holding on {t.r.}

n i n e

It was June thirteenth and O.W.Ls had finally passed, but now the students of Hogwarts had much bigger things to worry about.

Tom stood at the door of the Room of Requirement, staring at Alexandra as she sat on the floor in front of the fireplace with a blanket fully wrapped around her, covering even her head. Between the crackles of the fire, Tom could hear the quiet echoes of her sniffles.

"I don't want you here," Alexandra stated, having heard the door open and close.

"If you didn't want me to find you, I would not have been allowed in," Tom pointed out, walking so he was now standing beside her. He was reluctant to sit on the floor, but he did anyway. "Even if it is true that you do not wish to see me, you obviously desire company."

"I change my mind," she argued, putting her head down.

"You're hurting," Tom stated, getting no response. "You shouldn't be here alone, especially with students being attacked and now the girl-"

"Don't act like you care, especially about me. You can't care about someone you don't even like."

"I-"

"Don't say you tolerate me," Alexandra interrupted. "It's pathetic."

"You're pathetic," Tom stated, gaining her attention. "You're hiding away, crying until your eyes are sore for no particular reason, and risking your life by refusing my very polite gesture of keeping you company simply because I won't say I like you."

"I don't understand you," Alexandra argued, finally turning to him. The glow from the fire accentuated the redness or her eyes and the streaks of her tears, both old and new. "One day you're threatening me so nobody finds out we spend time together, and now you expect me to believe you actually care about whether I live or die? You don't care about a single thing in this world other than yourself."

Alexandra wanted Tom to stay, but refused to admit it. Instead, she kept her eyes on the flame in front of her as she listened to Tom's footsteps fade away, and the door open and close once again. Her eyes remained on the flames for what seemed like days until her owl appeared in the room holding a letter from the headmaster.

"Good morning, Miss River. Thank you for meeting with me so early. I'm afraid I'm rather busy for the remainder of the day," Dippet smiled, gesturing for Alexandra to sit. She did, still wondering how her owl found her in a room that technically doesn't exist. "I called you here to follow up on your request to remain at Hogwarts through the summer holidays. Are these still your intentions?"

"Yes, sir," Alexandra answered dryly, exhausted from not having slept the night before. "I expect it has been denied due to recent events."

"I'm pleased to inform you that it is the opposite. Your request has been accepted," Dippet explained, surprising Alexandra. Either her headmaster was setting her up for death, or the monster attacking students was captured. She very much hoped it was the second option. "You will be pleased to know that the culprit of these attacks has been identified."

"You caught them?" Alexandra asked, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Actually, it was Mr. Riddle who was able to identify and turn in the attacker."

"Of course it was," Alexandra scoffed. "I'm sure he's happy, too, now that he can stay through the summer as well."

"I was unaware that he wished to stay," Dippet stated, looking through a small pile of papers on his desk. "He seemed rather concerned when I mentioned closing down the school, but he hasn't brought his desire to stay to my attention."

"Oh," Alexandra said quietly, slightly embarrassed. "Well, thank you for accepting my request, Headmaster."

"You're very welcome, my dear. Now, be aware that if it is found out that the attacker has not truly been caught, the acceptance will have to be revoked for your safety, and you will have no choice but to return to your home. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Alexandra nodded. "Thank you again."

Alexandra couldn't help but feel confused as she left the headmaster's office. She never expected her request to be accepted, let alone be accepted the day after a student was murdered. There were many questions flowing through her head, but she was mainly curious about how Tom could have possibly discovered the attacker between the time they spoke last night and now.

"What game are you playing?" She asked him angrily, cornering him as he left the Great Hall. He stayed silent. "How could you have possibly caught the monster so easily without getting paralyzed or murdered like the others? Do you expect me to believe it just spared you?"

"All that matters is that the monster has been caught, and you can remain at Hogwarts through the summer," Tom stated, attempting to walk away but being stopped by Alexandra as she grabbed his arm once again. His fist clenched as a reflex to the shock sent through his arm, but he had no desire to hurt her.

"Why?" She asked, her voice cracking. "Why do you-"

"Alexandra!" Melissa called, swearing she had heard her friend around the corner. "You left your-"

Melissa paused, finding Alexandra but noticing she interrupted a seemingly intense conversation. She watched as Alexandra dropped her hand from Tom's arm, and Tom quickly retreated without saying a word.

"I'm sorry," Melissa apologized. Alexandra shook her head.

"It's alright," she sighed, attempting to change the subject before Melissa asked any questions. "Dippet approved my request to stay through the summer."

"That's great," Melissa smiled. "Is Tom staying as well?"

"He apparently hasn't asked," Alexandra shrugged, unwillingly giving in to Melissa's inevitable line of questioning. "But, for some unknown reason, he was so concerned about the school staying open that he went out and caught the bloody monster."

"I'm sure he enjoyed all the applause," Melissa scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You don't suppose he did it because he knew you couldn't stay if the school closed?"

"Tom Riddle actually doing something for the good of someone else? I doubt it. I'm sure he was planning to stay all along and just hasn't asked yet. It definitely makes more sense than him giving a damn about where I spend my summer."

"I really think he cares for you," Melissa admitted, not liking that his actions completely debunked her previous theory. "Even Avery agrees he's never paid more attention to a single person in his life than he does to you."

"Well, he sure has a strange way of showing it."

"He's a strange boy," Melissa shrugged. "You know that better than anyone else."