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“When you said that we’d take a vacation, this wasn’t what I had in mind.”
Tom glanced over his shoulder as Minerva slapped another tree branch out of her face, huffing some snarled hair away from her sweaty brow.
“Did you imagine me in some sort of swimming costume, lounging on the beach while burning to a crisp?” Even in the darkness, he could see the flush racing up her neck and he let out a low chuckle. “Oh, dear one, I’d much rather do something productive during the relatively rare times we have to ourselves, such as summer break. Now hush.”
Minerva glared at his back and stuck her tongue out childishly. However a moment later, she calmed herself enough that the slight movement in the tiny tropical village square ahead of them drew her attention the way it had drawn Tom’s.
“Is that-”
“Yes! Now hush!”
Minerva rolled her eyes as they watched the Lethifold float along the main pathway through the village.
“No, not that house,” Tom muttered under his breath. He silently threw a spell at the dumpy little hut and the dark creature veered off course. “Yes. That house. Yes!”
“Why that house, love?”
He ignored her question and crept closer to the small domicile, carefully peering into the open space that acted as a window. “There. Look.”
Green eyes widened as they peeked over the ledge. The mother and father of the small family unit had apparently already been dispatched, suffocated and what looked like their torsos and vital organs digested. Now the vile creature hovered over and unmoving, apparently already dead, infant.
“Tom! Wha-”
A large hand clamped heavily over her mouth as she struggled. “Stop! It has to be this way! We need a freshly slain Lethifold still containing a partially digested baby.” Her horror-filled eyes met his. “That’s the hardest ingredient to procure.”
“And this is the third one you’ve done?!?”
They ignored the gruesome sight inside the hovel as they spoke under their breaths. Tom crushed her to him as they slid down the wall.
“Yes. I can’t protect them. The Lethifolds would be feasting on them regardless. At least this way their death is avenged in some small way. That is the way I choose to reconcile it.”
The young woman ruminated on that for a few moments before she dried the few tears that had managed to leak out and took a deep breath. “You’re right. Let’s-let’s get that bloody thing and get this over with.”
. . / / . . / / . . / / . .
“Shite!” Blood splattered over the tabletop and mortar full of crushed Belladonna berries. Minerva grabbed her wand in an attempt to clean her mess, but Tom’s hand on her own halted the action.
“Just leave it, Min. The potion needs your blood. No use wasting the ingredients.”
She narrowed her eyes at his seemingly careless potion preparations as he went back to cutting his own fluxweed. She muttered the incantation to heal the cut on her palm and swiftly turned to grab another mortar and pestle off the shelf behind her.
“Leave the fire seeds to me, please. I’d rather not have to explain burning down the old shack to the local authorities.” She rolled her eyes at his playful tone and began to grind the porcupine quills into a fine powder.
The ‘old shack’ they were using to brew their highly illegal potion had been in Tom’s family for years. Though slightly rundown, Riddle Manor could hardly be considered shacklike in any sense of the word.
“Have you put any more thought into what your vessel will be?”
Tom’s glacial blue eyes cut across the table as the crushed his own portion of Belladonna seeds to see Minerva reclining in a decrepit French-inspired chair, chewing on her lip. She steepled her fingers over her stomach and cut her eyes away from his.
“I have.”
The silence stretched between them as Tom paused in his ingredient preparation and set the pestle down gently. “And?”
She sighed heavily and sat forward, her hands hanging limply from the armrests as she gazed imploringly at her lover. “I still feel as if an insignificant item hidden in an insignificant spot will be a much more effective vessel.”
A sharp wind whipped through the room as the temperature dropped discernably. “You. Are. Wrong.”
“Explain to me then. When Dumbledore inevitably figures out what we’ve done, you know he’s going to start searching for them. He will start digging through your past and trying to pick apart everything you’ve ever done to figure out what you might have used.” Tom glared at her and Minerva glared right back, unafraid even as magic crackled through the soft strands of his slightly too long hair. “If even one of them is something unexpected it will be to your benefit and his detriment. That’s all I’m saying.”
