February, 1940
Victoria and Eleonora walked the halls of Hogwarts arms linked with Eva standing between them. Victoria had Eva in a potions class first year, and befriended her as a lab partner. Their group had slowly gained a few people, since everyone had a different schedule with different people.
"It's too cold," Eva whined, clutching Eleonora and Victoria closer to her small frame.
"You would think we'd be used to this crap after four years," Victoria muttered.
"I thought Chicago was the polar vortex," Eleonora added. They turned a corner, seeing Isidore approaching with his Slytherin scarf covering half of his face.
"Can we just skip practice today?" Isidore groaned with a shudder. He, Victoria, and Eleonora were on the Quidditch team as of their second year at Hogwarts. Isidore's natural ability landed him the position of a seeker, and the girls were chasers.
"That sounds like a good idea," Eleonora replied.
"I know you guys are cold, but you have to go. I promised cookies for you guys after practice, remember?" Eva told them.
"Do you think I can transfer to Hufflepuff? I'd like an oven in my common room so I can just nap in it," Isidore said dryly.
"You'd burn alive," Victoria said, then he raised an eyebrow and bluntly asked, "so what's the downside?"
Eleonora laughed at his dark sense of humor, and he said, "I'll go if Eva insists."
"If you expect to sample the cookie recipe I just found, you have to earn it. I'm not making you do anything," she said to him. He gave her a grin, then she looked away shyly.
"Keep them warm. Let's go," he said to the girls. Eleonora winked at Eva before following Isidore and Victoria to the Quidditch fields. Eva sighed once they were gone, and she jumped when she turned around to see a Ravenclaw friend of hers named Elaine reading in the corridor next to the hallway.
"Elaine, you scared me! I didn't see you," Eva said. She closed the book, standing and stretching her arms.
"Oh, surprise. I didn't realize you guys were there for a second anyway," she said, waving the book in her hand.
"Why are you reading here? You must be cold," Eva said as they began walking. Elaine shrugged, and said, "but it's quiet here. I can only take so many literary analysis debates in the Ravenclaw common room."
"Ah, I see," Eva said, staring ahead of her as if she was deep in thought. Elaine turned her head, observing Eva with her gray eyes. Elaine was a pretty girl that towered over Eva by seven inches, and kept her straight brown hair in a bob at the base of her neck with side bangs.
"Alright Elaine, spit it out," Eva said, making Elaine chuckle.
"Those cookies, I'm excited to try them. I think Isidore will like them. And it's conveniently February 14," she said.
"They're for his birthday, since it was two days ago. We were all preparing for an exam, and he insisted on not celebrating it. And it's a coincidence that we pushed it to Valentine's day," Eva muttered. Elaine smiled sweetly, and said, "Eva, it's not."
Eva stopped walking for a moment, looking out the window. Elaine followed her gaze, and they saw the Slytherin Quidditch team soaring through the air doing training exercises.
"Maybe it's not," Eva admitted. Elaine watched Isidore catch a quaffle that flew out of bounds, and said, "what are you so worried about?"
Eva twisted a strand of her golden hair, saying, "It's just hard to tell sometimes. I love Eleonora and Victoria, but they're on the team with him. Eleonora and Isidore have the same sense of humor, and she's so pretty. Victoria is too, but her personality's not as close to Isidore's as Eleonora's..."
"Eleonora knows you like him," Elaine told her. Eva nodded, saying, "I know. I just don't know how he sees me versus her."
Elaine smiled, saying, "don't worry about it too much. Does Isidore treat you any differently than other girls you see him interact with?"
"Not really. Actually, a little. He's himself, but less caustic and a little more quiet. I must make him nervous if he feels like he can't be himself around me. But I love that side of him," Eva said with a frown.
"You think so?"
Elaine put her arm around Eva's shoulders, saying, "I think it's a good sign if he seems a tad different."
"Why?"
