It was a chilly December morning. Tom lay blissfully asleep in the Slytherin common room, not hearing anything because of the quietening charm he cast last night. Unbeknownst to him, his housemates were getting up, which was unusual, because they never really had a great sleep schedule. Tom was always the first one to wake up. Though, it was understandable that he wasn't the first today, because it was the day that the quidditch match would take place.
Tom never liked quidditch, often thinking that one could spend their time better than watching a simple game unfold. If it weren't for professor Slughorn continuously insisting that he show up, he would of most definitely stayed in the common room. It wouldn't do good for the model student to miss quidditch when his own house was playing, wouldn't it now? But even considering those things, it was currently Saturday morning after a long week of work. It felt good to take a rest, especially in a bed this comfortable. The duvet was so warm that it felt like he'd freeze if he took it off.
Salazar Slytherin would certainly be rolling in his grave because of this.
Not long after, Abraxas and the rest of the Slytherins marched upstairs and began chatting. Tom stared at them with squinted eyes, disappointed that they were already up and dressed in quidditch robes. When they left, Tom removed the quietening charm and reluctantly got out of bed. He made the bed and made his way towards the bathroom. It always bothered him when everyone left their beds a mess. Was it that difficult to be tidy? After adjusting his hair, he put on his clothes and robes. He returned to the bedroom and exited the common room.
They'd have a short practice session right before the game itself. It would be rather chaotic, considering the fact that the other team also had to prepare. Knowing his housemates, he reckoned that a fight would break out between them.
Tom was walking around Hogwarts, waiting for the game to start. He'd occasionally pass by the pitch to see what was happening. Of course, there was a heated argument on who booked the pitch first, the Slytherin team demanding that the Hufflepuffs leave. They looked serious and intimidating, but in reality, they were hilarious, Tom thought. No one actually knew how to be intimidating, just loud and noisy while pretending to have a stance.
Aside from that, Myrtle wouldn't be showing up to quidditch today. She didn't really have a house to root for nor was she interested in quidditch. He wouldn't go looking for her either right now, because she was certainly still asleep. Tom was still astounded by her ability to sleep past noon, often urging her to improve her sleep schedule. But, as long as she woke up on time to go to class on time, it was still fine.
While walking, he came across a circle of his teachers nearby. He contemplated passing by them or just taking another path. If he did decide to pass by, he'd certainly be stopped and coaxed into talking, especially by Slughorn. He didn't want that. Those conversations always tired him, but he cleverly covered up his disdain with a fake mask of enthusiasm. But now there was no need for that. He didn't have any benefit out of it anymore.
Why not, Riddle? It wouldn't hurt to gain a little bit of knowledge out of them. You've grown so weak.
Hearing this in his head, he abruptly made his way beside them. Only, he wasn't so lucky.
"Tom!", he heard a voice call.
He wanted to just make a run for it, but that would be too out of place and impolite. Instead, he forced himself to turn around and greet them.
The one who noticed him, and called after him, was obviously Slughorn.
"Hello, professor Slughorn.", he said with all the calmness he could muster.
"Looking forward to the game, Tom? I'm sure that we're going to win. We have the best assemble of players, after all. Catch up to the Ravenclaws in terms of house points with this match, even if you're mostly the reason as to why we have a lot of points."
Tom listened with a straight face while thinking of a response. It would be wrong to ruin his teacher's enthusiasm, even if he wanted to see Abraxas fall off his broom. Plus, his teacher made positive remarks regarding him. He'd try to make up a positive response.
Like that time you asked him about horcruxes, Riddle?
"Thank you, sir. I'm sure that we will win. After all, we have the best trained and equipped team in Hogwarts. Their training wouldn't be wasted.", he said.
"How are you, sir?", he asked, not knowing where to lead the conversation.
"Oh, thank you for asking, Tom! Regular old classes, the usual. I'm rather excited about today's match, can't wait for even a second longer! And what about you, Tom? Is there something new in your life? I have noticed that you and... what was her name? Mrs. Warren have become quite inseparable. It's always beautiful to see a friendship that strong.", he smiled.
Tom's face went from pale to cherry red in a matter of seconds. How did he know about this? Why did he mention this? It made Tom's thoughts stagger in place. He broke eye contact, his eyes starting to dart around.
"Y-yes, sir. I have become rather good friends with Mrs. Warren. How did you come to know?", said Tom as he fiddled with his sleeves.
