Bonus Story 2

Speeding Down the Wrong Tracks (Year 2, part 1)

King's Cross was nothing but pure panic and utter chaos the morning of September 1st, 1939. Hundreds and thousands of children were having to be evacuated and terrified parents were practically clawing their way through the crowd to try and get their child out. There was apparently threats of bombing and gas raids, the start of war. It was obviously something a normal person would be frightened of, a horrible catastrophe and thousands of deaths were on their way. How could one not be feared by that? However, right there in King's Cross Station, was the one person in all of London who was not afraid. A pale boy with neat dark hair was wheeling his cart through the station, closely followed by a brown eyed girl with long hazel hair. They were the two outliers in the crowd. Tom Riddle did not conform to such unnecessary fear and panic, while Frankie Dickson was slightly scared, but knew that as long as she stuck with Tom everything would be alright. As a young wizard and witch on the first of September, they were trying to get out of this city alright. They needed to get off to their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Tom didn't care if the muggles were having problems, this wasn't his world anymore, so they weren't his problems anymore. He didn't care if the city went down in flames. In fact, he would actually like it if the orphanage that they lived in was bombed. His only concern at the moment that might cause him to slightly panic, or worry, at all was losing Frankie in all of this mayhem.

"Keep up. Stay with me."

He would've held her hand, considering it was a dire enough situation for such a gesture to go unnoticed and be acceptable. However, despite the urge, with carts in hand Tom was forced to just keep going, looking every-so-often behind him. They arrived at the pillar between platforms 9 and 10, incredibly later than usual. They only had a few minutes left before the train was scheduled to leave. They would make it as long as they wasted absolutely no time. Tom stood at the starting point, with miraculously enough room to run at the pillar. Normally, Tom was not the one to face the barrier first. However, there wasn't enough space for Frankie to go ahead of him and now was not the time to let such a trivial detail become a priority. Tom took a deep breath and charged for the barrier, slightly looking back as he went to make sure she would be right behind him.

Unfortunately, she would not be.

The shoving crowd of pandemonium and discord had knocked her on to the ground, unconscious.

Before Tom could fully process what he saw, he was enveloped into darkness and spit back out on platform 9 ¾. He touched the barrier. It was rock solid. Then, he was suddenly put in more of a panic then all the muggles in the station combined, and began running himself into the wall over and over. At this rate, Tom was on track to dislocating his shoulder, not on track for school. However, he just had to go back for her. He was certain that he had seen Frankie passed out on the ground. She would not only get trampled, she would miss the train and be trapped in a city that was about to be bombed.

"Tom? Are you alright? What're you still doing on the platform? Hurry up!"

Tom looked over to find Dylan Aguilar shouting at him from the window, even though they were not even remotely friends. She was hanging out of the frame and looking at him like he was mad. He quickly rushed up to the window and she slightly retreated back inside, yet remained in eager attention to hear what his unusual distress was all about.

"I lost her. I actually lost her," Tom remarked, sounding calm, but on the inside he was shouting the same statement over and over, more at himself then at Dylan. It was just the one thing he was trying to not have happened and it actually happened. Guilt was flooding over him, how could he have allowed this to happen to her? Dylan looked confused and he realized he had to further explain the situation if he wanted any help from her. "Frankie and I got separated in the station, with all those panicked people, and now the barrier is closed. She's trapped."

"Relax, Tom. Just get on the train and we can go alert Dumbledore when we get to school," Dylan replied, actually calm. She was right, freaking out about it now wasn't going to bring her back. All he could really do is get on the train and get better help. Strangely, he listened to her commands. Tom quickly got his trunk, hopped on, and closed the train door behind him just as the whistle blew. Dylan came running down the corridor seconds later to meet him, to make sure he had made it on safely, "She'll be alright."

"I hope so…"

Meanwhile, Frankie woke up, not in the station, but on another train. For a second, she had thought she had magically been transported onto the Hogwarts Express, but in closer examination of her surroundings she was on a clearly different train. It was not as nice a compartment as the school's train and there were no overjoyed kids in wizarding robes running down the corridor, looking for their friends and trying to catch various wizarding toys, candy, and pets that were running amuck. On this train, she could hear a lot of crying in the distance. Frankie rubbed her head and tried to remember what had happened and how she had gotten here, but was coming up with nothing. She had been right behind Tom and then…

"Are you alright, miss?"

She didn't notice but there was a boy staring at her in the chair across from hers.

"Where am I exactly?" she asked, rubbing her aching head.

"You're on a train," the boy answered. Frankie sighed, sounding a little exasperated. She had been able to figure that much out for herself. However, it wasn't entirely his fault, she probably should've asked him 'why' she was on this train. "I found you passed out on the platform. You didn't have a label, so I told them you were my sister and they placed you in here."

"Label? What're you talking about?"

"What have you been living under a rock? Your label!" he exclaimed, tugging at his own in a slightly crude manor. Frankie grabbed the piece of paper pinned to his jacket to read the words that were on it. Arthur Giry, 12 years old, born in London on July 25th, 1927, "I figured yours fell off when you fell, but do you honestly not know what I'm talking about?"

"I had a bracelet," Frankie suddenly remembered, feeling around for it in her pocket. This trip to King's Cross the whole orphanage followed them because they had to be evacuated. Mrs. Cole gave them all these metal bracelets, mostly out of legal obligation for Tom and Frankie. She didn't care if they actually evacuated or not. "Tom thought it was stupid and told me to take it off."

Frankie removed it from her pocket and handed it to the boy, apparently named Arthur, to read for himself. Frankie Dickson, 12 years old, February 3rd, 1927, (Wool's Orphanage, non-entity)

"You're an orphan. Well, that's not very good. You aren't likely to get a good foster parent if they find out," Arthur remarked, insensitively. "The guard is about to come back and make you a new label. We'll just keep up with the lie that you're my sister."

