"I know you are disappointed, my dear, but your parents are far too busy right now," Elizabeth's grandmother stroked her hair as she pulled her into an embrace. She was glad to see her grandparents on that platform, yet sad at the thought that her parents wouldn't see her. They had become so uninvolved in the past months, only coming around to clean up her mess with the ministry.
Tom talked with Elizabeth's grandfather, catching up from when they last spoke. Elizabeth noticed how happy her grandfather was to have another man to talk with.
"Elizabeth, darling, is Tom going back to the orphanage?" her grandmother asked in a whisper.
"I believe so," Elizabeth replied, not yet posing the idea of him staying, hoping they would come up with it themselves.
Her grandmother sighed, "I feel so bad for him, all alone in that orphanage, all summer." Suddenly, her face brightened up and she turned around to face Tom and her husband, "Tom, how would you like to come stay with us for the summer?"
Tom pretended to be baffled, "I cannot accept such a gracious offer."
"Oh, please, it would be no trouble at all," Elizabeth's grandfather brushed it off. "Besides, Elizabeth will need some entertainment since she won't be home with all of her books," he chuckled.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find plenty to do. Tarpon Springs sounds like a wonderful place in the summer," Tom grinned. The elderly couple walked ahead while Elizabeth and Tom pushed their luggage behind, giving them some distance. As the walked side by side, they received strange glances from students who had become aware of their situation. "These fools think no one has ever committed infidelity at Hogwarts," he scoffed, observing the condescending glares.
"I agree, I think I've lost many friends, though," Elizabeth recalled how quickly her companions had changed on her.
"I think it was for the best," Tom muttered, pushing his trolley along.
"Now, our plan was to apparate all together, but I fear having both of your trunks may be a bit troublesome. Elizabeth, why don't you come with me, and Tom go with Harold," her grandmother suggested.
Everyone agreed. Elizabeth linked arms with her grandmother and held the handle to her trunk tightly, already having sent her owl to the Tarpon Springs home. She began succumbing to the familiar pressure and suction as she twisted through space. After a moment, her feet thudded against the kitchen floor of her grandparents' kitchen. A warm breeze blew through the curtains, for it was still mid-day there.
A moment later, Tom and Harold smacked down in the kitchen as well.
"You two go get unpacked, I will make everyone a late lunch," Harold told them, walking over to the cupboard.
Elizabeth and Tom dragged their luggage up the stairs and separated into their respective rooms. Everything was just as Elizabeth had left it, the curtains were drawn, the duvet of the bed wrinkled where she last sat, and the stationary out on the vanity where she had last written to Joshua. She walked over and ran her fingers along the quill, growing forlorn as she remembered what a terrible situation she was in.
She began unpacking and finished after no time at all. After she was done, Elizabeth walked over to the window and opened the curtains, basking in the warm sunlight which flooded her room. She missed the Florida sun so dearly.
"Enjoying yourself?" Tom asked, watching as she stood with her eyes closed.
Him sneaking up on her didn't startle her anymore, "Yes, very much."
"Are you coming down, I believe your grandfather's meal is ready," Tom said loudly, causing her to open her eyes and follow him down the stairs.
Once the four were seated and eating the warm soup, they began talking.
"How has Hogwarts been since the last time we spoke? I heard about the tragic accident involving that young girl, did either of you know her?" Harold asked.
Tom and Elizabeth both didn't say anything for a moment. "She was very quiet, never really got a chance to talk with her," Tom informed them.
"I think I bumped into her at my friend's birthday celebration, but that's all," Elizabeth recalled.
"I remember that place being the safest school in the world," Sandra shook her head.
"I have been meaning to ask, did have you always lived in America, or did you only come when Elizabeth was born?" Tom inquired, desperately trying to change the topic of conversation.
Harold began speaking, "Well, we moved to be closer to Elizabeth as she grew up, yes."
"Another curiosity about Elizabeth here," Tom chuckled as he prodded deeper into her personal life via her grandparents, "Why is it that she has an American accent while both her parents and you two have English ones?"
The old couple chuckled, "Her parents wanted her to fit in when she began making friends as a toddler. From the moment she was born, they took a potion every morning that made them have American accents so that Elizabeth would develop one. I believe after she turned ten, is when they returned to normal."
"That must have been extremely confusing," Tom commented.
