She Saved Me | Tom Riddle

The Boy

Finally we have a chapter that adds to the bigger plot of the story!! And boy (lol) do we have some exciting changes taking place. And for once I actually had a set idea for a chapter and stuck to it 🙌🏼

Listen: Dumbledore// Didn't I Do Well by James Newton Howard

31| the boy

There was something peaceful about watching the light snow falling gently to the white frosted ground. Sitting alone and having time to think in such a calm setting always helped Ava when her mind felt like a mess. So that's why Ava found herself leaning against the railing of the astronomy tower one afternoon. She snuck away from her friends after classes to get away for a while. There was a lot on her mind recently; about Tom, about Harry, and about Dumbledore.

Particularly, Ava had been having a lot of thoughts about Dumbledore and Agatha and how they were connected. She knew it would only be a matter of time before she saw Agatha again. The only question was when and what would cause her to appear. With all of that and wondering about Tom's future, some memories of past conversations with Dumbledore came to mind. She thought at the time that the headmaster was just attempting to comfort her when she really struggled to find her place in Slytherin. But now she was starting to realize there was more to those fleeting chats. And they didn't feel like mere coincidences anymore.

At the beginning of third year, Ava was feeling lost. After what she witnessed that summer she wasn't quite ready to return to school. It was partly her fault since she refused to see someone about the trauma she went through. But she didn't want to talk to a stranger about it. Her father wasn't in any better condition either considering he lost a friend. So she only had her mother to talk to, which has helped. Returning back to a place where she felt unwelcome just made it all difficult again.

"I see I am not the only one to get lost in thought in odd places."

Ava jumped and turned to her right to see Professor Dumbledore standing there. She looked down a little embarrassed when she realized she had been staring out a window in a random corridor. "I guess I spaced out a bit."

Dumbledore hummed looking outside as well. "I find losing oneself in their surroundings can be quite beneficial to the mind." He placed his hand against the stone of the window ledge. "It can also be damaging to ones mentality."

"I'm sorry professor, but did you need something?"

"Oh no. I was just passing by." Dumbledore gave her a smile and returned to looking out at the school grounds. "Now that I have you, I do wish to see how you were doing."

Ava nodded with sigh. "You heard about what happened."

"I can only imagine what you went through."

"It wasn't exactly the summer plans I had," Ava said with a shrug. She saw Dumbledore nod in the corner of her eye.

Dumbledore put his focus on a group of birds flying around each other in a game only they knew. "I suppose not. Such tragedies occur when least expected, or warranted." He chuckled a bit to himself when one of the birds almost hit another. "But a lot can be learned from them as well."

Ava crossed her arms and let out a breath. "I would have preferred it not happening. I shouldn't have been there."

"Death can be a troubling thing to see, especially at such a young age." Dumbledore retracted his hand to clasp both hands together. "I sense that you don't want to talk about it in any way. So instead I'll ask about how you've been in your house."