that, Ron raised his own hand and snapped his fingers.

Tom Riddle let out a bloodcurdling scream as he collapsed to the floor. As he did, two white shiny orbs rose out from Tom's head and began to shake. Soon, the orbs shifted themselves into two figures as Ron watched Albus Dumbledore and Hermione Granger materialise right before his eyes.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled as she threw her arms around him as Albus gave Ron a grateful smile.

"You did it, my boy," Dumbledore whispered, his face beaming with pride.

"He did?" Hermione cried as Ron gave her an incredulous look.

"Always the tone of surprise with you, eh Granger?"

"Shut up, Weasley." Hermione smiled as she gave him a light punch before staring about her room. "What are we doing here?!"

"We should go," Ron said hastily to the pair of them before turning to Tom who was still writhing in pain.

"You're a fool, Ronald Weasley." Tom hissed as he glared angrily back at Ron. "I tried to give you a path to save your friends but you chose wrong! And now they will all die, all of your friends, all of your family, everyone you cared about! The other me will burn you and everyone else to the ground. You will lose…everything!"

"Not if I beat you first. Time for you to die, Tom."

For a fleeting second, Ron could see the fear in Tom's eyes before it turned into an incredulous stare. "And you really you think you stand a chance?" Tom spat indignantly. "You, a lowly wizard against the might of a DARK LORD?! What makes you believe for a second that you can win?"

Ron placed his head close to Tom as he whispered angrily into his ear.

"Because I'm not alone like you." And with that, Ron raised his hand and snapped his fingers as darkness began to descend all around them as the final image Ron saw before the darkness came was of a screaming Tom Riddle in pain and fear.

…

"Ron? Ron, wake up!"

What? Ron thought as his eyelids fluttered open as light rushed into his eyes, momentarily blinding him. As he let out a groan, Ron rubbed his eyes and allowed his vision to settle. In front of him was a smiling Hermione helping him to his feet while behind her, a visibly tired yet otherwise perfectly alive Dumbledore look at him with concern.

"It's over," Hermione said as she pointed to the floor. There, next to Ron, was the discoloured, blackened diadem looking as if it had been greatly burned to a crisp.

"Did we destroy it?" Ron said as Hermione gave a shrug before turning to Dumbledore who nodded his head.

"While indeed the sword would have destroyed the container, you, Ronald, destroyed the Horcrux inside. Tom was overwhelmed with your power and thus, you killed the Horcrux." Dumbledore said as Hermione shot Ron an admiring look.

"So how did you do it? How did you beat him?" Hermione asked as Ron hesitated. He wasn't sure how to tell Hermione about the final memory. Probably because she was too young to remember exactly what happened, Hermione did not remember that night with her grandfather. Before he could say anything, Dumbledore came to his rescue.

"Ronald found the key to stopping Voldemort. That is all that matters." Dumbledore said as Hermione opened her mouth to speak before thinking better of it. "Besides, what is more important is that Tom is no longer lingering inside Ronald's head and the timeline has remained intact since you and I are still alive, Miss Granger, so I would suggest that it would be better if….Ronald, what are you doing?"

CLANG!

Ron had reached for Gryffindor's sword which was lying close to his feet and had swung it hard upon the diadem. The diadem had split apart into pieces upon impact, its remnants now corroded with the Basilisk venom.

"Can't be too careful," Ron said as Hermione nodded while Dumbledore gave a laugh before wheezing and clutching his head.

"Professor!" Ron and Hermione cried in unison as they rushed to their Headmaster's aid only for him to wave them off.

"Not to worry, not to worry," Dumbledore reassured them with a smile. "I'm just a little tired from this ordeal and I will be back at full strength once I had a cup of tea. Can I interest you both in joining me at my office?"

"Of course," Hermione said as Ron nodded. "Do you need help to get there, Headmaster?" Hermione asked as Dumbledore gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you Miss Granger, but I am fine. I'm still strong for my age, you know, just shy for a hundred a twenty. Rather young, don't you think?" Dumbledore said with a chuckle as Hermione and Ron smiled at the professor. "Anyways, I can't believe I'm saying this but you should take a nap, Ronald. Just so we can ensure that the timeline has remained intact." And with that Dumbledore headed towards the door of the Room of Requirement.

