Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter Text
"I shall but love thee better after death"
'Sonnet 43'
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Prologue
A cloaked pale man marched on ahead. On his tail were similarly dressed figures, all dressed in black but unlike the pale snake-like man, these figures wore silver ornate masks that covered their faces, stripping them of their identity. They marched on with their wands out, following their lord.
Memories swirled in front of the eyes of the pale snake-like man as he marched onwards to his end goal. It was only a matter of time before he had what he wanted in his hand. He had already gained immortality. Though it took him unsavoury and dark means to get to his goals, he, the heir of Slytherin and the last of his bloodline had gone and done the impossible.
Soon, Tom Riddle, no, Lord Voldemort would defeat destiny. The boy who lived was near his grasp and near death. He, himself, was near-immortal. The horcruxes worked. His looks and sanity were but a small sacrifice. Killing the boy who lived would be easy.
"Forever is a long time, Tom." He heard a familiar voice, he hadn't heard in decades. The cloaked man froze in his place.
One of his faceless, masked followers looked up at him in confusion. "My lord." The Dark Lord put a hand up, hushing his follower. His dark eyes darted around for a sign of the ghost of a woman that still haunted him despite his endless attempts to banish her from his memories. A simple solution would've been to erase her completely from his memories with a spell but something always held him back, he didn't know what.
Was it the lingering attachment Tom had for those times?
Was it the affection he might've felt for her?
He didn't know.
"It's lonely too." The voice continued as if the owner was walking away from him.
"Cora..." The Dark Lord mumbled under his breath but the voice made no response to him. He half-expected for her to show herself. His only friend, the only one he truly considered a friend, once upon a time when he still resembled something of a man. "Cora?" He repeated but the voice had grown quiet as if it was afraid of him.
Suddenly he heard familiar youthful laughter. It was so familiar and so close that he had to look around. It was him. The familiar laughter was his own.
"Oh, but death is lonelier, Cora." His younger self responded, sounding so full of himself but he had life in him and there was a tinge of joy in his tone as if he actually enjoyed speaking to the other person.
The Dark Lord gripped his wand tight and looked around. His followers jumped into action, following his lead, looking for what their Lord was looking for but in the dark woods, they found nothing. They looked to their lord but the serpent-like man was lost in his memories.
His mind was playing tricks on him again.
How long had it been since he had felt this feeling?
This sinking feeling of sudden despair. He had sworn that he had lost his ability to feel anything once he started dabbling in dark arts. When he first split his soul, he started to feel numb. It didn't take her long to notice, she always noticed the little changes about him and he about her. When he kept on diving in, she distanced herself and went her own way. He let her as he became numb to everything.
"But in death you can be reunited with those you lost." Cora's voice whispered in his ears.
No.
He didn't want to be reunited with her or anyone. His father abandoned his mother and him. His mother abandoned him. The one person who swore would never abandon him disappeared without a single trace. His only friend, someone who was more than a friend and the closest he had to family was gone, nobody knew where she went. They all thought it was him but for once it wasn't.
He didn't want to be reunited with them at all.
"You know they say that your life flashes before your eyes when you die." A soft voice carefully spoke, leaning close to Tom but still keeping her distance.
Tom snorted and shook his head. "Well, that's never going to happen to me."
"Why? Is it because there's nothing memorable in your life?" She sounded a little offended, thinking she wasn't special to him after all.
"No." He turned away from her and snapped his book shut, getting up and turning away from the voice. "Because I'll never die."
The girl in his memories stared up at him, unmoving. Her eyes trembled and hands shook. "Don't be silly, Tom." She laughed nervously, looking away from him and putting even more distance between the two. "Everyone dies. No one is an exception, not me and certainly not you..."
Harry Potter, who he thought was dead, rose from the dead and the two fought to the end. He had the elder wand, he had the upper hand at least it was what he believed but fate was a funny thing. In minutes, years of progress he had built up unravelled and the boy-who-lived won their last duel.
How ironic?
He ran so far from death and decay, only to perish at the ripe age of just seventy-one. He could picture the unaged face of his only friend laughing at him for his prolonged foolishness. Cordelia would call him an insane fool like she did that night if she saw him now.
Crazed laughter almost escaped him but he was too tired to laugh, to move or to do anything. Perhaps it was time for him to rest.
His body had shrivelled up, turning him to the old man he was meant to be but he kept on ageing until finally his skin began to crack and break. The old man with a wistful smile on his face, closed his eyes as his body turned to dust. A strong gust of wind blew past him, taking pieces of him with him.
There was nothing left.
The Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort was dead and Tom Riddle who fought to leave his mark was turned to dust.
Tom awoke with a start as he gasped for air clutching his chest. His eyes darted around the plain fields, searching for something.
First, he was surprised that he wasn't alone and second he noticed that it was bright outside, brighter than what he remembered. His hands were still gripping his chest when Tom carefully picked himself up and wiped his grass-stained trousers.
Slowly, he approached his company, a little girl of what looked to be eight or seven with her back turned to him. Her messy brown hair was in two plaits. She seemed too busy to notice his presence as she sat on the grass field with a pile of flowers next to her that to Tom looked more like weeds. She seemed to be busy making a crown or a wraith of flowers.
She paused and sat up straight when he sensed her. "Tom?" She called out, turning around to meet the boy.
"Cordelia?" He called out to her as he grabbed her by her shoulders and gently shook her.
"I'm here Tom." Cordelia lazily looked up at one of her only friends at Wool's. Her bright blue eyes stared into his dark ones before she looked back down. "Did you fall asleep while I was talking again?" She asked instead, turning away from him. It appeared to Tom that she was not in the best of moods as she continued to work on her crown of flowers.
He nodded once, not making any excuses before laying back down but this time on Cordelia's knees which were splayed out in front of her. "Cora, I had the strangest dream." Cordelia nodded, listening to him. She was a little surprised that her friend had decided to share something voluntarily without being pushed.
"What was it about?" Cordelia put the half-finished crown of daisies down on the grass floor and leaned down on Tom who reached out for her. She was someone who was curious about dreams and right now she really wanted to know what Tom's dream was about but he never answered.
Instead, he gently touched her face in response and closed his eyes as he smiled peacefully.
Chapter 2: An Unforgettable Fever Dream
Chapter Text
Chapter 1: An Unforgettable Fever Dream
2nd May 1935, London
Dark clouds loomed over London bursting with rain as Cordelia Alder stared out the small window in a tiny bedroom on the top floor of Wool's orphanage. Her legs dangled off the spare bed in a room that wasn't hers, while she paused to stare at the boy on the bed across from her.
He still hadn't woken.
Cordelia looked down and untied the faded sunshine yellow satin ribbon holding her braids while waiting for the boy to wake up. Her light brown hair broke free into messy but presentable soft curls. She had tried to straighten her hair once but no matter how hard she combed and how many home remedies the older girls at Wool's tried on her hair, none would ever work. It was like she was cursed with these messy tresses.
A light tap was heard on the window and Cordelia shifted her attention to the window. Against the window, light raindrops crashed and broke apart before multiplying into smaller droplets. She traced the drops with her small fingers before a bigger drop of rain crashed against the windowpane making her jump.
Drops of rain started to multiply as more and more rain fell from the sky and crashed against the window before the clouds finally burst. All the water the clouds had been holding in for the dry month of April showered down on London, drenching the streets and the people rushed to run and hide from the rain.
The people ran like ants clutching their bags or newspapers above their heads. Some street children came out of the alleys and held out their hand up to the sky, laughing at the sudden cold, a break from the strange scorching heat of April.
Cordelia smiled watching them play, almost wishing she was out there with them. Mrs Cole, the somewhat strict matron of Wool's would never allow her or any children at Wool's to play out in the rain, let alone with the street children.
With a sigh she turned her attention back to the sleeping boy on the bed opposite. The boy was deathly pale with black hair which made the boy appear a little sickly though she wasn't foolish enough to say it to his face else strange things would happen to her just like the others. It was a mystery how nothing had happened to her yet despite her accidental remarks towards him.
"Tom." Cordelia softly called out to his still form. "Tom." She raised her volume a little to be heard against the increasing downpour. "Riddle." She started calling him by last name, hoping to get a reaction out of him but nothing.
She slumped back down to the bed and glared at the sleeping Tom Riddle, silently cursing him for choosing to be suddenly ill that particular day. It was so strange how someone who had never ever been ill, let alone even caught a cold, suddenly faint in the middle of the street. He just had to do it on the day Jane was leaving. He made it clear how much he loathed everyone at Wool's he never hid it, perhaps she was less loathed than the others but she hated it when he tried to isolate her from whatever friends she already had.
She wanted to say goodbye to Jane but instead she was stuck taking care of him because Mrs Cole was busy with taking care of the paperwork for Jane. While Martha was running errands and the older children were preparing dinner or were too afraid of Tom to even go near him. She rolled her eyes when that thought came to her.
Tom wasn't scary, not to her. He was unnerving and at times odd but she never found him terrifying so she never understood what the fuss was about. "Who's afraid of you?" She murmured under her breath, jumping out of the bed and sitting up straight when she heard a knock on the door.
"Cordelia?" Mr Cole walked in slowly and stopped at the foot of Tom's bed. Concerned, she reached out for him and touched his forehead before turning to her. "Did he wake up?" Cordelia shook her head and pursed her lips as Mrs Cole let out a sigh. "Strange. He's never been ill. I don't understand what's going on? He doesn't even have a fever."
"Maybe he was really tired." Cordelia suggested. She didn't really believe her own words. It was her who liked to stay up past bedtime, not Tom. He'd rarely walk around at night past bedtime and only did so when he was up to something.
"Very peculiar." Mrs Cole wasn't listening to Cordelia anymore but too busy staring at Tom as if her gaze alone would wake the boy up from his sudden slumber. Slowly, she turned her sight on Cordelia who met her gaze innocently. A flash of realisation flashed across her face. "You fainted last year like Tom, didn't you? I remember, it was hard waking you up. You stayed like that for two days. We had to call in Dr Wool." She let out a sigh. "I don't know if Tom will be asleep that long though I hope not." Her words didn't match the way she felt or looked but Cordelia stayed quiet and listened like she always did.
Mrs Cole changed the rag on Tom's forehead despite a lack of a fever, she insisted on putting a cold rag thinking it might be a strange fever. Again Cordelia stayed silent and only observed her. Tom looked worse after she put the cold rag and whenever Mrs Cole left the room, Cordelia would take it off and put it to the side. He would relax and look better after. Still she didn't bother to tell Mrs Cole about her observations—it didn't really matter, Mrs Cole just wanted to get away from Tom like the others.
"Did Jane…" Hopefully Cordelia glanced at the old matron, wishing she'd momentarily allow her to go see Jane for one last time but the old matron shook her head.
"Not yet, no. I'm still dealing with the papers. Martha is entertaining her new family."
"Can I visit her really quickly?"
"Cordelia." She knew the answer before Mrs Cole even finished speaking. It was a 'no', of course she couldn't. What was she thinking? Tom still hadn't woken up and it was getting late. It was worrying yet no one really seemed to care much apart from Martha who actually helped Cordelia watch over Tom and even brought her some books and some food for lunch. "I'm afraid you can't. I understand that you want to but Tom is still ill. I know it's a little unfair for you but…you're the only one I thought was the best for this job."
Liar.
She could see right through the old woman but she couldn't do anything. Unlike Tom, she didn't like voicing out her complaints especially if it would lead to an argument. Some at Wool's called her meek for her behaviour—she wasn't meek, she was just trying to keep quiet until she was eleven and she got the letter her late sister got before her untimely passing.
It wasn't the only thing.
She knew everyone else was wary of Tom, everyone but her. The two were often said to be similar except she wasn't quiet or hostile to the other children. She treated them like normal while Tom acted as if he was better than them. His attitude caused some friction between him and other children mainly Amy Benson, Dennis Bishop and newest addition to Wool's, Billy Stubbs. The older children didn't exactly like him either and she didn't know why. She tried asking Robbie about it once but the older boy only gave her a strained smile and a vague answer. It was the same with Peggy and Peggy was kind and attentive to everyone.
Forcing herself to smile, she nodded. "...I understand Mrs Cole." She had to. If someone like Any was left in charge, who knows what would happen. Though she still felt very bitter about missing a goodbye to Jane, one of her few friends at Wool's apart from Tom—if they were really friends.
Without another word, Mrs Cole left and Cordelia was left watching Tom again. Against the loud pitter patter of the rain and the quiet of the third floor where Tom's room was, she could faintly hear two heart beats. At least he was still alive.
"Wake up." Cordelia tried again. It wasn't going to work, she knew that. They tried those methods with her as well. Tom didn't watch over when she was ill, it was Lucy and Jane but now Jane was leaving and it was just her and Lucy. Tom did visit her that time according to Lucy. "Wake up." She poked his arm. "Wake upppp." Still no response.
She slumped back down to the spare bed and grabbed her diary. Her eyes started to feel heavy and she closed them.
The air around her got colder. The wind outside picked up and violently knocked against the windows. The windows clattered loudly. She almost reached for them to put the latches on to make the noise but she stopped and sat back down. Maybe the noise would wake him.
Shutting her eyes again, she clutched her diary close to her chest and momentarily drifted off to a short slumber.
When Cordelia opened her eyes, she wasn't in Tom's room. She was in a small shabby apartment. In the other room, she could hear two people arguing loudly, a man and a woman. Hearing them, she naturally went to the other room, avoiding the bickering voices. She found herself in the hazy bedroom.
Bright sunlight streamed into the room, a sharp contrast to the dreary reality she would eventually wake up to. The room was almost bare but one thing stood out to her—the large half opened suitcase on the bed. It was like the person who lived there was moving. Everything was haphazardly shoved into the suitcase and some clothes were strewn about. Cordelia couldn't help but reach out for them to put them away, Mrs Cole wouldn't be happy if she saw the scene, she thought.
Wait. Mrs Cole wasn't even there. Just as the thought occurred to her—her hand went straight through the clothes. It was a dream after all.
"Get out!" The strange woman's voice was getting louder and louder as if she was walking towards the bedroom. "Get out!" She repeated again like she was telling Cordelia to leave. "I don't know how you found me again but I've made it very clear I don't ever want to see you again."
"But we promised—"
"And you promised you wouldn't do anything. We both know exactly what you've been up to." She promptly cut the man off. "You were the one who said we've outgrown each other so let go and leave me alone!"
The door knob started to rattle. Panicked, Cordelia looked for a place to hide but there was nowhere to hide.
"Cordelia!" She froze when she heard her name being called out by the man. "Cora!" He called out to her again, sounding more and more desperate. "Cordelia!"
She jumped up from the nightmare and looked around her surroundings. Tom was still asleep. Strange. She could've sworn she heard his voice call out to her. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her.
Her diary had fallen to her lap. She picked it up and turned to a blank page before pausing and going back to the filled pages. She wondered if any new entries appeared but there was nothing. She picked up a pencil and started to write down what she saw when she heard a soft groan.
Tom Riddle groaned and mumbled unconsciously before he woke up with a loud gasp. Cordelia dropped her pencil in surprise. His dark eyes were wild and he was drenched with sweat as he glanced around the room, trying to check where he was. While across the room he was being watched by Cordelia.
He noted two things.
One, he wasn't at Hogwarts and two he wasn't alone.
His eyes naturally went to the other person in the room. Seeing her, he froze. The familiar messy brown hair tied into a braid with a faded blue ribbon, pale freckled face and those bright blue eyes so full of life. He waited for her to look up and she did. Those blue eyes he hadn't seen in so long.
"Cora?" He carefully called out to her, invoking a strange look from her. His voice was raspy and he looked tired, an unusual look for him.
She still kept an eye on him before she gracefully walked towards him. She hoped he wouldn't question her about her diary so she quickly decided to take charge of the upcoming conversation before he got a word in.
"Good morning, Tom." Was the first thing she said and she noted Tom seemed in awe of her voice like it was the first time he heard her speak in a long time. She found it odd but carried on. "Martha was worried when you fainted on the way back from school, she had to carry you back and had Robbie put you to bed and I'll have you know it's actually past dinner." She added in a matter-of-factly voice before smoothing her skirt and sitting back down.
"I didn't really ask."
Used to his attitude, she flicked his forehead with a free hand and Tom grabbed his head in pain. "It wouldn't hurt to be nice, you know. Mrs Cole asked me to watch you, she's busy with Jane. You know Jane's leaving today with that couple. I should be saying goodbye to her instead I'm stuck taking care of you."
"It's not like she's going to remember you once she has a proper family." He accidentally blurted out. He instantly regretted it. He said the same thing last time which led to a massive argument with her that lasted for weeks. It was her who ended up forgiving him after nothing he did worked. "Cora—"
She started to nod, not even letting him finish. "You're right but I was hoping she would remember me. First Katie then Jane. I wonder if Lucy will be next." Carefully she checked Tom's reaction, he was surprised she agreed with him instead of arguing back with him like she usually did. He was the only one she actually argued with. "I'm going to go and tell Mrs Cole, you're awake."
Tom didn't take his sights off of her, tracking her movements very carefully, something she had yet to notice. She looked distracted by her thoughts to notice him. Momentarily he was distracted by the sounds of the heavy downpour and turned his gaze to the half-fogged window. It was raining.
It wasn't raining before.
He took his eyes off the window and turned back to Cordelia. She was younger than how he remembered her. The last time he saw her, she had tears streaming down her face as she left his place and disappeared out of his sight. She was only twenty-eight back then.
Nobody saw her ever again.
Nobody knew where she went.
He scoured the entire world looking for her. He never found her, nobody did. She was gone.
Yet, she was there in front of him, again, much younger.
With a thick leather diary in one hand and a pencil in the other, Cordelia Alder quietly wrote down an entry on one of the pages. She wrote the date and a few lines, all the while she kept an eye on Tom who was still coming around to his senses. She was careful not to get too close or let him see what she was writing.
"I'm seeing things again." Tom mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes but he paused to stare at his hands before looking around again. The scratchy sheets he hadn't seen or felt in decades, the ugly olive and grey striped wallpaper which was peeling at the edges and the old wood floor dotted with strange marks. "Wha—" He looked up and glanced at Cordelia again who had quickly hid her diary behind her back and slowly walked up to Tom.
Tom jumped out of his bed, threw his covers and grabbed her wrist tightly in his hands, stopping her from leaving. "Where were you?" His eyes darkened as he glared at her. When he noticed her confused face. His gaze softened.
"What?" She tilted her head to the side and gave him a strange look. She was right there all day, watching over him and he was asking where she was? "I was here Tom. Mrs Cole told me to watch over you, were you not listening?" Her thoughts went to those strange words which appeared in her diary and quickly she banished them though she didn't know why.
"We weren't in a meadow?"
She calmly breathed out, fighting off the urge to talk back to him. No, she couldn't. He was ill. She had to remind herself he was sickly. "What meadow?"
"The meadow." He repeated, sitting up straight and making a motion of standing up but she pushed him back down. "You know you were making flower crowns."
She couldn't help but laugh. "Tom, we live in the middle of London." Pointed to the cloudy and rain covered window and chuckled. The dark grey skyline of London was vaguely seen from Tom's bedroom but he could see it. "And you've seen the state of the garden, I'd barely call it a meadow. All overgrown thorns and what not, not exactly a meadow."
"But—"
"You must've been dreaming."
"No, I swear it was real."
"Tom." She was getting annoyed at his sudden stubbornness. He was stubborn, she knew but she hated his bouts of stubbornness when she was trying to do something. "It was all a dream."
"So it was a dream." He repeated.
"Was it a good dream?"
To her surprise, Tom Riddle smiled. He really smiled. Not a hollow doll-like smile which sent shivers down one's back but an actual smile. His eyes lit up and she wished she could've quickly captured that moment. Amy would've died to see him smile. But the smile was gone just as suddenly as it had come. "Yes. Yes it was." He said slowly, looking up at her to meet her gaze.
Tom's grip on her hand loosened before she pulled away. Now free, she put a hand to his forehead. It was suddenly a little warm. "Go back to bed, I'll go get Mrs Cole or Martha."
But she didn't get to leave again. "What's that?" Tom asked, trying to get a look at Cordelia's diary, the only thing she had left from her parents.
"It's my diary." She honestly answered.
There was no point lying to Tom. The more she lied, the more he tried to know what she was hiding. He had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, it didn't matter if it was useful or useless, he had to know. The only way to stall him was to give him what he wanted so she always told him half-truths, he didn't pry much after.
"You know the diary that belonged to my sister. I got it after she…" She trailed off, leaving the room.
Cordelia never liked talking about her family. What little memories she did have of them were sacred to her. Rarely she shared them with Tom and no one else. Even so, she didn't like talking about them. Her parents and her older sister were all she had and now they were gone.
Some days, she forgot what they looked like. She remembered her father had the same brown hair she did while her mother had black messy hair and bright blue eyes like her. Her sister had taken after her father, dark brown eyes and neat brown hair along with an ever present smile.
Everytime, she remembered her family, it felt hard to breathe and had to leave where she was. So she kept walking, not caring where she was going and ran down the stairs even though Mrs Cole would punish her for it later.
She had to get out of there.
Tom didn't try to stop her. He did as she told him to and lay down. He was alive again and she was still here, so much younger than he last saw her which meant he was younger too. Quickly, he left his room and hurried to the bathroom, making Peter, another orphan at Wool's, jump.
He stood on his toes, trying to reach the mirror. Finally he caught a peek of his face and his dark eyes widened. "Tom, what are you doing?" He almost lost his footing but quickly caught himself on the basin when he saw Cordelia staring at him.
Not wanting her to make fun of him, he quickly composed himself and left the room. "I thought you went to get Mrs Cole or Martha."
Cordelia looked at Peter who hurried out of sight before turning back to him. Peter, like the others, was scared of Tom while she pitied him. The other children were either afraid of him or found him too strange and would often resort to picking on her instead of Tom. Unlike Tom who gave them dead stares or quiet threats, she had no problem playing their games. Instead she would cause trouble for them and have Mrs Cole or Martha punish them. It was easy for her, almost as easy as staying in Tom's good graces.
"Martha's preparing some leftovers for you with Peggy while Mrs Cole is helping Jane." She answered before shoving a book into Tom's hands. "Before you ask, I didn't steal it."
"You never do."
"No. I don't because I ask just like I asked Robbie for that and gifted it to me since I like to read it so much" She gestured to the book. The book was an old copy of 'The Secret Garden', one of her favourite books. She used to always ask Robbie to let her read that book and he would always ask if she was tired of reading that one book and she never was. Tom, to her knowledge, had never read that book. "You can lay in bed and read."
"How thoughtful." Cordelia's eyes narrowed at Tom but she quickly plastered on a smile before he noticed. "Do you want to read together?" He offered, looking hopeful, something she was taken aback by.
He was acting strange. Perhaps it was his illness or perhaps it was something else but something wasn't right. The Tom she knew would just take the book and ignore her, no thank yous or any form of acknowledgement yet here he was.
"I've read that one." She coolly replied. "Besides, I've got my chores to do—haven't done anything all day."
"Ah yes but didn't you say that Mrs Cole told you to look after me." Only because Mrs Cole didn't want the burden and Martha was far too busy. Cordelia didn't say it out loud but it seemed like Tom knew what she was thinking.
"Just until you woke up."
"Did she really say that?"
No, she didn't.
Cordelia was cornered and Tom could see it. A light grin appeared on his face as she scowled at him. She hated it when he did that. It was how he always managed to get his way by finding loopholes in every one of her words.
"I'm ill, you know. Mrs Cole did say to watch over me because I'm ill." He kept repeating while waving the book around.
"Fine." She finally relented and he smiled before reaching out for her, dragging her back to his room. Peter, who was still watching the entire exchange, had to pause and rub his eyes in shock when he saw the exchange. Tom Riddle had smiled. "You don't have to hold my hand." Cordelia ripped her hand away from his, waiting for him to lay back down.
Tom stared down at his empty hand while she had her back to him before glancing at her. Cordelia was still the same, a little distant but kind. She was one of the few who had no problem saying 'no' to him and ignoring him. It hurt a little, thinking about it now. How strange. He felt hurt. He couldn't recall a time where he felt anything let alone hurt.
"Tom?" Cordelia noticed he had stopped in the middle of the room and had not moved at all. "Tom?" She tried again. She was getting impatient and the way he was acting didn't help. "Tom!"
Finally snapping out his daze, Tom looked up to see Cordelia staring up at him in concern. He tried to smile to assure her that he was fine but stopped, remembering her reactions from before. She wasn't used to the sudden change and she never would be if he carried on the way he was doing so he decided to take it slow, something that was not gone missed by Cordelia.
She was following his every move with her eyes, every little thing he did. His face might've been blank but Tom's eyes often gave much away. There was a renewed light in them that felt foreign to her, still she stayed.
Tom went to his bed and lay down before reaching for his book. He stopped. "Where's your diary?" Glancing everywhere around the room, he realised she came back only with the book, not with her diary. Disappointed, he deflated into his seat. She never let him peek into the pages of her diary no matter what.
"I put it away." She answered, taking a seat on the empty bed opposite his. It was meant for another but nobody wanted to share a room with him. She used to share a room with him before but after her eighth birthday, Mrs Cole put her in a room with Jane who was now leaving Wool's forever, putting Cordelia in the same position as Tom. "It's fine, I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes. Wake me up before Mrs Cole comes back."
He nodded as she made herself at home before laying down, shutting her eyes. He waited a few minutes, counting down until he noticed her go still. Her chest softly rising and then falling as she snuggled into the bed. He threw his covers off and carefully approached her.
If she was still awake, Cordelia would be very angry to see Tom so close to her while she tried to sleep. Cordelia hated people getting close to her while she slept but he couldn't help it. He had to check. Without thinking, he reached out for her face. Her soft, pale and small face felt so real to him. He drew back and pinched himself to check if he was still dreaming or not.
She was here in front of him. Alive and well. He gently caressed her cheeks and let out a sigh. Suddenly Cordelia woke up with gasp, she sat up and he hurriedly moved away, acting as if he was busy reading. Her eyes trembled as she shivered uncontrollably.
Tom was at her side in an instant. Cordelia flinched at his touch, quickly composing herself but the trembling didn't stop.
She felt so cold.
"Cora—"
"Don't call me that!" She accidentally shouted at him, clasping her shaking hands over her mouth. She was surprised at the way she reacted. Tom could be troublesome but she had never ever shouted at him. Somehow she didn't feel guilty, no, she felt scared instead. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." She quickly apologised and got up.
Neither saw each other for the rest of the night. It was Martha who delivered Tom's dinner to him while Cordelia holed up in her room scribbling away in her journal. She never managed to say goodbye to Jane but she made peace with it, choosing not to blame Tom.
Chapter 3: People Watching
Chapter Text
Chapter 2: People Watching
27th June 1935, London
"Do you think Tom's acting strange?" Cordelia questioned while watching the other children run around the garden. Robbie along with some of the older children had cleaned the garden up, the downpour earlier certainly helped. "Lucy?"
Lucy Henwood stirred and the book covering her face fell to the side as she sat up, rubbing her eyes before she let out a sneeze. "Spring is not for people like me, Delia." She moaned, moving her ash blonde hair out of her eyes, revealing her green eyes that Cordelia envied a little. Even though summer had come, Lucy like her typical self mistook the seasons. It was a silly habit she had, never knowing what season it was until it was too late; she only knew winter and that was it.
"That's not what I asked." Cordelia pouted and Lucy giggled. She poked Cordelia's cheek with Cordelia turning to glare at her. "Lucy. Lu, stop it." Swatting Lucy's hand away from her face, Cordelia ducked her head down once she spotted him in the distance.
Tom was standing near the back door. His eyes scanned the children playing but he paid them no mind. Cordelia wasn't in her room or anywhere inside. He didn't find Lucy either, it meant one thing; Lucy and Cordelia were outside together.
Lucy curiously glanced between her friend and Tom but made no move to hide herself. She waited for a moment before Tom moved out of her vision to call out to Cordelia. "He's gone." Only then did Cordelia come out of her hiding spot. "Why are you hiding from him?" Curiously she eyed her friend and the retreating form of Tom.
For a moment, Cordelia didn't speak, she was watching Tom go back inside before she got up. "Did you say something, Lu?" Honestly, Cordelia could either be the most attentive person or the most absent-minded person. "Oh, right." She clicked her fingers suddenly remembering what Lucy had said. "Tom. Right. This is about him…I'm not hiding from him…I'm just really busy." Her answer was slow and drawn out and anyone with half a brain could tell she wasn't being completely honest.
Lucky for her, Lucy knew when not to press people for answers. She accepted the poor excuse and said nothing more about Tom. Clearly something had happened in the span of a day or two while Riddle was knocked out.
"He is acting strange." Muttered Lucy, answering Cordelia's question from before. She glanced at Cordelia who's attention was on her. "But he's not the only one." She added, getting up and dusting her skirt and then passing her book to Cordelia.
Cordelia let out a nervous laugh. "What's that supposed to mean?" She clearly knew what Lucy meant but she thought she had hid it well.
If she had to be completely honest, she'd tell her what was truly bothering her. It wasn't Mrs Cole's numerous requests or the mere presence of Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop or even Tom—no, it was the strange dreams she had been having since March.
"Nothing." Lucy held out her hand to Cordelia to help her get up. She ignored it but Lucy wasn't the one to give up. "We should get back, we need to set up the table for supper."
Though Cordelia had agreed with her, she didn't budge. Her mind was starting to wander again and she aimlessly looked around the yard when a group of people caught her eyes. Abruptly she stood up and Lucy jumped back in surprise.
"Why's everyone gathering over there?" Cordelia looked at Lucy who scrunched up her face in confusion.
It took her a minute to find what Cordelia was looking at before she realised what was happening. "Dunno, I do see Amy and Dennis—there's Eric there as well. Who knows what they're up to this time. We better get out of here before they do something to get us all in trouble."
"Coward." Cordelia said with a grin and Lucy rolled her eyes, grabbing onto her friend's arm to stop her. "What do you think they're up to?"
"I don't know but I know it's not good; they've never been on their best behaviour."
"True. I don't know why Amy even sticks around with Dennis, he's so…vile. I can't even stand to look at him."
"That's why you ought to stay away from them. Let's go back inside."
Cordelia wasn't the type to look for trouble, in fact, she was the type to avoid it but would always do her best to help when needed. "You can let go, Lu, I'm not stupid enough to go into that…" She stopped when she finally spotted a familiar head in the middle of the small crowd. "Lu, am I going blind or does that look like Tom in the middle of that?" Pointing at the head of dark hair, she looked at Lucy for confirmation.
There was no way it could be Tom. He wasn't confrontational nor did he like talking to people. It didn't exactly help that most were weary of him even the older children like Robbie and Margaret. It couldn't be him.
"Eh…Delia."
"Cor-de-lia." Cordelia was getting sick of correcting people on her name. She didn't like nicknames very much and found it a waste of time, though she'd never admit, she did like 'Cora' out of all her nicknames. Lately, however, it was different. "Honestly, Lu, you know I prefer my actual name to any pet names."
"Forget that. Look!" Lucy grabbed her friend and forced her to look at the crowd. "That is Tom; what's he doing there?"
"Just because he speaks more than two words to me—oh no." Abruptly Cordelia cut herself off and covered her mouth with her hands as a sickening crunch echoed against the yard. Her eyes widened in horror when she noticed Peter, the new child at Wool's had punched Tom without a single warning.
The yard was silent and everyone stood still as if time had stopped. All the laughter was sucked out in an instant before the younger children started crying even though they weren't the ones hurt. Tom, despite being injured, didn't cry. He looked annoyed but not pained or upset.
Before she could stop herself, Cordelia was running across the garden to get the crowd. She pushed her way through the crowd and made it to the centre. Naturally, Amy and Dennis's eyes found her. They had a silly grin on their face and that's when she knew; it was them, they provoked poor Peter to attack Tom.
Cordelia scanned the scene in front of her and that's when she understood. Tom wasn't injured. Though his face was a little beaten up, he was still fine. It was Peter who was actually injured. The poor boy held his bloodied knuckles close to his chest as he sobbed silently. One of his fingers looked oddly out of shape.
The crunching sound was the sound of Peter hurting his hand.
Cordelia sighed in relief. Tom was fine, here she was worrying over nothing. When she looked up, Tom was looking straight at her, ignoring Peter's cries. 'Found you.' He mouthed to her and she froze. She was meant to be avoiding him yet she ran to him. Oh, she was a fool for showing a little concern to him, she really was.
Tom found her. After searching and turning Wool's upside down he found her and he wasn't happy. Lucy shied away, acting as if she was never there and attempted to take her leave. He didn't even move to look at her.
"What on earth is going on here!" Mrs Cole's shrill voice broke the dome of silence in the garden as she stomped towards the crowd. All the children attempted to disperse and get away but no one made it far when Mrs Cole glared at each and everyone of them with the exception being Tom. "Wha—did you two have a fight?"
Amy, all smug and smiling with Dennis mirroring her expression, stepped forward. The two were up to no good again and Cordelia could sense it from a mile away. She tried to understand what the two were going to say before they spoke but she just couldn't read them. "Peter just wanted to talk to Tom—y'know 'cause he's new and all but Tom just started having a go at him."
"That's not what happened." Cordelia spoke without thinking and everyone snapped their heads to look at her. Instantly, she felt self conscious and tried to shy away from their gazes. She hated attention very much. "...I…we all know Tom would never do something like that and I–we all would've heard if there was an argument going on…" She tried to speak while looking around the circle for anyone to back her up.
Tom let out a loud audible breath, reminding everyone he was still there and was the one being accused. "I didn't do anything." He sharply said while glaring down at Amy and Dennis, surprising everyone. It wasn't like him to do something like that. Usually, he'd ignore everyone and walk straight past the crowd and go back up to his room.
"You heard him." Cordelia added. "He didn't do anything." She didn't bat an eye, nearly used to his strange behaviour. He was odd but so was she and she could hardly ask him anything without his own barrage of questions she was desperately trying to avoid.
Dennis let out a laugh. "Oh right. So we should believe him and you, you weren't even 'ere when it all happened."
"I was. I was just over there." Pointing to the willow tree across the garden, she looked back at Dennis. "Like I said, if there was an argument, I'd see it. I know I'm not the only one."
"She's right." A quiet voice agreed with Cordelia. The circle parted and a tall girl with a slightly tanned and freckled face appeared. Her auburn hair was up in a bun and she had a book in her hand. "I was sitting by the fountain, quite close by and I never heard Tom say a word to Peter. Maybe we should ask Peter what exactly happened, not Amy or Dennis."
"Beatrice…" Amy tried to speak but one look from Mrs Cole shut her up.
Taking that as a sign, Beatrice motioned to Peter to tell his side. Cordelia took one look at Peter and the boy cowered away from her gaze. She didn't even do anything. If he was such a coward why did he punch Tom.
Everyone stared at Peter who kept looking back at Dennis and Amy; when those two avoided his gaze, he turned to Eric Whalley. Again, he was ignored. Poor Peter, he was set up by those three. It didn't take Cordelia long to figure it out and she thought Tom didn't know but looking at him then, he knew.
"...I…I…I was the one who said something T-Tom." Stuttered out Peter and Mrs Cole let out an exasperated sigh while motioning to carry on. "I-I didn't mean to. I swear!"
Mrs Cole nodded. Momentarily she was distracted and looked back at the home before turning back to Peter. Cordelia noted, she was still avoiding looking at Tom. "Alright, what did you say to him and be honest or there will be consequences."
Peter became silent and his eyes found Cordelia's. "I'm sorry." He suddenly apologised to Cordelia who was taken aback by the sudden apology. She had no idea how she came into this. "I didn't m-mean to say what I did."
"And what did you say?"
The boy started to tremble and tears started to fall down his face. "...I said to T-Tom that his mum k-killed herself t-than raise him."
A silent hush fell over the entire garden and a few gasps ran through the circle between the silence. Everyone stared at Peter in horror. No one, no one would ever dare to say something like that, let alone to Tom.
Cordelia looked for the sadness in Tom's face but her strange friend looked bored and he was bored. He didn't really care about his mother much. His mother was just a woman who gave birth to him and died, that was it. If anything he loathed her for making him exist because of her selfish desire but Cordelia didn't know anything about that so he pretended to be a little upset when he caught her looking.
Unbeknown to Tom, Cordelia did notice his sudden shift in composure. He was pretending to be upset. She knew that, she saw him watch her before changing himself to react the way she wanted him to. Though she didn't understand why he would do such a thing. It was all so confusing.
Mrs Cole snarled with anger. Her face turned fiery red. "WHO TAUGHT YOU THAT?" She yelled at Peter and the boy started to sob even more. "WHO?" She asked again, looking around the circle. Peter kept shaking his head in denial.
"That's not all he said." Tom's voice was calm but there was a burning anger in his eyes that scared all in the circle when they took their attention off Peter and Mrs Cole and looked at Tom. He was so unfazed by the insult towards his mother and the chilling smile on his face made it all the worse. "Go on, tell them Peter. Tell Mrs Cole what you sai—" He caught himself when he remembered Cordelia was still there. "Nevermind, I think Cordelia should go inside for this—right after you apologise."
"Tom?" Mrs Cole nervously called out to the boy. Tom didn't acknowledge her. He kept his gaze on Cordelia. "Tom?" Mrs Cole called out again to check if it was really Tom in front of her. The boy who was typically detached and calm had just talked back and not only so, he tried to goad another. It wasn't like him.
The old matron trembled a little while muttering something incoherent under her breath. She was ignored by the children but not Tom. Only when she started her muttering did he give her his attention.
Cordelia glanced between the two boys. She brushed off Tom and looked straight at cowering Peter. If what Peter's words to Tom were this cruel, she could already imagine just how cruel he could be to her. She should've listened to Tom and went back inside but she didn't want to. "What did you say about me?"
"Cora, go inside." Tom grabbed her hand and tried to drag her away. Mrs Cole pretended like she didn't see any of that and kept her gaze on the shaking snot-covered and tear stained Peter. "Cordelia."
Pulling her hand out of his grasp, she marched up to Peter. "What did you say about me?" She repeated, staring up at him. "Go on, say it. You were right brave saying it then to Tom, can't you say it now?"
Tom stared at his empty hand that Cordelia left behind and went after her to drag her back. "Cora, go inside and don't argue."
"Cordelia," Mrs Cole called out to her. "Unless you want to be sent to bed without supper and dinner, I suggest you calm down."
Lucy forced herself into the crowd and pulled her back. Cordelia grinded her teeth and pulled herself together to follow her friend.
For once Tom was grateful for her, if only Lucy would take Cordelia inside but he knew she wouldn't or couldn't. "Now then, what did you say about Cordelia, Peter?" Mrs Cole sounded more calmer than before but she looked anything but calm.
Looking around the growing circle, Peter swallowed back his tears. "I-I-I said her parents died because of her and t-that's why her and Tom get along well."
Cordelia paled. Her parents' death haunted her. She still remembered the day all too well. Her kind and smart older sister chattering happily with her, making her laugh one moment and the next, a bright sickly green light blinded her, knocking her out.
When she woke up, she was under her sister's cold body shielded from the outside world. She had to be pulled out of the wreckage. Her parents along with her sister were unmoving, their eyes open in shock. She blamed herself for what happened, if only she didn't ask to go to the Fair that day.
Now she was the one trembling and tears started to fall from her face as she let out loud sobs. Tom took one look at her face and attempted to grab Peter but Robbie quickly jumped in and pulled him back. He instead narrowed his dark eyes towards Peter's cowering form and he swore something terrible
"THAT'S IT!" Mrs Cole howled. "No supper and dinner for either of you boys. GO!"
"I-I didn't mean it." Peter tried to argue but Mrs Cole glared at him. She raised her hand, balled up into fists and quickly put it down when she noticed Peter shrinking away from her.
Mrs Cole breathed in and out, trying to calm herself. She couldn't believe she'd do such a thing as strike a child and she almost did. Carefully, she looked around the crowd before she spotted those two. "Amy and Dennis." Those two looked at each other and then at Mrs Cole. "No supper and dinner for either of you as well."
"But we didn't do anything!" The two attempted to protest.
"Stop lying." Lucy cut them off, she cowered when they looked at her. Cordelia moved to shield her even though she was still crying, she didn't hesitate to protect her friend. "...Everyone can tell you two were up to no good. I even heard you two snickering about earlier in the day."
"Is that true, Lucile?" Mrs Cole ignored the protesting voices and focused her attention on Lucy who nodded. "Well, that changes things. You two ought to be ashamed of yourself. Pushing Peter to do something so…vile while snickering behind his back as he injured and humiliated himself! That doesn't even cover what you made him say to Cordelia and Tom. Apologise to them at this instant."
Amy and Dennis looked at each other and sucked in the humiliation they felt. The two were already plotting. It wasn't like them to go after Tom but after Tom's sudden bout of illness, they thought him to be a target. The two mumbled out an apology that they didn't really mean.
Mrs Cole wasn't satisfied by their behaviour and she quickly ordered them to go back inside where she promised them she would discuss their punishment. The two tried to protest but they quickly shut up.
It wasn't fair. Their punishment was more lax than Peter's. Cordelia scowled and wished Amy and Dennis would get what they deserved. Those two always got little punishment for all the mean things they did to the other children at Wool's.
"Mrs Cole." Beatrice pointed to Tom and Peter. "Should I take them to Martha to get them fixed up?"
"That'll be nice dear."
Beatrice led the two boys inside as the small circle began to disperse. Though Mrs Cole didn't move, she kept her gaze on Tom who was now glaring openly at poor Peter. She had to separate those two soon or something bad would happen soon to Peter.
Without looking back, Cordelia and Lucy hurried to the dining room hand-in-hand. The table was almost set as two of the older girls, Margaret and Fran hurried to set the table. They paused when they noticed the gazes of the two younger children.
"Where are the others?" Margaret asked, looking around. "That Amy, she's skipping her chores again."
"Peggy, Amy's not having supper." Cordelia answered, taking two plates from her. "She and Dennis were punished by Mrs Cole for forcing Peter to say some nasty words to me and Tom."
Margaret nodded, she like the others were unfazed by what happened. After all, it was a usual occurrence at Wool's for Amy, Dennis and sometimes Eric to cause trouble.
What was unusual was that Tom was included as a victim. It was an unspoken rule at Wool's to avoid Tom. Cordelia knew it well too, she herself would stay clear of Tom's sights, occasionally helping him or making small talk but that was the extent of their relationship.
The two weren't exactly friends but they weren't strangers either which made his recent clinginess to her even stranger.
"Can I have an extra serving since Tom, Amy, Peter and Dennis aren't eating?"
