— Young man, I suppose you're here for your wand — Both raised an eyebrow at how serious he suddenly became. Tom nodded in response. — Very well, now tell me which hand you use the most, young…? — He asked, waiting for an answer.
— Riddle, and the right one — He replied, staring him straight in the eyes.
Ollivander moved to the side, measuring Tom's hand with total seriousness before disappearing and returning with a box. — Try this one, beech wood, dragon heartstring, 25 cm, very flexible — He handed him a mahogany-colored wand but immediately snatched it back and fetched another. — Cherry wood, unicorn hair, 21 cm, medium stiffness — Tom reached for it, but it too was snatched away. Ollivander just shook his head and went to get another. — Try this one, maple and phoenix feather.
Anna, already knowing this would take a while, went to sit on a small bench to watch as her brother started getting angry at the man for not even letting him touch the wand. Thus began their journey to find Tom's ideal wand. Anna was sure that none of these were right — only the twin wands destined for him and Harry Potter. They reached a point where both were frustrated enough to almost give up, but Ollivander only got more excited having such a difficult customer.
The man looked at him again intently and began to murmur. — I wonder… why not? An unusual combination: holly and phoenix feather, beautiful and flexible, 28 cm — Excited by the possible outcome, he ran behind the counter and began searching through several boxes until he found what he wanted. — Young Riddle, try this.
Seeing he had finally found it, Anna stood up and stretched — she felt her backside had gone numb from waiting so long, but she had to admit it was fun watching Tom get frustrated and angry at Ollivander. Tom quickly extended his hand before the man could snatch it away again. As he touched it, he felt a warmth climb up his fingers; he raised the wand to eye level to examine it when a stream of multicolored sparks burst from the tip like fireworks, casting dancing lights on the walls.
— Bravo! Very good, very good… and how curious, truly curious — His words caught their attention.
— What's curious, sir? — Anna asked, peeking from behind him. Ollivander jumped, surprised to find her there without noticing. — I remember every wand, Mr. Riddle. And it turns out that the phoenix whose tail feather is in that wand gave one more feather, only one more, and it's curious that you have it. It seems you're destined for this wand — He replied.
— So young Riddle has the wand made from one of my phoenix's feathers — Albus said, entering just in time to hear the conversation. — Alright! Let's go get the robes.
— Goodbye, Professor Dumbledore, and young Riddle. I hope to see you soon, Miss…
— Anna, Anna Riddle — She said, smiling and giving a quick farewell wave before catching up with the two leaving through the door.
— I suppose it was hard finding your wand — Commented Albus with a friendly smile. — By the way, here's your messenger owl. — Both turned their eyes to the cage, where there was an ash-colored owl with gray eyes.
— Thank you.
Through the crowd, the three walked toward the tailor shop where they sold Hogwarts robes. As always, Anna carefully observed everything until someone bumped into her, making her lose balance, when a strong hand caught her.
— Are you alright? — Asked a man with brown hair and black eyes. From his appearance, he seemed to be in his thirties or close to forty.
— Thank you, sir — She said gratefully. Without him, she might have fallen to the ground and possibly been trampled by this crowd.
He only nodded and entered a dark, eerie alley. As she got closer, she saw the man's back getting farther away, and something in her heart told her to follow him, to catch up to him. As if enchanted by something, she took a step into the entrance, ready to follow him, when she was suddenly yanked back and hugged tightly.
Tom had been scared; he hadn't realized how quickly he could lose his sister. Panic overwhelmed him when he didn't see her by his side, and in this sea of wizards, it was impossible to find her.
He ran back, and when he finally spotted her, fear surged in his chest at seeing that small figure staring longingly and with desire at that entrance. For a moment, a terrible premonition filled him: if she stepped into that place, she'd disappear completely.
With quick steps, he reached her before she could take a single step, yanked her toward him, and hugged her tightly.
— Brother? — She called him, not understanding his reaction. — You're crushing me.
— Were you about to go in there? — Asked Albus, observing the alley he knew well. — Good thing we found you before you entered Knockturn Alley, otherwise… — His complicated expression only made Tom tighten his grip on her shoulders.
— I told you not to leave my side no matter what! — He raised his voice, angry.
— I'm sorry, brother, it won't happen again — She apologized. It was inconsiderate of her to scare her brother like that — but it was because someone had bumped into me; otherwise, none of this would've happened.
Seeing Tom's pale face full of anxiety and fear made her feel even more guilty, but part of her heart also felt disappointed for not catching up to that man.
She glanced once more at the place where he'd walked away, but didn't have time to think further because she hissed in pain at the tight grip Tom still had on her shoulders, looking at her furiously.
— Let's get the robes, and then I'll take you back to the orphanage — Said Albus, trying to lighten the tension between the siblings.
The three went silently to get Tom's robes. Once finished, they were dropped off in front of the orphanage by Albus. Refugio felt the dark atmosphere between them, a serious and angry Tom, and a guilty-looking Anna.
— Did you fight? — She asked, worried about their quarrel.
— While we were walking, someone bumped into me and I got lost. My brother got angry because of that — She explained with a sigh.