"Geez, I wonder if I'll be that nutty when I'm that old," Ron said as he stared at the departing wizard. Turning his attention to Hermione, Ron noticed her looking strangely at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Hermione sighed as she took a deep breath. "That was quite an experience, wasn't it? I'm just glad got out of it safely."

"Yeah…"Ron said softly.

"Dumbledore's right," Hermione said as she pointed to his robes. "You should sleep."

"Really? After all that, I have to go back in my head again?" Ron groaned as Hermione gave him a gentle smile.

"I know, I know. Seems foolish but at least, we can be sure that the timeline hasn't changed. Because if it does…"

"I would have to remember not to put the Horcrux on my head and destroy that damned thing the first chance I get?" Ron joked as Hermione's smile disappeared from her face. Ron reached into his robes before the thought occurred to him.

"Don't," Hermione said as Ron gave her a puzzled look. "I know what you're thinking but don't do it."

"Hermione…" Ron whispered as Hermione closed her eyes before shaking her head fervently.

"Don't, Ron. I want to remember the truth. I want to know the truth. It's better this way."

"How?" Ron said as he reached for her cheek, his hand touching her cold, smooth skin. "How is this better?"

"Because you don't have to go through it alone," Hermione said as she stared at Ron with soft, hazel eyes. "Because at least now, I know the truth about my grandfather."

"Hermione…"

"Ron, please…" Hermione pleaded as Ron stared into her eyes. With a reluctant nod, Ron had a relenting shrug. "Okay."

"Thank you," Hermione said as Ron reached into his robes, his left hand pulling out the blue bottle as he pushed the cork open with his thumb. Ron looked at Hermione, the short bushy-haired witch gave him a bittersweet smile though her strong front looked ready to break once more. Ron thought back to what Thomas Granger had said as he looked at his granddaughter for the last time.

Words willed themselves to escape from Ron's lips but they were blocked by a lump in his throat. Ron wanted to tell Hermione that he had forgiven Thomas. That Thomas shouldn't have killed herself just because he was forced to do so. Ron wanted to recount to Hermione the story of the grandfather and his princess and to reassure Hermione that despite her thoughts, her grandfather had died a good man.

Yet none of them came. Instead, Ron repeated the same, melancholic words said thirteen years ago from a grandfather to his young granddaughter who was blissfully ignorant of the past.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Ron whispered as with that, he raised his right hand where a red potion bottle was held, its opening uncorked and its contents being poured down Ron's lips.

….

.

.

"So Miss Granger doesn't know?" Dumbledore sighed as Ron gave a nod. It was early the next morning and Ron having woken up, had left the Slytherin common room and made his way to Dumbledore's office. There, he recounted his journey with the Horcrux, sharing everything from his own memories to those of Tom before revealing how he had chosen to go back in time, grabbing the sword and destroying the Horcrux so that neither Hermione nor Dumbledore would remember what happen.

"Why?" Dumbledore asked tentatively as Ron gave a shrug.

"I didn't want Hermione to grow up knowing the truth about her grandfather," Ron said as he let out a deep breath. "I get why you kept the truth. Sometimes it's better to believe in the lie than to deal with the painful truth."

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled with sadness as he heaved a sigh. "I never wanted to hide anything from you, Ronald. I guess you know everything now. All I can do is offer my apology and hope you'll forgive this old man who made a lot of mistakes but who always had your best interests at heart."

"There's nothing to forgive," Ron said as he gave Dumbledore a smile. "I've been living with the past for far too long. It's time to move on."

"That is very mature of you, Ronald, if I may so, myself. Then again, that was exactly how you were able to defeat Voldemort."

"Sorry?"

Dumbledore gave Ron a warm smile as his blue eyes twinkled more than ever. "Do you know what is the strongest thing a person can do? Out of all the qualities a good person can possess, none is greater than that of mercy. Forgiving someone is a power so strong, so divine that it has no equal to it. True forgiveness is a strength, unlike anything than even our magic can offer. When you forgave Thomas Granger, you not only forgave a man who took everything from you but you also forgave everyone who had ever wronged you including me and more importantly, yourself."