"He's probably toning down his cynicism because you're so different and he's self-conscious about it. If I'm right, then that means he's making an effort to seem nicer in front of you, and not the rest of us."
Eva thought about what Elaine was saying, and sighed.
"You might be right, but I won't get my hopes up. It's hard to tell. It just feels like every girl in this school likes Isidore or Tom."
"Yeah, it's true. I'm over it with the glares we get on a daily basis."
"To be fair, when you glare back, you're terrifying," Eva said quietly.
"What?! How so?" Elaine exclaimed, then Eva snorted with laughter.
"Glare at yourself next time you're in front of a mirror. And you're tall."
"Well, the world is a scary place, I'm just toughening up a little," Elaine said defensively with a hint of a smile. Eva tried to smile, but Elaine could tell something was still wrong.
"What is it? I can tell something's bothering you, Eva."
Eva leaned against the wall, saying, "It shouldn't bother me, but something does. I wish Isidore would tell us what really happened with his family. He just tells us he's orphaned and will tell us one day, but it's been three years. Even Tom Riddle opened up about how he's an orphan, though it took him a year and a half."
"It must be really hard for Isidore," Elaine said on his behalf. Eva nodded, lightly gnawing on her bottom lip for a moment.
"Do you think he trusts us?" Eva finally asked, and Elaine shrugged.
"I think so. I know him well, but feel like I barely know him at all sometimes," Elaine admitted.
"I don't think you need to worry, Eva. If he isn't telling us, there must be a reason."
"I know. I just hope he's okay. I want you guys to rely on me when you need it," Eva said, then Elaine pulled her into a hug.
"I know, I promise I will," Elaine said.
"Do you think Eleonora knows anything? That girl's sometimes accidentally read my mind," Eva said. Elaine agreed, remembering Eleonora has a natural knack for legillimency. She sometimes loses control of it, typically when she gets exhausted from studying or when her mind is trying to distract her. It was even to the point where she could project what she saw into the minds of everyone around them. This happened once in a study group, when Eleonora accidentally broke into Elaine's mind as she contemplated whether the letters s or c were silent in the word "scent." It caused everyone in the study group to fixate on it for the next ten minutes.
"Probably not. I get the feeling Isidore's taken precautions to not think about his past in case that happens," Elaine told Eva.
"Wait, Eva," Elaine said suddenly. Eva raised an eyebrow as Elaine said, "what day is it?"
"Wednesday," Eva said, feeling confused at Elaine's nervous expression.
"Crap, I forgot to do my transfiguration assignment and I have class in an hour," she cried.
"What?! It's three pages, Elaine!"
"I know! I got caught up reading my book and was going to give myself all of Tuesday to do it!"
"Elaine, don't procrastinate!" Eva said, snapping into a voice that made her sound like a mother scolding her child.
"But the book is so good," Elaine whined as Eva pushed her down the hall to get to the library.
"Unlike the grade you're going to have if you don't finish it!" Eva replied.
"You don't understand! I'm obsessed with the main character's romantic interest-"
"Stop obsessing over fictional boys!" Eva snapped back, then Elaine dramatically wailed, "never!"
"I've been sucked into reading too, but you have to manage it around your schoolwork!" Eva scolded, making Elaine pout.
"Eva, please help me!" Elaine begged. Eva huffed, then said, "I'll help you with it, but you can't copy."
"Thank you!" Elaine said happily, then the two girls scurried down the hallway to work on the homework.
The two girls finished Elaine's homework, and Eva went back to the Hufflepuff dorms as Elaine ran to class. She began baking, as promised, still thinking about Isidore. She always saw him joking and in a relatively good mood, but could tell he was hiding something. She knew this secret bothered Isidore, and that bothered her. She knew he was an orphan, along with his sisters, and that he didn't get along with his father. She didn't know anything about his mother, and presumed her to be dead. His last name is Lestrange, and as a muggle, Eva learned that the Lestranges were an aristocratic family with power over the ministry. She knew there was plenty of information she could research on them, but knew it would upset Isidore if she did it without his permission.
