Star Crossed

Chapter Fourteen- The summertime dream

Throughout the next few weeks Malfoy had certainly avoided all eye contact and communication with me during the classes that we shared together. Tom was also avoiding me, the times I had seen him had been in passing glances in the Great Hall and the corridors, he looked positively exhausted, his dark circles had only become more prominent and his cheeks more hollowed. Wiglaf and Lazarus had also begun to notice his diminishing appearance and his lack of engagement with any of us.
We were now well into July and the summer holidays were fast approaching, I needed to speak to Tom before the term ended, something just didn't feel right, I couldn't leave for six weeks without at least trying to find out what was going on. In the back of my mind I was also worried that Tom would use the holidays to go looking for his relatives, as excited for him as I was his reluctance to share what he had discovered about the Gaunts in the file only served to unnerve me.
I knew Tom had transfiguration with Professor Dumbledore as his final Thursday afternoon class and decided to wait for him outside of the classroom;
I stood my back leaning on the wall, feeling my heart uncontrollably beating as it approached the end of class. The bell sounded and a throng of fourth year Gryffindor's and Slytherin's poured out into the corridor, I stood on my tip toes and craned my neck but I couldn't see Tom, I ducked away from the sights of Avery, Lestrange and a few other of Tom's friends and waited a little while longer.
Five minutes had passed and I was resounding to the fact that I had somehow missed him when all of a sudden the thick wooden doors to the classroom flew open once more, revealing a very agitated Tom Riddle stood in the corridor,
"Tom," I said hesitantly,
He spun around looking momentarily alarmed, this was instantly replaced with a stoic expression,
"McLaggen," he replied, inclining his head.
"I just wanted to catch you before the end of the week, you know with the summer holidays starting this weekend," I smiled, trying to keep the tone of the conversation casual,
"What is it you wanted to catch me about?" he asked, he sounded as tired and disinterested as he looked.
"I wanted to wish you a happy holiday," I said animatedly, he raised an eyebrow at me,
"A happy holiday," he repeated, unable to prevent himself from scoffing.
"Okay, maybe that isn't entirely true," I confessed, "Can we talk?" I added, deciding that being honest was going to be my best chance, as Tom could sniff out liars like a dog a bone.
Tom repressed a small sigh before inclining his head and walking off down the corridor, I followed him until he came to a spot outside of a thin wooden door, he pushed it open to reveal an empty classroom, he perched himself on the edge of a desk his arms folded,
"Well I am here, I am listening," his voice and face expressionless,
"The Gaunts," I said simply, Tom's face turned dark.
"What about them?" he questioned through gritted teeth, his jaw clenched,
"Will you be going to look for them over the summer?" I asked,
"That is none of your business," he spat, straightening himself up now and assuming a much more menacing position, his tall frame towering over my own petite one.
"I just thought... if you wanted someone to come with you." I continued,
"No. I do not need you nor anybody else to get involved in any of my business," he hissed, his piecing cold gaze made me back away from him, but then I felt anger rise up from the depth of my stomach like a waking beast,
"Oh you don't do you not. You've used me for what you needed then; it was okay for me to get involved in your business when you wanted something." I bellowed at him, his amused expression angered me further, I turned on my heel and made to walk towards the door but not before pausing to turn around one more time, my hurt blinded my judgement as I added, "Fuck you,".
Quick as a flash Tom had a hold of my wrist, his long, thin fingers holding it tightly, goose bumps rose on my arms and neck at his touch.  His expression was no longer one of amusement, he did not say anything to me, he did not attack or curse back at me, instead he merely fixed me with a gaze of pure ice, it burned into me freezing me to the spot that I stood, he had complete control and he knew it, his face was contemplative for a moment and his hand seemed to twitch towards his pocket, I thought he may draw his wand but no, he let go off my wrist and watched me fiercely as I quickly ran from the classroom, I slammed the door behind me. I felt my eyes sting as they welled up with tears, a lump forming in my throat, taking a deep shuddering breath I covered my face with my hand and ran down the corridor towards the girls bathroom,
"Woah, Grisha," a boys hands had grabbed my arms and stopped me from running,
"Are you okay? What happened? You're upset," Lazarus was standing in front of me holding me still, trying to turn his head to get a better look at my face, which now had a tear rolling down my cheek.
"It's... nothing," I stuttered, "I just... I don't want to go home for the summer," It was not a complete lie, last summer had been lonely and intensely isolating, my Father spending the whole time working away or locked up in his office, leaving me trapped to wonder around our large mansion for weeks, the letters from my friends my only solace. Pity covered Lazarus kind face,
"Oh, I would offer you to stay with us but we are going away,"
"Oh no! I wouldn't expect to stay with you, no!" I quickly shook my head but squeezed Lazarus hand in gratitude for his thoughtfulness, "Though trust me, you should appreciate the company if you can," I smiled.

I sat on the Hogwarts Express watching the tress pass by, the landscape all blurring into a sea of greens and browns. Wiglaf sat opposite me reading, he glanced up at me occasionally, a look of worry on his face. I was sure Lazarus had filled him in on what I had confided in the corridor, a few days prior. Lazarus was actually sat in a compartment with his friend Malik Bones, as they had challenged each other to a chess match the previous day, he had begged me to go and watch but I had made my excuses of their not being enough room in the compartment for any supporters.
Suddenly the compartment door slid open and Tom stood in the door way,
"Tom, lovely of you to join us," Wiglaf smiled, raising his head from the book he had been reading, a hint of sarcasm in his tone as always,
"I'm not staying," Tom replied stonily, "I just wanted to wish you both good health and fortune over the holidays," he added, his gaze lingering on me.  
"A shame, yet the same to you Riddle," Wiglaf nodded, returning his gaze to his book. I however continued to keep eye contact with Tom and said nothing, after a few moments he turned to leave,
"You too," I called, before he could leave completely, he paused for a moment, nodded and closed the compartment door.

