Non Omnis Moriar

9: Leaving Wool's

Hello! After a while I am back again!

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It has been...an eventful month hasn't it? A lot has happened possibly all over the world and it must've been overwhelming. I hope everyone is safe wherever they are. And, if needed, my DMs and Social Media is accessible for anyone who needs to talk about anything.

I won't go about blathering further. Here's the next chapter. It's part 1 only because it was getting too long, so I had to half it.

Happy reading!

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At exactly 2 o'clock, Tom Riddle found me at the archway back to the Leaky Cauldron. He came with a brisk walk, hands pushed into the pockets of his robes, looking the picture of normalcy. To think, nobody would assume that he had just been sitting in a seedy pub, discussing plans to 'corrupt' me.

He didn't speak, no questions asked, when he joined my side, my eyes turned forwards, nothing on my face.

Silently, he pulled out his wand, rapping it sharply against the brick, waiting for the archway to fade into view. When it did, he turned to me for the first time. "May I help you with your shopping?" He asked, one hand held out in query and I squinted up at him.

Did he really mean to help? Was it the 40s influence? Or did he want to sneak a look at what all I'd bought?

"No, I got it." I replied dismissively and Riddle's face cooled, as if he'd expected another reaction.

Hah, I thought vindictively, no way am I letting you see my under robes.

He walked through first, leaving me to scurry after him, heaving the bags in one hand because I had the other one wrapped tight around my wand still.

Maybe it was Riddle's psychopathic tendencies, I thought, as we continued the journey back to the orphanage. He had to put up a front, didn't he? He had to appear a certain way. Well, as soon as he had been rebuffed, he continued on without a care, head held high, almost looking down his nose if he deigned to look at the other muggles ambling about in the streets.

I slowed down to examine a few people, wondering at the drawn, almost ill look of them. War wasn't easy to bear, that was true. The state of my friends back at Hogwarts, beaten, bruised, cursed and hexed floated back in my memories, the side of my head throbbing with a phantom pain.

I didn't notice when we reached the metal gates as Riddle pushed them open and walked through, not bothering to glance back even once, as he vanished inside.

I heaved a sigh of relief, at him disappearing and at the roof that now spread overhead. It wasn't my home, wasn't my school, wasn't the Burrow or even the Grimmauld Place, but this was all I had until a few days ago and I was grateful for what it provided.

Another twinge crossed me.

I was an orphan now. This was my lot. I had to be happy with this – satisfied at the very least.

"Miss Revel, is that you?"

It took me a second to process the voice, still thinking about the conversation I'd eavesdropped on. It wasn't until the caller was at my shoulder, presence known that I turned, surprised to see Miss Cole.