Throughout the rest of the evening, she did homework and impatiently awaited for dinner in the Great Hall. Time passed slowly, and at 5:30, she took her bag with schoolwork and red velvet cookies, heading to the Great Hall.
Everyone met ten minutes early, as agreed, carrying hand-made cards since their supplies were limited for gifts during the school year. Isidore's friend Gryffindor friend, William, joined them. He was the first to spot Eva, and waved to her.
"Hey everyone," she said, sliding onto the bench across from William and Tom while everyone greeted her
"Where's Victoria?" Eva asked.
"Stalling Isidore," Eleonora told her, then they heard, "can we drop the blindfold? I'm obviously in the great hall."
They turned around to see Victoria pulling Isidore's arm.
"You don't know that, the stairs are loud too. Hurry up!"
"Then why aren't we going up or down the stairs?" he asked dryly, then Victoria stopped abruptly, not realizing she was already at the table. Isidore naturally didn't see this, and slammed his knee into the bench, hissing, "ouch, that fu-" and stopped himself.
Eva stood up, taking off his blindfold, and his angered expression face softened when he laid eyes on her smile.
"The blindfold wasn't my idea, but happy birthday!" Eva said, motioning to everyone with their cards behind her. She handed him the box of cookies, and Isidore asked, "wait, they're red velvet cookies?!"
Eva nodded, then he blushed looking away shyly, and said, "thanks everyone."
He sat next to Eva, and everyone began dinner as he read through his cards. He held up one card in particular, then William began to laugh.
"Is this yours?" Isidore asked sarcastically. Everyone laughed, seeing a red card with pink and purple sparkles glued all over it, and hearts drawn all over the front.
"It's a Valentine's and birthday card. You're welcome," William said.
"This thing is brighter than the sun," Isidore said, shaking it so the sparkles shimmered. William winked sarcastically, then Isidore rolled his eyes with a smile and opened it. A bunch of cut-out hearts fell out of the card onto the table making everyone laugh again as he shook his head.
"I poured my heart into that," William said, and Isidore picked up a sparkly heart. He noticed it weighed more, from the glue, then flicked it and hit William's forehead with it, making everyone laugh.
They let Isidore finish reading the cards, and he said, "thanks everyone. Seriously, this was so nice of you. Everyone should take a cookie, Eva made lots."
Isidore opened the box, and everyone took their own cookie. The mail arrived simultaneously, with an owl swooping down and dropping four letters in front of Isidore.
He glanced at the addresses, quickly filing one behind the other three, and placed them with his other cards.
"Who was that?" Eva asked, unable to help herself.
"Just family wishing me a happy birthday," he said with a charming smile, hoping Eva would buy it.
"Ah, I see," Eva said with a more annoyed tone than she intended. Isidore noticed, looking back at his plate sheepishly. Elaine noticed the discomfort among everyone, exchanging a look with William.
"Hey, when do you think our Transfiguration grades will be ready?" William asked, as the most outgoing of the group to change the subject.
"Hopefully by Friday. I think the last class takes the exam on Thursday," Eleonora chimed in, picking up on William's tactic. Luckily, it worked, with everyone going back to discussing classes.
After dinner ended, they all got up to head back to the dorms. Isidore walked close to a window in the hallway, looking outside as Eva silently walked at his side. He stopped, then said, "is everyone free for a bit this evening?"
Everyone looked at each other, nodding or shrugging to Isidore.
"Eleonora, I'm going to need to borrow your insanely powerful legillimency for a bit. It's time I told you all the truth about my family," Isidore said. Everyone was silent from shock, staring directly at Isidore as he avoided their eye contact. Eleonora felt her heart lurch, staring at him sympathetically. She caught him look up at her for a split second, his beautiful blue eyes displaying sadness she hadn't seen since they were seven years old. He suddenly looked way to his left, and Eleonora found Eva looking at her shoulders with a slight frown. It was indeed another moment that Eva felt distant to Isidore, seeing his closeness with Eleonora went beyond what she had with him.
