Of Monsters and Men- Tom Riddle x OC

31

Jolting awake, Animo grimaced at the twinge in her neck as her ears rang with the echo of the train's whistle. To her annoyance, the compartment was empty. She had specifically asked Alphard and Avril to wake her within the hour. Tom of course hadn't bother to tell her from which station they would be departing, but she was sure that it would be was least convenient.

She pulled on her heavy coat, the starch of the cotton rather uncomfortable as it slid against her leg. Animo had resorted to wearing trousers for the journey. There was no way she was going with Tom to the pits of wizarding society in a flimsy skirt.

Suddenly, the door to the compartment slid back with a crack, the steel track from which it hung screeching with the force. Animo cringed, not surprised to see Tom standing in the doorway, donning a dark suit in a mixture of charcoal grays.

"Do you own anything of color?" she teased lightly, pulling her trunk closer to her ankles before shrinking it so that it would fit into her pocket. Tom seemed to monitor her movements in silent approval.

"I do believe Abraxas gave me an emerald jacket once," Tom grunted, motioning for her to follow him with a jab of his head, "I sold it to finance my expeditions last summer."

The smug air to his posture told Animo that she would not like to hear the details and she pursed her lips tightly. "I haven't said goodbye to Alphard and Avril."

Tom rolled his eyes, already stalking down the aisle. "Linger and you're staying here."

Puffing out a breath, Animo bent down to scrawl a quick note on a spare bit of parchment, hoping that Avril would see it. She tactfully left out any mention of Tom, just that she had some business to attend to over the holidays. The girl would understand. She seemed to sense when Animo didn't want to divulge any further.

Animo scribbled "Annie Wallis" with an awkward sort of flourish, never having come up with a proper signature for her alias. Tightening her scarf once more, Animo cast her gaze about the cramped compartment, desperately hoping she would return, before following Tom onto the platform.

The station was rather stately, built of the sort of marble that spoke of centuries of use. Gold trim lined the walls and Animo shuffled closer towards Tom, hoping that she wouldn't get lost in the crowds of businesspeople and their cumbersome briefcases. Still, she drank in the sights greedily, peering around Tom's head with a quiet intrigue. This was her first time outside of Hogwarts in years.

"Ever heard of personal space, Annie?" Tom snapped, waving her away with a forceful hand. "Merlin, you're acting like a dog out of a kennel."

Sending the Slytherin a sharp look, Animo retreated a few paces, careful not to let a large gap grow between them. "So, you're using my first name now?"

A displeased scowl twisted Tom's lower lip. "Now that I've discovered your name isn't Wallis, why would I bother using it?" He sent her an arrogant glance, his shoulders swelling with superiority. "I'm nothing if not accurate."

The Hogwarts' Express shrieked a final whistle before the train began to pull away from the platform, building speed as it turned round the bend. Animo watched curiously as a pair of muggles passed by a Ravenclaw student, completely unaware of the owl shrieking madly in its cage.

Tom seemed to sense her confusion and he ducked his head while motioning her forwards, leading her towards the exit. "Wiltshire Station is one of the few that's been charmed to erase any existence of our world entirely from muggles. I suspect they see some sort of dog in the owl cage." His lip twisted once more. "Blind fools."

Yet Animo was more focused on the first part of his statement, the blood draining from her face as they stalked into the icy December air. "You said Wiltshire?" Images of Malfoy Manor were flooding behind her eyes in full force.