Slowing down, Margaret put down the last dish she was carrying and turned to look at Cordelia. She scrunched up her brows and looked down at Cordelia. "My, it's not like you to eat that much." She went back to the kitchen and Cordelia followed her. "You also tend to waste food, remember? Robbie and I had to force you to finish your meals."
Cordelia frowned and cursed Margaret's ability to remember things well. It was true she didn't like eating much and only ate what was needed but she didn't expect Margaret to remember, Martha and Mrs Cole didn't. "Yes, I know but you see I'm really upset and when I'm upset I like to eat…more than usual." She did not. She preferred not to eat at all when she was upset.
"Because of Peter?" Margaret guessed.
"Yes, because of Peter and Amy—I swear she doesn't like me."
Margaret considered her for a second before nodding. "Alright but don't tell Mrs Cole, she might think you're sneaking food to someone."
"I would never." Was what she said; Cordelia was in fact sneaking lunch to Tom. She smiled at Margaret as she loaded up two servings of lunch onto her plate. "Oh and can you tell Mrs Cole and Martha, I'm eating in my room. You see I'm really upset so I don't think I can face everyone later."
"What exactly did Peter say for you to be so upset?"
"He talked about my parents."
Margaret's face fell and she patted Cordelia's head sympathetically. "Go on then, I'll tell Mrs Cole about you—that Peter, can't believe he'd let himself be swayed that easily."
"He's new, you know—he just wants to fit in."
"Yes, I know but still, he can't be that naïve."
But he was.
He was so desperate to fit in that he went ahead and made himself an enemy in Tom. That wasn't Cordelia's business, she would avoid them both after this.
"That for Tom?" Lucy asked in hushed whispers when she noticed her friend coming out from the kitchen carrying extra food on her plate.
Cordelia looked around before making a face to tell Lucy to quieten down. "Are you trying to tell the whole house?" Lucy shrugged. "And no, it's for me. I'm eating in my room, might skip dinner too, not sure."
"Oh." Remembering Peter's words, Lucy nodded. Cordelia was obviously still hurt.
She was but she had already moved past it within minutes. Letting her emotions run down as tears really did help. Being upset at her family's passing wasn't going to bring them back. Though she trusted Lucy, she didn't bother to tell her the truth and instead went up the stairs.
She could hear the quiet chatters of the other children as they all came back inside and rushed to clean themselves up before supper. The muffled sounds of shouting could also be heard through the loud stomping of the children. Mrs Cole was still lecturing Amy, Dennis and Peter. She didn't stick around and went past the second floor where her room was to the third floor.
The third floor was much quieter than the second and it was home to only three: Tom, Robbie and Lucy. Before Jane was sharing a room with Lucy but after she was picked up by a family, Lucy was all alone, much like Cordelia when Katie Brown, another one of her friends, was picked up by a wealthy couple from Cornwell, leaving her all alone.
Unlike Lucy, Cordelia welcomed being left alone. Her room was already tiny as it was and though she missed Katie, she was happy being able to move around a little in her room without Katie's massive trunk of clothes blocking the door from opening completely.
Cordelia stopped outside a lone door at the end of the corridor. Tom's room. It was eerily silent, no laughter, chattering or stomping of feet could be heard from here. She shuddered thinking how quiet it was and she didn't know he wasn't scared by the overwhelming silence.
Sucking in a deep breath, she knocked twice. No one answered. She didn't want to speak. Hesitating for a minute, she wetted her lips and knocked again. "...Tom?" Carefully, she called out. "It's me, Cordelia."
The door was thrown open within seconds of her speaking and she was pulled inside with the door being shut behind her. Tom was standing in front of her with a quiet angry look, somehow it scared her. She swallowed her fear and held up the plate with the food and the spare plate along with the spare cutlery she 'borrowed' when Margaret wasn't looking.
Chapter 4: Snakes Aren't Friends
Chapter Text
Chapter 3: Snakes Aren’t Friends
27th June 1935, London
Tom and Cordelia sat on the floor each with a plate of half-empty food in their lap. Cordelia had split the food unequally much to Tom’s annoyance, he attempted to give her more but she refused. She always refused and it always bothered him how scarily thin she was.
To him, she looked too much like a fragile twig that could be blown away by a slight breeze.
“Can you stop?” Cordelia finished her meal and glared at Tom. Half of his face was slathered in a white paste, probably something Martha did to treat his injuries.
He acted as if he hadn’t heard her and carried on staring at her. He was still in disbelief over the fact that Cordelia was not only breathing but in front of him, alive and young and so was he. He spent the past five days contemplating and trying to wrap his head around his survival.
Loudly, Cordelia put the plate down, attracting his attention. “Stop it.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“No, you just keep staring at me. It’s so…” He tilted his head to the side and beckoned her carry on. “Never mind.” She’d never admit—he intimidated her.
“You know, I can’t believe you went against Mrs Cole for me. I’m flattered.”
There he went again, talking all strangely as if he was much older than he appeared.
Over a month had passed since he fell ill and miraculously recovered on the same day, since that day he’d occasionally switch from speaking like his usual self to speaking like someone who had already lived a lifetime.
She didn’t like that and it only added to his strangeness. “I didn’t bring it for you. Peggy gave me an extra serving after I told her about Dennis, Amy and Peter’s punishments. I couldn’t finish it by myself, you see, so I brought it up.”
It was clear to Tom, she was lying or not telling him the whole story. Whenever she lied, she looked to her right for a moment as if she was looking for approval from someone before looking back at him.
She did it for him.
He grinned and reached out for her. Again, she pulled back, escaping his grasp. It was still too early for them to be so close. He’d have to do it all over again and gain her trust. “So you brought it up for me.”
“No, I brought it up for the ghost that rooms with you.”
“I don’t live with a ghost.” And Tom was back to acting his age.
Cordelia smiled and felt relief wash over her. It was just a single sentence but it brought her a lot of comfort for an odd reason. “Right, because you can talk to ghosts so you know.”
“No, but I can talk to snakes.” He said without thinking. It was then he realised she didn’t know yet but it was too late to take back what he said so he left it and waited for her to react. He might as well tell her before she found out through some unsavoury means like last time.
Not believing him, she scoffed. “Yeah, right. I believe that.” But strangely, a part of her did believe him. Not only did she believe him, she felt an odd fear wrap around her throat, suffocating her when he mentioned his 'talent'.
Tom finished his meal and put the plate on the floor. He leaned in close to her, his face close to hers. His dark eyes bore into her bright blue ones and she was a little unnerved by the sudden action. “Are you scared of snakes?” Quietly, he asked as if there was someone in the room with them.
Confused, Cordelia shook her head. She wasn’t scared of snakes but she was terrified of spiders, he obviously didn’t know that at least she didn’t know he did yet. The two weren't as close as most thought them to be especially not close enough to share each other's fears and Cordelia would never admit to anyone how much spiders terrified her.
“Of course, you’re not.” He muttered under his breath. “You do despise spiders, I’m sure you’re terrified of them.”
“How do you know that?” He wasn’t meant to know. No one knew. Not Lucy who was the closest to her at Wool’s. Not Robbie who she spent time with reading in the library and not even Margaret. No one knew. “How did you know?”
He smiled knowingly and shrugged before he opened his mouth and made some strange hissing sounds. Nervously, she looked around when she heard something moving under the bed. He reached out for her hand and this time she didn’t pull away, too focused on whatever was hiding in the shadows.
From the shadows under Tom’s bed, a small snake with brown and black splotches against its scale, slithered out of the darkness. It hissed at Cordelia, looking side to side before locking its gaze with Tom.
Unaffected by the sudden appearance of the snake, Tom held up his free hand and the snake coiled up his hand obediently. Cordelia let out a a quiet shriek and tried to pull her own hand away from Tom’s grip but he tightened his hold.
“Relax.” He softly said as the snake made its home around his neck like a living necklace. “It’s a harmless grass snake. It’s still quite young. I don’t really have a name for it—would you like to name it?”
Her eyes widened as she stared incredulously at Tom. He couldn’t be serious, could he? He wanted her to name a snake. A strange snake that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around his neck. There was no way he was serious. He was definitely playing with her.
She let out a laugh and shook her head, trying to pull her hand out of Tom’s hand. “This isn’t funny anymore Tom.” But Tom only tightened his grip around her wrist, almost hurting her. “Tom, stop it. I don’t want to play this game.”
“I’m telling you, Cora. She’s harmless.”
“It’s a snake.” Cordelia pointed at the thing around his neck, resting comfortably, blissfully unaware of all the commotion Cordelia was making. “You can’t talk to it…”
“Watch.” He looked down towards his neck and hissed out a few words.
The snake looked up at him and nodded as if it understood him. It slithered down from his neck and went towards the door, going through the crack under the door and disappearing.
“Where did it go?”
“To Benson’s room.” His tone was calm and he wasn’t bothered by her attitude. He was being very patient with her, he had to be. He knew her well-enough to know that one wrong move and he’d lose her forever. “She went to get your velvet ribbons back from Benson.”
Velvet ribbons? The only thing that sounded remotely familiar were the blue velvet ribbons her sister had once gifted her when she was four, still young to remember anything but she remembered a year later, her sister recounted the tale just around the time when tragedy struck.
She was so sure, she had lost those after she came to Wool’s. “Amy doesn’t have them, I lost them after I came to Wool’s.”
Tom shook his head. He remembered this well: Helen, one of the older girls of that time when Cordelia came to Wool’s, stole those ribbons when she saw Cordelia wearing them. Tom knew from the beginning yet he never got them back from her. When Helen had to leave after she came of age, she passed them to Amy who also knew where they came from.
A few moments later, the snake came back into the room. Its head was wrapped around two blue velvet ribbons. Instead of making its way to Tom, it went straight to Cordelia and dropped the ribbons in front of her and then went back to Tom.
It sat in front of him, waiting before Tom stroked its little head like it was some kind of a dog or a cat not a snake. “See, what did I say?”
Cordelia stared at the ribbons on the floor in front of her in disbelief. Momentarily, she forgot her hand was in Tom’s. “...You…you can speak to snakes.”
“That’s right.”
“It’s not possible.” But it was. Tom could always speak to snakes, she just knew too late last time. “But it is. You can talk to snakes.”
He nodded again, being the most patient he had ever been. “Do you want to name her now?” He motioned towards the snake at his side.
“Um.” Hesitating, she looked around the room. Name a snake like it was a pet? She’d never done something like this before. “You can talk to snakes.” She repeated like a broken record.
“Yes. I’ve shown you I can.”
“Oh it makes so much sense.” Tom stared at her blankly, offended by her remark. She wasn’t complimenting him or anything. Noticing the way he looked at her, she attempted to save herself. “I mean…it’s a…very interesting talent.”
Still, Tom didn’t look away. He was offended but he couldn’t bring himself to be unless he wanted an argument to break out between the two of them. Cordelia had a temper, something he remembered all too well. “I know what you mean, Cora.”
“I wasn’t being mean or anything…I think you’re…special.”
The snake on Tom’s arm hissed at her and Cordelia jumped back, finally pulling away from Tom. Just because she wasn’t afraid of snakes didn’t mean she liked them. She particularly hated the one on Tom. It was giving her an attitude.
Tom smiled down at the snake and stroked its little head again, amused by its hostility towards Cordelia. It was harmless but if it did attempt to hurt her, he wouldn’t hesitate to put it down. Sensing its master's feelings, the snake shied away and slithered down his arm, hiding itself away again.
“It's a little shy.” Tom remarked even though it wasn't shy but scared of him.
Moving her head to the side, Cordelia attempted to see where that damned snake had gone. “I don’t think it likes me.”
Tom scoffed. “Nonsense. Everyone likes you.”
Cordelia narrowed her eyes at Tom. What did he mean by that? “Not everyone and that’s a snake not a person.”
“Snakes have feelings too.”
“You need to get out more.”
“I’m fine as I am.”
She didn’t think so. Even if he could talk to snakes, he was a near-recluse at Wool’s—snakes were not people and they would never substitute people even if he wanted them to. “You didn’t tell anyone else about this, did you?”
“No, I’m not stupid.”
“Good.” He raised his brows at her but she didn’t say anything more. She’d rather he told no one about his special talent, he was already ostracised at Wool’s; she couldn’t imagine if they knew about his ‘talent’.
Abruptly, she stood up. She grabbed the plates and the cutlery but paused when she heard footsteps, followed by a few knocks outside. “Tom, you in there?” Martha’s tired voice called out to Tom. “Tom? Can I come in?”
Cordelia and Tom shared a look and Cordelia hurriedly shoved the plates under the spare bed before sitting in front of it. Tom stifled a laugh as he got up to open the door.
The nurse who worked closely with the matron, poked her head into the room and looked around. Her small brown eyes scanned the room before she stepped inside. Her dry curly hair was up in a messy bun which sat on her head like a pile of hay while her pale skin was ashen and grey with heavy dark bags marring her under eyes.
“Oh good. You’re still awake.” Martha looked past him and noticed Cordelia sitting on the floor and staring up at the ceiling. “And Cordelia is here too. How nice. How are you, Tom? Is your face hurting?”
“I’m fine.” Curtly Tom answered, glancing back at Cordelia and hoping Martha would leave already.
“Are you sure?” Martha tried to push past him but Tom blocked her path. “Well, in that case, I’ll leave you two to it. I am sorry that I didn’t bring anything for you to eat,” Though she had an idea that Cordelia already bought something upstairs for him. “Mrs Cole was very serious about what she said.”
It was unfair how Tom was punished for something he didn’t do. At least, that’s what Cordelia thought. “It wasn’t his fault. He shouldn’t have been punished. Peter, Amy and Dennis were the ones at fault and Tom was the victim—it’s not fair how Amy and Dennis always get away with everything.” The words spilled out of Cordelia’s mouth before she could stop herself.
Martha agreed with her. If it was her, she wouldn’t have punished Tom. She would never admit it but she had a soft spot for the boy she raised alongside Mrs Cole even though the latter grew a little afraid of Tom as he grew older. “Afraid I don’t have a say in that—ah—the kitchen should be empty in ten and I believe everyone will be at the library for the weekly storytime—you should make your way there Cordelia, if you want to.” With that, Martha left.
The kitchen would be empty soon.
Martha wasn’t exactly subtle when it came to taking care of Tom. She wasn’t sure if Cordelia really bought him anything to eat—she wanted Tom to get himself something. How thoughtful. Tom wasn’t going downstairs anytime soon unless it was to sneak dinner for himself and something for his new friend.
The serpent slithered out of the shadow after a few minutes and looked around. Cordelia looked at it in distaste. She didn’t trust snakes. Trust? How odd. Why did the thought of trusting snakes come to her mind for no reason.
“Cora?” Tom called out to her, reaching out to her but she paid him no mind as she mindlessly gathered the plates and counted down in her head.
“Eris.” Cordelia said in response.
Confused, Tom stared at her blankly. “What?”
“The snake…call it ‘Eris’.” She answered as if she was in trance. “You did ask me to name that…thing, didn’t you?” When she turned to look at him, he could’ve sworn her blue eyes were brighter than usual as if it was glowing but it was gone when he blinked.
“Eris?” Tom repeated, moving a little closer to Cordelia. Curious about her eyes. He swore they were glowing. Eris. He kept thinking about the name.
Eris, the Greek goddess of strife and discord.
A very peculiar name, Cordelia he knew would never pick. Yet strangely, the Cordelia in front of Tom had chosen that name. His curiosity peaked.
“Eris, it is.” Tom said with a smile that sent shivers down Cordelia’s spine.
She nodded at his answer and hurried out of his room with the plates and cutlery. Eris? What was she thinking? She didn’t know why that name came to her so suddenly and why she even blurted it out.
On her way down, she passed by the wide mirror in the foyer and barely missed what should’ve been her own reflection, instead it was the passing figure of a woman who looked strangely like the woman from her dreams.
But Cordelia didn't notice the mirror or the reflection.
Chapter 5: Jealousy Makes Amy Blue Not Green
Chapter Text
Chapter 4: Jealousy Makes Amy Blue Not Green
13th July 1935, London
Over a week had passed since the incident in the garden, Peter had spent time profusely apologising to Cordelia and Tom, the latter of which ignored him. Tom didn't care. He had more important things to worry about than a child who would leave soon. If his memories served him well, Peter would be taken in by some distant relatives like Jane was.
To Tom, the most important thing was to plan out his future. Cordelia was one thing, he had to focus on first. He had less than twenty years before Cordelia disappeared without a trace. After that, he had to focus on the prophecy that hadn't been made.
Tom balled up his fists and his eyes darkened when he thought of the damned prophecy that sealed his fate. The boy-who-lived, a simple boy who ended his reign within a year of taking absolute power. Yet instead of being dead, Tom was right back where he started. He considered it to be a curse at first but when his dark eyes met the bright blue eyes of Cordelia, he changed his mind.
Perhaps being sent back wasn't all bad.
Was what he thought initially but no matter how hard he tried to gain her trust, she was weary of him. She had done a good job of fooling him that she trusted him a little at first; it was becoming clear to him, there was something different about her. Her clinginess to her late sister's journal which was now hers to use, was something different. He didn't like it. He hated not knowing something.
The young Cordelia in his memories often had a book not a journal with her, courtesy of Robbie. Yet the Cordelia in front of him, well below him, out in the garden was busy scribbling away something with a scrunched up face in her journal. He reached out towards the dust-covered window and circled his index finger around her figure.
Something was strange about Cordelia. He had to know. No matter what it was, he only hoped that she, like him, wasn't sent back.
Against the balmy summer breeze Cordelia felt shivers go down her spine. There was the oddest feeling of being watched like a prey sitting still for a predator yet when she looked around, she was the only one out and the windows facing the garden were empty.
Almost everyone was busy preparing for dinner inside, she was the exception. It was her birthday, 13th of July. She was finally eight but she didn't particularly care for her birthday. There was nothing to celebrate. Perhaps if her family were still here, she'd be less bitter and more keen to celebrate the day. The only thing that made it better was the lack of chores.
Tucking her journal under her arm, she dusted off her skirt and picked herself off the grassy floor. Someone was watching her. She could feel it. "Cora." Cordelia jumped when Tom grabbed her shoulder.
He couldn't help but grin at the fear on her face. "Tom!" Hissing out his name, she punched his shoulder but he was quick to move away. "That was not funny."
"I never said it was."
Cordelia rolled her eyes and turned away from him, making sure to keep her journal out of his gaze. Lately, she had noticed his sudden interest in her and her journal. Obviously, Cordelia wasn't pleased. If anything she was scared, terrified even of Tom finding out about the contents of the journal and the mysterious entries which had no real origins.
The fear was new and she knew it was unfounded but she couldn't help herself. She didn't know why she was so scared of him finding out.
Studying the flickering fear on her face amused Tom, she always appeared terrified of him yet she was the only one of his friends who could actually stand up to him. The only one he allowed to talk back. He held out his hand for her and she took it without a word.
Again, he tried to peek at the journal tucked under her arm. He'd never get a chance to see that thing as long as she was around. He'd have to be more careful.
"How's Eris?" Asked Cordelia, putting Tom off his guard. He didn't expect her to ask about the grass snake.
"She's…doing well, doesn't really want to leave my room."
"The two of you are more common than I thought."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" He wasn't offended, no, he was more amused by the comparisons between his new pet and himself.
Cordelia laughed sweetly. Her quiet laughter rang in his ears like a melody he had once longed to hear. "You know exactly what I mean—you don't leave your room much either."
"I don't have a reason to leave." And Cordelia couldn't argue against that. "I did take Eris for a walk the other day."
"Oh where did you take her…or send her?"
With a cryptic smile on his face, Tom said. "You'll find out one day."
Tom led Cordelia to the dining hall as the sun set where a small birthday party had been arranged by Robbie and Margaret with some help from the other children and Martha.
Mrs Cole never got involved in birthday celebrations. The old matron was far too busy managing the finances of the orphanage and other important things to concern herself with birthdays.
The Lawson twins, Jack and Joe, finished putting on the bunting and waved their hands in the air as Cordelia walked in, making her laugh. But the moment their gaze landed on him, their smiles withered and they pretended not to see him.
"How nice. We're all gathered here and hopefully on our best behaviours." Martha took her place at the tail of the table while Mrs Cole sat at the head. She pointedly looked at Dennis, Amy and Eric before clapping her hands together. "And what a wonderful occasion it is. Last month, it was Jack and Joe and this time it's Cordelia's ninth birthday. It's not everyday a girl turns eight."
Mrs Cole nodded along then cleared her throat. She was about to speak soon and everyone quietened down. Only the radio in the mantle above the fireplace could be heard as it softly played a piece by Henry Purcell. Mrs Cole's beady eyes scanned the table, stopping at Tom, Amy, Dennis and Peter before speaking. "I hope everyone will carry on being on their best behaviour—we do have a seaside trip coming along at the end of the month, courtesy of the generous Dr Wool."
A chorus of 'yes, Mrs Cole' echoed around the table as the old matron nodded, pleased at the response. She signalled to Martha and Martha motioned to Beatrice, Fran and Margaret to begin serving the food.
In total, Wool's at the time was home to over twenty or so children. With Jane and Katie gone, the number of children had roughly gone down to twenty. The table was quite crowded and so was the house but it was normal for them.
Tom knew the numbers would decrease even more and the table would become less crowded as the years went on. The upcoming war certainly helped the decrease. He remembered Cordelia mourned for the times when Wool's was bustling with activity as children's laughter echoed in every inch of the old home. He couldn't reciprocate her mourning and preferred the haunting quietness.
When the main meal was over, Margaret and Martha went to the kitchen and brought back slices of pre-cut Victoria sponge cake and served the dessert. The meal ended quicker after that and soon it was time for presents.
"I do hope these few days without proper meals have taught you four something." Robbie eyed Tom, Dennis, Amy and Peter. The latter of whom cowered under the sharp gaze of Robbie.
Robbie Smith was one of the oldest boys at Wool's, the fourth oldest after the Lawson twins. He was much like Tom in a sense where his mother had died on the steps of the orphanage, leaving him all alone in the world. His father wasn't like Tom's. He knew his father, a factory worker from Birmingham who tragically passed months before he was born.
Most people liked Robbie, some even loved him. How couldn't they? Dark hair, chiselled cheekbones and bright blue eyes which often reminded Tom of Cordelia. The two could pass as siblings, if only Cordelia's eyes weren't more cat-like.
Robbie was considered quite handsome by everyone who met him. He was also friendly and approachable, making it impossible for anyone to hate him.
Tom never liked Robbie. The boy was one of the most responsible children at Wool's alongside Margaret and Beatrice but he, unlike Margaret, was very wary of Tom.
What Tom didn't like about Robbie was how he would always warn Cordelia to stay away from him, even encouraging her to leave Wool's and him alone when the opportunity arose in their Fifth year at Hogwarts.
"It taught me that you can get punished for being a victim." Tom cooly answered, taking a sip of water while staring down Robbie.
Though she didn't voice it out, Cordelia agreed with Tom but his words had abruptly turned her birthday dinner awkward. Again, she didn't mind. She found it mildly entertaining. All that was left was for Amy to throw a fit over whatever gifts she received.
Robbie didn't flinch but ignored Tom completely. "Anyways, happy birthday Cordelia!" He took out a book wrapped in foil and passed it to her. "It's not much but the twins, Peggy, Bea and I got together to get you something."
Puffing up her cheeks, Amy glared at Cordelia who reached out to take the wrapped gift from Robbie. "Well don't just sit there. Open it." Martha clapped and Cordelia followed her words obediently.
Unwrapping the gift, she let out a bright laugh. "You didn't." Robbie and Margaret shared a fond look before nodding their heads. "Is this my own copy—"
"You said it was your favourite book." Beatrice's voice might've sounded dull but anyone could tell by looking at her face, she wasn't bored, rather she was excited. "We thought it'd be nice to get you your own copy of the Secret Garden."
"Oh Mrs Cole and I got you a knit scarf." Martha handed Cordelia a thick box and inside was a bright red scarf so familiar to Tom. "It's not much."
"I love it—it's just what I needed for the winter." And Cordelia really did mean it. Her old mustard woollen scarf had holes in it and Margaret could only patch it so many times.
Lucy, who had sat next to her, pulled out a small box and passed it to her. "I know what you're going to say but this was a little something Katie, I and…Jane came up with for you. Jane's relatives pitched in." Cordelia carefully unwrapped the box to reveal an expensive fountain pen. Her eyes widened in shock. "No, take backs." Lucy quickly said as Mrs Cole looked pleased with the gift.
Amidst the laughter, three green-eyed children stared at the mountain of presents in front of Cordelia. Amy balled up her fists and looked at Dennis, trying to get his attention but her friend had his eyes on someone else. Eric, on the other hand, kept himself out of the mess his friends were about to create.
"You know, all these blue. I could never wear or have so much blue around me. I'd look ter-rible in it." Amy complained.
Lucy smiled and nodded before rolling her eyes. She almost said something but was cut by Martha. "That's nice, Amy but this isn't about you. It's Cordelia's birthday, not yours." The nurse smiled sweetly but her gaze was anything but.
Martha's words should've been a warning to Amy and her little group. Unfortunately, they had problems with their understanding as a sly grin appeared on Dennis' face and Peter's face dropped. He along with a few other children had just given Cordelia their gifts when Dennis decided to speak.
The laughter was cut as Dennis mockingly clapped his hands together. Silently, Peter prayed he wouldn't be caught up in his mess again. "Tom, do you have something for Cordelia?"
"Dennis." Martha and Mrs Cole both warned the boy with narrowed eyes but the boy ignored them.
Some of the children shared a look and swallowed their snickering laugh. Tom never had anything for anyone, even if Cordelia was the closest to him at Wool's, he never gave her anything. It wasn't like he didn't want to but he couldn't afford to. Most children were paid a little for doing chores around the neighbourhood such as delivering paper or doing milk rounds but Tom didn't even leave his room.
"Actually, I do." Tom answered with his own sly grin, catching many off their guards.
Even Cordelia was a little shocked. Tom had something for her. He didn't have anything for her last time. She frowned.
Last time?
Why did that thought come to her?
While Cordelia was busy digging through her mind, Tom pulled out a small green velvet box and placed it in front of Cordelia. She stared at him for a moment and then back at the box. It looked a little too expensive for him to afford.
"Tom, this is…" Cordelia picked up the box while keeping her gaze on Tom.
Sucking in a nervous breath, she opened the small box to reveal a small misshapen golden band with four small green stones in the centre.
Tom picked up the band from her hand and slipped her hand into it. The misshapen band rested comfortably on her wrist, attracting the envy of the other children including Amy, Fran and Lucy. "It's a bracelet." He said with a proud but cold smile, directed at the rest of the table.
"And where did you get something like this?" Mrs Cole clasped her trembling hands together and questioned Tom.
"It belonged to my mother." Tom curtly answered without hesitation. "Her family initials are inside."
His eyes bored into Mrs Cole's and the old matron flinched as a strange headache clouded her mind momentarily before the fog cleared and she remembered vividly of the last moments of Tom's mother. "Oh yes, of course. How could I have forgotten?" The old matron mumbled loud enough for the entire table to hear.
"But didn't Merope pawn it away to someone?" Martha recalled without meaning to. She quickly clamped her mouth shut and attempted to change the subject but no one wanted to move on.
"So he stole it from someone." Amy added, her eyes burning with envy. "Cordelia's wearing stolen jewellery." She snickered.
"Amelia!" Mrs Cole hissed, she burned with anger as she glared at Amy once more. "Not one more word." Tom sighed and took out a crumpled note and passed it to Mrs Cole at the head of the table. "Oh it appears, the pawnshop owner kept it for Tom, all these years."
"How kind of him." Martha silently apologised to Tom. "But are you sure you want to give it to Cordelia? It appears to be quite expensive and it's a family heirloom."
Cordelia had already started taking off the band but he stopped her and slipped it back on. "No, I'm sure. Besides," He placed a hand under his chin. "It suits her."
"Well, there's nothing else to say then but we have one last gift for Cordelia." Martha got up and disappeared into the halls before coming back with a neatly wrapped box. It appeared to be quite big. "This was left at the doorstep, addressed to you."
Tom's gaze darkened when he laid eyes upon that box. That damned box. He already knew who the gift was from and he hoped the gift wouldn't appear this time around.
With shaking hands, Cordelia ripped the neatly wrapped foil away, revealing a card. The front of the card displayed an illustrated image of a pretty water-lily that appeared to be moving and inside was a message. No one except Tom who sat next to Cordelia managed to see the message inside.
'To my beloved niece, I'm sorry I could not be there for another of your birthdays but I promise you soon, we will meet again.
Happy Birthday, Delia'
- Your beloved uncle Monty
Cordelia's mood shifted and for a second, she almost cried reading the card. Noticing her change in mood, Tom ripped the card out of her hand and put it down on her lap before motioning her to open the box.
She was grateful for him for even noticing and carried on. It would've been so embarrassing to cry in front of everyone at her own birthday dinner. Amy and her little group would've ripped her apart in seconds and the last thing she wanted to do is spend the night of her birthday crying in her room because of their cruel remarks.
Inside the box was an expensive navy blue woollen coat along with matching leather gloves and a hat. Gasps of envy rang around the table as Mrs Cole hurried to close the box, making a note to take it up to Cordelia's room later.
"This isn't fair!" Amy cried out, tears rolling down her face.
"Amelia!" Mrs Cole hissed, grabbing her arm to shut her up. "Behave."
"No! Why does she get to have an amazing birthday dinner along with a heaping pile of good and expensive presents while the rest of us get nothing." Lucy scoffed and Fran let out a loud deep sigh. Nobody liked Amy's tantrums. "You got somethin' to say, Henwood?"
Lucy stood up. "Actually I do." She spat at and shot daggers at Amy. "Maybe if you weren't such a brat, you'd get the same treatment."
"Children! Behave!" Mrs Cole attempted to reign back control over the dinner but it was already spiralling out of control. She half-expected Tom to storm out with Robbie following him and Cordelia to burst into tears yet both were still seated, amused by the commotion.
Covering her mouth in shock or at least that's what everyone thought Cordelia felt. Really, she hid the gleeful grin on her face. She was hoping something remotely interesting would happen.
Before anyone could blink, Amy grabbed the glass pitcher of cold water and ran over to Cordelia, emptying its contents over her head. Cordelia let out a cry as the cold water drenched her. She felt numb and her teeth chattered. "Happy Birthday, Cor-de-lia!" Amy sang mockingly while laughing. "How's that for a present!"
"THAT'S IT!" Mrs Cole slammed the table and marched straight towards Amy. "I've had it up to here with you—" Her words were cut off when a shriek ripped through Amy.
The plain faced girl fell to the floor, scratching her. Her teeth chattered loudly and from the sides, Cordelia caught glimpses of a blue-tinged face. Cordelia's face went pale and her eyes widened. This wasn't supposed to happen.
"Oh god. Amy's got the plague." One of the children around the table cried out.
Mrs Cole and Martha wrapped Amy in an old scratchy blanket, covering up as Martha struggled to take her away. "Dennis, Jack, a little help here." Martha called towards the boys.
"I don't want to touch her or be around her!" Dennis squirmed in his seat, trying to get away from Amy.
"Now! Or you'll have no meals and no trip!" Mrs Cole threatened slamming the table. Dennis reluctantly went over to help.
Hurriedly, Margaret and Robbie covered Cordelia with another blanket from the cupboard in the dining hall as Cordelia shivered, curling into the blanket. Everyone was dismissed quickly and they all rushed out the hall, trying to escape Amy's fate. Those who stayed behind watched the hysterical Amy on the floor.
All but Cordelia.
Drenched and shivering, Cordelia watched Tom in fear. He wasn't staring at her but at Amy with a predatory gaze. His eyes appeared abnormally dark and Cordelia started to tremble even more when he turned towards her.
"Happy Birthday, Cora." His voice was calm so were his movements as he said those words in the midst of Amy's shrieks and the cries of the other children.
Chapter 6: Dollhouse
Chapter Text
Chapter 5: Dollhouse
14th July 1935, London
The spare bed in Cordelia's room, formerly Katie's bed, was made for the first time in months. Lucy punched her old patched up duvet and laid it down on her temporary bed while occasionally glancing at Cordelia. She was still concerned about her friend.
With her back to Lucy, Cordelia fixated on a dollhouse in front of her. Jane's parting gift to Lucy, a replica of Wool's. Though Lucy was thankful, Cordelia knew she didn't exactly like the gift.
Wool's itself was a gloomy place without the loud chatter of children from every corner of the place. The dark gothic architecture from the Victorian era certainly didn't help. The grey-blue arches and spires made the large house look quite intimidating.
And Cordelia was sure the stone gargoyles removed a few years before she came certainly added to the frightening factor. The custom dollhouse had managed to capture the eeriness of the Wool's exterior even without those removed gargoyles.
As a result, Lucy had asked, no, begged Cordelia to take the dollhouse, not as a present but something to keep, a way to keep it out of her sight. Lucy would never give Cordelia something so eerie as a gift.
Being the good friend she was, Cordelia obliged. She wasn't scared of the dollhouse; if anything she found it fascinating. When Robbie brought it in, she asked him to put it in the centre of the room, he found it odd but didn't question it much.
Whenever she was alone in her room, she liked to pretend the dollhouse was actually Wool's and she could see where everyone was or what they were doing. Obviously she couldn't but she did like to pretend.
"Amy's so…vile!" Lucy let out a silent scream with her hands in the air. "How could she ruin your birthday dinner like that?"
Eying the ticking clock above the window, Cordelia shrugged. It was past midnight and her birthday was over and a new day had already begun. She'd already shed enough tears for her birthday because of Amy's fit of jealousy.
Her hair was dangerously damp and coiled up as she ran her fingers through them, trying to untangle them. She flinched a little, not in pain or because of Lucy's unmoving gaze on her. In her ears, Cordelia could still hear Amy's haunting shrieks as she rolled around in the dining hall while her face turned blue.
"And then she started throwing that fit." Lucy carried on, jumping down from her bed and pulling the moth-eaten blue curtains on Cordelia's window. "I bet she, Dennis and Eric did something again. I bet she stole Fran's inks again. She must've done something."
"I don't think so." Amy's shrieks of pain looked too real to be false. The sudden blue spots appeared too real to be simply ink or paint and Cordelia knew Amy wouldn't scratch her face that aggressively over a lie. "It was real, I don't think Amy or Dennis would go that far for a simple joke or to cause trouble. No, I think it was real. You heard those screams. Amy's not that good of an actress."
Lucy shrugged, she didn't really care. She was more concerned about the ruined dinner party. "Well, she did say she wanted to be a star and wanted to go to America." Lucy shifted in her seat on the bed and leaned closer to Cordelia who was on the floor. "Remember that time she pretended her mother was an actress that had to leave her behind."
Vaguely recalling the memory, Cordelia nodded. It was embarrassing to recall because everyone knew Amy was lying. She was always desperately trying to gain some attention in a large place like Wool's among the many children.
Her need for attention only grew when she once overheard Mrs Cole say how she allows Amy to go out during the evening because she's too plain-faced to be in real danger. Even the older girls were always let out with an escort except Beatrice who didn't really care about her plain face. She had higher aspirations than marrying well.
The dollhouse stood out boldly against the peeling faded powder blue wallpaper and old ash mouldings. The floor was less rotten than other room's and was regularly mopped by Cordelia when she had time. Her room was cleaner than other rooms at Wool's, much to Lucy's envy.
"Lucy, let's not talk about Amy." Cordelia opened the model-front door on the dollhouse and the two girls froze when she heard a knock on the door.
Mrs Cole was here.
And she wasn't alone.
Fran and Beatrice had both come around alongside the old matron to see Cordelia, checking if she had a fever or not. After they were done Mrs Cole sternly said. "Straight to bed you two, I don't want to catch you whispering about—Cordelia might catch a cold then."
"Yes, Mrs Cole." Cordelia and Lucy chorused, tucking into their beds. The two waited for the sound of footsteps to fade away before Lucy turned to Cordelia.
"Right, what do you think of Tom's gift?" Asked Lucy, sitting up and hugging her knees. "He never gives anyone anything but he gave you his mother's bracelet."
Cordelia didn't want it. Around her small wrist, she could feel the weight of the heavy metal band. Though its intricate serpent designs seemed pretty, for Cordelia it felt stifling like it was a shackle around her wrist.
"I don't understand…" Cordelia breathed out. Tom was never like this. "Why me?" She didn't really expect Lucy to answer.
"You're the only one who is kind to Tom and the only one he actually pays any attention to."
"It's only because we're very similar." There was only one thing linking the two together; the strangeness that only Cordelia and Tom seemed to possess in the entirety of Wool's. "Still, I'm not that close to him, I hardly ever speak to him."
Lucy giggled softly. "I don't know, Delia, I reckon you two are more closer than you'd like to think, especially since he got ill all of a sudden—he's been everywhere where you were."
Thinking about Lucy's words, Cordelia couldn't refute it. After Tom woke up, the two had spoken and seen each other more than they had in all the years Cordelia had been at Wool's. She didn't know how to feel, it was odd and she was caught off-guard by his changed attitude towards her.
Her wrist felt heavy and cold, so cold that it almost burned her as if the band was made of ice. Her lungs felt constricted, she couldn't breathe. "Delia?" Lucy jumped out from her bed, thinking her friend caught a cold or something.
It wasn't a cold, no, she just felt stifled or trapped.
Without a word, Cordelia ripped off the heavy band around her wrist and threw it across the small room. The bracelet hit the floor with a loud thud and rolled away, stopping just at the closed entrance of the dollhouse.
Her wrist free, Cordelia felt lighter and she could finally breathe again. "I'm returning it—it's Tom's not mine to keep."
"Tom's not going to be happy, are you sure you want to return it?" Cordelia wasn't sure at all and she stared at the band on the floor. She could've sworn she saw those etched serpents move and she shuddered at the mere thought of it being alive. "Delia?"
Throwing her duvet off her, she hopped out of bed, much to her friend's surprise. Lucy sat up and leaned over the edge of her own bed. "I'm giving it back, I'm not keeping it. I can't." She felt as if small ants were crawling all over, the longer she stared at the ornate band on the floor.
"At this time?" Lucy's eyes were wide and she couldn't help how strange Cordelia's behaviour was. It was like she was afraid of Tom. Odd. Cordelia was the only one who wasn't afraid of Tom, the rest of them were. "I think you should go to bed. Give it back to him in the morning—though it's rude to give back gifts—"
"It's not a gift!" The doors of the dollhouse all opened suddenly and Lucy hugged her duvet tightly against her chest. Cordelia calmly breathed in and out. When she opened her eyes, the doors of the dollhouse were closed. "It's not a gift, Lu. I can't explain it but it's not…"
"I don't understand."
"I can't explain it."
"Why not?"
"I don't know." She just had this peculiar indescribable feeling that the bracelet was more than a gift. Its heaviness coupled with the burning cold just gave her a bad feeling that she shouldn't take anything from Tom, not if unless she was ready to give him something back in equal weight and meaning.
"Just keep it, he went through a lot of trouble to get it back, only to give it to you."
"I can't. Did you not see what happened to Amy?"
Lucy furrowed her brows with a hint of confusion. "Delia, what are you talking about? You don't really—no—I think you might be ill or something because Tom didn't do anything. He was sat next to you."
Cordelia opened her mouth but she didn't speak. It was as if the words were stuck in her throat. Instead, she could only mutter. "He wasn't like this before…"
From the corner of her eye, Cordelia could see her friend hesitating whether or not to say or approach her. "I didn't catch that—what'd you say?"
"I didn't say anything." And Cordelia appeared genuinely confused. The sudden switch scared Lucy and she covered herself with the old ratty duvet but didn't hide herself away completely. "I think you're just tired, it's past midnight." She said, looking out the curtained window that only let little light through. "You should go to sleep, Lu."
"Please tell me you're not going to give it back now of all time?"
"Go to sleep." Cordelia repeated, choosing not to answer Lucy.
Lucy's eyes felt heavy and she slumped back before she could stop herself, she was fast asleep and Cordelia was surprised. She went over to Lucy's bed and tucked her in before heading out the door. She had to be quiet, even if all the lights were out, it didn't mean everyone was asleep.
The floorboards creaked and moaned as she tiptoed around them going towards the stairs to the third floor where Tom's room was. She had to give his gift back quickly and get out before he awoke.
From the end of the long hallway, Cordelia could hear Amy's soft cries coming from her room. She felt bad for the poor girl but at the same time, she only had herself to blame.
If Amy was smart, she wouldn't pick on her just because she was afraid to pick on Tom. Of course, Amy wasn't smart. She was, in Cordelia's eyes, a dull and stupid girl who was too insecure with herself to think straight.
Ignoring her cries, Cordelia wished Amy would be fine by the morning. What happened to her was still terrible. Quietly, she climbed up the stairs to the nearly empty third floor. Only Tom and Robbie's rooms were up there.
She went past Robbie's room and went straight to Tom's, knocking once. She didn't get a response so she tried again before pushing his door and it opened without a sound. "Tom?" She called out, walking in. "Tom?" She called out again.
His bed was empty and there was not a single soul in his room apart from her. Where did Tom go? She wondered as she sat down on the empty bed that didn't belong to anyone.
Well, she didn't come this far to go back empty-handed. Carefully, she placed the bracelet on the nightstand with the note she had written, an empty apology. No doubt Tom would not be appeased by her silly note but she didn't care enough.
She quickly went back to her room and closed the door behind her. Lucy's soft snores could be heard, indicating she was still asleep.
Breathing out, she was about to go to bed when the sudden sound of footsteps made her jump. She hurriedly jumped under her covers and pretended to sleep but from the small gap of her vision she could see the terrifying shadows cast by the dollhouse in the pale moonlight and street lights of London.
Now, she could see why Lucy didn't want the dollhouse as the menacing shadows swayed side to side. The shadows of the gargoyle scared her and she shut her eyes tight, hoping sleep would come to her.
"I know you're in here." Cordelia heard a somewhat familiar voice call out to her.
Strange, she wasn't in bed anymore. No, she was back in the halls of the second floor. Somehow it looked worse than before.
The wallpaper was ripped off exposing the brick and wood walls while the floor was missing many boards. Even the newly installed light fixtures done at the behest of Dr Wool before his departure were falling apart.
Everything around her was falling apart.
Cordelia shut her eyes and counted, thinking when she'd open her eyes she'd be back in her damp bed. Much to her horror, when she did open her eyes, she found herself staring at a man.
The man was not looking at her. Pale faced with black hair and eyes that made him appear much paler despite it all, even she had to admit he was somewhat handsome.
