Captured In The Night || Tom Riddle

11: Consequences of Choice

New Timeline
The Pit

A million questions ran through Sofia's mind, but not one could be spoken. She stared up at the wizard Merrick. She had heard him wrong, she must have. Who was this guy that wanted Tom Riddle dead? How did he get her wand? Instead, only one simple word fell from her lips. 
"What?"

"I want you to kill Tom Riddle," Merrick ordered.

Sofia noticed his voice was strange like several voices overlapping. There was a familiar sound under it all, but she couldn't single it out. If he had asked this before she had been assaulted by Peter, she would have said yes in a heartbeat. Riddle needed to be brought to justice, but to kill him? She needed to fix the timeline first. Sofia shook her head at Merrick. Her brother's face came into her mind. If she killed Riddle now, she would be free of him. So many mixed emotions stirred inside her.

Sofia turned to the door as if Riddle would walk in and fix all of this.  Merrick interrupted her thoughts.

"Do not speak to him. Do not give him time to answer. Kill him the moment he comes in." Merrick said.

Sofia shook her head. "No. I can't do that. Riddle may be evil, but I won't kill him. If you want to bring him to justice, I'll help you."

"Kill Tom Riddle or face the consequences," Merrick demanded. The light in the room seemed to dim as Merrick's anger rose.

Sofia glared up at Merrick and pointed her wand at him. "No."

Several workers came in from their break. They moved around Sofia, continuing to work. No one looked up at Merrick. They were used to working and not questioning the wizards over them.

Merrick raised his arms and laughed. Sofia looked around and back at Merrick.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

One man started screaming and grabbed his head. He fell to the ground, followed by another. Several more workers collapsed, screaming. They writhed in pain and agony.

Sofia could only watch in horror, holding her hands over her ears. There was no spell to counter this. She didn't even know what he was doing to them.

Sofia raised her wand at Merrick, "Stupefy."

Merrick apparated out of the room before the spell hit him.

That didn't stop the workers from dying in front of her. She shut her eyes as workers began bleeding from their eyes, followed by the sound of bones crunching.

Silence.

Sofia slowly opened her eyes again and lowered her hands. The workers were dead. Where was Riddle? Was he alive? Why was she okay? Why didn't Merrick attack her? Sofia didn't dare look at the bodies, but blood and crushed bodies were everywhere.

"Expelliarmus." A voice commanded.

Sofia's wand flew from her hand and landed on the floor.

She looked up startled as Tom Riddle entered the room. Riddle marched over and grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her out of the room.

"Ow." She protested. His tight grip dug into her flesh, nearly pulling her off her feet as he dragged her behind him into the pit supervisor's office. He shoved her roughly inside and slammed the door.

Riddle's eyes were furious and his jaw tightened. "What have you done!?"

Sofia shook her head, any arguments were lost in Riddle's fury.

Riddle brought the palm of his hand down and slapped Sofia hard across her face.

Sofia shrunk from his gaze in both fear and pain.  She brought her hand to her sore face, shocked.

"Do you have any idea how this is going to look when the Emperor hears about this? Believe me, he's going to hear about it because I have to report it to him personally."

"I didn't do this." She whispered

"Why should I believe you?" Riddle shouted.

"Why would I do this? Why would I kill everyone?" She argued.

"Peter Pettigrew." He answered.

The accusation stung worse than the slap she had received. "He was already being punished. I didn't kill anyone. There was another wizard, he did it."

Riddle opened the door and held out his wand. With a flick of his wrist, Sofia's wand flew neatly into his waiting hand. "Yeah what did he look like?"

"I don't know, I couldn't see his face," Sofia said.

"How convenient," Riddle said.

Sofia sighed and looked away, wiping at tears.

Riddle walked over to Sofia, grabbed her by the chin, and held up her wand. "Do you know carrying one of these is a death sentence?"

"That wizard Merrick had it."

Riddle snapped her wand in half as Sofia cringed at the sound. He put the broken pieces away and turned with a sigh.

"There was one odd thing about him. He had a weird voice." Sofia said.

Riddle turned his head in her direction and stared at her intensely. "What did you just say?"

"His voice. Merrick's voice sounded like overlapping voices when he talked."

"You know who I'm talking about?" She asked.

Of course, Riddle didn't answer her, he never did. "Let's go."

He took her arm and they apparated out. When they arrived, there was a flying coach awaiting.

A small wizard in black robes nodded. "Where to sir?"

"The Emperor's Palace," RIddle instructed.

Sofia and Riddle climbed inside as the wizard held the door open for them.

"Right away."

The coach looked old fashioned, with double seats facing each other.  The coach jerked once before taking off. It tilted slightly as they flew into the air.

Sofia watched Riddle uncomfortably as he looked quietly out the window.

"Am I going to be executed?" Sofia asked.

"Not by me," Riddle answered unhelpfully.

It was already dark outside when they arrived, landing in front of a large palace that Sofia didn't recognize. She followed him inside as Riddle announced himself to a guard posted in front of a grand golden door as big as the Hogwarts entrance.

The guard nodded to Riddle and rushed inside.

Riddle straightened himself out, then turned and did the same for Sofia. His voice was soft but firm. "You speak out of turn or become disrespectful in any way I will use the Cruciatus curse on you. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Sofia said.

The guards opened the door and Sofia followed Riddle inside. Who was this emperor? Did he rule over the entire wizarding and muggle world?

An empty throne sat elevated on a few steps. Riddle waited quietly with his hands behind his back. Next thing she knew Riddle grabbed her head forcing her to kneel with her head down. She looked over he did the same.

Sofia resisted the urge to pull away. Finally, he let go.

"Rise." A voice commanded.

Sofia stood up as Riddle rose next to her. She looked up curiously as her jaw dropped.

Gellert Grindewald sat on the throne.