"No, I have to get off and get to school." Frankie protested, making a sudden break for the compartment door. She had absolutely no idea how she was supposed to get off a moving train speeding through the country, but she had to find some way. She wasn't supposed to be sitting here with Arthur Giry. She was supposed to be sitting with Tom, talking about the new school year, trying new wizard candy from the Candy Lady. Frankie yanked and jiggled the door handle. Locked, of course.

"The city is about to be bombed and you're worried about school. Okay…"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, just help me get out of here. I need to get out."

"We're on a moving train. There is no getting out." he reasoned, logically. Frankie was still trying with the door handle, feeling the anxiety and hysteria of a person who was trapped. The door suddenly slid open and she came face-to-face a guard of the train.

"Excuse me, is everything alright now?"

"Yes, my sister is just a bit hysteric from all the excitement." Arthur smiled, charmingly, while he casually pulled Frankie out of the man's personal bubble and back down into her seat.

"Full name, age, city and date of birth." the guard ordered, a pen and new label in his hand.

"Annabelle Giry, 12 years old, born in London on July 25th, 1927." Arthur replied, immediately. Frankie was about to protest, naturally. Why lie about who she was? However, he squeezed her wrist to keep her silent.

"Here you go. Be more careful next time." the guard sighed, handing the safety pin with the label tied to it to Arthur, the one he obviously thought was more stable and responsible. He exited back into the corridor and Arthur exhaled in relief. He was clearly not an expert at lying.

"Twins? Really? We look nothing alike, you know?" Frankie added, harshly, as he was busy pinning it to her collar of her coat.

"Well, I have a real twin sister and I just figured that you might as well take her place, considering she wasn't able to make it," he stated, not meeting her eyes. When Arthur was seemingly satisfied with the placement of the label, he sat back down his own seat, hoping Frankie would not press on the subject. However, he felt the curiosity of her gaze. "She's too sick to survive the journey. She's going to die soon, whether bombs actually fall on London or not."

"I'm sorry," Frankie felt a bit of empathy for the boy, however, her emotions were still mostly clouded by anger of practically being abducted. She quickly fell back into the delusional mindset she would be able to get off the train. Frankie was prepared to walk to Hogwarts if she had too. "Where are my things?"

"They're onboard, don't worry. Everything's going to be alright." Arthur assured her.

"Ugh, is not alright!" she shouted back at him, rising out of her seat again. Naturally, he didn't understand why it was so vital she get back there and he wouldn't believe her if she had told him. "I have to be on the Hogwarts Express right now. I have to get back to Hogwarts."

"Whoa, slow down. What are you going on about hog warts for?" he questioned, looking confused. At this point, it wouldn't be too crazy if she had actually started talking about the warts on pigs. He clearly already thought she was insane already.

"It's the name of a boarding school in Scotland. It's my school, it's my home, and I need to get back to it. I can't be going to—wherever this train his headed right now."

"Look, you can't go back. I'm sorry to say it, but you're stuck in the same situation as all of us now."

Frankie was begrudgingly quiet for the rest of the trip. All the kids exited the train onto the platform, less panicked and rushed, yet still pretty confused and teary-eyed. Once Frankie got her trunk back and she immediately searched for a sign to see where they were. Maybe she wasn't far from Hogwarts and could make a break for it and walk there. However, upon further examination of the quant country environment, she realized were she was. Cotswold. It was the town where the orphanage took their annual trip to every summer. Scotland and Hogwarts were about 400 miles away.

Having no choice but to let that realization sink into her mind, Frankie followed the crowd of children being herded towards another unknown destination. She didn't want to cry like the rest of these children, so she kept her feelings contained through a vacant glossy gaze. Her future was uncertain, she had no idea what was going to happen to her and that fact terrified her. Would she really be forced to live out a muggle life and never see her friends again? The thought of never being able to see Tom again was an unbearable thought. However, part of her knew the Hogwarts Express had also arrived at it's destination and he was probably raising hell about her situation to Dumbledore, Dippet, every teacher he could possibly find before the feast. They would find her. She just needed to wait.

They were guided into a field where nothing but a flimsy wooden platform stood, with an audience of people, waiting for the apparent show. The guards who had guided them lined them up in a certain order that only they knew. Naturally, as his 'sister', Frankie soon ended up back next to Arthur Giry. She turned away from in an angry huff and tried to crane her neck out so she could she what was happening. They were too far towards the back. The line slowly started moving forward, meanwhile, the guards started examining the children and writing things down. They arrived at Frankie and began to handle her roughly. Checking her scalp, pulling on her hair, tugging her lips apart, holding her eyelids open. It was all very aggravating, annoying, and uncomfortable.

"Oi, would you stop manhandling my sister? She's fine."

Arthur had spoken up for Frankie, noticing that they were making her uncomfortable. Frankie gave him a small smile and look of gratitude as the guard stopped with her and started doing the same sort of things to him. Arthur looked over at her, and would've probably been smiling, if the guard wasn't tugging down his bottom lip to examine his teeth. After a while and several kids added to the audience, they were both practically shoved onto the stage. The crowd murmured in discussion of their various features, like they were objects to be judged. The guard who had examined them handed a notecard to another man standing on the stage,

"Lot 666. A boy and girl pair from the middle-class of London. Fairly clean, no health problems. You will be paid 42 and a half pence for each child." he announced to the audience. Before Frankie processed what the man was saying, a hand from the crowd was raised into the air.

"Very good, sir. Thank you for your generosity."

"Did they really just auction us off? This is so degrading!" Frankie whispered to Arthur, as they were guided of stage and back to their trunks.

