Chapter 8
...He would say it taught him a valuable lesson: that holding on to things will only break your heart.
- Mitch Albom, The Time Keeper -
It rained for their first week back at Wool's before breaking into a cloudless bright day, but again the rain picked up a few days later. The extended periods inside hiding from thunderous gray skies were punctuated with brief warm weather. The days dragged on for both Jenny and Tom, their school work had been completed after the first week of summer.
Midway through summer break, Tom swung open Jenny's bedroom door announcing proudly, "I've done it!"
Jenny sat up lazily, hair fluttering as the sticky humid air wafted through her room from the open window as it rushed to flood the orphanage hallway. "What have you done?" She asked blandly while setting the worn book she had been reading down.
He paid no mind to her sour mood and continued, "I've spoken to Mrs. Cole and she gave us permission to go to Diagon Alley."
"We haven't gotten our school supplies list for this year yet." She reminded him, reaching to open her book again with a resigned shake of the head.
"No," he explained irritably, "She's letting us go out and walk around town."
Jenny hopped out of bed. "Like today?" She asked eagerly.
Tom sneered, "Obviously."
She rolled her eyes but shot him a wide grin in spite of herself. "Alright, we should leave now."
He bobbed his head in agreement and added, "We need to stop by my room before we go. Radan hates being stuck inside for too long."
Jenny hummed in agreement, following him out her bedroom door. Their childhood pet had been spending most of his time with Tom, she wasn't particularly disappointed about this but she had grown accustomed to the reptilian's company so the sudden absence was jarring. Tom made quick work of fetching the snake and placing him deep in his pants pocket.
The sun was particularly overwhelming as it shone down on their heads. They deposited Radan in the shade of some bushes near the orphanage's front door. Together they move to the rusted front gate, which squeaked in protest as Tom swung it open. Mrs. Cole's head popped out of one of the windows and she called, "Be back for dinner."
Jenny turned back and smiled towards her, replying, "We will." Tom merely nodded in agreement.
They walked in silence down the muggle streets, Tom navigating them by memory back to Diagon Alley. The wind tugged at the hem of Jenny's skirt, the breeze would have been welcomed but the dry, warm air felt like flames from a fire licking at her skin. She sighed deeply as she wilted under the burning sun. Tom scoffed glancing sideways at her, "Stop pouting, we're nearly there," but in contradiction to his scolding, he absentmindedly rolled up his sleeves.
"I wish it were cooler out," Jenny said, partly aware that she was merely whining to get a rise out of Tom.
"It was this or go while it was raining," he shot back annoyed.
She ignored him, pausing in front of a storefront, pointing through the glass she said, "Record players are getting popular. Aren't you curious what they're like?" She looked back at Tom who had crossed his arms stubbornly.
"What muggles are interested in, is no concern of mine," he shot back arrogantly.
"Yeah, but I'm not a muggle and I'm interested," she drily reminded him.
"That's not my fault." He replied coolly, continuing down the street causing the girl to jog after him, sparing a final, longing glance towards the sleek, black record player in the window.
Tom stopped abruptly in front of a pub. Jenny froze behind him and asked, "Is this it?"
He nodded once and pushed the door open, producing his wand from his pocket almost immediately. They weaved between the bustling patrons at the pub, only a few of which were wearing muggle clothes like them. Tom grabbed her wrist as he led her through, impatiently tugging her when she slowed down. They reached the rear courtyard in record time, leaving Jenny gasping for breath. Tom paid no mind to her, as he carefully counted the bricks, muttering to himself, "Two up, three across." Then after tapping the brick three times with his wand, nothing happened.
Jenny giggled as Tom shot an annoyed glare at the wall, "Maybe we're in a Muggle pub and you've gotten us lost?" She suggested teasingly, ignoring the fact that she recognized the inside of the pub.
His face grew red as he pointedly ignored her, hissing to himself, "No, no, must be three up, two across." To Tom's relief after three taps the wall gave way, revealing Diagon Alley.
