Tom Riddle walked down the cobbled streets of Little Hangelton, with an uncontrollable smirk on his face. He was attracting a lot of funny looks too, with his face covered in the middle of the summer.
“Who on earth does he think he is?” a girl hissed loudly. “The bleeding Prime Minister?”
Her friend nodded in agreement. “He thinks himself fanciful, he does. Look at that queer locket hanging round his neck!”
And there was a gold locket hanging around his neck, one with a fresh piece of soul encased inside it.
Tom walked for an hour and a half until he came to a jagged cliff which made him smile wider. He climbed down with apparent ease and walked into a familiar, dark cave. He reached a wall and took out a small phial of blood and sprinkled it over the rock face. The next bit was the easiest, and the most enjoyable, Tom thought to himself. He wished he could see Amy Benson’s face when “ ‘Concentrate!’ he thought to himself. ‘You need to do this properly!’
He muttered some well chosen words and a boat rose up from the depths of the lake. He lay back lazily as he crossed a sea of black water to a small island where an empty basin lay waiting.
He put a hand inside his robes and drew out a glass bottle filled with emerald green liquid. He placed the locket fondly in the centre of the basin, and then uncorked the bottle and poured it in.
A young girl’s scream rang out through the silence, a horrible, ear piercing shriek.
Tom laughed softly. “Thank you, Amy Benson.”
Many miles away, fifteen-year-old Amy Benson collapsed and broke into a cold sweat.
*~*
Amy felt as if she was falling through space, images and words passed by her, until she landed with a clunk.
She found herself standing outside the orphanage, on an ordinary, sunny day. Except there was a younger Mrs. Cole helping a small girl out of a car. Suddenly, Amy knew where she was, the trembling five-year-old…was her.
Mrs. Cole put her arm around the little girl. “Now, I know it looks big and scary at first “” she began, but Amy had already wandered off, to where a boy was standing by a wall.
She smiled at him shyly, wishing she knew how to ask people to play. He was a boy around her own age, with messy brown hair and big blue eyes.
“Hello, my name’s Denis, what’s yours?” he asked happily.
“A-a-amy,” she stuttered.
The had just started to chat properly when an older boy came up to them, a smirk on his face.
“Hi Denis,” he said, punching an unsuspecting Denis on the side of the head. “Who’s your girlfriend? Well? Aren’t you going to introduce me?”
Denis had been knocked against the wall, and his glasses had been broken. “This is Amy, Tom, she’s my friend.”
Tom grabbed Amy’s bag and fumbled around with it for a minute, Amy was almost certain he took something but she couldn’t see what.
“Hey that’s mine!” Amy cried and tried to take it from him.
Tom bent down to her. “Listen Amy, this orphanage is a rough place; you make enemies easier than friends here. And it seems you’ve already made one of each.” With that, he walked inside again, with a malicious glint in his eye.
Amy wiped the tears from her eyes furiously as Denis helped her look through her bag to make sure everything was still there.
Suddenly, Amy knew what he had taken - the silver thimble her mother had given her…was gone.
*~*
Now there was a six year old, fast asleep in a bed, waiting for Mrs. Cole to bang her pans together to wake her up.
Sure enough a loud clang echoed through the house and Amy got up quickly, to brush her hair in front of the mirror.
A stomach-churning scream cried out, and everyone came running.
Amy was standing in the middle of the room, sobbing.
Her long hair had been severed off during the night.
Tom Riddle pushed a bag further down into his pocket, and swept a strand of blonde hair off his scissors.
*~*
Now she was seven, sitting down at breakfast as everyone threw cornflakes at each other.
“Amy, darling!” Mrs. Cole called. “Could you make all the beds for me sweetheart, we think Eric Whalley’s swallowed a thumb tack.”
Amy got up, picked some cornflakes off of her chest and went upstairs.
Everything went pretty smoothly; she made all the dirty boy’s beds “ even Tom’s, which was very scary as he watched her do it before going downstairs.
Finally she got to her bed and whipped off the duvet.
A snake was sitting there curled up on the sheets, it stretched its head out almost lazily and bit down on her finger. Blood spurted everywhere and Amy ran from the room “ yelling.