She stood slowly and sauntered closer to him, savoring the prickles and tingles of wild magic as they ran over her skin. Tom held her eyes for a moment before raising his glare over her left shoulder and pursing his deliciously plump lips into a scowl.
“So I take it you have yours figured out then?”
She traced her fingers over the slightly frayed edges of his collared shirt as he continued to glare over her shoulder. “I do.”
He waited in silence, his hands clenched at his sides, refusing to return her affectionate touches.
“I’ve decided to compromise with you, Mr. Riddle, since you’re such a stubborn arse.” His eyebrow quirked up as his eyes shot her hers. She smirked and spun around, flouncing back to the ridiculously uncomfortable chair she’d previously occupied.
. . / / . . / / . . / / . .
The potion was the most persnickety recipe she’d ever seen.
*Fill cauldron half full with water
*Add 2 scruples Fluxweed picked during the new moon
*Add a splash of maker’s own blood
*Stir clockwise 13 times
*Let simmer 7 hours
*Add 3 grams powdered porcupine quills
*Add 2 venomous snake fangs
*Add a splash of maker’s own blood
*Stir anti-clockwise 13 times - potion should be Emerald green
*Let simmer 7 hours
*Add 2 scruples Fluxweed picked during the first quarter moon
*Add splash of maker’s own blood
*Stir clockwise 13 times - potion should be Prussian blue
*Let simmer 7 hours
*Add 13 grams crushed Belladonna berries and their juice
*Add a splash of maker’s own blood
*Stir anti-clockwise 13 times - potion should be Plum purple
*Let simmer 7 hours
*Add 2 scruples Fluxweed picked during the full moon
*Add a splash of maker’s own blood
*Let simmer 7 hours
*Stir clockwise 13 times - potion should be Crimson red
*Add 13 Fire Seeds
*Add enough collected Lethifold to turn potion black
-note: Lethifold must have partially digested infant in system
*Add a splash of maker’s own blood
*Stir anti-clockwise 13 times - potion should be Plum purple
-note: Heat will remain high from this point on due to Fire Seeds
*Let sit for 7 hours
*Add 2 scruples Fluxweed picked during the third quarter
*Add a splash of maker’s own blood
*Keep on heat for 13 hours, after which you may quick cool and bottle
“Tom?” The man in question looked up from his book as he waited for his charmed alarm to ring. “I’ve never once seen a recipe call for venomous snake fangs. Slughorn always told us to never use them. So why does this recipe call for them?”
“Good catch, my love.” He motioned her over and pulled her onto his lap, his long arms wrapping around her small waist as they watched the two cauldrons spitting and bubbling from the addition of the Fire Seeds. “I would venture to guess that venomous snakes are considered dark. And this is one of the darkest endeavors known to magic. Venomous snake fangs aren’t unheard of for use in potion-making. Just unheard of in Britain.”
Minerva rolled her eyes. Tom smiled, his eyes glinting in the low light of the run-down manor. How very much like her namesake, always seeking wisdom and unafraid to fight for it.
“It looks like the potion is just about ready. Who have you chosen this time?”
. . / / . . / / . . / / . .
They slunk through the darkness, skirting the buildings of Hogsmead as late-night stragglers stumbled home from pubs.
“You’re sure he’s not there?”
Minerva grinned, very much like her animagus form. “Positive. An urgent owl from Nicolas Flamel came about an hour ago and he had to rush out.”
Tom squeezed her hand gently as he peeked through the grimy window of the Hog’s Head. “It helps that Flamel can’t stand Grindelwald, so he stayed behind to help Aberforth. Just like we wanted.”
“And the compulsion charm I put on the letter had nothing to do with it.”
He stared, wide-eyed, at Minerva for a moment before he clamped his mouth shut and huffed out a bark of silent laughter. It took a few moments for him to calm himself enough to straighten up and glance at his lover, who was glaring at him with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her lips.
“You didn’t?!”