"I did…" Ron sighed, recalling the weight that was lifted from his shoulders.

"You did," Dumbledore spoke proudly. "You did something very few people will ever have the strength to do. All of that, forgiveness, mercy, guilt, sympathy, all of that are things that few people, let alone someone like Tom Riddle can ever hope to understand. But you did and in order for you to truly understand, I was not able to tell Miss Granger explicitly. You had to figure it out on your own, Ron and it is here that I must offer my congratulations and my gratitude because not only did you went toe to toe with a Horcrux and survive but you managed to triumph against your own demons. True forgiveness takes courage, Ronald, which is why I suppose the Hat had wanted to sort you into Gryffindor."

"Yeah…" Ron replied as his cheeks turned pink, recalling the embarrassing moment when he thought he had the upper hand against Tom. "Can't believe that Tom actually sent me into Hermione's memory. He gave me the tools to beat him right there."

Dumbledore let out a chuckle. "I believe when Tom sent you to confront your parents' murderer, he was hoping for one of two things. Either you would be so angry at Thomas that you willed him dead, thereby tearing your soul apart or you would collapse after finding out the truth with regards to Thomas Granger's suicide."

Ron's ears perked up upon hearing this as he stared at Dumbledore. "Did you know? About –"

"To be completely honest," Dumbledore said, cutting Ron off. "I did suspect it but I did not know for sure. I couldn't imagine why such a person would do such a thing but I believe that is a tale for another time."

"I suppose it is," Ron said as he stood to his feet. "Thank you for everything, Professor," Ron said as Dumbledore shook his head with a laugh.

"No, I should be the one thanking you, Ronald. In fact, I hereby award Slytherin House a hundred points for your strength and valour."

Now it was Ron's turn to laugh as he gave Dumbledore a sheepish grin.

"Damn, Draco is so going to kill me but I'm afraid you can't do that," Ron said as Dumbledore gave him a puzzled look. "The timeline doesn't want me to tell you about what happened. This is my second time telling you all this. It seems that you knowing about it changes the timeline."

"Ah, I see," Dumbledore said as he gave Ron a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry that you have to be the only one that carries the truth."

"It's okay," Ron said as he waved his hand. "I'm used to it. I better get going back to my dormitory. Might as well sleep in comfort."

"Well, since the timeline would be changed, might I suggest you just sleep here? I don't have a bed here but I can certainly make one for you?" Dumbledore said as he waved his wand. The chair Ron was seated in began to change shape and in its place, a four-poster bed appeared with green covers.

"Woah!" Ron cried in amazement. "Wicked!"

Dumbledore chuckled as he made his way to his door. "Least I could do. I'll make sure you're not disturbed."

"Professor?" Ron called out as Dumbledore turned back. "Can I ask you something? Something that's been bothering me and I didn't manage to ask you the first time round."

"Certainly, my boy," Dumbledore said as his eyes twinkled. "What is it?"

Ron let out a gulp as he twiddled his thumbs, his eyes now staring at the floor. "Throughout the entire thing with Tom, I couldn't help but think that he and I are similar in some ways. I know I'm not like him but that doesn't mean I won't turn out to be like him in the future. What if I do turn out like him? How can I stop it?" Ron spoke desperately as Dumbledore smiled at the young wizard.

…..

"Geez, Ron, you look like you hadn't slept in a week," Draco said as he and Ron made their way towards the Great Hall. Ron stifled a yawn as he stretched out his arms.

"Nah, just had a bad nightmare."

"Really? What happened? Did you fall off your broom while playing for the Cannons?" Draco laughed as Ron glared at him.

"No, you prat! Besides I could say the same for you."

"Hey, I have important things on my mind!" Draco said defensively as Ron rolled his eyes. Don't I know it.

"Look out, here she comes." Draco said as without warning, Ron felt himself being accosted by a pair of arms hugging him tightly and nearly breaking his ribs.

"Ron!" Tracey Davis cried as Draco sniggered, only to be attacked by Pansy in the same way. "Oh, get off me, woman!" Draco snapped as he pushed Pansy off with the latter now looking pissed and disappointed.

"Tracey, I can't breathe…" Ron gasped as Tracey let go of her hold.