"I knew it was happening, and besides, that's when my brother and I began attending wizarding school so they didn't have to explain anything to the muggles," Elizabeth explained.
Her grandmother laughed, "Now you've come full circle and are the only one with your accent at Hogwarts."
"With the exception of Asher," Elizabeth added.
"How is he? I haven't heard from his family in a while," Harold thought.
"He's doing more than alright, actually," Elizabeth told them. "He's on the Ravenclaw quidditch team, he's quite good actually," she admitted.
Tom nearly rolled his eyes, hating the sport and everything to do with it. The four finished their meal and separated into their respective pairs. Tom and Elizabeth had gone outside and were walking along the beach.
"That's very interesting, what your parents did with the accents," Tom brought up the old conversation. "They must really care about you."
"I like to think they do," Elizabeth agreed, knowing that her brother had always been the favorite child.
The cool water splashed against their bare feet as they continued walking along the shore. "Have you started thinking about what profession you want to pursue after school?" Tom asked, watching the tide roll back into the ocean.
"I have thought about it a lot," Elizabeth told him. "I originally wanted to do something the control of the usage of dark magic, but now I think I want to take up a spot at MACUSA, maybe as an auror," she explained her change of mind.
"An auror?" Tom repeated, confused as to why she'd ever want to take up a spot that could potentially penalize him or his followers in the future.
"Yes, I thought that rather than controlling what magic was used, I could cut off whatever dark conspiracies were spiraling out of control right at the source," Elizabeth described. "What about you? Other than 'world domination', you've never told me what profession you're interesting in," she asked.
Tom paused for a moment, taking in her prior statement, "Well... I was thinking of taking up a... private practice of magic."
"Such as a school?" Elizabeth asked, confused.
"Not quite," Tom mumbled, seeming to shrink both verbally and physically.
Elizabeth shrugged and began talking about a boat race that would occur the next week that she had attended since she was a young child. Tom, however, couldn't focus on her words. The only thought that pressed his mind was one fact: Elizabeth was not on his side.
-
"So, what did you and Tom do today?" Elizabeth's grandmother imposed as they washed dishes together.
"We just walked around the beach a bit," Elizabeth explained, pulling a plate off of the pile and scrubbing it.
Sandra looked at her granddaughter skeptically, "Do you fancy him?"
"Grandmother, that's completely preposterous," Elizabeth scoffed, knowing she was lying to both her grandmother and herself.
"I see that look in your eye when he talks, it's the same one your father gives your mother," she pointed out the similarity.
Elizabeth thought back to the tale of how her parents met, reminding herself of their gushy moments in the halls at Hogwarts. She would sometimes impose a charm on herself that made it seem as if she were there with them. Drawing back to reality, she remembered that the story of Tom and her was nothing like that of her parents.
"Just don't close him out," her grandmother advised.
Tom listened from the other side of the kitchen door, trying his best not to smirk. At least he knew that Elizabeth had confided in her grandmother how warmly she felt for him, boosting his reputation and lowering the suspension around him, should the occasion arise.
His focus drew back to reality as he saw Elizabeth drying her hands, causing him to walk away from the door and act as if he were passing by. Elizabeth pushed the door open, and her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"Evening," Tom greeted, forcing a smile.
She returned the expression. "My grandparents are going to be at a recreational quidditch match tomorrow, so we'll have the place to ourselves," Elizabeth told him in a hushed tone, hoping that she was out of range from her grandmother's hearing.
"What are you suggesting?" Tom skeptically asked.
"There's one curse I have not yet taught you," she whispered. "It's the worst one of them all."
A fire lit inside of Tom, feeling a magnetic attraction to her, "I thought you had told me all of them."
"I taught you all that I wanted you to know," she explained, "but I think you deserve to know this one. You've worked so hard."
"I truly have, haven't I?" Tom basked in the praise Elizabeth fed him.
"I will tell you tomorrow, I promise," she reassured him. "But for now, we should sleep," Elizabeth told Tom.
"That sounds perfect," Tom agreed and followed Elizabeth up the stairs. Elizabeth stopped at her door and turned around, facing Tom. "Goodnight," he leaned down, placing a small kiss on her forehead.
Elizabeth smiled and backed into her room, shutting the door after her. Tom sighed and walked across the hall to his room. He began to unbutton his shirt while he walked to the window and looked out at the moonlight that reflected off of the waves. He didn't know whether he'd stay or not. As Elizabeth said, she only had one piece of magic left for him. After he learned it, what would he do?