Eleonora answered his request with a simple, "okay."
"Thank you, Eleonora."
Isidore turned, looking around for a moment before nodding everyone to look to his left.
"Let's sit in the courtyard outside. I know it's cold, but I really don't want anything to be overheard."
They all followed Isidore outside, putting on their scarves and gloves and sitting on the edge of a fountain. The stars gleamed in the winter dark sky, and they faced the beautiful archways of the castle's outdoor corridor. Isidore stood back up, removing the letters from his robe pocket, looking at the addresses again. He fanned the cards so everyone could see all four of them in his hand, still hiding the addresses.
"This card is from my sisters," he said, pointing to the one on the left, then followed in suit for each card.
"Our guardian, my mother," he said referring to the next two. He took the last one, tossing it on the ground, then removed his wand and aimed it at the card.
"Incendio," he said, and it erupted into flames.
"That one's from my father," he said, turning back to see everyone's shocked expressions.
"The addresses," he continued, holding up the card from his sisters.
"This is from the person we live with in London," he said, then paused and bit his lip. His shoulders were stiffly hunched, and he stared at the ground looking almost as if he was in pain.
Tom's eyes narrowed curiously. He thought, it seems more serious than I thought. He can't even speak.
Isidore finally raised his head a little, but still couldn't make eye contact with anyone as he said, "And my mother's letter came from Azkaban."
William, usually able to say something comforting, was speechless. Eva felt as if someone sat on her chest, almost as if she couldn't breathe.
What's worse? Dead, or a notorious criminal? Tom thought, feeling an unusual sense of confusion. He felt for Isidore- the second time he's ever felt similar to someone in his entire life. The first time was with the girl sitting next to him, reluctantly but excitedly revealing the face of the dragon in her arms.
Eleonora was the most shocked, with images of a malnourished young boy with his sisters clinging to him. He was alone, carrying that burden all these years and trying to fend for himself.
No wonder, he trusts people even less than I do, she thought.
Isidore displayed the address of the letter for everyone to read. The letter had beautiful cursive handwriting, with the address indeed saying it was from Azkaban.
"So, the reason I called you all out here was to let you see my past with Eleonora's gift of legillimency," he said, trying to sound lighter in tone. Everyone was staring at the ground or their laps, the weight of the bad news heavy on their hearts. Isidore couldn't look at them, turning his face to say, "And now, Eleonora, work your magic. It's time you all know how my family split apart."
"Sit, Isidore," she said, standing from where she had sat. He obeyed, taking the empty spot, then she slowly approached him. He stared at the ground sadly before looking up as she stood over him with her eyes glowing a bright green. She then bent over, her face a foot away from him as she rested one hand on his shoulder. He almost shuddered, sensing her power, which then turned into a state of calm.
She raised her left hand, inching it to his face.
"Are you ready?" she asked, and he nodded, never breaking eye contact with her. She then reached the hand to his head, and whispered something in a language none of them knew.
Immediately after, everyone felt themselves looking at the landscape of a beautiful mansion somewhere in Illinois.
They all saw a much shorter and younger version of Isidore, sitting with toddlers in the grass. He was watching a beautiful young woman, who looked a lot like him- his mother. She looked sad as she was hanging freshly washed linens. Her long black curls flowed in the breeze, and she wore perfectly-applied makeup despite being at home all day. Her slight frown was easily spotted with the bright red lipstick she wore.
"What's gotten into her today?" A maid much closer to Isidore asked another. He turned his little body, looking up at the two women leaning close to each other.
