My mind seemed to reel as Tom and I laid in bed that night.
Mental exhaustion seemed to be wearing me down.
Yet, I couldn't sleep as I thought more and more that something else was missing here.
Something didn't make sense. Something was missing. We could all feel it.
It was now the beginning of August. Each of us had yet to finish making plans to travel.
Molly, however, wanted Tom and I to get married before any of us left.
Meaning have a small ceremony before anyone moved away, and after a private discussion between Tom and I.
We both agreed that was for the best. Especially, if we didn't know how long we would be gone for.
I had recently found out James had acquired a house within Godric's Hollow.
I knew he wanted to help in the search, but Lily was still recovering from the labor and delivery and needed to rest.
Dumbledore had thankfully helped them, since it happened to be located next to his childhood home.
It was just after midnight when I settled into a tired, dreamless slumber.
Sadly it only lasted a short while.
As I felt Tom wrap his arm around my waist and pull me closer to his body as he slept, I felt sleep once again leave my mind.
"What's wrong, darling?" He asked me, suddenly.
I jumped in surprise, as I heard his voice thick with sleep, realizing that he's been awake with me the entire time.
"My mind won't stop reeling. Every single detail that was stolen from our minds, it- it's just— it's as if we grew closer. But there's something else that is missing here. We did live in those orphanages for more than a couple of years. Something is missing here. Something neither of us knows about..." I answer softly, feeling as he began to trace small patterns on the exposed skin of my thigh with his fingertips.
"Hm. Feels like it, doesn't it? I was actually wondering the same thing. My head feels as though it is full of cotton. As if I'm missing something vital, and very important, as well." he replied.
Images of us together suddenly made my skin overheat.
"Are we actually going to do this?" I ask him, attempting to change the subject.
"Do what?" He asks, confused, as he props himself up on his elbows to look at me, over my shoulder.
"Get married within seven days, of course." I answered back, watching his face for a response.
"Seven days? Why is that?" He asked me, sitting up fully now, to stare over at me.
"For three reasons, actually. One, after this week, all of us will be going our separate ways. Two, I'm not entirely sure when we'll be able to see one another like this again. Three, we leave for Albania come Sunday morning." I explained.
"Albania? Of all the places to begin. Why there?" He asked confused.
"Honestly, Tom, if there is any hope to defeat Nikolai, we're going to need one of the most sought things in our world. Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem." I assert, softly.
"You mean the lost diadem? The one the gray lady stole from her mother before she died too?" He asked, in disbelief.
I nodded, sitting up to look at him straight in the eye.
"How are we ever going to do that?" He muttered, disbelief still thick in his voice.
"I've been studying the last known locations to the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, The locket of Salazar Slytherin, the Helga Hufflepuff's cup, and as I mentioned before Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem." I explained, "Our friends are going to look for the other two. While we're in Albania." I sighed.
"When did you start this search...?" He asked, bothered.
"While I was in South Wales. Just before I had the twins..." I muttered.
He nodded. "There is only—wait you said two. What have you already found?" He questioned.
"It's...the locket," I whispered.
"Where?" He questioned.
"Borgin and Burkes. The owner has it in his possession...he was about to sell it. To a descendant within the Hufflepuff line. I stopped that transaction before it could occur." I replied, smiling at the memory.
"Borgin had the locket?" He asked surprised.
"Yes, he said a heavily pregnant woman sold it to him, almost twenty years ago, to be more specific nineteen years ago," I explained.
The color drained from his face as realization of my statement sunk in.
"You— you mean my mother?" He asked, shocked.
I nodded, in response, turning to watch the bassinet rock calmly back and forth.
"How exactly are we going to be getting from London all the way to Albania?" He asked, doubtfully.
"The Leaky Cauldron, of course." I say, looking at him, stoically.
"You've found a way to get past all the trackers haven't you?" He stated, thought sounded more like a question.
"I have. Dumbledore is one of the two people who know where we all will be. Along with McGonagall. Apart from there, no one else will know. I took the trackers off of every one of us when we were at the safe house. If someone is tracking us, they won't find anything. It'll just lead back here, to London, no specific place, just London." I explain.
"Besides, with Ted Tonks working within the Ministry of Magic along with Dave and Corbin what could we possibly have to lose." I add with a shrug.
"Who has the Locket?" He asked, looking at me with a raised brow.
"It's safe," I muttered, evasively.
'Anna, seriously, where is it?' Tom thought, looking at me unblinkingly.
'I hid it. Within the Slytherin Dormitories. Back in Hogwarts.' I thought sighing.
"No one but the Bloody Baron knows. It's safe. Until we get back, of course." I whispered.
Briefly, after we finished the conversation, we both fell asleep in a warm embrace.
Come morning, we were woken up by Bellatrix storming into the room. Looking carefully around the room.
"Thank Merlin, they're actually asleep this time." I heard her mutter in relief.
Before she proceeded to jump onto me a moment later. Knocking the wind out of me.
"Wake up! We're all here! Gathered downstairs! Hurry up!" She screeched jumping on the bed as she did so.
A whimper was heard from the crib.
"Oh great, you've woken Adley up with your ruckus," Tom complained, his eyes still closed as he spoke.
I shook my head amused and swatted his shoulder. Before I proceeded to getting out of bed. I slowly made my way to the crib, picking Adley up before she woke up Arlo with her tiny cries.
Tom groaned tiredly from the bed, throwing off the blankets as he stretched before sitting up. His cropped hair sticking up in every direction.
We both made quick work of changing the twins' clothes and diapers.
I fed them, and they put them back in their crib watching as they fell asleep.
After changing into an asymmetrical, black skirt and a gray wrap-around sweater, I quickly tied my hair into a loose bun. I had just finished pulling on my shoes when Tom pulled me out of the room.
We were met in the sitting room, by all our friends.
"My, my. What a sight to behold. Is there a particular reason why you're all tense at this time in the morning?" I asked after we entered the room.
"That would be me." A familiar masculine voice spoke from the corner of the room.
Causing me to tense up as we all turned to see who it was.