the devil's redemption [tom r.]

23|| His Abyss.

There's no air around me, when we get this close

But there's no where I want to go.

You keep it a secret if you feel the same

and leave me

dying to know.

~Be There by Seafret

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CHRISTMAS HAD ALREADY ARRIVED, and Rosalind was quite aware of what that meant. She had to assist Tom in whatever plan he had, despite the consequences. She didn't really want to do this, she'd been hoping to see her mother one last time before Grindelwald decides her fate at the end of the school year.

But Rosalind didn't have much of a choice. That was what she signed up for when she joined Tom in the beginning. She knew she had to make some sacrifices or else she'd be completey exposed.

She was packing her suitcase in her dormitory, which was relatively quiet since  Willow was taking a quick shower and Fionna was bidding her goodbyes to Malcolm.

Rosalind was drowning in her ocean of thoughts, the most dangerous wave being the fact that she had no idea what Tom was about to do. She didn't know where he was going to take her, nor what would happen there.

And if she were to be frank, not only did she not trust Tom blindly, she didn't trust him at all. But what hurt her most was the prospect of being blackmailed into doing all these things by some fellow student in her school. After all the horrors she'd been through, she was easily blackmailed by a guy her age, who knew much more than necessary.

Another thing that seemed to really bug her as she packed her favourite Christmas jumper, was Oliver's wellbeing. Nothing had changed much, and the potions that were supposed to heal the petrified students weren't ready yet. She couldn't imagine how his muggle parents would feel without their only child on Christmas or New Year's eve.

Willow walked out of the bathroom, her clothes fresh and her red hair a much darker shade due to its dampness. The redhead finished the last touches of her packing, drying her hair with a spell afterwards and setting it into tidy waves.

Rosalind hauled up her suitcase, holding it in her right hand as she used the other to support her satchel on her shoulder. Her coat blew around as she speedily walked towards the outside grounds of Hogwarts, Willow right by her side.

White layers of snow covered the lands around them, making the dark castle stand out contrastingly. The Great Lake shimmered beside the castle, already frozen due to the icy weather of Scotland.

Students waltzed around excitedly, looking forward for going home. Rosalind was sure that they were all dying to leave the school, but she certainly wasn't. She didn't know what was to come, even after trying several times to get Tom to tell her. He refused to let her in on any information, simply replying with 'you'll see' or 'stay patient' or a little 'shut up' every once in a while.

She jumped into a carriage, which she shared with Willow, Fionna and Malcolm. Her luggage was left behind to be collected and put in the train with the rest's.

Tom was still nowhere to be seen, but she was sure he was somewhere in the other carriages.

He had to lie to every person who questioned him about leaving the castle, since he never actually left Hogwarts on holidays. Tom of course said that he was staying with a 'friend', whom everybody seemed to understand is her, making them suspicious of what was going on between him and Rosalind.