Slughorn let out a laugh.
"How did I come to know? You two are behind every corner in the school almost as if you are glued together!", he said cheerfully.
"Though, I must give credit to my friend, Albus, since he told me that when I asked about you."
"Ah, Tom. I reckoned it's finally time for you to make some friends.", said Dumbledore as he smiled.
Tom turned to look at Dumbledore, his expression changing in a second. His mouth was gaping and he looked as if he wanted to murder the man on the spot.
"Aw, no need for that look, Tom! We're just glad that you made a friend, even if you have loads in your own house!"
"Right, Albus?"
"Exactly, Horace.", he replied.
Though he replied like that, Tom could tell that he was lying. He knew that Tom's housemates hated him. But Slughorn being gullible ate it up and was satisfied at the conformation. He was oblivious to that fact. After all, a Malfoy heir could do no wrong.
Nevertheless, he continued the conversation.
"That aside Tom, did you know that our commentator is sick and..."
Tom stood in front of him, wondering in what kind of rabbit hole he had ended up in.
After what felt like an eternity, Tom managed to talk his way out of the conversation. He barely managed to contain his annoyance this time.
How are you doing Tom? What are you... what do you plan... do you expect this or that... It was getting all the more repetitive.
Well, by pretending to like conversations and appearing friendly so that he could manipulate people, he did set himself up for this. His past actions just couldn't leave him alone.
As a final request from professor Slughorn, he got the task of checking on the pitch of the soon starting game and reporting if every thing was ready. Tom knew that wouldn't be the problem. If anything, he would just find the two teams fighting.
Tom stood behind the entrance of the pitch, watching the commotion unfold.
"P-please, just... refrain from doing that. You don't want me calling the teachers here, don't you? So please, stop-"
"Yeah, yeah, Mapleleaf, just leave us alone. We've got business do to. Go to your little Hufflepuffs and convince them to leave, would you now?", Abraxas said.
Tom rolled over his eyes over that remark. It would be better if he intervened.
He started walking towards the pitch.
"But we booked it first!", he said as he reached in his pocket and grabbed a scrunched up paper.
"See? Conformation from professor-"
Abraxas snatched the paper out of his arm.
"What is this? Some poor attempt at faking a professor's handwriting? It's not even in cursive! Try harder next time."
He threw the paper right in front of the Hufflepuff prefect, who was beginning to lose all hope in taking control.
"What's going on here?", Tom asked.
Abraxas flinched as he spoke. He didn't need yet another annoyance on the pitch. Quickly removing his look of worry, he began to speak.
"Ah, look it is! First it was the quidditch wannabe of Hufflepuff, then the mudblood who never touched a broom in his life!"
"Tom! Thank heavens you're here, I was just going to-"
Ignoring him, Tom came closer to Abraxas and looked him dead in the eyes.
"Stop this little scene this instant, or I will personally make sure that you won't see the light of day ever again from that forest."
"Very threatening, Riddle. I think you're-"
His confidence fell apart when he saw Tom draw out his wand. Even he knew he couldn't win a duel against him, or even with everyone else supporting him.
"Good. I'll be telling our professors that you've been practicing in peace, without any slight disagreement. You better keep up with that act. Wouldn't want to make me seem like a liar, would you?"
As Tom walked off the pitch, Abraxas sent nasty glares behind his back.
Tom was sitting on the quidditch pitch, waiting for the game to start. The sooner it passed, the better. The game hadn't even begun and the Slytherins were already busy cheering. Out of all of the Slytherins, only the head boy wasn't cheering. How ironic.
The referee was on the quidditch pitch, ready to start the game. The two teams were anxiously clutching their brooms, only Abraxas seemed to break that rule. He was sure they were going to win, there was no way they could lose, after all. Tom, on the other hand, had a gut feeling that they would lose.
On the count of three, the referee released all four types of the balls into the air.
As usual, the snitch scurried away into invisibility. The good, or bad news, was that the quaffle was in the Slytherin's hands. Tom wasn't rooting for either of the two houses, the reason being that he didn't want to see his housemates celebrating and gloating. They hated him, anyway, and the feeling was mutual. The loss wouldn't mean anything to him, because he could win all the housepoints his house needed by himself.
One goal for Slytherin. The crowd suddenly erupted, causing the stadium to shake. It was so sudden that it surprised Tom a little bit.
