Motivation ⌁ Tom Riddle ✔

53

Tom stuck by his word. A day later he'd visited Abigail's mother in London. The woman was very confused as to why Tom was visiting her and it wasn't Abigail. She'd wrenched the door open with a big smile on her face in hopes that it was her only daughter standing by the doorway, and Tom felt himself go pale when the woman's face dropped.

He'd managed to explain that he was a friend of Abigail's and her mother, who he learned was named Iliana, kindly invited him inside with a forced smile.

The first thing he saw when he stepped inside was the white staircase right in the middle of the room, spiralling upwards, and there was a small, clear table to the left of the room with empty bottles of firewhisky, and beside the table there was a cupboard with photoframes, and as Tom looked around the room, along the walls, there were photos plastered everywhere. There were also empty photoframe hooks that told him Iliana had taken down photos, and he noticed there were no men in the pictures. Abigail's father couldn't be seen anywhere. When his eyes landed on a picture of Abigail herself in her Beauxbatons uniform with a big smile on her face, he looked away immediately.

And then he told told her mother the news and she broke down in his arms while he stood there awkwardly, patting her shoulder with his lips pursed grimly. She then proceeded to tell him things that he didn't want to hear as she clung onto him.

Things like, "I was an awful mother," or, "I didn't even get to do this," and saying, "I wanted to be a grandmother," only made Tom feel worse.

Abigail was buried in the same graveyard that her father was, right beside his. Many people attended her funeral. Tom, her mother, Emily, Brianna, Alison, Chris, Billy, Hannah, and what seemed like family members and friends of the family. Tom thought he saw Avery out in the distance standing by a tree, but then he blinked and Avery was gone. The fact that many people were crying and embracing each other, it wasn't helping Tom very much. It made him want to do the same. Tom left before any of the others did.

Weeks later, he visited a man in Diagon Alley who sold cameras, pictures, and photography books. The man recognised Tom immediately and staggered back, his lips jolting into a fit of wobbles. Tom fought the urge to roll his eyes and he waited for the man to calm down and ask Tom what he desired.

"You know very well what I desire, sir," Tom spoke calmly, his arms resting behind his back in a mature manner and his chin held high. "Might the date February seventeenth bring back some memories?"

The man appeared to just understand what Tom was after, though Tom knew that the man understood all along. He disappeared into the back of the shop while Tom waited patiently by the counter, glancing around the room in boredom. There were pictures of famous people all over the place with their autographs.