— Leave him for now to calm down, and then go talk to him — She advised, though knowing these two, she knew they wouldn't stay mad at each other for long.
— Understood.
When she reached her room, she let herself fall onto her small bed and stared at the ceiling, which was already losing its original color and now looked yellowish. It wasn't her fault, okay, something in her heart had compelled her to follow that man. But now that she thought clearly…
Was she crazy enough to forget it was the dark alley?
If Tom hadn't stopped her then, she didn't even want to imagine what could've happened, surrounded by all those dark wizards. Just thinking that they might have kidnapped her and taken her who knows where…
Oh God!
Oh no, not like that.
Oh Merlin!
Defeated, she searched through her books for her diary — a small, thick, black leather book. Both she and Tom had the same model.
She poured her guilt and doubts about that man (who she was sure she'd never see again). Now the problem was how to reconcile with Tom.
She closed her diary and left her room in search of Tom to apologize. She knew she should give him some time, but he was leaving soon, and staying mad at each other for long wasn't good.
She knocked on his door, waiting for him to let her in, but heard no answer. He was really mad at her; fine, she couldn't apologize face-to-face, but that didn't mean he wouldn't hear her.
— I'm sorry, brother, I didn't mean to leave your side… — She began speaking. — But someone bumped into me and I almost fell, if it hadn't been for a man who held me, maybe those people would've trampled me — She explained defensively. — I just wanted to thank the man who went down that alley, but I didn't plan on going in; it just made me curious — She murmured at the end, guilty over a white lie. With no response from the other side, she felt impatient. — Brother, I don't want you to give me the cold shoulder. You're leaving, and I don't want to spend our last days like this… wuuu — She began to sob.
In seconds, the door opened, and Tom stood there with a worried expression. Anna certainly knew how to hit his weak spot; he couldn't stand hearing her cry because of the trauma of that year when she almost died from Rosario's kick.
— Alright, stop crying — He asked, defeated by her tear-streaked face.
Refugio, who had watched everything from a corner, smiled happily to see them reconciled. As she had said, they wouldn't stay mad for long; they were each other's Achilles' heel.
The following days followed the same routine, except now they read Hogwarts books over and over, better to learn early and not arrive ignorant of the wizarding world.
They named the owl (she chose) OZ — like the movie The Wizard of Oz. Tom, powerless over that name, could only accept what his sister wanted. Her birthday came, and Tom always took her to that bench where he had first found her; for him, it was symbolic — a reminder that he was the one who found her, and that this little person belonged to him.
— Brother, look! — Called Anna, running toward him happily. She took his hand to drag him among the falling leaves. — I once heard that if you catch a falling leaf, you and the person you're walking with will fall in love — She said, recalling a scene from a Korean drama she'd seen.
— Is what you said true? — He asked, raising his hand to catch one in the air.
— It's true! — She exclaimed. — You did it wrong; it doesn't count if I'm here, brother — She complained.
— Oh, is that so? — Tom looked at the leaf he caught and was about to toss it.
— Give it to me!
— You said it doesn't count if you're here…
— I don't care — She stuck her tongue out at him and ran to the bench where she kept a bag, always carrying a book she was reading. She slipped the leaf between its pages as if it were a treasure.
— I don't understand you.
— I don't care.
Seeing her up to her antics again, he pounced on her to tickle her, but Anna escaped. That's how they spent the rest of the day, playing in that part of the park. Their last days were inseparable, as if trying to make up for the time they'd soon be apart.
That day, Anna said goodbye to Tom at the orphanage door and just watched as he left with Albus. She didn't cry until his figure disappeared from view; she was going to miss him so much.
Tom looked back every few steps to see Anna — she stood alone at the door watching him. He knew she'd stay there until she couldn't see him anymore. He clenched his fists tightly; it was hard not to turn back and hug her, but he had to keep going. His only peace of mind was knowing he'd see her at the Christmas holidays.
He soon arrived at King's Cross Station, and with Albus's guidance, he found Platform 9 3/4. Passing through the wall, he was surprised to see so many people, mostly parents, saying goodbye to their children. His eyes grew cold at such a scene; he didn't need parents; the only one he needed was his little sister. Once inside, he found an empty compartment to settle into for the trip.
— Hello, excuse me — Greeted a boy his age. — Can we share the compartment? — He asked with a big smile.
— Sure — He agreed.
— Hey, Abraxas! — Shouted the boy. — By the way, I'm Avery Lestrange — He introduced himself as he sat down. — This is my friend Abraxas Malfoy — He introduced the blond boy standing at the door, who nodded in greeting.
— I'm Tom Riddle.
— A pleasure to meet you.
— Likewise.
— How nice of you to forget me, Avery — Said an annoyed voice. Looking at the door, there stood a girl with black hair and coal-black eyes; she was quite pretty. Upon noticing her, she put on a neutral face. — I'm Walburga Black — She introduced herself, and the two of them entered and settled into the compartment.
— Tom Riddle — He reintroduced himself with the same neutral expression as Walburga and Abraxas.
Although the three talked among themselves and sometimes included him, he didn't care much, as he could feel their scrutinizing gazes. These three were evaluating him.
It was going to be a very interesting year for him — or maybe not.
Who knows…
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