His Light In The Darkness

Chapter Twenty

Chapter twenty

Tom was never one to really care about other people. He didn't even care if one of his followers got hurt or was ill. But seeing Elayne struggle during dinner made his chest ache. She attempted to serve herself over and over but each time she dropped the serving spoon. She ended up sobbing into Tom's shoulder on the third try, wailing that it hurt to hold onto anything.

Elayne was currently sat with her head against Tom's shoulder, sniffling.

Tom served her some chicken and potatoes, knowing that that would be all she would be likely to eat. He then helped her find a grip on her fork that wouldn't irritate her blistered skin. She gently held her fork between her thumb and index finger, using the bandages to keep it from touching her skin.

Once she had taken a good couple of bites, Tom went back to his own dinner.

When Elayne had cleared her plate, she went back to leaning against Tom. Every so often, she would sniffle.

Tom finished his meal as quickly as he could, wanting to get his little Hufflepuff out of the great hall.

"I'll see you all later." Tom said as he stood up, gently pulling Elayne up with him.

Elayne waved weakly at the boys before Tom ushered her out of the great hall.

"Do you want to go back to your common room? You should get some rest. It's been a rough day." Tom spoke, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Sniffling, Elayne shook her head. "If I go back to my common room, everyone will start asking questions. I'm not in the mood to answer any of them." She whispered.

Tom nodded. "Room of requirement?" He asked.

Elayne paused then nodded.

The pair then treaded up to the seventh floor. Tom activated the door with the usual pacing. When the door appeared, he opened it for Elayne and motioned for her to go inside.

When she walked in, Elayne saw it was the same room Tom always visualized. She set her bag down by the coffee table and then threw herself down onto the green sofa. She stared into the fire that Tom conjured, watching the flames dance around.

Tom walked around the sofa, kneeling by Elayne's head. Her hair was still pulled back into a ponytail, but she had some stray baby hairs sticking out. He reached out and smoothed them down. He heard her sniffle and his gaze dropped to her face. A new wave of tears had pooled in her bright blue eyes.

Tom sighed. This girl cried way too much. "Are your hands still hurting?" He asked softly.

Taking her eyes off the fire, Elayne looked up at Tom. "It only hurts a little bit." She sniffled once more and sat up. "I just don't understand why she would do something like that. I've never done anything to her."

Tom stood up and sat down next to her. "Parker is a spoiled brat. She thinks that she can claim anything just by looking at it. Her father holds a really high spot at the ministry. She's never been told she can't have something. Don't worry about her. If she so much as looks at you again, I'll take care of it." He gently grabbed her arm, gently running his fingers up and down the inside of it. "I have to go speak with Dippet in just a few minutes. I asked Lestrange to come sit with you. He'll help you with whatever you need."

Elayne tilted her head. "When did you ask him to come up here? I've been with you all afternoon practically. I never heard you ask him anything."

Tom's lips twitched into a smirk. "I have my ways of communicating with the others. I also sent a quick message to Dippet when Harrison was putting that cream on your hands."