t o u c h

t w e n t y t wo

Alexandra ran into the Room of Requirement, immediately searching for the glass ball Tom had been holding in his hands when she saw him upon her return. She knew it was important in some way, remembering it had been blurry. When she looked in the room, however, she couldn't find it.

The funny thing about time travel was that the rules for traveling forward in time were much more restricting than the rules for traveling back. For example, Alexandra was free to explore the past because it was a past she never lived in; a past where she can't necessarily alter her present life. She was also able to explore freely because everything around her had already existed before her time. Tom, however, couldn't explore the world around him because it hasn't existed yet in his time. Sure, Hogwarts existed, but not this version of Hogwarts. That's why he's restricted to the room of prophecies. It's a room of his creation, a room that is his own in the past, present and future. If he were to leave it, he would be sent back to his time. The rules are definitely tricky, so much so that even Dumbledore himself has yet to understand them.

"I know you miss me, love, but I'm afraid I can't let you return until your purpose here is fulfilled," Tom chuckled. Alexandra held her head high, not afraid of the man in front of her. She knew now, thanks to Hermione, that he couldn't kill her as this version of himself. He, however, did not know this information.

"I wanted to talk to you," she stated, looking around and finally spotting the blurred prophecy. She took note of where it was, and turned back to Tom. "You know prophecies cannot change, yet you send me here to complete what is an impossible mission. Why?"

"If I told you the real reason, love, it would ruin the fun," he told her as he attempted to concoct another excuse for his decision. His decision was that of impulse; that of a short moment of guilt. Once he discovered she could be of no use to him, he found no other choice but to send her home before that moment of guilt grew into something worse. She was weakening him, and he couldn't let that happen. She would face her demise, he expected, when they met again in her time.

"You must miss me if you keep coming to visit," she smirked, walking towards him. She was right, but he would never admit it. He's been spending a rather large amount of time in the room, waiting until he sensed her presence to bring himself to her. The room was one of their joint imagination, and therefore it connected them. Even through time.

Alexandra reached her hand out and held Tom's. She watched him as he took a deep breath, obviously feeling the burning sensation he never knew he would long for. As a surprise to the both of them, Tom pulled Alexandra into him and kissed her. She played along, kissing him back as if she missed it. What scared her in the moment, though, was that she did. Something connected the two, something she hated with all of her being. This boy was to become a cold blooded killer, killing millions along with those closest to her. Realizing this, it was easier for her to direct her thoughts back towards her task and away from her pleasure.

Frustrated, he pulled away from her and walked out the door. The time turner began spinning on its own, and Tom was back in his time. He took a deep breath, clutching his jaw as he made his way to the second floor girls bathrooms. He wasn't going to let himself get distracted now. He had a plan, and he was going to execute it, starting with opening the Chamber of Secrets.

Quickly, Alexandra ran to where she saw the prophecy, now clear. She held in in her hands, and it spoke a single line:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."

"Harry," Alexandra whispered to herself. "It's been true all along."

Deciding it was too risky to hold onto it for too long, she quickly threw it towards the wall in front of her. It felt like she was seeing it in slow motion as the glass ball traveled across the room, shattering on impact and falling in pieces to the marble floor.

Taking a deep breath, Alexandra turned on her heels and left the room for what she thought would be the last time.