"Tom?" Rebecca asked, looking at the quiet Muggles praying. Tom blended into the Muggle crowd easily, but Rebecca said afraid of bumping into people. "I don't think this is right." Tom turned around.
"Trust me, Rebecca. Just on this one," Tom promised, and Rebecca nodded, pulling the Cloak off of her back. Her wavy, almost-black hair fell onto her shoulders, and her green eyes sparkled in the daylight. Her skirt fell around her legs, and her shoulders began straight once again. Tom just stared at her in amazement, and she looked at the floor shyly.
"Oh stop it, Tom!" she said playfully. She made herself become stern again. "Come on, if you are planning to finish it or not." Tom nodded, leading her to the front. A priest greeted them, seeming to know Tom.
"The good days, Tom," the Muggle priest said joyfully, and Tom forced a smile. Rebecca blushed with embarrassment, feeling as if she was interrupting a discussion.
"Frederick, or should I say Brother Frederick? Rebecca and I would like to get married," Tom said seriously, and Rebecca looked at him in horror. You're pulling me out of a marriage, and you want ME to get married to YOU? But Rebecca just smiled, afraid that Tom would yell at her if she spoke out. Tom turned around and his eyes became red. Rebecca felt her heart jump in fright. Tom smiled at her, and his eyes became the beautiful hazel it once was. Rebecca convinced herself that he was probably really tired and his eyes were bloodshot. But she couldn't help seeing the blood-red pupils in her head.
"Well, Madam Rebecca. If you step up right here," Brother Frederick said, and Rebecca blinked stupidly. She saw Tom smiling at her from the altar, and she smiled back.
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"She what?" Kristen cried, looking at Dumbledore and Dippet in horror. Mark's expression was the same.
"She disappeared last night," Dumbledore repeated calmly. Kristen fiercely brushed away tears and she was able to speak again.
"I knew I should have watched her," Kristen said, holding back tears. Dumbledore took her cold, small hands into his warm ones.
"Tell me, Kristen. What happened to her?" Dumbledore inquired.
"I-I don't know. Sh-she used to be s-s-so quiet…and s-s-so caring a-about her s-s-schoolwork. A-And after C-Christmas, she began acting odd," Kristen said, her voice stuttering. "S-She used t-to become f-frustrated in the m-middle of doing her h-homework. She couldn't c-confide into m-me anymore-re, n-nor Mark. S-She be-began disappearing o-out of view, and sh-she'd sh-show up an h-hour later."
"Do you know anything that happened between her and the Head Boy, Tom Riddle?" Dippet asked, seeming to want to engage more in this confession.
"Sh-she s-seemed to h-hate him so much," Kristen said bluntly. "I-I think the only th-thing happening between them w-was hate." Mark shook his head, and Dumbledore turned to look at him.
"I-I, I'm sorry to interrupt, Professor and Headmaster," Mark said, looking at the floor in shame.
"Any bit of information is necessary, Mark. Please tell us," Dippet said, coming to first-term on names. Mark nodded.
"I was down at Hogsmeade back at around Christmastime. Rebecca disappeared for the second time that week, and it was really weird. I was sitting inside The Three Broomsticks, and I saw Tom and Rebecca talking cheerfully in a small corner. I'm not sure if this is correct also, but at around the end of the Christmas Ball, I saw Rebecca being led out by a man. I was walking down the outside corridor that day, and I heard shrieks from Olga about Tom kissing a..umm…Mudblood, who is Rebecca." Dumbledore nodded as he heard Mark explaining everything, and Kristen's jaw remained open.
"I need you two to come up to Headmaster's office. The password is Toffee. And please be dressed appropriately, for Rebecca's parents are there," Dippet said, standing up. Dumbledore nodded and looked out the window, and knew that Rebecca wanted to be free like the birds.
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"Tom?" Rebecca asked, sitting on the steps of the church. "How are you going to get back? What on Earth am I going to do?" Tom nodded and pulled out a long chain from his neck. A Time-Turner was sitting on his palm.
"I have a place for you here," Tom explained. "I don't think you want your parents or your 'fiancé' to find you." Rebecca nodded.
"I think you could find a small job easily, but you...erm…might have to cut your hair and look different," Tom continued, and Rebecca nodded.
"But I'll be back here every night, I promise," Tom said. "As soon as all the commotion at school calms down, you might as well be forgotten. No offense, that is." Rebecca continued to nod.
"And once I graduate, I might be able to find a job at Hogwarts or perhaps the Ministry. Then you can join me there," Tom said, planning his future in mere minutes.
"And…I guess there'll be kids," Tom said, ruffling his hair. Rebecca nodded, only this time more slowly.
"You and I might be separated for probably two days at most, but I'll be back here," Tom said, standing up. Rebecca stood up and listened to Tom's instructions of a back road so she could reach her new home.
"I'll be back tonight," Tom promised, leaning forward and kissing Rebecca on the forehead. Rebecca shuffled her feet and began descending the hill. Tom watched her as she walked down the cobblestone sidewalk and into the boarding house. Nodding, he turned his Time-Turner three times.
The sky became dark again, and the stars shimmered. He saw himself down a bit below, Rebecca hiding from view. He lifted his wand, and in moments, he was gone.
