For the Greater Good || Tom Riddle ||

Chapter Thirty-Three: Little Hangleton

Night neared, and Gwen left her compartment. The stop for Surrey was approaching, and she was anxious to make sure that she did not miss it. She had used Reducio, the Shrinking Charm, on her trunk so that she did not have to luge it around as she made her way to the front of the train.

Gwen had spotted Jane sitting next to Ruth through the thin slits of blinds that covered the compartment window. They seemed to have forgotten to pull it down since the two girls looked to be asleep, propped up by their luggage on the bench seats. Gwen quickly walked passed the compartment, careful as to not alert them of her presence. She didn't want to hurt Jane's feelings because she did not sit next to her.

Gwen quietly made her way down the empty corridor. Most students were asleep with a few exceptions. The chatty Hufflepuff Prefect, Isobel Yarrow, could be heard laughing obnoxiously inside a compartment full of Hufflepuff boys. A couple of Gryffindors were snacking on chocolate frogs and gossiping about Quidditch.

The Hogwarts Express chugged on through the cold night, its charcoal colored clouds of smoke rising like plumes into the inky darkness. The snowfall had become thicker, the frozen white snowflakes falling heavily onto the ground. It was starting to become the winter wonderland that the Durmstrang transfer student was so accustomed to.

Gwen continued down the corridor, her thoughts swarming with the fragility of her task. There was no room for failure. She did not want to admit it herself, but in her heart of hearts, she was scared. Losing her grandmother, her sole caretaker, had torn her apart. Now, she was tasked with the same dangerous mission.

Find the stone...

She passed what she knew to be the "Slytherin Horde's" compartment. The blind was down but it had been skewed to the left hand side, stuck on the wood paneling just enough for Gwen to peek into the compartment. Abraxas Malfoy's pointy nose was the first thing that caught her eye, but then her attention flew to Theodore Nott, who happened to be drooling all over his chin. The rowdy Slytherin boys seemed to be fast asleep, of course, all except Tom. He was awake, surrounded on all sides by his 'friends.'

Tom seemed to be deep in thought. His eyes were trained on the window as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. His skin looked eerily pale in the dim lighting, and the shadows that swam in the hollows of his cheeks greatly contrasted his complexion. Purple bags hung under his eyes. Gwen wondered if his brilliant mind ever quieted enough for him to doze off.

He's planning something... I know it.

Gwen snapped out of her reverie as the train began to slow. The stop for Surrey was nearing. She tore her eyes away from the Slytherin compartment and made her way to the nearest exit door.

It was now completely dark out since night had settled in. Snowbanks could be seen sparkling through the window; the white mounds juxtapose to the obsidian sky. The snow had stopped falling so heavily and now only dusted the ground in a soft flurry.

Gwen quickly threw her hood over her head. She wore her bright red Durmstrang cloak for nostalgic reasons. The sign for Surrey became visible as the train finally came to a halt, the exit door magically opening as Gwen was greeted by an icy gust of wind.

"This is your stop too, Gwen?"

Gwen looked up to meet the pixie-like features of Audrey Cottington. The actress' warm smile was unfitting in the winter bitterness. Gwen hesitated with her response.

"Yes, it is. The Hogwarts Express made me backtrack a bit," she said quickly, "but there's a Portkey in Surrey set for Oslo."

"That's the capital of Norway, isn't it?" Audrey asked merrily. "Oh, you will have to let me visit someday! I want to travel so badly, but I'm not sure if this war will ever end! My parents basically made me come home for winter break."