Riddle's Plea

The Tower*

(Vienna. December 23rd, 1943)

   "I thought I'd find you up here." Abraxas Malfoy's voice breaks through my quiet thoughts, and I let out a heavy sigh. I glance up at the tall blonde, taking in his appearance and letting out a relieved sigh. "He didn't hurt you. Did he?" I ask him, thanking Merlin that he had at least no visible wounds. He rolls his eyes at my question, proceeding to take a seat next to me and stretching out his long legs. "No. In fact he's acted like nothing ever happened." He gives me a questioning look and I begin to feel my face heat up. "You didn't wipe his memory again did you?" He asks me, giving me a hard look and watching my face closely. "No. I didn't do anything." He snorts at my comment and gives me a slight nudge. "Come on. I don't believe that for one bit." I let out another heavy sigh at his persistence. "I just...distracted him from his anger." I say trying to hide the blush in my cheeks from him. "Are you blushing? How exactly did you distract him?" 

    I glance around the astronomy tower, taking in the sun shining off of the snow that has blanketed the Hogwarts grounds. In the distance, smoke billows from the Hogwarts Express, it's prepping for its journey to take a multitude of students home for winter break. Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year, even when the Dark Lord was reeking havoc throughout the wizarding world we still had managed to have somewhat of a Christmas. I close my eyes, the distant sound of sleigh bells ring in my ears causing a small smile to appear on my face. "Vienna?" Abraxas shakes me from my pleasant thoughts and I send him a halfhearted glare. He chuckles at my face before giving me another nudge, trying to pry the information he wanted from me. "I kissed him." I stated, the embarrassment fills my face again and I hide my now completely red face in my hands. It's quiet again for a few moments, before Abraxas erupts into a fit of laughter, causing me to jump and stare at him. "It's not funny." This time my glare is full on, and it causes him to laugh more. "It is...what....hahahahaha...how......hahhahaa..." His face was turning red and tears were coming to the corner of his eyes as he laughed, his arms wrapped around his stomach as he swayed side to side from the force of his laugh. "Abraxas! It's not funny!" I push him off the step he was sitting on, and he lands with a thump on the astronomy tower floor, unfortunately his laughter doesn't stop. 

    Eventually his laughter starts to get to me and pretty soon I'm laughing along right with him. The combined sound of our laughter echoes around us and I find it seems to lighten my mood considerably. All too soon the laughter dies and Abraxas picks himself up off the floor and takes his spot beside me again. I lean my head against his shoulder, basking in the moment before I clear my throat. "Thank you." I say to him quietly. "What for?" He asks, pushing me a little in the process. "For the laugh. I needed it." I answer him picking my head up off his shoulder and meeting his gaze. "I haven't laughed like that in a very long time." His eyes grow sad with my words. "I'm sorry to hear that. You have a very nice laugh." His words aren't laced with any sort of pity or romanticism, just him being truthful. I nod at his words and give him a tentative smile. "You know..." I begin, nudging him with my shoulder and causing him to sway. "I find it odd, that almost 50 years in the future I used to sit in this exact spot with Harry Potter, and now I'm sitting here with a Malfoy." He chuckles at my statement and raises his eyebrows. "Oh how the tables have turned. I should be deeply offended." He says dramatically, putting a hand over his heart and shooting me a smirk. I roll my eyes at his fake pain and huff loudly. "In my defense, you Malfoy's in the future aren't the nicest." He chuckles again before answering. "Well. You can change all that." 

     I'm reminded yet again that I have the power to change the future, to save lives and help others. "It's not going so great right now. He's ignoring me like the dragon pox." I sigh heavily and watch as a snow owl dances in my line of vision. I flinch a little, realizing that Abraxas would eventually succumb to dragon pox in the future, but he didn't need to know that. "He'll get over it." He states, full on sure that Tom Riddle wouldn't hold onto his ignorance for very long. "I hope you're right." I say to him. The sound of the train horn catches my attention and I look to Abraxas once again. "Aren't you going home for the break Ab?" I ask him and becoming confused when he shakes his head. "I'm staying here. Riddle ordered us all to stay here." He says rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Why?" My confused gaze causes him to chuckle. "He had Dolohov scouting a place in England for something. Apparently over break he's going to get whatever he was looking for, and he's ordered us all to be here for when he gets back." He rolls his eyes again before sighing heavily. Meanwhile my head is working overtime, trying to remember what Tom could have been looking for in England. I come up empty and regain the blonde's attention. "What place Ab?" His eyes grow concerned as he notices my panicking face. "Little Hangleton. Why?" I stand up so abruptly that Abraxas actually jumps, and my eyes grow wide with fear. My legs rush quickly to the railing of the Astronomy tower which causes me to come to a halt. The snow resting on the railing flies up around me as I watch in the distance the Hogwarts Express pulling out of the station.