Chapter 24: Child of Hope (Part 1)
Aug. 5th, 2010 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zelda_queenZeldaQueen: Okay folks, this is it - year three! Just this and then year four to go. I can do this! And to help me out, I got Link back here! Say "hi", Link!
Link: Suck it
ZeldaQueen: Ha ha, isn't he a kidder? We'll be needing that rapier wit up ahead
Link: I brought my own milk, Chateau Romani. Milk mixed with magic liquor, although you American's won't know that. Your stupid translators thought it would be too provocative
ZeldaQueen: Stop insulting our viewers, Link. Let's get on with it
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 24: Child of Hope (Part 1)
Tom Marvolo Riddle was a rather unusual young man. For one, he was both sixteen and over sixty years old. For another, he was a wizard, but at the same time, he was also little more than a memory in a diary.
Link: He was also a genocidal madman who never loved or trusted anyone
ZeldaQueen: But the suethor is determined to ignore that bit
Third, there was another version of him out in the world, doing Maker only knows what sort of horrible things.
Link: What?
ZeldaQueen: I told you to catch up on the sporking notes!
Link: *flips through* Damn, but this is dumb!
Finally, Tom Riddle wasn't technically alive, either copy of him, though he wasn't entirely sure about the last part.
ZeldaQueen: Either he's alive or he isn't. Make up your mind, bunky
All in all, he was a conundrum, a mystery wrapped in an enigma, a puzzle to befuddle all takers, a riddle to confuse the very wisest. Tom simply was, and that was good enough for Holly.
Link: If it's good enough for Holly then it's good enough for me
Yet, the puzzling aspects of his inherent nature aside, he was still like any other person, complete with emotions and thoughts and desires. As such, it was rather understandable that he found himself in his current situation: worry starting to creep into his mind, wondering when Holly would finally return.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, let's get right to the Sue love. Who wants to read about Riddle when he's a cunning manipulator? I want to see him crying over the Sue!
Even now, he sat quietly on her bed, twirling her wand with the one hand,
Link: Oh, is that what they're calling it now
while the other stroked the little serpent coiled around his wrist. Despite the open book in his lap, Tom paid no mind to it. In fact, he wasn't even looking at the Charms text at all. Instead, his dark eyes drifted around the room, momentarily landing on the framed photo of Lily and James Potter.
The two beamed at him when they noticed his attention, James patting his wife's very pregnant belly and grinning smugly.
ZeldaQueen: "Smugly"? Methinks the suethor is a bit peeved at Snape's worst memory
Tom snorted and allowed his gaze to wander again, drifting to the enormous pile of letters on Holly's desk.
Though the sheer amount was mind-boggling, it made sense that she would have so many, especially since her three closest friends were writing daily. Not only that but Milli, Theo, and Gavin were writing at least twice a week, and there were still the assorted ones from Remus and the other Slytherins. Then, there was her annual letter from Hogwarts, complete with permission form for Hogsmeade. And in spite of the ready explanation, Tom was still somewhat baffled by the sheer amount of correspondence Holly received.
ZeldaQueen: Ah yes, time for the suethor to wave in our face how fantastic Holly is compared to Harry, the loser
Link: And yet, she pretty much just sped though it
ZeldaQueen: Well yeah, she can't be bothered to actually show us any of this
She had even gotten a few letters from the Gryffindors, including presents as they wouldn't be attending her party when they returned to school, not that they even knew she was having one. In truth, Holly seemed rather reluctant to answer those three, not that Tom could blame her.
Link: Yes, it's totally understandable that someone would be reluctant to answer people who are generous enough to write and send you presents! I do that all of the time!
Only Neville had had the presence of mind to apologise for his actions the previous school year, which was probably why he was the only one Holly had bothered to contact. Still, she had penned vague and rather short thank you notes to all of them. It was only as she was getting ready to send them that she had remembered Ron was in Egypt, his family having won the Dailey Prophet's annual Grand Prize Galleon Draw, and Hermione was vacationing in France.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, first of all, Holly is still a bitch. Because Neville is the only one who humbled himself to her for jumping to a very logical conclusion, he's the only one she deems worthy of attention at all. Ron and Hermione, we are told, are also sending her letters and presents, for seemingly no reason but the goodness of their hearts. After all, Holly was nothing but distant and cold to them last year, even before the Heir of Slytherin thing started. And her thoughts "Oh, they didn't bow and scrape to me, so I'm going to ignore them as best I can. I mean, what the heck? Isn't she always going on about how she's so starved for affection? Apparently not, if she can be so picky and choosey about it!