"Don't ignore me! I know you're in here." The man hissed, going past Cordelia and marching straight into what was supposed to be Cordelia's room.
At first, she didn't mean to follow him but her curiosity got the best of her and she happened to find herself following the strange but attractive man. She couldn't help but laugh.
The morning earlier, she spent re-reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and like always, she thought Alice was the most foolish girl for following a white rabbit down the rabbit role yet here she was, following a strange man into what was meant to be her own bedroom.
Inside the room, Cordelia expected to find it ruined just as the outside but it was just as she remembered it. The faded wallpaper, barely peeling at the edges and stained wooden floor. Even the beds seemed just as she had left them in her reality.
The room wasn't empty. The dollhouse was also there, still the same as she had left in her reality, still menacingly haunting. Crouched in front of it, however, was a familiarly unfamiliar woman.
She had seen her before but she just couldn't remember where.
Brown hair pinned into curls, pale freckled skin and when the woman looked up, she appeared to have bright blue eyes—much like Cordelia's. "You followed me." The woman sounded lifeless as she spoke. There was a dull spark in her eyes as if she was expecting him but once her gaze landed on his, she deflated.
The man calmed himself and crouched down. "It's dangerous, let me take you home."
"But we are home." The woman retorted, looking away and playing with the dollhouse. "Though, it's much different from what I remember but you kept my room the same—even this ugly dollhouse. Did you keep your room the same as well?"
"If you know the answer, you shouldn't ask silly questions."
The woman's jaw tightened and she looked away. "Of course, you hate silly questions. I don't even know how we became friends." She mumbled, getting up but not taking his hand. "I'm so tired of this. Why can't you just let me leave?"
"I'm not holding you back—C—d—a—pl—try to understand what—doing for you—" Like an old record, the man's speech was being cut off and Cordelia couldn't make out what he was saying.
"But you are!" The woman looked around and motioned to the room. "Look around you—this is like a dollhouse."
"I thought you liked dollhouses."
"When I was a ch—T—plea—" The woman's speech also started to get cut off.
Every time Cordelia tried to focus, a sharp pain would shoot up her head, making her sway. Too busy trying to focus on their attentions, Cordelia didn't even notice the argument between the two escalate before the woman in anger threw the old dollhouse across the room, finally breaking it into pieces.
Cordelia gasped awake to meet Lucy's bright eyes. "Finally! I was about to leave you to starve without breakfast. You know it's not like you to wake up late—aren't you a morning person?"
Lucy carried on talking but Cordelia wasn't listening. She kept glancing around her room. Was there someone else that lived here before her? She didn't know. "Lucy."
"You weren't listening, were you?"
No, she wasn't and she still wasn't. "You were right. We should get rid of the dollhouse."
"I thought you liked dollhouses, especially that ugly one." Lucy glared at the dollhouse across the room that Jane had left them. "I'm telling you we should've left it to those street children but Dr Wool gave it to Jane and you know Mrs Cole would never let us—"
Again, Cordelia wasn't really listening. Her attention was caught by one of the gargoyles on the roof of the ugly dollhouse. "Lucy, the gargoyle—it moved from last night."
Lucy froze and she examined the roof of the dollhouse. "Well, Jane did say those could be removed, maybe you played with them too much."
But Cordelia didn't touch the gargoyles at all. She didn't like them and she didn't voice out her complaints in fear Lucy might make fun of her. "If you say so." She decided to drop it and get changed.
"Ugh. What is this?" Lucy held a strange white piece of something that looked like a torn piece of lace but quite lace. "It's rough and then soft and stretchy and it stinks."
Cordelia grabbed it from Lucy's hand and held it up to the sunlight. Under the sunlight, she could see the pattern of the scales. Without a single word, she crumpled up the lace-like object and threw it out the window before rushing to wash her hands but stopped when her eyes found something shiny near the dollhouse.
On top of the spires of the dollhouse was the bracelet of Tom's mother, the one Cordelia would swear she left in his room. Her heart dropped and her face paled. Lucy and her were not the only ones in her room last night.
Chapter Text
Chapter 6: Identity
14th July 1935, London
On a cool summer day, when Tom was six, a strange girl with bright blue eyes with curled brown hair appeared at the steps of Wool's. Tom would never forget the hollow look she had on her face back then or the ripped and blood-stained blue dress she wore and how she clung to the man she called uncle. The man hesitated leaving her behind and it was Cordelia who let go first.
It wasn't the first time a child had been left at Wool's by a relative but it was the first time he had seen someone promise to come back. He remembered how her uncle bent down to her level and wiped away her tears and held her close before promising he would return for her.
Cordelia didn't cry after. She didn't cry when all the other children teased her about her tattered dress or the soot on her face or the blood matted hair. She didn't even cry all day but the next day, when Tom saw her, she was smiling brightly as if nothing had happened.
There was a strange brightness to her eyes that didn't belong at Wool's. Cordelia Alder knew what she was and where she belonged. She, unlike him, had an identity. She had a family who wanted her. She had a past she remembered and could go back to and most of all she knew how to belong somewhere and Tom envied her.
To him, she was the fleeting summer and he was the endless winter. He hated her but he didn't shy away when she approached him with a knowing smile on her face when all the children at Wool's cowered in his presence or talked behind his back. It was as if she knew something he didn't.
Perhaps she did.
She wasn't surprised when he received his letter to Hogwarts, she wasn't surprised when he showed her his gifts. No, she wasn't. He envied her more than anyone at Wool's and she knew that as well, still she always went to him.
Almost always.
Somewhere along the way, she let go and then it was him chasing after her. Of course, the chase ended and she was gone. He would never forget the lengths she went to for him to have his own identity.
Having your own identity was important in the world, that was something Tom learned early on. People didn't care about you if you were a 'no one' and Tom, like all the other children at Wool's, was a 'no one'.
He didn't know where he came from or where he would go when he had to leave Wool's, even when he was at Hogwarts. It was all fleeting and he lived in perpetual darkness. He had no idea about his future or his past or where he truly belonged and he wasn't the only one at Wool's.
He quickly learned to despise this fact that he, like almost all the children at Wool's, had no identity of their own.
The moment a child was dropped onto the steps of Wool's lost their identity and became a 'no one' and Tom was one of them. His weak and pathetic mother just had to go and give birth to him at Wool's and then die, leaving him to be raised there.
He hated his circumstances and most of all his weak mother.
Wool's was all he knew and had.
He hated it. He hated how ordinary it made him feel to be in the same situation as those children and he hated them.
Perhaps that was what drew him to Cordelia.
Cordelia was different from the others. She had something of her own identity. She stood out against grey and dull people at Wool's and most of all, she chose to stay next to him despite his gloomy dark nature.
She even went through all the trouble to get him something that he could say belonged to him and was part of his identity. He remembered that moment all too well.
Like all happy moments in Tom's life, it was summer and Cordelia had snuck out somehow and somehow she had managed to get herself to a muggle antique shop nearby. Lucy had turned Wool upside down searching for her only friend and even Tom looked for Cordelia, part-curious and part-anxious over her disappearance.
Eventually she returned before evening and went straight to her room. "Where were you? Do you know how worried Henwood was? Do you even know what it's like out there?" He had blown up on her later that night.
She only stared at him with a small smile, her head tilted to the side. "I know. I've read the papers. I know we're in the middle of war but I just wanted to get something."
"What if something bad happened?"
Her smile only became wider and she took his ice-cold hands in her warm ones and said. "Are you worried about me?" She was teasing him.
Tom had rolled his eyes and flicked her forehead before slipping his hand back into hers. "If you've read the papers then you'd understand why I'm angry."
"And I've told you I've read the papers. Those Germans aren't seriously going bomb us."
"There's a war going on out there, Cora. You never know what could happen."
"Well, if the worst comes to worse. I'd be fine."
"You don't know that."
Cordelia only shrugged and freed herself to take a seat. "I've survived worst." And Tom had frowned at her words. She never took her life so seriously and she would always justify it using her family's deaths.
Tom hated her for it. She was always making him angry for no reason. No, he wasn't concerned. At least, that's what he told himself back then. "There you go again." He sighed and ruffled his dark hair.
"You need a haircut." She commented, absentmindedly running her fingers through his hair and he had frozen. If it was anyone else, he'd push them off and break their fingers but it was Cordelia. He let her do as she pleased as he shut his eyes. "Don't worry, Tom. I'm fine and I'm here. I'm always going to be okay. I'm lucky, remember?"
"You know, luck runs out." Cordelia glared at him before pulling at his hair.
"Ow!" He hissed and pushed her off of him as she giggled. He couldn't help but drop his ever present scowl and smile a little. He quickly wiped it off. "Where'd you go anyways and what'd you get?"
"I went to an antique shop round the corner—well, it's not really round the corner, it's in between this road around the corner." She rambled on before she stopped.
"Alright, why'd you say it's around the corner?"
"Because it is—just a little further."
"So what'd you get then?"
She grinned brightly, her blue eyes gleaming with joy. "You'll see soon enough." Was all she said to him that summer day.
Seasons had changed twice and naturally Tom had forgotten about. It wasn't until winter when the year was almost over did he find out why she had gone to that particular antique shop in the midst of all the growing chaos.
"Happy Birthday!" She said as she sat down next to him as their usual meeting place by the Great Lake.
Tom merely nodded in acknowledgement before Cordelia handed him a small but thick box. "You got me a present?"
"I always get you a present, Riddle."
"Tom." He corrected her. He didn't like her calling him Riddle. "So what'd you get me?"
"Open it."
And he did. He obediently followed her instructions well and unwrapped the brown wrapping paper, revealing an emerald green velvet box. The box was the size of a small card and he was curious as to what was inside.
He raised his brows at his only friend and unlatched the box and opened it. There, inside was a small misshapen golden band with four small green stones in the centre. "A bracelet?"
Cordelia nodded. She carefully picked up the band and turned it around, holding it up to the sun.
The more Tom looked at it, the more he realised what an expensive gift she had given him and naturally he hesitated. Of course, he wanted it but in front of Cordelia he hid his greed well.
"Don't you dare try to give it back, I went through a lot of trouble to get it for you."
"I never asked you to do such a thing."
"Nobody asks for a gift, Tom. That's rude." She retorted as she smoothed her skirt. Tom took off his robe and covered her cold legs with it. "And you're going to take it and like it."
"Fine." He drew out, hiding his happiness. His greed was satiated for the moment. "So how much was it?"
She lightly punched him and glared at him. "Are you seriously asking me the price of this?"
"Yes because there's no way the shopkeeper parted with this," He held up the band to the fading evening light. "That easily."
"Oh he didn't."
"Then how much was it?"
Suddenly she was silent. Tom didn't drop the matter and kept hounding her on the matter even when the new year came. It was Henwood who let it drop later on that Cordelia had actually spent six months worth of her allowance from her uncle on getting Tom his mother's bracelet back.
"Look inside the band." She pointed to the insides of the band and he did.
Etched on the inner side of the band were the words.
'M. Gaunt'
"Gaunt? What's that?"
"Not what but who." Cordelia answered. "It's your mother's initials. You know over the summer, Mrs Cole let me help her with the books. While I was going through them, I found that your mother pawned off some of her stuff to buy you some clothes before…you were born."
"Shouldn't it be Riddle?"
"Well, in Mrs Cole's books, she wrote that your mother named you after your father so Riddle was your father's name and Gaunt is—"
"My mother's family." He finished her sentence with wide eyes.
Cordelia bowed her head with a bright smile. "Happy Birthday!" She repeated and he smiled too.
She had given him the greatest gift he could ever hope for. It was the first time he knew more about himself.
She gave him a piece of his own identity.
The burning envy he had felt towards Cordelia, died a little when he held that band of worn out gold in his cold hands. He didn't part with it for a long time, not until the two were in their final year at Hogwarts and he was about to lose her.
Perhaps he wanted her to have a piece of his identity but not of himself. The band of gold was one of the few personal items of his, he never thought of misusing. He gave it to her, hoping she'd stay and not abandon him like the rest and she did.
Maybe it was out of kindness or pity or affection for an old friend or even love. The latter seemed funny to Tom as most claimed he couldn't feel anything—it was only half-true. But he didn't know why Cordelia had accepted his gift and stayed beside him.
He wished he did know, if he did, he could've tied her to him before she disappeared.
"You're home." Cordelia breathed out as he came home late one night.
The lights were dimmed but Tom could see her clearly, dressed in a navy blue coat dress on that chilling winter night of his twenty-third birthday. She had a vanilla iced cake in front of her with a few candles stuck to the top while she stared lifelessly at him.
Despite it being his birthday, she didn't look in the mood for festivities. If anything, she looked as if she had come back from a funeral. Her face was pale and ashen. Her lips were dry with remnants of a faded poppy red lipstick and her bright blue eyes were a little red as if she had been crying.
Tom closed the door behind him and carefully approached her, taking off his worn-out leather gloves and placing them to the side.
"Cora," He greeted brightly as he approached her to engulf her in a warm hug but Cordelia didn't move. Typically she'd be the one to greet him first. "Sorry I'm late, work took too long. Mr Burke wanted some extra help for the evening so I naturally volunteered out of…" He trailed off when Cordelia sighed. His face fell.
For a moment, neither of the two said anything. Cordelia kept sighing, trying to pluck up courage to speak before she finally did. "...When were you going to tell me?" Her voice came out in a soft broken whisper and she looked as if she was going to cry.
He was at her side in an instant with his hand in hers. "Tell you what? You know I tell you everything." He said with an unnatural smile.
It took him a second to realise that he had been smiling more than usual. Cordelia wasn't dull, no, she was one of the brightest people he knew. Immediately he stopped smiling and tried to compose himself but she didn't care.
Cordelia swallowed back her tears and looked at him with anger in her gaze. "When were you going to tell me about Myrtle Warren? Or what happened during your little trip to Albania or your little gang of blood supremacists or what you're actually working on?"
His heart dropped and his face crumbled. For the first time in his life, he was tongue-tied, his wand felt heavy inside his pocket. It would've been easy to pick it up and cast a simple spell to return everything as it was.
"Don't even think about it, Riddle!" Cordelia hissed. She had a knife in her hand but it wasn't pointed at him.
He felt a bitter chill and he quickly moved to Cordelia's side. She backed away. "Cora, put the knife down."
"Then tell me what happened!" Tom shook his head. "Tell me!" He kept shaking his head. All his hard work to hide his dark side was destroyed in moments. "TELL ME!" She kept trembling as she pointed the sharp knife at him, he didn't react to that but it was only when she held it to her neck did he feel true fear. "Tell me you didn't open the Chamber of Secrets on purpose and let the basilisk of Salazar Slytherin loose."
He should've lied and said he didn't. Told her a pretty lie like he always did. Yet his throat felt heavy with words and his mouth was shut. His mind fogged up and before he could regain control, he was already speaking. "I did. I am the heir of Slytherin, I only claimed my birthright. I did nothing wrong. The mudblood was collateral damage."
"Her name is—was Myrtle Warren and she's dead and an innocent student was expelled because of you!"
"Rubeus Hagrid was hardly innocent. He brought a dangerous creature with him inside the walls of Hogwarts."
Cordelia scoffed and struggled to hold back her tears. "The way I see it, you're more dangerous than whatever he homed. You killed someone…"
"A mudblood." He spat out. "I hardly count that as someone. The basilisk only took care of what didn't belong."
And her face crumpled as she looked at him horrified at the true face of Tom Riddle. She sucked in deep pained breath before she shakily tried to speak. "She was a daughter, a friend and a student. She was a person and her name was Myrtle. I can't…what if it was one of your friends? What if it was Abraxas or Estienne?"
"I don't care about them. They could die for all I care."
"How could you say something like that?" Cordelia always knew Tom never really thought of his friends as 'friends', to her they appeared more like followers or acolytes than real friends so she wasn't phased by his answer, only disappointed. "...What if it was me?" She asked instead.
He froze. His mind stopped working. The image of cold and dead Myrtle was momentarily replaced by one of Cordelia. He shut his eyes and turned away from her.
"What if it was me, Tom? What if I saw the basilisk instead of Myrtle and I died. Would you still say the same thing? Of course, you would. You don't care. You only care about your 'birthright' and your…greed. You don't care if anyone dies as long as you get what you want and you certainly won't care if I di—"
"Be quiet!" He shouted, startling her. He'd never yelled at her or anyone before.
The overfamiliar scorching headache was making its reappearance. Anger flooded his entire being and his body shook violently when he even thought about Cordelia being dead.
"You're not dead. You're not dying." He kept saying. "And I won't let you die. I refuse to let you go. You won't die and you'll stay as you are like me."
The knife fell from her hands and clattered to the old wooden floor. Cordelia's shoulders slumped, she had finally given up on Tom. "So you lied." Her tears dried up as she hugged herself tighter. "You lied when you told me you had given up on your silly quest."
"It's not a silly quest."
"It is." She retorted, grabbing her bag and opening it. "You cannot beat death. We all die Tom and it's the way of life. You can't go against fate because you will lose!"
Before he could stop himself, he had grabbed her shoulders and pushed against the wall, trapping her. Cordelia's back hit the wooden wall with a quiet thud as she hissed in pain. Tom tried to apologise but his mouth wouldn't cooperate.
"Let go!" She shouted, pushing and kicking him but he didn't budge. "Let go of me! Tom!"
"Why can't you just support me?" He asked with a crazed look on his face.
"Support you killing peopl—your eyes…" She abruptly stopped struggling. Her focus elsewhere. Tom's eyes were always dark but in that moment they were serpent like and red. "Oh. What did you do Tom?"
Tom didn't answer. He held her close as she struggled to breathe or free herself. The red fog clouding his mind beckoned him to wrap his hands around her throat and take her life for his. Her life belonged to him, it whispered but seeing her bright blue eyes looking up at him, it cut through the haze with ease.
Instead, he dropped his hands to her shoulders and wrapped himself around her.
"What did you do?!" She kept asking between sobs. "Myrtle wasn't the only one, was she?" Again he didn't answer. "Albania…you killed someone there as well, didn't you?"
He didn't know what to say. He had no way of winning with anything he said. His eyes gradually returned back to their dark colour but the damage was done.
"You're right I killed Myrtle and I killed someone else. I won't stop and…" He reached for her and grabbed her face roughly. "And if you get in my way. I will kill you."
Cordelia muttered something under her breath and Tom was flung across the room. She let out a sob before she steeled herself and took out a familiar velvet box. "I spent so many years lying to myself that you would change and get better, get help but you never did. You only kept digging deeper and deeper. I thought if I gave you a piece of your family's past, you'd stop but you never did, you always wanted more."
All she got in response was his crazed slow laughter. "There's nothing wrong with a little ambition."
"There you go again mistaking greed for ambition Tom." Cordelia dully looked at Tom and held up the familiar green velvet box. "...I'm leaving….for good this time. I can't stay here and listen to you go on and on about the Hallows, Death and Horcruxes—yes, I know about them—Arsene told him."
"Arsene." He spat out that name like it was poison.
"I'm leaving Tom. I'm not going to try and stop you. I'm not that kind of a person, you know that. I'm not someone who likes playing the heroine."
"Of course, I'm not interesting enough for an Alder."
She sighed again, shaking her head. Gone was her anger and grief, she was only left with the disappointment. "You were always interesting to me as you were—I just don't want to lose my life like my family did." Tom flinched at the mention of her family. "And no, I don't want to extend it. I'll die when death comes for me. I won't hide or run or try to fight it like you. I'm not a coward."
"I'm not a coward." He echoed her last words as he pushed himself off the floor. "I'm not. I just want to be…great."
"You know you look oddly similar to the man who killed my parents."
His face twisted in fury as he tried to reach for her but she moved out of his grasp so he took out his wand, pointing it at her. Her face fell and she let out a shaky pained breath.
"I am not him, I will never be that pathetic as that man who was easily beaten by Dumbledore—I'll be someone greater than him."
She nodded tiredly. By then, Tom didn't know at that time but he had already lost her then and there. "Happy Birthday your greatness." She smiled mockingly, no trace of joy in her eyes. She threw the green velvet box in her hand at him and he caught it with ease. "And don't come and find me."
Without looking back, she walked out into the night, leaving him behind with the piece of his identity. Like always, the band of gold rested comfortably inside with a scrawled up note which read.
'I'm giving you back what belonged to you. I no longer wished to be tied to you and I hope you give up on your foolish endeavours before it's too late.
Happy Birthday. May this be the last time we ever see each other.'
- Cora
He crumpled up the note and threw it across the small room and to the roaring fireplace. He watched as the flames ate away Cordelia's note as he sat there on the floor with his head in his hands. With her gone, his tiny living room felt so much smaller than before.
There were countless nights, he regretted letting her go. Countless days when he expected her to appear from the kitchen with breakfast for the two of them. Nights were he wondered if he had been truly abandoned. His regrets towards her only piled on since then.
Cordelia wasn't the only thing he lost that night. She was one of the many things he would end up losing. His coveted identity would join soon after.
Tom blinked away those harsh memories and focused on the present in front of him. Just like then, he had another note from Cordelia in his hands. The handwriting was messier but the subject was in the same vein that note was.
Tom read the note that young Cordelia had written next to the familiar green velvet box before he crumpled it and ripped it into pieces.
'I can't accept it Tom. It's not right for me to take what belonged to your mum. You need it more than I do. Thank you for thinking about me but I'm giving it back to you.'
- Cordelia
"Always slipping through my fingers." He muttered as he stood over the sleeping form of Cordelia who was blissfully unaware of the boy watching her sleep.
Nearby Eris slithered around Cordelia's room before stopping near the window sill. She started to shed her skin and Tom looked away. He held up his mother's band to the moonlight and turned to look around the room.
The ugly dollhouse caught his attention. It was here again. His hands traced the roof tiles of the dollhouse with a nostalgic smile. He could still hear their faint voices as he and Cordelia argued in front of the ugly dollhouse and the amount of times he teased her about it and how he asked her to throw it away.
But she never did.
She always had such peculiar tastes.
Tom dropped the band of gold on top of one of the spires, being careful not to make too much sound. The band rested comfortably as he focused his attention back on Cordelia.
Her blissful smile had twisted into a grimace as she clutched her duvet close to her body. She started to tremble, her breathing getting heavy like she was drowning.
Tom was by her side in an instant. He placed his cold hand on top of her head and left it there before running his fingers through her hair while whispering something inaudible. Cordelia relaxed and her breathing returned to normal, only then did he leave.
He could only imagine what nightmares she was having and this time he vowed things would be different. He had his identity and he had Cordelia. Neither would he lose this time.
Notes:
Author's note: Yes, Cordelia is a witch for anyone wondering.
Chapter Text
Chapter 7: The Rabbit & The Snake
18th July 1935, London
Martha had gathered all the children at Wool's in the old library for a quick meeting. Mrs Cole stood in the front looking over the herd of children while counting heads. She would often pause to check if a person was missing or not. She was quite particular about attendance to her meetings, no one was allowed to miss them, not even Tom.
When she was done with counting, she began her quick meeting. She went over the changes in meals, the state of the garden, how there would be now a vegetable garden to tend to among other things and more chores. The children held back their groans as Martha watched them with a soft smile on her face and a finger on her lips.
Seeing the time ticking away, Mrs Cole noted how the children were all sleepy. It was time to end the meeting. "To end on a lighter note, Martha." She motioned to Martha to take over and the younger woman sprang into action.
"Good afternoon everyone." Martha greeted the children. "The trip to the seaside is next week, Mrs Cole and I expect everyone to be on their best behaviour from now until the end of the trip. We'll be taking a train and then a couch—we hired for us to get to Brighton—"
Chatters of children interrupted Martha and she stopped talking, pursing her lips and clasping her hands together to wait for silence. "Quiet." Mrs Cole calmly commanded and a hush fell over the room like a blanket.
"As I was saying, that sort of behaviour will not be tolerated on the trip. We expect you all to have your eyes and ears open at all times and be on your best behaviour."
"For some of you, this is your first trip anywhere with us." Mrs Cole glanced over Tom, Cordelia and some of the newcomers and younger children. "And for some, it is not. We expect the older ones to guide the younger ones. Stick close to each other in small groups if you can. Do not wander off! We don't want to spend time looking for the lost ones."
"Wandering off would strike you off the list for any future trips—it's important you all listen to us."
Tom's eyes wandered around the small library, examining each corner. Almost everyone was far away from him—just what he wanted. He'd chosen his seat carefully, being sure to sit somewhere else compared to last time, not only for more quiet but also to not get involved in any petty childish fights like last time. After all, he had better things to worry about.
He glanced over at Cordelia, expecting her to be sat up straight and eagerly listening like last time. To his surprise, Cordelia looked tired with her head bowed and eyes shut.
Tom debated leaving her in that half-asleep state. It would be humorous if she were to get caught but she would most likely be given extra chores to make up for it. He couldn't keep her in his sight if she was caught up in something so menial.
Glancing down at his sleeve, Tom quietly called Eris. The little snake slithered out of his sleeve and moved towards the sleepy Cordelia. Eris nestled herself on Cordelia's lap and the girl jolted awake.
She made a face before looking up to glare at Tom who lightly grinned at her. "Not funny, Tom." She hissed.
"Then don't doze off." He murmured, commanding Eris to come back. "She has been droning on for a while but you know what'll happen if they catch you sleeping."
"I wasn't…yawn…sleeping." But her yawns betrayed just how tired she was.
The two were fortunate that they managed to find a seat in the corner by the window. Of course they were fortunate, Tom had quietly threatened most of the children away from that particular spot. Their unconditional fear of him was always helpful in getting what he wanted. Even Lucy was frightened of Tom. She decided to take a seat on the floor in front of the two. It was just how Tom liked it.
If fear failed him he could always steal what he wanted.
"I wasn't sleeping." Cordelia repeated, her eyes fluttering open and close.
Sunlight streamed in through the window above the two, blanketing Cordelia in its golden glow. Under the sunlight, Tom could see some pale dark circles under Cordelia's eyes. Her normally bright eyes appeared a little dull. Her chestnut hair had also lost its shine.
He frowned. To him, it appeared as if Cordelia hadn't slept for days. He wanted to ask her what happened but kindness was never one of his best traits.
"You look horrible." Said Tom, already wanting to bite his tongue for his remarks. "I almost mistook you for a goblin."
Cordelia tiredly glared at Tom before brushing off her fringe. She'd need a haircut soon, her hair always seemed to grow out quick. "Thank you Tom, what ever would I do without your remarks."
"I didn't lie." But he did. Cordelia was still pretty in his eyes, just tired. Tom just couldn't help himself with his comments. It was also funny seeing Cordelia's reactions—always amusing for him.
"I'm not taking someone who thinks snakes are friends."
Eris popped her head up and hissed at Cordelia as if she understood her. "Oh, look you've made her mad."
"Oh no. What will I do?" She said before snickering and shaking her head.
Tom couldn't help but smile but his smile was wiped off once he noticed Mrs Cole and Martha had grown silent. Yet neither of the two had called upon either him or Cordelia. Mrs Cole glanced nervously at the tired Cordelia and at him again, fidgeting with her hands.
"I'm sorry were we interrupting you two?" Mrs Cole questioned. She didn't stop fidgeting.
All the children turned around to look at them and Cordelia ducked her head under the window sill. Her face flushed pink with embarrassment as she avoided the questioning gaze of the old matron.
Tom didn't move, he spared a glance at Cordelia before answering to Martha. "Not at all."
Martha pursed her lips, she continued quickly before something odd happened again. It was no secret that odd misfortunes would befall on anyone who annoyed Tom. One of the many reasons why almost everyone tried their best to avoid the boy.
"Meals…meals." Martha stuttered out. "Meals, ah, yes. Breakfast will be an early one—four in the morning, no delays."
"Those who are delayed can take a bag from the kitchen with a jam sandwich and a single muffin." Mrs Cole added.
Amy raised her hand and Mrs Cole nodded in her direction. "What kind of jam? Is it orange again or are we having strawberry."
Mrs Cole sighed. "I don't know, whatever we've got in the pantry. You're more than welcome to find out if you choose to help." Amy sat back down and looked away. "Carrying on, Martha."
Martha as instructed took over again. "Lunch will be on the pier so I ask you all again to not wander too far away and keep an eye on any clocks you can find."
"Now thanks to the generosity of Dr Wool, you will all get a set amount of money to buy trinkets or whatnots." Robbie raised his hand, interrupting Mrs Cole. "Yes Robert."
Robbie kept his face blank when Mrs Cole called him by his birth name. The annoyed smile on his face said everything. "Are we all getting the same amount?"
"No, it would be silly to give you all the same amount. Is that all?" Robbie shook his head.
"Once again we ask you all to be mindful of each other and do not wander off alone." Everyone bobbed their heads in understanding. "Now that's all from me, Mrs Cole will end this meeting before dismissing you all. I do ask you all to remember that dinner is at seven and it's quarter past six now, so don't go to your rooms just yet."
Martha stepped aside and Mrs Cole took the lead once more. "Thank you Martha. Now, lastly I'd like to remind you all once again—"
A gasp interrupted the old matron and she clicked her tongue. "Mopsy's missing." Billy Stubbs stood up and cried.
All the children groaned. They all wanted the meeting to end and Billy's rabbit going missing was quite inconvenient for some, especially those like Lucy who had chores to tend to before dinner. "Why'd you bring your stupid rabbit down here?" Eric Whalley complained.
"Eric." Mrs Cole warned quietly before addressing the young boy. "Billy, you are aware that pets are not allowed in the library."
Between his sniffling and crying, Billy nodded. "...I thought I could take her outside when we were done."
"Alright." Martha clapped her hands together, trying to lighten the mood. "Why don't we find Mopsy—we'll discuss the rules later. Though you are in big trouble Billy."
Billy only cried harder.
"I bet Tom had something to do with it." Dennis loudly said but he acted as if he was whispering. His words sent a shockwave across the library and Tom could only sigh.
"I bet he did." Eric and Amy chimed in.
The situation was what Tom was trying to avoid.
In the end, it was the same. Billy lost sight of his stupid rabbit, everyone blamed Tom like always and Mrs Cole sent him upstairs without dinner. It wouldn't be the last time that damned rabbit got Tom into trouble.
Cordelia spared a glance towards the silent Tom who was gritting his teeth and holding back insults at those stupid children. Of course, Cordelia didn't really think much of it, she assumed Tom was upset and she wasn't the only one. Peggy and Robbie looked concerned as well.
Accusatory eyes were pointed at him, their faces blurred. He wasn't scared like he was the first time around. Back then, under their heavy gaze he lashed out and only worsened his reputation. He did childish things that he wished he didn't. Still their gazes were heavy back then. Not so much in the present, he had been through worse.
In the small crowd, he could only make out the distinct face of Cordelia bathed in the sunlight of the setting sun who stared at him in pity. She believed him. She always did, right to her own end.
"I didn't take…Billy's st–Mopsy. I didn't take him. I have no reason to." Tom defended himself, rising from his seat. In the midst of the commotion, Eris had slithered back into his sleeve. "Aren't you tired of always accusing me Bishop?" He stared down Dennis who despite being older by a year was shorter than him.
Dennis stumbled on his words. He didn't expect Tom to stand up for himself. "T-that's because you're a freak."
Tom's face scrunched up in anger as he glared at Dennis while holding himself back from injuring the boy beyond recognition. "Say that again Bishop."
"Dennis!" Martha tried to intervene but she was swiftly ignored.
"I said you're a little freak and Cordelia's just like you. I bet she helped you get that rabbit and you both threw it into the well out in the back."
Alarmed at the sudden mention of Cordelia, Eric grabbed Dennis' arm. Dennis shook him off. Amy snickered and pointed at Cordelia. Even though she had turned blue before, it didn't change her at all. "Look at her, hiding behind Tom."
"Leave her alone!" Lucy and Tom said at the same time. The two shared a look before looking away.
Cordelia rolled her eyes and came out from her hiding place. She was getting sick and tired of always being dragged into fights that she had no intention to take part in.
She didn't understand why Amy, Dennis and Eric loathed Tom so much and why they'd always drag her into their petty arguments. She didn't want anything to do with them.
"Nobody stole Billy's rabbit. I'm sure it just wandered off." Cordelia stated, eyeing the trembling Billy who hid away from her gaze. "Tom and I were sitting here all along and Billy was over there." She pointed to Billy's seat near the front. "I'm sure everyone would've noticed if we moved."
"She's right." Mrs Cole agreed.
She sighed loudly. The old matron was tired of the same old bickerings and too tired to intervene, she left it all up to Martha but even so, she still needed to step in at times in case the unruly children caused more trouble than they could afford.
"Cordelia and Tom were sitting in the corner furthest away from Billy. I don't understand what possessed either of you three to presume Tom or even Cordelia would do such a thing."
Dennis pointed at Tom's lap. "He has a snake. I bet his little pet ate Mopsy." Billy cried harder and started full on wailing hysterically at Dennis' words.
The children gasped and hurried to move away from Tom and Cordelia. Eris tried to hide while Tom tucked his sleeve away from the gazes of the other children. "Eris doesn't eat rabbits." Tom stated. He sounded more bored than angry as he eyed the exit.
"Eris? Look, he even named his little snake." Eric joined in, sparing a concerned glance at Cordelia.
"Actually Eric, I named it." Said Cordelia with a sweet smile as she watched the colour from his face drain.
"Y-you did?"
"I thought it was a pretty name."
"I-it is." Eric agreed. A light flush of pink started to cover his cheeks as he looked down and Tom glared at him. If looks could kill, Eric would be six feet under. "I-Is that your snake?"
"Maybe." Cordelia lied. "And you know I would never steal or hurt anyone."
"N-no, of course not."
"Good." She clapped her hands together. She could hear the quiet mutterings of the other children. Between their mutterings, she could hear the tides turn. It did pay off to have a good reputation at times even if it made her life dull. "We can all agree that Tom and I had nothing to do with Mopsy's disappearance."
"Then where's Mopsy?" Billy cried out, hugging himself. "Your snake ate Mopsy!"
Tom couldn't take it anymore. He went through great lengths to avoid this particular event yet despite his efforts it still happened. He was at his wits end whenever it came to Billy and his stupid rabbit.
He should've stolen that thing and thrown it into the well at the back or better yet hung it from the rafters like he did before. How he managed to stay calm, he didn't know. "Eris did no such thing." He refuted Billy's accusations again.
"Then whe-where is she?" The younger boy sobbed.
Mrs Cole let out a loud audible sigh. Oh how tired she was of these children, nobody would ever know. Well, almost nobody.
"For god's sake, Billy, be quiet!" The old matron hissed, trying to nurse her headache. "One more word from any of you and the trip to the seaside will be shelved immediately."
"You all heard Mrs Cole. Quieten down and we will find Mopsy then we can all have a little break before dinner." Martha nervously fidgeted in her spot. She cautiously eyed Tom, not trusting him at all. "Tom, are you sure your sn—"
"Eris." Tom corrected. "Her name is Eris and no, she didn't eat Mopsy. The rabbit would've gotten stuck in her throat—it would've been bad for everyone." There was the familiar quiet warning in his words which hadn't gone unmissed by anyone.
"He's right." Beatrice chimed in. She quietly assessed Tom's snake as it slithered around unaware of the situation. "That's a grass snake. They don't eat rabbits." Billy sniffed loudly and Beatrice rolled her eyes. "They tend to eat frogs, not rabbits and sometimes they eat ants and worms."
"There you all have it. Tom's sna–Eris didn't eat Mopsy." Martha clapped her hands together in joy.
The poor woman was really struggling to end the bitter argument and she wanted nothing more than to send all the children away. Only thing stopping her was the wailing of Billy.
"Then where is Mopsy?" Billy cried out.
"I don't know but we will find her."
"Tom's snake ate it!"
Tom glared at him and opened his mouth. He should've taken care of that damned rabbit when he first opened his eyes back in the past. That thing was nothing but trouble to him. He should've hanged it earlier than last time.
"You stu—"
"It's over there." Cordelia cut Tom off and pointed at the old moss green curtains behind Mrs Cole and Martha. "Look. It's chewing on the curtains." She added with a soft giggle.
Everyone turned around to see where Cordelia was pointing and sure enough, the missing rabbit was there underneath the tall ornate wooden window, chewing on the curtains. The black and white ball of fur blissfully chewed on as if it didn't have many eyes on it.
"No. No." Martha hurried over and pulled Mopsy off the curtains. "Bad rabbit. Bad rabbit. Billy, you should keep it in its pen."
Billy's sobbing gradually subsided as Martha handed him back his ball of fur. He hugged it close to face, nuzzling and patting it. "Oh Mopsy, I thought you were gone."
"I think you're missing something Billy and you three." Tom interrupted the sweet reunion with his monotone voice. He had eyes on him but he swiftly ignored them. "You four accused me and Cordelia of doing something we didn't. You owe us an apology."
Cordelia bit her lips and tugged at Tom's shirt. "Tom, it's okay."
"No, it's not. It really isn't." He snapped. He was tired of Cordelia always letting things go when really she shouldn't have. She was sometimes such a pushover. He understood her, he did but often he found himself wishing that she'd stand up for herself more. "Apologise to us."
"Tom is right." Mrs Cole clasped her hands together and nodded at Amy, Dennis and Eric to apologise. She ignored Billy, knowing he'd be the first to cave in without even some talking to. "You four apologise now or you're being excluded from the trip."
The three looked at each other before Eric took a step forward. "I'm sorry Cordelia."
"And Tom." Tom added.
"And Tom." Eric spat out.
"Sorry Tom and Cordelia." Amy and Dennis apologised halfheartedly.
Mrs Cole opened her mouth to chastise them but promptly changed her mind once her eyes caught the sight of clock against the wall. They were running late. Martha needed to leave to prepare dinner. "Alright that'll do for this afternoon. You're all dismissed. I'll see you all at dinner and stay on your best behaviour!"
"Yes, Mrs Cole." The children chorused and began to file out of the old library in disorderly fashion.
Typically, the old matron would chastise them about their disorder yet that particular afternoon, she seemed more tired than usual. Deep frowns on her face, her age was showing more than ever. Something was troubling her.
"Cordelia." The old matron called Cordelia as the young girl was about to step over the threshold of the library. "A word."
Martha shared a look with Cordelia. She shrugged and hurried out without a word to finish preparations for dinner.
Tom lingered behind Cordelia, part curious and part concerned. His lingering wasn't gone unmissed by Mrs Cole. "I asked Cordelia to stay behind, not you. You're dismissed, Tom."
He scowled and opened his mouth to speak but a glance at Cordelia, he reluctantly shut up and chose not to put up a fight. That didn't mean he'd leave easily. Without either Cordelia or Mrs Cole noticing, he let Eris slither out of his sleeve. Quietly, he commanded the little serpent to stay and watch over Cordelia.
Clasping her hands together, Cordelia watched Tom leave. It was too easy. He didn't put up an argument like he typically did. Something wasn't quite right. Before she could investigate, Mrs Cole called out to her.
"—About the dollhouse, I wanted to ask if you're really sure about keeping it in storage." Mrs Cole went on. She'd stop occasionally to exhale heavily as if she was having terrible breathing. "I remember you were quite fond of dollhouses and it was the only one we had."
The dollhouse, she'd nearly forgotten about that thing. It was true she liked dollhouses. They were fascinating things especially the particular one she was gifted but her nightmares had turned her away from them. "I…think I've outgrown dolls and dollhouses." She answered not so honestly.
"But you loved that dollhouse."
"And now I don't." Her fascination died overnight. She didn't even want to look at that thing anymore. "I don't want it."
"Very well, I had it stored in one of the spare rooms upstairs. Should you change your mind—"
"I won't. I don't want to see that thing again."
Mrs Cole stared at Cordelia for a moment, quietly assessing the small girl and wondering what changed her mind. Cordelia was someone who liked peculiar things yet now she said she didn't want to see the dollhouse ever again.
The old matron hummed quietly under her breath as she contempted different scenarios. "Very well."
The matter of the dollhouse ended just like that. "May I be dismissed?"
Mrs Cole nodded but she quickly changed her mind. "Wait."
Once again stopping Cordelia at the threshold. The young girl sighed. At this point, she wouldn't have a break before dinner.
"Cordelia." Mrs Cole only said her voice before she grew quiet.
Cordelia turned to see the old matron looking down with wide eyes, her hands fidgeting with each other. She was distracted.
"After his sickness, he hasn't been the same. He's not been the same. D-do you think Tom's changed? " She asked, her voice gradually growing quieter with each word. Cordelia had to strain her ears to hear her. "You two were not quite as close before but now…" She trailed off, paranoidly glancing at the door.
Cordelia stared at the paranoid old matron. If anyone didn't know, they'd think she was afraid of Tom.
"He's changed hasn't he?" The matron repeated. Her voice was still very quiet. "There's something about him. I'm sure you've noticed it too. He used to avoid you and it was you who used to be running after him but now…he's changed. Right? You think Tom's different?"
Cordelia hesitated to answer. The answer was clear to them all but she still hesitated. She didn't know why she couldn't say it outright, instead she said. It was like an invisible thread had sewed her mouth shut, she couldn't speak about Tom.
"I'd like to write a letter to my uncle."
Mrs Cole's face scrunched up and she tilted her head. "You sent one out already. I was aware that you only sent one letter per month."
"I want to send another." She asked, more forceful than before.
The two stared at each other for a while. It took her a while before Mrs Cole realised what Cordelia's answer was: Tom had changed. He wasn't the only one but the old matron held her tongue. She considered digging for more yet the thought of Cordelia's first appearance at Wool's clouded her mind.
Her bloody and tattered appearance. The lost, shell shocked look as if she had witnessed a battle and lived, something only soldiers on a battlefield had or witnesses of a battle.
Mrs Cole wanted to believe what Cordelia's uncle had told her. That Cordelia's family had died tragically in a tragic house fire or was it a car accident or maybe it was a robbery gone wrong.
She frowned. Perhaps her age was getting to her—her memories were all jumbled up. It was admittedly strange she couldn't remember the exact nature of Cordelia's family's passing.
"Mrs Cole." The old matron snapped out of her daze at the mention of her name. "Can I leave?"
"Eh, yes." How strange. Cordelia didn't seem phased by her paranoia as if she was used to it. "Cordelia…"
The old matron quietened when bright blue orbs stared at her dully as if she was an insignificant insect under its gaze. "Mrs Cole?"
"Nothing."
Cordelia tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled brightly before leaving the library without another word. Mrs Cole wouldn't know; Cordelia was distracted the entire time. Her focus was on the walls where a familiar snake attempted to become part of the wallpaper but there was a difference between painted vines and snakeskin.
