His Light In The Darkness

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter eighteen

A quiet yawn escaped Elayne's lips as she entered the great hall the next morning. She had slept rather well, but she had woken up feeling exhausted. It was around eight thirty at present and a good portion of the students were down at breakfast.

Gazing towards the Slytherin table, she didn't see Tom or his friends. Her lips pursed together as her gaze shifted, going towards the Ravenclaw table for the first time in a few weeks. She saw Wyatt and his friends, along with Evangline, sitting towards the front of the hall. They seemed to be in good spirits because they all were laughing or smiling. Bringham caught her eye and sent her a small smile before whispering something in Wyatt's ear.

Elayne was about to shift her gaze away, but stopped when she saw Wyatt look her way. His eyes lit up marginally as he looked at her.

Shaking her head, Elayne's eyes dropped to the floor, causing her curls to form a curtain around her face.

She walked towards the Hufflepuff table and sat down towards the end. None of her friends had been awake when she left the common room, so she was going to have breakfast alone. A part of her had hoped that Tom would be there and that she could sit with him, but he wasn't there. He had probably come down and had breakfast early, like he normally did.

As Elayne was reaching for the eggs, Bringham appeared in her line of sight. He smiled at her, before opening his mouth to speak. "Hey, Elayne."

Hands dropping into her lap, Elayne said, "Hello."

"Listen, uhm, Wyatt was wondering if you would meet him later, to talk?" Bringham continued, scratching the back of his neck.

Her bottom lip found it's way between her teeth as her eyes traveled down the Ravenclaw table. Evangline was hip to hip with Wyatt, one of her hands holding onto his arm.

"Why would I want to talk to him? He seems pretty content with his present company." Elayne said, eyes snapping back to Bringham.

"Yes. Why would she want to talk to Reed?" Another male voice sounded from behind Bringham.

The pair turned to look at the boy who had spoken. Lestrange stood there, his jaw set and his eyes glaring at the Ravenclaw boy in front of Elayne.

Elayne smiled. She was about to speak, but Lestrange cut her off. "Tom was hoping that you would meet him up in the seventh-floor corridor." His glare never left Bringham.

The Ravenclaw boy shook his head. "Don't give in to Riddle's demands. He'll only cause you heartache in the end."

"I've heard that line before. Many times. I can take care of myself, Bringham. Tell Wyatt that I am busy and can't meet with him." Elayne said, getting to her feet. She was about to walk away from the table, when a high-pitched squawk was heard. Following the squawk, a small, dark brown owl landed on the table. There was a box tied to it's feet.

Elayne's head tilted to the side as her brows pinched together. "Bear? What are you doing here? You've flown an awful long way, you know." She spoke softly to the owl, reaching out and untying the package.

"Your owl is named Bear?" She heard Lestrange say, his tone dripping with disgust.

Elayne smiled fondly at the small owl in front of her. "Yes. When we first got him, he looks like a little baby brown bear. The name just seemed to stick." She stroked his feathers, Bear responding with a few small hoots. "Now, let's see what you've brought me." She turned her sights to the box that Bear had brought. It was wrapped in brown butcher paper. She gently peeled away the paper and lifted the lid to the box. She let out a gasp as she saw what was inside.