𝕬 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕷𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖎𝖘 𝕭𝖔𝖗𝖓 | 𝑇𝑜𝑚 𝑅𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 |

Chapter 31- Stop Getting in My Way

After fighting through the chaos and drama, Tom and Frankie finally reached the end of the summer holiday. Although, it felt like a hot mess that had lasted a century longer then it ought to have, it drew to a close rather quickly. They'd even managed to lose track of time during their stay at the Leaky Cauldron. The barkeep Tom had mentioned going back to school the day before and they both rushed back to their rooms to get ready for the journey. Most kids that were similar ages to Tom and Frankie were disappointed about the fact that it was time to go back to school again. However, they couldn't be more thrilled to be packing up and leaving. It would be magnificent to go back to a place that they could actually call home.

"I'm leaving without you, if you don't hurry up..." Tom threatened, knocking on the door to Frankie's room with a familiar air of frustration and impatience. Normally, Mrs. Cole could be heard yelling at them from downstairs, as if she were afraid they'd miss the train and be stuck at the orphanage all year. However, nothing else could be heard on this silent early morning at the Leaky Cauldron. Today they would finally be going back to Hogwarts after the long and stressful, yet exciting and adventurous, summer that they'd gone through.

"I'll be just a moment." she whisper-yelled, from the other side of the door. She had just straightened out her uniform, deciding to not repeat the pattern of her previous years. This year was going to be different. After her chances to stay at school were threatened, Frankie was even more determined to make her time there matter. She grabbed her trunk and found Tom waiting for her in front of her room.

"It took you long enough." Tom stated, already starting to walk down the hall.

"I'm sorry," Frankie remarked, walking along with him, "—but you're the one who always says that I should change beforehand and stop using you for a makeshift coatrack."

"I know I said that, but still..." Tom sighed, losing the argument. She smiled, in a small childish victory. The two headed down the wooden staircase into the grubby pub, where the other Tom was wiping the counter of the bar with a dishrag. It was a bit early for the Leaky Cauldron to open, but he probably wanted to see them off before they left for the station.

"I've never actually seen you both in uniform before." he remarked, as they made it to the bottom of the stairs. "I didn't know you were in different houses."

"You didn't?" Tom added, sounding puzzled. It was a rare thing for another magical person to not always be defining them by these standards set forth by the houses.

"No. You two seemed so close. I never would've guessed."

"—Anyways, we'll be heading off to King's Cross now. Thank you for taking us in." Tom stated, trying to ignore the past tense of his words. He could tell that the other Tom was trying to look at them exactly the same, but was having difficulty.

"It was no trouble. I'll see you both soon then."

"We might be back next summer, depending on how things work out..."

After saying their goodbyes, they left for King's Cross Station. Unfortunately, with the amount of underground stations that were now bomb shelters, it was a little bit more of a hassle to get there than in years past. However, with Frankie's eager attitude and equal determination, the walk to the station went by rather quickly. They were finally going home after one hell of a summer. She was pushing her cart at top speed, violently shoving through the crowds of muggles. The usual guard was yelling at her to walk, but after four years she just wasn't listening. If she would not even listen to Tom, then she definitely wasn't about to listen to him. Suddenly, she saw a figure with a long lion's mane of blonde hair moving in the crowd that made her accelerate even faster.

"Daphne!" Frankie yelled. She shoved her way through the mass of people, not even knowing if it was her friend or not. The figure turned to see who had called her and saw Frankie running and jostling people out of her path with little regard. The two met in the middle of platform eight, colliding in a tight embrace. It felt like ages since Frankie had seen any of her friends and after having to face the fear that she would never see them again, she felt more joy then she could possibly even express. After several exchanges of "How are you?" and "I missed you so much." Daphne finally dug into her pocket, retrieving Frankie's last letter, and to her astonishment a copy of the muggle newspaper dated a few weeks back. There were more pressing matters they needed to discuss.