Notes:
Author's note: This might feel like a filler chapter but I thought it would help set out the relationship between Cordelia and Tom and how differently everyone at Wool's see them. It's also the calm before a storm.
As always thanks for reading.
Chapter 9: Seaside Trip
Chapter Text
Chapter 8: Seaside Trip
21st July 1935, Brighton
"So close." The soft voice of a woman mumbled.
A misty dark room with the only light coming from what appeared to be a tall window or maybe it was a gateway or a mirror. Whatever it was, it glowed a brilliant pale blue light.
Crumbling ancient stones formed its frame, near its foot were golden sands which shone brightly. It was no ordinary sand or gateway. After all, the other side of the gate was not there. The gate's insides were covered in a strange iridescent blue-black curtain that ebbed and flowed as if it was a black ocean on a moonlit night.
It wasn't the first time Cordelia had seen the odd arch.
For over a year, she dreamt of this and every time, it was the same. That woman from her dreams with familiar bright blue eyes and light brown hair like hers would stand and watch the gate in silent awe. In every dream, the woman got closer and closer to the gate.
Some days, that woman would have a notebook and quill in her hand, scribbling away while muttering to herself like a mad woman or to the other people there. Most days, she'd be completely alone, lost in her thoughts, staring deeply at the gate.
Yet for some reason, Cordelia had stopped seeing any new encounters of the woman at the gate. Instead, she kept seeing the same dream over and over again like a broken record.
It started like the other dreams; the woman would appear in the large hall with the gate in the centre, alone like most days.
Yet the similarities ended there.
In the repeating dream, the woman no longer just stared. She circled around the gate, her heels echoing around the hall. Alongside, she kept muttering something.
The hall shook but the ancient stone arch remained unmoved. Mist rolled in from the gate and a bright light descended upon the hall, blinding her.
When she opened her eyes, the woman was nowhere to be seen. Cordelia was left alone with the strange gate. She tried to turn away and walk towards an exit but she couldn't. Her feet wouldn't move. It was like she wasn't in control of herself anymore.
She felt so cold at that moment, she hugged herself. How strange. It wasn't that cold a moment ago yet suddenly the temperature dropped. She turned her gaze towards the door to find it was not like a black sea but rather familiar to a mesmerising pale blue gossamer.
The gateway beckoned Cordelia to come closer. Even though she tried to stop herself, she couldn't. Her feet were moving on her own. She tried to look away but she couldn't. The glowing gateway called to her like sirens luring sailors into its dark and murky depths.
She knew this wasn't real yet the bone-chilling cold told her otherwise.
She was dreaming.
She knew it.
She kept trying to drill the thought into her head, it didn't stick. Her mind was clouded with the thoughts of the mysterious gate.
Cries of seagulls and children's laughter broke through her waking nightmare. She could feel the flat rock she sat under and see the vast sea in front of her. The shore underneath where she sat.
Though there was a slight chill in the air, it was nothing compared to the bitter wintery cold she felt in her hellish dream. The calm salty breeze was soothing, reassuring her that this was real.
She turned away to look at the sea once more. Yet she couldn't focus on the waves. Her mind was clouded with worry.
Before she left, she sent off a letter to her uncle. It was hard with both Mrs Cole and Tom hovering around her, she had to be careful on what to write and when to send it.
She was fortunate that Robbie was going to the post office days before they left. She managed to get him to send it off without either Mrs Cole and Tom knowing.
Now she was playing the waiting game. She would be lying to herself if she told herself she wasn't anxious. She was afraid, very afraid. It was getting harder and harder to sleep for long at night. Her dreams were getting stranger and more frequent.
At least she managed to get rid of the dollhouse. It was a necessary thing to do—not because she grew past the age of having dollhouses. Every time she walked past that dollhouse, she kept seeing the twisted vision of Wool's in waking reality. She realised then it was time to let it go.
Only thing she had left to do was give back Tom's bracelet. A sigh escaped her and she slumped down, her head falling to her knees.
Giving Tom his mother's bracelet back wouldn't be easy. Tom was almost as stubborn as her, if not more. She was sure he had snuck into her room and returned it when she left it in his room. She was sure of it and she didn't like doubting herself.
Maybe she could talk to him. Right, the two could have a civil conversation. If only, she stopped running from him. She didn't know why she was even avoiding him. It was why she was sitting in a secluded part of the beach.
On the train, she ignored his existence while on the coach he managed to scare Lucy into giving up her seat. Though neither spoke, it was clear to her that Tom was watching her.
Somehow the thought of it unnerved her.
Maybe it was because for once she wasn't the observer and she liked being the observer.
Shutting her eyes, she opened them again and stared out into the sea, ignoring the holidaymakers on the beach.
Waves collided against each other and some broke apart in collision with the stony cliffs. Seagulls cried out overhead alongside the quiet chatters of holidaymakers.
"Found you."
A cold shiver went down her spine and she abruptly sat up straight.
Tom was looking down at her with an uncharacteristic grin on his face.
Her hat nearly blew away but Tom caught it before it would be lost to the strong breeze. "You could've gotten lost." He began.
"But I'm not." She answered, without looking at him. "You found me."
He said nothing in response yet his grip on her hat tightened. She thought it was a game, to her maybe but to him, he didn't know what he'd do if she was lost again.
He carefully placed her hat on top of her head and back down, much to Cordelia's surprise. She didn't even know what he was doing until her hat landed back on her head.
"Thank you." She mumbled out, fixing her windswept hair and tying up the ribbon holding her hat to her head.
"Whatever, you looked like a windswept badger. My poor eyes needed a break."
Cordelia scoffed and smiled. She was annoyed, very annoyed. Tom had a special talent of getting on her nerves very quickly.
Without a word, she grabbed his head and ruffled his hair, messing it up. "Oh look, you don't appear any better than a drowned seagull."
Tom scowled, though he was hiding a smile. "You'll pay for that."
"Name your price." She was ready to pay him and he didn't like that one bit. "I'll give you back your mum's bracelet. What do you think?"
He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to sit down, not letting go. His grip on her was tight, almost bruising her. "When someone gives you a gift, you don't return it."
"Yes, well," With some difficulty she pulled her hand away. "people don't give their family he-he—what was it called?"
"Heirloom?" Tom correctly guessed. Cordelia nodded and he snickered. "You can't even say it right."
"Whatever." She waved him off and carried on. "You can't just give your mother's things to anyone."
"You're not anyone."
"We're not really friends Tom."
Tom grew quiet and Cordelia waited for him to respond. He let her words hang in the air as he listened to the sounds of the crashing waves while he contemplated. They really weren't friends. Not yet anyway. Perhaps he had been a little hasty.
"We're not strangers either." He pointed out after a brief moment of silence.
Cordelia had no choice but to agree. They were more than strangers but less than friends. "I'm still right, you know."
"That's a problem then I guess we're friends."
"What?" Cordelia abruptly got up, almost slipping on the rocks. Tom steadied her and gave her a look of warning. "You know that's not how it works."
"Does now."
"No, it doesn't. You're the one who said I was annoying you."
He did.
Inwardly cursing his childish younger self, he tried to come up with an apology. Unfortunately, he was bad at apologies. "Well, now you're not—you're the least annoying person at Wool's."
Cordelia craned her head down to look up at Tom's downcast face with a smile. "You know it's really easy to say you're sorry—all you have to say is 'I'm sorry'. See it's that easy."
"But I'm not sorry." He was really sorry and he wished he could just come out and say it. Everytime he tried, his tongue was tied and his mind screamed out at him for not saying what he wanted to. Fortunately, Cordelia seemed to always know what he meant.
"Then I suppose we're not friends—you're taking your mother's bracelet back when we get back to Wool's."
Before he could say anything in response, she was already skipping over the rocks, moving away from him. If she wasn't careful, she'd hurt herself like last time. "Cordelia." She wasn't listening to him anymore and nothing annoyed him more than being ignored. "Cora!"
One foot on a rock and the other in the air, Cordelia stopped mid-step, delicately balancing on a slippery rock. Tom motioned her to calm down and try to get her footing. She tried to follow his instructions but her foot slipped and she lost her balance, almost falling back onto the hard rocks.
Tom moved quickly and hurried over to catch her before she fell. "That was so dangerous! What were you thinking! You're the most reckless person I know."
The fear she felt in that split second when she lost her footing disappeared as if it was never there. With her eyes closed, Cordelia laughed. She couldn't help it. Something about getting on Tom's nerves was entertaining to her and she laughed again, realising she'd succeeded.
Relieved, Tom let out a deep sigh. His anger dissipated when he heard her laughter. It had been so long since he last heard her laugh. To him, it was like a lost melody he had yearned to hear. He couldn't bring himself to chastise her anymore.
The corners of his lips turned up and he smiled, not a grin or smirk or sarcastic smile but a genuine smile filled with joy and a hint of melancholy. Cordelia's eyes fluttered open, Tom quickly covered them again. He didn't want her to see him like this, at least not yet. She'd make fun of him.
"Ow Tom. Move your hand." She tried to move his hands away from her eyes, only to fail. He was stronger than her.
He stared down at her for a second before taking in a deep breath and letting it go. Apologies were the hardest thing in the world for him. More harder than trying to cheat death. "I-I…" He wet his dried lips before trying again. "I-I—uh—I'm sorry."
She stopped struggling momentarily as confusion clouded her thoughts. "You're sorry?" She asked. "For what exactly?"
He didn't really want to do this but he wanted things to be different this time around. If he wanted something done then he had to work for it. "For…calling you annoying and any other names. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." He finished, giving Cordelia her vision back and letting her go.
She sat up and stared at him with wide eyes. She blinked a few times before pinching herself. He stared at her fondly as she tried to see if she was really awake or not. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"Yes," He got up carefully and held out his hand for her. "And I'm not repeating that."
"Oh I know you won't. You don't need to tell me twice." She took his hand, letting him pull her up to stand. He even helped steady her when she was about to slip once again, he let out an exasperated sound and dragged her closer to the barrier.
The two made their way across the sea of slippery rocks in comfortable silence. Occasionally Cordelia would pause to stare off into the sea below and Tom would tug her along.
"You know, you're not as bad as you make yourself out to be." Cordelia carefully began, observing Tom's reaction. He already started to scowl as she spoke. "It wouldn't kill you to be kinder to the people around you."
"You don't know that."
"My father used to say you only get what you give. If you give the people around you kindness, you'll get kindness in return."
Tom nodded along even though he had already heard this same speech before just in a different moment in time, he still made an effort to pay attention. "I don't want empty kindness—those people won't be genuine."
She clicked her tongue and loosened her grip on him. "You don't know that."
But he did.
He knew the people around him better than her. He knew that not everyone at Wool's was truly kind. They were all out for themselves. Robbie and Peggy were kind to her because they found her loveable while Lucy was her friend. The rest didn't care at all about him or her.
He knew it all. After all, Wool's was all he knew growing up. It was the place he was abandoned at while Hogwarts was his true home. He wasn't like Cordelia who believed in silly notions of free kindness. Deep down, he knew Cordelia also believed her own words to be empty. It was a coping mechanism to deal with her tragic past. He wasn't as cruel to ever point it out to her.
"You want me to be kinder to Dennis, Amy and Eric." He decided to stop dancing around the subject and get straight into it. "I refuse."
Cordelia sighed. "Tom, you know they're just a little…dull. Have some sympathy for them."
"No." His answer would never change. "You know it's funny how you have no problem standing up to them but you refuse to say a word to them."
"That's not true." It was only half-true. She defended herself when she needed to. Unlike Tom, she never went out of her way to hurt them. She didn't know what she'd actually do if she acted on her impulses like he did. "I just…know when to pick my fights."
Tom rolled his eyes in disbelief. She knew how to pick them, alright. Most of them were with him and that always hurt him. He just wished she'd stop holding back against muggles. "Is that why you're always getting hurt? Because you pick your own fights."
"Tom, I don't want to hurt them. You don't know what I can do if I'm angry." Her sister had once found out the hard way. "So just drop it."
"No, you brought it up. Why should we be kind to people like them? People who are jealous of us."
"They're not jealous of us."
"Of course they are. Do you not remember how Amy ruined your birthday dinner over a gift from your own uncle—that jealous—"
Cordelia covered his mouth with her hand. "Don't swear. It's not polite."
Tom stared at her, tired of her prim and proper self. He couldn't argue against her so just for that moment. He let it go. She smiled, knowing she had won yet another argument with Tom.
"I'm not going to be kind to those three, especially not Eric." Tom called out after Cordelia as she skipped over some of the rocks.
"Well, I get Amy and Dennis but Eric's decent."
He scoffed. For someone who was quite bright, she could be dull when it came to matters of the heart. Then again, she was much younger than he remembered and young Cordelia was too focused on grieving and getting used to Wool's than paying attention to him or anyone else. "You won't get it." Was all he could say.
"There you go again acting like a grown-up."
As she spoke, she stepped on the wrong rock and almost slipped up again. "There you go again, almost slipping."
Tom caught her and this time he was determined to get her out. She, on the other hand, had other plans. "Tom," She called out to him. Her stare was distant, she was lost staring out into the sea, deep in thought. "Just for today, don't pick a fight with anyone." She looked back at him, her eyes watery and her gaze almost pleading.
Taken aback, he almost dropped her hand. He stared at her for a while, a loss for words. Did she know something? His mind was wandering and the more he stared at her, the more the urge to take a peek into her mind grew. The Cordelia, in front of him, was weaker than the one from his memories.
Yet when he tried to open the door, the other side was empty. He was staring at an empty wall. He was thrown back into reality and he found himself staring into her big blue eyes.
"Tom…" Cordelia let go of his hand and grabbed the back of his shirt. "Don't pick a fight with Dennis and Amy. Not today. No matter what happens—you must leave them alone." She begged and she didn't know why she was begging. Her mouth was moving of its own accord as if it suddenly gained a will of its own and her body was moving without her control.
Before Tom could give her the answer she desperately wanted to hear the two were interrupted. "Look what we have here. If it isn't little Tom and Cory." Dennis teased, behind him stood Amy and a nervous Eric.
"Cordelia." Cordelia snapped at Dennis. She was no longer under that strange spell and was back to her usual self. "Go away, Dennis. You heard Mrs Cole on the coach here, if you three start any trouble, you'll be punished."
"No thanks to you two." Amy glared at Cordelia.
"Shut it, Amy." Tom hissed out and Amy cowered, hiding behind Dennis. It was clear the three of them were afraid of him even without him doing anything serious to them. "You heard Cordelia, leave us alone or—"
"Or what? We're tired of being scared of you two freaks." Dennis bent down and picked up a small rock the size of his fists.
"We're not freaks." Cordelia bit back.
Tom sighed. There was no changing some things. "Put that down, Dennis."
"Why should I listen to you, freak."
"Dennis!" Cordelia called out to him, only to be ignored.
Eric backed away. He already knew Amy and Dennis were dull enough to start a fight out in the open even when Mrs Cole was firm about not causing any trouble. Mrs Cole's words were final and she even mentioned calling in Dr Wool. Nobody wanted the stern and mean old doctor, whose family home was donated to be turned into a home for the abandoned and lost children, to come back.
"We're tired of you two freaks always getting your way around. It's not fair."
Tom glared at them. He had forgotten what nuisance those two were. It was easy to forget considering what he did to them and what he reduced them to. Sparing a glance to Cordelia, he knew he wouldn't be able to do what she wanted him to.
He took a step back and waited. He waited for his enemies to make the first open move in order to excuse his own actions. It wasn't pleasant, never was, yet it had gotten him far.
Not taking his eyes off Tom, Dennis' fist around the rock tightened. He swung his arm back ready to throw it at Tom who wasn't scared, if anything he appeared a little bored.
Cordelia was the only one who seemed really concerned. Not only was she afraid of causing a scene, she didn't want anyone to get hurt while on a holiday. "Dennis don't. You'll regret that." She quietly warned.
"Shut it!" Was all Dennis could say before he tumbled down from where he stood. The small rock fell from his hand. His feet lost balance and he fell head first into the sea of rocks.
Fortunately, he didn't injure himself too much. He only had a small wound on his forehead that Cordelia was sure would scar. Good, he'd hopefully learn something from that.
She watched as he picked himself up with teary eyes. He reached to touch his bleeding wound before sobbing louder. Eric went down carefully to check on his friend while Amy stood there in shock.
"I told you—you should've gone back." Cordelia folded her arms and shook her head in disappointment.
Well she did warn him. It's not her or Tom's fault they ignored her.
Tom stared at Cordelia, perplexed. Dennis didn't slip before, neither was it Tom the one who found Cordelia, it was the other way around. He didn't know if it was his change that turned things around or her. He couldn't tell and he didn't like that.
He silently motioned his head towards Dennis when he caught Cordelia's attention, almost asking her if it was her. She only tilted her head to the side in feigned confusion.
"You freaks!" Amy cried out with the seagulls and the crashing waves.
Cordelia turned away, much to Tom's annoyance. It would've been nicer if the two were alone.
"Leave Benson." Tom quietly warned Amy, almost hissing at her. His calm anger called some of the snakes hiding beneath the rocks to slither to the surface out of the sight of the rest exactly himself. "Leave!"
"Or what? I'm next?"
Sensing the brewing storm, Cordelia tried to settle it down. She did feel bad towards Dennis but a part of her knew he deserved it. "Amy, calm down." She tried.
She regretted saying it because the plain-faced girl glared at her with her dark eyes turning almost black and red with rage. "You! Little miss perfect! I'm sick of you the most! Always pretending to be so…so…good when you're just as bad if not worse than Riddle! I know you! I know what a freak you are!"
"Benson!" Tom warned.
Amy shrugged Tom's threats off as Eric grabbed her arm. He harshly whispered something indecipherable into her ears, she deflated and nodded. Tom watched her carefully as she turned away from them and put all her attention into tending Dennis.
The only one still standing of the trio was Eric. He carefully backed off. "I'm not here to fight you, Riddle." Eric said, backing away from his friends.
Tom scoffed. He wasn't a fool, he knew better than to trust his words especially when it was him who was the instigator. Eric was good at playing innocent, almost as good as him but at times, his mask slipped. The difference between the two was, Eric was a coward—a coward who was running with his tail tucked behind his legs.
"Don't." Cordelia quickly grabbed Tom's shirt and pulled him back before he did something she would regret. "Don't do anything."
He turned around to glare at Cordelia but she refused to back down. "They started it." He growled.
"Doesn't matter. We'll just get out of here—it's almost time for lunch." She was always so stubborn.
Neither Tom or Cordelia noticed Amy as they were too busy bickering. The plain-faced girl took advantage of their business to pick up a rock, the size of her small fist. Silently, she pulled her arm back and threw the rock.
"Amy! Don't!" Eric yelled out.
But it was too late.
It happened too fast for Tom to notice but a rock flew through the air and hit Cordelia in the knee. She lost her balance and unfortunately, he couldn't catch her in time. She went down with a thud, her head hitting the flat rock. There was a loud crack and she couldn't move.
Her vision dimmed as an excruciating sharp pain shot through her head. She tried to sit up and move yet every time she moved, pain would stop her. Before she could stop herself, tears started falling down her face, blinding her.
The pain and tears blinded her. She couldn't hear anything as blood rushed to her head. Breathing heavily, she tried to get up, reaching out for support. She found herself grabbing onto a cold hand that desperately tried to pull her up.
She tried to speak but her words kept getting jumbled. Her vision gradually dulled as everything turned black, her head slumped back in the arms of a helpless Tom.
Chapter 10: What happened that summer
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 9: What happened that summer
22nd July 1935, Brighton
Lifeless, cold and unresponsive, Tom had never seen Cordelia in that state and he never wanted to.
In the future that had already passed, he never saw Cordelia's corpse. She just vanished, never returning, no body, nothing. She was only declared dead in absentia.
Perhaps he was fortunate he didn't see her cold and lifeless like the little girl in front of him because he didn't know what he would've done in retaliation then. His carefully crafted plans might've fallen apart much earlier.
There were times he wished he knew what became of her, if there was ever a body found or even a look alike but there was nothing. Nobody was insane enough to claim to be her, at least not while her uncle was still alive—by the time he died, everyone had forgotten her.
Something had changed, he didn't know if it was him or her.
Maybe returning to the past had returned that childhood naivety he had lost along the way into his descent or maybe he was being hopeful but he truly and sincerely hoped that Cordelia hadn't come back from the future that had passed. It was selfish of him to have that hope remembering how things ended between the two.
He couldn't help it.
He was selfish and he was aware of that. Nothing he would do would change that—not that he wanted to change. Repentance and redemption were not what he was searching for or what he wanted. What he wanted was for things to go as the way he planned them to be and Cordelia was getting difficult to control. She refused to act as he remembered her.
The rational part of him kept yelling at him that he should look into it more but the quieter yet oppressive emotional part of him persuaded him not to. He was torn. He knew what he had to do but he just couldn't will himself to act. Still he had to know if Cordelia had any idea of the future passed. He had to do it for her own safety even if she would go against him arguing she didn't need him to protect her.
Cordelia needed to be protected from the world and herself.
Her recklessness was beyond him and he knew that her kindness to others were hollow. It wasn't real. She was kind and nice for the sake of it, a means to survive. Really, deep down Cordelia only cared about a few things—things that drew her fascination and at one time, he was one of them. She liked to dissect the unknown and chase after what she didn't know.
That was Cordelia, not the kind and polite girl everyone saw which was why he was furious at her current state.
He could still picture that horrid picture of her heavily injured self. He could still hear that sickening crunch of her bone breaking and the sound of her head colliding against the rough rock underneath her.
The day before she looked almost dead—at least to him. Her shiny light brown hair was matted with blood, reminiscent of her first appearance at Wool's and her eyes were shut. One of her feet seemed swollen.
Cordelia had never looked worse.
Unfamiliar and suffocating fear gripped him tightly when she fell—fear he had never felt before. He had sat there for a while cradling Cordelia's bleeding head and cursing fate for being so cruel to him. Yet he or maybe it was Cordelia that was fortunate, she was still a little warm and there was some life left in her.
Of course, those idiots attempted to apologise to him profusely. They even got down to their knees. Dennis had begged and begged on behalf of Amy and to not tell Mrs Cole or anyone what happened. It didn't matter that Cordelia was seriously injured. It didn't matter if she nearly died. Those two didn't care, only Eric seemed genuinely apologetic about what happened but Tom didn't care.
"Please…" Amy begged quietly as she hunched down to the cold damp floor, quivering in pain. "W-we won't d-do it again. I s-swear we won't. I'm s-so sorry T-Tom." She cried as tears mixed in with her blood.
A snake coiled up against her bleeding arm and she flinched, suppressing a scream. She bit her lips, drawing blood. Tears nearly blinding her, she looked at Dennis who was only staring at the cold hard floor. She looked up at Tom who stared down at them without an ounce of pity in his gaze.
Tom clicked his tongue in disgust and shifted in his spot as he watched the snakes he had called slither around on the walls and floors of the cavern he had found so long ago.
At first, he was going to leave them alone this time but they just had to go and bother him. He couldn't forget what they did to Cordelia. He was going to back off and leave them alone as Cordelia had asked him to but that strange voice in the back of his voice egged him on. Before he could stop himself, he was at the entrance of the familiar cave—Amy and Dennis at his tail. He couldn't stop himself.
"T-Tom, we're sorry!" Amy cried.
Fog rolled out from the corners and crevices of the cavern without warning. Alarmed, Dennis and Amy huddled close together.
"I didn't say…you could speak." Said Tom with a sadistic smile as Amy choked and gasped for air. "You two really should think twice before following someone."
At least, their stupidity remained the same. He was grateful for that. The two had followed him out early in the morning from the inn that Mrs Cole had hastily booked rooms at after Cordelia's injury. They probably thought he was going somewhere interesting or they'd find something to tattle about to Mrs Cole.
Stupid Muggles.
Amy and Dennis had followed him through a narrow path and into the cave. The two tried to follow him to the second floor of the dark and slippery cave, only for Amy to lose her footing and fall to the ground below, taking Dennis with her. The two broke their bones in the fall.
"T-Tom, please…" Dennis finally found his voice. It was hoarse and barely audible, almost getting lost in the wind. "Please…let us go. We won't ever bother you or anyone again. We swear we'll be on our best behaviour. We didn't mean to hurt C—"
Before Dennis could even utter Cordelia's name. The mysterious fog started to choke him. His mouth opened wide as he tried to gasp for air, unknowingly, inviting the mysterious fog into his body. The fog climbed down his throat and started to gag him as it forced itself into his body.
Amy let out a loud shriek before she shut her mouth, tight. She covered her ears and closed her eyes, rocking back and forth, humming trying to drown out Dennis' horrifying screams of pain.
It was pathetic watching the two suffer again. Just when he was both to call out to the serpents below, he stopped. Cordelia's last words echoed in his mind. He smiled ruefully and hesitantly called out to the serpents. They all looked up at him and advanced towards Amy who refused to hear, see or cry.
Unfortunately, Amy's fear of snakes was greater than her need to protect herself. She couldn't help but let a scream escape when she felt hundreds of serpents crawling all over her.
"Nooooo! Make it stop! Please!" She shrieked. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She kept begging. "I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry. Please...s-stop this. Please. Please. T-Tom, I'm begging you. I didn't mean to hurt Cordelia. I won't do it again plea—"
Abruptly it all stopped.
"Amy! Dennis!"
The serpents slithered away into the dark crevices of the cave and the fog just vanished with no rational explanation. Dennis panted and groaned, reaching out for his bruised throat while Amy hoarsely cried.
"Amy! Dennis!" Cried Cordelia from outside the cave. Her voice could be heard more clearly now and it was clear to the three in the cave that she was getting closer. While the two on the floor were filled with hope, the one on the high ground was displeased. "Amy? Dennis? Is anyone there? Can you hear me? Come on, answer if you can hear me or I'll just leave you here."
The two young victims glanced at each other and looked over at the startled Tom. He was not expecting her. He didn't even know she was awake. She shouldn't be here, she was still injured.
Amy tried to call out to Cordelia but her voice had disappeared. All that screaming, crying and begging had stolen her voice from her. She glared up at Tom and mouthed curses to him, much to his amusement. He had stolen something from her yet again.
Seeing Amy struggle, Dennis tried his luck at calling for rescue. But unfortunately his bruised neck had almost taken his voice. When he did manage to call out, it was with a small voice. "H-here!" He shouted but his voice was merely a whisper lost in the wind. So he tried again. "Here!" And again. "Here!"
But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't shout out. Hopeless, he started to silently cry once again, desperately shaking his head side to side as he struggled to breathe.
Tom paid them no mind as he strolled out of the cave before running into a spring to meet Cordelia and stop her from entering the cave.
"Tom?" Cordelia tilted her head to the side and looked at the entrance of the cave Tom had just ran out from. "What were you doing in there? Nevermind. Have you seen Amy and Dennis? Mrs Cole's not pleased, those two ran off again."
He only nodded along. He wasn't really listening, too busy examining Cordelia. She was bandaged with old rags. Her body supported on a sturdy stick fashioned into a walking stick and she gasped in pain every time she moved. On top of that, she was still pale as a sheet.
Immediately, he went over to her side and put her arms around his shoulders. He supported her weight, helping her to sit down on a nearby rock. He was furious and he knew she could feel the rage radiating under his skin.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Tom coldly. He helped her sit and crossed his arms. "You can barely walk and you're running around looking for the ones that put you in that state!"
Cordelia's eyes darkened and her jaws clenched. "Don't yell at me. I know what I'm doing. Can't say the same for you." She glanced back at the entrance of the cave behind Tom. She knew why she was there but she hesitated telling him. "What were you doing in there at this time?" She asked instead.
"I took a walk and I found a cave." He lied without taking his eyes off her. "You haven't answered my question."
She shut her eyes as she was getting a little frustrated. "Amy and Dennis went missing. Everyone's looking for them."
"I don't understand what it has to do with you."
"You know Tom."
"No, I really don't." He did. She wanted to show those people that she was one of them. She was not and she never would be. "Come on, let's take you back."
Looking him straight in the eye, Cordelia refused to move. She didn't budge when Tom pulled at her wrist, she didn't move when he glared at her. "What's in the cave?"
"Just snakes. I think the cave leads to the beach on the other side. There's levels to it but most of it is home to snakes and spiders. Do you want to see them?"
She paused to think. She didn't really like snakes or spiders and she was a little afraid that they could be poisonous. Puffing up her chest and exhaling, she tried to be brave. "...Yes, I do."
Tom shook his head. "No, you don't." She was pretending again and normally, he would think her attempts at being brave was endearing but at that moment she was annoying him with her recklessness. It was like she was purposely trying to get on his nerves. "Why are you being like this?" Tom found himself asking without thinking.
"Like what?"
"So difficult." He answered. "Why are you always like this? It's gotten worse, honestly."
"What did I even do?"
"You know exactly what you did."
"I don't!" She was confused. "Why are you starting an argument? I'm just trying to help!"
Tom took a step back and circled around her. He was about to burst with anger but he had to hold it in for his own "Look at yourself!" He gestured wildly towards her bandaged leg and head. "You nearly died!"
"But I didn't!" Cordelia jumped up and immediately, a sharp stab of pain made her sit down. She bit down her bottom lip, holding back a cry of pain out of pure spite of not letting Tom know she was in pain. Tom stared at her, displeased and enraged. "I'm fine. I just…" She swallowed back any oncoming tears and breathed out heavily. "I just need a moment, I'm fine."
"Right, we're going back. I don't care why you're here or who you're looking for, you can barely stand." Tom spoke as calmly as he could, momentarily forgetting all about Dennis and Amy. He slipped Cordelia's around his shoulders and carefully helped her up. He could feel Cordelia going stiff as she refused to move but he was stronger. "Come on, then."
Reluctantly, Cordelia let Tom take control. She didn't want to. She actually wanted to go into that cave. No. She had to go in there. Her grip on Tom tightened but she couldn't muster the strength to ask him.
In the distance the two saw Robbie running towards them—no doubt, he was looking for Cordelia. The older boy stopped in front of the two younger children, hunching down to catch his breath. He looked up and gave Cordelia a look that told her she was in big trouble.
It was just as Tom suspected; Cordelia snuck out. He was angrier than before, but he hid it quite well. He even managed to smile at Robbie who didn't really care about Tom's politeness.
"Empty bed, no word to anyone, hobbling around like a chicken on one foot—what were you thinking?" Robbie shouted at Cordelia, breathing heavily as his damp hair fell on top of his head. His forehead was covered with sweat. "And you," He turned to Tom with a nasty glare. Robbie never did like him and nothing would change that. Tom certainly would not be the first one to take that step. "What were you doing out here, all alone? Trying to get snatched by some sick bastard?"
Tom rolled his eyes and looked away. "Worry about the one who's actually injured, not me."
"Tom—"
"You know for someone who wants to be a doctor, it's not a good look for someone under your care to go missing."
Robbie glared at Tom but the moment he heard him mention the word 'doctor', his face scrunched up in confusion. His anger over the two faded. "When did I tell you that?"
He didn't.
The two boys couldn't stand each other. Tom went out of his way to avoid Robbie and Robbie would do his best to be the bigger person. If it was up to either, they'd have each other kicked out of Wool's or worse.
"You did." Tom lied.
"No, I didn't."
"You did." Tom insisted, narrowing his gaze on the older boy. Robbie shrunk back as a dull headache formed and put a haze of confusion in his mind. "You must've forgotten, you told us at the library three weeks ago."
Distracted, Cordelia wasn't listening to the bickering of the boys. Her attention was elsewhere. Her head slightly turned to the cave, she tried to focus on the cave or the sounds coming from it. She swallowed heavily, and thought about freeing herself from Tom to go look at it herself.
Quiet painful moans and cries carried in the wind. Against the cries of seagulls, crashing waves and the bickering of the boys, Cordelia had to strain her ears to hear it.
"Do you boys hear that?" Asked Cordelia, hoping she wasn't the only one.
"Hear what?" Tom questioned, tilting his head to the side and reaching out to move Cordelia's windswept hair out of her face so that he could see her more clearly. Her blue eyes were wide with concern and she had gone silent. "Cora?"
Cordelia held her finger to her lips. "Listen!" She hissed at the boys.
Robbie did as she instructed and tried to listen. "Sounds like…crying and shrieking."
"Might be seagulls and the waves or the wind." Robbie offered andTom was surprised yet pleased.
"You're right, I think it might be the wind." Tom agreed hesitantly, glancing over at the overly concerned Cordelia.
"No, it's not the wind." Cordelia was the only one who didn't agree.
"It is." Robbie said. "The wind is pretty bad—we should get out of here."
"It sounds like someone's screeching with how bad the weather is." Tom commented as dark clouds began to form above the three.
"It's not the weather, Tom." Cordelia tried again. "I don't think it is—just listen to me."
Lightning struck the sea and thunder a mere moments later, silencing Cordelia. She flinched at the loudness and shut her eyes as Tom masked a smile.
Scattered raindrops started to fall from the sky and in the distance, the waves were getting more and more wild. Clouds started to gather quickly and darkness was falling on the horizon. A storm was brewing.
She could've sworn there was no storm on the horizon before. In fact, she remembered the bright rays of sun shining out the window when she woke up. The sky was clear without a cloud in sight on her way to the cave yet in mere moments, it had all changed.
That gnawing feeling of guilt that haunted her only became worse. She didn't even know why she felt so guilty, she just knew she had to find them. If they didn't find Amy and Dennis, there was no saying what could happen to them. Yet neither Tom nor Robbie were fussed about the missing children. After all, the only thing those two agreed on was how much neither liked those two menaces.
"We should get back." Robbie was the first one to speak.
The winds were getting wilder, the clouds were about to burst with more rain. Robbie helped Tom carry Cordelia back to the little inn they were staying out, leaving poor Amy and Dennis behind.
Search party for the two missing children was promptly called off. No one was reckless enough to go out in this weather. Not even Cordelia.
Tom watched Cordelia as she stared at the dust covered window with concern marring her pretty face. He reached out and tapped on the window once and lightning struck. Abruptly she stood up and the clouds burst. Rain began to pour, pelting the window. She moved away from the window and held her diary close to her.
He wasn't focused on the rain anymore but instead he focused his attention on her diary. "You brought it with you?" Cordelia only nodded in response but that was all he needed. That diary might hold the answers he wanted.
Robbie spared him a glance of interest before carrying on with his game of snakes and ladders with the twins and Margaret. Beatrice stayed nearby on the bed, reading a book she had brought with her while Fran just stared out the window alongside Mary who was around Cordelia and Tom's age. Peter slept on the floor with a few of the younger children. Eric and Billy talked quietly among themselves in a corner, Eric being more considerate than usual.
The room was more crowded than Tom would've liked but it was one of the few things out of his control.
"They found Amy and Dennis!" Lucy shouted bursting through the door.
Margaret and Robbie, who were sitting on one of the beds, looked up in alarm.
Cordelia attempted to get up but Margaret forced her to sit back down. "Who found them?" Jack, one of the twins asked.
"A group of fishermen." Lucy answered, nervously looking over at her friend. "They said the two were just wandering by the sea."
"But we looked through the beach!" Joe, the other twin, pointed out. His brother shrugged in response.
"Maybe they were hiding." Eric speculated. He was sure they were. "Sounds like them." He mumbled, almost sounding sad.
Lucy gave him a look of sympathy. "You should go see them. They look like they've lost their minds." She suggested.
"Lost their minds?" Cordelia echoed, her mind was wandering and glanced down at her diary before looking up. Tom caught her subtle move when no one else did. "What happened?" She asked, pretending she wasn't nervous or concerned.
"Don't know. They're drenched and caked in mud, silent as an owl."
"Owls aren't that quiet." Cordelia pointed out.
Lucy shook her head. "You all get what I'm saying." Everyone nodded.
"I bet something happened." Jack speculated.
"I'm not surprised." Fran replied airily. She didn't really care, she was just gossiping. "What'd you think Mary?"
"I-I don't." The quiet girl responded and looked away. She caught Cordelia's eyes before she turned. She only gave the injured girl a timid smile but no words of comfort.
Margaret opened her mouth to press for more answers but promptly she shut it.
Worn-out and heavy-hearted, Mrs Cole dragged herself to the room. She clasped her hand in front of herself, sighing before she spoke. "Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop have been found." The children in the room bobbed their heads in response, acting as if they weren't just gossiping about their two. "Robbie. Margaret." The two looked up at the old matron. "Help these two settle in. I'll have a word with them later." She moved away and revealed the silent Amy and Dennis behind her.
A quiet collective gasp was heard around the room. Margaret covered her mouth. Only Tom didn't seem to react.
Amy and Dennis looked like a pair of drowned rats. Drenched in the rain and caked in mud as if they rolled around in the muddy beaches like pigs. What shocked them the most was how quiet they were and how tired they looked. It was as if they hadn't slept all their lives.
Other than that, the two were fine. No bruises, no cuts and no broken bones. They appeared to be fine but they were not. They were quiet, too quiet. Dennis and Amy were never quiet.
Notes:
Author’s Note: That’s the end of the infamous incident at the cave. If Tom sounds delusional that’s because he is.
Originally I wanted to set this in Bournemouth, Dorset but I liked the idea of it being set in Brighton thanks to ‘Brighton Rock’. It’s a good book, I kind of took some inspiration from Pinkie and Rose’s relationship for Cordelia and Tom except Cordelia is clearly smarter and stronger than Rose, you guys will see that in later chapters. Also, unlike Pinkie, Tom actually kind of cares for Cordelia and that's reciprocated.
Chapter 11: Billy's New Habit
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 10: Billy's New Habit
24th December 1937, London
"Billy picked a fight with Tom!" Lucy cried out as she ran into Cordelia's room.
Cordelia barely gave her friend a glance before she nodded. With her diary in her hand and a pen in another, she was busy scribbling something, her head full of thoughts. She wasn't surprised that Tom and Billy were fighting nor did she seem to care much.
Lucy observed her idle friend without a word. She thought Cordelia would show concern, jump out of her seat and do something. Instead Cordelia barely acknowledged Lucy's words. She was too engrossed in her current task to react so Lucy decided to just take a seat and look around.
Faded green bunting hung near her window and some paper decorations were strewn about tastefully around the room. Cordelia had made them herself. Lucy made something similar but unlike Cordelia, she didn't really bother to decorate her room since she stayed in Cordelia's room most nights. Cordelia didn't really mind, in fact, it seemed she preferred Lucy's company most days. Tom would still hover around Cordelia but since that eventful trip to the beach, two summers ago, the two had found an odd balance between them. He would only look for her when she was alone and she wouldn't pry into his business. It seemed ideal for Tom yet from what Lucy observed, only Cordelia seemed to be getting any advantages from whatever deal those two had struck up.
"It's snowing." Said Cordelia, still distracted. It wasn't meant to be snowing. The weatherman on the radio said a white Christmas was unlikely yet in front of her, she could clearly see little white cold specks falling from the sky, slowly before the wind picked up and they started to fall heavily. "It shouldn't…be snowing." She gnawed at her bottom lip and flicked through the pages of her diary to get to a random page at the end.
"You moved the beds." Lucy pointed out, noticing how the two beds had been shifted. They were still side by side but Cordelia's bed was now pushed against the window. The other bed had been moved next to the door along with its matching bedside table. The dresser was pushed on the wall opposite the fireplace.
The two beds felt more distant with the fireplace separating the two. "Hmm." Cordelia finally looked up. There was a small barely noticeable scar on her forehead, covered by her hair, a result of her misadventures two summers ago. "You said something Lu?" She asked but again she wasn't really paying attention. Her gaze was on the clouded window.
"I asked if you had the furniture moved."
"Oh. Yes. I did, didn't I. Well, Robbie helped." Cordelia looked around her room and nodded as if she just remembered she had the furniture moved. She didn't want to but everytime she looked at the old layout, she couldn't help but remember those dreams so she had to get them changed. "I couldn't use the fireplace properly before and the men on the news had been claiming it was going to be a cold winter."
"You used it fine before." Lucy pointed out, a little sad at the change. "I don't get why you had to change it."
"I couldn't let the fire burn for long before in fear of the bed catching on fire. I don't have to worry about that anymore."
"But you and I won't be able to talk properly late at night."
Cordelia must've forgotten or she didn't care because when she looked up, she was unmoved by Lucy's complaints. "Lucy this isn't even your room." Cordelia pointed out. "You have your own room on the third floor."
"I don't want it. You know how terrifying it is up there, all alone."
"Robbie and Tom deal with it fine."
"Well I'm not Robbie or…" She hesitated saying Tom's name. Quietly she finished her sentence. "Tom."
Cordelia rolled her eyes at Lucy's dramatic nature and got up to put away her diary. "Tom's not some scary demon that'll get summoned if you say his name a few times, Lu."
"He scares me." Muttered Lucy with a joking smile.
"He scares everyone it seems." Cordelia muttered under her breath, looking outside again. She caught glimpses of people running to take shelter or hurrying home before a snow storm hit and it seemed a storm was indeed on the horizon with how fast snow was falling and how brutal the wind was getting by the minute.
Lucy clearly heard her friend even though it was obvious Cordelia was talking to herself. She did that a lot lately, not really caring if people heard her or not. The only person she didn't speak her thoughts around was Tom, which only made the boy more frustrated. "Not you, apparently." Lucy replied.
Cordelia shrugged, not wanting to look away from the window and miss the beginnings of a snow storm. "There's nothing to be afraid of." Her voice was quiet but still audible and she had a slight dreamy tone to it as if she was half-awake, in between waking and sleeping. "...At least not yet."
Again, Cordelia didn't really care if Lucy understood what she meant. She herself didn't understand what she was saying. The words came to her like a dream and when she spoke, she felt as if she wasn't in control and was perhaps watching someone else live her own life.
She heard her friend sigh audibly to catch her attention—attention she didn't bother to give. "Whatever, Tom scares me."
"Come on now, be nice. It is Christmas Eve." Cordelia herself really didn't care much about Christmas apart from the decorations and the snow. She loved the snow, the cold weather and the warm milk, sometimes with chocolate if they could afford it.
Her family did like the holiday. It was one time of the year where her busy father took a break from work—Cordelia never knew what exactly her father did, he refused to share it with her, always citing that he couldn't. It was the time of the year where her uncle and aunt would also come to stay with them at their house. The house would smell like cinnamon and chocolate as her mother and aunt busied themselves with making desserts and meals for the family while Cordelia and her sister would run around the halls laughing and playing. But those times were no more.
Hearing Lucy groan, Cordelia was thrown back into her warm but dreary room. Her mended quilt covering her lap and her diary in her hands, closed shut but warm from clutching it close to her chest all the time. The old fireplace crackled loudly as it ate all the firewood Margaret had put into its mouth. She got up and grabbed the poker before poking it into the fire and pushed the unburnt pieces of wood into the fire.