The muggle platforms of King's Cross station were nothing like we had left them the September before, they were filled with British muggle soldiers walking around with muggle weapons, muggle citizens hurried around looking anxious to keep to where they needed to go, no one was stopping to chat or enjoy the day, some of them, especially the younger muggles had strange  ugly masks hanging around their necks. My stomach churned, you did not have to live among this world to sense that these were very dark and dangerous times in muggle London. My thoughts instantly flickered to Tom and him having to stay in among this for six whole weeks, he was also an orphan here so he would probably be given even less protection.
"Mistress," I looked down to see the our family house elf Leo stood by my side,
"Are you ready to go Mistress," he smiled, bowing slightly and holding out his right hand. I hesitated looking around the station, my eyes landed on the back of Tom's retreating head as he pulled his trunk along the busy platform and out of sight, reluctantly I took a hold of the elf's wrinkled hand and felt myself pulled into a spinning haze, my body feeling as though it was being constricted by tight iron bars.

"Grisha, you are later than I expected," a familiar gruff voice addressed me, as I came to an abrupt stand still; I had found myself in my Father's office, a grand room, decorated in dark oak furniture with deep scarlet and gold furnishings.
"Hello Father," I smiled, "I'm sorry I am late, the muggle security at King's Cross is tighter than ever." Father nodded his head gravely, his brow furrowed,
"Well I am very busy, off you go with you, go and get settled in," he waved his hand dismissing me, I sighed and nodded my head slowly, Father seemed to want less and less to do with me every time that I came home. 

A few weeks had passed by painfully slowly, I had continued to work my way through the mansions expansive library and had spent many afternoons wondering the grounds and simply sitting out in the sun, writing letters to my friends who were off enjoying their summers outside of this prison, well all expect one friend that is. Amber was spending her summer looking after her new baby sister, Susan, Lazarus and his family were vacating in the south of France (though he had complained a dozen times about having to share his bunk with three of his cousins) and Wiglaf was visiting family in Norway. Tom however like myself was trapped in a miserable, isolated bubble. Tom had not written to me much, not like the others, he never did. It had been a whole three weeks before I heard from him at all, I had already sent a number of letters prior to this begging him to let me know that he was okay, Lazarus and Wiglaf had also expressed their concerns to me, saying that they had not received any correspondence from him. Eventually when he did reply, he had simply stated that he was fine, that it was as dismal as always and that the war was tedious, he said there had been the threat of bombings for the last two weeks, they had, had to be on high alert and yet there had still been nothing of the sort. 

I had resisted the urge to ask Tom if he had been trying to seek out his family or if indeed he already had, instead I simply told him that here was as also miserable, that I was looking forward to the start of a new school year and that I hoped that he would be careful over the coming weeks.

It was a week before the start of the New Year at Hogwarts, me and Lazarus was soon to be starting our fourth year and Wiglaf and Tom their fifth, Wiglaf had already written to me, ecstatic that he had made prefect this year, I was delighted for him, he certainly deserved it. I lay in my bed unable to sleep; I picked up the pendant on my bedside table and held it above my face, so that I could look at its detail closely. It truly was beautiful; I yawned, finally feeling my eyes go heavy, I felt myside descend into the peaceful land of sleep.

The peace was broken however as I heard shouting, a woman's shouting,

"Who are you? Get out of here at once!" I looked around myself desperately butI could not see the source of the voice,
"Mother what is-" Another voice, a male's this time intersected the conversation but had stopped abruptly for some reason, I looked around myself more feverishly, but I still could see nothing but blackness. Suddenly it was as if my eyes had reopened again, I could see again, I was in a large richly decorated dining room, there on the floor was an old woman, her eyes staring glassy up at the ceiling, her expression horror stricken, was she dead!? I tried to move but I couldn't I could only observe, I tried to shout, but I couldn't shout either. I looked around the room once more, another body lay abandoned on the floor, this time the body of an old man.
"You abandoned, my Mother and me," I spun my head around at the familiar voice but I could only see the back of a silhouette against the lamp light. Tom!?
"Of course I did, I wanted nothing to do with either of you freak's and I still don't, I hope you both burn in hell. You're no son of mine," the gruff voice spat, 
"No, and you are no Father of mine, " It was Tom's voice again, yet he sounded strange,unlike himself, he almost sounded... There was a flash of green light.

I heard myself scream as I was thrown awake, I lay on my bed my heart pounding and my breathing ragged, my nightdress felt drenched as it stuck to my clammy skin, I raised my hand to wipe the sweat from my face, when I realised that the pendant sat on the bed beside me, I must had it in my hand and then let go off it.
I picked it up and realised with a start that it was strikingly hot, I placed it quickly on my bedside table. What had just happened? A dream? A vision? Was it real? Surely not, Tom had been there but who were the other people, Tom's Father? But no that was ridiculous Tom didn't know who or where his Father was, his Father was probably already dead. Guilt tore at my chest, had I really just dreamed that Tom was... was, that he... well I didn't know exactly what he was doing or if it was him doing those things. I swung myself out of bed and began to write Tom a letter, I needed to know that he was okay, tell him about my dream but before I could sign the letter I screwed it up into a ball and set it on fire infrustration, I couldn't send that I would sound ridiculous! My thoughts returned to the image of the Grim in the small china cup... the omen of death...