TORMENT (Harry Potter Sequel)

Chapter Thirty-One

The rumours spread like wildfire. Everywhere Tom went there would be stares, scared looks, hateful glares and awful, awful whispers. Like everything else, Tom ignored it, focusing instead on what was directly in front of him. Corridors full of students would stop to stare at him as he walked slowly through them. His gigantic size did little to help him as it made him stand out more than he already did. As usual, his face bore its usual blank frown with his eyes looking more and more tired as the days went by. Ever since their last 'session', Tom hadn't heard from the Headmaster. He feared that maybe he'd ruined that as well... or worse the Headmaster believed the rumours. As the days had gone on, Tom had become more clued in to what they all meant mostly thanks to Alannah. She'd explained it to him at the breakfast table. She, herself, seemed pale-faced when describing it to him. There must've been something about it that Tom just wasn't getting. Tom found it a miracle that Alannah still even sat with him or associated with him at all. He did notice that she sat a little further away from him but she was still there and talking to him so what did it matter?

"What are they saying?" Tom asked gruffly to the pale-faced Alannah.

"That you are a descendant or reincarnation of He Who Must Not Be Named," Alannah's voice came out as a dry whisper. Tom grimaced.

"Why?" That one question was filled to bursting with scorn. Alannah gulped.

"I-it actually makes a lot of sense-"
Tom turned his head away and kissed his teeth in disbelief.

"I-it does! I didn't say I think it but it does!" Tom rolled his eyes.

"How?" another question that Alannah could tell had been building up in Tom. All this unwanted attention clearly wasn't making him feel too good.

"W-well..." Alannah began unsteadily, "First of all you're a Slytherin-"
"So are you," interjected Tom. Alannah continued like he hadn't spoken.

"You were very small and pale like he was-"
"I'm not small anymore," Alannah decided to tune out Tom's comments at this point.

"You're from an orphanage. Your talents are very strange and..." Alannah paused, "And that you tried to open the Chamber of Secrets."
"The what?" Tom asked impatiently.

"In your first year? Remember? That stuff that was written on the wall? And you were right next to it?"
Tom's mind instantly shot back to that night. That horrible, horrible night. Now things were beginning to make sense. The person who could have started this rumour now became obvious in Tom's head; the same person who betrayed him that night: Aubyn Young.

"I didn't do anything," Tom said through gritted teeth, "I was set up."
"Maybe so but not everyone's going to believe that," Alannah said, turning her gaze down to the floor.

"But you don't... right?" Alannah didn't look up. Tom couldn't see her face clearly. If he could, he would've witnessed a look of pure guilt.

"His name was Tom as well," she whispered breathlessly. Tom felt a hole in his stomach. She really did think it was true.

"Malumis, you're wanted."

The words made Tom look up from his boring desk and to the open door at the back end of the classroom. Up until that moment he had been partaking in (or more accurately sleeping through) a lesson in Divination. Tom pulled his head up and turned around. The distinct figure of Ron Weasley stood in the doorway, an expecting frown on his face. Tom held back his desire to groan. As soon as the word 'Malumis' had been said, all the eyes were back on Tom. Tiredly, Tom brought his whole, hulking body upwards and walked slowly over to Professor Weasley who was waiting for him. He didn't say a word to him. He cared little for conversations with Professors outside of the Headmaster. Knowing this, Professor Wealsey took him aside and set him down in an empty classroom to practically force a conversation. Tom walked over and sat down on an empty chair whilst Professor Weasley stayed standing, looking down at him.