"I wish I knew. I'd say something important happened for her to dress up, but she always is dressed to the nines," the second maid whispered back, nodding at Theodora's expensive red dress. It was red, beaded with a coordinated headband, truly making her the face of an aristocratic 1920s woman. Aside from her hair, which she refused to cut short. Her makeup was her signature since her Hogwarts days, her eyeliner always perfectly winged and eyeshadow smoothly blended against the blue in her eyes.
"Oh, no wonder she's glum! It's that Cornelius Lestrange- be quiet, he just arrived!" one said, pointing to a car that was pulling down the street. They then scurried over to the gate to greet the car driving him into the property. Isidore's younger sisters ran up and hid behind his arms. They all lined up by the door with straighter posture, and a man in a dark black suit approached them.
"Hello father," Isidore said, and the girl offered clumsy curtsies, as expected of toddlers. He man gave them a cold stare, and said, "good afternoon, children." Isidore shifted his eyes down to the ground from the man's cold stare.
"Ms. Theodora Gaunt," he began, and Isidore's mother froze turning toward the man. She walked toward him, standing behind her children with perfect posture as she rested her hands on Isidore's shoulders. Isidore could feel his mother's long fingers clasping them, helping him fight the strong urge to run far away from the man in front of him.
"I'm taking the children. My wife has found out about our previous relationship, and it'll give her some peace of mind if she meets them and raises them-" he began, and the children froze. Theodora loudly exclaimed "Excuse me, raise them?!" His expression hardened, lifting the cane he was carrying. She stepped back in defense, eyeing the weapon disguised as a walking aid.
"Exactly that. She's a jealous woman, and doesn't appreciate the fact we have many children. She believes her heart will soften seeing their adorable faces every day," he said, squatting low and pulling Isidore's cheek gently. Isidore fought the urge to cry from the fear he felt with Cornelius's empty gaze.
"But what about me? I've been raising them without you- you can't just yank them away and expect them to go along with this. There's no way they're going!" Theodora protested, her voice raised.
"My wife will be pleased to know about me being honest with her about our previous marriage. They are Lestranges, and must be raised in my household estate. Not here in America. I guaranteed her a family, and new necklace should probably be enough to satisfy her too." Theodora just stared at the man in shock, and her children all gaped at her. They never had seen an argument in-person before, and were not accustomed to seeing their mother looking angry, disgusted, and cold.
"Money, that's your answer?" She spat, and he shrugged motioning to the house and saying, "it was enough to keep you quiet."
"Not at all, it was my children that kept me from wringing your damn neck. Should've done it years ago," she growled, feeling her normally placid temper growing stronger with each passing second.
"Please, Theodora. I would have thought we were past our school spats. We were married, after all."
She gritted her teeth, not having a response to his words. Yet she loathed him, and the way he looked at the children in front of him like they were pawns on a chess board.
"Anyway, if you insist, I can buy you something. A car, another home-" he began to say, nonchalantly but was quickly interrupted by her temper snapping.
"Don't go there, all I want is to be rid of you with my children by my side! I've tried to leave but you trap us like prisoners! You are such a piece of-" she cried, then clapped her hands over Isidore's ears.
"I've heard the word 'shit' before, mom," he said, then her jaw dropped as she gasped, horrified of what her five year-old wearing a cute little suit and bowtie just said.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" the twins chanted, then Theodora whirled around and cried, "none of you ever say that!"
"It seems my children have the wrong woman influencing them," Cornelius told Theodora, then she looked back at him with a scowl.
"Mom's only said it once in front of me," Isidore piped up, and instantly regretted it. Cornelius gave him a strained smile, and said, "that doesn't surprise me. You must have inherited your father's eidetic memory."
Isidore gulped, having no idea what that word even meant, and Cornelius returned his focus to Theodora.
"Better that I slip up once than for you to take them as pawns. You just want your wife's approval and are using the kids to look better! What, so they can take on the Lestrange family name and live like the psychos you all are?! I promised Evander that they would be like him, not like you!"
Cornelius's expression immediately darkened, giving Theodora an overwhelmingly strong urge to run. He looked dangerous.
