t o u c h

f o u r

Four weeks had gone by with little to no interactions between Tom and Alexandra, but there were many between Tom and Dumbledore. After speaking to Slughorn, Tom had many questions. Seeing as Alexandra was found speaking to Dumbledore before they met, Tom figured Dumbledore would be the one to give him the information he desired.

Alexandra looked at a picture of her and her friends that she had put in her pocket before she left. It was fading in some areas from how it had been folded, but she could still see the animated laughter she shared with all of her friends last Christmas at the Burrow.

Alexandra had been living at the Burrow since she had begun attending Hogwarts. Once Molly found out she had been living in an orphanage, her motherly instincts took over. She shared a room with Ginny, and had become really close with Ron and the twins over time. If she had to choose who she missed the most, it would be them. They were her family, and she didn't want to go through losing a family again.

"You're in a very deep thought, I see," Tom Riddle stated as he approached the girl. They were once again alone as they sat in the common room late at night. Quickly, Alexandra put the photograph back in her robe pocket.

"I was until you showed up," Alexandra spat.

"Do you fancy  me?" Tom suddenly asked.
Alexandra turned to him with furrowed brows.

"I'm sorry?" She asked.

"Do you fancy me? Is that why I've been finding myself here every night awaiting your arrival? Have you put a spell on me? A love potion?" He asked, becoming angry. He had been trying to come up with reasons for his sudden infatuation with this girl, but he had nothing. In fact, he still knew nothing about her. He had been researching Alexandra River for days now, and he found nothing. No trace of previous transcripts, or even a birth certificate. It was like she didn't exist. He couldn't exactly trust Dumbledore's word if there was no proof to back it.

"No," she stated sternly, wanting to see his reaction. His face hadn't moved at all.

"Where did you go to school prior to Hogwarts?" Tom asked, wanting to see if her answers matched the Professor's.

"Beauxbatons," she responded quickly.

"Where were you born?" He continued.

"London, if you must know."

"Why did your parents send you to Hogwarts?" Tom asked, asking a question he didn't think to ask Dumbledore. Alexandra's breath caught in her throat. Tom noticed her hesitation and a smirk crawled onto his face.

"They didn't. They're dead," Alexandra started causing Tom's smirk to falter. "I had gotten into a few altercations with other students. Dumbledore heard, and requested I attend Hogwarts. Beauxbatons happily let me go."

"Where do you reside?"

"An orphanage," she explained.

"Where?" He asked, wondering if their connection branched from their childhood. "London?"

"France," she lied. She wasn't going to tell him that the orphanage she resided in is the same one he currently resides in today. Thinking about it now, she wasn't quite sure where Dumbledore would send her if she made it to the summer holidays. "I'm unsure if I'll return, or where I'll go if I don't. Dumbledore mentioned one here in London. I believe it's called Wool's, if you've heard of it."

"What did he tell you?" Tom asked, suspecting Dumbledore had told her everything about his life; his parents and the orphanage. She had to be manipulating him. There was no other explanation as to why their lives were so similar. Nobody has felt the pain and betrayal he has. Nobody.

"What do you mean?" Alexandra asked, noticing she struck a nerve mentioning the orphanage. "About the orphanage?"

"About me!"

"Nothing!" She defended, trying to calm him down. "He hasn't mentioned you since we met. All he said is that you're a brilliant wizard, best in the class. What's wrong with you?"

"Tell Dumbledore he can piss off about Wool's. You will not be residing there," Tom stated sternly. "They're all horrible, filthy muggles that run the place. They can't take care of you."

"And you think you can?" Alexandra laughed. "How do you even know that they're so horrible if-"

"Because I reside at Wool's Orphanage," Tom admitted, his voice almost softening. "That place is already horrendous without you, I don't need you there making it worse."

"Goodnight, Tom," Alexandra stated, getting up. She didn't see any success coming out of this interaction at this point, so she gave up trying.

"Where are you going?" Tom asked, standing up as well.

"Do you honestly think I want to be here? That I wanted to leave my old school? That I wanted to leave the only home I ever knew to come here and deal with the likes of you?" Alexandra asked, significantly more angry than she was only a moment ago. When he said nothing, she stormed up to her dormitory, leaving behind a photograph that had fallen out of her pocket.

He watched the image as two boys and two girls, including Alexandra, sat in what looked like a kitchen wearing the most horrid matching sweaters he'd ever seen in his life, laughing together. He assumed by how the house looked in the background that they were in Alexandra's orphanage. These people must be her friends, he thought.

Tom considered tossing the photograph in the fire, but he didn't. Instead, he held onto it and actually planned to return it the next time he saw her. Until then, he carefully examined the photo to see if he could find anything that would tell him more about her.