"Mrs Cole's going to take us to church." Lucy complained. From what Cordelia recalled, Lucy hated going to church. Cordelia couldn't relate. She'd never been to church. Her family weren't exactly religious, Mrs Cole never forced the other children to go. Lucy, however, was not an exception. "I don't want to go."
"Tough." Cordelia remarked and Lucy glared at her but she didn't really mean it. "If you don't want to go, pretend you're sick—didn't Amy do that once?"
Lucy looked up, trying to recall when Amy did such a thing before she clicked her fingers when she did remember. "Oh that was when we were seven, Delia—"
"Cordelia."
Her friend rolled her eyes and carried on. "I don't think Amy will do anything like that anytime soon."
No, she wouldn't.
The two friends shared a look and Cordelia pursed her lips before looking down at her hands. Amy and Dennis were a sensitive topic at Wool's. They weren't always like that but after that eventful summer, neither were the same again. Nobody heard them speak out loud after that particular day, especially not Cordelia. The two would go out of their way to avoid speaking to her, being near her or even breathing near her. Cordelia questioned them at first but everytime she attempted even going up to the pair—they would scurry off like a pair of rats running from a cat. She tried numerous times and in numerous different ways, eventually after some coaxing from Tom, she had no choice but to give up.
Unstrangely, Tom welcomed this change. He didn't even hide it yet he wasn't gleeful, he was more apathetic. Many at Wool's were like Tom. Robbie and Margaret didn't look into it too much even though Mrs Cole asked them too. The twins even celebrated the new silence of the dreadful pair, not caring about whatever might've happened to them. Fran and Beatrice didn't really care either. Though Fran did express some interest in their condition—for gossiping purposes only, it wasn't out of concern and Martha had to tell her off, only then did she stop. Mary and Peter were more relieved than scared or concerned.
That only left Eric. He was the only one apart from Cordelia who was truly concerned. What set him apart from Cordelia was that his concern was true while hers was born out of guilt. He was after all their friend or at least he used to be.
Amy and Dennis were a mystery to the residents of Wool's now, a mystery nobody wanted to solve, not even Mrs Cole. Cordelia was sure that the old matron was secretly glad the two had shut up but Cordelia didn't think that. She didn't think—no, she knew those two didn't shut up. Occasionally, she would hear whispers or murmurs at night or day of two familiar voices. Their voices were rough and hoarse as if they had been screaming and crying causing their voices to almost leave them. Yet, whenever she came out of her room or turned a corner to inspect the voices, the still and wide-eyed faces of Amy and Dennis would greet her.
Because of their disturbing behaviour, Lucy had taken to avoiding those two and after that many followed her. Cordelia didn't. She didn't really have to—Amy and Dennis already went out of their way to avoid her and Tom.
"...Eric's been trying to talk to them again." Lucy commented without really thinking. She sat on the spare bed and looked at the fireplace.
Cordelia nodded. Eric was stupid to think he could go through those two when not even Dr Wool could get through them. "He's wasting his time." Said Cordelia, tracing shapes into the cold fogged up window. "They're gone, Lu. Whatever happened that summer did a number on 'em." She drew patterns, transfixed on the foggy windows and thought back to the sudden summer storm near the beach that year—the snowstorm outside was alike to then.
"Can't blame him for trying. Peter's gonna be gone after Christmas—I heard Dr Wool's taking him in."
"Really? What for? Didn't he hate children?"
"I don't think he hates children." Lucy paused, trying to remember what else she had heard. "I heard he got married to this nurse so they're taking in Peter—it was a toss up between Peter, Eric and Billy. Y'know they considered taking in Tom for a second."
Lucy finally had all her attention. Cordelia moved her body away from the window and turned towards Lucy. "What? They wanted to take in Tom? Tom Riddle?"
Her friend smiled awkwardly and nodded. "Well, there's only one Tom at Wool's."
"That's why it's surprising they even thought about Tom—I mean he is quite bright."
"Brighter than all of us. You're after him."
Cordelia didn't disagree. Her parents and her sister used to call her a 'bright child' so she wasn't flattered or offended by being second to Tom. She didn't care, she had more interesting things to worry about then how people saw her like why the weather was always acting so odd whenever something eventful happened or her strange dreams, she never remembered when her eyes opened.
Sparing a glance to her friend, Cordelia leaned in to the headboard. "How do you even know all of this Lu?"
"Fran told me." That made sense. Fran's main form of entertainment was others. She didn't like reading unless it was those rags they sold at the newsagents, even then she'd get them second hand—picking them up from train stations or cafés nearby. Sometimes, Fran even stole or as she claimed she 'borrowed' them. If she wasn't reading rags, she was listening to things she shouldn't be. "Fran knows a lot."
"Of course she does." Cordelia wasn't judging Fran. Everyone needed something to entertain them during their free time and Cordelia was rarely ever on the receiving end of Fran's interest. She and Tom were often left out of these things—Fran was uncomfortable around Tom while she and Cordelia had a cordial relationship. "Be careful, Lu. Fran got into trouble last week for listening in on Martha's conversation with Mr Walbridge from the newsagents around the corner."
Lucy made a face. "You make it seem like I'm the one who's eavesdropping. I'd never."
"And I believe that as much as I believe Eric whenever he's nice."
"I'm not Eric and he is nice—to you. I think he fancies you. You might be his first l—"
A pillow flew through the air and Lucy barely managed to dodge it. The pillow, however, didn't land on the old wooden floor but instead was caught by none other than a furious Tom with his right sleeve uncharacteristically folded.
Seeing him, Lucy's eyes widened and she let out a small barely audible squeak, quickly avoiding his gaze. Cordelia glanced over at her friend and gave Tom a look to soften his expression. Tom didn't move.
Whatever happened with Billy had made Tom mad and an angry Tom was an unhappy Wool's.
"That…mug—bas—Billy!" Tom breathed loudly through his nose.
Cordelia sat up, discarding her diary to the side and her quilt. She tried to hide the oncoming amused smile on her face by keeping her face as blank as she could. "What happened this time?" Asked Cordelia, taking in Tom's appearance.
An old ratty green sweater that Cordelia was sure belonged to one of the twins before, black slacks that looked fairly new and black shoes. Of course, one of his sleeves was rolled up—not folded up as she had previously noted. On his right arm there was a red angry mark with teeth marks printed onto his skin.
"Billy." Spat out Tom like it was a curse. "Billy Stubbs." He carried on, handing Cordelia back her pillow and watching her as she put it back in it's place.
"Did you fight off a badger or something?" Lucy questioned without thinking who she was speaking to.
Tom turned his head a little and looked at her with disinterest, rage was still coursing through his vein like a wildfire and if Lucy wasn't careful she'd get burned.
"Lu." Cordelia quietly warned her friend. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her friend.
Innocently, Lucy looked up at Cordelia. At times, Lucy could be the most scatterbrained individual at Wool's even more so than Fran and Mary. "Henwood, don't you have chores to tend to?" Tom casually said while staring at Cordelia, almost asking her to do something about her friend.
Cordelia kept her mouth shut, she refused to command Lucy to leave. Why should she? It was Tom who interrupted them. Lucy glanced between the two and nodded before scurrying off into the halls without closing the door behind her.
"Why do you always have to scare people like that Tom?" Cordelia got up to close the door before sliding down to the floor and sitting in front of the closed door.
Tom sat down in front of her. "Not my fault they're always hovering around me."
"Doesn't mean you have to scare them away."
"Theyare afraid of me, it's not my fault." He countered. It was his fault. Cordelia wasn't completely stupid, she saw things and knew things she wasn't supposed to but like always she turned a blind eye to keep peace. She knew he stole things from the other children. She knew bad things would happen to those who crossed him. "I don't see why I have to be nice when they're not."
He had a point but Cordelia wasn't easily swayed. "It's Christmas Eve Tom. Be nice. It's the least you can do after being a menace the entire year." As Cordelia spoke, the corners of her lips went up and she couldn't help but flash him a teasing smile.
"Menace?" Tom growled out. "I'll have you know I've avoided most of these stupid people."
"Yes, of course or they avoided you."
"Not my fault." He repeated.
"Never is. You need to stop scaring Lucy away, she's the only one left in my small group and I'd appreciate it if you stopped coming in unannounced—Mrs Cole said it's not appropriate for children our age especially since you'll be eleven soon."
Tom made a face. "This isn't even Henwood's room. If you ask me, she's overstaying her welcome here."
Cordelia had to agree with Tom there. Although she liked Lucy's company, she valued her own alone time more. Unfortunately she hadn't found the time to be alone with her thoughts with the increase of her chores—she had to take on some of the washing up. There was also Tom, he had the constant need to speak to her at least ten times a day and she honestly found it annoying but somehow she was now used to it. At night, Lucy wanted to talk about the happenings at Wool's, something Cordelia cared little about. She didn't even have time to read alone anymore, only making some time to write letters to her uncle.
Her uncle.
Thinking about him made Cordelia a little upset. After her distressed letter to him before that summer, she got a reply—a reply that only chalked her dreams to her imagination. She didn't really blame him, her letter was vague. Nevertheless, he did promise he'd look into it or ask someone he knew.
"She's still my friend Tom." Tom rolled his eyes. "Don't make that face Riddle." She reached out to ruffle his already messy dark hair but Tom anticipated her actions, moving away in time. She hadn't noticed that Tom's hair was messy. He never kept his hair messy. "What happened?"
He scowled and breathed out loudly through his nose. Alright, he was furious. "Billy happened. That ba—idiot bit me."
"...Bit you?" Questioned Cordelia with wide eyes and head tilted to the side in confusion. Before she could stop herself, she started to giggle.
"Alright laugh it off but he bit me."
"I'm sorry I can't believe he bit you. Do you think you're gonna get rabies? Mrs Cole told me if you get bit, you can get rabies and die."
"Only if it's by an animal, Cora. Though maybe I ought to be worried with the way Billy behaved today." Glancing down at his wound, Tom couldn't help but grimace at the wound. "Look at it. He's an animal."
"Seems like being with that rabbit day and night, turned him into one too. He must've mistaken you for a carrot." Cordelia quipped.
Tom was not amused. "He. Bit. Me." He had to spell it out for her. "He's never done that before."
"Well, what did you say to him?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was just there walking back to my room and he goes on about how I don't have many chores—"
"You don't."
"Don't interrupt me."
"Sorry." She said sarcastically, leaning back against the door. "Carry on."
"Anyways, I ignored him like I usually do. Jack or Joe, one of them twins, pointed out how Billy wasn't doing any work either. Billy got mad and without warning, he tackles me to the ground."
"But you didn't say anything!"
"Exactly. I ignored them like you told me to and he attacked me."
"Then he bit you."
"He bit me."
"He's an animal and you should've put something on that—" Just as Cordelia had said that, the doorknob above her started to jingle and shake. Someone was trying to get in.
Both children in the room stilled, Tom had a dark look on his face. He didn't like it when the two were interrupted. Fortunately for him, Cordelia was busy listening to the rattling to pay him any mind. "Cordelia?" Martha's soft voice could be heard from the other side of the door. "Are you in there?" The nurse called out.
Hearing her name, Cordelia got up and gave Tom a look. He was in trouble—he didn't care, it wasn't like he was going to get punished for what he did. It was Billy that bit him. "Evening Martha." Cordelia opened the door with an awkward smile.
The nurse breathed out in relief and scanned her appearance before trying to peek inside her room. The fire Margaret had helped start was still roaring while in front of the fireplace was none other than Tom with his back turned. "Oh thank god, Tom's here. I've been running around lookin' for him."
"Really?" Cordelia turned her head to look at Tom but he had his back to her. "Is it because Billy bit him?" She asked with a mischievous grin.
Martha tried to stifle her own laugh and nodded. "...Yes, I can't believe Billy bit someone. It's not like him."
"Isn't he always in a mood during Christmas?"
"Suppose he is." Martha agreed, breathing out tiredly. Billy was abandoned on Christmas. He was like many children at Wool's where they had parents but their parents didn't want to be parents. He was only four at the time—he still remembered them vividly. Mopsy was a gift from Martha for Christmas the following year. It only made sense the two were inseparable. "Tom?" Martha called out to the boy with back turned. "I've got something for your arm."
Tom only turned a little to give the nurse a disinterested nod before focusing his attention elsewhere. Martha thought he was staring at the fireplace, that was what Cordelia thought as well until she turned around to let Martha in did she realise that Tom's attention was on her diary.
The nurse came into the room and put down a heavy box of ointments and bandages. She motioned to Tom to give him his arm. Reluctantly, he laid out his arm in front of the nurse as Cordelia took a seat, grabbing her discarded diary and shoved it under her pillow inconspicuously. She'd have to find a new hiding spot for her diary which wasn't her room. Tom had his attention on it.
Silently and quickly, Martha worked on treating Tom's wounds before carefully wrapping it in gauze. Looking at it a bit closer, Cordelia felt bad for making fun of him—Billy had really bit deep and any deeper, he would've taken a chunk of his flesh.
"...Looks terrible." Cordelia murmured under her breath, barely audible for either Martha or Tom to hear.
"It does." Martha agreed, cutting the gauze. "Don't know what got into Billy this evening."
"He's spending too much time with that rabbit of his." Cordelia joked with a grimace on her face. She even hissed in pain despite not being in pain whenever she looked at Tom's wounds.
Tom hid a smile and nodded. "He needs to be separated from that rabbit."
"Yes but we all know how he reacts when he loses sight of Mopsy—all done then." Martha tied up the bandage and stood up. "I expect you two to be down for dinner soon and afterwards in bed since you two will not be going to the midnight mass."
"Neither will you." Cordelia pointed out.
"I hardly go anyways. Now then, I'll see you two at dinner." Tom wasn't listening, too busy searching for Cordelia's diary.
Cordelia observed him for a second. He was all serious but less angry than before. "Do you want to take a nap on the spare bed before dinner?" She offered after a brief moment of silence.
Tom stood up and lay down on the spare bed. Cordelia went to the dresser, taking out one of the old quilts that once belonged to Katie. She tossed to him and he caught it with ease before covering himself with it. Cordelia watched him carefully as he laid down again and shut his eyes. Only when she saw his eyes were shut did she look away.
Going under her own covers, she took out her diary and flicked to an entry marked '25th December 1937' in a handwriting like hers but much neater and easier to understand. She scanned the page putting all her concentration into deciphering it's words while not noticing the quiet gaze of Tom from across the room following the smallest of her movements.
Notes:
Author's Note: So the cat and mouse games begins.
Chapter 12: The Case of a Missing Rabbit
Chapter Text
Chapter 11: The Case of a Missing Rabbit
1st January 1938, London
The new year was ushered in with a quiet dinner on the eve of the year ahead—not with fanfare and loud chatter. On the eve was Tom's birthday, like all the children at Wool's, he too was treated to a celebratory dinner like the previous years and like the previous years, it was a suffocatingly dull affair, so dull in fact that Tom, himself left the moment he had finished his portion of his meal. He didn't even wait for the presenting or opening of his birthday gifts.
Perhaps, he knew in advance that like the previous years, his gifts would be miniscule compared to the other children and he was right. It was the same as the previous years; a chocolate bar from Margaret, an old notebook from Beatrice, a scarf from Mrs Cole and Martha and finally, Cordelia had gotten him a coat with the little allowance she had gotten from her chores and her uncle. All those gifts were left outside his room forming a sad little pile that Cordelia had to kick in through his door. Tom didn't even spare a glance at any of those gifts, only being moderately pleased at Cordelia's gift.
The morning after, he had been quiet—actually, when Cordelia really thought about it, he had been quiet since his argument with Billy on Christmas Eve. The argument supposedly ended with Billy biting Tom—Cordelia didn't really know what happened, she only saw the bite mark on Tom's arm and had only heard about the matter from others. She still found it hard to believe that Billy would even bite someone. It seemed the children at Wool's were gradually losing bits of their sanity, if Amy and Dennis were any indication.
"...What?" Asked Tom when he felt Cordelia nudge him. Cordelia didn't look at him for a second and Tom had to crane his head in front of hers to grab her attention. He had her attention, she was just checking what he was staring at. "Did you want to ask me something?"
Cordelia pulled her chair in and took a moment to observe everyone around the table. Lucy was busy near the hall talking to Martha and Peter who was leaving that day while the others were talking around the table among themselves. No one was paying attention to Tom and her. Nervously, she let out a quiet deep breath and turned to Tom. "Why were you staring at Billy?" She questioned in a quiet voice. She flinched a little when her gaze met Tom's.
His gaze had darkened at Cordelia's question, narrowing in like a snake before the corners of his lips went up as if he was amused by her nervousness. "I wasn't." He calmly went back to cutting up his eggs and placing them on his bread before adding a little bit of beans covered in tomato sauce on top. "Why did it seem like I was? " He asked with a small grin and he took a bite of his toast. Cordelia didn't answer. "Maybe you should stop staring at me and eat."
He motioned towards her untouched, nearly piece of toast and half-finished eggs. Typically they'd have simple porridge with nuts—if they were lucky but for the sake of the beginning of a new year, they were given a full English breakfast. She had no doubt Mrs Cole had broken their winter funds for this and their January was going to be a little rough as usual.
"Something's not right." Cordelia muttered under her breath, chewing on the bottom of her lip in quiet frustration. Something wasn't right. Tom hadn't said a word to Billy since their argument. Every now and then, Billy would glance at Tom with fear that something was going to go wrong in his life. He clutched his little living fluffy ball of what he called a rabbit to his chest and glared at Tom before shoving a piece of toast into his mouth and running off. "Something's definitely not right." She repeated, quiet enough for her to hear as she watched Tom watch Billy like a snake hiding in the grass.
"You said something Cora?" Tom looked at her innocently and shoved her plate closer to her. "Eat. You know what happens to you when you don't eat properly."
"It's strange, nobody's presents went missing this year." Cordelia carefully began while picking up her buttered toast. Tom's eyes narrowed in on her. "I mean it's been like that for the past two or three years—actually, it's been like that since you got sick out of nowhere."
His grip on the knife and fork tightened but he quickly loosened them before Cordelia could notice but she did notice. She fought to hide her confident grin and carried on eating her breakfast as if nothing had happened. "Maybe, it's because everyone's been on their best behaviour—" He paused and subtly turned his body towards the hall where Billy had disappeared off to. "Well, almost everyone."
"Are you talking about Billy?" She prodded, being very careful not to draw anyone's attention to them. "Because he bit you. Are you going to do something about it?"
"Hmm." He quietly hummed. "Why? Do you want me to do something?" He in turn questioned with an amused light smile. It wasn't like her to push him to do something…bad. Cordelia didn't care about good or bad, only what was right in her eyes or if something interested her.
It only took her a moment to realise that he might be onto her so she quickly shoved her empty plate to the centre with all the other empty plates. "Forget about it." Cordelia got up and tucked her chair. She was about to go towards Lucy but she was stopped in her steps when Tom caught her wrist and tugged at it, pulling her closer to her.
"Do you want me to do something?" He asked again. A strange but eager look in his eye and a small wild grin on his face. He stared at her waiting for her answer as if her answer would justify whatever he wanted to do or was about to do.
Mouth slightly agape and her mind completely blank, Cordelia stared at him with wide eyes. Somehow that look on his face scared her. "N-no." She managed to stutter out. Immediately, she cursed herself for sounding so weak. "No." She repeated, exhaling and trying to stand up straight, showing she was braver than she looked which only caused Tom to crack a smile. "Forget about what I said. I was…just curious—" His grip on her wrist tightened at that particular word. "Ow, Tom."
"Sorry—it was an accident." He loosened his grip and looked up at her. "What were you…curious about?"
She swallowed. "About why you've been so quiet lately. I know you Tom, I'm sure everyone at Wool's…does, you don't sit around when someone makes you angry or picks a fight with you. I know you're behind some of these 'incidents' that happen around here."
The grandfather clock in the foyer chimed a few times, interrupting her train of thought. Neither spoke for a second as the other children began to file out. "What makes you think I'm the one behind those…incidents."
Her eyes narrowed in one him and he didn't budge. There was a stupid knowing grin on his face that she so wished to wipe off. He knew she didn't have any proof, no one did. "I know." She said. "I'm not stupid, Tom."
"Never said you were, Cora. In fact, I think you're one of the brightest people I know."
"Then—"
Tom cut her off. "But you should know that it is very rude to accuse someone of things you have no proof of them doing. It's awful." He pretended to appear a bit sad but she could tell, he could care less about her accusations. It only spurred him on to do something he probably wasn't going to do that lifetime.
Before Cordelia could even get a word in, he had left the dining room, leaving her all alone. She wasn't alone for long as Amy poked her head into the dining room. She turned her head left and right, checking if there was anyone but when she saw Cordelia, she jumped.
"I'm s-s-sorry. I-I didn't s-see you t-there. I-I d-didn't mean t-to b-bother y-you." The girl stuttered out, looking anywhere but at Cordelia.
Cordelia frowned. Amy was an annoying girl, she couldn't stand her but seeing her so pathetic, she pitied her. "You don't have to apologise, you live here too." Cordelia tried to lighten the mood. Amy didn't seem to get the message as she bowed her head in fear. "Amy." The girl in question flinched when her name was called. "Are you okay?"
Silence answered her. Amy huddled into herself, almost turning herself into a ball. Then she started to tremble and looked up to take a peek at Cordelia, to check if she was still there. When her eyes met Cordelia's, she quickly looked down as if Cordelia was some monster that was going to eat her. That hurt and offended Cordelia, she hardly did anything to Amy. In fact, it used to be the other way around at one point before she and Dennis went completely silent.
"Amy?" Cordelia tried out again. She knew Amy should've been left alone but somehow she just couldn't leave the poor girl alone. Something told her she shouldn't. "Amy?" She called out. Amy's body shook hard like she was freezing or really scared. Cordelia liked to think it was the former rather than the latter. "You alright?"
Amy ducked her head even lower like a turtle going back into its shell. She didn't meet her gaze. She didn't dare to. The scared girl gnawed at her bottom lip, pulling at it aggressively before she started almost chewing on it.
In the midst of Amy's oddly concerning actions, Cordelia could hear her barely chant something under her breath. "...Mustn't go near Cordelia." Amy quietly murmured like a mad person. "Mustn't—Cordelia. Mustn't go—Cordelia. Mustn't go near Cordelia." Over and over, she kept going on, forgetting Cordelia was even in front of her.
"You want me to get Mrs Cole?" Cordelia tried but the girl wasn't listening. She was about to leave when Amy reached out and grabbed her.
Alarmed, Cordelia jumped back but Amy didn't let go. She was about to say something when Lucy ran into the dining hall. She glanced between Amy and Cordelia in confusion and she was about to say something when Amy let go of Cordelia like Cordelia was on fire or something. The girl then ran away without a single word, leaving Cordelia and Lucy in complete confusion.
"Alright then." Lucy watched Amy's shadow disappear around the corner. "I see someone trying to be a Hollywood actress." She joked, looking back at her friend. She expected Cordelia to laugh or agree but instead her friend stood there still staring at the hall.
If Cordelia wasn't so concerned at that moment, she might've cracked a smile but her mind was heavy with concern.
Why would Amy stay away from her?
What happened to her?
Cordelia pondered on those two questions for a moment, forgetting Lucy was even in the room. She had to go check her diary soon, things were not as she had thought them to be. Tom was acting strange, Amy and Dennis were even stranger. Billy was biting people when he had never done something like that sort of thing before. It was all so different from what she knew. She hated it. She didn't like change that she didn't understand.
The only one who hadn't changed was Lucy.
Lucy!
"—Delia!" Lucy waved her hands in her face. Her face had turned red from trying to get Cordelia's attention. Cordelia blinked a few times and turned to Lucy who was not happy at all. "Finally!" She clapped her hands together. "I've been trying to get your attention for a while now."
When Cordelia did remember Lucy's presence in the room, she realised Lucy wasn't alone anymore. Other children like Mary and a few more boys and girls had gathered in the dining room. They were all waiting for her.
"What's going on?" Cordelia asked as another boy ran into the room.
"Do you want to play hide and seek or not?" The boy who had ran in the room asked, tapping his foot impatiently. "Cordelia, are you even listening?"
"Alright, calm down, Ed." Cordelia rolled her eyes and tied up her hair before nodding her head towards the boy, Edmund. "You're gonna be seeker then?" Edmund bowed his head and lifted it vigorously. It was like speaking to her would only take more time. Cordelia didn't mind. It was easier for her.
Edmund rolled his eyes and ran out again but before shouting. "I'm going to start counting so you lot better start hiding." His voice was heard fading away.
The remaining children all looked at each other for one moment then they all scattered, scrambling to find a hiding place. Cordelia grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her along. The two ran past a few other children who were running around trying to find a suitable place to hide. No one wanted to be caught first after all, the first five to be caught had to help the seeker and nobody but Edmund wanted the role of the seeker. It was too tedious and searching in big places like Wool's took quite the effort.
They had barely any time to hide before it was all ruined.
One of the children pulled the wooden door of the grandfather clock and Mrs Cole's footsteps were heard. The old matron marched straight out of her room the minute the door was opened and glared at the boy in question. Some children lingered.
Hands on her hip, Mrs Cole glared down at the boy with reddish-blond hair. "What do you think you're doing Clive?" Asked Mrs Cole, firmly but a little softer than her usual tone.
Clive turned slowly and laughed awkwardly. "You see Mrs Cole, I was…" He glanced around at the other children for help but no one wanted to put their neck on the line, not even Lucy or Cordelia. "...Playing hide and seek?"
"That sounds like a question, not an answer, Clive." Mrs Cole's face turned red with anger as she breathed out loudly. "CHILDREN!" She screamed, alarming all the children at Wool's. Immediately some even ran down the stairs to check. Robbie, Margaret, Beatrice, Fran and the twins, Jack and Joe were the first ones to arrive as they were just outside sitting in the garden. More and more children began to gather. Mrs Cole eyed all the children and puffed up her chest, preparing to call all the children down once more. "Everyone get down here now! I won't repeat myself again! Anyone not here can forget about lunch and dinner!"
Hearing her, more sounds of feet stomping were heard and soon the foyer was crowded with all the children at Wool's. Tom was the last one to arrive, blending in with the crowd. He seemed tired as if he had been sleeping. Cordelia kept her eyes on him, only looking away to check on Mrs Cole.
Martha ran out of her office in a hurry, concern written all over her face. "What's going on?" Clasping her hands together, the nurse asked. She examined the foyer and then the open door of the grandfather clock before she let out a deep sigh. "Has someone been playing around with the clock again?" Mrs Cole glared at Clive only in response to Martha who sighed again. "Children," She softly addressed the orphans and abandoned children. "The clock is not a toy. Mrs Cole and I have made it clear that it is not something to be played with. It belongs to Dr Wool's family and he was kind enough to leave it with us so we mustn't play around with it."
"I only opened the door. I didn't even go in." Clive tried to argue, only for his arm to be grabbed by Mrs Cole, silencing him from speaking further.
"That is not the point, Clive." Mrs Cole spat out. She was furious and Cordelia backed away a little, going as close as she could to the stairs in order to not stand in the path of the old matron's rage even though Cordelia herself had never played around with the clock. "What we're saying is that someone has been toying and playing wrong with this—" She pointed to the clock and all the children looked at the clock. "And it is messing with the time. It no longer goes off at the crack of dawn as it should. It's almost like someone is deliberately sabotaging our set schedule."
"Who would do such a thing?" Margaret asked, looking around at the children.
"I don't know, Margaret. Who would do such a thing? Someone who doesn't stick to the curfew that we set in place for your benefit. That's who!" She glared at the children. Almost everyone avoided her gaze. Beatrice looked tired, she definitely was not one of the rulebreakers. "I do not care if you all play hide and seek or run around in the garden but do not touch the clock or run around in the halls." Everyone nodded along. "Are we clear?" She asked and everyone chorused a single 'yes' before Mrs Cole repeated herself. "ARE WE CLEAR?!"
"Yes Mrs Cole." Everyone chorused before collectively sighing.
"I don't want to hear you all sigh, the floor will fall apart if you all keep running inside and we cannot aff—hang on." Mrs Cole stopped mid-sentence. She kept checking all the face before she took step forward to the crowd. "Where is Billy?" She questioned.
"Billy?" Everyone started to check where Billy might've been. "Billy?" They all repeated, looking around for him.
"Well I suppose because of Billy, none of you will be getting lunch or dinner." Everyone groaned out at the same time with some crying out that it wasn't fair or cursing Billy. Edmund in particular cursed out Billy while the older children looked furious. Cordelia didn't care, she'd just go to bed early but she did feel sorry for those other children. "Oh don't moan and groan! Blame yourselves for not adhering to the rules we set."
"Mrs Cole, it is a little unfair on the other children." Martha looked sorry for the children, feeling sorrier for Billy whole as going to be cursed at by the other children.
"Well Martha, they should've thought about it before breaking the rules." Mrs Cole retorted. Tom put his hands up, first for him. It surprised Mrs Cole so much that she forgot how to speak momentarily. She stared at him for a short while. "Tom?"
Tom cut through the crowd to stand in front of the bannister. "It's unfair, you're punishing all of us for what one person did and because of Billy." He pointed out and the children of Wool's were stunned. Even Cordelia was stunned, it wasn't like him to speak out in favour of the entire house yet there he was.
Mrs Cole blinked a few times, still tongue tied. "Ah, yes, well. You see—"
Sound of footsteps running down the stairs cut her off immediately and everyone looked up to see little Billy sobbing his eyes out. He kept bawling while hugging a faded blue light blanket around him. "Mopsy!" He cried. "Mopsy's gone!" He wailed even louder.
Everyone groaned again at the same time and Cordelia couldn't help but crack a smile at the ridiculousness that was going on that afternoon. She covered her mouth with her hand, turning away to face Lucy only to find Lucy doing the same thing as her. The two friends met each other's gaze and physically held back their laughter in fear that Billy or Mrs Cole would think it was them who had anything to do with Mopsy's disappearance.
Mrs Cole's face softened as she tilted her head and let out an exasperated breath. "Billy." She said his name helplessly. "We're in the middle of something, where have you been?" Her tone of speaking was much gentler with Billy than it was earlier. That obviously ticked some people off as some of the children like Fran, Jack and Joe loudly gossiped among themselves. "Fran, Jack and Joe, be quiet!" Mrs Cole shouted at them before looking up softly at Billy. "Now what happened Billy?"
"Mopsy…" He cried out, tears fell down his face like a waterfall. With the way he was crying, Cordelia thought Mopsy had gone to heaven like her family not missing. Most likely the mischievous rabbit was alive and well, just hiding out of Billy's reach. If Cordelia was Mopsy, she too would hide from Billy with how rough he treated that rabbit as if it was a toy not a living creature. "Mopsy…is gone. I can't find him."
"Have you checked your room?"
Billy nodded, still wailing loudly. "What about under your bed or in the curtains?" Martha tried, walking up to Billy to try and stop his incessant wailing that was honestly making Cordelia's ear hurt.
"I checked everywhere!" Billy shouted before sobbing even louder.
"Alright," Jack covered his ears and glared at the little boy. "No need to shout."
"We can hear you loud and clear." Joe carried on. "Probably the whole neighbourhood can hear you."
Billy sniffed. "Mopsy…" He moaned.
"Probably ran away." Jack joked.
"If I was Mopsy, I'd run away too." Joe added.
"Joe!" Mrs Cole warned but neither of the twins seemed to care much at that moment.
Everyone was sick and tired of Mopsy's constant disappearances and Billy's wailing. It was bad enough that Amy and Dennis had turned into walking ghouls who silently whispered among themselves then Billy had to go make it worse by crying all the damned time. The children at Wool's couldn't go a day without Eric and Tom's little arguments or Billy accusing Tom of stealing his 'precious' rabbit. With the way things were going at Wool's, the place was turning into a madhouse.
"We'd run away." Jack corrected.
"Honestly, with the state of that rabbit and the way he treats it, I wouldn't be surprised if it did run away." Said Fran loudly, shocking everyone. "What?" She innocently questioned, slipping her hair behind her ears and flashing a bold smile at Jack and Joe who only giggled in response. "You all know I'm right. That thing is always suffocating with how Billy hugs it tightly. It's no wonder it's always trying to run away—"
"Francesca!" Mrs Cole yelled and Fran flinched before looking away innocently. "That's enough of you!"
"What? You know I'm right. Billy's the one at fault." She looked around for support and surprisingly, there were many. A lot of the children including Robbie and Margaret actually agreed with Fran. Cordelia and Lucy did too as did Tom and the others but most kept shut. Cordelia wasn't afraid of Mrs Cole and her punishments, she simply didn't want to get too involved and would rather watch the situation unfold from the sides. "See, they all agree. I bet Billy's going to blame Tom next, saying Tom killed that silly rabbit."
Lazily, Tom looked up. Silence fell. The moment his dark eyes laid upon everyone, they all looked away or at the floor as if a single gaze from him could turn anyone into stone. Cordelia was the only one who met his gaze. Unsurprisingly, he looked bored. "Leave me out of this, Nunley." Tom's voice rang out against the sudden quiet foyer before he looked away, still as uninterested as ever.
Yet…
Cordelia could've sworn she saw a ghost of a smile flitted across his face. There was also a little spark in his eyes, not a spark of happiness but something else. Her stomach churned as her mind went back to their conversation at breakfast.
He didn't.
He wouldn't.
He couldn't.
Could he?
She wasn't so sure but just thinking about it made her sick enough for bile to rise in the back of her throat. She turned away from the crowd and focused her attention only on Tom. He clearly must've noticed her staring because he looked up and smiled at her. His smile didn't comfort her and only unsettled her. Silently the two stared at each other while the play carried on. He did do something. She was sure of it.
"Delia." Lucy softly nudged her arm, pulling her away from her task of trying to figure out Tom. She looked at Lucy and raised a brow in question. "I think Martha's gonna make us look for Mopsy."
"You think so." Cordelia said, her attention elsewhere but just for the sake of Lucy she pretended she was there. "Hope not."
"Right? It'd be so tedious." Her friend moaned.
Gathering all the attention to her, Martha took centre stage again. "Look, why don't we all work together to find Mopsy? I'm sure we can find her by…" She turned around to look at the grandfather clock and read the time. "...lunch. That should be enough time with everyone—almost everyone's help. I do still need some of you to help me in the kitchen and to set up the table."
"Please take us with you." Lucy chanted under her breath but it was already hopeless.
"And that's anyone who typically helps out for Saturday's lunches. I'm sure you all know who you are." Lucy deflated and stuck out her bottom lip in a visible pout. "Right, the rest of you—I hope you all find Mopsy."
Mrs Cole nodded and Margaret along with some of the other girls clustered around Martha. "Oh they will," The old matron chimed in. "they sure do love playing hide and seek inside so finding one rabbit won't be too much of a task." She glared at the children and Edmund sighed audibly but it was masked by the sound of Billy's cries. "Billy, stop your crying."
Seeing nothing interested him anymore, Tom started to leave. Unfortunately, Robbie noticed him immediately. "Tom, are you not going to help us search?" He asked, being as nice as possible.
As usual, Tom made a face. Nobody even wanted his help, well, almost nobody. Cordelia probably did, she was a little torn at that moment, wondering if he actually did something or not. Tom sharply turned and looked at everyone, his head held high. "I hardly think anyone here wants my help." He said and started to leave again.
"The more the merrier, Tom." Robbie tried again.
"And you all have more than enough."
Billy's face grew a deep scarlet with every word Tom spoke. Cordelia eyed Billy wearily, knowing he was going to explode soon and he did. "I don't want his help! I don't want his help! He probably did something to Mopsy!"
"Billy!" Martha and Mrs Cole shouted out but Tom only chuckled darkly. Hearing Tom's laughter, Martha nervously wrapped her arms around herself while Mrs Cole had a difficult look on her face. "Tom, he didn't mean it like that." Mrs Cole tried to mitigate the damage.
Unfortunately or fortunately—Cordelia couldn't tell really—Tom didn't care much about what Billy said or that's what it appeared to her. "I'm sure he didn't but I know where I'm wanted and I'm certainly not wanted in the search party so I'll be in my room taking a nap. I will be down for lunch—if there will be one." He turned and started walking away again.
And the other children started to disperse. Mrs Cole or Martha had nothing to add to that. Billy was still crying while the children were grouping up to go hunt for the missing rabbit. Lucy tugged at the sleeve of Cordelia's sweater and Cordelia pulled away. She had other plans.
In the midst of the dispersing crowd, Cordelia hurried past the other children after making Lucy let go of her. She rushed after Tom. She had to speak with him. She had to know if he actually went on and did something to Billy's stupid rabbit after their conversation. It wasn't like she cared about Billy or Mopsy but the guilt of being the one to give Tom the idea was really eating at her heart.
"Tom!" Cordelia called out to him just as he stepped on the second floor landing. The second floor was deserted as the other children had all started their search from the bottom floor and garden. They would eventually move upstairs together. She had more than enough time to question him without anyone's ears listening in. "Did you do it?" She asked without even letting him a chance to greet her. "Did you do something to that rabbit?" Her voice gradually grew quieter as she closed the distance between the two.
The corner's of Tom's lips went up. "I thought we talked about accusing people without proof, Cora."
"That's not what I asked."
"You have no proof I did do it. If anyone were to hear this, I'd be in a lot of trouble." Tom looked away and pitifully sighed. She was not feeling pitiful for him at all. He wasn't even trying to hide it. "Do you want me to be in trouble? Everyone already thinks the worst of me. Do you want that to worsen?"
No, she didn't.
Still she couldn't find it anywhere to pity Tom Riddle.
When she saw his face, she didn't see someone who was pitiful. "You did something to Amy and Dennis, didn't you?" She asked instead and Tom's eyes darkened.
His jaws clenched and he looked away, not meeting her clear blue eyes. He pursed his lips and slipped her hair behind her ears. His hands were deathly cold, making her shiver before he backed away. "I'm going up to my room, if you want to talk then come find me but I won't be listening to any…stupid accusations."
A part of her pushed her on to tell him about her encounter with Amy while the other part told him to hide it away. It was obvious which part of her won because she didn't say anything else after that, letting him have the last word. She just watched him turn around and carry on in his march back to his room.
Chapter 13: We need to talk about Tom
Chapter Text
Chapter 12: We Need To Talk About Tom
13th May 1938
Billy Stubbs has been crying all day.
At first I felt bad but now I want to stuff his flour sack teddy bear into his mouth to shut him up. He's been crying buckets all day, his rabbit, Mopsy disappeared. Nobody knows where it went. Amy and Dennis accused me and Lucy of doing something to it. Eric accused Margaret of using it in her stew for dinner that night. I don't think it was Margaret and it wasn't us either.
Tom has been very quiet lately. He and Billy had an argument the day before, now Mopsy is missing. Everyone is scared to say anything to Tom. I don't want to point fingers but Tom is not saying anything to me either.
Poor Billy.
They found his rabbit.
Poor Mopsy.
They found the little rabbit hanging by the rafters.
At least Robbie found him instead of Billy. It was around bedtime. Robbie claims if someone went up to the top floor earlier in the day, the rabbit could've been saved but no one did.
I wonder how it got up there.
Cordelia stared at the diary entry in front of her for an hour. Dinner had ended three hours ago but the search for Mopsy carried on. The letters and words were in her handwriting but the date and events were all wrong but most of all, she didn’t even recall writing those words. Those words had appeared like the other entries, without any cause or reasoning. She was sure she was going mad.
Quickly, she shoved the diary back into its hiding spot and came out of her room. The second and bottom floor were filled with children scouring for one single rabbit. Each too busy to look at another.
“Mopsy!” Lucy shouted, dropping to the floor and tilting her head to the side to look under a bookshelf on the second floor.
Across the hall, a few other children were shouting that stupid rabbit’s name. “Mopsy!” They shouted. “Mopsy where are you?” They yelled out as if a silly rabbit could even answer their calls.
Cordelia pretended to search the curtains near the stairs while keeping an eye on the others. What was supposed to be a search until lunch had taken more time than anticipated. The search was momentarily called off for lunch and dinner, much to Billy’s anger. He had cried and cried that he didn’t want to abandon his poor rabbit for a meal he didn’t have any appetite for, only to be told to shut up by the twins and Fran who were really starting to dislike Billy and Cordelia didn’t blame them.
“Mopsy!” They cried out again as Cordelia pulled the curtains on the setting sun. The sky outside had darkened already and the clock downstairs screamed loudly signalling the change in time. “Mopsy! Where are you!”
Everyone was so busy searching for that damned rabbit that no one even noticed her. Cordelia slipped away unnoticed. Her footsteps were light and barely audible as she climbed up the steps to the third floor almost in a trance-like state. Nobody followed her. Nobody noticed her.
The third floor was dark, not one light or lantern was lit. Tom was the only one on the entire floor and he was inside his room. The darkness was a little terrifying and moonlight shone through the small window by the stairs, illuminating the third floor the tiniest bit. Shadows stretched out on the floor menacingly with long tendrils swaying with the clouds covering and uncovering the moonlight.
Momentarily, Cordelia’s fear broke her through her trance but when she finally landed on the third floor, her mind went blank. She couldn’t even remember what happened next but all she remembered was standing underneath the rafters in front of the large stained glass window and looking up.
Wide-eyed and almost curious, she looked up. Something was hanging by the rafters. A small creature, struggling against its restraints as it was hanged by its neck. The clouds parted and the moonlight shone through once more. The light from the moon and welding of the windows casted a web-like shadow on her as she tilted her head to the side.
Her blue eyes narrowed in on the pale ribbon holding the creature by its neck. The ribbon came undone and the creature fell down but Cordelia caught it before it could hit the floor. She was holding Mopsy close to her chest. The poor rabbit silently cried as it nestled close to her chest. She held it close and hurried downstairs when she heard Tom’s door open.
She didn’t even care to pick up the ribbon that was previously hanging Mopsy. She just wanted to leave. Her hands were cold, her heart was hammering against her chest. She was scared, terrified even. She knew the culprit behind Mopsy’s disappearance and subsequent hanging but she didn’t even want to think about it. She closed her eyes as shoved her suspicions to the back of her mind.
A sharp pain shot through the left side of her head and she had to stop to catch her breath. The pain was excruciating. Strange images flashed into her head as she keeled over in pain. Her breathing grew laboured as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Mopsy nestled even closer to her, trying to keep her warm as her body temperature dropped.
