Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Sixty

Avalon and Zelda had been ready for nearly half an hour, but they sat in silence.

Avalon let the sounds of Vivaldi's composition flood her mind as she kept her finger pressed to the bracelet Tom had given her. But, it didn't bring her much comfort. Few things did anymore.

Two days.

It had been two days without Orion.

Three without Clara.

Time.

It taunted her.

She could feel the time turner in her coat pocket. There was rarely a moment when she didn't keep the small trinket on her-- partially because she couldn't stop thinking about Tom's offer to go back to her time, and partially because it reminded her of Orion.

She wasn't ready. The memorial was coming up within the hour and she wasn't ready to have to let go. But, nobody ever was. And she knew she never would be. She hadn't been ready to say goodbye to Harry. She hadn't been ready to say goodbye to Fred. She hadn't been ready to say goodbye to Orion. She hadn't been ready to say goodbye to Clara.

Goodbyes were never easy-- she didn't think they ever would be.

But, she also knew that saying goodbye was only so difficult because she had been lucky enough to have people who made her want to hold on forever. And what a blessing they had been.

Time.

She'd do anything for more time.

"We should go," said Zelda quietly, slowly standing up and getting off her bed.

Avalon nodded, following suit as the pair wordlessly got up and left their room. The common room was filled with people all getting ready to attend the memorial, but nobody was really talking. It felt strange to see so many Ravenclaws abandon their typical blue garbs for all-black attire. Avalon could feel eyes on her as she and Zelda walked past their peers. She just put her head down and looked at the ground, not wanting to meet their gazes.

The castle had been filled with an awful quiet for the past several days. The entire school felt their absence. Two beloved students... two beloved friends... two beloved classmates... two beloved spirits... gone.

When they made it to the bottom of the Tower, Tom was already waiting for them. He was dressed in black from head to toe, a solemn look in his eyes as he saw the two downcast roommates approaching. Avalon melted into his outstretched arms, a weak sigh escaping her lips when she felt him press a gentle kiss to the top of her hair.

Neither she, nor Zelda, nor Tom spoke on their way to the memorial.

It was to be held outside. Apparently, Clara's parents had that as their only request.

They walked out of the castle, following the steady stream of students making their way toward the gathering. The weather had been chilled and frigid for three days now, but at that moment, the sun was peeking through the clouds above them, casting a golden hue of radiance along the grey-cast grounds.

The Bells were already there when the trio arrived. They sat right at the front of the growing crowd, closest to the elevated stage. Avalon had never known that Clara had a little brother-- no more than eight years old-- until she saw him sitting there beside his parents, holding his mother's hand with a hopeless look in his bloodshot eyes.

The sight made her heart sink.

She tried not to look at Clara's family as the three of them blended into the rest of the crowd gathering in an endless huddle surrounding the platform. In front of it were two closed caskets: one light oak, one dark mahogany.