Of Monsters and Men- Tom Riddle x OC

43

Sitting up with a groan, Animo winced at the ache in her back. She had refused to sleep in her parent's room again, instead choosing to curl up onto the small mattress she and Gellert had shared in their childhood. Tom had taken the sofa downstairs, although she was certain he would have altered it for better comfort. She was again hit with an intense longing for her wand. Intricate charms were nearly impossible for her without it. It was another problem she had avoided. There was no way she could stand a chance at holding off Gellert until her wand was back in her hands. She could only hope Albus would work his persuasive influence at the Ministry.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, thankful that she had been able to bathe last night. The stench of grime and sweat no longer lingered on her fresh robes. Yet she was rather disappointed that the smell of Tom's cologne had left her skin. Animo had tried not to linger on the memory of yesterday, but her heart was insistent on reliving every painful detail.

Fumbling through her robes, Animo searched for Gellert's letter. The parchment was rough and flaked as she unfolded her hurried creases. She scanned the handwriting once more, wondering how long ago it had been written. And how long had her brother been in possession of Fawkes? Perhaps that was another reason for Albus's hesitation. If it had been revealed he had given Gellert such a powerful creature..

Animo's eyes caught on the second sentence.

Dementors.

Springing to her feet, she took the stairs two at a time, no longer plagued by exhaustion as she tumbled into the kitchen. Tom barely looked up from the book he was reading, a journal Animo was fairly certain he had snuck from her father's stash.

"I want to go to Azkaban."

Tom didn't bother to look up and simply flicked to another chapter. "I would suggest getting some more rest." His droll expression hinted at none of their interaction yesterday.

Animo sighed, feeling rather insecure and knowing her poorly laid plan was foolish. "It's the only way I can think to weaken Gellert." She tossed the parchment down upon the table and waited for Tom to read its contents. "He can't face dementors. I know that he can't produce a Patronus."

"And to my memory, neither can either of us," Tom pointed out, examining the parchment with a critical eye. "That is a death wish."

Ignoring his dismissal, Animo scanned her mother's bookshelf that stood behind the kitchen table. Prying out a tome on magical creatures, she leafed through the pages. The writing was old and Animo knew the information was decades outdated. Yet surely wizards had not been able to gather much more about dementors. There was so much that was unknown.

"They can communicate with us, you realize?" Animo looked up to pin Tom with a questioning glance. "That's the reason they agreed to guard Azkaban. The minister offered them the position and they knew they could feed on the souls of the prisoners."

Tom raised a sarcastic eyebrow in response. "And do you plan on walking up to the gates to ask them to help you? Something tells me Grindelwald's soul isn't beaming with happiness."

Pushing down her frustration, Animo scanned the unfairly short passage on the creatures. "I have to try. I don't know if Albus will be able get close enough to Gellert to obtain the blood vial." She muttered a quick shrinking charm, stuffing the book into her pocket.

Tom jerked up his head as she pulled open the front door, striding across the grass. "Where are you going?"

The mud beneath her heels squelched with her weight as Animo faced her companion, pulling her hair back from her eyes and into a low bun. "I don't know how much time we have left." She tried to hide her fear and her tone came out clipped and cold. "But I can't just sit and wait for Albus to fight this alone."