"When are you going to get off that high horse of yours? For an orphan, you really are picky." Arthur replied, finally becoming unamused by her resilience. He was someone who had already accepted his fate, whatever it may be, before he left King's Cross Station. While Frankie probably gave off the impression that she was slightly prissy and high maintenance, despite her position in the world. They went to join the man who had decided to take them in. He was an elder man, with neatly combed silver white hair. He looked stern, the frown lines on his face were very apparent. However, he had half-moon spectacles, like Dumbledore's, hanging on a chain around his neck, which made Frankie smile. Perhaps they would be similar.

"I am Dr. George Winchester. You will both address me as 'sir'. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." they both answered, obediently. He gave no further introduction and turned away expecting them to trail behind him. They followed him away towards his house, considering that they were finished with business and did not want to see the rest of that misery fest of an auction. Eventually, he led them to the doorstep of a rather large manor, that didn't really fit the countryside image. It was sort of secluded from the rest of town, right along the edge of the forest. Frankie got the notion he wasn't a very sociable man and liked being on his own.

Inside the house was even more of a surprise. The faintest of blue walls, pristine hardwood floors, intricately designed rugs, regality of wealth. Every little object was perfectly in place. Why the man willingly let children in his home, no one would ever know. But they had gotten lucky, compared to all the other children, it was a magnificent place to escape war in, or in Frankie's jumbled mind a magnificent prison to sit and rot in. The house was positively exquisite, there was no denying that, but it was not her home. He opened the door to a room splashed with the sunlight from the setting summer sun and let the two wander over to their respective beds that had been placed inside.

"This will be your room," Dr. Winchester confirmed. "Breakfast is generally at eight o' clock in the morning, supper is six at night, and lunch is served at twelve, unless there is school, which you will start at next Monday—"

"School?" Frankie questioned, like she had never heard of such a thing.

"You didn't expect for me to let your education go down the toilet."

"Of course not, sir." she answered, immediately, her voice hushing up a little at the sternness in his voice. Frankie didn't dare mention that she was already attending a school, like she had been doing so constantly for the past few hours. She knew it wouldn't matter at this point. It's not like if she told him he would be able to send her back there. Dr. Winchester started to leave again. He said to prepare supper, however, for some reason Frankie couldn't really picture him cooking at all. He closed the door and she was soon stuck alone with her 'brother' again.

"This is living, eh, Pidge." Arthur grinned, already relaxing on what was now his bed.

"Pidge?"

"Short for Pidgeon, cause you're the slum of the city yet still manage to prance around acting like you're all that."

"I do not! I'm just upset. Any normal person would be in this type of situation." Frankie snapped back at him, naturally offended. "You're the one with the actual family. Why aren't you freaking out? Aren't you the least bit worried about them?"

"I said my goodbyes, nothing more to do." he replied to her comeback, simply. She looked at him appalled. How could he be acting so nonchalantly about something like this? His family was in danger, he was only one who had been managed to escape the dark fate that loomed over London. Did he really not care about them at all? Was he honestly so heartless? Realizing he would once again have to explain himself to get through to her, he sighed, "Look, I already told you about my sister's condition. My father is going to fight in the war and, if don't get drafted and die, all that's probably going to be waiting for me is my mother, if she doesn't die in a bombing."

"You've already lost everyone."

"Exactly. So, there's no point whining about it now. I'm just going to keep moving forward."

They didn't talk anymore for the rest of the night. Frankie was too busy thinking about 'moving forward' herself. The likelihood of her escaping this life seemed very slim, so should she just embrace it? Give up on trying to get back home? She was quiet the whole extra week of summer they'd gotten, she hardly spoke unless she was spoken to, didn't make any more fuss about her school and her friends. However, they still were constantly on her mind. They were probably already being given new material, learning new things, meanwhile she was just sitting there doing nothing. She'd taken up sitting in the window seat of her and Arthur's room, as if she was wishing for an owl to fly in with a letter from Tom, or Dumbledore, saying they would be coming there to rescue her very soon. However, Frankie knew that it was really just a silly, stupid daydream. Sometimes, in the dullest of boredoms, she even felt the need to go to her and Tom's greenhouse in the woods. It would feel nice to check on the plants and be truly alone for a little while. However, she knew that she wouldn't be able to make it over the fallen stump alone. Without Tom beside her, Frankie would fall into the ravine and become those bones he searched for on shallow sunny days.

At least in that scenario, he'd get to see her again…

Eventually, it was Monday morning and Frankie was expected to get up early and actually go to the muggle school. Having not been properly educated, prior her enrollment at Hogwarts, she honestly didn't know what to expect. She got on her new uniform, a short sleeve blouse and plaid jumper-skirt, tied her scarlet red ribbon around her head and grabbed her leather school bag to go, but got caught by the reflection of herself in the mirror as she was about to leave. Frankie stared at her image for at least another few minutes. She didn't think she looked like herself. She missed the gold and maroon tie, the comfy warm sweater and little-bit-too-short skirt of her old uniform. They were comfy and familiar. However, she rallied on, pushed back her eagerness to dive into her trunk and quickly change back into her old uniform, and went downstairs to leave with her new family to school.

"I've never been to a muggle school before…"Frankie was saying, as she and Arthur closed the front door to set off on their journey. The doctor had drawn them a map, thinking they were fully capable of making it on their own. He wasn't a very fatherly guardian. Frankie realized she had just made a wizard reference, however, at this point she wasn't caring if anyone understood her or not.

"A mug—what?"

"Never mind..."

It certainly wasn't Hogwarts. A miserably plain looking building, like any other school in the world, over flooded from the war with a mixture of locals and the evacuated. It wasn't hard to tell who was who in the crowd. The new children still looked frightened, miserable and teary-eyed, while the local children were happily chatting with their friends in secluded circles, already planning on not accepting them.