Second of all, way to drop canon in a horrible way, suethor. Clearly, Ron and Hermione were corresponding to Holly as friends, giving details about themselves. And she can't be bothered to remember those simple details until now. Gah
Regardless, Holly hadn't looked very happy to be writing to them in the first place.
Link: *takes a drink* I intend to get good and snookered at some point here
ZeldaQueen: Lucky bastard
Link: Join in
ZeldaQueen: I'm nineteen
Link: Your loss
Come to think of it, despite her birthday, Holly was in a gloomy mood altogether.
Link: Even though she'd been getting far more presents and letters and attention than canon Harry did
Truthfully, the third-year had been acting rather strange since their return from Hogwarts. She had been easily distracted and listless.
ZeldaQueen: Nah, she's just an idiot
Originally, Tom had thought that it would go away in a few days, but it only seemed to increase as time went on. And as of late, she had increasingly suffered from migraines and terrible insomnia. It wasn't unusual for her to stay up the majority of the night, mostly passing the time by talking with Tom himself, only to fall into a restless slumber mere hours before dawn. Then, she was like a zombie most of her waking hours, but that was probably because she had so many chores to do.
ZeldaQueen: Oh great, the Sue is milking poor health for sympathy
Link: I sympathize. Let's just watch as the bitch drops dead from exhaustion
Tom simply couldn't understand why she was like this, though he had several theories, and he was on the brink of force feeding her the Sleeping draught he had brewed in secret.
ZeldaQueen: You know he cares because he's going to force feed her medication. How did he even brew any potions, anyway? Don't there usually need to be fires and stewing and stuff? Wouldn't that be noticed?
Perhaps it was all due to her separation from her other friends, something that letters couldn't really make up for. In fact, she seemed to be taking Blaise's momentary loss particularly hard. She actually missed him the most out of all, not that Tom could blame her as the other boy was her closest companion.
Link: Yeah, getting smothered by letters and gifts just isn't the same as having groupies follow one around
ZeldaQueen: I feel I ought to add that canon Harry got along just fine on letters, since it was more than he used to get. Spineless little worm, this Sue
On the other hand, maybe it was simply nerves. The Dursleys had been incredibly annoying lately with Petunia screeching at all hours, Vernon constantly bellowing, and Dudley just being his usual piggy self.
Link: Dursley-bashing, alley-op! *drinks*
Not to mention the fact that she didn't even have many of her school things to distract her since her trunk was locked in the cupboard under the stairs. She had only a few book and her potion supplies, which she had taken when her relatives were distracted by Vernon's new company car one day.
ZeldaQueen: Boo-hoo. Isn't her life much worse than canon Harry's who got his stuff without whining?
Or perhaps her behaviour was due to the crazed convict that had been on the loose for several weeks now. Though Holly hadn't said anything about him, Tom had caught her staring at his picture in their filched paper, a confused expression on her face. She had gazed at the photo for several hours, almost like she were trying to remember something.
Link: OW! I just got hit in the head with the SUBTLE FORESHADOWING!
ZeldaQueen: Yes suethor, that's right, just skim right over the guy who's supposed to be the main source of conflict for this story arc. It's not like it's important or anything
Come to think of it, Tom himself found the man vaguely familiar, as if he had seen his picture before and just couldn't remember where.
Link: *drinking* I swear to the goddesses, if this were more heavy-handed it would be made of lead
But that was beside the point. The real problem was Holly herself, and no matter how many theories Tom came up with, none of them really seemed to provide an adequate explanation for Holly's odd behaviour.
ZeldaQueen: Never mind the mass-murdering and vaguely familiar criminal on the loose, THE SUE MUST BE FUSSED OVER!
