TORMENT (Harry Potter Sequel)

Chapter Twenty

The room was cold and dark. Raindrops were thrust into the room by the harsh winds outside. Every so often the familiar sounds of the train going over the nearby bridge could be heard echoing around the environment. Shaking and hiding underneath the tiny pathetic sheet that he called a mattress was a little boy. He clutched at his own sides for warmth and was curled up in a circle. His teeth chattered loudly as the sprinkles of rain blew in through the window above him and fell on his head. The boy looked at his hands and saw that they were turning blue. His own breath was visible and he found no way to make himself get warmer. Even so, the four year old Tom Malumis did not cry.

He eventually found the strength to pick himself and stumbled slowly towards the door of the room. He knew it was usually locked by the matron but he could at least try. He wanted nothing more than to get out of this freezing dank room. The dark played tricks on his mind and when he was already this cold and tired, he couldn't afford to be terrified as well. His hands fumbled with the lock of the door. To his surprise, it clicked open and Tom quickly pulled the door open for him to escape. He rushed out into the hallway of the orphanage, letting the door to his room slam behind him. He was so cold his body gave out beneath him and he fell to the floor. He was still chattering and shivering profusely although the hallway was significantly warmer than his room. It wasn't hot by any means but still warmer.

As Tom finally picked his tiny body up off the floor and looked around him. Now that he was out of his room, he didn't know where to go! He wandered aimlessly around the orphanage, glad at least that he was out of his room. Suddenly his ears pricked up as he heard a sound coming from far out in front of him. He followed it attentively until he came to the landing overseeing the kitchen and cafeteria. He peeped around the side, his mind warning him to be cautious of potential monsters that roamed the world when it was night. He may be 'stupid' like everybody told him but even he knew that there were monsters in the dark. What Tom saw down in the cafeteria was not a monster however but the matron and another orphan who appeared to be crying. The matron was sitting next to the little girl and giving her a caring hug.

"I miss my mommy!" the girl was crying out. With an empathetic look on her face, the matron was doing her best to care for her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she kept repeating. Tom, his face wearing only a simple blank frown, watched the sight. He wished he could be like that little girl. He wished he could cry. Maybe the matron would care for him if he could cry. But he couldn't. He'd tried to sometimes- when he'd been alone in his room- he'd tried to cry but to no avail. He couldn't smile either. Or laugh. Whenever he tried to, a dry 'ha ha' was the only thing that would leave his lips. He could technically make the sound but couldn't put any emotion into it. But he still felt the emotion.

As Tom watched the matron hug and look after the distressed little girl he thought back to all the times he'd wanted to cry; or laugh; or smile. But he never did. All he ever had on his face was this stupid blank frown.

'Maybe I am a freak.'

The matron took a second from looking over the crying child to turn her head slightly and look around. When she did so, she saw Tom at the top of the landing and her expression instantly changed. The friendliness vanished; the care that she had just been showing the little girl was all gone. Her eyes were locked onto Tom now, like an animal with its prey. She turned back to the little girl suddenly and whispered calmly to her, "You should go back to bed now darling, we'll talk in the morning, ok?"

The little girl sniffled once and nodded before slowly going back up the stairs to the landing where Tom was and going down the hallway to her room. Tom knew the matron had seen him. And he knew there was no point hiding. He watched, resigned to his fate, as the matron marched up to him; a look of pure disgust on her face. She only stopped when she was right in front of him, looming over the small child. Tom was greeted by a harsh slap to the face. He barely reacted to it but felt the sharp pain zap through the rest of his body like a bolt of lightning.