“Cordelia?” Mrs Cole stared down at her, wide-eyed and shocked. "What on earth—" She cut herself off once she noted how pale Cordelia was and the shivering Mopsy in her lap. "Don't sit on the floor, child." She got down to the floor and grabbed Cordelia, carefully dragging her to her office.
Cordelia was all but thrown inside as Mrs Cole stood outside for a moment, looking side to side before promptly closing the door as she walked in. The old matron stalked towards her desk, looking under it for something while Cordelia checked the walls. A faded green wallpaper with scratched up brown branches stretched across the walls, slithering around like a snake. Cordelia peered closely at each section of the wall before taking a seat, Mopsy still cradled close to her chest.
On the other hand, Mrs Cole had yet to finish her own inspection. Only when she was satisfied with her search, did the old matron take her seat but she was only there for a moment before she left the room once more. Mrs Cole returned with a trolley containing a single teacup and a glass of warm milk.
Instantly, Cordelia’s face shifted and she moved her head away from the warm milk. The smell of warm milk was nauseating to her and she preferred it cold, no matter what the weather was. Mrs Cole let out an amused laugh before clearing her throat and taking a sip of her tea.
“I suspect you and I need to have a little chat.” Mrs Cole began, sipping her tea slowly while motioning for Cordelia to take the milk. Cordelia merely touched it and drew her hand back. “Don’t be a child, you have to get over your dislikes one day.”
She only stared at the matron and took the glass of milk. The glass grew cold at her touch and the old matron stiffened when she noticed the warm puffs of air dissipate in seconds. The milk had turned cold just as Cordelia liked. “I found Mopsy…” Cordelia began after her parched throat was no longer parched.
“I can see that.” Mrs Cole answered stiffly, reaching for her prayer beads on her desk. “W-where was she? And why did you look so—”
“Afraid?” Cordelia finished for her. Her eyes were unfocused and her grip on Mopsy tightened causing the poor rabbit distress. Cordelia held on tight to the rabbit and sharply breathed out. “I found Mopsy.” She repeated in a daze. “She was hanging from…the rafters on the third floor. There was…” She swallowed her tears and shakily reached for the cold glass of milk, drinking it all in one go. “There was an old ribbon wrapped around Mopsy’s throat. I think…I think it was Amy’s.”
Mrs Cole’s eyes widened as she nodded along. The old matron struggled to breathe for a second. Cordelia’s fear was suffocating her and she had never seen the girl so afraid and so lost. When she had arrived at Wool’s, she was this lost and afraid and Mrs Cole wondered what had the girl seen or thought about that had struck such fear into her heart.
The old matron cleared her throat and sipped some of her warm tea. The warm liquid went through her throat and warmed up her insides, giving her courage to speak. “D-do you believe it was Amy who had done this to Mopsy?” She questioned, not really believing it to be true. Amy or even Dennis for the matter had been eerily quiet and shut off since the trip to the beach a few years ago. “Because I don’t. Amy—we’ve seen the state of Amelia, she wouldn’t.”
“It wasn’t Amy, Mrs Cole.” Cordelia confirmed. “Amy complained about that ribbon going missing a few years back.” She remembered it quite vividly in fact but only because Amy had put up such a fuss about it, even trying to steal Cordelia’s pale green ribbon as retaliation when Cordelia had nothing to do with the theft. “I know Amy didn’t do it. Some framed her. Mopsy was on the third floor. Only Lucy, Robbie and…” She struggled for a second to say his name but managed to spit it out. “Tom stay on the third floor. Lucy has been by my side or playing with the others all day and she wouldn’t do such a thing. Robbie was doing yard work in the morning with the twins. He wouldn’t do that either. That le—”
Before Cordelia could finish, the old matron got up and hurried to lock the door. She double-locked it, even putting up the latch before turning back to Cordelia with reddened eyes and sweaty face. Mrs Cole was afraid. Her rosary beads in her hand, she breathed out tiredly and hovered over to her. She placed a trembling hand over Cordelia’s shoulder and pulled her close. “We need to talk about Tom, don’t we?” Cordelia nodded. Mrs Cole pulled away and stared sharply at her. “This stays between the two of us and only the two of us.” Her fingers pressed onto Cordelia’s flesh harshly as she let out a gasp of pain and nodded with tears in her eyes. “You would be right to think it was Tom who did it because it was.”
“You knew.” Cordelia breathed out. Her chest felt tight and the pain in her head grew tenfold. The pain was throbbing wildly, she felt it harder to breath and Mopsy burying herself into her chest didn’t quite help. “Then why—” She wetted her dry lips and tried to steady her breathing. “Why didn’t you stop him?”
“I only suspected him. I always suspect because this is his true nature.”
Cordelia shook her head in disbelief. She knew Tom had a sadistic side to him but she always chalked it up to him trying to survive in a place like Wool’s. “It’s not in his nature. He was just trying to survive.”
“There is a difference between survival and this, Cordelia. Stealing for a reason is one thing but he started to take even when he didn’t need to, he used…to do worse things before your arrival.”
“And you didn’t stop him? You were supposed to watch over us.”
“I can’t.” Mrs Cole got up and turned away. She couldn’t look at Cordelia and face the truth, she had indeed failed Tom and the other children. “You know why. I’m sure you do. There is something odd about him—something so…wicked—may God forgive me for saying this but that child is not an ordinary one and neither are you.”
Cordelia’s face paled and her eyes widened. “Wh-what do you mean? I’m just like anyone else.”
“You’re more ordinary than Tom but you cannot fool me, Cordelia. I know and God knows that you two are not ordinary children—yet he…he is much darker than you can imagine. I suspect it was him behind whatever happened to Amelia and Dennis.” The old matron clasped up her hands in a praying position, her rosary beads pressing into her skin as she held on tight. “He seems innocent, doesn’t he? He had you fooled, had everyone fooled but I always saw through him. Don’t ask him why I didn’t stop him because even you couldn’t stop him and he cares for you.”
“Tom doesn’t care for me.”
Mrs Cole’s eyes flicked to hers and she let out a bitter laugh, scaring the young girl. “Oh you naive child, you see everything but what is in front of you. Of course, the devil is good at hiding.”
“Are you calling Tom the devil?” Cordelia sat up and pain made her sway in her step. “He was just wrong about this and we can still help him.”
“Then you do it.” The old matron's raspy voice whispered to her. “I will not.”
“Because you’re afraid?” Cordelia questioned. Her quiet girlish voice sounded so pathetic to her own ears that she winced at the sound of it. “You shouldn’t be afraid. My father used to say that our fears were hardly real and we shouldn’t let them stop us from living.”
Nodding her head, Mrs Cole brought the rosary beads close to her face, almost kissing it. “And where is your father now?” Cordelia’s heart dropped and she slammed her hands into the table, dropping Mopsy on the floor. How could Mrs Cole say something like that? “Listen to me child, fear is our mind telling us what we need to stay away from to live. Without it, we are doomed. You may not understand me now but you will one day so I can only ask you…to look away from whatever Tom is doing.”
What?
Look away?
Ignore what he was doing, even if it was hurting people. She couldn’t believe her ears but the old matron seemed clear in what she had said. “Look away? Then what about the people he hurts?”
“It is not our problem.” Mrs Cole mumbled out before getting up and coming around over to her. She took Cordelia’s face into hers and lightly brushed her sweaty hair out of her face. “Listen to me child, this is for your own good. Don’t get too close to him and…” She drew in a sharp breath and looked down at the rosary beads in her hand. “Look away.”
“Look away?” Cordelia echoed back as another wave of pain shot through her. She looked away from Mrs Cole, her gaze hitting the mirror to her side. In the reflection, she didn’t see herself but that woman from her dreams. Her sad blue eyes stared at Cordelia in despair before she disappeared.
“Don’t ever talk about Tom.” Mrs Cole let go, her warm hand leaving her face and leaving her cold as she was before. “I mean it.” The old matron carried on. “Your uncle promised he’d be back for you.” Cordelia had almost forgotten about her uncle’s promise. “When he comes back—I suspect it will be in a few years or so—leave with him and forget about Wool’s and…Tom.”
“He has no one.” Cordelia mumbled out, remembering how lonely he was before she started speaking to him. Always eating alone and spending all his time alone, he was alone. “I can’t just—”
“You must.” The old matron cut her off. Her eyes wild, she quietly tried to make her understand what she meant. “You don’t understand him the way I do.”
She had no choice but to agree half-heartedly, torn on what to do. She wholeheartedly believed that if Tom was left unchecked like Mrs Cole had done for so long, he’d eventually become worse and he might even start ki—pain shot through head once more as she doubled in pain and fell to the floor.
Footsteps were heard as both Mopsy and Mrs Cole came around to check on her. She felt Mrs Cole’s hands on her hand asking her if she was alright but she couldn’t find the words to answer her. Her head ached so bad it felt as if her head was being bashed again and again against a sharp cold rock.
“You need to stop—please—people—are—dying!” The broken voice of the woman from her dreams cried out from somewhere, deafening her. “Please! Listen to me! This isn’t right!”
Cordelia gasped out in pain as she clutched her head tightly. Her fingers dug into her scalp and she drew closer to the floor. “Don’t!” A man hissed out. “Don’t tell me to stop! You don’t know what it’s like to be me! To be ignored and left aside by everyone! I have the blo—I’m destine—I—”
She couldn’t stop herself as a shriek of pain escaped her, alarming the entire house. She gasped in pain before falling to the floor and Mrs Cole couldn’t even stop her as she rolled around on the floor, tears streaming down her face.
“Cordelia!” Mrs Cole screamed her name while shaking her. It was gentle at first but Mrs Cole’s movements eventually grew rough as she tried her best to rouse her from her fit. “Cordelia! Wake up! Come on child, hear me!”
But Cordelia couldn’t hear her at all.
How could she?
The voices screaming in her mind were far too loud for her to hear anything else. The couple kept screaming and shouting at one another, their words jumbled up and she was losing sense of the world. She did manage to gain some sense to notice Mrs Cole had unlocked the door and ran out to get help as a small crowd of children were forming near her office.
“Robbie! Martha! Margaret! Anyone! I need help!” The old matron called out, panic laced in her voice. Everyone she called hurried to her, struggling to get through the crowd. “Give them space!” She all but screamed.
Cordelia shut her eyes as another wave of pain hit her and her form contorted in pain. Her back stretched over the floor and her arms wide as she clawed desperately at the wooden floor. She let out another piercing scream, trying her best to hold on. Weakly, she opened her eyes and looked towards the door where Martha and Robbie were scrambling to get medical supplies for her. She didn’t need medicine, she needed the voices to stop.
“Why do you always have to go against everything I say?” The man seemed so frustrated from the sound of his voice. “I’m doing this for us—you know what they say about us, don’t you?”
“Don’t you dare make this about me, I know you well.” The woman was angry, furious. Her voice pounded against Cordelia’s skull, drilling a hole into it and she wanted to curl up into a ball to make it all stop. “What were you thinking? This-this isn’t right. Do you know what you’ve done?”
“I’m on my way to becoming the greatest and beating death.”
She didn’t want to listen anymore. She just wanted it all to stop. The argument carried on, many arguments overlapping on top of one another.
The door to Mrs Cole’s office had been shut once more. A silent click was heard and the door swung open and Tom ran inside.
“I’m begging you, stop this before it’s too late.” The woman cried out as did Cordelia as she kept on trying to fight the pain. “Please—Tom!”
Cordelia gasped awake as her eyes were wide open. She let out pained breaths, gaining some sense of the world back and she could hear Mrs Cole scold Tom in the background. Tom ignored the old matron and hurried to her side.
His hands were cold, deathly cold but she was colder for once. He grabbed her face in his hands and dragged them across her face, checking her state. He caressed her face and patted her hand in a very un-Tom-like fashion before letting out a pained breath. “W-why is she so cold?” She heard Tom asking Martha. His voice was strangely shaky as he let go of her face to grab her almost blue hands.
“We don’t know.” She heard Martha say as Cordelia let out another gasp of pain before she started to claw at her ears. She didn’t want to hear anymore. “Hold her down!” Martha yelled as Tom was brushed aside while Margaret and Robbie grabbed her hands tight stopping her from trying to hurt herself.
Tom ran to her once again and tried to bring her back to her senses. She took one look at him and she let out a cry of pain before her eyes rolled to the back of her head as her body went limp.
The grandfather clock in the foyer shrieked loudly, signing in another day as the clock struck midnight. Cordelia’s eyes fluttered open as she let out a soft gasp. Her vision was hazy and it was quiet, deathly quiet. She could feel her scratchy mended duvet on top of her and rough mattress underneath her.
There was fog on her mind and she couldn’t think straight. She took deep breaths as black spots danced in front of her vision. Her hair was brushed aside as she weakly opened and closed her eyes. “Cora?” Tom’s quiet and hoarse voice shakily called out to her. He sounded almost afraid.
She let out a tired sigh and tried to sit up but her limbs just didn’t want to cooperate with her. “What is…it Tom?” She asked sleepily, letting out a yawn between her words. “This better not be about another snake or something. I’m quite tired.”
Tom stared at her blankly before he let out a laugh of disbelief. She forced her eyes open to glare at him. “You’re tired…” He breathed out. “Tired?” He questioned. “D-do you not remember anything?”
“I remember I was in Mrs Cole’s office and that’s all. Did I fall asleep there?” Asked Cordelia, lifting her head up a little to look at Tom who was uncharacteristically brushing her hair. She found it unnerving much more than whenever he was up to no good. “And can you stop that? My hair’s going to get tangled.”
Immediately he stopped but he didn’t move his hands away, he kept it there, occasionally moving a few strands here and there. He didn’t answer Cordelia’s question at first and just stared at her with a difficult look. “Was that the last thing you remembered? Not the screaming and crying or…thrashing on the floor.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. Just forget about it.”
Cordelia honestly did not know what Tom was on about. She hardly remembered much from the day except looking for Mopsy…
“Mopsy!” She sprung up from her bed and looked at Tom with big eyes. “Did they find her?” There was quiet desperation in her voice that she didn’t really hide and that roused Tom’s suspicion. He narrowed his eyes at her but softened them a second later and gently pushed her back into her bed.
She fell onto her bed with a quiet thud. Her hair was scattered, exposing the small scar on her forehead she had gotten summers ago from Amy and Dennis' childish actions. Nothing remained but the scar. Tom paused and looked at her in the dim light. He scowled, glaring at the small scar on her forehead. It was barely noticeable, mostly hidden away but every time he saw it, he would glare at it as if a scar carried some unpleasant memories for him.
Without another word, he covered her forehead with her little hairs on the side, rather aggressively. He grabbed her head in his, steadying her and carefully styled her hair to cover it. "You should hide that thing."
"It's just a little scar—barely noticeable."
He frowned, his jaws clenched. "Well, I can see it and it's ugly." He spat out, turning away from her. "At least, it's not big and noticeable." He muttered out. "...But too similar."
Too similar?
She didn't know what he was muttering about as he sat down on her bed. "Robbie was the one who found Billy's rabbit." He quickly decided to change the subject.
"Robbie?" Cordelia echoed and Tom nodded. "Are you sure it was him?"
“That’s what Mrs Cole said. I hardly think she’d lie.”
No, because she’s afraid of you.
Cordelia frowned when that thought came to her. Where did that come from? It wasn’t a lie, she just never thought about it or tried to think about it. She tried to smile but she couldn’t. “Is she…”
“Is she what?”
“Is she fine?”
“As fine as she’ll be.” Said Tom, looking away at the door where a knock was hard. “You should worry about yourself first before anyone else.”
She wasn’t really listening as her eyes glazed over and faint whispers of forgotten arguments played over in her mind, too indecipherable for her to make out their words. She let out a pained breath under the watchful eye of Tom and nodded. “Yes, I’ll look out for myself.”
Tom stared at her and nervously licked his dry lips. To him, she must’ve appeared a little mad and that concerned him. That hadn’t happened before. Something alike to regret flashed on his face but it was gone as quickly as it came. “You sure you don’t remember anything.”
“Everything’s quite foggy.” She smiled innocently as she told Tom her first big lie.
Chapter 14: Run Away
Chapter Text
Chapter 13: Run Away
16th July 1938, London
"So you're leaving?" A silvery voice questioned as the fog in her vision began to clear.
Like ink spots on paper, the scene in front of her appeared slowly, seeping into her field of vision.
"I thought you really enjoyed working here? I remember you even asked all the Professors for a recommendation letter—not that you needed one—to work here and now you're leaving?" A woman with mousy strawberry blonde hair and bright forest green eyes appeared in front of her.
A dimly lit stone corridor with only two people. Light chatter in the background behind the many closed doors but no one dared to venture closer to the two women leaned against the cold stone walls.
A sigh left her lips and she removed a cheap metal pin from her hair before pocketing it into her skirt. "I'm not leaving because I hate it here or I don't enjoy working here, I just…" The cheap metal pin felt heavy in her pocket but not as heavy as the ring around her finger. A family heirloom of his, he had said. "He proposed to me and I don't know what to do, Poppy."
Forest green orbs grew bigger in shock and Poppy didn't know whether to congratulate her friend or frown and say something rude so she only gave her a polite smile. "Oh. That's…wonderful." Poppy bit her painted red lips and looked around before pulling her friend's sleeve and bringing her closer. "But you told us that you…and he had an argument about…his…" She hesitated a little. "About his…activities in Albania." Poppy lowered tone to a whisper and pulled her friend closer. "I mean he is working at Borgin and Burkes. Mia told me that the shop is notorious for selling dark artefacts."
She couldn't exactly refute those claims. Poppy was right and everyone knew it as well. "I know. I should've known from the beginning but I wanted…I wanted to believe that—"
"I understand." Poppy placed a comforting hand on her shoulders and patted her. "But I don't understand why you took him back and why you're leaving. Just because you're getting married doesn't mean you have to leave us and this job—you wanted this!"
"I'm not getting married."
Poppy pulled her friend into another corner and looked up at her with wide eyes. "Then what are—"
"I think I'm going to leave for America or Australia." The ring on her finger felt heavy, weighing her down like a shackle. She took it off and placed it in Poppy's hands. "I can't marry him. I can't spend my life in fear and watch him turn into someone like the man who killed my family."
Poppy's face crumbled and she started shaking her head as a wave of sadness and fear washed over her. "I can't. I can't do this. You know his friends don't like people like me."
"I know, I'm being selfish but I need you to send it back to him in the mail. I just can't be the one to do this."
She turned around and tried to leave but Poppy grabbed her arm. Poppy's hands were cold, deathly cold and she couldn't help but shiver at her touch. "So you're running away?"
"I'm not running away."
"But you are."
Poppy's face faded away as the ink spots disappeared from Cordelia's vision and a bright blue butterfly wiped away the scene before her eyes.
Painted black and blue wings opened and closed, the blue from the wings hit rays in such a manner that Cordelia couldn't help but think how it reminded her of sapphires or stained glass windows in the church that Mrs Cole went to.
Cordelia almost envied the pretty butterfly. It was pretty, free and looked happy being alone.
Lucy squinted her eyes at Cordelia and opened her mouth to question her on her lack of interest but immediately she shelved those thoughts. Neither wanted an argument to break out and even if it did, Cordelia would just get up and leave. She hated arguments unless they were worth her time. "Ed released Mary's 'collection' into my room." She decided to finish her story, almost hoping Cordelia would react the way she wanted to.
A weak smile was all Lucy got before a small web with a spider in the corner of the window-frame caught Cordelia's eye. The butterfly still fluttered around so happily while the spider in the corner quietly spun its web. She had no doubt that the spider was watching the butterfly and waiting for it to tire before pouncing on it.
The corners of Cordelia's lips went up and she turned to Lucy, finally giving her the attention she wanted. "So you have bugs in your room then?" She asked cautiously, feigning concern.
Lucy nodded as she puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. "It's crawling everywhere. I found a worm in my nightstand."
Cordelia leaned forward and motioned Lucy to come closer. "Didn't Mary ask for a room swap the other day?"
"Oh yeah. How'd you know that?" Lucy scrunched up her face and tried to think when she even told Cordelia that.
"Last night? Remember?"
But nothing came to Lucy's mind. "I really don't." Because she didn't, Cordelia just overheard Mary and Mrs Cole speaking while she was running errands for the old matron who had decided to take extra care of Cordelia after her little fit that Cordelia swore she had no memory of.
"But what about it?" Lucy asked. She kept observing Cordelia closely, not really believing that she told her friend about the topic. "Mary only wanted a room on the third floor to get away from Ed and Clive to leave her insect collection alone."
"Then give her your room, she'll have a room with her collection."
"Yes but my room is infested with bugs."
"And Mary likes bugs more than people. Honestly, I don't see the problem here." Lucy was wasting her breath. Mary would probably love to room with her entire collection of insects and whatever away from Edmund and Clive. Cordelia saw it as the only option to keep everyone happy and keep her own peace. "Besides, you hardly even use that room."
"But still…"
"Just tell Mrs Cole that you'll agree to the swap."
That was the end of the conversation.
Lucy drew in a sharp breath and opened her mouth to say something more. Cordelia merely looked at her and she closed her mouth. Cordelia was done with her and nothing Lucy said would drive her interest back to her.
It wasn't like Cordelia was doing it on purpose, she just thought that sometimes Lucy had a tendency to ramble and Cordelia would rather lose herself in her daydreams or nightmares than listen to Lucy's nonsensical rambles. Sure she felt terrible for her friend over her own behaviour but she couldn't help it. Lucy's rambles were long and tedious to listen to and honestly, boring for her.
A knock at the door was heard and Lucy sat up while Cordelia didn't even bother to reach. "Delia, there's someone at the door." Lucy said, trying to grab some of her attention away from the spider spinning its web or the butterfly fluttering its wings.
The door opened and Cordelia didn't even bother to turn her head but just hearing Lucy's quick footsteps rushing out of her room told her enough.
"Tom." Cordelia curtly greeted, finally turning away from the spider and the butterfly. "Do you need something?"
Tom glared at Lucy's retreating form, not even bothering to hide his distaste for Cordelia's only other friend at Wool's before turning to Cordelia. He held up a plate of plain cheese and onion sandwiches for her and gave her a look which made Cordelia groan. He didn't look too happy and neither was she.
"You skipped lunch." Said Tom as he made himself home in her room. He placed the plate of food on her nightstand and gave her a look. He looked annoyed and motioned towards the plate. "Eat."
"I'm not hungry." Cordelia replied, trying to hide her diary from him. He noticed it right away and his gaze darkened before his face shifted to a blank look. "You can have it or leave it here and I'll take it back."
Tom sighed. He always found her little habits annoying. Food was one thing he never passed on considering how hard it was to come by for them yet Cordelia had no problem eating as little as she could. It annoyed him to no end how often she'd skip meals for no reason but he didn't want to argue with her. She'd give him a single answer and ignore him, give him the same treatment he gave everyone else around him.
He picked up a piece of sandwich and halved it. "I'll have a half of one so you can finish the rest at least." He tried being as gentle as he could. It wasn't like him to be gentle, he wasn't gentle but after Cordelia's little fit months ago, he had been treading carefully around her, still suspicious of the true cause of her fit.
"You can have the entire thing. I know you want more and I told you I'm not hungry."
"Cordelia." Tom stared down at her with his dark eyes, looking every bit as intimidating as the nightmares that haunted Cordelia's sleepless nights. "Eat." He repeated. "I won't repeat myself. You'll feel sick afterwards."
She puffed up her cheeks and blew out some air before gingerly picking up the half a piece that Tom split up and bit into it. Immediately she felt a little better and a little sick. It wasn't the cheese or the onion that made her ill or the way Tom hovered around her but just eating made her sick at times and that afternoon was just those times. She had to put down the sandwich and wait before taking another bite.
"I heard you've been helping around the house." Said Cordelia, in-between bites, trying to take her mind off the nausea.
Tom nodded and took a seat on the empty bed opposite hers. He dusted off the bread crumbs from his little snack and clasped his hands together. "Someone said I should be kinder to the people around you." Though, it actually pained him to even lend them a hand for their stupid menial chores, he had no choice but to do it.
Cordelia raised her brows and had to put down her sandwich for a second. "That's funny considering you never listen to anyone, especially this someone you mentioned."
"I'm trying something new, I don't know if it will work out in my favour but I hope it does."
She stared at him for a second before quickly finishing her meal. The nauseous feeling she felt earlier had all but faded. She didn't want to admit it but talking to Tom did help. She'd never say it outloud, Tom's head would get even bigger than it already was. "I give it a month or if I have to be nice then a year at most."
"You have so little faith in me." It amused him to no end and she was right, if Tom was the same person he was before his unfortunate defeat at that boy's hands then he'd never bother with this change and would carry on as usual. "I'm determined this time."
"We'll see." She wasn't convinced. "I heard you're doing some of the milk and paper rounds. I thought you didn't like leaving your room."
Tom shrugged. He didn't really like people. They were a waste of his time unless he could get something out of them. Everyone was the same, they wanted something from him and in turn, he wanted something from them. That was all people were to Tom, a means of getting what he wanted. Stepping stones for his goals.
At one point, Cordelia was the same but that was before she managed to worm her way into his life and then promptly leave him when she knew he couldn't live without her. She was more cruel than him.
"Like I said, I'm trying something different and I'm getting paid for it so it's alright."
"You never cared about money."
"Because I didn't know the value of it."
"It's just a few pieces of metal and paper."
Tom clicked his tongue and stood up. "You know they're not just a few pieces of metal and paper."
Cordelia nodded, she realised then how awful she sounded. Tom could just tell by looking at her face, how guilty she must've been feeling at that moment.
Two knocks were heard followed by Mrs Cole's careful voice. "Cordelia?" The old matron called out and Cordelia sat up as did Tom. "Are you and Tom in there?"
Tom stiffened. He quickly turned to look at the calendar on Cordelia's wall and the clock on the wall.
Right on time.
Cordelia spared Tom a glance and was about to answer when Tom beat her to it. "Yes, Mrs Cole."
The old matron didn't say anything, her footsteps seemed to fade. She returned a moment later but it was clear to both Cordelia and Tom that she wasn't alone as the voice of another and the sound of another set of footsteps were heard.
Cordelia looked at Tom with a question but Tom wasn't looking at her. He had this odd look on his face. His eyes narrowed on the painted door of her room. There was a strange spark in his eyes that caught her interest.
Tom was looking forward to the person behind the door.
Cordelia didn't know who the person behind the door was but maybe Tom did.
How?
She didn't know.
She tried to think about all the different possibilities and came up with nothing except a few boring ideas that honestly made her want to throw her brain away.
Tom got up. He sat down next to her on her bed, almost as if he was making space for the person behind the door.
Cordelia gave him an annoyed look and shifted to give him some space. She didn't understand his sudden eagerness and the way he was acting and she never had the chance to ask as the door opened.
On the other side, a tall man in a long grey coat and matching suit walked in. He had a peculiar hat on his head, the same grey shade as his suit but the bowler hat seemed to have some embroidered stars on it, making him appear very silly.
A cool yet warm breeze blew in despite all the windows being shut in the room. The man took off his hat and held it close to his chest. Cordelia noticed his long greying auburn hair and matching beard though his beard wasn't as long as his hair.
The man stepped forward and smiled at the two children warmly. His crescent shaped glasses slid down his nose when he gave a little nod in greeting.
Behind him, standing nervously dragging her nails over her rosary beads was Mrs Cole. The man appeared warm and fairly kind but Mrs Cole seemed almost apprehensive as if she didn't trust the man. She gave him a look before plastering a smile on her face and stepping forward.
Cordelia recognised that look Mrs Cole gave the stranger. It was the same look she gave her and Tom whenever something strange happened at Wool's.
Mrs Cole cleared her throat and turned to the children. "Cordelia. Tom." Both of them sat up and looked at the matron. "I'd like to introduce you to someone, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore." The corners of the man's lips turned into a kind smile as he bowed his head at his name. "H-he has something to tell you two."
Cordelia instantly recognised that name. Her head snapped towards the man. She knew him or heard of him. Her sister used to always go on and on about the professors at her school and her parents mentioned him too once or twice around her.
"It appears Miss Alder already knows little about me." Professor Dumbledore took a seat at the empty bed where Tom was sitting moments before and made himself home. "You don't have to worry, Mrs Cole."
"I wasn't worried about Cordelia." Mrs Cole mumbled out nervously. "Well, I'll leave you to it and I hope," She gave a quiet look to Tom. "That the two of you will be on your best behaviours."
Tom merely nodded in response. Not that Mrs Cole even bothered to look at him. She was already gone as quickly as she had come.
"Now, I'm sure you two are wondering what I am doing here." Professor Dumbledore began, taking out two thick envelopes with red seals.
"Are you here to take us in?" Tom said, almost sounding as if he was reading a script. Cordelia and Professor Dumbledore just stared at him and Cordelia almost wanted to curse at Tom but held it.
Professor Dumbledore chuckled before his laughs turned to awkward coughs. He passed the thick letters to Tom and Cordelia. "Well, unfortunately no. I'm here to deliver your Hogwarts acceptance letters and I understand that Cordelia might understand what I'm saying and this might be all new to you Tom but you are a wizard." Tom scoffed at his words just like he did in the past. "It sounds quite unbelievable but it's true. I'm sure you and Cordelia noticed strange but remarkable things happening around you two. Things that cannot be explained by anyone with any reason."
"I suppose but magic…it all sounds a little childish."
Cordelia stared at Tom in silence.
'You are a child.'
She wanted to say that to Tom but she held her tongue. Even if the two were somewhat friendlier, she tried her best to not cross the line she had drawn. Tom was still the same Tom even if pretended to be 'nicer' than usual.
"But it's real." She said instead. "My father was a wizard too!" She looked at Tom with a bright feigned smile. "And my mother was a witch! I know it sounds unbelievable but Professor Dumbledore is telling the truth. Magic is real."
"Cordelia…" Tom began, a little taken back by her little outburst like he didn't expect her to mention her own parents. "He's probably trying to be nice to us—"
"But it is real." Professor Dumbledore cut through his words and Tom's eyes twitched. Cordelia warily took Tom's hands into hers. He was upset, no, he was furious. He didn't like people interrupting him. "I can prove it." The Professor continued unaware of what was going on.
"It's not real." Tom repeated, his sudden burst of rage subsiding.
The moment Tom said the butterfly that was flying around in Cordelia's room was pushed to the centre of the room. Professor Dumbledore took out a sleek wooden stick, his wand and pointed at the blue butterfly and muttered something under his breath. Sparks flew from his wand and the butterfly shifted in front of their eyes into a blue owl.
Tom sat up.
An owl?
He glanced back at Cordelia in disbelief but she didn't understand why he was feeling that way and only smiled confidently. He didn't smile back, he turned away from her and looked at the curtains and then back at Professor Dumbledore. The blue owl perched on his arm mocking Tom.
The curtains were supposed to be the ones to be caught on flames but they were fine. Professor Dumbledore could he…
No.
He couldn't be.
Tom sat back down and lifted the heavy familiar letter in his hands. He broke the seal before Cordelia and traced his fingers over the ink letters. It was all the same yet something felt different. Perhaps it was because he was in her room not his own or perhaps he had changed that caused everyone around him to change or perhaps…
So many changes and so many things to think about but for now, Tom would keep it all to a side and think only of Hogwarts.
"Now, Hogwarts is a Boarding School and that means that you two will not be staying at Wool's during term time. You two will get the opportunity to come back…" Professor Dumbledore looked around the shabby room. "...home for the holidays though students have the choice to stay at Hogwarts during Christmas but before all that, we'll be needing to collect listed equipment and textbooks."
Tom wasn't listening anymore. He was too busy staring at Cordelia who without him even noticing him had moved away from him and closer to the window as if she was putting distance between the two. She didn't even look at him or notice his presence, too busy chatting with Professor Dumbledore about something Tom didn't care about.
"Ah before I forget," Professor Dumbledore reached into his pocket and took out another letter. "I ran into your uncle the other day," Cordelia's face lit up at the mention of her remaining family and she stood up in interest. "I mentioned in passing that I'd be paying you a visit so he gave me a letter for you. I trust you will find some of the answers you were looking for."
"Some?" Cordelia and Tom said at the same time. Tom stared at the sealed envelope in Cordelia's hand with interest but Cordelia quickly folded it and slipped it inside her diary.
She still didn't trust him and she wasn't bothering to hide it anymore.
Chapter 15: Things to Hide
Chapter Text
Chapter 14: Things to Hide
27th August 1938,
Cordelia had gone back to her usual self but sometimes in between moments of peace, Tom would find her looking at him the way he remembered his Cordelia did—with fear and apprehension but it was gone the moment he turned to her, she'd act as if nothing was wrong.
Something was wrong.
He knew it too and as did she. Yet neither took the first step to confront the other, choosing blissful ignorance for the better part instead of whatever harsh truth both were hiding.
The sun was particularly bright on the fleeting days of summer. It was on one such day that Cordelia and Tom decided to get their school supplies for the upcoming year—their first year at Hogwarts. Tom wouldn't lie and say he wasn't a little eager to return to the only place he considered a true home and he was even willing to ignore the man accompanying them though initially he tried to get Martha or Mrs Cole to accompany them.
Unfortunately, Mrs Cole was occupied treating Billy and Eric over some illness while Martha had to go back home to aid her ailing mother, something that didn't happen last time. Tom kindly offered to go on his own with Cordelia but Mrs Cole promptly shot his proposition down.
Once again, they were stuck with Professor Dumbledore.
Professor Albus Dumbledore, the so-called kind and intelligent professor at Hogwarts, the man who had been so kind enough to deliver Cordelia and Tom's Hogwarts acceptance letter, stared down at Tom curiously. His half-moon spectacles slid down his nose as he looked down at him. He was a lot younger than what he recalled the man being at the time of his death. He had fewer greying hairs and less wrinkled mass of skin. He was different yet so hatefully familiar to Tom.
The most important difference from the Dumbledore of his memories to the one in front of him was obvious: the Professor Dumbledore in front of him was alive and very much well.
Yet the one thing that stayed the same was his inquisitive and untrusting gaze he had on Tom.
"Everything alright, Tom?" Professor Dumbledore smiled softly at him and Tom held in the urge to glare at the man.
There was indeed a small period of time, he looked up to the wise and intelligent professor but that time had long passed, he loathed him.
Tom looked away but Professor Dumbledore didn't. He could feel a slight ache in his head and he knew the old man was trying to probe his mind. "Everything's fine. The sun was in my eye."
Professor Dumbledore merely nodded in response.
He never really trusted Tom from the beginning no matter how hard he tried to fool the old man. Tom kept his face and mind blank, choosing to fill his mind with mundane things or childish thoughts about how excited he was to go to Hogwarts and about being a wizard.
Somewhere along the way, he lost his focus when Cordelia quickened her pace and walked ahead of him.
Like Tom, Cordelia was in her own thoughts. Her Hogwarts letter in her coat pocket felt heavy and she felt a little sick and she was sure it wasn't her nerves but rather something more sinister. She wasn't scared to go to Hogwarts but rather it felt as if it was going to be the beginning of something she should be avoiding. She was nervous, scared and a little cautious of everything and everyone lately, especially Tom.
She needed to confide in someone.
"Miss Alder?" Professor Dumbledore called out to her when he noticed that she had quickened her pace and was now walking towards the road when they actually needed to make a turn. "Miss Alder. Cordelia!"
Cordelia wasn't listening.
Tom, ever so attentive to Cordelia and Cordelia only, was one step ahead of the Professor. He grabbed her wrist just as a car sped past Cordelia and pulled her back.
Tom was furious. "Stop daydreaming, Cora!" He hissed as he tightened his grip on her. Cordelia hissed in pain and tried to pull free. "You could've been really hurt there or…or worse!"
Professor Dumbledore frowned. The calm and quiet boy he witnessed at the orphanage seemed to have disappeared in that second. He seemed quick to anger and had a lot to say about Cordelia's personal safety. "That is enough Tom. You are hurting Cordelia." Calmly he said.
Tom almost glared at the nuisance of a Professor but one glance at Cordelia and he didn't do such a thing. "I'm sorry Cora but I was really worried."
Cordelia scrunched up her face. Tom…was being nice. He was being polite. "That's alright." She said with a small shy laugh. "It was my fault Professor, I wasn't seeing where I was going."
The Professor accepted her apology with a graceful nod, already knowing she didn't mean it but was trying to protect Tom. "That's alright but do pay attention to your path. It would be a shame if you had gotten lost or injured or worse." Professor Dumbledore turned away and started to head back the path to Diagon Alley. "Now come along, we have much to do and I'm sure nobody wants to make a second or third trip. I hardly think Mrs Cole would be gratuitous enough to allow it." Professor Dumbledore laughed a little thinking of the old matron's reaction if the wizard asked to borrow the children's time once again.
The two children nodded and followed him. Cordelia glanced down at her wrist, Tom didn't let go. He held on and would tug at it whenever she lost focus. Professor Dumbledore was amused by the two children, much more so by Tom who he was sure didn't like him for some reason.
They came to a stop at a brick wall. Tom and Cordelia waited patiently as the Professor took out his wand and tapped bricks on the wall before standing back. Nothing had happened at first but soon the bricks started to shuffle as they parted, a small archway opened before it enlarged even more to reveal a bustling street.
Professor Dumbledore paused and turned to face the two children. With a slow and soft smile, his eyes on Tom, he said. "This is Diagon Alley where we will find your school supplies and more. Now it is a bustling street, there will be many parents and children alike along with a few other people. I ask you both to stay close to me no matter what and don't wander off."
The two children nodded and Professor Dumbledore led the children onto the street. Behind them the entry to Diagon Alley closed the moment the last person crossed the threshold.
"Are we going to Gringotts first?" Asked Cordelia, trying to keep up with the Professor and not get lost in the crowd.
"We'll make a short trip to the bank to pick up some funds for Tom and maybe visit your family vault." Professor Dumbledore paused and waited for Tom to ask him what 'Gringotts' was. "Are you not curious as to what Gringotts is, Tom?
Tom was a little bored but nonetheless played his part. "What is Gringotts?" He asked, trying his best not to let his boredom show.
The corners of Professor Dumbledore's lips lifted and he looked away. He was already suspecting Tom and he had yet to do anything. "Gringotts is the only wizarding bank in Britain. It is the safest place to keep your valuable possessions and wealth."
"Is it true they have dragons and many magical beasts guarding its treasures?" Cordelia asked.
Yes. Tom wanted to say but he held his tongue and waited for the Professor to answer.
"I'm not sure. Nobody knows. Nobody has really been foolish enough to test its security."
Nobody yet.
Tom knew one day many would try to break in for various precious things. One such treasure was the famed philosopher's stone. He abruptly stopped before picking up his pace as the thought came to him.
What if?
What if the stone was in Gringotts already?
If he had the stone, he wouldn't need to split his soul—
"And here we are." Professor Dumbledore stopped in front of a snowy white building that towered over its neighbours.
A set of white steps lay in front of them, leading to a set burnished bronze doors.
A goblin with dark hair dressed in gold and scarlett guarded the doors. When he saw Professor Dumbledore, he bowed his head in greeting. "Afternoon, Professor. Here on some Hogwarts business?" The goblin gruffly asked, much friendlier than either Tom or Cordelia or expected them to be.
"Afternoon Filrus, some Hogwarts business and some." Filrus raised his brow and stared at the Professor before opening the doors for him rather than wait for the Professor to open the door. He seemed to almost respect the Professor.
In turn, the Professor seemed to regard them with respect. He didn't talk about the goblins with the children and treated them like he did anyone else. Professor Dumbledore led the children up the steps and onto a small entrance hall with another set of doors. The Professor expected the children to complain a little but neither Tom or Cordelia fussed about the two doors. The second set of doors were silver and on it was inscribed a cautionary message to any potential thieves.
What greeted the children was a vast marble hall with tall columns of marble and chandeliers of crystal and gold. Long stretches of counters with goblins manning them were on each side. Some counters had scales with gold coins filled to the brim that lit an envious fire in Tom's chest.
Cordelia looked at Tom through the corner of her eyes and patted his hand gently. Her nightmares had faded and she felt less angry and resentful towards Tom lately. Mrs Cole wouldn't be too pleased but Cordelia didn't care. She knew her mood swings were uncontrollable, she couldn't do anything about it and had to work around it—it would be unfair to treat everyone around her rudely just because of some voice in her head.
"Afternoon Professor." Another goblin greeted them as they moved up the queue. She flipped the page of the book in front of her and looked at the words through her thin–wire glasses, looking up and writing something. "How may I help you on this fine day?" The goblin with short curled dark hair pinned to the side with an antique gold pin drawled out putting down her quill.
Professor Dumbledore glanced back at Cordelia. "I've come to collect a bursary for a student and Miss Cordelia Alder would like to make a withdrawal."
The goblin narrowed her eyes and leaned back into her seat. "Hmm." She hummed lightly. "Alder?" She questioned, a little confused and suspicious. "Excuse me for a second." The goblin reached for a bell on her desk and rang it twice. A door opened and another goblin appeared. "Arkgras." The goblin called out to the other one in a stuffy voice.
"What iz it Karlor?" Arkgras grumbled. "I waz on my break." He glared at Cordelia, Tom and Professor Dumbledore.
"Miss Cordelia Alder would like to make a withdrawal." Karlor repeated and Tom narrowed his eyes. He didn't recall this happened at all. Of course, he didn't pay much attention back then to her or anything and didn't even stick around after getting his bursary and leaving to go browse Flourish and Blotts. He didn't know there was such a fuss to get inside Cordelia's family vault.
The two goblins stared at each other and then back at Cordelia. "I waz under ze impression that the Alderz all…" Arkgras said nothing more and retreated back to the door he came from, leaving the trio to stand and wait for a bit longer.
Karlor didn't bother to apologise for the wait but instead busied herself with something. She took out a heavy scale and threw a pouch in front of her. She glanced back at the book in front of her and muttered. "Thomas Marvolo Riddle." Tom stiffened at his full name being called and bowed his head.
The goblin was quick as she weighed about thirty galleons, twenty seven sickles and hundred something knuts. Once she was done, she swiftly filled the pouch up with the money and placed it on the counter.
"Bursary for Tom Riddle and wait for withdrawal from Miss Alder's vault." Karlor announced.
Tom stared blankly at the pouch of money. It was meagre compared to what he used to make working part-time and the cheap velvet pouch of money reflected that. It was light and he didn't know how he found it heavy last time.
His attention was stolen when the doors in the back opened and Arkgras hurried over to Karlor. "Miz Alder can withdraw from her vault." He said and Karlor nodded in thanks. "She needz her key. You do have ze key?"
Professor Dumbledore sighed and turned to Cordelia as did Tom who expected the Professor to have Cordelia's vault key. Cordelia reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small golden key Tom had never seen before. He couldn't help but feel a little betrayed that she never confided in him about having access to her vault.
