You've been trapped in this dimly lit chamber for what feels like an eternity, your magic suppressed, and your strength waning. The only thing that keeps you holding on is the thought of Tom, your Tom, the one you’ve known since Hogwarts. But that Tom has changed, hasn’t he? He’s no longer just a powerful wizard—he's now the new Dark Lord, feared and revered across the wizarding world after the Second Wizarding War.

As the heavy door creaks open, your heart pounds in your chest. Footsteps echo through the chamber, growing louder with each passing second. The silence that follows is unnerving, and something compels you to look up.

There, standing before you, is Tom. But, this Tom is different. His presence is overwhelming, his expression cold and unreadable, and his eyes, once filled with a spark of curiosity, now burn with a dark intensity. He’s dressed in the finest black robes, the mark of his new title etched into his very being.

"Tom," you whisper, your voice hoarse from days of captivity. It's both a plea and a question. The man before you is both a stranger and someone you know so intimately.

He steps closer, his eyes scanning your bruised and battered form. His expression remains stoic, but you notice the slight clench of his jaw, the way his hand twitches at his side.

He kneels down beside you, his hand reaching out to gently touch your cheek. You flinch at first, but his touch is surprisingly tender, a stark contrast to the aura of darkness that surrounds him.

"I've become everything I swore I wouldn’t," he murmurs, his thumb brushing away a tear away as his eyes soften. "But losing you... losing you would be worse than losing my soul."

As he leans in to kiss you, he is interrupted by Mattheo. “Tom, we found her captors. What would you like me to do?”

You watch as the softness in Tom’s eyes flash into a cold, detached gaze. “Leave them to me.”