She [Tom Riddle]

twenty one

Everyone woke up feeling happy. Last night was one of the best nights. But not for Celeste. She couldn't sleep. She was still sobbing quietly. Her head was throbbing.

Today was the very last day all of the students would be in Hogwarts. In five hours, they would leave this place and brought the memories home. Even though Celeste felt awful, she needed to pack her things. She needed to make sure everything was packed.

Celeste got up from her seat. "I'm gonna go look for tom. To say goodbye to him." She finally said.

"What? Hell no. He hurt you." Cho was the angriest. All night, she couldn't stop talking on how much she hated him.

"It's alright, Cho." Celeste tried to smile.

Cho sighed. "It's not okay. He did you so bad. Why would you want to see him? He didn't even want to see you. He didn't even flinch last night when you begged for him to stay."

"I love him. And if this is will be the last time i see him, the least i can do is say goodbye."

Cho thought it was stupid. But she knew that Celeste had already fallen in love for him. She didn't have the heart to held her back. "Okay. Just remember this, C. If someone really loves you, you won't even have to beg for them to stay in your life."

Her words were like a slap for Celeste. Maybe Cho was right. And maybe, he was right too. Maybe Celeste expected Tom to be someone he wasn't. Maybe it was all in her head.

Tom was nowhere to be found. She even asked around, and no one had seen him all day. At last, she found him. He stood alone in the music room, staring outside the big window. Celeste stepped inside slowly. Just a sight of him frightened her. It made her remember last night. The pain had never left her.

Tom felt her presence. He didn't have to look back to know who the person was. He knew it was Celeste. He could see a glimpse of her from the window.

"Hi, Tom. I just want to say goodbye. And thank you for everything."

Celeste waited for an answer. She was secretly hoping that he looked into her eyes for one last time. But it didn't happen. He really meant what he said last night.

She held her tears back even though it hurt her throat to do so. She gathered all the strength she had left to speak. She let the air entered her lungs for a while. "You really don't want to see me do you? Okay then. I just want you to know that i don't regret all those amazing times we had spent together. You changed my life. I love you, tom. Goodbye."

She walked away from him. And it felt like she walked away from his life too. For a second there, he wanted to look back. He wanted to stop her. He wanted to say how sorry he was. He wanted to hug her. But he couldn't move his body. He was stuck. For the first time in his life, he was scared to hurt someone.

Everyone was already leaving. Tom was the last to leave. He hate home so much. It made him remember his dad. The man who left him and his mom. The man who was responsible for every bad thing that happened in his life.

The moment he arrived, his mom was already waiting for him outside. She looked so happy to welcome her son home. Tom hadn't visited home for two years. He had no choice now. He had no escape place this time. He walked closer to his mom. She hugged him so tight. "Welcome home, son. I miss you so much."

Tom smiled. "Hi mom. I miss you too."

"Come inside, let's talk."

The house was still the same as two years ago, the last time he was here. Nothing had changed, yet his life had turned upside down. He scanned the room. The smell of burnt woods, the cracked walls, the oblique painting. Everything was the same. And this time, he would be stuck here for the rest of his life.

He sat in the sofa. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him. Everything was quiet around him. And he thought he love quiteness. Turned out, he missed all the crowd around him. But mostly, he missed her. He knew it wasn't fair. He pushed her away. He didn't have the right to miss her. His mind was a mess. Would she heal from everything? Would she able to forgive him?

One thing for sure, she would forget him.

Eventually, he would be forgotten. Everyone would forget that he existed, even his own family. Nobody wanted to remember the cold and heartless boy.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" He whispered to himself.

~