Cordelia handed her key to Professor Dumbledore who passed it to the pair of goblins. The two goblins hunched over Cordelia's key and carefully examined it before nodding. "Anything else?" Karlor asked quickly while Arkgras took over her desk.
"Ah yes." Professor Dumbledore looked like he had momentarily forgotten something. He reached into the pockets of his grey-blue cloak and pulled out a neatly folded letter. "I would like to deposit something to vault 713."
Vault 713.
Tom subtly turned his head closer to the conversation. Vault 713. The home for the philosopher's stone until Quirrel's failed attempts to procure it for him. His eyes followed Professor Dumbledore and he hid a smile. Oh how foolish was he to walk away from this last time. If only he stayed a bit longer, he would have known much without doing little.
The precious stone that he coveted in another life was so close to reach. If he was the same as before, he would have attempted to find a way to part Professor Dumbledore with the stone but unfortunately fate was never too kind to him. There was no way he could beat the Professor in his current state.
Both Arkgras and Karlor paused before opening the letter. The two quickly read the letter before nodding. "Karlor will take you down to ze vaults." Arkgras said nothing else and busied himself with Karlor's work.
"Come along. This way." Karlor paused for a second to look at Tom. "All three of you will be going?"
At first the Professor hesitated. Tom knew Professor Dumbledore was a little reluctant to bring him along but he wouldn't say it. "Is that a problem?" Professor Dumbledore asked and the goblin shook her head.
"Not at all." Karlor led the three to a rail. She motioned them to get on while another goblin helped them settle in. "First stop, vault 403, the Alder vault." The moment she uttered those words, the cart started running, almost sprinting.
They kept going further and further into the vault. Tom didn't know how long they had been on the cart and all he knew was that he wanted to get off. Surely, Cordelia's family vault couldn't be deeper than the Blacks or Lestranges. Tom snuck a glance at Cordelia. His hand was still attached to her wrist. She was unnaturally cold once again and she looked a little pale too almost as if she was a corpse.
Tom spared a glance over at Cordelia and couldn't help but study her face. Her bright blue eyes looked as if they were glowing under the dim lantern light and her pale skin was paler. She really did appear more and more spectre-like on that particular day.
He frowned and shut his eyes, trying his best to chase away those thoughts.
It was just the lighting but when he looked at the goblin leading them and Professor Dumbledore, they appeared normal. They didn't have an unearthly sheen to them and their eyes didn't gleam faintly in the dark like Cordelia's did or was he the only who saw Cordelia like that.
"How long till we get there?" Tom found himself asking without meaning to but he was very curious.
"Not very long." Karlor replied. "Just a little bit more. The Alder vault is one of the oldest vaults at Gringotts."
"How old exactly?"
"It could be said, it is as old as Gringotts." Professor Dumbledore chimed in as Karlor nodded along in agreement.
Karlor snuck a glance at Tom but softened a little when seeing the naively curious look on Tom's face. "The Alder family are as old as the Blacks, Prewitts, Potters, Bones, Gaunts and Peverells—though the Peverell vault was closed some centuries back and merged with other vaults."
Tom leaned forward in his seat as they passed one of the Black vaults. He never knew his mother's family had anything to their names apart from those heirlooms left by Salazer Slytherin. He also thought that they wouldn't bother to ever have a vault at Gringotts, they didn't exactly trust or like goblin, thinking them as things lesser than wizard-kind. At one point, he must've been the same but at that moment, he didn't even care and he just wanted a way to start his legacy.
The loud screech of the tracks nearly muted Tom's thoughts. "I am surprised the Gaunts still have a vault in Gringotts…given their state." Professor Dumbledore said, turning to Karlor.
"It's quite empty but it is there. The Gaunts are temporarily restricted from accessing their vault." Karlor stated, pulling a lever to slow down the cart. They were getting close to Cordelia's family vault. "It happened before my time—a few generations back, one of 'em attacked some curse breaker and a Goblin trying to help 'em—it did not end well for anyone involved. Gringotts took it among themselves to restrict them."
"It was a good decision, given what the current generation has been up to…"
"There's only two left now."
"Only two members…" Tom muttered, staring blankly at the floor of the cart.
Karlor nodded. "That we know of. If they don't manage to fix their act, their vault is closing for good."
"What happens to a closed vault?" Cordelia asked before Tom could.
"Why? It's quite simple. If the family has died out with no blood relatives or a will then the vault is sealed with all its remaining contents donated to Gringotts, Hogwarts or St Mungo's."
"What happens if there are relatives but no will?"
"Then we combine the vaults and the old vault is closed or we hand the vault over to the remaining descendants of the family. The Peverell vault was such a case—three vaults into one and one unto many." Karlor pulled the lever and the cart came to a screeching halt at the door of an old vault.
The young goblin grabbed the lantern from the cart and stepped off. Professor Dumbledore followed her and helped Tom and Cordelia off. Before anyone could react, the cart sped off, leaving them stranded.
They all turned back to the impressively large door of the vault. Tom had never seen anything like this. He had been to the Black, Avery, Malfoy, Lestrange and so many other vaults but none except the Blacks had a custom door.
The Alder vault stood out brightly in the dimly lit cavern with its tall silvery pale lilac-grey doors. It seemed too clean despite being so deep in the belly of the bank.
What caught Tom's attention wasn't the cleanliness of the vault door or how it gleamed against the lanterns flames, no it was none of that.
There was a silver tree on the vault. The metal branches reached the top of the door, curling in just shy of the border while the roots were what interested Tom the most. The roots of the silver tree formed what appeared to be a gateway.
"The Alder family…were quite attached to the Alder tree." Professor Dumbledore explained.
"And do the roots of an Alder tree look like that?" Tom pointed to the gateway formed by the roots.
Cordelia took a few steps forward, free from Tom's hold. "...No, they don't." She almost reached out and touched the gate as if she was in trance. Professor Dumbledore quickly caught her before she did, breaking the trance in the process. She jolted awake and looked around as if she remembered where she was.
Tom took her hand back into his and pulled her back. Karlor raised her hairless brow but said nothing of the gesture. "What is that?" Tom asked again, his curiosity peaked.
With a difficult look Professor Dumbledore struggled to come with a gentle explanation and that only sparked Tom's curiosity even more. "The Veil." Karlor spoke without thinking.
Professor Dumbledore sighed as he almost hoped that Karlor wouldn't mention that thing and Tom did too. "It is an object under the jurisdiction of the Department of Mysteries. I'm afraid no one can tell what exactly it does but that is all there is to know about 'The Veil'."
Tom paled a little. He was fortunate that the cavern was so dimly lit that no one noticed his complexion.
He was however wrong.
Cordelia gave his hand a little squeeze and looked up at him with her bright blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the darkened cavern. "You alright, Tom?" She quietly asked, almost whispering.
"I'm fine." Tom mumbled out, glancing over at the blissfully unaware Cordelia. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Cordelia lied as she let go of his hand and walked ahead. He followed her movement before turning back to the old doors of the vault.
The Veil.
He knew about it too well. A mysterious gateway to somewhere. Nobody knew where. The ministry and the wizarding world were forever stumped over it. Cordelia was no exception. Like Tom with his obsession over immortality and power, Cordelia had her own obsession—she would rather die than admit it.
A hypocrite to the end.
The two were more alike than she'd ever admit.
"Mr Riddle." Karlor's tired voice broke through his reverie and he found himself at the threshold of the Alder vault. It was wide open, no longer shut but it hadn't been lit just yet. "I suggest you do not stand on the threshold of the vault—if you know what is good for you."
Tom blankly nodded and followed the goblin. Cordelia followed his moving figure before turning back to examine her vault. He did the same and he was a little disappointed. The vault looked less like a vault but more like an…
"It's like an archive." Professor Dumbledore commented, almost as if he had read Tom's mind. "My, quite an interesting vault." He eyed the old tall ornate alder wood shelves greeting them at the front with leather-bound books, tomes and scrolls lining each shelf.
The floor was different from the other vaults Tom had visited in another life.
Unlike the other vaults, it was marble, old marble with flecks of silver and amethyst peeking through. Walls with tapestries lined the vault along with portraits of old Alder relatives long dead. As they walked deeper into the vault, Tom realised that the shelves didn't have any old books or ornaments but they were actually ancient tomes and spellbooks, some were journals or diaries, accounts of Alders long gone.
Tom nodded and looked to Cordelia for anything. Cordelia didn't say a word and just kept on walking as if she knew where to go. It was fortunate that the vault was lit up well or else he would've easily gotten lost in the maze of shelves, antique armours, marble statues and cauldrons.
They all came to a stop at the edge of the vault where two carved wood cabinets stood tall. In between the cabinets was a banner with the coat of arms of the Alder family. On the shield was a silver alder tree sitting proudly against a lavender field with a halo of olive leaves supporting the shield and the head of an owl at top as the crest. Underneath it all was the family motto.
"Hic Manebimus Optime?" Tom said out loud without meaning to.
"Here we will stay, most excellently." Cordelia translated without really paying attention to Tom, she was too busy studying her family's coat of arms to really focus on Tom. "It means that we will stay and stand even if it all seems bleak." She added as an afterthought.
Tom stared at Cordelia in silence. He couldn't help but envy her a little but at the same time, he thought the Alder family motto didn't really suit her. She did leave him when he needed her the most and he almost wanted to laugh at the irony of her saying it to him.
Professor Dumbledore thought otherwise. He seemed to pity the young girl and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder while motioning Karlor to unlock one of the cabinets. The goblin didn't need to be told verbally as she gently pushed Tom out the way and unlocked one of the cabinets, pulling the middle drawer, revealing neatly organised rows and rows of bronze, silver and gold coins.
"Miss Alder shall I withdraw a certain amount or would you like to take what you need?" Karlor asked, taking out a pocket watch and checking the time.
Cordelia took the pouch from Karlor and stuffed a few stacks of knuts, sickles and galleons. It was definitely more than what Tom's bursary was but less than what Tom would pick up himself. When she was done, she closed the middle drawer and opened the one above. She stood on her toes and reached in to grab something. Tom almost went to check but much to his annoyance, the Professor stopped him.
"Found it." He heard Cordelia mutter as she took out a small silvery necklace. The moment Tom saw it, he stiffened. He knew that necklace. He had seen it on her many times. "That's all I need."
But Tom wasn't listening.
He had his eyes on the necklace, one of the few things they found of Cordelia when she disappeared.
Cordelia followed Tom's gaze and quickly pocketed the necklace before turning away and hurriedly going back to the entrance. Professor Dumbledore ignored the two children and quietly spoke to Karlor about their next destination. Tom didn't bother to listen in on the conversation, far too busy stalking Cordelia who had reached the entrance and was now waiting obediently for everyone else.
With a quiet nod, Karlor led them back to the tracks where another cart was already waiting. "Next stop vault 713." The goblin announced and sped off deep into the caverns.
Tom sat up and waited patiently to reach their destination. Occasionally he'd turn to check on Cordelia who was busy playing around with the necklace she had taken from her vault.
The cart suddenly stopped.
Vault 713.
An ordinary vault deep inside the belly of Gringotts, not many would ever suspect what it really hid. Tom quietly stared at Professor Dumbledore's back as he left him and Cordelia behind to deposit his package and all the while Tom considered stealing it but it was a foolishly childish idea. He'd never get away with it.
His concentration was broken when he felt someone's eyes on him. He was sure it was the goblin but when he turned around, he swore he saw Cordelia's turn her head away but she pretended as if she didn't even notice him, still far too busy playing around with her family heirloom but he knew, she was looking at him and he wondered why.
Chapter 16: A change of heart and soul
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 15: A change of heart and soul
27th August 1938,
"Olivander's Wand Shop." Professor Dumbledore stopped outside a little shop nestled between other shops. The windows was half covered with stacked boxes while the outer walls were a mixture of wood and stone. "The finest wandmaker in this country. Every other witch or wizard in Great Britain have gotten their wands from here."
The three entered the dimly lit shop. The musty scent of old wood filled the air as they stood among countless shelves filled with slender boxes and some boxes flew past them, nearly knocking into the three.
"It's busier than usual." Professor Dumblore noted, sounding disappointed. "Ah, we should've visited here after our visit to Gringotts."
"Well, it can't be helped." Tom said, looking around the busy shop, unsurprised at the state of shop.
"No, it can't. We'll just wait." He turned to a silent Tom and a wide-eyed Cordelia and asked. "I hope you two don't mind the wait."
Cordelia noticed Tom's face darkening before it went back to its typical blankness. He cleared his throat and turned to Professor Dumbledore. "Can I take a look outside?"
Professor Dumbledore hummed quietly under his breath before he snuck a glance at the shop window overlooking the busy street. "Unfortunately, it's too busy to have a wander around for you, Tom. You'll have to wait inside."
Even though inside the shop was busy as ever with families gathered around the different wand displays and children chattering among themselves excitedly. Professor Dumbledore didn't seem to care or notice the difference and Cordelia bit the bottom of her lip to stop herself from laughing at the sour look on Tom's face.
"I won't be alone." Said Tom, trying once again to convince the eccentric Professor to let him go. "Cora will be with me. I won't get lost, she's been here before."
"Yes, when she was five or six." Professor Dumbledore gave him a pointed look and Tom's jaws clenched. "I'm sure Miss Alder knows her way around Diagon Alley but it is quite busy this afternoon and I'd rather not lose sight of either of you, Tom." His reasoning was sound and Cordelia was convinced; she had no idea why Tom wanted to go to explore at the busiest time of the day. Surely, his curiosity was not standing in the way of his rationality.
Cordelia looked at Tom; his grip slackened. Tom seemed to understand Professor Dumbledore but she knew that inside he was seething at being denied what he wanted.
The noise and the crush of people outside made her feel stuffy and sick. Her eyes darted around each of the faces in the crowd, scanning each and every one of them; her eyes scanned their entire being, stopping every time at their hands, some carried wands and some packages. Her palms were sweaty as she looked away from the crowd outside, distant screams only she could hear faded away.
Yet Tom smiled a calm smile at her which made her feel even more sick; his eyes almost trying to dig holes into her mind as he just stared, trying to silently convince her to play along to his charade.
"I don't mind waiting inside. I think it's much cooler here than outside anyway." Cordelia said instead, barely managing to speak. She wanted to stay inside. Tom dropped her hand instantly and looked away from her. "I hope you don't mind Tom." She added.
"Not at all." Tom said through clenched teeth and hollow smile that may have fooled everyone in the room but Cordelia could tell he was holding back.
Without a warning, Tom pulled her down, dodging a flying box as the shop was plunged into sudden darkness.
"Not that one!" She heard the shopkeeper shout as she almost fell.
Cordelia stumbled and nearly fell onto the floor before she felt two hands catch her. At first, she thought it was Professor Dumbledore who caught her along with Tom but the second pair of hands felt too small to belong to the eccentric Professor.
"Are you all right?" A small voice asked. The voice sounded like a boy around her age but in the dimly lit busy shop, she couldn't tell.
Cordelia nodded, feeling grateful for the help. Tom glared at him, his eyes full of sudden hostility. "Thank you." She said, silently giving Tom a signal to behave. He only ignored her.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you. I was just trying to dodge t-that box." The boy began to apologise before she even managed to focus in the sudden darkness. She felt Tom's cold but familiar hands around her arm tighten as an unfamiliar hand tried to help her up, only to be swatted away by Tom.
"No, worries. I wasn't…" Cordelia's eyes widened and she momentarily forgot how to speak. Her cheeks felt warm as blood rushed to her cheeks and she pursed her lips to stop herself from stammering like a fool. "I-I wasn't looking where I was. It was my fault." She stuttered out, cursing herself for sounding so stupid.
Tom gave her a side-ways glance and sighed audibly. "Thank you for your help." He snapped and pulled Cordelia back. For a split second, she caught the slight confusion on Tom's face when he noticed the other boy. It was like the other boy wasn't meant to be there.
"I'm Arsene." The boy introduced himself as light slowly returned to the small shop. "Arsene Prince."
Almost as if she was in a trance, Cordelia dumbly nodded. Arsene Prince, like his surname, had the appearance of a prince with silky black long hair that rested just past his shoulders tied up in a satin ribbon and dark silvery eyes that gleamed brightly when he smiled. His features were soft but sharp at the same time.
"And you are?" Arsene asked with his brows raised and his eyes trained on Cordelia. Despite being around Cordelia and Tom's age he seemed so much more mature, much like Tom and she couldn't help but envy him.
"I'm Tom Riddle and thank you for helping her." Tom answered before Cordelia could.
Arsene's silver eyes darkened and the two boys almost glared at each other like they were natural enemies. The air around them grew colder and more stuffier as Cordelia took a step back, looking at the now-busy Professor Dumbledore, who despite having his ear on the conversation was acting like he was not listening—Cordelia knew he was listening in, she could tell—he didn't want to get involved.
She sighed and subtly pulled Tom back before Arsene ended up injured or Tom 'accidentally' summoned a snake. "I'm Cordelia Alder, first year at Hogwarts." She introduced herself with a sweet smile.
Arsene brightened while Tom rolled his eyes, slipping his hand into hers. "I'm a first year too and I guess Tom is one too."
"Well, I wouldn't be here otherwise." Tom snidely remarked.
The corners of Arsene's lips turned up into a subtle grin and he let out a small laugh. "Maybe you broke your wand," He retorted. "I've heard it happens a lot to new first years though I've never heard of anyone breaking their wand before they even got on the train—congratulations on being the first."
Tom stared blankly at the boy but Cordelia could tell he was hiding his anger. Before he could get a word in, she quickly jumped in. "Tom didn't break his wand." She quickly began before a fight broke out. "We haven't even gotten our wands yet."
"Oh. I didn't realise."
"Arsene! Arsene!" Arsene's mother or a woman that looked like his mother called out to him. She was with another woman. Her light auburn hair was up in tight short curls like the ones Cordelia had seen on the covers of those magazines Fran had in her room; she was dressed in a dark indigo coat dress with black leather gloves and a small matching indigo hat that made her look too much like a muggle. She stood out but she didn't seem to care. "It's your turn!" She said loudly.
Loud clicks of heels and the woman was standing right in front of Cordelia, Tom and Arsene. She, like Arsene, had bright silver eyes and a warm smile with rosy cheeks. Cordelia felt a sharp pang in her chest looking at the woman in front of her. She missed her own mother.
"Oh you were with friends." The woman said, glancing from Tom to Cordelia to Arsene. A flash of recognition flickered in her silvery eyes as she smiled. "It's nice that Arsene's already making friends. You two should know he's quite shy."
"We're not—" Cordelia pinched Tom's back to shut him up and gave him a look to behave. She was so embarrassed that she could only hope her face didn't show. She didn't know what was wrong with him; he was normally unbothered but something about Arsene seemed to set him off.
"Mum!" Arsene's cheeks turned a slight pink as he tugged at his mother's sleeve and looked up pointedly at her. "Don't embarrass me."
Mrs Prince laughed and patted her son's head fondly. Tom stared apathetically at the foreign signs of affection between the mother-son before he turned to Cordelia. She hadn't said a word since Mrs Prince had arrived and somehow he seemed to sense her feelings as he tried to gently drag her to the back of the shop where she could hide in peace from her emotions.
Though she appreciated his silent and oddly kind gesture, she stood firm. Mrs Prince sent Arsene off with the other woman and turned back to Cordelia and Tom with a smile.
"I never caught your names." Mrs Prince said.
"Tom Riddle." Tom answered with a charming smile as if he wasn't glaring holes at the face of her son. "And this is Cordelia Alder." Cordelia waved before dropping her hand.
Mrs Prince's brows knitted together and a wave of sadness washed over her face. "You're Virgilia and Corin's daughter—the younger one." She said with a quiet gasp. "You look so much like them."
Cordelia's heart dropped. Blood rushed to her head and she let go of Tom's hand. For a second she couldn't hear anything but the beat of her heart. Someone knew her parents. Her eyes trembled as she held back tears from spilling. How long had it been since she met someone who spoke of her parents? She couldn't recall.
"You…knew my parents?" She questioned in a soft tone that was almost muffled out by the chatter around them.
Yet Mrs Prince had heard her. She smiled and nodded. "I went to school with them. Corin and I were both prefects for our house."
"You were in Ravenclaw?"
Mrs Prince nodded and she started to ramble. "I was much closer to your mother than your father even though she was in Gryffindor but we were good friends. She took after her family. Her brother was also in Gryffindor. A troublemaker, that one. Would never have imagined him to be such a great potion maker but I suppose it is in his blood to be so good given how many great potion makers your mother's family had produced. Your sister was in Gryffindor too. I don't see her with you. Is she—" She stopped when she noticed the pale cheeks and reddened gaze of Cordelia's.
Cordelia sucked in a shaky breath and smiled or attempted too. She knew it looked terrible but she smiled like her uncle had told her to. "It's just me." She said, looking down at her pale hands. "Just…me."
"Oh." Mrs Prince gasped out. "Oh no. I-I'm so sorry, Cordelia."
"She has me so she's fine." Tom said without even letting Mrs Prince finish. He didn't care anymore what Cordelia was thinking or if he was being rude. He didn't want to cause a scene and worst of all, he didn't want her to start crying even though she wasn't the type of person that cried easily.
"I suppose she is." Mrs Prince muttered out. "I didn't realise Monty had taken in a boy. He doesn't have any children if I remember correctly," She paused, furrowing her brows and looked down at Tom who at that moment tried his best to stand tall. He looked like he was struggling as he balled up his fist and dug his nails into his palm. "Riddle was it? What a peculiar name. I've never really heard of it. Muggle-born?" She carefully asked. "I don't mean to be rude—"
Cordelia looked up in silent alarm, her head snapped towards Tom in concern. She could feel his rage emanating from his form as he held onto her like a lifeline. "Mrs Prince—" She tried to stop her but it was too late as Tom spoke at the same time.
"Half-blood." Tom spat out, surprising Cordelia how he even knew such a word. "My mother was a witch, father a…" He sucked in a tired breath as though speaking of his father stung more than it should. "My father was a muggle. My mother gave me his name instead of hers."
"How did you—"
"Mrs Cole told me." Tom had lied with a foreign smile and Cordelia nodded as she played along.
"Oh you poor thing." Mrs Prince airily lamented. Despite seeming so smart a few moments ago, Cordelia couldn't help but think how foolish the woman was. "I'm so sorry. Is your mother around?"
"She died giving birth to me."
Mrs Prince's face drained of colour and she gasped out, covering her face with her gloved hand. She was mortified at her words like she couldn't believe the things she had just said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know what came over me, Tom." She profusely apologised, even bowing her head in shame.
"I'm sure you didn't mean it like that." Cordelia tried to ease the tension but she didn't really feel like it. Mrs Prince, though she was her parents' friend had inadvertently hurt Tom and she knew Tom would get even more comments like those of Mrs Prince's the moment they arrived at Hogwarts.
"No, I-I don't know what came over me." Tom said nothing and took a step back, sparing a glance at Professor Dumbledore who had stopped pretending to be busy.
"Professor Dumbledore." Mrs Prince greeted. Her face still pale and her eyes wide; she was trembling. She hugged herself before she rubbed the temple of her forehead as if she was in pain. "Are these two with you?"
"Maeve O'Cary." Professor Dumbledore came out from behind one of the shelves. "It's been a while."
"It's Prince now, Professor. I've been married for over a decade and a half."
"So you have." Professor Dumbledore laughed and craned his head to look behind Mrs Prince. "And is that your daughter."
"Eileen." She said exasperatedly and the little girl who both Tom and Cordelia had not noticed trembled at the way her mother said her name. "She's the younger one so she's a little shy." She brought her daughter in front of her, almost pushing her forward.
Eileen nearly fell but Cordelia reached out and helped steady her. The girl compared to her prince-like brother was quite plain and skinny; her long black hair hiding half of her face but she was tall for her age; Cordelia almost mistook her for a first year.
"Arsene's the older one—he's getting his wand and I suppose you're here with Cordelia and…Tom to get theirs?"
Professor Dumbledore nodded. "I am. Cordelia's uncle had business to attend to so naturally it fell on me to come help," He looked at Eileen and smiled. The girl tried to smile back but it came out as a grimace. "Though I don't really mind—it's such a nice day today, don't you think Maeve?"
"I agree. I didn't realise Monty adopted a boy."
"He didn't."
"He didn't?"
"He didn't." Tom chimed in and Cordelia felt her cheeks turn pink. She felt so small like she was about to cry. "I'm an orphan." He added in a nonchalant tone as if he was already used to the remarks.
Mrs Prince let out a quiet gasp and Eileen bit her lips, leaning down towards Cordelia and Tom, she quietly said. "I'm so sorry about my mum, she's not really like this all the time."
Tom ignored the shivering girl while Cordelia patted her arm. "It's alright. I'm sure she means well." But Eileen didn't believe that.
"Oh then, Tom is—" Mrs Prince still carried on, glancing at Tom in question. "He is…"
"An orphan like Cordelia," It stung to be reminded that Cordelia could do nothing but stand there and listen. "He lives at the same orphanage as her and to our surprise, he was a wizard."
"An orphanage!" Mrs Prince gasped out, drawing the attention of many passers-by. Eileen caved her shoulder in like she was trying to hide from the world. "What happened to Monty? She has an uncle! She has an aunt! Why didn't they take her in?"
Tom's face hardened. It was as if he had taken more offence to those words than Cordelia did.
"Well, her uncle insisted on taking her in." Professor Dumbledore answered calmly, motioning Mrs Prince to quieten down. "But I considered the risks of placing her in his custody—"
"What risk is there to place a child with her family?"
"The risk of Grindelwald."
Mrs Prince's eyes widened; her breathing calmed. Her chest rising and falling as she took a step back. At the mention of the dark wizard's name, the air grew thick with tension as some patrons started to distance themselves from Mrs Prince and Professor Dumbledore.
Professor Dumbeldore spared Cordelia a swift glance and carried on. "I'm sure you and everyone is aware of how the Alders passed."
"Grindelwald…" Mrs Prince whispered the name like a curse.
"It wasn't a pretty sight and it was unfortunately bound to happen given the nature of Corin's occupation and Virgilia's family heirloom."
"He should've quit when Virgilia begged him too."
"She was an Auror as well—she knew the risks well enough, Maeve."
"Did she? I've never heard of an Unspeakable more endangered or obsessive than Corin."
Tom let out a quiet breath that sounded like laughter. Professor Dumbledore and Mrs Prince paused. The two looked at Tom who acted as if he did nothing.
"Mum!" Arsene yelled out, mellowing the tension. A girl his age stood beside him. "It's my turn. Celina's already done."
"Coming dear." Mrs Prince said stiffly before giving Cordelia a sympathetic smile and following the sound of her son. "Come along, Eileen." She came back momentarily to grab her daughter and disappeared into the crowd.
Despite the animated chatter in the background, tense silence hung in the air between the three. Professor Dumbledore turned to Tom, his voice gentle. "Please, don't let Mrs. Prince's words trouble you. She spoke without understanding the depth of your situations." Professor Dumbledore spoke quietly, his voice carrying a comforting tone.
Tom's expression hardened as he shrugged off the professor's attempt at consolation. "She wasn't wrong, Professor," He retorted curtly. "I am an orphan, and Cordelia should've gone to live with her uncle. There's no need to lie or hide the truth." Cordelia felt a pang of hurt at Tom's dismissive words but she said nothing, attempting to gather her thoughts.
Professor Dumbledore sighed inwardly, a flicker of frustration crossing his eyes, though he quickly concealed it yet Cordelia had seen it. He knew that beneath Tom's cool demeanour lay a boy scarred by a painful past, resistant to the idea of receiving help or sympathy.
"Tom, my boy," Professor Dumbledore began, his voice gentle yet firm. "There is no shame in being an orphan. Your past does not define you. You have the ability to shape your future into something extraordinary."
Tom's expression remained resolute, unmoved by the professor's words. Cordelia observed the exchange, her eyes flickering with concern and understanding. She had seen this dynamic between Tom and Professor Dumbledore before, the clash of stubbornness and concern.
Before she could interject with her own thoughts, "Cordelia Alder and Tom Riddle!" Their names were called out, signalling that it was their turn to be attended to. The trio stepped forward, leaving their conversation suspended in the air, unresolved for the moment.
Professor Dumbledore guided Cordelia and Tom to the counter where two wizards minded the counter.
"Afternoon Professor." One of the wizards greeted them with a tired smile. His wrinkled face stretched out into a welcoming smile as he slipped a quill into his long white and grey hair. His weary blue eyes looked down at the two and nodded. "Off to Hogwarts, are we?" He asked in a friendly tone.
Cordelia nodded, putting the exchange with Mrs Prince at the back of her mind while Tom only pursed his lips in silent acknowledgement.
"First years—you know how it is, Gervaise." Professor Dumbledore answered.
The old wandmaker let out a hearty fit of laughter before he sighed. "First years now and you blink and the years pass by and the next thing you know, they're sitting their NEWTs, ready to head off into the world." He remarked, picking out a dozen boxes with a lazy flick of his own wand. "It feels only yesterday that my boy Garrick was at Hogwarts and now he's running the shop with me."
"Ah, I remember that time. I was just a young graduate then, still so wet behind my ears."
"Now look at you!" Mr Ollivander laughed. His son gave Tom and Cordelia a look and ducked his head down as a wand box flew across the room. He scurried out to tend to another customer. "On your way to becoming one of the most renowned wizards alive! Ah, just yesterday, I sold you your first wand as a young wandmaker," He paused. "I take it that your wand is in great shape." Professor Dumbledore took his hand out and handed it to the old wandmaker who took it from him to take a look. He took out a loupe and popped it over his glasses. "Poplar 14 inches with a phoenix core—one of my father's first batches of wands to use phoenix feathers."
"I heard phoenix feathers are hard to get by." Cordelia commented in silent awe.
Mr Ollivander grinned and nodded. "It is." He said. "My father was fortunate enough that the Dumbledores had donated some a few years back, he just never got around to using them but as luck would have it, he finally used it by the time Professor Dumbledore was about your and Tom's age. It was one of the best things my father ever made and if I remember correctly. He only managed to make three, two went back to the Dumbledores and one was kept in our family collection." He sighed, almost lost in reminiscing as he unboxed two wands at the same time. "Very rarely do we have the privilege to work with such precious materials. I can still remember when I received the request to make Cornelius Alder's wand after none of the ones in our inventory worked."
Cordelia's eyes leaned closer, her curiosity piqued.
"Ah, you must've been elated." Professor Dumbledore chuckled. He shared Mr Ollivander's sentiments, it wasn't everyday that the Alders would make such requests, they were rare and they were always welcomed by the Ollivanders.
"Over the moon, Albus." Mr Ollivander grinned and beckoned Tom to stretch his arm out as a measuring tape flew out of the drawer and started measuring his arm.
Tom seemed exasperated but he didn't voice his thoughts. His focus was on the wall behind Mr Ollivander's son. His gaze flickered to the giddy old wizard and the corners of his lips went up. The air seemed to get slightly colder, Cordelia's gaze turned to him as he leaned closer to Mr Ollivander.
His voice was measured and in the most charming and polite tone she'd ever heard him use. "Forgive me for prying, Mr Ollivander, but why do you seem particularly excited about Mr Alder's wand? Was it really special?"
Mr Ollivander paused, a twinkle in his eyes. "Ah, you have a keen sense of observation, Tom. Cordelia's great-grandfather permitted the use of a tarrasque scale as the core for Cornelius' wand. Tarrasques are highly endangered creatures, rarely seen in the wizarding world."
"Then how did the Alders have it in their vault?" Tom asked, glancing at Cordelia for an answer. She shrugged in response.
She didn't know but instead her mind went back to the tense exchange between Tom and Professor Dumbledore who hovered around them. She knew Professor Dumbledore was frustrated by Tom's unwillingness to accept comfort and guidance, and yet the professor remained patient, trying to reach out to him when many had left.
She knew that the professor's actions came from a place of genuine care, but she also understood Tom's struggle to accept the compassion offered.
Professor Dumbledore, who had been quietly observing the conversation, interjected. "The Alders were—are a family of researchers and explorers, they have samples of rare or long-gone creatures in their vault." But Tom had stopped listening, his gaze flickered to Cordelia's and he looked like he knew what Professor Dumbledore was talking about; only for a moment, she felt as if she had known him for a lifetime, his dark eyes felt so heavy that she had no choice but to look away.
Mr Ollivander took out the wand from his box and handed it to him. "Supple, pear with kelpie hair core, 12 inches. Give it a try and I'll pick up where I was."
Tom just stared at the wand as if he knew it wouldn't work and sure enough, the wand despite his attempts to wave it, did nothing. "I don't think this one works and you were saying…"
"I was saying that it's quite rare for the Alders to open their vaults for anyone else. I was fortunate that they opened it for me." Mr Ollivander said as he turned around and took out another wand. "Stiff beech with coral 13 1/2 inches, give it a go." Tom held it and the air grew colder before Mr Ollivander took the wand out of his hands. "Try this 12 inches blackthorn wood with salamander tongue core—this wand favours the strong and most suited for duellers."
The moment the wand landed in Tom's hands, it flew off into the shop causing a few customers to duck and Cordelia was pulled under the counter by Tom. Boxes were knocked down and Garrick, Mr Ollivander's son raised his wand to silently pick and sort those boxes while the blackthorn wand carried on with its rampage.
Professor Dumbledore raised his wand and shouted. "Immobulus!"
The wand paused mid-air and hovered in the centre of the small shop. A collective sigh of relief was heard around the shop. Professor Dumbledore slowly lowered his wand, bringing the rogue blackthorn wand down with it; he brought it into his hand and placed it on the counter.
"I don't think that one's the one." Cordelia remarked.
"What made you think that?" Tom quipped and Cordelia elbowed his arm playfully. He grinned but his smile dropped when he noticed Professor Dumbledore and Mr Olivander's eyes on him. He leaned on the counter and let his fingers touch each of the wands on the counter. "I don't think any of these wands will work for me."
"Well, you haven't tried every wand." Mr Ollivander tilted his head in confusion and turned to get another box. "Garrick, are you done ringing the other customers up?"
Garrick Ollivander, with his arms full of boxes moved up and down in response before he dropped the pile next to the counter. "Yes, do you want me to get a few of my wands out?"
"That would be great, Garrick."
Mr Ollivander's son disappeared behind the shelves and reappeared a few moments later with more boxes and a few following him. He dropped the boxes with a quiet slam that echoed through the now quiet shop. Most of the customers had left, leaving only the three of them inside with the Ollivanders.
Garrick took out his wand, lightly flicking through the air. Tom let out a quiet tired sigh as he followed each of the boxes being unboxed. Cordelia noted his gaze stuck on one particular box. He waited patiently for all the boxes to be unboxed and laid on a roll of soft cushiony material before leaning over the counter like a curious child.
"There's a few new wand cores that I've been testing; unicorn hair, dragon heartstring and of course phoenix feathers donated by Professor Dumbledore." Garrick said, clasping his hands together. He swallowed and took a step back. His nervous eyes on the keen Professor before he turned to Cordelia and Tom.
He was a little anxious about the reactions, it was clear to Cordelia that his father had still not formally acknowledged his skills. She gave him a soft smile and scanned the selection of wands.
Without a word, Tom placed his hand on the counter. "Can I try one?" He asked in the most polite tone he could muster.
"Of course." Garrick said, a little enthusiastically. "I mean 'of course' you can. I brought these out for you and Miss Alder to try." He pushed the pillows with the wand closer to
Tom's eyes lit up in anticipation. He scanned the wand selection yet Cordelia could tell his attention was already on one single wand; a pale wood that was slightly crooked at the hilt. At first, he pretended to go for another wand, a simple dark wood wand. He grabbed it with an unsure smile and lifted it.
"Ah, a dragon heartstring wand." Garrick clapped his hands together in anticipation. "Give a little swish and flick!"
Tom followed his instructions in rehearsed unsureness and the wand refused to do any magic at first but he tried again, only for a few boxes to be knocked over.
Garrick sighed loudly at his first failure. "Not that one."
Tom put down the wand. "Can I try another one?" Garrick nodded his head vigorously, not letting the past failure hinder him.
He reached for the pale wooden wand and the moment it was in his hand, there was a light breeze and he grinned in victory. He turned to look at Cordelia who didn't return his smile, she only gave him a nervous nod of acknowledgement as she bowed her head.
"Well, I can proudly say that you're meant for some great things Mr Riddle." Mr Ollivander said, slapping his son's back in a proud outburst of affection. "Yew 13 1/2 inches, phoenix feather core. All the makings of a great wizard. A yew wand doesn't pick any old wizard or witch, you see. They only choose the best of the best."
Her stomach dropped and she suddenly felt a little sick but she could exactly pinpoint the reason why. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile, stepping up to take her place. It was her turn next.
Tom grinned, basking in the praise of his future and even Professor Dumbledore seemed pleased yet he, like Cordelia, felt uneasy and he kept glancing at the silent younger girl in question as if beckoning her to say what was really on her mind but she didn't say anything.
She didn't want to and the voice in her head cried out, telling her to run out of the shop or take that wand out of Tom's hands but that wand was already away from him as Garrick Ollivander wrapped it up for him to take.
"Miss Alder, your turn." Mr Ollivander beckoned her to come closer as he laid out his own creations alongside his son's. "Try this one, a yew wand like Mr Riddle's but this one has a coral core." Cordelia only touched the wand and she recoiled at the touch as if the wood had burned her. "That was foolish of me. I should've given you an alder wood wand." Mr Ollivander muttered under his breath, bowing his head in apology. "Ah, try this one. 10 1/2 Alder with a coral core—your sister had a similar wand. Alder is just as powerful as yew so don't be too disappointed; alder wood is the choice wood for the Alder family," He said with a quiet laugh, finding his words a little humorous. "they tend to favour wizards or witches that have the gift of non-verbal magic; sure enough your ancestors were quite skilled in non-verbal magic and I'm sure you will be too."
She sucked in a shaky breath and picked up the pinkish-orangey wand and to her utter disappointment, the wand didn't react to her at all. She dropped the wand back onto the counter and picked up another alder wood wand.
"11 inches alder wood with a hippogriff feather—not as powerful as a phoenix feather but they have been a standard in the past for wizards and witches alike who make and adhere to rules and laws, still powerful. Your mother had a hippogriff feather wand so maybe…"
The wand felt heavy in her hand as she gave it a little flick, accidentally shattering the shop windows and knocking over the shelves. She dropped the wand and ducked to take cover from the carnage she had accidentally caused.
"Sorry." She apologised loudly.
"No worries." Garrick Ollivander laughed and took out his wand to set things back as they were. "Well, I suppose we can't get a tarrasque scale for you." He joked, reminding her how rare her father's wand was. "Though we do have one spare wand with a tarrasque scale in the back, it was only for experimentation purposes."
She swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled stiffly at the joke. "I'm sure there's something…less rare for me."
"How about this?" Garrick pulled out a dark wood wand with bluish sheen and carved swirls resembling calm waves on the hilt. "Alder 10 inches with unicorn hair. Give it a go."
"Hmm, that might work. Very flexible too. Garrick worked hard on that one. It's good for duelling, very loyal and excellent against dark arts." Mr Ollivander commented as Cordelia nodded along.
Tom moved closer to Cordelia, standing right behind her. She turned around to look at him and he beckoned her to continue, compelling her to pick up that wand. She turned back and carefully picked up the wand.
It was light, lighter than the other wands she had tried. It was warm and comfortable in her hands like it belonged to her yet something felt off.
The warmth faded and she felt so cold. The wand suddenly felt heavy and her lungs constricted like something heavy was weighing down on her chest.
Strange images flashed across her eyes as macabre shadows danced in the corner of her vision; she caught sight of a glowing gateway. It's entrance flowing like the ocean on a full moon night that was cut out and trapped onto its stone cage. The light casted an eerie glow that beckoned her to come closer as whispers of voices so familiar yet so unknown flooded her ears.
She struggled to breathe. She clutched the wand tightly in her hand, almost burying it into the palm of her hands before she dropped it onto the floor. The wand clattered to the floor with a quiet thud as she looked up to meet the still faces of the Ollivanders, Professor Dumbledore and Tom.
"Cora?" Tom softly called out to her. Concern etched onto his face along with anger. She lied to him. She told him that she was fine but she wasn't fine. Her nightmares had not gone away. She already knew the question at the tip of his tongue.
"Sorry, did you say something Tom?" Cordelia looked around and swallowed. The wand lay at her feet. It no longer felt familiar to her. "I–can I try another one?"
Mr Ollivander shared a look with Professor Dumbledore and pursed his lips in confusion. "But you didn't even try that one."
"I did." She remembered it well enough. She did try it.
"No, you didn't." Tom refuted her words. "You just stood there, staring off into space."
Her face paled and she forced a nervous laugh out of herself. "Oh." Her smile stiffened. "Then I'll just," She bent down to pick up the wand; Tom did the same. Their fingers brushed and she fought the urge to get away from him. "Thank you." He handed her the wand and stood back with silent anticipation.
She swallowed nervously and balanced the sudden heavy weight of the dark wooden wand and gave it a little wave. Sparks shot out of the tip of the wand before it fizzled out into nothing.
"Not that one." Mr Ollivander murmured and picked up another wand from his son's set of wands. "Here, try this one."
Cordelia did as she was told yet her hand felt so empty when the dark wood wand was taken away from her. Again, the wand that Mr Ollivander gave her failed. He handed her another one and that too failed. They went back and forth, with each failure, Cordelia felt her heart drop further to the ground.
The father-son duo took a step back and let out a sigh; the Ollivanders were considering a request for a custom wand—that seemed like the only option for Cordelia. "Perhaps a custom wand might be needed for Miss Alder." Mr Ollivander suggested.
"Like Cornelius?" Professor Dumbledore questioned. His brows knitted together into a frown, mirroring Tom's expression. Neither Tom or Professor Dumbledore seemed happy at the idea of a custom wand. "Is there nothing else she could try? Perhaps another unicorn or kelpie wand?"
"We could go through her entire catalogue but I'm not confident that we'll find anything for Miss Alder." Mr Ollivander said in a soft tone with his focus on a disappointed Cordelia.
Garrick Ollivander looked at the three of his customers and looked down at the wands displayed on the counter. He pulled at them of his shirt with his gloved hand and tilted his head side to side as if contemplating something. Cordelia stared at him hopefully with wide eyes and he let out a breath.
"Well, there are some experimental wands I've got in the back." He said, clasping his hands together. "They're not meant to be on sale because well, they're experiments and I'm not sure if they'll work well but I was fortunate enough to gather and find some different materials in my quest to find a suitable and stable wand core."
