Tom, or what's left of him

// THIS IS AN OLD CHAPTER. THE NEW CHAPTERS ARE IN VOLUME 2. YOU CAN READ THESE CHAPTERS IF YOU WANT SOME INSIGHT ON WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN LATER BUT SOME EVENTS CAN BE DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW CHAPTERS.

The Riddle House has obviously seen better days, but a careful observer will notice the ancient traces of wealth that adorns the facade, the old knocker on the door, the architect's mark on the corner of the house and so on.

Lights flicker around the house. I walk quietly down the path; Tom is so weakened that the only real threat in the house must be Nagini. However, I don't know if he had any other servant besides Peter who in the house in the movies. I use the knocker to announce my presence and a man whom I recognize as the gardener opens the door for me, he is obviously under the spell of the imperius. Good for him if Tom decided he was more useful to him alive than dead.

Tom's puppet points in the direction of a hallway that seems to lead to the small living room. Tom is really in bad shape; he looks more like a skeleton than a real human being. Nagini is posted on a cupboard ready to defend her master.

"We don't ... get ... a lot of visitors."

"You're not looking great, ... cousin" Tom looks at me with what I believe to be astonishment or even curiosity, hard to tell with his distorted face.

"Who are you?"

"Your uncle's grandson, a distant cousin as a result"

"And I guess… you've come to take advantage of my weakness… to get revenge."

"Not exactly, I'm here to offer you a deal."

"A deal ?"

I take a contract out of my suitcase and put it on the coffee table. The terms of it are already written.

"I know you need Harry Potter's blood to regain your full powers. That's why I suggest I go and get it for you myself. In return, I want all the things you have left from the chamber of secrets, all your dark books and magical items. I also want you and your Death Eaters to not try anything against my family and the people I care about. You can do whatever you want with Harry and his father, that's fine with me. But you will leave the mother and the daughter alone. "

"Why ... would I take ... such a disadvantageous deal."

"Because if you refuse, I will start by cutting out the worm that you use as your pet before destroying you. I am fully aware that you are not my real cousin but a simple fragment that has detached from the main dying soul in the aftermath of Lilly Potter's spell. The real Tom Riddle is long dead, but if you accept my offer, you can take his place. If you refuse only death awaits you. " Nagini lifts her body, putting herself in an attack position.

"Tic Tac Tom, know that I know Death and that he's eager to lay his hand on you."

Tom seems to think for a long time, Styx and Nagini settle down ready to pounce on each other, Nagini is a little bigger but I have no doubt that Styx will win in the event of a clash.

"Frank ... lead our guests ... to the cellar."

"No, you sign the contract first. It'll save you from trying to screw me up."

Tom sighs and weakly raises his hand, a feather that was on a desk flies off, but I stop it before it hits the paper.

"With your blood please" I prick his finger and let the quill fly on the paper tracing an intricate and elegant signature. I sign the document in my turn and the runes on the borders light up before returning to normal, the contract is sealed. I put it in my suitcase.

"Good, nice to do business with you, now we can go Frank. Tom, I'll come back to you when I get Harry's blood, until then don't make waves and don't forget your promise."

The gardener guides me through the rooms of the house to what appears to be a cellar converted into a dark mage's lair. Every book in the room would have been enough to chill the blood of the most hardened Aurors. Many magical objects were waiting for me on the shelf, knives, jewelry, a music box, pieces of armor, ...

"Jackpot" I start to fill my suitcase with everything including the furniture in room.

Poor Tom, having to make a deal with the devil to have any chance of survival. Too bad I have to eliminate him when he's going to lose his usefulness, it almost makes me sad.