"Then maybe you should've married him," he answered, and Theodora cried, "I wish I had! Why did I even think to date you throughout school and then marry you?!"
Isidore looked up at his mother, her beautiful features twisted with rage. Her face was reddened from anger, beginning to match the crisp lipstick she wore. He looked back to Cornelius, seeing the man giving her a bored smile, as he said, "I'll call my personal bodyguards to take the children-" then heard a hiss in Parseltongue. Snakes in the backyard approached, then Cornelius quickly cowered back.
"How are you a Parselmouth? You were in Hufflepuff!" he cried. She took a step closer, coldly staring him down as a response. Once she saw the fear in his eyes, she yelled an attack in Parseltongue, and the snakes launched at the man's legs. He fell straight to the ground, and Theodora moved to stand in front of him, sending a chill down everyone's spine.
"Mom-" Isidore began as she extended her wand to the man on the ground.
"Stay back," she barked, and Isidore froze with his sisters clinging to his arms. She made eye contact with Cornelius, and calmly said, "Crucio."
The silence from their placid outdoor setting was then filled with agonized screams. He wailed and writhed in immense pain, making Isidore's sisters scream and begin crying. Isidore's mind went blank, tears welling in his eyes from fright.
Who is she? he desperately cried in his mind, not recognizing the merciless woman standing in front of him. She did not smile, only stared Cornelius down, her glare exponentially more ominous with each passing second.
The curse's effects lasted for about two minutes, then his body finally began to relax as he gasped for air.
"That's enough- you'll- be joining your uncle- and cousin in Azkaban," he gasped, and Theodora snapped back to reality. She had been so consumed by anger that she didn't realize what she had done until it was too late. In a panic, she turned to see her kids frightened by her as they stepped back with quivering bodies.
"Isidore?" she chuckled, a forced smile on her face as she tried to be her normal self. She reached a hand forward to him, and he jumped back as if he was startled, pulling his twin sisters with him. Tears escaped her beautiful eyes- the same ones she was staring into that her son inherited- and she smiled with another attempt to soothe him.
"Isidore, honey?" she said, her pleasant voice sweet but shaking with worry. Isidore didn't answer her or move; he only stared at her like he was betrayed.
As if things weren't bad enough, Cornelius's new wife sprinted out of the parked car, screaming "let me out!" to the driver. He leaned on her shoulder, and she gave Isidore's mother a look of pure hatred.
"You heartless bitch! I hope you rot in Azkaban for the rest of your days," she said, then they began walking back to the car.
"Those kids, I want them out of my sight! Just looking at them makes me think of the their crazed Gaunt mother," Cornelius snarled. His personal bodyguards began to walk toward the children, and they ran to hide behind the maids that had been outside.
"Mr. Lestrange? Any direct orders for us?" One of them asked motioning to his other kids. He looked at them, then said, "they aren't my responsibility- they're not my kids, and not hers anymore! Just arrest her so we can turn her in!" Then he turned his back and got in the car slamming the door shut.
Isidore's mother was suddenly binded by a spell, arms suspended behind her and her feet hovering off the ground. Her fair skin was completely devoid of color, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry, I love you," to all of them. Isidore's last memory of his mother were her beautiful blue eyes welled with tears, telling him she loved him. Then she was gone.
The memories faded to Isidore taking charge for his siblings, who were living on the streets. He was determined to expose the Lestrange family name, and was able to save money for his siblings to travel to London by them doing housework in the wealthy neighborhood they used to live in. Then the memories turned into his days of living with a man who took them in after Serafina gave them money. The Lestrange children would sing out in the cold for some spare change, and as they went back to his apartment for soup. They saw snippets of Isidore as he grew older, his eyes growing colder with each memory until he tried to make his sisters smile, sang, or when he ate with their guardian.