"Like what?" Tom asked, breaking his silence.
"Like banshee hair, mermaid scale and hair, dryad's leaf, werewolf fur and all sorts of things that have not typically been used for wand cores in standard wands."
"Well, I don't see the harm in trying." Professor Dumbledore said and Garrick with a quiet permission from his father disappeared, only to reappear moments later with a small chest. He took out three wands from the chest and placed it in front of the three. Professor Dumbledore picked up one and carefully inspected the intricate carving of the wand. "This one is…"
"Tarrasque scale. It was a spare one gifted to us by Miss Alder's great-grandfather, Octavius Alder." Garrick answered and motioned Professor Dumbledore to pass the wand to Cordelia. "I hope this one will work. It's alder 11 1/2 inches."
He handed her a pale blue-grey wand with a thick handle of silvery-blue vines wrapping around the wand. She gave it a wave and for a moment, light flickered and a melodious hum filled the shop along as the light grew brighter.
The Ollivanders let out a sigh of relief though Mr Ollivander was obviously sad to see the single tarrasque wand in their possession go, his relief over Cordelia finding a wand triumphed over his disappointment at parting with the wand. Professor Dumbledore paid for the wands and the three left the shop without any more incidents.
Notes:
Sorry for the late updates. I had exams going on but they are over now. Chapter 16 should be up sometime tomorrow.
Chapter 17: Path Taken Before
Chapter Text
Chapter 16: Path Taken Before
27th August 1938,
"Albus, is that you?" An old woman dressed in a vibrant violet and gold lace summer robes rushed the three of them the moment they stepped into the Leaky Cauldron for their lunch. Her pale wrinkly face and milky green eyes were distinct as was her red painted lips which stretched into a thin smile. She moved her grey hair out of her face and peered down at the two. "And who might you two be? New students?" She questioned, her eyes boring into Tom and Cordelia's. She didn't move even when Tom defiantly stared back at her, only grinning wider as she stared back. Cordelia could've sworn she saw the fog in the old woman's eyes clear for a moment as she recoiled and took a step back from Tom as if his presence scared her. "You!" She hissed quietly before her vision fogged up and she moved closer to the pub's walls.
"Afternoon, Cassandra." Professor Dumbledore seemed pleased to the old woman as he led the two children into a quiet corner of the pub. "Doing some last minute shopping, are we?" He asked, ignoring the strange woman's odd antics. Professor Dumbledore seemed good at ignoring the strangest things so much so that Cordelia had to take her attention away from the old woman and stare at the eccentric professor while wondering who out of the two were stranger.
"Afternoon and y-yes." The old woman stuttered out. Her foggy eyes would travel to Tom every second before she looked away.
Professor Dumbledore once again ignored the sudden strangeness of the woman and turned to Cordelia and Tom. "This is Professor Vablatsky, she's the divination professor at Hogwarts." He introduced the woman to the children. "A very talented seer."
"Pleasure to meet you." Tom greeted curtly, giving Professor Vablatsky a complicated look. The old woman's body shook violently with each word that spilled out of Tom's mouth. "Are you okay professor?"
Professor Vablatsky smiled stiffly and nodded, bells that hung in her hair sang a soft melodic tune as she moved. Transfixed, Cordelia stared at the bells. "Just late summer chills, my boy, nothing to worry about." Though Cordelia could clearly tell that Professor Vablatsky was worried about something. The way she nervously moved and stared at Tom with her foggy gaze told Cordelia enough.
Impatiently, Cordelia tapped her feet. Her stomach twisted in on itself as the smell of freshly baked bread, onion soup, spices and honey wafted through the air. Though, she wasn't too keen on eating, she was exhausted from running around Diagon Alley with Professor Dumbledore and Tom. Somehow, her hunger had returned albeit a little and she was annoyed at the delay.
"I thought seers were rare." Cordelia said, breaking the strange tension between Tom and Professor Vablatsky though she hated to speak up and draw attention, she hated the coldness more. "My father used to tell me that they were so rare that only one seer ever appeared every generation."
"Well, your father was partly right." Professor Dumbledore chimed in, almost relieved at Cordelia's interruptions. "Cassandra is a quite rare person and Hogwarts is lucky to have her."
"Oh please." Professor Vablatsky swatted her hands in front of her face. "I'm more lucky to call Hogwarts my home and teach bright young minds. It's such a pleasure to teach, my gifts would otherwise be wasted on nothingness." Her laughter faded as she swayed back and forth, catching the attention of a few nearby wizards and witches. "You must be Cordelia, Corin's daughter and Cornelius' grand-daughter, ah shame what happened to both of them. Corin was such a bright mind, an eager wizard and one of my favourite students—though don't tell my other students that."
Professor Dumbledore made a sound. "Should I be offended, Professor?" He asked. "I mean I was one of your students once as well."
"Only for a year Albus, just when I was a young Professor, so freshly graduated and just returning to Hogwarts. Ah those were the days." Her foggy eyes turned a pale shade of pink as she smiled into the distance. "I watched Corin grow, it's such a shame what happened."
"I think you might be a little biassed Cassandra. You were friends with Cornelius." Professor Dumbledore said, ignoring the remarks about Cordelia's father in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"Of course I was. He was a brilliant wizard too." Professor Vablatsky barked out. Cordelia flinched at the loudness as Tom covered her ears with a blank yet interested look. Even though he appeared uninterested at the conversation, she could tell that he was focused on Professor Vablatsky's words.
"You knew my grandfather as well?" Cordelia asked. It was rare for anyone to know her grandfather, even her own father didn't know much about him. Cornelius Alder was said to be a brilliant man and a talented wizard—at least that was what she had heard growing up from her own father and mother. Even the portraits on the wall at the Alder manor would sing his praises along with many of her ancestors long dead. "I didn't think anyone knew him." After all, he was said to have died young.
"Well, not many that knew him lived you see." Professor Vablatsky's smile faded as the fog in her eyes darkened like a stormy cloud. "Grindelwald," Professor Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Took out most of us that knew of Cornelius and my generation of witches and wizards. Brilliant minds and strong wizards and witches alike all wiped out for his plots and schemes." She let out a heavy sigh and slumped down on the table.
Cordelia bit her lips. She didn't know her grandfather was a victim of Grindelwald as well. Knowing it made her sick. "Cornelius disappeared long before Grindelwald even rose to power." Professor Dumbledore quietly reminded his colleague.
Tom shifted in his seat. His dark uninterested eyes widened with something that looked like concern but Cordelia wasn't too sure as she found a cold hand reaching out for her warmth. His grip on her tightened like he was almost afraid of her disappearing. "Disappeared?" Tom blurted out without thinking. "Cordelia's grandfather disappeared."
A dull pain crawled through her skin, paralysing her as she froze momentarily. She felt the pub freeze as well. Almost everyone and everything was so still yet only her and Tom remained static. He stared at her with wide eyes and a mouth agape in silent horror that she had never seen on him before. The pain stopped before she was struck by it once more, this time worse than before as it attacked her heart and her head yet she didn't move.
"My grandfather disappeared." She said out loud to herself, tasting the words as they were unfamiliar to her.
The two professors jolted awake from their quiet mourning as if they had just recalled the two children in their company. Professor Vablatsky let out a nervous laugh as Cordelia stared blankly at her while gnawing the bottom of her lips.
"My grandfather disappeared?" She questioned out loud. No one had ever told her that, not even the gossiping portraits on the walls of the Alder manor.
"Yes, did your father never mention it—ah, you must've been too young to understand." Professor Vablatsky tried to comfort her but her words did nothing to soothe the ache in her head. "It was quite the mystery."
"And tragedy." Professor Dumbledore quietly added. "Cornelius Alder, your grandfather was a very talented Unspeakable; the death of his twin and wife left him inconsolable. I do recall your father was barely in his third year at Hogwarts when it all happened. It was all very sudden, he was here one day and—"
"And gone the next with no trace to be found but his few belongings?" Tom said as if he was in a trance. His pale face grew paler with each word he spoke as a greenish tinge covered his face. He looked like he was going to be sick. "I-is that what happened?" He added, almost trying to save himself.
Professor Dumbledore stared at the boy curiously. "Yes," He nodded. "That's exactly what happened. You're quite inquisitive Tom."
"It was a lucky guess, Professor." Tom made an excuse. Cordelia caught onto his lies and let his hand go; she distanced herself from him. She felt strangely cold all of a sudden as the headache grew worse, almost blinding her.
"But he didn't die." Professor Vablatsky said, interrupting the two. The fog in her eyes had thickened considerably, eclipsing the green pigment in her iris. She sucked in distorted breath as her shoulders slumped. "He took a path that many those that came before had taken." Her head snapped towards Cordelia with a loud crack. "You've been on that path before, not once but many times."
"Are you…talking to me?" Cordelia sat up and leaned closer to the old Professor whose wrinkly face twisted into a distorted grin.
"Who else would I speak to, child?" She rasped out, tapping her nails against the old wooden table. "You," She rasped out. "Have taken this path before—it didn't end well for you or…" Her eyes flickered towards a still Tom. "you." She let out a quiet laugh. "Those blinded by their wants can never see their needs, a serpent coils around the tree, poisoned from the roots and the tree falls into a gate of unknown. The scarred one slays the snake but the tree remains gone. Regret, pride and greed plagues you both." She gasped out, vomiting the words with pained gasps as the fog in her eyes swirled around wildly before her eyes cleared and her head slumped down.
Cordelia turned to Professor Dumbledore who looked shocked while Tom's face was dark. She did notice the quill and parchment in Professor Dumbledore's hands that had appeared out of nowhere with the quill writing by itself, it stopped when Professor Vablatsky had stopped talking. Tom leaned forward, closer to the still form of Professor Vablatsky who was muttering under her breath, too quiet for anyone to hear.
"It'll be different this time." Cordelia heard Tom say under his breath as he sat back just in time for Professor Vablatsky to break free of her trance. She smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and the bells jingled softly as she moved.
"You children should try the toffee pudding." She said as if nothing had happened. "It's very good."
"I will make sure to order that." Professor Dumbledore replied, tucking away the parchment and quill. "Would you like some as well, Professor."
"Oh I'd love that." She smiled and tucked her chair closer to the table. "I never did catch your name." She said all of a sudden, turning to Tom who had almost faded into the background.
Tom gave a polite but charming smile and said his name. "I'm Tom."
"Tom." Professor Vablatsky repeated, studying Tom carefully. "Well, I can see that you have some great things written for you in the stars."
"Cordelia as well?" Tom added; there was a slight desperation in his tone that wasn't missed by Professor Dumbledore.
Professor Vablatsky's eyes fogged up for a second before she said. "Of course, if the stars say so."
But did the stars know what happened to her?
Cordelia paused as the ache in her head returned and her mind went blank. What was she thinking about before? She couldn't recall. She tried hard to remember what she was thinking about but nothing came to her mind at all. It was like everything had been scrubbed clean. She stared off into the distance as her concerns for her empty thoughts mixed with Professor Vablatsky's prophetic words.
A serpent and a tree.
She didn't know what it meant but just thinking about it all made her head hurt. She slumped her head down onto the table and waited for their meal while watching Tom read a book he had bought. Serpent and a tree. Tom liked snakes.
Chapter Text
Chapter 17: Moral of the Story
1st September 1938, London
King's Cross Station was bustling with people that morning as the autumn sun's rays beat down harshly on Cordelia and Tom. Leaves had started to shift in colour and the air had chilled a little but none of that seemed to bother Tom who was dressed in a light grey sweater and an old coat that once belonged to Robbie. He hurried into the station, his hand tightly wrapped around Cordelia's wrist while his other hand dragged the trolley with their luggage and Cordelia's owl birdcage. They both had a leather satchel hanging across their chest.
Behind the two children, Robbie followed them haplessly. He'd been sent in Martha and Mrs Cole's place to drop Tom and Cordelia off as the two caretakers of the orphanage had their hands full with a chicken pox outbreak that had seemed to have sprung from nowhere and swept through the entire Orphanage.
Only Cordelia and Tom seemed to be immune from the outbreak. It was obvious why—neither of them really spent time with the other children as much since they had gotten their Hogwarts letters.
She'd spent hours organising what little she had along with the school supplies she'd bought, into an old trunk she'd picked up at Diagon Alley and skimmed through the textbooks in her spare time. Tom did the same, she suspected. She hadn't really seen her 'friend' for four whole days—didn't really help that she'd gone back to skipping meals. Nobody really had time to check up on her anymore since almost everyone was sick.
Robbie and Margaret had barely been spared by the pox after catching it once and quickly recovering.
Those two tried their best to check on her and make sure she ate her meals as best as they could but they had to help Mrs Cole and Martha as well. A real shame but Cordelia wasn't upset. She was only sad that the house felt the emptiest it had been in years with almost all the children confined to their rooms. Wool's was eerily quiet and she didn't like wandering halls anymore.
Cordelia couldn't even say goodbye to poor Lucy who had to be confined to her old room for pox. She could only stand outside and wave her goodbye before Tom had come along and dragged her way, grumbling under his breath about Cordelia catching chicken pox. She was disappointed of course but Tom was right and she didn't need to be told twice before she was already moving through the near empty halls of Wool's.
"Shouldn't we wait for Robbie or slow down?" She asked between breathless gasps of air as she tried her hardest to keep up.
Tom ignored her. His ever-present scowl had been momentarily replaced the moment he stepped into the station, by a small harmless smile that looked very foreign on his pretty face.
"Tom, slow down!" Robbie bellowed out, clutching his chest as he all but ran towards Tom while muttering quick sorries to men in business suits and women in fine dresses. His cheeks tinged in red when he managed to stop Tom. "The train's not gonna leave without you two, you could slow down a little."
The corners of Tom's lips quivered, resisting the urge to click his tongue. He nodded apathetically, not bothering to reply to Robbie. His gaze on Robbie had changed a lot since he had returned from his trip to Diagon Alley. It wasn't just Robbie either.
Cordelia pursed her lips and threw an apologetic look to Robbie, clearing her throat to speak but Tom had already turned his back to them, ready to resume his run to the train to Hogwarts.
"Tom…" She tiredly called out. Tom stopped and craned his neck behind his shoulder to look at her, his grip noticeably slacking a little. "You're dragging me along. I almost tripped." An unobvious lie that she was sure Tom would not catch on. She glanced at Robbie and the older boy jumped to her defence.
"That's why I told you to slow down, Tom." Robbie sighed and shook his head side to side like a disappointed older brother. "See, Cordelia almost got hurt because of your hurry. Slow down, we'll all go together and give me your luggage."
Sparing Robbie a quick look, Tom turned to carefully examine Cordelia. His eyes darkened. "You're fine." Said Tom, his grip tightening like a vice as a spark of pain shot through Cordelia where he touched her. "You didn't trip and we're late."
"We're not late." Cordelia tried again.
"But we will be and then there won't be any good seats left." He added, not even bothering to acknowledge Robbie. "We might even miss the train if you keep stopping us every five minutes."
Robbie scrunched up his brow and shook his head with a sigh. "That's not gonna happen. There's plenty of time left, relax and slow down or one of you will trip and get injured. I mean it, Tom–Hey! Tom! Tom! Get back—ugh! Tom!"
Tom ignored Robbie and resumed his pace. She could do nothing to quell his impatience but throw more apologies to Robbie who'd taken his time to accompany them; Tom didn't want or need anyone to accompany them while Cordelia didn't care, she'd get where she needed to be regardless.
Seeing Tom had no intention to stop, Robbie quickened his pace, overtaking Tom. He took the luggage off Tom's hands and grinned. "Now let's see where this platform 9 3/4 is. I don't reckon it exists but we'll see."
"You can just drop us off near Platform 9 or 8 and we'll find the right Platform." Cordelia offered with a sweet smile, her stomach churning. Tom moved away and impatiently stood in the distance, glaring daggers at the older boy. His face twisted into a scowl and his right hand reaching for the wand in his pocket once again.
"Mrs Cole told me to make sure to see you and Tom get on that train—wherever it may be." Robbie's tired eyes scanned the entire floor while dodging the bustling crowds, eyes fluttering open and close while his feet swayed lightly where he stood. "Should be here somewhere…" He muttered with his hands on hips—an attempt to steady himself, no doubt.
Who knew when was the last time he got proper sleep—Cordelia certainly didn't know.
The way Robbie was going, Cordelia was sure he'd faint then and there. Poor Robbie hadn't probably slept properly in days. The dark circles under his eyes and the pinkish tinge to the whites of his eyes were enough to draw most people's sympathy including Cordelia, Tom on the other hand…
"We can get on the train on our own. You don't need to follow us all the way." Once again, he wasn't looking at Robbie. His gaze trained on a strangely dressed family. "I'm sure you'll be busy. Cordelia and I can make our own way here and out. Don't you have to collect some parcels from Dr Wool at the post office?" He finished, taking their luggage back.
"Mrs Cole said—"
"Robbie," Cordelia quickly interjected. She could almost see dark clouds of anger forming above Tom, the way he was pouring in anger and his eyes narrowing dangerously close. The boy almost reached into his old coat for his wand. "We're close to Platform 9 and I'm sure Mrs Cole will understand why you didn't see us get on the train."
"But—"
"We'll be fine." She doubled down and patted Robbie's shoulders, having to crane her neck high to get a good look at the well-meaning older boy who was like a brother she never had. She hated how short she was compared to Robbie. Times like that were the only times she appreciated Tom, he wasn't as tall as Robbie and she didn't have to hurt her neck to look up at the boy. "I'll write to you when I can and Lucy, of course. I didn't even get to say goodbye to her. I'm not sure if Peggy would be too keen but—"
Robbie smiled fondly and patted her head though he wanted to ruffle her hair, he like everyone at Wool's knew how hard her hair was to manage. "Peg would love letters from you." Said Robbie, taking a step back. He glanced over at Tom and gave a solemn nod. "You too, Tom. Write back if you can…if it's not too much trouble."
Tom grumbled out a polite "I'll see." before he had turned his back to Robbie and was walking towards a wall sandwiched between two other walls near Platform 9. He stood there and waited for Robbie to leave and for Cordelia to come back.
Standing on her toes, Cordelia reached over and wrapped her small arms around Robbie who patted her back. Once again, he resisted the urge to ruffle her hair before pulling back. "Don't forget to write back and come home for Christmas if you can." He said, taking steps back and throwing another glance at Tom. "And look after Tom, will you?"
Cordelia smiled and nodded. "I always have." She said softly, staring at Tom's back. "I don't think anyone will be brave or stupid enough to pick a fight with him—not with that nasty temper of his."
"Let's hope not." Robbie patted her head again and turned around to leave the station.
But he didn't leave. She noticed that he stopped a good distance away from the two, still keeping his eyes on them
With his head hung low, Cordelia noticed he held her gift to him from last Christmas in his hands—a satin handkerchief that looked very odd with his shabby appearance.
"You know, you'll see them again." He held out his hand for her, his polite smile was very unsettling to her but she reluctantly took his hand.
"I know but it's still sad." She muttered. Tom shrugged and pulled her back before the two glanced at each other and at the wall. "And you need to stop reaching for your wand for no reason. You know we're not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts—you remember what Professor Dumbledore said—Tom, stop."
But Tom was already walking away. He pulled her back before he ran straight into the wall with Cordelia's hand in his. The air was knocked out of her lungs and she braced herself for impact but she felt nothing as her eyes opened to another bustling platform.
On the corner above the wall on a maroon sign in painted white read 'Platform 9 3/4'. Cordelia sucked in a breath and looked to Tom for his reaction but the boy didn't react. There was no look of awe or surprise; it was like it was the most normal thing he'd seen. He'd long given up pretending to be surprised or shocked by feats of magic, quickly adapting to the new world—too quickly. Her friend only gripped her hand tighter, pulling her along.
"Mind the gap!" The voice of a gruff old man repeatedly echoed in the bustling station. Witches and wizards alike ran past them, chattering about Hogwarts. "Mind the gap, people! If you fall, it's on you not me!" He screeched out in a bird-like manner, causing a few passerby witches to flinch and cover their ears.
"Tom!" Cordelia hissed out.
The station really was unlike any she'd ever seen before and there was slight buzz of excitement in the air that was so infectious that she'd momentarily forgotten all about her anger towards Tom or that gnawing feeling of dread that had haunted her since the moment she had that nightmare when she received her Hogwarts letter.
But she had to come back to reality, almost being splashed coldly by it when Tom's bitterly cold hand found itself back into her warm ones, entwining his fingers with hers tightly. He stared at her long, waiting for her to snap out of her daydream but not daring to call out to her.
Though she noted that he was sure to scan each and every person on the platform young and old like he was recording them to memory.
"Tom," She called out again, in a softer tone. He only nodded once at her before giving her hand a little tug and dragging her over to one of the doors of the train. "Slow down." She tried again but he wasn't listening.
She was so busy trying to catch his attention that she almost screamed when their trunks flew off the trolley Tom had been dragging all this time. The two trunks along with the birdcage flew through the air a little, twirling and dancing in the air with a trail of pale gold sparks following them before it packed itself inside the luggage compartment of the train.
Nobody seemed to bat an eye at the feat, certainly not Tom who turned away to spare a glance at the large ornate clock hanging on the wall. "I'm getting on, are you coming or not?" He didn't really give her time to answer before he was pulling her again into the train. "I'll look for a compartment, go get changed and meet me in our compartment."
"Why should I?" She spat out, annoyed at being constantly ignored the whole day. "You've been dragging me everywhere—why should I listen to you?"
"Then find your own compartment to sit in." He replied blankly. "Hmm? Nothing to say? Where'd that fire go?" That smug subtle grin on his face appeared, replacing the foreign polite smile he'd sported since he'd gotten his letter. Oh how Cordelia hated that grin but she'd admit to herself, it looked more at home than that smile. "That's what I thought."
She glared at him and gave his cold hand a tight squeeze, trying to cut his blood flow—if his blood really did flow then he'd be hurt, at least that's what she thought. He looked amused by her like she was a child. They were the same age! He was only older than her by a couple of months.
"I don't like you." She bitterly muttered and didn't notice the darkness cast a shadow on his grin.
Tom squeezed her hand back, not exactly cutting her blood flow but more like he was trying to drag her towards him. He loosened his grip momentarily to examine a passing group of blonde and sickly looking pale face dark haired children—a Malfoy with a group of Blacks, she was sure of it.
A quiet hiss and Tom's coat began to move. Cordelia's head dropped and her eyes narrowed on Tom who didn't meet her gaze. She pulled her hand away from Tom, glaring at him.
"You're trying to get kicked out before you've even taken a step into Hogwarts." She harshly whispered, ignoring the questioning gazes of the other passengers.
"They said pets were allowed." Said Tom in a nonchalant manner as if he wasn't hiding a snake in his coat.
"And they specified which ones."
"You got an owl."
"An owl, not a snake!" Eris' head popped out from Tom's coat and looked sadly at Cordelia. "Tell it to stop making that face."
"It's a 'she' and she's not making any faces at you." He threw open the door to an empty compartment and laid down on the seat closest to the window before motioning her to do the same. "Sit down."
Cordelia refused. She puffed up her cheeks and looked away. "Get rid of Eris."
"You have Olwen."
"Olwen is an owl and she's not here." How Cordelia wished her pale golden owl was actually there, Olwen would calm her down. It wasn't fair or right that Tom snuck Eris in. "Get rid of Eris."
"I'm not doing that." He took out a book from the small leather satchel he'd been carrying. "Sit down."
"Tom." Why couldn't he just ever follow the rules? She didn't understand him at all. "Just get rid of it."
"No, sit down or go and get changed."
She glared hard down at Tom before turning around and stomping out of the compartment. She clenched her satchel around her so tight that her knuckles turned white. She didn't want to get in trouble; why couldn't he just follow the stupid rules? They weren't even that hard to follow.
Angrily, she got changed and stomped back to their compartment. The train still hadn't left the station and she noticed many students still looking around for a place to sit. Tom was right again, if they were any minute later, they'd be part of that rat race to find two spots to sit.
"You're back." He had a book in hand, already dressed in his Hogwarts robes, looking more at home with his new appearance. "Sit down."
She rolled her eyes and sat down opposite him. His dark eyes looked up from his book momentarily before he tilted his head to the side and motioned to the seat next to him.
Turning her head away, she pretended she didn't see him. "Cora…" He muttered under his breath in pure frustration. "...always going against what I say." He sighed and turned a page and she laid her head against the cool window.
The moment she felt herself slipping away into sleep, her lower body turned cold. The bone chilling cold spread through her body fast, paralysing her. She was being dragged under the icy waves and she was drowning, her lungs constricting and she was gasping for air. She wanted to hit her chest or claw at her neck but she couldn't move.
With a quiet gasp, she sat up and looked into an abyss. Tom's dark eyes boring into hers. He raised his brow in a silent question. His grip around the old book tightened and he shut it but not before placing a pale gold feather that looked very similar to the ones Olwen sported.
"Cora…" He called out to her.
Her eyes dilated and she was in a daze for a second. Tom put his book to the side and was about to reach out to her but she flinched even though he didn't touch her. He pulled his hand back and picked up the book he was reading.
He stared at her expecting her to say something or start crying.
Instead she swatted strands of her hair away from her face and plastered a bright smile on her face before asking. "What're you reading?"
Frowning, he only waved the book with its cover facing her.
She tilted her head to the side and read the title out loud. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard." Tom was reading fairy tales. No, maybe she was mistaken. "Fairy Tales? You're reading fairy tales? I thought you said reading fairy tales was for children."
"No, I said it made you look like a child." He flipped a page, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face, hidden by the book as he watched Cordelia pout. "Besides, it's not all bad. I can actually understand the characters here compared to the muggle ones."
She paused. Silence overtook their compartment and the noises outside were amplified momentarily. Tom stopped his reading to look up at her in question.
Did she mishear him?
No, he said 'muggle'. She heard him right.
"How—how'd you know that word, Tom?" She slowly asked, leaning forward.
He swallowed and pulled the book higher. "What word?" He replied flippantly.
"Muggle." She repeated. "Who taught you that?"
"I read about it."
Lies.
She could tell by the way he was covering his face and trying his hardest to keep his face blank. Tom wasn't an emotional person but he was a terrible liar when it came to her.
"Origins of Magic by Cuthbert Binns? That book we were told to get. I've finished it and the other textbooks. I learned it from there."
Oh.
Of course. That made sense. Tom wouldn't have known that word otherwise. Tom was raised by muggles. He wasn't like her. No, he wasn't. He wouldn't know anything. He shouldn't have known anything but a nagging voice in the back of her head kept calling her a fool. That voice married with Professor Vablatsky's ramblings echoed in her head, drowning out her own thoughts.
"Right. Of course you've already read ahead." She said in a teasing voice, trying to keep her voice levelled and not let her sudden anxiety leak out. "But where'd you get that book?"
He didn't say anything for a second. Her hands felt clammy and she started to pull at the dead skin at the corner of her right numb, waiting for him to speak.
"I bought it." He answered, flipping over another page.
"You…bought it?" She echoed.
With what money? Tom didn't get that much money. She saw it with her own eyes, the amount of money the grant gave to him. That was all he got.
"Well that's what I said." He said. "Are you still not awake? Maybe you should go to sleep again."
"I'm fine." She said, louder than she intended to. Tom looked up from his reading and raised a brow. Sometimes, he looked and acted so much older than he was. "I'm fine. Where's Eris?"
He tapped his fingers once against the spine of the book, causing her to straighten her back. "Gone." He replied.
"Gone?"
"You wanted her gone so I sent her away."
"Where—"
"You should put your head down and sleep." He cut her off with a sharp glare. "You don't look too well."
"I'm fine."
"Are you? You're not having nightmares again are you?"
"No, I'm fine." He nodded once, flipping another page. "I'm fine. I'm just…tired."
"Then go to sleep." He smiled victoriously, flipping back a page.
She pursed her lips and looked away. He was infuriating and she hated that she lost. She didn't mean to say she was tired. She really wasn't. When Tom looked at her, she felt so sleepy all of a sudden.
Picking up her satchel, she cradled it close to her chest, her diary inside. She fought off the urge to take it out and write. She wanted to write in her diary or write to her uncle but for some she didn't want to do it in front of Tom.
She laid her head down on the window pane again and stared outside at the bustling platform where witches and wizards were busy running for the two trains that went to Hogwarts and elsewhere.
"Read to me." She said without thinking.
Tom's eyes trembled and his fingers dug into the hardcover of the book. Something strange flashed across his eyes and he smiled a genuine smile devoid of all pretences.
"Sit next to me and I'll read to you." She pouted, she really didn't want to move, already comfortable in her seat. "Well?"
Grumbling complaints under her breath, she moved across the compartment and took the seat next to Tom. He grinned victoriously and shifted closer to her.
"Read to me." She repeated almost childishly.
A ghost of a smile appeared on his face as he cleared his throat and began to read. "Three brothers travelling along a lonely, winding road at midnight. On their journey, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across–"
"Why'd you stop?" She asked, turning to him.
"Just checking if you're paying attention." He answered with an uneasy look as he swallowed and covered the bottom of the page he was reading.
"I am paying attention." She grumbled.
He nodded once and continued. "However, these brothers were taught in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water."
She laid her head down and unconsciously started to carry on the story before he could. "The brothers only managed to get halfway through the bridge when their path was blocked by a hooded figure shrouded in darkness who called himself…Death."
"I thought you wanted me to read to you." Tom complained but he didn't sound too upset. He seemed almost…concerned. "You're telling me the story instead of letting me read to you."
"I already know the story." She said softly, playing with her hair. "I was just carrying on from what I remembered. My mother used to read this one to me a lot."
Tom stared down at her before continuing. He had questions but his questions could wait. "Death spoke to them—" She couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Cora!"
"I'm sorry but it's always funny whenever that part comes up 'Death spoke to them…', Death spoke to them? Don't you find that funny?"
"Honestly," She lifted her head from his shoulders to look at him. "No. I don't find it funny. I think it's supposed to be terrifying."
"Of course it is." She agreed but she still laughed. "It's a children's story, it's meant to teach young wizards and witches not to play with forces beyond their understanding—whatever that means. But it doesn't mean it can't be funny. Death speaking to anyone is funny even more considering all they did was build a bridge."
"Maybe it was their time to go and that bridge pushed it back."
"Still." Cordelia found it all too unbelievable and funny. Death speaking to three wizards because of a stupid bridge. If anything death should've appeared to Grindelwald and his followers. "It's funny to me."
"Sure. Whatever you say." Tom didn't bother to argue and flipped the page over. "Death spoke to them. Angered that he had been cheated out of three new victims. Death was cunning, he didn't let the brothers know of his anger but instead he congratulated their cleverness and said that they each deserved…a prize for evading him."
Tom paused to breathe. His eyes trembled a little as he scanned the words on the page. "The…eldest, the strongest and fighter between the three, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there and presented it to the brother."
"The second and middle brother, the most arrogant of them all chose to humiliate Death further, asked for the power to recall others from Death. Hearing his demands, Death chose a stone from the riverbank and presented it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead—"
Cordelia took over from Tom before he could move on to the last brother. "The third and youngest brother, the most humble and wise, rightfully didn't trust the cunning Death." She shut her eyes and for a moment, she was in her father's study, lying on her mother's lap with her sister sitting across from her while her father worked by his desk. "…Wary of Death, the youngest asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place on the bridge without being followed by Death. And Death, begrudgingly cut his own cloak with his scythe and fashioned another cloak for him."
Tom made a sound. "He didn't cut up his own cloak." He attempted to correct. "It says here that he gave over his own cloak to the youngest."
"Well, you're wrong." Cordelia opened her eyes, shattering her own illusions. "Death can't just hand over his own cloak. He needs it too."
"I'm sure he can get another one."
"But it's Death..." Cordelia reminded him. "Death isn't known for his generosity. Why would he give his whole cloak to a man who evaded him once? Giving a part of his cloak away…makes more sense."
"You probably read a different version than this."
"The correct one." She said and he sighed.
He couldn't help but agree that her version made a lot of sense. "How old was the version your mother read to you?"
"I don't know." She couldn't really picture the cover of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' that her mother read. Did it even have a cover? Not that she could remember. "It didn't have a cover…" She muttered. "It was a bunch of parchment…very old parchments."
"Your mother read you 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' from a bunch of old parchments." He was equal parts scandalised and curious. "Are you sure she didn't make it all up?"
"Are you calling my dead mother a liar, Tom?" She questioned with her brow raised.
"Didn't say that. I think she's…as creative as you are and I was just…curious."
She rolled her eyes and punched him lightly. He didn't react, she was the only one he'd ever allow to treat him that way. "I'm sure you are and I didn't say she read to me the entirety of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' from old parchments. Just that one you're reading."
"The Tale of the Three Brothers?" She nodded. "She read that story from a bunch of parchments?" She nodded again, more impatiently. "You must've lost it all after…" He trailed off and let silence fill the compartment while waiting for her to finish for him.
At first, she hesitated answering him—that nagging voice in the back of her head told her not to tell him anything. She should've listened to that voice.
She could hardly help herself when she met Tom's gaze, her head went blank and she started to speak without meaning to. "Nothing's lost. It's all in my mother's vault—my vault."
Her head felt too heavy for her to hold high. She shut her eyes, laying down her head on his shoulder. She shouldn't have said that.
"I'll continue where I left off." Cordelia didn't react and he took that as a sign to carry on. "Death stepped aside and let them cross. Time passed and soon the three brothers went their separate ways. The eldest travelled on for a week or more, and reached a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. With the elder wand…with the elder wand in hand, he couldn't fail and challenged his rival to a duel, leaving him dead."
"With his rival dead, the eldest bragged about his victory to all who were there. That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest as he slept, his senses dulled and belly full of wine. The thief stole the wand and slit the eldest brother's throat. And so cunning Death returned for the eldest first."
"That's why my father used to say no one should want more power." Cordelia commented. "It only leads to terrible things…like what happened to the eldest brother. If only he asked for something less…"
Tom made a sound of disagreement. "That's not…no, I don't think that's right. The eldest's only mistake was using his gift for stupid reasons like winning a fight." He argued, a little too passionately.
"I think he was stupid for asking for an unbeatable wand." The eldest should've asked for something else. Maybe knowledge. No one could ever go wrong with knowledge. "He was stupid for showing it off like that too. Should've shut up and kept that wand locked away and maybe studied a way to replicate it."
"Or raise an army."
Cordelia couldn't help but laugh at Tom's words. "Then he'd meet the same end. Someone or a small group from his army could easily betray him." She said as Tom flinched at her words.
"You think so?" He questioned and she lowered her head in response.
"His army wouldn't be loyal to him. Some would be loyal, sure." But she couldn't see all being loyal. "Some might care for him. But all would fear them and fear is temporary. One day, one or two could get the courage to do what that thief did and then it's all over."
Tom played with curled tips of her hair while humming in response. His hums were low and cold, sending shivers down her spine, stopping her from moving.
"...Always…so perceptive." She could've sworn he heard him say but when she looked at him, his attention was solely on the book in his hand, reciting the tale under his breath and waiting for her to finish her rude interruptions.
"Done?" He asked without lifting his attention off the book.
She swallowed nervously and averted her gaze. He smiled a little, carrying on playing with her hair. "The second brother journeyed back to his own home, where he lived alone. He took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand, thinking of the one he once loved and—"
Tom stopped abruptly. His words died in his throat and for the first time in her life, she noticed him struggling to carry on. He wasn't emotional or anything but there was something else, something that was holding him back. His face, though blank, gave nothing away but his eyes looked pained.
"Tom." She softly called out and the pained look in his eyes was washed away as he looked at her, almost…fondly. "You're not reading." She snapped.
"I don't like this one." He said, already turning the page but she lifted her head and grabbed his wrist. "Cora. Let go. I don't like this one."
"I don't care." She forced him to turn back the pages to where he left off. "You already started it, finish it. You should always finish what you start, Tom."
"You said you knew the story."
"I do." She admitted, letting go of him. "But I haven't heard it in a while and you already started the story so just continue where you left off. I'm sure you were interested in the ending too or…" She laid her head back down on his tensed shoulders. The moment her head touched his shoulder, he seemed to relax. "...or maybe you're more interested in the gifts Death left them."
"You're not?"
"Maybe but I wouldn't want any of it."
"Not even the cloak."
She hesitated, rolling her tongue back and forth in her mouth, trying to decide what to say before she said words that sounded more like a question than an answer. "Who knows?"
Tom didn't say anything but she could picture him rolling his eyes in response to her.
"Carry on."
"Fine." He growled and smoothed the page he was reading. "He took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand, thinking of the one he once loved and—" Once again he stopped where he'd left off before. Cordelia was just about to complain when he sucked in a breath and continued. "—promised to marry before…her untimely death."
He took another break and neither spoke for a while. Only the muffled chatter from outside could be heard. She felt uncomfortable.
Tom broke the sudden silence between the two. "Did you…ever think about what Professor Vablatsky said?"
"She said a lot of things." She said slowly. "I thought about the tree and the snake a lot."
"No, not that part." He wasn't satisfied with her answer. "The part about taking a path you've taken before."
"Oh." She'd been avoiding thinking about it. Writing it all down in her diary, she'd hoped to come back to it one day. Maybe it'd be too late by then. "I didn't…I didn't think about that one." She didn't want to.
"You didn't want to." Said Tom like he'd just read her mind. "I'll…carry on."
"Thank you." She stared blankly at the polished wooden ceiling of their compartment.
"The girl he'd longed for appeared before his very own eyes. Yet to his despair, she was cold to touch and so sad that all she did was…weep." He paused again, their eyes meeting, his fingers twisting around her locks, tugging at them. "He could not touch her, a veil separated them. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered."
"The second brother, driven mad by longing and regret, hung himself so that he could join her across the…veil."
The ache in her chest got worse and for a second, she couldn't breathe. She didn't let Tom know as she bit her tongue to stop herself from letting out a pained gasp.
"Death claimed the second brother." Tom let out a sharp breath and nodded to himself as he finished the part about the second brother. "A fool." He muttered.
"Isn't that everyone in love?" She quietly questioned. "Peggy calls people in love 'fools'."
Tom snorted, his unease fading a little. "That's funny."
"Right? She could take a look in the mirror when she's with Robbie." Cordelia smiled as she spoke, the ache dissipating little by little. "But I do feel bad for the second brother."
"Why? He took his own life. His death was his own fault. He couldn't bear the loneliness after asking for such a useless gift."
"It's not a useless gift." She argued. "He just couldn't handle the truth."
"The truth that he'd lost the one thing he wanted."
"Exactly. Love drives people insane."
"Then I don't need love."
"Nobody says that, Tom." She retorted. "Everyone wants love. If it's not wanted, it's needed. It's just the way of life. Besides, if it's not love that'll drive a man insane then it'll be power."
"...what are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the eldest…" She looked at him and he nodded. "What'd you think I was talking about?"
"Nothing." He turned the page. "Though Death took two of his brothers, Death could not find the youngest. He searched high and low, years turned to decades and still the youngest couldn't be found."
"Only when the youngest had reached a great age, did he take his cloak off and passed it down to his son." Cordelia had interrupted him again. "His time had come and he met the cloaked spectre once more. He greeted Death like an old friend and followed him across the veil."
"There's nothing about the veil in here."
"Well, they've got it wrong." Cordelia said as Tom shut the book. "So what'd you think? It's not my favourite but almost everyone knows this one."
"I think…the eldest had the right idea but he was stupid. The youngest didn't really care about humiliating death but rather wanted to see his lover and the youngest…was a coward."
Cordelia scoffed, outraged at Tom's analysis that she stood up. Tom pulled her back to her seat. "You've got it all wrong." She said, crossing her arms. "The youngest wasn't a coward."
"So you've been told." He mused, tucking his book back into his satchel that once belonged to Robbie. Even his carved initials could be seen on the underside of the leather satchel. "He was a coward." He repeated with more conviction. "He hid from Death."
Clouds rumbled above them as a sudden curtain of darkness was dropped on the station. They heard muffled gasps of surprises mixed in with girlish and boyish shrieks.
"He didn't hide from Death." Cordelia argued. "If he was hiding from Death then how'd he start a family? Death couldn't find him, not because he was wearing the cloak with him all the time but rather he wasn't testing Death."
"He was still a coward."
"For not challenging Death like his brothers?"
"Yes."
"No, he was smart." She dug her nails into her seat as thunder rumbled above. "He was wary of Death from the start. The reason why Death couldn't find him wasn't all to do with that cloak of his."
"Then why couldn't Death find him."
"Because he was living." Cordelia grinned, her eyes lighting up in excitement. "Death can't touch the living, Tom. Life and Death are opposites. Life can't touch the dead and—"
"Death cannot touch the living."
She clicked her fingers. "Exactly. Death couldn't find him because he was doing what his brothers should've done but they were so caught up with the future and the past that they didn't see what was right in front of them."
"The present." Tom breathed out. His eyes wide and his mouth agape like everything she was telling him was a revelation.
"The key to defeating Death is to live."
"But he still died."
"But he lived." She reminded him. "He had a family and a legacy that'll carry on his story even when he's gone. It's funny in a way. His oldest brother was obsessed with the future but his life was cut the shortest. The middle brother was stuck in the past, unable to move on so he met Death not too early but not on time but the youngest who only wanted to cross the bridge had everything his brothers didn't."
"A long life?" Tom slowly leaned closer to her in the dark like a predator moving in on its prey. "He still died." He reminded her once again.
"Yes but he lived his life to the fullest and met Death when he was ready. Not to mention, he had a family, something that will carry on his name. In a way, he got what his oldest brother wanted."
Tom stopped and stared at her blankly, letting her words seep in. His lips quivered into a scowl and he looked away. He didn't understand what she was saying.
"I still think the eldest was right, he was just stupid enough to brag about it." Tom quietly said and Cordelia shook her head.
"Then you didn't understand the story at all." She replied, leaning back into her seat and checking if the lights were back on yet. Thunder rumbled above them once more. "You should read something else."
"I'm not stupid."
"I didn't say you were."
"No, but you're treating me like I am because I disagreed with what you said." Tom leaned back into his seat, dropping his heavy head on her shoulders. "I just think the eldest had the most potential…"
And Cordelia stopped listening for a moment. Her mind was foggy once again, Tom was speaking to her but she couldn't hear him or anything.
When the fog cleared, she could only see Tom's face in the dim daylight as clouds cackled above them and drops of rain started to pelt against the window. His face scrunched up like he was troubled over something.
"Cora—" Tom was about to speak but he was cut off when the door to their compartment opened.
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