Life and Limb

Marie stared at Tom, his unforgiving smile mocking her at every angle. In her mind, she could feel the floodgates holding her memories back inch open just a tiny bit. A trickle – barely enough to satisfy the mouth of a thirsty child – escaped, the memories coming back to her in weak flashes:

"He's cute isn't he?" Victoria asked Marie, nudging her as they sat together at the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

"Who?" Marie asked. She looked down the line of other first-years, expecting to see a handsome boy, but instead just spotted Boris Mallard shoving pancake after pancake into his fat mouth.

"Tom Riddle," Victoria giggled quietly. Her eyes were roaming over the farthest table from them.

Marie looked at her, aghast. "Vicky! How could you say that? He's in Slytherin."

Two weeks later...

"Tom Riddle talked to me yesterday," Victoria gushed as she and Marie were getting ready for bed. "He told me what I said in Potions class was clever."

"And now you two are in love, going to get married, and have seven children together, am I right?" Marie teased.

Victoria threw a pillow at her head.

One month later...

"I need your help with an experiment," Tom Riddle said immediately after he approached Marie after Potions class.

Marie packed up her bags quickly. Tom made her uncomfortable. "Sorry, can't. I'm busy."

"You haven't even heard my proposition," Tom said as he grinned.

"Proposition? Is this a school assignment or a business proposal?"

"A little of both."

"And why are you asking me instead of your Slytherin buddies?"

"Because you're the only one who can help me get away with it."

Marie snapped out of her reverie and looked at Tom with new eyes. No wonder he had tried becoming friendly with her, getting closer to her, trying to be nice to her.

He was taunting her with her own memories.

"Get away from me," Marie hissed through her teeth.

"Oh, so you do remember it all, do you?" Tom asked as he leaned casually against the stone wall.

"Not all of it. But enough." Marie dropped her book bag on the ground with a loud thud of finality. "You wanted me to help you with an experiment."

"Yes..."

"But it wasn't for a class. It was for fun. Something illegal."

"Correct. Do you remember what it was, exactly?"

"No. And I'm sure I don't want to. I forgot it for a reason obviously." Marie swallowed hard. "But whatever it was, you and I got in trouble for it."

"Again, correct."

"It didn't work out the way it was supposed to. We ruined something important. But you put the blame for it all on me."

"Yes."

"And I got expelled. And you didn't."

Tom stood there in silence for what seemed like hours before he slowly began to clap. It was a sarcastic motion meant to make fun of Marie, but instead it only fueled her anger. She knew now. Tom Marvolo Riddle had gotten her expelled from Hogwarts, had ruined what should've been the best seven years of her magical life.

Once Tom was done applauding her, Marie snarled, "You didn't tell me your little science project was illegal."

"You never asked. Still don't remember what it was?"

"No."

"You will. Eventually."

"How?"

Tom smirked at her. "I'll make you remember. Just like I did a moment ago. You think you can run away from your memories, Marie Fugazi, but in fact they just follow behind you like a shadow, waiting to pounce on you at your weakest moment."

"Fuck you," Marie spat angrily.

The Muggle curse didn't make Tom so much as blink. "You should be thanking me, really."

"Thanking you? For what? For ruining my life?"

"For trying to make you stronger than you are. I'm only rehashing your worst memories so you can eventually learn to properly shield yourself from them in the future. 'A clear conscience is a sign of bad memory.' You've had a clear conscience up until now, Marie. Now get rid of it and accept what you did. Be stronger."

"I don't even know what I did!" Marie shouted at him. God, he was so infuriating. "You won't tell me!"

"So figure it out," Tom taunted. "'We cannot change our memories, but we can change their meaning and the power they have over us.' Stop letting them take control over you. Learn to take control for yourself."

"Stop quoting your bullshit at me! You're crazy!" Marie covered her ears childishly, as if that would be enough to block his hideous words. She wondered if maybe she should start singing to herself.

She could still hear Tom's words: "You can keep running if you want to, but your memories and fears will catch up to you no matter where you go and no matter what you do. You'll always, in that sense, be my little experiment."

Marie closed her eyes and screamed. She screamed loud and long and hard enough until she felt as though she were about to pass out. When she was done screaming after several long seconds, she opened her eyes.

Tom Riddle was gone. But it didn't matter. He had already left his wake of destruction behind him, five long years ago.