[2] after darkness → tom riddle

Epilogue: I'll Be Seeing You

Sounds of a loud heartbeat rung through her ears. She tried to focus on anything but the sound of her heart and it worked. The soothing, soft song grew louder and louder as she focused on it.

"𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓵𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓷'𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮𝓵, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓷𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓼, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓵,"

She recognised the song instantly, it brought her back to a happy moment in her youth. Back before things took a turn for the worse before she fell in love with a monster.

"𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓼𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓻'𝓼 𝓭𝓪𝔂,"

Billie Holiday's soft voice rang through her ears and she focused on her surroundings more. A piercing pain ran through her head and she groaned and rubbed it against the thing she was leaning on.

The movement of something moving back had startled her, so much so she opened her eyes and stepped back when another pair looked directly into hers.

"𝓘𝓷 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽'𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓰𝓪𝔂,"

She had seen that shade of piercing sea-green before, she had seen that face before, but not in a long time. For the owner of the handsome face had changed for the worse.

But here he was, as though a day hadn't flown by.

"Is everything okay, Ophelia?" Tom Riddle asked, his brows furrowed as genuine concern came from the sound of his voice.

"𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝔂,"

"Tom..." Ophelia let out.

Ophelia examined her surroundings and the many people that surrounded her. Her friends and fellow pupils all slowly danced beside her.

She looked up, the beautiful Great Hall ceiling pictured a beautiful calm night sky, the moon shining brightly down upon her.

"...why are we here?" Ophelia asked, not taking her eyes off of the ceiling.

"𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰' 𝓼𝓾𝓷,"

"Ophelia," Tom let out in disbelief, "are you alright?"

Ophelia looked back at Tom, she shook her head, "answer the question."

"It's All Hallows Eve, Ophelia," Tom answered, "you know, October the 31st, 1943."

"𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓮𝔀,"

Ophelia turned her attention back to the moon as she uttered out, "1943."

"Yes Ophelia," Tom sighed, "Dippet announced last week that there would be a Hallowe'en Ball for the sixth and seventh years." He paused, "and you agreed to go with me when you bought your dress."

Ophelia looked back at Tom as he finished speaking.

"𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷,"

"Is everything alright, Ophelia?" A girl asked as she placed her hand on Ophelia's arm.

Ophelia winced at the sound of the voice and the warm touch from the girl. Her head slowly turned away from Tom's as she looked at the girl who possessed the familiar voice.

"𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾,"

Her beautiful ocean-blue eyes stood out even in the dimly lit hall. Her warm dark skin and her beautifully branded long black locks brought tears to Ophelia's eyes. The beautiful Filipino girl gripped both of her hands on both of Ophelia's arms as she felt Ophelia fall to the floor.

Ophelia landed on her bottom and brought the Filipino girl down with her, who quietly knelt beside her as Ophelia reached her hands out to her face.

"𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓼𝓾𝓷,"

The people around them all looked to make sure Ophelia was okay, Morgandy and Harlen handled the situation and got everyone else to turn back around.

Ophelia's hands had reached the girl's face and a massive smile formed on hers as she felt the warmth of another's skin in her hands. Ophelia let the tears slip as she pulled the girl tightly into a hug.

"𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓮𝔀,"

"I can't believe it," Ophelia cried. "You're really here."

"Of course," she laughed as she hugged back her friend, "why wouldn't I be really here?"

"𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷,"

The moon shone upon the two friends and Ophelia smiled as she reached for the girl's face one last time. It was that moment Ophelia realised that this was real life.

This wasn't in purgatory. Or her own personal hell. Ophelia was alive and living in the moment. For everything that she had just seen, from the death of her friends to the birth of her children to her own death, was all a vision caused by the contact between herself and Tom Riddle.

Ophelia looked the girl in the eye, smiling ever so brightly.

"Starr," Ophelia said her name, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾."