His Light In The Darkness

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-seven

As soon as Elayne had opened her eyes, something felt wrong. She sat up and looked to the desk, that Tom was currently sat at. All of the other boys had left the room.

"Tom?" She uttered quietly.

Said boy stood up from the desk and strode over to her. "I'm glad that you're awake. I need to go back to the Slytherin common room for a bit. Why don't you go and find your friends, hm?"

Elayne's eyebrows pinched together. Tom was never this abrupt before. It felt like he was trying to get away from her without actually saying it. "Yeah, I... I'll go find my friends." She stood up from the bed. "I'll see you at dinner?" She asked as she walked towards the door. She could feel Tom hot on her heels.

"Yes. See you at dinner." Tom said, practically pushing her out of the door and into the corridor.

The door to the room of requirement vanished as soon as it shut behind them.

Tom pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head and then hurried off.

Elayne stood there, watching him go. Something was definitely off. She tried to think what it might be, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Sighing, Elayne started off down the corridor, intending to go to her common room.

As she walked, Elayne got lost in her thoughts. She kept trying to figure out why she felt like something was off. She just could not think of what it could be.

When she got to the second-floor landing, she heard someone call out to her.

"Miss Scamander? Are you alright?"

Elayne's head lifted to see Dumbledore slowly walking towards her, his eyebrows knitted together. It was then that she realized that she was crying. Reaching up to rub at her eyes, Elayne tried to smile at the transfiguration Professor.

"Yes, sir. I'm alright."

He came to a stop a few feet in front of her. Shaking his head, he responded with, "I don't believe you. Usually crying indicates that something is wrong." He paused, putting his hands in his pants pockets. "Tell me, Miss Scamander, what has you so upset? And the truth please."

Swallowing, Elayne shook her head. "I honestly don't know, sir." She ran a hand through her reddish colored curls. "It's... It's like I'm forgetting to remember something. But I... I just don't know what it is!" She gave her hair a tug, feeling overwhelmingly frustrated.

Dumbledore's face turned very serious. His hands flew from his pockets and landed on her shoulders. "Have you been around Mister Riddle lately? The last few hours, perhaps?"

The tone of his voice made Elayne feel on edge. Her eyebrows pinched together as she looked up at him. "Well, yes, sir. I'm almost always with Tom, it seems. We just parted ways a few moments ago."

"Where were the two of you?" Dumbledore asked, sounding strained.

"The room of requirement." Elayne whispered.

The professor's eyes grew wide. He pulled his hands away from her shoulders. His demeanor was so calm, that you wouldn't be able to tell that something was wrong, unless you looked at his eyes. Dumbledore's blue eyes didn't hold their normal twinkle. Elayne could tell that he was worried.

"Miss Scamander, I do believe it best if you come with me." He put a hand on her back and gave her a gentle but firm nudge towards the staircase.

His hand never left her back as he guided her down the stairs and towards the transfiguration classroom.