The Tale of Tom,

Chapter Three: The Bicycle

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Tom stared in shock.

"It's yours, dear," Miss O'Flan said, smiling.

Tom didn't trust his voice to speak. Right in front of him was a bicycle, maybe it wasn't new but Tom didn't care. It was his.

"Consider it a 'Congratulations on getting into Hogwarts gift.'"

"Th-th-thank you," Tom said, trying to contain his excitement.

"You can use it to get to Diagon Alley."

Tom looked confused. "Dia-what?"

"Diagon Alley, the group of wizard stores."

Tom said a silent "oh" and nodded. Then something struck him. "But, but Miss O'Flannery, I don't know how to ride a bicycle."

"Don't worry, you'll learn fast enough. But you can't start immediately anyway. Some of the gears are misaligned and the tires are a bit flat. But I figured you could fix it."

Tom nodded and his face broke into a smile.

"So I guess you like it?" Miss O'Flannery said with a mischievous smile.

"Yes, Miss O'Flan!"

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"Ow!"

"Are you all right, Tom?"

"Yeah," Tom's voice dropped a bit. "Stupid bike." He nursed his hand for a bit before he decided to try again. Note to self, he thought, keep hands away from where the chain meets the gear.

It had been several days since Tom had received the bicycle and it was progressing very well. He had managed to fill the tires full of air without an official pump and re-align one of the gears. It would be ready for riding as soon as he got the chain back around the gear. The chain was proving to be painfully stubborn. There was, of course, still the matter of him learning to ride but he wasn't too worried about that. Tom had a very good sense of balance.

"Do you want your lunch out there?"

"Yes, please," Tom said, standing up. He figured it wouldn't be a good idea to eat with oil and grease on his hands.

He went to wash his hands and splash some water on his face. It was getting warm out.

"Here, Tom," Miss O'Flannery said, handing him a plate with a sandwich on it.

"Thank you, Miss O'Flan."

"Miss O'Flan! Miss O'Flan! Can I join Tom in the backyard?"

"Sure, Rose." Tom felt himself smile at Miss O'Flannery's response.

"Hi, Tom! I get to eat outside too!"    

"That's good," Tom said walking toward the backdoor and pushing it open. The term "backyard" was used loosely. It was more a small patch of dirt than anything. But it was still fresh air.

"It's like a picnic," Rose said, taking a bite of her sandwich and smiling happily.

Tom smiled at her endless optimism, and they ate in silence for a while.

"Does it work?" Rose asked.

"Does what work?"

Rose pointed vaguely and said, "The bicycle, of course."

Tom sadly shook his head and said, "Not yet. I'm having trouble getting one chain connected. It keeps pinching my hand."

"I can try," Rose said earnestly.

Tom smiled, "It's okay, Rose."

"No, really. My hands are smaller so it might be easier for me."

Tom thought. It did make sense. "All right, go ahead."

Rose quickly ate the remaining part of her sandwich and said "Which chain?"

Tom set his plate down and walked over to the bicycle. "This chain," he held the chain up, "To this gear," he pointed to the gear.

"Okay," Rose replied as she started trying. Tom went back to finish his sandwich. He had barely touched it when Rose yelled out, "Did it!"

"Really?" Tom asked, excited.

"Yeah!" Rose said smiling.

Tom ran over, touched the chain, and moved the pedals briefly.

"You did it Rose!" Tom said, smiling and hugging her.

"Hey, Tom?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I try?"

Tom smiled and replied. "Of course!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Tell you what, I'll hold it steady while you pedal, that way you won't fall."

"Okay," Rose said, smiling.

"Here, we should get it out to the street first," Tom said lifting the bicycle up. "Oh wait," he said, grabbing the rest of his sandwich and cramming it in his mouth. "There!" he said, causing Rose to laugh.

"Miss O'Flan?"

"Yes, Tom,"

"Rose and I are going to go outside to try out the bicycle."

"Okay,"

Tom grinned at Rose as they stepped outside.

"You ready, Rose?" Tom asked as she got into the seat.

Rose nodded and started pedaling. Tom let go and she kept pedaling.

"I'm doing it, Tom! I'm doing it!"

Tom smiled and his heart swelled with joy.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Tom Riddle, etc. No copyright infringement intended, you get the idea.

A/N: The third chapter! Sorry for such a long wait but I hope you enjoyed it.  If you want to know when the next chapter will come, check my profile. I try to leave a note as to what's going on.