Hopefully the game wouldn't drag out for too long, it was getting annoying pretty quickly.
The Hufflepuffs were determined to win this time. It was a long time since they won against any other house. This team had strong coordination, acting more like a team than the Slytherins, who in most cases wanted the glory to themselves.
Hufflepuff scores three goals. The snitch is nowhere in sight.
The game kept dragging on and on, and Tom was too bored to concentrate on what was happening. Instead of that, he preferred to review the course material for the 5th year.
All of a sudden, the Hufflepuff seeker noticed the snitch and began to race towards it, with the Slytherin seeker following shortly after. The crowd gasped. But, while their eyes were on the seekers, they didn't notice what had just happened.
It appeared that Tom's prediction came true.
Abraxas was struck hard by a bludger in his face, falling off his broom, only keeping himself on it with a tight grip from his arm. From what Tom could see, his nose was bleeding, and it was probably broken. He got on his broom again, took off his glasses and started clenching his face, trying to stop the bleeding. Surprisingly, he contained the pain really well, not letting out any sounds of pain, except for the yelp when he was struck. Even Tom had to admit that it looked painful.
Abraxas insisted that the match go on, despite repeatedly told that his injury was too much. He simply didn't care and his stubbornness ended up convincing the referee to continue the match as it was.
The Hufflepuffs felt bad for this, even if they were playing against them.
Four goals for Slytherin. The match was getting tense, and for a period of time, neither team managed to score against the other. It was like the Hufflepuff team started to feel bad, losing a bit of their lead, while the Slytherins pushed harder because of what happened.
If all of that wasn't enough, the snitch appeared once again. The Slytherin seeker had spotted it first, and the Hufflepuff seeker chased after him. Soon after, the Hufflepuff seeker was at his tail, determined to take the snitch. The crowd ogled the two seekers, leaning from the fence of the seat rows.
The gold tint in the air seemed to vanish, and a raised hand stood in the sky.
Groans and screams erupted near Tom. It appeared that Hufflepuff had won.
Tom let out a sudden snort. This situation was so ridiculous. Since the seekers were so close, the Slytherins insisted that it was foul play and demanded a rematch. That, of course, wasn't the case, and the match was over.
Reluctantly, they made their way down the seat rows with the saltiest looks Tom had ever seen.
"Rweally? I get my nwose broken because of a bluwgger and you still dwon't dwo anything after that! Awll of this was for nwothing! When dwo you think we'll have another chance at compweating!?", Abraxas shouted with blood coming out of his nose.
Tom observed the situation from afar, not wanting the attention directed at him. His lips quivered from containing his laughter.
"Hey, Marvolo, what happened while I was asleep?"
Marvolo? That was new.
"Spying, are we? What are you looking at?"
"Take a look.", he said while moving away from the corner.
The moment Myrtle peaked, she instantly wheezed.
"You mwudbloods! Dwon't you have anything better do to than-"
"Ahaha! The look of sheer horror on his face when he looked at me! How come all of these things happen when I'm not around!?", she said as she turned around to face him.
"Tell me, what happened in the match?"
"Hufflepuff had won by catching the golden snitch, my housemates threw a fit because of it, and Malfoy got his nose broken by a bludger. In summary, it was boring. I would of slept longer if I had the choice."
"That sucks. I know that it would be odd for the head boy not to show up for the match of his own house, but they shouldn't be in the position to force you."
"At least I won't have to worry about it since my house lost. I'll coax professor Slughorn to let me go next time."
"That should be easy. I've seen three classmates lie about doing their homework and he didn't bat an eye! So oblivious..."
"And gullible.", Tom added.
"So, when did you wake up?"
"Now. 10 minutes ago. Just in time to meet you after the match.", she said as she stretched herself and yawned.
"So around 10? You're improving.", he smirked.
"Yeah, yeah, it's the weekend, why shouldn't I sleep longer?"
"And when do you go to bed?"
"Never later than half past eleven, wake up at 7. What about you?"
"I uh... go to bed at 2 in the morning. Maybe even 3 sometimes!"
Tom let out a sigh.
"I'm glad you're not a prefect."
It was the last day of the first semester. Tomorrow would be the day that he finally returned home. Normally, he wouldn't want to leave Hogwarts for anything else, preferring to stay and study. But now, he wanted to go home as soon as possible. The feeling of homesickness was becoming to large to handle.
