𝕬 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕷𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖎𝖘 𝕭𝖔𝖗𝖓 | 𝑇𝑜𝑚 𝑅𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 |

Chapter 37- The Blame Game

The death of Myrtle Warren had made the pandemonium and chaos of the entire year finally reach its dramatic climax. Gossip buzzed around the school more than ever. Eventually, the teachers noticed the three missing students and, after confining the rest of the students back into their dormitories, converged upon the horrific scene in the girl's bathroom several minutes later. The first one was properly dead, the second one was practically dead, and the last one was absolutely traumatized by horrors unknown. They almost thought she was petrified, as she'd sat down helplessly next to the bodies. The girl who had died was given a school funeral and all testing had been postponed for a couple days to let the dust of the "tragedy" settle. Only a few people were really mourning the death of a girl, ugly and unloved. Meanwhile, the hero too late to save her was spending time in the crowded hospital wing. Tom sat in his bed surrounded by a sea of colorful flowers, meaning to wish him well. Even though there was a girl now dead, he was the beloved hero that needed to be honored for his valor and effort. Celebrate that he did not lose his life, even though he'd been the one to take Myrtle Warren's. The teachers and fellow prefects felt like they were coming in every minute to visit him. It was all very exhausting, but he had no choice but to play the part he had been assigned.

As for the girl found in the middle of it all, her fate had yet to be decided.

                                                                    *~*~*

"Get me out of here."

Tom was once again demanding to be released. It was only Wednesday; the third day of his exile, and he'd already had enough. As one can imagine, he found lying in a hospital bed all day feigning gratitude at his admirers rather boring. He desperately wanted to be out by now, but Nurse Glinda insisted he wasn't well enough to leave yet. It was only a fever and the occasional vomiting. For the permanent desecration of his soul, those were both pretty manageable side effects to have been dealt with. At least for the moment, he was finally with the only person he could be his true self around. Frankie sat in the visitor's seat, soothing his anguish and acting like a vacuum for his many complaints. It was nice to drop the charming act and say how he truly felt about being stuck in there.

"All these flowers make the air smell toxic and I'm sick to death of entertaining the staff and student body. Last time I checked, I'm not a bloody carnival attraction!" Tom snapped. Frankie nodded absentmindedly. Her mind had been somewhere else since the incident in the bathroom, but physically she'd been deemed fine by teachers and the nurse. He'd been the only one to notice this small change in her and was trying his best to bring her back on his own, before he mentioned it to anyone. She'd been through tougher stuff then this. He kept telling himself that Frankie just needed a few more days and she'd be back to her old smiling self again. But, in truth, he might've inadvertently damaged her in a more permanent manner. "She'll listen to you. Tell her to let me go."

"If you really want to get out of here, you might want to stop using phrases like 'bloody' and 'sick to death'. That might help the situation immensely." Frankie replied, simply. Tom cracked a small smile for her. "You shouldn't push yourself, Tom. Despite your convictions, you really are sick."

"But, I'm going to miss the O.W.L.S! If I don't get out and take them I won't make it to N.E.W.T level classes. My whole future depends on it." he reasoned, hoping academics would sway her to try and convince the nurse to let him out.

"It's okay, Tom. You're going to be able to take them later with the fifth years that got petrified. Dumbledore has already arranged everything." she replied, calmly.

"How are they going to take the exams when they're frozen solid?" Tom sneered, letting his true nature shine through a little too much.

"Professor Beery finished brewing the Mandrake Draught while you've been out and all the people who were petrified are finally back to normal," Frankie explained, ignoring the slight cruelness in his voice. Tom pulled back the curtains around the other side of his bed, meant to conceal all the Mudbloods he had attempted to murder from his view, to find an empty hospital wing. Everyone who he had attacked was gone. "Didn't you notice the vacant beds, Tom? You've had the whole wing to yourself since yesterday."