"Oh, Ron, I had the worst nightmare. We were going to get married and…" Tracey spoke as she trailed on, with Ron not paying it the slightest bit of attention. They were now at the Slytherin Table in the Great Hall as Ron took a seat next to Theodore Nott. His eyes were plastered to the Gryffindor Table. He had seen the familiar bush of brown hair amidst the black Hogwarts robes with red and gold emblems. She walked past the pair of Harry and Neville before taking her seat next to his sister who was busy chatting away to one of her fellow fifth-years. Their eyes locked for a moment as a smile came upon Ron's lips, one in which Hermione returned. She appeared to raise her hand before thinking better of it and acknowledging him with a nod.

"Merlin, will you just go on a date with her already?!"

"What!" Ron cried, as he spun his head towards Theo who was smirking at a glowering Tracey who had been sitting across from him. I didn't even realise she was there! Ron thought in horror as Tracey who had shown Theo a crude hand gesture turn her attention back to Ron.

"So, what do you think?" Tracey said as Ron stared at her, baffled as to what to say.

"Errr….yes?" Ron said as Tracey let out a squeal of joy while Daphne Greengrass who sat next to her rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm not going to play a third wheel on your date so either fix me up with someone bearable or count me out."

"What's going on now?" Ron whispered next to Draco who sniggered. "You're taking Tracey out to Hogsmeade this weekend. Enjoy."

"Bloody hell. Come with me!" Ron pleaded as Draco shook his head although he did look rather sympathetic. "No way! You're on your own, Weasley."

"Damn it!" Ron cursed.

"What was that, Ron?" Tracey demanded as Ron gave an awkward smile.

"Nothing. Just wish the weekend was sooner, that's all."

"Awwww!" Tracey cheered as all around the Slytherins made gagging sounds before resuming with their normal banter. Yet Ron's mind wasn't at the Slytherin table anymore. Instead, he continued to steal glances towards the Gryffindor table where Hermione was now conversing with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Throughout breakfast, Ron caught her stealing a few glances towards Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter.

Harry Potter.

Hermione Granger likes Harry Potter.

There was something uneasy about that sentence as Ron stared at Hermione Granger. His mind travelled back to the previous timeline with Dumbledore, the final speech the old man gave to him before he fell asleep.

"Throughout the entire thing with Tom, I couldn't help but think that he and I are similar in some ways. I know I'm not like him but that doesn't mean I won't turn out to be like him in the future. What if I do turn out like him? How can I stop it?" Ron spoke desperately as Dumbledore smiled at the young wizard.

"Ronald, I never once thought you would be anything like Tom. While you do have certain similarities in your story, you and Tom are quite different. Do you know that you're not the first person to ask me that? I remember a wizard, a little younger than you are now, but who had similarly fought and won against one of Tom's Horcruxes."

"Wait, you don't mean –"

"I do. Harry himself asked me that in his second year. It's a skill that Tom has, manipulating wizards like yourself into believing what you believe. Did you know that the Hat wanted to put Harry into Slytherin?"

"What?!" Ron cried in disbelief, trying to picture the Gryffindor in his house. Sure, Draco had tried to befriend him before their Sorting in the first year but now the thought of Harry being a Slytherin was as absurd as the Cannons being undefeated in the Quidditch League.

"Yes. And do you know why he isn't in Slytherin? It's the same reason as yours." Dumbledore exclaimed as Ron's eyes widened.

"He made a choice…"

"Precisely," Dumbledore said as he beamed at Ron. "It is our choices, Ron, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Ron's face fell as soon as he heard Dumbledore "But I chose Slytherin. I chose the same path as Tom's."

"And I couldn't be more grateful for it," Dumbledore replied gently while beaming at Ron once more. "Every choice you made, every decision you took brought you where you are now. All the choices you made in the past, all of them took you where you needed to be and here you are, helping us to save the wizarding world and giving this old man one last chance to right a few wrongs before his time. If you had chosen Gryffindor, your path might be a different one, one that might be better for you but worse for the rest of us. But like you said to me once, you were done with the past. It's time to look forward."

"Yeah, to a future where somehow we can beat Tom and I won't end up being just like him." Ron sighed as Dumbledore shook his head.

