F O R T Y - F O U R
See You Again

Waking up with a pounding headache was definitely not on my list of priorities. My grace rustled restlessly around my body, trying to find a way around the spell. Who knew how long it would take before my grace was finally able to break through the spell.

The first thing to register was the fact that I was laying on an incredibly comfortable bed, it was softer than I thought possible. Red silk sheets spread over its gigantic size, a warm duvet on top of my body.

Looking around the room, I noticed it was large. Larger than most suite hotel rooms, it actually looked like it could be a small apartment. Shelves of what I could assume to be spell books lined the walls, a wooden desk smack in the middle of it all.

An emerald green couch stood a few feet away from the bed facing a burning fireplace, two large reading chairs on either side. My eyes made contact with the sleek midnight colored piano sitting in the corner of the room ideally, it looked as though it had never been touched.

My fingers itched, it had been a while since I played. Tearing my gaze away from the musical instrument, I breathed out at the sight of the black door carved with serpents. It probably led to a bathroom.

On the other side of the black door was another white door, probably the door to the closet. It wasn't until my eyes finally saw the small table with two chairs on either side and delicious well-prepared food on top of it that I took note of how animalistically hungry I was.

Throwing the duvet off me, my eyes wandered over to the fact that all my clothing was still on, only my boots having been taken off. Wiggling my toes, I sighed when my feet made contact with the black carpet.

The room was unrealistically clean, the only sign that someone actually resided in it being the few papers scattered on the desk. Next to the bed, my red backpack was open looking like someone had gone through it.

My heart pounded, my angel blade was not inside. Neither were the few pictures I had brought, the pictures were simply home photos. One was of my father and I when I first born, another of Balthazar and me when I was eleven, after that was the one of Alexius and me when I was fourteen and he was fifteen, the last one and by far my favorite of them all was the one of my mother.

It was taken early on in her pregnancy before she was even showing. The simplicity of it was almost unreal, she hadn't even realized my dad snapped the shot, she was only laughing at something he said. My mother was gorgeous, her smile seemed to light up an entire room, it was a picture that I held dear.

All of them were, but they were only home photos. Unless you knew who the people were, then no one would care for them. That's why I didn't understand why anyone would bother taking them.

All that was left in my backpack now was an oversized purple sweater; something that was my mother's, and my Yankees baseball cap. With a growl, I noticed the photos laying out over the desk as if someone had been studying them intensely along with the angel blade looking like it had been tampered with.

Heading for the food, I hungrily ate my way through it in record time. I couldn't remember the last time I was so hungry. It was only after my hunger that the thirst hit me, and alike to the food, the glass of water was gone in a matter of seconds.

Satisfied for the moment, though I had a feeling I'd be getting hungry sometime soon once more. Blocking off my grace as Tom's spell was doing was not going to come without effects. Hunger, fatigue, they were all side-effects of this. I had no doubt sickness was just around the corner.

Where was Tom anyway? This was no doubt his room. Blowing out a breath, I walked over to the desk sighing when I saw the pictures in perfect shape along with the angel blade.

Deciding to leave it on the desk, I made my way over to the piano. Yep, this had definitely never been played. Looking back at the door, my shoulders slumped when I remembered even if someone was standing outside I'd no longer be able to sense nor hear them.

Sitting on the piano bench, I ghosted my fingers over the keys. Perhaps I should break it in for Tom.

I pressed a few random keys, the sound bouncing across the lonely room. This piano was very obviously an expensive one based on its booming melody. A small breath escaped me when I suddenly began pressing the keys softly, a smile spreading across my face at the familiar tune.

Continuing to press the notes, the sound slipped across the room in gentle musical waves. Unable to contain myself, I opened my mouth singing along with the melody softly.

"I am not the only
traveler, who has
not repaid her debt."

My fingers played in tune with the song, the angelic melody floating across the bedroom.

"I've been searching
for a trail to follow
again.
Take me back to the
night we met."

I couldn't stop myself from envisioning the first time I had laid eyes on Tom. It was during Defense Against the Dark Arts for the first time. He spoke with the teacher and held himself coolly. Even for being only sixteen, he held himself like an adult.

"And then I can tell myself
What the hell I'm supposed to do.
And then I can tell myself
Not to ride along with you."

"I had all and then most of you
Some and now none of you."