An unexpected noise caught Tom's attention just then, and his eyes riveted on the closed bedroom door. He tensed and listened, poised to move. However, any noises he might have heard were apparently only due to his imagination, and several moments passed without further incident. Still, the teenager continued to stare at the door, though this time it was because he was lost in concentration.
Link: Well, that was pointless
For all his returned Seer gifts, they didn't truly seem to be helping him now because he still couldn't figure out how Holly was at the moment or when she would finally return. But at least, he could use them once again, a thing he hadn't been able to do when he had been completely trapped in the diary. Nonetheless, he had much less control over his abilities now than he had before his five decade hibernation.
Link: Wait, he's physic?
ZeldaQueen: Looks like it
Link: *drinks heavily*
A grimace crossed Tom's face at the thought of his Mind Magic skills or lack there of. This, in turn, disrupted his concentration and caused him to lose the faint impression of Holly he had actually managed to obtain. She was alive and in reasonable condition, but that was all he could really ascertain at the moment.
Link: That's all we need. No living Sue is a good Sue
Growling to himself for his lack of training, Tom cursed and vowed to himself to work on his abilities harder. He would need to if he ever wanted to use them again for anything more than brief glimpses. The only positive benefit at the moment was the fact that they connected him to the younger girl, and in turn, they were both tied to his other version, something that had earlier allowed her to know of the true threat against the Philosopher's Stone.
ZeldaQueen: Why is it that he has this groundbreaking mental power and he just wants to use it to keep beads on the Sue?
Another unexpected sound just outside the room dragged Tom abruptly from his reverie. He shifted where he sat, moving the book from his lap. One hand reached for his opened diary, which was on the bedside table, just in case that wasn't Holly coming down the hallway. He didn't fancy the horse-face, the giant buffoon, or the miniature whale finally discovering his presence.
Link: Okay, that's nice. *takes three drinks for the description of the Dursleys*
ZeldaQueen: *does the same* Right, so are we going to have to listen to the Dursleys being hated on next? Probably yes
Almost an entire month had passed with him living in Holly's room, and they had yet to figure out there was another person around, a fact that amused him greatly. Of course, they rarely entered her room, probably afraid that they would be contaminated or some other such nonsense, but he would've thought the whispered voices in the dead of night to be a major give away.
ZeldaQueen: And Holly doesn't use that to her advantage, why? If the Dursleys are afraid of her "contaminating" them to the point that they won't enter her room, why doesn't she do what canon Harry did and pretend to curse them?
Link: Because that would remove a source of angst
Still, the Dursleys and their astounding stupidity aside, it wouldn't do to be caught now.
ZeldaQueen: *snarls* Yes, heaven forbid something go wrong for you
The teenager readied himself to disappear at a moment's notice. He didn't really like to spend more time than absolutely necessary in the thing. Otherwise, he would already be inside. Shaking his head at the prospect, Tom sighed heavily and fingered his diary, mind drifting back to the Dursleys.
Link: Here we go! *drinks*
He couldn't quite fathom how his friend could be related to such utter fools, though her connection to Vernon was by marriage only. Perhaps her mother had been adopted after all, just as he suspected more and more with each passing day. It was certain that the horse-face looked nothing at all like the pictures of Holly's mother he had seen in her album and in the framed photo Blaise had given to her.
ZeldaQueen: I really hate this, you know. One of the nice things about the later books was the depth it gave the Dursleys - Vernon does care about the safety of his family, Dudley does appreciate Harry saving him, and Petunia really did care about her sister before she became jealous over magic. Why do these suethor chuckle-heads insist on constantly ignoring this, in favor of making them one-dimensional bastards?
Lily Potter had been vivacious, lovely with a wicked smile and mischievous gleam in her eyes. According to what he had learned from Holly, she had been highly intelligent, a genius at Charms even. She had been loyal and loving, willing to die for her only child.
Petunia, on the other hand, was shudder-worthy. And that was the most positive thing Tom could say of her. She was nosy and gossipy, horrid to her own niece. Yet, for all her quick eyes and memory for the goings-on of the neighbours, she was too idiotic to notice the happenings in her own home.
