The Pretender | Tom Riddle

12| the hogsmeade trip

12| the hogsmeade trip

The cold had begun to set in this morning. It was early for a Saturday yet the courtyard was packed with students ready to go to Hogsmeade. It was their last trip into town before Christmas break so Seren had a list of things she had to get. It was around the holidays that she hated having so many good friends close to her. Gifts for Benjamin, Abraxas, Lucas, Liam, Elijah, Tom and her roommates? She chose some loose jeans (mom jeans) and a crew neck with the Slytherin emblem on the right side just on her chest. She wore her scarf and threw a denim jacket over it and a beanie.

"Are you ready?" Winona was counting her money as she waited for the rest of them, "Also, I hope you all don't mind but a friend of mine will join us, it's Donna, y'know the Gryffindor?"

"That is fine," Stella shrugged, "Okay well I'm ready."

Downstairs, the boys were all waiting. Benjamin and Abraxas wore a matching beanie as well. It was similar to the one Seren wore, handmade in Switzerland that Benjamin bought when they were visiting. The two were bickering over just about anything they could think of. If they didn't look so different, Seren could mistake them for being twins. It was always like that growing up anyway. Where Abraxas was, Benjamin was too. It was adorable how close they were to each other. She couldn't picture her life without either of them. The two came to Seren's side almost immediately lacing their arms with hers. "I was thinking, first we get our Christmas gifts and then head to get some butter beer?" Benjamin asked.

"Well we can't do that," Seren let out a small chuckle, "You can't see what I'm going to get you. Plus, I have a few stops but we can meet after?"

The trip to Hogsmeade was short. With Abraxas and Benjamin talking her ears off the trip didn't feel so long when she was trying to distract herself. They were at the center of Hogsmeade. The professor ready to dismiss them all giving them their time span and going to do their own thing. "Let's visit Tomes and Scrolls, I need some new quills," Tom had come to her side almost immediately after they were dismissed, "And then... I'll take you to Honeydukes and we'll buy some sweets?"

"I can't," Seren let out a small sigh, "I've got to do Christmas shopping. You are still planning on joining us this year, right? Or are you tired of being with us during the holidays?" It was a slip of the tongue really. Just that after her dream...or vision...whatever it was, all she could think about was what Tom did. It was difficult for her to understand how it was possible that he didn't want to stay with them this summer. He always seemed to enjoy spending time at her house. Hell, her parents and Tom would exchange letters biweekly even. Her father would buy him whatever he needed, he'd ask him for favors, etc. The amount of times she'd seen Tom and her dad having an intense and advanced conversation about Merlin knows what. She just didn't understand why he wrote that letter to Professor Dippet.

At first she didn't want to believe it was true. It was hard to believe that it wasn't just something in her head. Yet, as she looked at everything that happened last year and how it matched with what happened in her head there was no way it couldn't be true.

"Well then we should just meet after then?" Tom cleared his throat, "I'm going to go."

Tom wasn't interested in joining the group. They were loud and extra obnoxious today and he really couldn't be bothered with it. He had hoped he could just spend time with Seren instead and enjoy some actual interesting conversation but she had just blown him off. He would prefer to just be on his own than join the group, especially now that Winona invited that mudblood girl to join them all. The store was mostly empty when he entered, it probably wasn't a priority for most of the students on their day off to visit a stationary store.

He wasn't too interested in anything around him, there wasn't anybody worth talking to in the store anyway. Yet when he felt a small tap against his foot he had no choice but let his attention be distracted. A small wallet sat next to his foot. Looking around, he sighed coming down to pick it up. It was heavy in his hands.