A small knock on his door pulled him out of his thoughts. "Come in," he called out, not turning away from the window. He heard the door open, no words coming from who he assumed to be Elizabeth. Tom turned around, surprised to witness her standing there in a silk robe that he'd seen her sleeping in before. "Elizabeth, what is it?"
She said nothing, gingerly stepping closer to him. Elizabeth stopped and as he was about to say something, she slipped the robe off, silencing his concern. He placed a hand on the small of her bare back and pulled her in for a kiss. Through the course of their actions, he realized he may have a harder time when deciding whether or not to stay.
-
"Where do you want to go?" Elizabeth asked him the next morning as he watched her brush her hair.
He had thought about it for some time, where he wanted to take her that day, yet he felt no place was truly deserving of it. "There is a beach I saw in a photograph once," he suggested. "There's a cliff above the water with flowers and grass, it's beautiful."
"Let's go there, then, I can't wait to see it," Elizabeth smiled, standing up and slipping her feet into a pair of sandals. She wore a loose-fitting white dress, and she reminded Tom of an angel.
She grabbed the picnic basket and placed her arm upon his, apparating to the cliff he'd promised her. It overlooked the bluest water she'd ever seen. Yellow, pink, and white flowers spotted the green grass as a warm wind breezed through the air.
"This is beautiful," Elizabeth whispered. "Thank you," she smiled at him.
His stomach was uneasy. "Of course," he muttered. They sat together in the grass, eating sandwiches as she'd promised they would. Tom picked at the food and ultimately set it back down. He watched as Elizabeth ate a cherry, wind blowing her hair about, not a single thing giving her stress.
"Not hungry?" Elizabeth noticed his accumulation of untouched food. He shook his head, and she shrugged. "Suit yourself," she smiled and took his orange slices.
He noticed his ring on her finger, realizing that he needed it back. "Elizabeth, I was thinking of getting that ring engraved, maybe with my initials, for you," he spoke.
"Oh, that would be so nice," she gushed, taking the ring off and giving it to him. "Here, I don't want it to get dirty magic on it, just in case." She continued eating, then suddenly remembered why they were there, "Speaking of dirty magic... shall we get started?"
"Can we just sit for a moment?" he asked, more or less in a begging manner. She obliged and laid down on her back, allowing herself to be engulfed in small flowers. Tom was at a loss for words, entranced by her serenity and aura. He never wanted to leave her. He placed his hand on her head, stroking her hair gently while the ocean made lovely noises below them. As they sat, Elizabeth dozed off into a state of slumber.
She looked so innocent, Tom thought. He knew in that moment that she was all he ever wanted. He remembered a few months back when Elizabeth was unconscious in Joshua's room, Joshua speaking to her while she was out. Of course he'd heard everything, he had his ways. Tom thought that whatever he said while she slept would slip into her mind subconsciously.
"Elizabeth," he began, plucking individual flowers from the ground and placing them in her hair. "I used to think I would never care for anyone, never need someone as much as I need you," Tom admitted to her closed eyes, organizing more colorful petals. "When I first saw you at Hogwarts, I forgot about the magic you possessed, the hexes you'd performed, even the lives you've ended, I just saw you, struggling to open the handle-less door." His face turned red from anger and guilt, "You are the most valuable thing to me, and I hope you never felt like you needed to do anything to impress me or gain my affection."
He placed a final, larger white flower over her heart. It took everything within him to try and prevent it, but he couldn't help the tears which bypassed his lashes, rolling down his cheeks and landing on her neck. Nearly shaking from emotion, he bent down and placed a kiss on her pink lips, a few more tears landing on her face. He was surprised she hadn't awoken yet, but glad that she hadn't.
"Elizabeth Maryn, you are, and will continue to be the best thing that has come into my life. That's why this is the hardest thing that I have ever had to do," Tom whispered and drew his wand. "I will never forget you." Not wanting to close his eyes, he watched as with a small movement of his wand, the life drained from the girl he wanted to love. A final breath escaped her lips and she was gone.
A final tear rolled off of his cheek. Tom stood and wiped his face with the sleeve of his button-up. After one final look at her lifeless body, he put his arms through the black cloak he'd brought, pulling the hood over his head.
Tom Riddle walked away and never looked back.
The End