After All These Years

Chapter 12

I quietly sat by Tom's windowsill, occasionally looking back at him, then back outside at the long empty field with the forbidden forest slightly peaking out at the end. As I did so, something caught my eye, or should I say "got my attention".    "Tom?" I called out, quickly looking out the window then at Tom, then back to the window.   "Mhm."  He said, not bothering to look back at me.

"The other day, when I was in the hospital wing, Madame pomfrey told me that you saw me drowning in the pond from your windowsill."               "Mhm." He said, still not looking back at me while I stared at his back.     "It's just that, I can't see the pond from here, this is the windowsill you saw me from isn't it?"  I asked before looking back at him.

I watched him tense up and picked his head up, quietly dropping his quill on the paper.   "Where is it Tom?"  I asked. He stood from his desk, rubbing his face with his hands as he turned to me. "(Y/N) look at me." I looked up at him, his eyes deep as he began to speak.  He sighed before speaking.

"You didn't fall into the lake."             "What?"          He slightly groaned, not wanting to tell me more. I needed to know what he's talking about. I fell into the pond, Madame said I did, Tom originally said I did.           "What do you mean, Tom?"    I question.                       "You followed me somewhere, you saw something you weren't supposed to."   I stare blankly at him. What is he talking about?                    "What did you do?"    I ask slowly, scared of his answer. Though I fear I already know it. 

He sighs again, reaching his arm out to grab my shoulder but I slightly backed away into the wall.       "(Y/N)."         He wanted to shut me up.   By drowning me though?      "You tried to kill me?" I say, surprised by how it sounds coming out of my mouth. "All for some stupid secret?"      

"Enough of this (Y/N)."           I want to leave. I can't stand the sight of him right now.    My throat burned as I stared at him, aching to cough.  It only got worse as I tried to hold it in. 

I couldn't hold it in for long, but one cough turned quickly into two, then three. They just kept coming, it felt like it was never ending, something in the back of my throat was tickling, forcing me to cough over and over again. I tried to muffle the sound out with my hands but it was no use.

Tom rubbed his face for a moment, clearly irritated, before saying-  "Go to Madame Pomfrey."

I didn't respond back, how could I? If I tried to talk all that would come out of my mouth were painful coughs, one after another. I could tell he was getting more and more irritated as I was just staring there, not doing anything to prevent my coughing.

"Just-" He looked around the room for a second, trying to find something to shut me up I suppose. From his desk, he grabbed a cup, containing who knows what inside, pushing it towards my direction. "Drink." He ordered. I didn't want to. 

I was hesitant to grab it from him. He shoved it my way before I made up my mind. 

Water. It was just water. 

Tom walked back up to me, grabbing the cup from my hands as stopped coughing and shoved my books into my arms before walking back to his desk. 

None of us said anything, we just stood in silence, I thought of what to say for a few minutes before shaking my head and just walking out.   Just as I slammed his door shut, I heard something being thrown, hitting the door and breaking into a million tiny pieces.