Their first stop was to Gringotts to collect some money from Jenny's vault. Although neither child had anything in mind that they planned to purchase, the appeal of having the option was too great to pass up. Several goblins eyed them as they approached the counter. Craning her neck up Jenny said, "I'd like to make a withdrawal."
"Your key?" The goblin behind the tall counter asked expectantly, his voice sounding rather bored. Jenny hurriedly reached into her pocket and produced the brass key Dumbledore had given her almost a year ago. She hesitantly brought the key forward as the goblin's scrutinizing stare burned holes through her. The goblin wasted no time snatching it up and looking it over carefully, after a moment he nodded and hopped down from the desk.
Jenny glanced at Tom, who blinked in returned, they had both forgotten how professional and stiff the goblins that managed Gringotts were. The goblin waddled towards the back of the bank leaving the two children to rush behind him, his small legs quickly carrying him to a cart.
They made quick work of traveling below to the Endall family vault and when they re-emerged from the earth, their pouches jangled with plenty of spare money to fuel their afternoon strut through Diagon.
They stopped by several familiar stores they had visited on their first trip to Diagon Alley. Jenny's first purchase was a book on magical herbs, which led to Tom scoffing and muttering under his breath something about wasting time. Jenny purchased several other books as they explored, but Tom, on the other hand, was showing restraint, only looking at a few items and refraining from buying anything. They ventured deeper into the alley than before, no longer tied to a school supply list to guide their path. When they turned down a darker, twisting alleyway, the friendly atmosphere of Diagon Alley withered away.
Tom held his nose up passively as a pair of older wizards eyed the two children as they turned down a particularly narrow walkway. Jenny supposed they could be staring at their muggle attire, but it became apparent that was not the case when an elderly woman called to them, "You two," they froze. The woman was pointing directly at them, leaving no room for questioning who she was speaking to. "Where are your parents?" She said harshly, "Knockturn Alley is no place for children to be wandering about."
Tom shot a friendly smile towards the woman and without missing a beat said, "Our father is waiting for us in there," pointing towards a grey, ragged looking shop that read 'Borgin and Burkes' on the front.
The elderly woman looked at them hard for a moment, then with a final sneer turned back to her own business, apparently believing Tom.
Jenny was frozen looking back towards the cobbled path that had led them away from Diagon Alley, half wondering if she and Tom would need to run back that way. Tom broke her from her panicked thoughts and provided an answer to her wonderings simultaneously as he tugged her arm towards the worn shop he had claimed their father was in. Passively she followed him, allowing her curiosity about Knockturn Alley to guide her.
They entered the shop, the ding of a bell hitting the wooden frame of the door announced their presence. The shopkeeper watched them from behind his table, a twinkle in his eye as he zeroed in on the children, he asked, "What can I do for you two this afternoon?"
Tom stiffly watched the shopkeeper shift in his spot and answered tersely, "We're just having a look around." As he said this he walked behind some shelving, cutting off the line of sight to the front desk.
Jenny glanced towards the shopkeeper herself, almost apologizing to him for Tom's cold behavior, but when his eyes landed on her, she bristled with nerves and scurried around the corner Tom had disappeared behind. She found him thumbing through a stack of old, worn books that had begun collecting dust against the wall. She sniffed as the dusty air collected under her nose. "This place gives me the creeps," she whispered to him, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms that contradicted the sweat collecting along her hairline.
"Stop acting like a first year," he whispered back, distractedly reading the various titles. "Why don't you," he paused to think about a title that had caught his attention, he pulled the book out and set it beside him, then continued flipping through the stack, "go find something you'd like."
"I don't know what they have here," she complained.
"Then go look around," he huffed, annoyance creeping into his voice.
Crossing her arms she marched away bitterly into a different aisle. Her eyes drifted along the shelves, nervously flicking from one object to another as though she was afraid the strange assortment of items would burn into her retinas if she stared for too long. After passing the third jar of what looked like a pickled human limb she decided to head to the front of the shop and wait for Tom by the door. The safe haven of the front door was promptly turned sour as the shopkeeper placed a friendly, if not a bit unnerving, smile in her direction.
