Chapter 53

As Anastasia made it back to Hogwarts she had to force her legs past the Slytherin common room. Every part of her wanted to go in and find Harry and Daphne. She wanted to hug them. She wanted look into Harry's eyes one final time and memorise them, not just so she could always remember them but also so she could remember how those eyes made her feel. With him she was someone good, not necessarily important or 'great', but she had become something she never thought possible. She wanted to thank them for treating her with the respect that she should have treated herself. However, there wasn't enough time. She knew Voldemort would send his followers as soon as he realised she was gone. 

She ran to the room of requirement and immediately began searching. She went back to the place she had woken up, in between the desk and the fireplace, and began sifting through all the clutter and dust. Her fingers turned grey as they touched everything they could find in desperation. After some time she coughed up soot and crouched down, exhausted and fed up. As she coughed she suddenly looked towards the fireplace, realising it was the only part of the entire room that would have been undisturbed all these years. She ran over and threw herself down in front of it, her handing digging through the soot and charcoal, until finally something hard hit her nail. Anastasia gasped as her fingers found their way around the object, slowly pulling it from the darkness. She immediately blew on it and grinned at the snake's head peeking out of the ashes. She gripped it tight, pulling it into her chest almost as if she were hugging it. She asked herself how on earth was she going to figure out how to use it. Her body shook with nerves and adrenaline as she thought about what to do when she was there. Should she kill Tom to save Elius? That would completely change history, but from what she had learned she would be changing it for the better. However, she knew herself, deep down she knew she couldn't kill anyone. Her breath hitched. She didn't kill Elius. She couldn't have. Suddenly it dawned on her. She should go further back. She could go back to before she had even met Elius, and avoid this story-line all together. As her brain rattled through ideas and theories she suddenly heard loud noises coming from the distance. They were here. She held the charm against her scar. She heard the stones in the wall moving and rearranging to create the door. It was now or never, there wasn't any time to plan. She closed her eyes, unsure of how to go back to the time and place she wanted, but filled with a deep fear of the new Tom.

"Please..." She whispered. "Please, I need to go back-" Just as she heard voices enter the room she felt the charm burn in her hands and the world around her warp and twist. She screamed from the pain and the sickening feeling of her body bending and turning as she fell through the time hole. She never let go of the burning necklace, and suddenly felt both of her feet touch a hard surface one again. Anastasia slowly opened her eyes, panting. She looked up to see a wide eyed Tom Riddle standing in front of her. His expression was one of complete bewilderment. Anastasia gasped. She had almost forgotten how beautiful he was. After all this time, after everything she had been through, there he was. She rushed over and threw her arms around him in a moment of complete relief. She was home. Tom stood rigid for a moment, before cautiously wrapping a hand around her waist.

"Tom, you have no idea where I've been. We have so much to talk about." Anastasia lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him, suddenly remembering how wisely she had to choose her words. She had a mission now, a goal to completely change the course of history. She reached her head up and gently placed her lips on his, making Tom soften slightly as he responded, his fingers gripping her tighter.

"You disappeared and reappeared?" Tom whispered. "Your hair's changed colour? And your clothes? What happened?" Anastasia smiled, leaning back slightly.

"I'll explain everything." She smiled, still in shock at the mere fact of being in his arms again. She had to think quickly. "This locket can..." Anastasia's eyes peered over to the left mid-sentence, and she felt her blood run cold. She stepped back, pushing herself from his embrace.

"No." She whimpered. "No, no..." She fell down to her knees next to Elius' body. "What happened? I can't remember if you or I..." She turned to look up at Tom looming over her, tears starting to cloud her eyes. Tom clenched his jaw, a striking silence falling between the pair of them over the corpse for a moment.

"You don't remember killing him?" His sharp tone made her throat go dry. Tom watched her body go limp, and realised that she genuinely believed him. He couldn't be left without understanding what had happened. He could use her misplaced guilt to his advantage. Anastasia looked down at Elius, her lungs heaving for the air Tom had knocked out of them. She had genuinely believed there was no chance she could have killed him, but that tiny bit of fear that had always been there made her believe it instantly.

"You did it for us." Tom grabbed her arm, pulling her back to her feet. "For me." Anastasia turned to look at him, unable to keep the fear and horror from her face. Tom grinned, excited at this unexpected turn of events.

"I could go back. I can find a way to go back..." She muttered, making Tom grab her face with both his hands forcing her to concentrate on him.

"Why? You've proven who you are now. Time can't change that. You'll always know. Deep down you'll know." Tom leaned down, placing a gentle, hollow kiss on her forehead. Anastasia could smell his sweat, a smell she had once found erotic and enticing now filled her with dread. Tom's grip fell down to her throat, squeezing gently as he pulled their mouths together once again. He felt powerful holding her airways in his hands, making him push his tongue deeper into her. He no longer knew how this would end, but what he did know was that no matter what he would never let her get away from him. He would either kill her or keep her. 

Anastasia let her body sink into him. His large hands around her throat made her burn inside. No one else could ever have this effect on her. She could never shiver so sharply at someone else's touch. No one else could scare her so much, disgust her so much. No one else could ever make her body feel the way he did. Tom pushed her backwards until her bum hit the desk. One hand left her throat and landed on her thigh. He forcefully pushed her legs apart. Anastasia gasped as his hand trailed up under her skirt. Tom moaned at how she quivered under his touch, allowing himself to enjoy the immense pleasure she gave him one more time. As his fingers landed on her underwear Anastasia closed her eyes. As they shut, a small cold tear fell onto her cheek. She was too weak to look over Tom's shoulder at the man she believed she'd killed, so she kept kissing the man she believed she'd killed him for. Her hand slowly rose up in between them, landing on her scar. She opened her palm to touch the charm to her skin.

"I need to leave. Anywhere, just not here." She pleaded to herself. The feeling of Tom's tongue in her mouth slowly pulled away, as well as his fingers at the edge of her underwear. Once again Anastasia was surrounded by mixing colours and the intense pain of burning on her chest. However, this time she didn't scream but simply cried at the immense loneliness of travelling through time without a care of where you were going.