She left the hospital wing in tears, but whether they were tears of joy or sorrow, she wasn't sure. She hurried to his common room (he was in Slytherin, she was in Gryffindor) determined to tell him the news before she lost her nerve. It would only broaden their relationship she told herself, but the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her otherwise.

At the portrait hole to the Slytherin common room, she waited patiently for a Slytherin to pass by. When a tall boy came to the passageway, she asked, "Could you get Tom Riddle for me?"

"Wish I could," the boy replied, "but he left last night."