He was packing his bags for the morning, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. There wouldn't be time tomorrow anyway.
"What's with the rush, Riddle? The train leaves at 8 AM, not 12 AM..."
He ignored the remark. Huh, it appeared to be lacking something...
"...mudbloods and their conception of time..."
Ah, there it was. It wouldn't be Abraxas Malfoy without the use of that slur.
Still, he couldn't care less. He finished packing, leaving only his pajamas and his black coat. It was currently around 9 PM, and almost all of his classmates were half asleep. But, in a weird way, he was feeling very energetic, probably because of all of things he was going to do tomorrow, and now. He couldn't wait to see James and Eliza, introduce Myrtle to them... Speaking of Myrtle, she invited him to the astronomy tower at half past nine. It appeared that she wanted one last interaction before they went home. It wouldn't really be a problem, because they both lived in London. They weren't even that far away, thankfully.
But what about her family? He did ask her about them, but she gave short answers and never really talked in depth about her parents. All he knew was that she was a single child and that her parents were deadly strict. Well, he'd certainly learn more when they finally arrive.
Buttoning his coat, he stepped outside of the common room and head for the astronomy tower.
"There you are! Come over here.", she gestured.
Tom immediately ran up to her.
"Let's sit over here-"
Before she could finish, he pulled her back by her arm.
"Rather not, it's cold enough as it is. I don't want my behind to get frozen."
"Behind! Is it that difficult to say a "bad" word, Tommy?", she laughed.
"No, I just don't like using them. Such words are beneath me, and you, for that fact."
"That's what I have always been told. ,,Don't swear, Myrtle, you're a young lady! They must be this and that at every moment and they mustn't this and I just COULDN'T get enough of that, hah!"
"I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want you to drop to the level of Malfoy, or any other Slytherin bigot. You're so much better than them."
"I know you didn't mean anything like that, it's just... UGH! I keep getting those awful memories, I'm so sorry for lashing out..."
"Don't apologize, you can talk about whatever's bothering you with me.", he smiled.
"I know, but no one likes having to listen to someone's whining. It becomes bothersome after a short time."
"Well, I'll never get bothered if that person is Myrtle Elizabeth Warren..."
"Oh, stop being so cheeky!", she chuckled.
"On a serious note, you have no idea what you're subjecting yourself to."
"I do, and I don't regret it.", he said softly.
"Alright, where do I start then...? You mentioned that you were excited to see your parents...? James and Eliza, right?"
"Yes, continue."
"What are they like? Are they a bit strict? More on the kind side? Well, actually, considering they adopted a teenager, I would consider them to be very kind people."
"You're right about that one. If you decided to turn up to their apartment at midnight, they'd surely take you in. They would really like to meet you, and they kept asking me about you, but I think that it's best if you meet them in person."
"Really?", she curiously asked.
"Why is that?"
"It's because... because they were really happy that I found someone. I've never really had any friends besides you..."
"Well, did they miss the chance. I'm honoured to be your first friend.", she smiled.
"And am I your first friend?"
"As unbelievable as it sounds, you weren't. But that of course doesn't mean that you're not the best...", she smirked.
"Or maybe I never had any friends, just fake ones..."
"Who?", he asked in a strangely demanding tone.
"Do you want a list of them?", she asked.
"Everyone was my friend, but at the same time, no one was. I just hate how two sided people can be!"
"And to top it all off, my apartment building almost got blown up by a bomb! Thankfully, it hit a building a few block away, but it was enough to give both my parents such a fright that they didn't allow me to go outside for all of the Easter holidays... I still don't get their reasoning."
The Blitz. Tom had remembered it like it was just yesterday. The feeling that ate him alive, the fear of being eradicated like he never existed. He was at Hogwarts for most of that period, but there was always that lingering fear of it just dropping above him in the middle of the night and completely tearing him apart. And to think that his best friend could of had that exact same fate he was kept awake by...
Myrtle was taken aback when Tom hugged her. But, she still hugged him back twice as tightly.
"Still as scary to think about, but it's past tense. We're both very much alive and together."
"...Are you okay, Tommy?", she asked, feeling him slightly trembling.
She has never really seen his weak side, or any of his suppressed emotions, come to think about it. Hopefully he could keep that up.
"Yes, it's just... the memories about the Blitz. Nothing severe."
Myrtle turned to look him in the eyes.
"What happened?"
