Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Chapter Thirty-Four - The First Assignment

The train ride home was a solemn experience. Isabel sat with the prefects, once again and Rose was slightly annoyed by the thought that if she'd accepted the prefect position, she could be sitting in the compartment with Tom right now, and she'd get more time with him.

Mary had fallen asleep about an hour or so ago, which gave Rose the peace and quiet she yearned for. Her fingers ran across her lips, which were still tender as a result of Tom's kisses and bites from the night previous. She smiled, wishing she could forever feel the sensation of his mouth against hers.

She pulled out Tom's diary from her bag and clutched it close to her chest. At least she would have a piece of Tom close to her over the summer, even if she didn't speak to him. She highly doubted that Tom would be able to write to her. She wasn't even sure he'd have access to an owl regardless. Rose recalled the conversation they had last night:

"Why do you have to go back to the orphanage if you're seventeen?" asked Rose as she re-buttoned her blouse.

"Because," said Tom as he slid on his shoe. "In the muggle world, you don't come of age until you're eighteen. So unfortunately for me I have to endure one more unbearable summer with Mrs. Cole and those disgusting muggle children."

"Maybe I could visit you," Rose propositioned. "I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind."

Tom smirked. "Your parents wouldn't mind you visiting a muggle orphanage to meet an older boy?"

Rose recalled the events that unfolded over Christmas and her brother's large mouth outing her for having a "boyfriend" when it wasn't even the truth.

"Well, I guess I could lie to them," she said.

"You don't want to visit that disgusting place," said Tom with a smile. "There's nothing to do there anyway. We'd be holed up in my dingy, filthy room."

A flirtatious smile spread across Rose's lips.

"I'm sure we could think of something to do..."

Tom looked perplexed at such a forward notion coming from Rose Davies. Her fiery, flirtatious side did enthrall him.

"You keep talking like that and you're going to get yourself into heaps of trouble, Miss Davies."

Rose smiled and was ecstatic that her last night with Tom was everything that she ever could have imagined. She was fairly certain that she could handle two months away from Tom. She was excited to share one last year with him, however she was uncertain and afraid what her seventh and final year at Hogwarts would be like without Tom, but she tried not to dwell on it just yet.

Isabel had entered the compartment adorned in her Hogwarts robes. Every other student was allowed to wear their normal clothes, but Prefects were expected to wear their school clothes until reaching Kings Cross Station.

"Oh, I didn't realize Mary was asleep," she whispered as she sat next to Rose. "But I had to come in here to see you."

"Why?" asked Rose with piqued interest.

"Tom wanted me to deliver a message to you," she teased. Rose's cheeks blushed. Tom had spoken to her own friend about her.

"He did?" Rose couldn't contain her excitement.

"He wants you to meet him in compartment 213 in ten minutes," she said with a large smile plastered on her face.

"Did he say why?" asked Rose anxiously.

Isabel shrugged. "I don't know why, but he said needed to have a word. It sounded urgent."

Rose's heartbeat quickened as she prepared to meet Tom. Isabel retreated to the Prefect's compartment as she made her way towards the back of the train towards compartment 213.