“Of course I did! We couldn’t just leave something like that to chance! It was the simplest way to ensure the plan happened. Now, quit acting like a simpering fool and start acting like the budding Dark Lord you’re supposed to be!”
Tom arched a sardonic eyebrow and shook his head as he turned his attention back to the pub. Minerva caught some mumbled words like ‘I’ll show you budding’ and ‘you’re the simpering fool’ and she fought back a chuckle as she saw the younger Dumbledore brother finally wave his wand to lock the pub door after the last patron.
“Ready?”
As one, they snuck around the back of the pub and with a wave of Tom’s wand they slipped through the door. Disappointingly there weren’t even any wards to break.
Minerva poked her head around the doorframe as Tom glared around the cramped storeroom in disgust. Aberforth and Grindlewald bustled around the pub, cleaning, straightening and bantering good-naturedly.
Tom pulled a vial from his pocket and motioned for Minerva to do the same. He then pulled out an ornate antique locket with a large letter ‘S’ on the face. She pulled out her vial and a smooth, turquoise river rock with a hole bored through one side.
“Are you ready?” His voice was low, his breath whispering across her cheek as he leaned in close. She shivered, as much in lust as in anticipation. “Drink the potion.”
With no hesitation, Minerva thumbed out the cork and tipped the black swirling concoction into her mouth. She didn’t swallow the potion so much as the vile draught seemed to claw its way down her throat. She doubled over, nearly falling to her knees as the potion spread through her system. Tom caught her in his arms, supporting her as he waved his wand around them to muffle any noise they might make for the foreseeable few minutes.
Lost in a sea of swirling lights and choking darkness, Minerva closed her eyes and let the potion do its work. It spread through her, igniting every cell, every atom, lighting up every bit of magic inside of her. It filled every crack, it soaked into her marrow, it made her whole-how could this potion be evil? Even as she felt it fracture the small bit of her soul off from the whole, it soothed the ragged edges and felt like a balm to her magic.
She opened her eyes what felt like an hour later, but was probably only a minute, to see Tom smiling down at her. “How do you feel, Minnie?”
“Powerful. Whole.” She paused and straightened up, thought Tom kept an arm around her waist just in case. “Magical.”
“I know just what you mean, love.”
Without any further delays, Tom downed his potion and shivered. His eyes squeezed shut for a moment, then they popped open wide and he shot an excited smile her way.
“Let’s do this.”
They each palmed their vessel and took one last breath. Wands extended, they burst through the storeroom door, taking the two older wizards by surprise with startlingly accurate Stupefies .
As their victims dropped to the grimy floor, Tom floated a chair over and levitated Gellert Grindlewald’s body into it, securing him there with conjured ropes.
“Aren’t you going to take your time with Aberforth?”
He smirked. “No, love. This is your show tonight. Give me a moment, then the floor will be yours.”
Minerva watched with fascination as he held the locket out in front of him. “ Lasă această navă să fie o fortăreață pentru o parte din sufletul meu. Nimic nimic nu-l distruge sau nu-l îndepărtează până la sfârșitul timpului. Fie ca acest sacrificiu să liniștească zeii. Fericit fi.”
The locket glowed a deep green and Tom’s face split into a malevolent grin as he loomed over Aberforth. Minerva shivered in anticipation and took a slow, measured step closer to her lover as he raised his wand a touch higher.
“Enervate.”
Aberforth’s crystal blue eyes snapped open, seemingly unsurprised to see someone looming over him holding a wand his way. “I fecking told Albus we needed wards here!”
Tom chuckled darkly. “At least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you were right. Avada Kedavra. ”
The glow surrounding the locket pulsed up Tom’s arm and built into a bright light that encompassed his torso, narrowing into a fine point directly over his heart. A moment later, the light shot into the locket and faded from view, leaving Tom gasping for breath and giggling maniacally.
“It feels better and better every time! Fuck, Minnie!” He spun around, ignoring the clatter of the locket on the stone floor and the blanky staring eyes of the dead man beside him. He grabbed her around the waist and crushed his lips to hers, walking her backward and pressing her against the wall roughly.