“I think someone’s been telling Porky Pies Amy,” said Mrs. Cole, after inspecting all the rooms in the orphanage.
“But I’m not, Mrs. Cole!” Amy wailed. “The snake really was there!”
*~*
The present-day Amy was shivering, she had relived some of the worst moments of her life, especially the last one. That was when Tom Riddle had taken her down to the cave.
It suddenly clicked in her mind that these were all memories of Tom Riddle. The orphanage swam into focus again, to reveal her as a nine-year-old.
Amy balanced her dirty sheets carefully before setting off.
An old man had come to visit Tom, there was muffled conversation but Amy couldn’t hear anything properly.
Suddenly there was a bang and Amy heard Tom yelling. She shrieked in surprise and fell over. She lay on the floor for couple of minutes and jumped up as soon as a man opened the door.
He was dressed quite oddly, wearing colourful robes, with his auburn beard tucked into his belt. He didn’t notice Amy at first and walked right into her.
“I am terribly sorry…?”
“A-a-amy sir, Amy Benson.”
Tom glared at her through a crack in the door, but stopped immediately when the man looked at him.
“I believe, Amy, that Tom has something to give you.”
Tom muttered something under his breath and grudgingly tossed her a thimble.
Amy caught it, open-mouthed.
“And…” the man prompted.
Tom muttered something again.
“Didn’t quite catch that, Tom.” The old man smiled, his eyes twinkling.
“I’m sorry I took it,” Tom mumbled before slamming the door in their faces.
The man strode towards the stairs. “If you will excuse me, Amy, I have various errands to attend to.” And in the swish of a cloak he was gone.
*~*
Images came more quickly now and more disjointed.
Amy was ten and Tom had made her watch as he fed his pet snake.
Then she was eleven and Tom put ketchup on her birthday cake.
She was twelve and Tom “accidentally” smashed her window with a football.
But these Amys were happier; Tom only came home in the summertime.
Suddenly Amy arrived at her thirteenth birthday party and groaned.
The most embarrassing moment of her life and she had to watch it all over again.
Amy walked across the room distractedly, watching all the boys and girls dancing and talking and eating.
Unexpectedly she crashed into a boy around her own age. He had wavy brown hair and blue, nervous-looking eyes. He was wearing glasses, which had been broken during the collision.
“Oh Denis! I’ve broken your glasses! I’m so sorry!” Amy wailed.
“It’s ok,” Denis grinned. “I never liked them much anyway.”
They both looked up at the ceiling.
“Mistletoe.” Denis smiled. “Mrs. Cole must’ve forgotten to take it down after Christmas.”
Amy smiled back. She moved closer to Denis, so that their noses we’re touching, Amy tilted her head sideways and “
Someone pulled her back by her hair and sent her flying into the half-eaten birthday cake.
“Whoops,” said Tom softly. “Sorry Benson.”
Amy ran from the room with her face covered in jam and whipped cream…
*~*
The present-day Amy woke with a start.
“Oh thank the lord!” she heard Mrs. Cole cry.
“Amy!” Someone wrapped their arms around Amy and kissed her. Amy had a shrewd idea who it might be.
She rubbed her eyes. “W-w-what happened?”
“You fainted,” Denis explained, “on your way home from school, you’ve been out for around 3 hours.”
Mrs. Cole left Amy and Denis alone and went to look after Billy Stubbs, whose rabbit was missing again.
“I had a horrible vision when I was out.” Amy told him.
“Do you want to talk to me about it?” Denis asked.
Amy remembered her 13th birthday party. “Not just yet.”
Denis walked towards the door and turned. “I love you.”
Amy waited until he was gone and then whispered, “I love you too.”
The Cave by Ellie4Harry
Chapter Notes: Heyyyyyyya everyone! I am so so so sorryyyyy I havn't updated for ages! I've been so busy! (honest) Well heres chapter two and I hope it was worth the wait =] This chappie is dedicated to Luke Faulkner (The next Doctor Who!) Tess Mooney(she rocks my socks) and Anna-Rose for being cool!