"Nothing happened, it was just my fear of a bomb dropping on the orphanage, you've had it much worse."
He did not like this feeling. It wasn't because of Myrtle, but the feeling of being weak. He didn't need anyone to fuss over him, could handle it all by himself.
"Okay, I won't ask you more questions about it, if it brings back bad memories..."
"Just don't refrain from telling me things that are bothering you, okay? If you listen to anything I say to you, then I must do the same."
"Right.", he nodded in approval.
"If it makes you feel better", she said,
"My classmate once gloated on how she could cast a patronus charm. I don't really know why she learned it, because there are no dementors nearby, but she really wanted to rub it in our faces. Olive Hornby wanted to get her way by casting it herself, by instead made herself look like a fool. Actually, she is more than a fool, really. Anyway, she fails, of course, and then I mocked her. Stupid Hornby thinking that she could do it. But then, their attention somehow turns to me, and I'm left with the task of casting the spell! I tried and tried, but nothing came of it. I can still briefly hear their laughing... Funny how I told you this in hopes of making you feel better, but I just made you feel worse and even myself! But, you'd show them, how it's-"
"I wouldn't."
"...Why not?", she asked, confused.
"Because I also can't cast it."
He could do almost anything, really, but this charm has always been a mystery to him. He rarely thought about it, never considering it useful. It is said that those with and evil and twisted minds would get their flesh eaten by maggots if they dare cast the charm. With his head buried in stacks of books about the dark arts, it's no surprise that he never tried it.
"Have you ever tried it?"
"I didn't. The charm has a really limited use, and is frequently performed just as a means of showing off."
That was one of the reasons, but certainly the least important. He didn't want to die in such a foolish way by his own hand. But, he almost didn't consider the fact that he had no happy memories to fuel the charm itself. His past twisted obsessions with inflicting others with pain certainly wouldn't help either.
"I am a little surprised that you don't know it, but I understand. I certainly wouldn't be able to do it after spending almost my whole life in an orphanage."
"Maybe we could try it now, actually. I doubt that it'll be any different now, though. I don't even know what my patronus is!"
She took her wand out of her pocket while Tom eagerly watched, taking a moment to think.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Much to their surprise, light started to emanate from her wand. Myrtle gasped in surprise.
"It's working!? Let me try again!"
"Expecto patronum!"
This time, she managed to cast a corporeal patronus. It flew in the night sky, and it appeared to be taking the form of a...
"It's a bat!?", she said,
"I wasn't really expecting this, but it's so interesting! Amazing!", she squealed.
Tom was too stunned to speak. It was the first time he had seen someone perform the spell successfully in front of his very own eyes. He was also becoming curious, was there more to this spell than he originally thought?
"Try it, Tommy, if I could do it easily, you could do it a million times better!"
"By saying that you cast it easily, it instantly makes it hard."
"But you're so much better at magic than me. Without you, I wouldn't even get to a higher level and realise how much I could do. It's easier than it looks, trust me."
He could try, but he was worried about the consequences.
Do it, Riddle. Let your skin be consumed by maggots, digging into your flesh, destroying every part of you...
"I'm not so sure about this, Myrtle, I've never tried it before."
"Oh, come on! Do you know who you are? That's right. Tom Marvolo Riddle. Hogwarts' head boy, prefect and best student. What else do I need to say?"
"If you're not so sure about it, I'll help you, though I don't know how I'd manage help you with the magic part itself... But I can give you uh- moral support!"
"Actually, if you don't want to do it, I won't force you, that would be wrong of me to do..."
He would do it without thinking much of it, but what if it turned on him? What if he still wasn't considered mentally sane enough to do it? But, surely, those last few months couldn't be ignored. He thought about his actions daily, regretted past ones and fought his inner darkness everyday. This had to make a some sort of character change, this had to indicate that he was at least a little bit better of a person. Enough for the charm not to kill him... Apart from that, it would make Myrtle happy.
"No, I'll try."
He took out his wand and started to think. The incantation and wand movement wouldn't be a problem, but he also needed happy memories to fuel it. Luckily, he did have happy memories now, quite a lot, actually. But, before he begin anything, he noticed that his hand was slightly shaking. He dismissed that fact and continued to concentrate.
