𝕬 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕷𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖎𝖘 𝕭𝖔𝖗𝖓 | 𝑇𝑜𝑚 𝑅𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 |

Chapter 45- Leaving the Hurt Behind

After the whole incident with Alastor Moody and Diana Dickson had come to pass, Frankie and Tom were soon hit with the realization that their summer was ending as well. In just a weeks' time, they would be starting their seventh and final year at Hogwarts and leaving the orphanage for good. It was a sad, melancholic feeling, yet also filled them with so much joy that they both felt the need to jump up and down and dance merrily through the halls. Especially Tom. A whimsical jolly violin tune might as well have been following him everywhere he went. Every morning he woke to a new day and was greeted with the warm notion that finally, after seventeen years of waiting in agony, he was going to be free of this wretched place. There would be no more sniveling little kids and no more Mrs. Cole. Just the better life of a wizard that he always felt that he deserved. He might have even been able to come to terms with the fact he would also be leaving Frankie behind him. They would leave together, like they'd always planned, but there was no longer a promised future in which they stayed that way.

"Come on already!" Tom yelled, from the bottom of the stairs. He was waiting with little patience, resting his elbow on the end of the handrail to lazily keep his head propped up. It was their last trip to Diagon Alley for their school things and, like usual, Frankie was making them run late. "We haven't got all day, you know."

"Hold your horses! I'm coming down now." Frankie exclaimed, as she ran down the stairs. She was skipping over every other step in a hasty rush and thankfully, despite Tom's worry, she reached the bottom safely. It was a daily routine he ought not to fuss so much over, but she'd never been very good with stairs. Especially the trick ones at Hogwarts. Tom remembered back in the day that he would always watch Rodger Day give her piggyback rides to breakfast. He couldn't blame him for choosing to carry her down. She was a hazard.

"Are you two leaving now?" Mrs. Cole asked, hopefully. She not-so-secretly prayed that every time the pair went out, or snuck out, they would not come back. They might get hit with some awful wartime spoil, or simply just decide to make their escape early and send for their things later. Unfortunately, for all parties, they were forced to wait until the first of September.

"Oh yes, but don't worry. We'll be coming back soon." Tom laughed, as they started walking towards the door. While he was also disappointed in the fact he was obligated to return, he took small pleasure in making her think he wanted to stay and continue to make her life a living hell. Mrs. Cole slithered away in disappointment muttering something foul under her breath. That was the cue to leave. They walked out the chipping wooden door, down the steps, and out onto the muggle-crowded streets of destruction and debris.

"Out of all the places to hit, out of all the millions of buildings in this godforsaken city—why do the Nazis never aim for this one?" Tom added, looking back at the orphanage.

"Oh, Tom. Don't be so cruel." Frankie scolded, nearly dodging an incoming person who refused to step out of the way. This world was crumbling, but they still had salvation in the wizarding community. Life would soon be a whole lot easier, and they'd be allowed to leave all this hurt behind them. She was mindlessly twirling the locket in her hand, thinking silently about their time shopping for school supplies. To most, it was just a simple shopping trip, but to them, it'd been their introduction to the wizarding world. Everything had changed that day. "Do you remember the first time Dumbledore took us shopping?"

"Yes, I remember..." Tom answered, actually deciding to reminisce with her. Despite the heavy amount of skepticism he'd placed between him and the concept of a magical world, once they'd stepped through that brick archway everything became so clear. His magic was not a curse and there was an entire world who'd soon see him for his brilliance. A bright girl filled with sunlight spun him round-and-round in his memories. Her ecstatic expression shone the clearest out of everything. She was just as happy to be invited with him. He'd finally entered the world where he was always meant to be. He was no longer a freak or an outcast. "The fact that we're wizards and there being a whole other world beyond this one was certainly a wild concept to grasp at the time."