ZeldaQueen: Y'know, this still doesn't answer the question of, if the Dursleys were so horrible, why they kept Holly to begin with. In canon, the fact that they kept Harry proved that, no matter how much they resented and hated him, they still had the smallest amount of love to actually keep him safe
Either the two weren't really related, or Fate was playing a rather cruel trick.
Link: Or you're a pretentious asshole
Still, perhaps blood did tie them together as the wards on Number Four would suggest. But then, that didn't make them family, only people who shared a common ancestry. Family was more than blood. His own Muggle father was proof enough of that.
Link: Oh lovely, emo Tom Riddle! That's what I always wanted to see!
A faint tap on the door snapped Tom to attention, but he eased when he heard another one. The Dursleys wouldn't knock before barging in, never willing to give Holly the courtesy.
Link: Didn't he just say that they never came in the room?
Nevertheless, it made an excellent signal for the two Slytherins, allowing him to know that she was alone.
The door opened without a sound, and a dark-haired girl whipped inside before closing it behind her with a silent snap. Her vivid green eyes instantly flickered to Tom, who was in the process of rising, but he paused, taking in the sight of her sagging shoulders and the tiredness to her face. He noticed her glazed eyes flinch and turn away from the light in the room. Undoubtedly, she had yet another headache.
Link: Dude, she is a headache!
ZeldaQueen: Hey, my plan worked! *waves bloody spork and grins maniacally*
"Hello," Tom said, standing awkward beside her bed.
She didn't respond, merely nodding to him in greeting and attempting to smile, but it fell flat.
Belatedly, he noted the lingering dirt underneath her recently washed fingernails, the appendages bright red from where she had scrubbed. The ends of her long sleeves were still wet. He guessed that she had probably worked the garden most of the day, but as he saw her sway on her feet, he had a sneaking suspicion that she had done other chores as well.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, question - how many strenuous chores could the Dursley household have? That's not even bringing up the fact that I'd imagine that some things, Petunia and Vernon wouldn't trust Holly to do. Heck, the only reason Harry got that huge workload in the second book was because he baited Dudley and got his aunt pissed off at him
His gaze drifted to the window and to the ever increasing darkness outside. Holly had left just after sunrise, and this was the first she had returned. Tom was willing to bet all the gold he didn't have in Gringotts that she had worked the day through without a single break.
Link: Oh yes, she got up just after sunrise and worked straight through until sunset. Suethor, I've got something to show you.
Curse those blasted Dursleys.
ZeldaQueen: CURSE YE, JACK SPARROW!
He felt a swell of sympathy, recalling his own time at the orphanage and the chores he had been forced to do there. But Tom quickly shook away the memories before they had a chance to take a darker turn.
ZeldaQueen: Like how he also spent his time at the orphanage hanging bunnies from the rafters and terrorizing the children
"Here, rest a bit," he said, motioning to her bed and stepping to the side as she sat down. "Would you like something to eat?" he questioned, receiving a faint nod in return. Tom gave a grim grin before ducking underneath her bed and pulling out a box from beneath the floorboards. He paused for a moment, studying the contents.
Link: Ah yes, that must be that...mine of food so often found under the floor...
"Hm… your choices are an apple, an apple, and – guess what – an apple," he put in with a mocking tone. "I believe this means we'll have to raid the Dursleys' food stores again." He handed the lone piece of fruit to Holly without prompting. "Or maybe you could write to our friends, ask for…assistance," he stated, changing his word choice at her raised eyebrows.
ZeldaQueen: I don't feel the least bit sorry for her. Riddle's right, she has five million people who would probably jump at the chance to send her food. You know, like Harry did?
Link: Oh, but how would she angst? She can't angst properly if she's eating cake instead of old apples!
"No, not that it really matters," she replied as she finished chewing. "We'll be leaving soon anyway. It's just another week before we're supposed to stay with Blaise. Just one more week, and we'll be gone. It should be easy enough-"
ZeldaQueen: Why does she have to wait so long? The condition of the spell is that she has to spend at least one day at the Dursley household, isn't it? If she hates them so much, why not just run off on her own?
Link: Angst
ZeldaQueen: Ah yes
Unexpectedly, a snarl crossed her face. She put down her food with a hint of disgust.