He had to think about happy memories. The memory of getting adopted, it was quite a shock. He thought that he was a lost cause, but apparently not. His parents managed to see something light, even in a person like him. To make him feel... loved. A concept he did not understand at that time. The memory of meeting Myrtle, a girl that approached him just because he showed her basic human decency. Even if the reason was kind of sad, he was happy that it lead to them meeting and developing such a strong bond. She made him realize just how mundane and boring his previous school years have been. Instead of searching seemingly endlessly for dark magic, he'd laugh with her, help her with magic, celebrate everything with her, have a good time in general. And now, they'd surely have an impact on him for the better.
"Expecto patronum!"
A bright light shone from his wand, blinding both of them momentarily. Like Myrtle, he didn't know what his patronus was, but his best guess would be that it was a snake, because of a plethora of reasons.
"Look, it's a snake! You did it, Tommy! I'm so happy for you!", she said as she hugged him.
It really was a snake, then, which wasn't a surprise. But, the surprise was that he actually succeeded in casting it, even producing a corporeal patronus. The thought that he would die by casting it seemed like a distant dream now. Instead, an uncharacteristic smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you so much, Myrtle, I don't know if I would of succeeded without you...", he said as he hugged her back, still in disbelief of what happened.
,,Aw, everyone needs a little moral support then and there, but I did the minimum, you were the one that did everything.", she said.
,,Also, a snake? I know that you're a Slytherin, but I didn't really expect your patronus to be the symbol of Slytherin. But, it's still a very unique patronus. That wily little serpent, he's a cute one~", she smiled.
After that, their conversation seemingly turned into a never-ending rabbit hole. From their families, to drinks, to how good they were in muggle school, the rising number of plum trees in London, and number of yellow cars they had seen. It was the most bizarre, but also one of the most fun conversations they'd had.
They were talking and talking, but they didn't realize how quickly time was ticking. Too distracted by the snow that had started to fall. A little snowdrop came by and fell right on top of Myrtle's head.
"Finally, I've been waiting for this all December! I hope that it snows a lot this time, so that we can bombarde everyone tomorrow."
"We get to practice our aiming, hopefully you can improve yours after last time... honestly, you don't need that much practice."
"Try using your wand for efficiency, I reckon it's easier that way."
"Eh, I'm used to throwing them by hand, but I could try it."
"We'll be the deadliest duo in Hogwarts tomorrow! I'm actually feeling pretty exhausted right now, and I don't really know why. What time even is it?"
So, he wasn't the only one that felt tired. He reckoned that it was around 11 AM right now, nothing more than that. He shot a quick glance at his watch.
Oh, how wrong he was.
"It's... 2 AM?", he said, surprised.
"It's no wonder that we're tired, we should have been in bed at least two hours ago!"
"What an awful way to spoil the fun... I'd stay, but I don't know how I'll wake up tomorrow..."
"Well, what if you didn't need to wake up this time?", she said suggestively.
"Dying in my sleep doesn't sound like a fun experience, Myrtle. Besides, who would you help you snowball tomorrow?"
Without her even saying anything, Tom could see the ,,Are you serious?" plastered on Myrtle's face.
"Okay, I'm sorry.", he laughed.
"Seriously now, if you don't get any sleep, you won't even remember your own name tomorrow, or rather, today. I don't like this either, but it's for the better. Besides, we've got plenty of time to spend together over the holidays, so this won't be that big of a loss."
Myrtle's soft smile faded from her face.
"Don't-"
"You don't get it, I won't be able to go out as much..."
"Why not?", he asked.
"Just- just don't go, okay?", she pleaded.
"Don't worry, I won't leave you alone that easily."
"It was just a suggestion."
"But we might have to go inside because of the snow, my coat is already covered from it...", he said.
He tried to push away the reasoning behind her response, but it just couldn't leave his mind alone. Why? What was happening at her home? But, he couldn't question her by force. It wouldn't accomplish anything. Besides, he was also never the type of person to gladly answer to personal questions.
Tom and Myrtle stood in the courtyard, blankly watching other students snowball each other. They had only split up to take their luggage. Even then, most of their housemates were still sleeping, only the first and second years seemed to be awake.
"Why are only these little kids awake? I want better competition!", she said.
"It's only 7 AM, Myrtle, they'll come around soon."
"Hopefully the Hufflepuffs aren't the first, almost none of them deserve to get snowballed by us. Gryffindors are mostly okay, except for stupid Olive Hornby. Ravenclaws are also quite irritating, don't get me started on the Slytherins... the only good person in that house is you."