"Searching for anything in particular, love?" He asked silkily.
Her eyelashes fluttered for a moment as she floundered to find her voice, it came first as a squeak but then leveled out, "Uh, no. No, I'm just waiting for my friend to finish shopping."
"Such a shame. Wouldn't you like anything? I'm sure the gentleman would purchase you something, maybe jewelry?" He suggested while gesturing over what appeared to be a human skull towards an assortment of old bronze and silver necklaces.
Jenny shook her head, nervously fidgeting with a loose string on her shirt, she answered, "Jewelry isn't really something I'm interested in."
The wizards smiled back at her, resolve in his eyes as he began working on a sales pitch, "There must be something you desire. Jewels? Art? Maybe a box to store prized possessions?"
Before Jenny could think of a polite way to tell the man no, Tom emerged from his aisle, carrying a small stack of books. Placing them on the counter he shot Jenny a careful glance, seeing that she looked shaken he quickly surveyed her to make sure she wasn't harmed. Satisfied with what he saw, he brushed it off as a silly girl thing and produced his coin pouch.
The shopkeeper flipped through the pile of aged books, causing a billow of dust to rise from the pages, "It'll be three galleons."
Jenny looked expectantly at Tom who made no move to produce the money, instead, he said, "I apologize Mr.—" he paused for the man to supply his name.
"Caractacus Burke," he answered gruffly.
"Mr. Burke," Tom amended, "I would be able to do a galleon for these. The books are in tatters."
Burke's eyes flashed with amusement then shot back, "Two galleons and seven sickles."
"I'll do two galleons," Tom answered with an air of finality.
The storeowner rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment then said, "Alright, two galleons." Tom shook the two galleons from his pouch and place them on the wooden counter with a click. Burke greedily slid them into his palm. "Pleasure doing business with you," Burke said with a nod.
Tom smiled pleasantly back and gathered his books, Jenny followed close to him, eager to leave. She looked back into the store before taking her leave and saw Mr. Burke shoot her a wink and said, "You've got a wise friend there. I'd keep him close or he might rob you blind with a smile on his face." He warned her with a laugh.
She blinked and tried to smile back at the man's odd joke, but it appeared more like a grimace. Hurriedly she slipped out the store, stepping on Tom's heel in her rush to place some distance between her and the shop.
Tom hissed in annoyance at her, but his focus was drawn to a shop across the alley. "That woman from before is looking at us," he warned Jenny. "Don't look," he said sharply as he quickly placed his books under his arm and grabbed Jenny's hand, pulling her unceremoniously towards Diagon Alley.
"Is she mad?" Jenny asked nervously keeping her eyes fixed on her feet as Tom led them down the winding cobbled path away from Knockturn Alley.
"I'm not too keen to stick around and find out," he quipped back. "Did you want to go anywhere else?" He asked as he slowed their pace, apparently satisfied with the distance they've made.
"No more adventures," Jenny moaned, "I want to sit in my room and just relax."
"Alright, we best be heading back anyway. It's going to be getting late by the time we make it to Wool's."
The sun was low on the horizon as Wool's appeared in their line of sight. The two moved slowly along the sidewalk, both exhausted from a day of walking under the hot sun. Tom was the first to realize something was amiss. His pace picked up and he tugged Jenny by her hand a bit as he hurried closer to the orphanage.
"Where's the fire?" Jenny asked jokingly, "Or are you just missing Wool's?"
Tom ignored her and said, "I think they have Radan."
"What?" She asked confused, but her stomach slipped into her toes upon hearing Tom's tone of voice.
"Those two kids," He explained hurriedly, "that tall one, he has something in his hands." He was practically dragging Jenny as his pace picked up into a near jog.
Tom swung open the gate as they approached the front garden where the two kids had been playing, or rather, it appeared the taller one was chasing a younger, crying boy around with a snake that looked to be Radan. The tall boy had one hand wrapped around the body of the snake holding it still and the other hand held the head, pinching the jaw of the snake forcing its mouth open.