"Now, don't go causing trouble, Pidge." Arthur added, as they arrived at the front. They had to make two separate classes for their year, what with the overflow of kids. Thankfully for Frankie, she and Arthur were not in the same one, so she would only see him during outdoor activities and lunch, "We both know you aren't actually the quiet type."

"Oh my dear, brother. You flatter me too much." Frankie laughed, giving him a toxically sweet smile that was secretly poised for murder, "Don't talk to me and there won't be any trouble."

Frankie huffed away to go find her new classroom, class 2-C. It wasn't hard, considering she usually had to navigate a whole castle to get to her classes on time. She froze a little outside the door that stopped her from getting where she was going. The door was propped open and she could hear laughter coming from inside, yet she didn't feel welcomed at all. The second they find out she is different, they're going to shun her. Despite her major pause and massive internal panic, Frankie entered the room practically unnoticed. She quickly shuffled her way to a desk in the very back, by the window. Sighing in relief, upon successful infiltration, she started to gaze out the window and wonder what class Tom was waiting for to begin. Was he in the hazy dungeons waiting for Slughorn to find the day's lesson plan, or was he in the Transfiguration classroom waiting for Dumbledore to appear out of thin air?

A few minutes later a bell rung and class begun. Unlike Hogwarts, they only had one teacher for every subject, Mrs. Jones. Not 'Professor' Jones, which Frankie could strangely tolerate. She did not give off the impression that she was used to teaching and had been doing it for several years, no right for the title 'professor'. The kids were probably going to break her as well, eventually. She looked like one of those teachers that was too nice for their own good and could easily be taken advantage of once the students got more comfortable around this place.

"Now, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves. Say your name, where you're from, and one special thing about you…"

The room of twelve year old's began to rise in order of row and state who they were and what was so special about them. It easily became a one-up of talents, a secret contest to see who was the best out of all of them. Singing, dancing, cooking, it was a parade of ordinary talents and skills, until it was Frankie's turn to answer,

Frankie was the last to answer. She stood up from her chair, feeling the eyes of all that had gone before. Seeing her more clearly now, it was plain to see she was an anomaly amongst them. From the brand new clothes to the long hazel curls, she could obviously not be a normal evacuee or a local. Frankie heard the judgment whispers and wanted to run and hide behind Mrs. Jones, like she had with Mrs. Cole her first day at the orphanage. However, she mustered her Gryffindor bravery, and went on to introduce herself in the best way she could,

"I'm Frankie Dickson. I'm from the wizarding world and I have magic powers."

Dead silence.

Frankie had thought she might as well get it out in the open, to hell with secrecy. She wouldn't actually get in trouble unless she used her powers in front of anyone. What class 2-C didn't know was the truth and had actually been a shocking confession, they saw as some hysterical joke. All of them laughed at her, naturally. Instead of delaying the inevitable label of 'freak' Frankie had spared them all some time and just put the label on herself. She simply sat down, while Mrs. Jones tried to silence the class, and continued to gaze out the window like she hadn't stood up.

"Miss Giry, must you have lied about everything? You could have least told the class your real name."

"I did say my real name," Frankie protested, obviously frustrated. Nothing she said had been a lie and, if anything, her name should've been the one thing that they believed, "I'm not Annabelle Giry. She's dead!"

"Hallway, young lady! Twenty minutes."

Twenty pointless minutes later, Frankie was allowed back into the room, which was still full of whispers and snickers, but she paid them no mind. Honestly, she didn't care what they thought about her, she was just waiting for all of this to be over. They were starting with English this morning, a subject generally taught in normal schools. Mrs. Jones went over certain words and kids were called to board to try and spell some. She called on Frankie several times, noticing her focus was not on her and she was not paying attention. However, that didn't slip her up like she hoped it would. To Frankie they were all painfully easy, considering she was well adapted to more complex reading and had a far bigger vocabulary of words then everyone else. Their homework was to write a short essay of what you did this summer, or something worthless like that.

When lunchtime came around, Frankie immediately trudged off alone to the edge of the school grounds, not wanting to hear the cruel insults anymore. However, now that they were more unsupervised by adults, they were going to start to take more action. She was followed by a group of boys. Frankie ducked behind a tree to check them all out. Stupidly grinning pranksters, who felt it was their sole purpose in life to make a human being's life miserable just because they're different, practically a copy of Billy Stubbs's orphanage gang. Eric Whalley was even there—

Eric!

It wasn't someone who could save her, or even someone who liked her whatsoever, but it was someone she knew. And that was enough for the moment. He had probably heard rumors that were already being circulated about her and joined a gang that was planning on tormenting her, to figure out if it was actually who he thought it was. He was stupid, but not stupid enough to not suspect her identity. There weren't many girls like Frankie. When they arrived to the girl peeking out at them from behind the tree, they spread out to cover more ground, in case she decided to try and run away. Frankie stared specifically at Eric, trying to have a conversation with him based on looks alone. However, he averted his gaze as his suspicions were confirmed. Now, that he was sure of her identity, he couldn't know her anymore. He'd be labeled too and he surely wasn't going to risk that for a girl he couldn't stand.

"Leave me alone." she hissed at them, reverting her desperate gaze at Whalley to a harsh one at their nameless leader, knowing he was the only one who could stop this. Taking him down would mean they would all go away, having to deal with Billy had taught her that.

"Why don't you use your magic powers to make us move, witch?" he retorted back.

"Believe me, I would if I could," she sneered, hatefully. Frankie wanted nothing more than to curse his own fist to punch him the face. However, she couldn't risk being expelled from Hogwarts for using magic in the presence of a muggle. Making a magical fuss probably would get her found by the ministry. However, it would lose any sort of chance she had to go back to Hogwarts. She might even get sent to Azkaban, "but I can't."