"You know. Forgiveness isn't the only thing that Tom isn't capable of." Dumbledore said as Ron's ears perked up. "Tom was never capable of love."

"Really? Seemed like he did love himself a lot." Ron grunted as Dumbledore nodded his head.

"Well, that isn't love. That's his ego and his pride which is very much who he is. But Tom has never opened his heart out to anyone. Tom has never loved anyone. He is, in an ironically sad way, quite lonely." Dumbledore said with melancholy before turning his attention back to Ron. "So if you really want to not be like him, then open up your heart, Ronald Weasley. Give love a chance."

Love Ron thought as his heart sank. He turned his attention to Tracey who was now talking to Daphne about Madam Malkin's latest robes. While he did have feelings for Tracey back in his fourth year, Ron knew that those feelings were probably just lust. He had been eager to get a girlfriend back then but now something had changed. Ron recalled the speech that Aunt Narcissa had given him years ago about how she fell in love with Uncle Lucius. Ron doubt he had ever felt that way about anyone before.

He turned his attention back to Hermione who had just left her seat and was walking past Harry and Neville. Ron could see her and Neville locking eyes before looking away as Harry offered her a small wave. As he stared at this exchange, a voice in his head started to speak.

Harry Potter. Hermione likes Harry, Ron!

Yes, I know that!

So don't let it get to you!

Why would I let it get to me?

You know why! Look, Dumbledore said open your heart, right? So there are plenty of other girls to open your heart too! Girls like Anastasia whom you've had a crush on. Or Daphne Greengrass! She's a Pureblood so it works out as well!

Yeah. Okay.

Hermione likes Harry! Just remember that! No matter what, in the timeline, Hermione ends up with Harry! That is how it was always supposed to be!

Bloody hell! I know this! Would you quit bothering me with it?!

Well, since I AM you, you're just bothering with it yourself!

Why do I care if Hermione ends up with Harry!

You know why!

"Mate you okay?" Draco asked, dragging Ron out of his thoughts. Ron gave one last glance towards Hermione who had not noticed him staring at her as she walked out of the Great Hall, her bushy brown hair bouncing as she left.

"I'm fine," Ron said as he smiled at Draco who beamed at him before returning to his conversation with Theo. As Ron participated in the usual Slytherin banter of insulting the other Houses and Christmas gifts, Ron's thoughts turned back to a familiar fair-skinned Gryffindor Muggleborn with her hazel eyes and bushy brown hair. The witch who loved to boss people around, who always got the answers right in class and who could annoy Ron to no end while also being the person who understood him best. The girl whose history was all mixed up with his, who had become his nemesis, who hated his guts and who was now helping him save the world.

.

.

.

Ron's heart skipped a beat.

A/N: That concludes the Diadem storyline. I spent weeks researching on Tom's Riddle history in between my work and social life which is why Part Two took quite a while. Honestly, JK Rowling has built quite the world with her story and so many of it like Voldemort's Origins to the Marauders can certainly be made into a movie or TV show. I hope she does that someday.

With regards to Tom's history, as you know, I've made a few changes. One of the biggest issues that I faced was his timeline where I was trying to decide if the whole ring ordeal came first or him opening the Chamber of Secrets. HP Lexicon puts Tom as visiting his grandfather in 1942 before COS but other sources said 1943. This bugged me for days and in the end, I decided that Myrtle and COS came first before Tom went over to Morfin and subsequently, Riddle Manor. Also, the creation of Horcruxes bugged me as it was clear that Tom already had the ring when he asked Slughorn about Horcruxes, which could only mean that you don't need the death to be immediate before creating the Horcrux. So, I made the diary be the first, followed by the ring and then the diadem although someone pointed out to me that the diadem came much later. Nonetheless, for the purpose of this story, it came third.

Secondly, you will notice that in Tom's memory and other memories, I may have altered a few things. This is because it will become relevant in the upcoming chapters so stay tuned.

Lastly, because of its length, some parts might have grammatical errors that even as I edit, I will probably miss. Apologies for that. Just like Ron, I am done with his past and his parents and it is time to move on to other things like Harry and well, you know (winks).

Take care, readers! See you soon!