My fingers played the tune on the piano dramatically, the dramatic sound of the chorus booming.

"Take me back to the night we met
I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
Haunted by the ghost of you
Oh, take me back to the night we met."

The first time Tom and I spoke was after Professor Slughorn introduced us. Tom pulled his usual charm, trying to appear as the proper gentleman.

"When the night was full of terrors
And your eyes were filled with tears
When you had not touched me yet
Oh, take me back to the night we met."

The lyrics were like a hymn on my lips.

"I had all and then most of you
Some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met
I don't know what I'm supposed to do
Haunted by the ghost of you
Take me back to the night we met."

The angelic sound echoed with the final note played on the piano, silence covering the room alike to a blanket.

A small yelp escaped me at the sound of clapping, my body nearly tumbling to the ground from surprise.

Jumping to a standing position, I whipped around coming face to face with Tom Riddle leaning next to a closed door which presumably led out to the hallway. Icy blue eyes bore into my own, his lean body covered in black robes, the powerful wizard twirling his bone-like wand in his grasp.

Tom's gaze traveled down my body, his eyes shining with some indescribable emotion. I jumped back startled when in a flash of green, Tom had suddenly apparated so he was standing in front of me.

We didn't say anything, the both of us just basking in the warmth complete feeling of our souls from standing so close. In a surprising move of gentleness, Tom tenderly took a small strand of pink curls examining them.

"Mr. Riddle," My voice was hoarse, myself truly not knowing what to say in this situation. "It would appear as though you have me in a bind, for some reason, I'm feeling quite powerless." Tom was looking at me with an odd emotion before a very familiar smirk tugged at his lips and he took a step back.

"Brilliant isn't it." He was looking to me in some sort of odd excitement as if I was something he'd been waiting years to have. "Made the spell myself, you can't leave unless I lift it. No teleportation, no time-travel, and better yet, just so I'm sure you have no more tricks up your sleeve. It's blocking out the angelic part to you, right now, you're mortal. Utterly at my mercy." I rose a brow at him, taking a few steps back watching as he followed me alike to a predator.

"Is this what you want?" I finally asked, motioning around. "Me trapped, and you being my only source of comfort?" Tom froze in his place, eyes looking as if he were in a battle with himself.

"No," He eventually muttered, shaking his head. "It would be far more convenient if I could trust you enough to release the spell, to know you would come back. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury." He spun, casually taking a seat on his grand couch eyeing the completely empty plate. "Someone was hungry, tell me was the order not feeding you?" I ignored his almost condescending tone, surprised at how natural it felt to be speaking with him once more.

Almost like the both of us were simply in the room of requirement at Hogwarts.

"You've changed," I observed, seeing Tom's gaze coming back to me wandering down my body once more.

"And so have you." He clicked his tongue.

"Yes, well the times changed and so did I."

Tom observed me coolly, deep in thought.

"I would have got it eventually," Tom murmured, looking to me excitedly. "My very own Nephilim soul-bounder, I feel like the luckiest person on Earth."

"My very own psychopath soul-bounder, I feel like the luckiest person on Earth." I quipped back, sarcasm lacing each of my words earning a smirk from Tom. "You know, Lavender and Alexius are soul-bounders, and you know what they do? They get to have fun together, travel throughout time all over the world! And what do I get? I get to be held captive in a Riddle Manor!" Tom's nostril flared in anger at my outburst, the wizard standing up so fast I thought I had whiplash

"And you know what else! Lavender also didn't need to wait over fifty years!" Tom was raising his voice, eyes flashing red in anger.

Anyone else probably would have been trembling, but not me. Even without my grace, I was still some brave idiot. Like all Gryffindors I suppose.

"Touché," Tom only looked angrier.

"What do the hell do you mean; touché–?" I cut him off by spinning around walking into the bathroom.

"Whatever, it's all in the past now. I need a shower and I want new clothes on the bed once I'm finished, considering you're the 'lord' I'm sure you can make it happen!" I slammed the door closed behind me, making it a point to lock it.

I knew he could easily unlock it with a spell, but I had a feeling he wouldn't.

"Pandora..." I felt chills go down my spin when he said my real name for the first time. "Get back here right now-"

I turned the shower on, screaming about how I couldn't hear him. Oh well, I needed to shower anyway.