Tom had frozen, his face was mask-like as he watched the scene play out in front of him. Jenny quickly acted, she took one of her new books and flung it toward him, hitting his leg. He paused in his stride looking over at her, more confused than mad. Abandoning her books in a pile on the ground Jenny bent down picking up a palm-sized rock from the grass and hurled the object at the boy as well. The rock being lighter, flew through the air much more efficiently and smacked him on the forehead, leaving a satisfying red mark.
"Leave him alone," the girl screamed angrily towards him. The boy dropped Radan, who fell out of view into the long grass, and he glared towards Jenny. The younger, sniffling boy ran up and hid behind her, apparently making the assumption she was protecting him.
Tom unfroze for the first time since the altercation, "Leave now and we won't tell Mrs. Cole that you were harassing us."
"I wasn't doing that." He shot back, turning his anger to Tom.
"Three against one," was all Tom answered with, shooting a dark look towards the boy.
This was enough to make up his mind and with a final smoldering glare he stormed back into the house. Jenny pulled her arm from the small boy's grip, who had clamped on to her trying to find some comfort. She bent over to look at him and after he wiped his tears from his cheeks she suggested, "Why don't you go inside and see if one of the older girls will scoop you some ice cream?"
The boy nodded mutely in response, face lighting up at the idea. He ran to the kitchen with no further encouragement required. With the yard now empty, Tom dropped his books with little regard and walk to where Radan had fallen. Jenny following his led approached as well.
Radan's body was indented where the hands had gripped him, it was a shade of black Jenny had never seen on his body before. He rolled and twisted in on himself in what the girl could only guess to be agony. The snake had its mouth open in almost a silent scream, she glanced at Tom and wondered darkly if it was silent to him too.
"Maybe we can take him to a vet?" She asked in a whisper, there was no need to be quiet but it felt appropriate.
Tom ignored her presence and suggestions entirely as he leaned over his childhood friends writhing form. He hissed quietly to the creature, tone almost matching her concerned whisper from moments ago. The snake hissed for less than a second if Jenny hadn't have been holding her breath she might have not been able to hear it herself.
With a solemn nod Tom stood and marched with purpose towards the fence, Jenny stood next to the snake, eyes watching Tom as he bent down to grab something from the ground. When he stood at full height she saw he was holding a large, grey stone, the bottom was moist and flecked with brown from the mud. Tom walked back with a solemn expression, with purpose he stopped in front of Jenny, and drop the stone directly on Radan's head. The mud on the stone mixed with blood, more blood than the two orphans could have imagined would be in their small companion. The writhing stopped almost instantly. She looked up at Tom who had his eyes on the motionless tail.
Jenny opened her mouth to say something, but Tom spoke first, "Gather your things, we best be getting in before Mrs. Cole wonders where we are."
She nodded mutely, unsure what reassurance or comfort she would be able to provide or what he would even accept. The books hard-covered backs were dirtied and scratched from the ground. Brushing a bug off the corner of a book she looked up to see Tom was mirroring her actions with meticulous attention to the cover, inspecting it thoroughly. She opened her mouth again, pausing as a million different comforting nothings she could say flickered through her mind. He again spoke before she could find the words, "Let's go, dinners probably ready."
They crossed the empty space, passing the gruesome scene of their bloodied childhood friend without a glance. As they entered the house, rain began to fall, first slowly, then all at once. Throughout dinner, Jenny's eyes were drawn to the window that was speckled with raindrops, towards the earth that was now been rinsed clean of blood. By the time they were excused from the table, the rain had stopped and she watched as the sun faded behind the horizon. She wondered for a fleeting moment if she would ever be able to enjoy a red sunset again.
AN: Kind of a dark chapter. Second year is coming up here. Thank you for baring with me. There wasn't a lot of information about Tom's first year besides all the that teachers took a liking to him so there was a lot left up to my discretion.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited/followed! It's very encouraging!