Isidore cut off the memories and everyone was back in the present, staring at the dark sky illuminated with stars. The shock was so extreme, everyone remained silent for a while. All that was audible was Elaine's quickened breathing as she tried to hold back tears, and Eva's quiet sniffles as she cried. Eleonora was still standing over Isidore, and he stared at her unnerved expression, feeling her hands tightly holding him.
"Theodora?" Eleonora whispered, remembering her mother mentioning a friend that "moved away" named Theodora. Isidore gave her a puzzled look, then Eva moved next to Eleonora. She faced Isidore for a moment, then bent down for a bear hug. Eleonora stepped back, giving them some space as her brain raced with thoughts of her mother's friend.
"I'm so sorry," Eva said, feeling guilty that she was upset with his secrecy. Now she and everyone understood why he was cynical and mistrusting of people, and acted like an adult more than a boy his age. He had to grow up young, and keep it together for the sake of his sisters.
Isidore remained quiet, shutting his eyes as he processed what just happened. He felt nervous, yet a massive sense of relief. His past plagued him for so long. As difficult as it was to face, it felt better than he expected to finally let it out. He hugged Eva back, clutching her as if her touch was his lifeline.
"Thank you, Isidore," Eva whispered, squeezing him tighter.
"I'm alright," he replied, and she said, "we're all here for you."
"I know. That's why I decided I could tell you guys about this," he said gently.
The others talked to Isidore, offering their words of comfort and support. Eleonora noticed Tom seemed a little distracted, like he was deep in thought yet observing them at the same time.
He must be thinking about who his family is, she thought. Indeed she was correct, as he knew nothing about his parents other than his mother had died in childbirth. He had no idea who his father was, or if he was alive. If he was, would he be another version of Isidore's father? Or would he provide him a comfortable life with the same love Isidore's mother had shown her children?
He had always found aspects of his personality similar to Isidore, but figured out the key difference. Isidore had people he loved, and who loved him. Tom, despite seeing his group of friends around him, felt as alone in that moment as he did back at the orphanage.
Something else bothered Tom more than him feeling lonely. He heard Isidore's mother's name, Theodora Gaunt. She spoke in parseltongue, and shared his mother's maiden name.
"Tom?" he heard, then turned his head to see Eleonora. She had moved away from the group, walking over to him after noticing his detachment.
"You alright?" she asked, and he nodded.
"I'm fine. It's just... Gaunt is my mother's maiden name."
Eleonora's eyes widened, and she silent for a moment.
"What?" she finally said, and he nodded. She pieced it together, and said, "you might be related?!"
He nodded, then they saw William heading toward them. She gave Tom a look, saying, "you better talk to Isidore tonight."
Tom nodded, saying, "I will," before William reached them.
They all headed back to their dorms a while later, and Eleonora continued to the Slytherin dorms with Victoria, Tom and Isidore once everyone parted.
"Isidore," Tom began.
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry that happened. I wouldn't want to talk about that either if I was you. I hope you can see your mother again soon. She seems wonderful."
"She's the best," Isidore said with a sweet smile, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.
Once they entered the common room, the girls said goodnight and headed to bed. Eleonora looked over her shoulder, seeing Tom walk with Isidore to a table with a chessboard and two chairs on either side. They sat down, and she felt relieved that Tom was already going to talk to him about the Gaunts.
Isidore... I hope you don't have to hide anything from us anymore. Your smile can be sad at times, I knew you were pretending. I just never knew it was about something like this, Eleonora thought, staring at the dark window next to her.
She laid in bed, praying things would go well for the both of them. They could both use some good in their lives.
A/N: Isidore's past is a sad one... I shouldn't have favorites, but he's one of my favorite characters. And yes, he can sing. It wouldn't seem like someone as quiet or aloof as him would, but he can. :)
I dumped some more character (I know, it was sudden) but you'll get to know them over time. They're a fun group of people.
Also, my bad- they're fourth years. I think I said we were skipping to fifth year, but I goofed on that.
Anyway, please comment. Thank you for reading!