"Actually, I'll think I'll... warm up right now.", she said with a grin.
She crouched down and picked up a little bit of snow. But, instead of making a perfect snowball, she tripped on ice. This prompted the nearby children to laugh at her, while Tom quickly helped her up.
"Little kids and their giggles, I hate them so much."
"Maybe it's better for us to wait inside, by the time they wake up, the train will already be gone."
"Alright, we're going to wait for some familiar faces to show up and then go outside again."
"Sounds good. But, before that, I don't think that those children will have the last laugh..."
He took out his wand and blew the nearby snow in their direction, causing them to scream, trip on the ice and cough.
Myrtle watched in awe as they screamed out of terror.
"That was brilliant! I've got to try that when they come..."
"There she is, there she is! Let's get her!", she hissed.
Careful not to trip this time, she grabbed a small amount of snow and made it into a snowball. Then, she carefully aimed.
"There's the familiar brunette hair I know! Watch me get a bullseye, Tommy!"
She threw the ball, confident that it would land. But, she unintentionally threw it too high, hitting the back of the head of a certain half-giant. Tom grabbed her by her wrist in that exact moment, pulling her behind a corner.
"Oops, didn't mean for that to happen, ahaha..."
"I think this lack of sleep is causing my inaccuracy, but it's now or never.", she said as she turned to the exit.
"Don't. Wait a little more so that they don't think it was you."
"Yes, thank you for the reminder. But I think that it'll be more fun if we don't have the fear of getting caught.", she said as she reached down for another pile of snow.
"Like THIS!"
Tom wasn't expecting a blow to the face this fast, almost falling down on the ground. Spitting out the remaining snow and wiping his face, he spoke:
"Thank you for fully waking me up again, Myrtle. But I reckon that you need an awakening as well...", he said with a grin.
Myrtle screamed as he threw a snowball at her, feeling a breeze just beside her head. In a second, her frightened face turned into a grin.
"Ha! You've got to try harder than tha-"
She got silenced by a snowball that hit her square in the face.
"Talk less, Myrtle, you'll have better results that way.", he added softly.
"That's it, I'm going all out on you!"
Instead of just throwing another snowball at him, she kicked some snow off the ground right at him. In the meantime, she threw a snowball at him, but missed. He took that opportunity and hit her on the arm with one. She then threw a pile of snow at him, not even bothering to shape it. He narrowly dodged it, returning the favor in the same way.
"Since when did you become this good!?"
The fight continued, though they put effort into shaping the snow now. There were so close to hitting someone by accident multiple times. One such snowball, violently thrown by Myrtle, hit Abraxas on his back, making him flinch. It took Myrtle a few seconds to realize what just happened.
"Oh, not again- wait- there he is! Our real target!"
"Did he really bother to wake up?"
Myrtle was ready to shoot another snowball, but decided not to upon hearing Tom's question.
"Wait, if he's awake now, what time is it?"
"7:45, we're leaving in 15 minutes. I think we should start going now."
"Shame, we were really starting to pick up a pace. One teensy little thing before we're on our way..."
"That is?"
Crouching down, Myrtle picked up a block of ice off the ground, walked away from him a few steps, and threw it full force at Olive Hornby, who winced and yelped at the impact.
"There! Suits her well...", she said while she dusted off her hands.
Sometimes even Tom was left surprised at how violent she could be.
Tom and Myrtle were looking at the rapidly approaching train, fighting their urge to fall asleep.
"W-why is it so much worse now? I feel like I'm going to pass out."
"It's right there, we'll be able to sit really soon", he said.
The train stopped, and they clumsily rushed in first with their luggage, pushing the other students away. They settled in the second last compartment of the train. Sitting down, they each took a deep breath.
"What do we do now? Actually, I'm too tired to do anything."
"In my opinion, we should just sleep. I'll place some protective charms so that we don't get interrupted."
"Yes, that appears to be... the only solution. Though the seats look really uncomfortable."
"Well, we sadly don't have better options."
He turned to the door and cast a locking, silencing and disillusionment charm. No one would know that they were even there. Then, he curled up on the seats, facing the compartment's wall.
"Goodnight, Tommy."
"I think we're ages past that, but sure. Goodnight, Myrtle."
The train started to slow down, unbeknownst to them. They were still sleeping like they were knocked out cold. But, they were slowly slipping from the seats, eventually falling down like two sacks of potatoes.