"Why not? If you were really a witch you'd do something with your magic," the boy reasoned. The others nodded in agreement and egged her on to do some kind of magic trick, except Eric, who was still trying not to look at her, "You're just a delusional freak aren't you? A rotten liar—"

A fist came flying to punch the leader of the boys in the face, just like Frankie had wished for. Only it wasn't his own fist, or even Whalley's fist. Her own fist had slammed itself full-force into the boy's jaw. He was knocked to the ground with a groan, while she stared at her own arm. It didn't hurt, but it buzzed with adrenaline.

"I don't need magic to handle you clowns." Frankie added, putting up the tough front she used for her enemies, knowing it was what was going to make them leave her be for at least five minutes. They all ran, headed to tell the nearest teacher surely, except Eric Whalley. In that moment before she was in a world of trouble, he was either too frightened to move, or he still had questions he wanted answered from her. Frankie walked closer to him, however, he was determined to keep most of his distance.

"Why—why didn't you just use your powers?" he stammered, shakily.

"Because I can't." she answered, simply. She didn't want to have to try and explain the rules of using magic away from school, knowing someone like him wouldn't be able to comprehend it.

"What are you even doing here? Don't you and Satan go off to hell this time of year?" Eric questioned. His cruel comments should've made her want to punch him in the face too, but she merely looked at him with the same pitiful desperation. Frankie grabbed his sleeve, knowing any other form of contact would've made him panic. She needed him to not hate her, just for a moment. If she was going to have to spend the rest of her life out here, she would need someone to at least slightly understand what she was going through and who she was being separated from. Even if it was only for a moment.

"I just want to go back home, Eric."

"Don't we all?" he sighed, surprisingly uncharacteristic and not cruel. Eric put a supportive hand on her shoulder, slightly flinching a little as he did, considering she was practically toxic to him. Their touching moment was naturally only for a moment. Every teacher at the school, plus the group of boys, were running towards them, "Get away from me, you monster!"

The parade of teachers came to constrain her in that moment, like she was some vicious creature that had gotten loose. The boys surrounded Eric like he had just gone through some kind of big epic showdown and won, all with looks of admiration. He had survived that vicious girl, when their leader could not, which meant there was a new order. It would seem Eric was finally a leader at long last. He gave Frankie one last glance, as if saying he was actually sorry for doing this to her, and departed with the other boys to hurry off to class. She was contained in the headmaster's office, drowning out several lectures from authority figures she could care less about, until Dr. Winchester came to get her. They immediately pulled him off to the side and into a different room, to explain the situation in their own way, so she could not properly defend herself. As he came out, he said nothing and made no indication of her presence, yet expected her to follow after him. The teachers explained that she was suspended, Frankie would not be allowed to return to school for another week. Which, quite honestly, she found to be a relief and a gift. She had a better first day at the orphanage.

Dr. Winchester escorted her back to the house with a tense silent air. He was going to explode at her any minute surely. However, unexpectedly, when they arrived he led her not to her room, but to one of the many locked doors of the house. There were particular rooms she and Arthur weren't allowed to go into and this was one of them. Slightly expecting horrors from the mystery room, when it was opened Frankie was thoroughly surprised. It was a library.

"You like reading, don't you?" Dr. Winchester inquired, before she could question what they were doing here. She nodded in agreement, "Despite all the negative reviews I got about you today, I hear you did great in English class."

"Aren't you angry with me?" Frankie questioned. She didn't know much about how parents were supposed to discipline children, but she knew enough to know that her actions at school warranted some kind of punishment.

"Why should I be? It was a stupid thing to do, obviously, but I know you must've had a smart reason behind it. You're a clever girl." he replied. She smiled, one of her usual smiles, probably for the first time in over a week. Tom used to occasionally call her clever girl too. It always made her feel better.

"Is there a post here?"

"Of course."

"Am I allowed to write my family?"

"I suppose I see no harm and that," Dr. Winchester stated. He pulled out the chair to a nearby desk, indicating for her to sit there and write her letter, "Paper, envelopes, and stamps are all here in this desk."

"Thank you very much, sir." Frankie remarked, taking up the seat he had pulled out for her.

"It might not make it through you know."

"I know…"

He left her alone with a strange feeling. The doctor had sounded like he had known the letter wouldn't make it, not because of the war, because of the magic. However, that was impossible. Frankie ignored the feeling, grabbed a quill and pot of ink from the desk drawer and started to write,

"Dear Tom,

I have so many things I want to say to you, yet I cannot find the words to express everything I need to in such a short amount of space. Although, the likelihood you will receive this letter is very slim, I still felt the need to write. I don't know exactly why. You shouldn't be blaming yourself for what happened to me, it wasn't your fault. I was being clumsy. I am, for the most part, alright. I'm in Cotswold, the country town where the orphanage takes their summer vacations. I'm currently living with a doctor as an evacuee of the war and being cared for much better than we are at the orphanage. He's a very kind man, so there's no need to worry about me. However, I'm still very eager to return to school. I'm not built for muggle life anymore, especially without you to bear it with. I'm sure you feel the same. These people really aren't like we are. I feel very trapped with them all, most of the ones here are very ignorant and cruel. I just want to leave. I miss you.

Anyway, you know where I am now, or not considering there's no way muggle post could get to a wizard school. You're probably not reading this and I'm just talking to myself. In the slightest case of miracle, please alert Dumbledore of my location.

I'll be waiting for you to come bring me home.