Link: Picky, picky
"Holly?" Tom questioned, eyes narrowing dangerously. "What is it?"
ZeldaQueen: Seriously, what is with these people? All we hear about is them sneering, smirking, snarling, scowling, narrowing their eyes, glaring, and pouting! Aren't they ever not smug assholes?
She all but growled, "I forgot. How could I forget?" the girl mumbled more to herself than to him, but at his puzzled expression, she explained, "Marge is coming tomorrow… well, she was actually supposed to be here today, but her train was delayed."
Link: Thank you for that pointless specification
Tom tilted his head to the side, trying to catch up. "Who?"
"Marge… Vernon's idiot sister," she responded with a sneer.
ZeldaQueen: Yet again! It's mighty hard to feel sorry for poor little put-upon her when she acts like a condescending shit all of the time
"And I take it that she is every bit as bad as her brother," the older Slytherin stated, wrapping up the remains of her half-eaten meal and putting it back in the box.
Link: Well, she's not half as bad as Holly, so that's something
Holly exhaled slowly. "She's positively awful, enjoys setting her bulldogs on me. She let one chase me up a tree once and left me there all day. Then, she likes to whack me on the shins when she feels I'm out of line. Not only that, but she insists on buying Dudley expensive gifts in front of me, daring me to say something." The girl sniffed disdainfully. "I could go on."
Link: Please do, by all means. I love the imagery
ZeldaQueen: I'm just pissed that yet again the suethor took something which was played for humor and insists on twisting it for angst. Something tells me she has no grasp of the concept "Crossed the Line Twice"
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Onward to: Chapter 24: Child Of Hope (Part 2)
Back to: Chapter 23: Enemies Of The Heir (Part 2)
Return to: Table of Contents
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-06 04:16 pm (UTC)Even though Harry, who wasn't nearly as fortunate, sucked it up and did his schoolwork and basically just ignored the Dursleys (and was ignored right back) and didn't bother with baawwing about his woeful situation.
God, Holly, you're a whiny little bitch, ain't you?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-06 04:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-07 03:53 pm (UTC)The implication from Holly here is that, because she's a guuurl, she needs more support and is more prone to whining and getting all emotional and being abused. On account of her being a girl, you see. Because we girls are so much more prone to getting all listless and emotional and passive. I mean damn it girl grow a spine or something. I don't want to read how Holly Potter has to have all of her friends do everything for her because she's such a fragile waif (and apparently still 'the smallest Slytherin' even in second year, and this will probably continue into third-- she's got a pituitary gland infection or something, she should have grown a little by now), I want a Girl Who Lived to be taking action. Trying to affect her fate. Not sitting on her bed pouting and being fretted over.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-07 03:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-07 04:47 pm (UTC)And the guuurl thing...oh God just wait until we see next section what happens because of that. x( And the suethor pretty much says the only reason she has it happen is because Holly's a girl. Gah!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-07 03:54 pm (UTC)TOM RIDDLE SENIOR WAS THE VICTIM IN THAT RELATIONSHIP. HE WAS DRUGGED AND RAPED BY A CRAZY INBRED WITCH. YOU STUPID, STUPID, BITCH.
Good Lord, all that WHINING. That really doesn't convince me that she's better than Harry, Suethor!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-07 04:45 pm (UTC)"Good Lord, all that WHINING. That really doesn't convince me that she's better than Harry, Suethor!"
Yeah, it's really hard to make your protagonist look likable when the canon hero goes through everything she does with far less support and achieves far better results with much less whining.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-11 03:19 am (UTC)Side note: Which Link is...well Link? Is he child Link? Or adult Link? Or Toon Link? *really hopes he's adult Link* I don't want to talk about Holly anymore, so lets talk about Link, because he is far more awesome :D.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-11 03:26 am (UTC)I actually haven't thought of that. He's just sort of a mish-mash of the various Links. If I had to place though, I'd say he's a cross between adult Link and Twilight Princess Link. I mostly picked that because he began sporking for "My Inner Life" and adult Link was what the Sue latched her lips onto.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-21 11:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-06-16 08:53 am (UTC)