"Ugh, what happened, Myrtle?", he asked groggily.
Myrtle didn't respond, but only groaned from the impact. Tom slowly sat upright, wanting to see what was happening. He then stood up, albeit ungracefully, rubbed his eyes and looked through the compartment window.
"We're here, Myrtle, wake up."
"...What?", she drowsily said from the compartment floor.
"I said, we're here. We've reached the train station.", he stated firmly.
"Huh?", she said, dazed at what he was saying.
Letting out a sign, he pulled her up by her arm.
"Whoa, whoa, what's all of this about!?", she said as she bolted right up.
"That's more like it. I repeat, again. We. Have. Reached. The. Train. Station. Platform 9 3/4."
"Okay, I get it!", she said as rubbed her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted that way. It's just that I was in some sort half awake state. Weird."
"Forget about it, take your luggage and get ready to exit."
"My hair has really seen better days...", she said as she untied it and began fixing it, prompting Tom to do the same.
"Dust off your coat since we both fell on the floor."
"Kind of embarrassing, but also funny in a weird way."
"Real funny faceplanting in a dirty compartment, Myrtle..."
"Okay, on second thought, maybe not...", she said while she dusted off her coat.
Tom then removed the three charms he placed on the door and pushed the door open. They were met with a swarm of students who were rushing to get out. Because of that, they decided to wait a little.
"You know, I'll miss you Myrtle. I've never had a school year this interesting by far, and it's all because of you."
"Me too...", she said gloomily.
"You still have the number I gave you, right? Please call me whenever you have the chance."
She then wrapped her hands around him, squeezing him almost to the point where he couldn't breathe. He didn't mind, squishing her back.
"I don't want to let go...", she said as she desperately clung on to him.
This was... depressing, to say the least. In fact, one of the most depressing things he's ever seen. It pained him to see her like this.
"We'll think of something, alright? Please don't be sad."
"I'll call you the moment I get home."
"Thank you..."
"Oh, look at me!", she said as she slowly let him go.
"You were so excited to see your parents, and I just ruined that...", she sighed.
"Well, I guess it's time to go."
They exited the train and began looking for their parents in the massive crowd. After pushing himself out of numerous crowds, he glanced up to see two familiar faces. Immediately, he let go of his luggage and his face broke into a wide smile while he ran up to them, pulling both of them into a tight hug.
"How was your time at Hogwarts, Tom? I reckon it's been rather interesting, judging from the number of letters you sent us. I hope you're excited for Christmas, we've prepared something and we waited for you to hear your opinion-", said Eliza eagerly.
But, she stopped when she saw a pigtailed girl right behind Tom.
"Oh, you must be Myrtle, right? Tom's told us a lot of good things about you. Pleasure to finally meet you."
Myrtle awkwardly smiled at her.
"Eliza Erikson, this is James.", she said as she gestured to James and then reached out her hand for her to shake.
"Myrtle Elizabeth Warren, pleasure to meet both of you.", she said with a smile while shaking Eliza's hand, and later James'.
"Myrtle? There you are!", a woman shouted.
Myrtle turned to look at her with a pained face.
"Where have you been? It took me and your father ages to find you!"
Beside her stood a man in an oak colored suit. He was wearing a pair of glasses very similar to Myrtle's, and was the spitting image of her.
"Oh, you must be that boy's parents. My daughter can't stop talking about him. I'm sorry for not introducing myself properly."
"Myra Warren, delighted to make your acquaintance.", she said while reached out her hand.
James, Eliza and Tom all took turns shaking her hand.
"Arthur Warren, pleasure."
They all took turns in shaking hands again.
,,We're really sorry for the short meeting, but we're in quite a hurry. Myrtle has a violin lesson scheduled in an hour, and we can't lose any more time. Have a nice day.", she said as she grabbed Myrtle by her wrist and walked away.
While walking away, Myrtle locked her tearful eyes with Tom one last time before disappearing into the crowd. As soon as she was invisible, Tom's eyes darted to the ground.
"They don't seem like the friendliest people...", Eliza remarked, sighing.
"That poor girl, she didn't even have time to take a breath of relief."
"Maybe it's because they're in a hurry, but even then, they shouldn't be acting this way to their daughter.", James said.
Tom stayed silent. He was excited about the many things he would do with his parents when he came home, but this sight became engraved in his mind. He couldn't take his mind off of Myrtle.