-Frankie"

Normally, Frankie would've handed it over to an owl at this point, completely trusting that the letter would arrive at it's destination. However, she tossed it into the mailbox a few blocks away with a sense of uncertainty and doubt. There was the slightest, miniscule chance it would make it to Tom. There could possibly be a wizard working in the post office who would be able to pass it on to Dippet or Dumbledore, but that would've been a little too good to be true, honestly. She knew it wasn't going to make it. When Frankie turned to go back to the house, not-so-surprisingly-by-this-point, she once again came face-to-face with her brother.

"Who is Tom? Is he your real brother or something?" Arthur asked, probably having read the envelope she had been carrying so graciously and carefully from over her shoulder.

"Have you been following me?" she questioned, defensively.

"For the better part of ten minutes, I have. I just got home from school," he replied, normally, like he wasn't just admitting to slightly stalking her. She grunted in frustration. All Frankie wanted was a true minute alone. "I heard the funniest thing today, that wasn't very funny at all."

"Spit it out, Arthur," Frankie snapped, knowing that was just a bad transition into a more serious conversation that he wanted to have with her, "Just say what you want to say—"

"What I want to say?" Arthur added, sounding shocked and a little affronted, "You're the one who told everyone you had magic powers and then punched some kid in the face. Are you sure there isn't something you want to be telling me?"

"I'm not sorry."

"Is that all you have to say for yourself? You aren't even going to try and deny it?"

"I don't lie." Frankie replied, grudgingly.

"You're crazy, Pidge." he exclaimed, sounding a little insane himself. "You honestly expect me to believe you're from some kind of other dimension and have magic powers."

"Believe what you want. I could give a damn about what you or anyone else thinks about me!" she shouted, crossly. Frankie stormed back to the house at top speed, leaving Arthur in the dust. She re-entered the library, slammed the door shut, and locked it behind her, for good measure. Then, she started to pull titles she didn't even bother to look at properly. She needed to get lost in a world that was not this one and that was only something a book could offer her. Whether it was just as trapped a world as the underground cellar of a French opera house, or as far and as free as the second star to the right, she would go anywhere she could to forget her own problems.

Eventually, the door had to be opened by someone. Although, she would most certainly try her best, Frankie could not remain locked in there forever. George Winchester gave her a few good hours, hoping she would just come out on her own, before he had decided to unlock the door. When he had come to get her out, yell at her for being childish and unreasonable, he was stopped. Upon seeing her seeing her sprawled out on the floor surrounded by almost the entirety of his once perfectly organized library of books, all the anger in his expression slowly started to fade.

"My Elizabeth loved to read too. She used to spend her days lying on the floor of this very room, surrounded by books just like this."

"Who?"

"No one of importance to you, my dear." he answered, simply. However, Frankie was not just going to take that as an acceptable answer. By not telling her straight out, he had turned this woman into an enigma, and Frankie was eager he told her what made this Elizabeth such a secret, "She was my light, my angel, and my salvation from the dark brooding boy that I once was."

"Like in the Phantom of the Opera?" Frankie added, referring to the book she had just set down. Yet not seeming not to acknowledge that she was in a similar situation, as well, and was the light of an angry boy who was in love with her and currently brooding over her disappearance at this very moment.

"Isn't that a bit of heavy reading for a twelve year old?" Dr. Winchester questioned, suspiciously. She simply shrugged off his question meant to distract her from her own and he sighed, "I suppose our affair could be seen as somewhat similar."

"She didn't love you back then?"

"It pains for me to say, even long after her passing, there was someone else who won her heart." he sighed, still sounding very heartbroken although it probably happened over several years ago.

Now, that you're here it doesn't matter, though…

"What was that, sir?"

"Nothing. It's time for you to head off to bed. Run along now."

Frankie obliged, however, made sure she picked up the copy of the Phantom of the Opera as she left. She was keen on going to bed after she finished it. Frankie changed in the bathroom and brushed her teeth, taking her sweet time. After her last encounter with Arthur, she really didn't want to face him. Hopefully, he'd be asleep and she could just read in peace and quiet, without any more confrontations.

Unfortunately, Arthur was sitting there in her window seat in the dim, warm glow of the lantern light. He didn't look angry anymore though, which made Frankie relax a little.

"I know you aren't sorry, but I am. I was out of line."

"It's alright. I probably wouldn't believe myself either, if I were you," she answered, truthfully. It was a lot to ask of someone, to believe in magic when Frankie wasn't allowed to show it to them. Although, she certainly would not have treated someone like she had been treated for the past few hours just because they couldn't prove anything, "I'm not crazy, though."

"Let's just not talk about it anymore." Arthur added, knowing that the more they talked about it, the more they would argue. If they were going to be stuck together for a while, they would need to at least somewhat get along, "You never did tell me who Tom was."

"He's my best friend."

"Orphans can have best friends?"

"It's not like we're a different species, ya' know?" Frankie remarked, slightly affronted from his insensitivity. "He's the closest thing I have to a family."

"You'll see him again someday. I know it." he smiled, although he really did not have the authority to say such a thing or know the impossible circumstances the two were facing. However, it still made Frankie feel supported and re-assured that maybe she would see Tom again someday.

"I hope so…"

Eventually, September passed and time moved through October at just a slow a pace. When she was let back into school, her social status went from laughing stock to bad ass. Everyone was utterly terrified of her, yet she could still hear the occasional whisper about her from behind her back. While her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Jones, opinion of her changed into a softer one. She soon saw that Frankie was not really the same girl she had met on the first day of school and was a sweet girl just horrified by unfortunate circumstances. Frankie's first impression of her teacher's sweet demeanor turned out to be right too, despite how she acted on the first day, she wasn't cruel and strict. She was kind, generous and someone to talk to in this hellhole.

