𝕬 𝕷𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊 𝕳𝖊𝖎𝖗 𝕽𝖎𝖘𝖊𝖘 | 𝑇𝑜𝑚 𝑅𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 |

Chapter 9- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Just like that, she was gone again. Tom thought the first few months they'd been separated would somehow condition him for this moment, but the severing was instantaneous. The second that he'd stepped out of the fireplace in Dumbledore's office, there was a drop in his stomach, and it felt as if he was being pulled towards the ground. He hadn't expected her to leave before they'd finished the founder's quest. Even though they would surely be together again by June and back to a better school by September, it was of little comfort to him. Tom said his thanks to Dumbledore and started to head back to Slytherin dorms in a daze. On his way, he quickly ran through what was probably going to be his new mantra for a long time to come:

It's not forever. It's not forever.

"What is not forever, Little Heir?"

Tom snapped out of his reverie of words and was stopped dead in his tracks. A venomous voice that was certainly not his own had entered his mind. He looked around for a culprit, but the corridor was completely empty and still.

"Who's there?"

Of course, no one answered him.

Tom continued walking at a slightly brisker pace. While normally he would've probably blamed Peeves and think nothing more of it, lately he'd seen enough of the school's mysteries to point to other more dangerous sources of beings. He managed to make it back to his dorm room on his own, luckily. However, the sudden appearance of the strange voice had managed to distract him from Frankie momentarily. He quickly rushed up the boys dormitory stairs, praying he wasn't being followed, and entered his room. The dorm was empty, besides Peter, who sat on his bed with some homework and the journal. Tom had asked him to guard it while he was away. Unfortunately, upon seeing Peter he was quickly reminded that it was now his responsibility to tell the whole year of Frankie's permanent departure. He smiled at Tom's approach and waved friendly at him, as he sat down on his own bed.

"Didn't expect you back so soon. Everyone else is still at supper. How did the trip go?" Peter inquired.

"It was fine." Tom said, blandly. Peter gave him an inquisitive look and a gesture that insisted he give him more details and Tom sighed. He collapsed back on his bed and just stared at the top of the canopy, "They've decided to take her. Immediately. She's gone..."

"Well, I suppose that's good for Frankie. I bet she'll be pleased to finally be with her family." Peter added. Tom sighed again. He figured Peter wouldn't get what this meant for him. No one would.

I'm her family. Not them.

"That's right. Never let them take what's yours..."

"She's not mine!" Tom snapped, suddenly rising back up in a fury. Peter looked puzzled by Tom's sudden lashing out. He rarely cracked like that and Peter couldn't think of anything he'd just said to have provoked him.

"I never said that she was." Peter said, reaffirming a calm tone in order to not escalate him further. However, Tom seemed shocked himself by the fact he'd answered someone who did not exist. He looked pale and his eyes darted about the room. Peter obviously noticed his friend's distressed attitude. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course. I think I'm just exhausted from the travel. I need some rest..."

After rushing through the necessary night time rituals, Tom was ready to go to sleep and blissfully remove himself from the reality of the past few hours. Unfortunately, there was no true escape in his dreams. If anything they brought him even closer to the mysterious voice that had suddenly decided this was the time to plague him. Tom had nearly just tucked himself into his four-poster bed when he found himself standing in one of the school's bathrooms. He looked around trying to find something out of the ordinary that might've brought him there, or at the very least identify which bathroom he was in, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He didn't even need to pee. He was just about to leave when the voice hissed, louder than it had during waking hours.