She tolerated his ministrations for a moment or two, then roughly ripped her lips away from his. “Tom! Focus!” He moved his mouth down to her neck, roughly nipping the sensitive skin there and Minerva moaned lowly. “Not the time, Riddle!”
“Always the time, love. So beautiful. So perfect. Fuck, I could just-ugnf!” He thrust roughly against her, his hands roughly tugging at her blouse.
“Tell me what the spell means.” She forced his head away from her throat and pushed him backwards a step. “Think, Tom! Translate the spell for me so I know exactly what I’m saying.”
The lust addled Slytherin shook his head, as if to clear it, then spun around to lean on the wall beside her. He gasped in heaving gulps of air and braced his hands on his knees for a moment before straightening up once more. “Apologies, love. The high can hit hard and fast. I’ve never had anyone around when it happens though. The spell...the spell. The spell translates to ‘Let this vessel be a stronghold for a portion of my soul. Let nothing destroy it or render it asunder until the end of time. May this sacrifice appease the Gods. Blessed Be.’ It’s Romanian.”
Minerva smiled widely at him and picked up her river rock from where she’d dropped it when Tom had grabbed her a few minutes earlier. “Alright then. Let’s get going then. I can still feel the potion pulsing inside me. It’s like it’s...sentient. It wants action, it wants screams, it wants...death.”
“You have to do things slightly differently than I did. Tonight’s all about you, love. The first time is the best and the most important.” Tom stepped up behind her as she took her place in front of Grindlewald. “Now place the stone on the floor in front of him.”
She followed his instructions and stood back up, though she rolled her eyes as Tom extended his foot and nudged the rock a smidge to the left.
“Perfect, just there. Now, hold your wand out and extend your hand with your palm down over the stone. Then recite the incantation.”
“ Lasă această navă să fie o fortăreață pentru o parte din sufletul meu. Nimic nimic nu-l distruge sau nu-l îndepărtează până la sfârșitul timpului. Fie ca acest sacrificiu să liniștească zeii. Fericit fi.”
A brilliant cerulean glow enveloped the river rock and Minerva squealed delightedly. She turned and jumped into Tom’s arms as he chuckled. “I did it!”
“That you did my darling. But you’re only halfway there.”
He set her down gently and she turned back around, plastering a severe frown on her face. With a quick flick of her wrist, she’d woken Grindlewald.
The older wizard’s mismatched eyes scanned the pub quickly. Upon seeing the glassy eyes of his friend staring lifelessly at the ceiling, he slumped into his bindings. “So it’s to be some sort of attack against Albus, is it?”
The two youngsters cocked their heads to the side, nearly identically. “Whatever would give you that idea?”
“You’ve already slain Aberforth and I assume you’ll do the same to me. What other reason would you have for that if not to instigate an attack or take revenge against Albus?” Grindlewald sighed theatrically.
Tom cocked an eyebrow. “We have no real feelings for Albus Dumbledore one way or the other. We needed two victims and there were two victims in this pub. Our victims need not have any emotional value to us.”
Minerva felt a surge of lightning through her veins and she whipped her wand toward her prisoner. “I have-need to- Crucio! ”
Grindlewald writhed and jerked in the conjured ropes, the fibers tearing at the delicate exposed skin. He tried not to scream, but the longer she held the curse, the harder it became. She cackled when he finally spat blood from biting his tongue as he let out a blood-curdling screech only seconds after Tom waved his wand to silence the pub.
“Having fun, love?”
“That was wicked . But hardly satisfying.” Gellert’s eyes held true terror as Minerva sauntered around the chair that held him captive. Her red hair trailed over his shoulder as she leaned over him to whisper in his ear. “You might want to just let out the screams from now on. They make me happy. I might let you die quicker that way.”
Tom retreated to the bar and leaned against it. He watched his tiny Scottish spitfire torture one of the most revered wizards in Britain without batting an eyelash and shuddered in pleasure.
“You’ll be disappointed, Missy. You won’t break me.”
Minerva smirked at her victim and watched as a steady stream of blue light trickled from him toward her river stone. “If you say so. Have you ever heard of the boiling frog theory?”
She wandered around her captive and continued on conversationally. “It goes something like if you throw a frog into boiling water, they’ll hop out immediately. But if you put a frog into room temperature water and gradually increase the temperature, they’ll happily stay in and boil to death.”
“Is there a point to this macabre tale?” Grindlewald snarked.
Minerva hopped in front of him and bent so her face was directly in front of his. “In fact there is! I invented this handy dandy curse-well, I should say I modified an existing curse. You’ve heard of the blood boiling hex, I presume?” She smiled widely when Grindlewald nodded, apparently unable to pursue knowledge even when on Death’s door. “Well, that curse is basically a flashpoint curse. It boils the blood instantaneously. Blood comes out of every orifice and it gets very messy, very quickly. However, I decided that the story about our little froggy friend had a good life lesson buried in there. So I modified the blood boiling curse. You see, when I take my wand and move it like this while saying ‘ Tardus Ferveret Cruor’, ” She waved her wand in a modified figure eight with a few jabs thrown in, pointed directly at Gellert’s face, “my victim’s blood temperature will begin to rise. But it will go so slow that their death will be drawn out and agonizing. Unless, of course, I don’t get impatient and kill them outright first.”
“Minnie? Don’t forget you need blood.” Tom’s gentle reminder snapped her out of her slight trance and she pulled back from her victim, whose face was already beginning to sweat.
“Either he’s highly sensitive, very nervous, older than we thought, or I need to adjust the spell.” Minerva studied Grindlewald for a moment before she laid her hand on his forehead. “No, I think he’s just nervous or old. You’re correct though, love. Let’s get things rolling!”
Tom watched with pride as Minerva used her wand to slash at her prey. Thousands of tiny cuts appeared all over his body, shredding his clothes and leaking crimson. Liquid life dripped onto the floor, soaking her river rock and puddling under the chair holding Grindlewald hostage. The young Dark Lord laughed outright as his lover whispered a spell to conjure salt and blew it gently over her sacrifice. His screams were music, high pitched and shrill, the perfect background to watching Minerva work.
“The potion has quieted down. Does that mean I’m ready?”
Tom met her brilliant green eyes as they sparkled with playfulness. How she could still be so innocent while covered in the blood of her victim, he’d never know. “It does indeed. Go retrieve your vessel.”
Unbothered by the blood covering her, and everything around her, she bent to collect her river rock. She held it in her hand, marveling at the blue crackles of magic shearing off it.
“Now, raise your wand and, when you’re ready, you know the incantation. But remember-you have to mean it.” Tom stepped back to give her space and leaned on the bar once again.
“You will come to regret this child.” Minerva felt the brush of Gellert’s mind against her own and she smirked at him as she forcefully pushed him out.
“I can promise you, I won’t. Avada Kedavra !”
The blue glow surged up Minerva’s arm and into her chest. The crackles tingled through her, igniting her magic and setting every inch of her on fire. She was fireworks and fairies and dragons and centaurs and mermaids. She was everything and nothing, everyone and no one, all but none. Then the light was gone, sucked into the river rock that pulsed gently in her hand. She could still feel the potion zipping through her system, still feel the soothing balm of magic on the edge of her soul. And yet, she still felt whole. There was nothing missing.
“Tom! That was amazing! I feel-light! I feel free! That was the best!”
Suddenly her legs were around his waist and her lips were on his. His kisses were a drug and she couldn’t get enough of them and the tingles of the magic still singing in her veins-
“We should go before Dumbledore gets back. But we shall continue this somewhere more private. I’m so proud of you, Minnie! You did it, love!” Tom’s eyes shone with pride as he supported her with his hands under her arse. He carried her through the storeroom and prepared to apparate them back to Riddle Manor. “Now, no one can ever take you away from me. Not now that you’ve made your first Horcrux.”