Fridays soon became Frankie's favorite day of the week and not only because it was the start of the weekend. On Fridays, class 2-C got into the habit of reading, The Adventures Tom Riddle. A series of completely fictional stories about a completely fictional boy attending wizarding school, which Frankie may or may not write up every week and give to Mrs. Jones to read. Although, they repelled the idea of someone actually having magic in this world, everyone loved Tom and her story counterpart's adventures with magic. Frankie liked to see them all finally not so filled with hate over something she did, even though they didn't know she was the one writing them.

Soon it was the one day a year Frankie was allowed to express her freakiness in public eye without judgement. Halloween. Dr. Winchester let her dress up as a muggle interpretation of a witch and have her wand out at school, as long as she promised not to skewer people eyes out of people who insulted her. Long black dress that made her look like she was going to a funeral, pointy brimmed hat, broomstick from the cupboard. It was perfect. However, thought it unsafe for her to go wander the streets at night. When she returned back to the house, she would pass out candy for the other kids who came by.

Knock! Knock!

There was a knock on the door just as Frankie came downstairs from putting away her school things and changing into her plaid jumper-skirt for the moment. Children already? It was barely 4 o' clock. Frankie opened the door with one hand, juggling the big bowl of candy in the other. However, when the door flew open, both of her hands had to cover her mouth as she gasped in shock. It was not a group of trick-or-treaters. Frankie came face-to-face with what just had to be someone in a costume. The long greying auburn haired man was staring at her with piercing blue eyes hidden behind half-moon spectacles. Professor Albus Dumbledore was standing at the front door and it wasn't someone in a costume, miraculously. He was real.

"Dumbledore!" Frankie exclaimed, sounding incredibly relieved. He found her. He actually found her. She could go back to her home with all her friends and finally be a witch again. "Thank goodness you're here. I was so scared that no one would ever find me."

"I'm glad to see you are well," Dumbledore smiled back. Frankie hugged him and let the warm familiar scent of peppermint and brandy envelop her. "Oh, yes. I almost forgot. I brought someone with me. He's been rather worried about your whereabouts for the past couple months, so I let him come along…"

Tom Riddle was standing in the gateway of the metal gate that surrounded the house, looking up at the autumn foliage intentionally. Although, he had agreed to come along and wanted to see her safe and sound more than anything, he refused to look over at her standing a few feet away completely unharmed.

"Tom!" Frankie shouted, upon seeing him standing there. She was overcome with joy and relief. He finally decided to look at her and attempted a somewhat kind expression. He was probably still pissed, however, Frankie wasn't about to let that simple fact bother her. She ran and pulled him into her arms. Even if he wouldn't hug her back she would continue to hold onto him for as long as he let her, which she hoped would be a very, very long time. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Idiot!" Tom yelled, thumping her on the forehead, once he was able to break one of his arms loose. She could apologize as much as she wanted, but that wouldn't make up for the years of his life he had lost worrying about what happened to her. However, for a moment, he allowed himself to be un-angered and uncharacteristically hug her back. "I know it wasn't actually your fault, but don't you dare ever scare me like that again..."

"It would seem Annabelle has finally been reunited with her true family,"

Dr. Winchester had appeared from the doorway of the manor, a bit of an unwelcomed presence in the happy reunion. Tom and Frankie broke apart as he slowly approached them with an abnormally happy smile that could not be real. And it wasn't. "I'll be heartbroken to see her go, but by all means you can take her if you're under circumstances that you can properly care for her in."

"Pack you're things. We will be departing soon." Dumbledore answered, sternly, seemingly to intentionally ignoring Dr. Winchester's statement. Frankie and Tom scooted pass them to go upstairs and pack, leaving two old men in a heated glare. When they arrived to the room, Arthur was busy reading a book they had been assigned to read for class. He looked up to address Frankie, but then he realized she was not alone.

"Who's that?" Arthur asked, obviously noticing she was being followed by a boy when she had no friends.

"Tom." Frankie replied, with a satisfied grin.

"He exists!?" Arthur gasped, in clear astonishment of what he probably thought was another lie.

"You thought I was making him up too?" Frankie growled, in frustration. She had honestly not lied once since she'd came here, yet everyone insisted every word that came out of her mouth was an outlandish lie, "Unbe-bloody-lievable!"

"You were right, Frankie. The muggles here are very ignorant. Who is this one?" Tom questioned, curiously, not caring he just insulted the boy to his face.

"Arthur Giry." Frankie answered, not elaborating any further on why he was here or what their relationship had been. She quickly started to fold her things, while Tom glared at Arthur for her, instead of helping like he had planned on when he came up here.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm just surprised. You said there was no way to contact him and that he probably was never going to find you."

"How did you find me though?" Frankie asked Tom. None of the letters she wrote over the past month could've actually made it through and she had been very careful not to use her magic. They couldn't have just guessed where she was.

"Don't look at me. About an hour ago, Dumbledore pulled me from lessons saying that he found you and gave me a stack of unopened letters that apparently you wrote to me. We walked down to Hogsmeade and disapparated from there." Tom answered, defensively, crossing his arms. He had probably been badgering Dumbledore the whole way down to Hogsmeade about the very same question, while simultaneously checking every letter to make sure they were real.

"I guess it doesn't matter." Frankie added, as she put the last of her things in her trunk. She didn't really care how she was found by Dumbledore without opening the letters, or how he'd gotten them in the first place, the point was they had found her and she was going home. Tom grabbed her trunk and she followed behind him to leave, "Goodbye, Arthur."

"Take care, Pidge." Arthur smiled, waving as she turned to address him. She left with Tom back downstairs to find the two men standing in the exact same position they had left them in several minutes ago. Upon noticing their arrival, Dumbledore started to walk for the gate, followed by Tom with her trunk. Frankie, however, had been stopped by Dr. Winchester. He set the copy of the Phantom of the Opera in her hands.

