Dose of Darkness | Tom Riddle |

Chapter Two: Welcome Home

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"Though familiarity may not breed contempt, it takes off the edge of admiration."
--William Hazlitt

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The candles above the dinner table, the stars in the night sky between the arches of the ceiling, and the warm light from the torches all around is what made Hogwarts feel like her home. That feeling of home, smelling like warm autumn and pine from the surrounding forests, lingered in her chest with a familiarity that brought comfort on her untamed mind.

However, a great lot of it didn't feel the same at all.

When Eleanor returned each year, the first dinner was the most exciting part of it.

She caught up with friends after a quick summer, she sat across the hard wooden bench in her robes enjoying it before she grew tired of it by the following week, and got to hear all the exciting gossip this year will bring.

But the summer Eleanor had was not one she was thrilled to remember.

Not only was she the key to Grindelwald's downfall essentially, her father was the Minister now too.

As Eleanor walked down the isle between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, the tables seemed smaller.

Growing tense under the eyes that fell on her, Eleanor didn't even notice that Marcella Scamander was jumping up from her seat.

Eleanor's eyes couldn't believe what they were witnessing, becoming so elated that she needed to stop and stare to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
But nothing stopped her from embracing her best friend, in her arms while the girls laughed and held on tight.

Since the attack last Friday in Diagon Alley, Eleanor was sure her friend wouldn't wake from her coma and have to spend the semester in St. Mungos recovering. But she should have known better.

Marcella would never miss the first day.

"When did you wake?" Eleanor asked, gripping her friends hand, the helplessness and guilt she felt since that evening disappearing.

Marcella bouncing with excitement and she could only imagine that her friend must have planned this surprise from the second she woke up.

"Yesterday evening. I had to say, I was surprised when no one was there but I recalled school was the next morning." Marcella shrugged, glancing over at the boys who shook their heads.

She lead her to sit down side by side on the bench and Eleanor, now thrilled beyond belief, smiled at all of the others and it was an all consuming welcoming from her closest friends.

Julius and Cormac were aging beautifully, she saw. Something looked stronger about them and bolder. Maybe their egos were penetrating her mind to such an extent to make her see things, but they looked nice. Everyone had a glow to their face that could only be described as the pride of being the top of the school now.

"After being cursed into a coma, she wakes up and the first thing she thinks of is school." Julius narrated, rolling his eyes.

"I feel like Ravenclaws will always have the burden of school burned into their minds, even if they're knocked out from a bloody curse." Cormac shrugged, defending the girl.

"This will be a heavy year no doubt. I can't believe it's the last one." Eleanor chuckled, looking around at all the others who were desperately leaning into her conversation.

That's when Eleanor looked around for one familiar face she could not find; Lillian. Her shyness made her quiet, but it had never gone unnoticed by Eleanor and now she became worried.