"She would've liked for you to take something from the library and this one was your favorite." he explained. Frankie smiled and clutched the book in her arms. He gestured for her to run alone and she quickly ran back to Dumbledore and Tom, "Thanks for coming, Mr. Dumbledore. Many safe travels."

As Dr. Winchester closed the door, the three were about to finally depart. However, they were stopped of making their magical exit by a real group of trick-or-treaters walking up the path. Eric Whalley and his posse of boys were coming towards them dressed as pirates. They froze at the sight of Frankie, however, Eric was the only one to freeze at the sight of Tom, knowing this boy was far more dangerous.

"Hello, Eric. Did you miss me?" Tom laughed, cruelly, seeing the look of complete terror on his face.

"Back to hell, Eric. We'll see you this summer, if the orphanage hasn't been bombed." Frankie smiled, sweetly, despite what she was saying. The boys whispered. Their leader apparently had met this girl before and was not who he said he was either. She had probably ruined Eric's reputation and was bound to become the new freak when she left. Dumbledore led them a little ways away, but not too far, and they disapparated. It was Halloween, so the rules with magic in front of muggles was a bit wobbly. Frankie wished they got to see the looks of terror and astonishment as they realized that she was really a witch. Their feet buckled onto the cobblestone of Hogsmeade village seconds later and Frankie got a view of the castle in the distance. Finally, she was right where she belonged.

"Did you let your real name or the fact you are a real witch slip at all with your temporary guardian?" Dumbledore asked, suddenly, as they began to make their decent up to the castle.

"Not with him specifically. I blurted out on the first day of school and no one believed me, naturally."

"You went to muggle school?" Tom questioned, obviously want to hear more about that venture then whatever Dumbledore was talking about.

"So, you are certain that man didn't hear your name?"

"Yes. He couldn't have." Frankie answered, almost certain. Arthur was always calling her by the strange nickname he had come up for her. As far as Dr. George Winchester knew, she was Annabelle Giry. Twelve years old, from a family of four in the middle class of London, currently not sick and dying.

They had made it up to the castle just in time for the Halloween feast. All the students were sitting at their house table, waiting for the food to appear. She froze nervously and hid along the wall of the Great Hall entrance. She wanted to see her friends more than anything, but she wasn't in uniform and she had mysteriously disappeared for a month without any contact. If she turned up now, they might even think she's a ghost or something. What if they were mad at her? She had thousands of little excuses that stopped her from going in, but none of those mattered when Tom grabbed her and pushed her through the entrance.

"Go on." he commanded, when she had turned around to question him. He made gestures for her to run along to her house table and create yet another Gryffindor spectacle. He had gotten his moment alone with her and that was enough for him. Now, her friends deserved their moment, despite what he thought about them. Maybe now they felt guilty about not writing her all summer. Tom turned towards his own table, trying to look like he hadn't engaged with her at all, while Frankie slowly walk toward the table, unsure and afraid of approaching them. She still didn't know how to properly announce or present herself to them. Thankfully, for her Rodger Day had not been staring at the shiny plates waiting for food to appear, for once, and had been looking around the room in that moment. He spotted her, naturally, and ran up to her immediately with a shocked and relieved expression.

"Squirt!" he shouted, as he lifted her up and spun her around, "You're alive, you're alive. It's a bloody miracle!"

"Let me go, Day. I-can't—breathe!" Frankie protested. However, he had started the commotion. Dylan and the girls just had to turn and see what Rodger Day was talking about now, the entire house had too, considering the ruckus he was making. Then everyone was staring at her. The other houses stared as well as practically all of Gryffindor table had ignored the magnificent amounts of food that appeared and risen to see their missing member in the flesh. Frankie's year was in the middle of the huddle with her still lifted in Rodger Day's arms. All asking questions, she could not answer all at once. Where had she gone? What she did for almost two whole months? How she survived? However, all Frankie wanted to do was eat until one of the buttons on her blouse popped and go sleep in her bed in Gryffindor dorm.

"Come now, everyone. Frankie is very tired from this ordeal. Let her eat, sleep, settle in and she will possibly answer some questions in the near future." Dumbledore said, appearing from the crowd. They all obeyed their head of house and returned to where they had been sitting.

Thanks to Dumbledore, everything was back to normal for a while. Frankie was able to talk with her friends about the classes they were taking and catch up on all the gossip she missed while she was away, while eating all the wizarding candy she could. It was perfect. Slughorn came by to deliver her schedule, and of course see her safe and sound, so she would be ready to go back to classes tomorrow. Once finished she raced up the moving stairs to the common room, she was eager to sleep peacefully in a room without nightmares. After having to wait for everyone to catch up and open the Fat Lady for her, she dashed straight to the middle bed of their common room, not bothering to even ask if it was still hers. She didn't even bother to change into her nightgown, just sank into a peaceful oblivion.

Well, almost peaceful.

Nunc uiribus esse...

It wasn't exactly a nightmare, just a voice saying the same thing over and over again. One she simply ignored, not only because she didn't understand it, because she didn't want anything to get in the way of her good mood and first day back to classes. Frankie was soon off to Transfiguration, in just of a rush she had been last night. After having to endure muggle school for almost two months, Frankie wanted to actually learn something useful and be encouraged to use her magic, not hide it.

She was a little worried about being behind. Although, she was probably the only one beside Tom that had already read through most of the textbook, she hadn't gotten any practice in. Hopefully, she didn't fail. Dumbledore was an assuring presence and made their task a simple one. Turning a match into a needle. It was an easy transformation. They practiced it when they were first learning transfiguration and was the first thing they had ever had to try and change. Frankie was suddenly confident and said the incantation like she normally would.

Nothing.

She tried again, and again, and again.

"Is everything alright, Frankie?" Tom asked, holding a sharp needle that had been obtained on the very first try.

"My magic is gone."