"H-hello..."
Perhaps because she was facing a cat rather than a human, the girl's tense expression softened slightly.
"Hello! What's your name? And where is this place? Is this your home? Why are you here all alone? Where did your family go? Oh, and do you know how I can get out of here?"
Tom put on his most charming smile as he faced the timid girl before him, though he immediately launched into a rapid-fire barrage of questions like a machine gun.
"(´･_･`) Uh, well..." The girl's face showed a complex mixture of emotions, somewhere between wanting to answer and wanting to hide something.
The girl seemed overwhelmed by Tom's barrage of questions, or perhaps some of them touched on secrets she wanted to keep buried. Either way, her expression grew increasingly flustered, and she appeared utterly at a loss for what to do or say.
That alone would have been manageable, but Tom noticed something far more concerning. As the girl's emotions grew more agitated, an invisible yet terrifyingly powerful wave of energy began to emanate from her body.
It carried a presence that felt capable of destroying everything like a raw magical force that pulsed in rhythm with her distress.
To prevent this surge of energy from obliterating the first living person he'd encountered in what felt like ages, Tom reached out with his paw and gently patted the girl's head, his touch soft and reassuring.
Under his soothing gesture, the girl's emotions gradually stabilized, and that dangerous fluctuation of power slowly subsided like a retreating tide.
Under Tom's encouraging gaze, the girl hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.
"Ariana. Ariana Dumbledore. That's my name."
Tom: (°ー°〃) Dumbledore?!
Tom's mind went blank for a moment.
A string of question marks seemed to appear above his head. Dumbledore?
Was this the same Dumbledore he knew? But the old man was male, wasn't he? And his name was Albus Dumbledore, if Tom remembered correctly. Who was this Ariana? His daughter, perhaps?
So, did that mean this place was where Dumbledore raised his children?
The truth was, Tom's memories of the Harry Potter series had faded considerably over time, worn down like old parchment. But even if his memory had been perfect, he'd never watched the Fantastic Beasts films, so this revelation would have blindsided him regardless.
Tom's confusion didn't interrupt Ariana's narrative, however. Lost in the fog of distant memories, she began to explain the situation, her words were coming slowly as if each one required effort to retrieve from the depths of her past.
"As for where we are, I'm not entirely certain myself. Perhaps this is the world after death. After all, the last thing I remember before arriving here was a curse striking me, and then... nothing but this endless white space."
She paused, her eyes grew distant and haunted before continuing.
"As for why I'm alone here... I suppose this is my punishment. Retribution for causing my parents' deaths. They won't come to see me. They won't take me with them wherever they've gone. They've left me here by myself to atone for what I've done, slowly, endlessly."
As she spoke, Ariana's emotions began to plummet once more.
With this shift in her mood, that dangerous sensation rose again around her, magical energy crackling in the air like an approaching storm.
Fortunately, Tom's soft paw pads proved surprisingly effective at calming her, and he managed to soothe her back to stability before the power could spiral out of control.
"I'm sorry... I almost hurt you just then..."
Seeing how Tom had nearly been injured because of her unstable magic, Ariana felt overwhelming guilt wash over her.
This guilt only caused her barely-stabilized emotions to sink even lower. To prevent triggering another dangerous episode, Tom quickly changed the subject.
"It's alright, I forgive you! By the way, I actually know a Dumbledore too. Maybe he's related to you!"
Fortunately, when it came to this particular girl, the lure of family proved irresistible. Upon hearing Tom's words, Ariana's previously downcast expression immediately lifted, her eyes were suddenly sparkling with hope and anticipation.
"Really? What's his name?"
"Albus Dumbledore."
The moment she heard that name, the girl's emotions surged with excitement.
"Brother Albus?! He's still alive? That's wonderful! Tom, can you tell me how my brother is doing now?"
"Of course I can."
Tom nodded in agreement, though at the same time, he observed the girl before him with newfound interest. Dumbledore had a sister? He just wondered what their family relationship was like.
'Well, I've got nothing but time anyway. Might as well chat with her for a while. Who knows, I might even dig up some juicy gossip on Dumbledore's past~ (￣▽￣*)'
With that thought in mind, Tom decisively began recounting what he knew about Dumbledore though naturally, he limited himself to the mainstream praise and accolades from reputable publications, carefully avoiding anything from The Quibbler or similar sensationalist ones.
"Brother Albus had a falling out with Grindelwald? But they were so close back then—how did they end up turning against each other?"
When Tom mentioned how Dumbledore had defeated Gellert Grindelwald to become one of the greatest wizards of the age, Ariana's face filled with disbelief, her eyes widened with shock.
"They wanted to rule the Muggle world so the wizarding world would accept their relationship, didn't they? Why would they fight after all that?"
"Wait, hold on—what did you just say? Is that for real? That's absolutely absurd!"
Though Tom knew nothing about this particular chapter of history, surely it couldn't possibly have developed along such scandalous lines! But considering that Ariana was Dumbledore's sister, could it actually be true?
'(╯°□°)╯ How am I supposed to look Dumbledore in the eye after learning this?!'
Tom felt his entire worldview crumbling to pieces.
"Of course it's true!"
Ariana's expression was absolutely certain, leaving no room for doubt.
"Brother told me about his relationship with Grindelwald himself!"
Looking at Ariana's earnest expression, Tom felt the corner of his mouth twitch. He suddenly regretted listening to the girl's stories. What if Dumbledore decided to silence him permanently when he got back?
However, before Tom could give a response, he felt something was off. Glancing down at himself, he discovered that his body was gradually becoming transparent, like a ghost fading in morning light.
Though this was the first time such a thing had happened to him, Tom immediately understood what it meant: his time in this place was running out.
Obviously, Ariana noticed this as well. The excitement that had briefly lit up her features suddenly died away, replaced by a heavy silence.
"Tom... you're leaving, aren't you?"
"I'm afraid so."
Seeing the girl's lonely expression, Tom reached out with his paw once more, placing it on top of her head and stroking gently in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.
"Don't worry—I'll come back to visit you when I get the chance! Oh, and is there anything you'd like me to tell Dumbledore?"
"Tell him something?"
Ariana looked at Tom with confusion across her face. In her understanding, this was the world of the dead. There were only two ways to leave this place: reincarnation or dissipation into nothingness.
Therefore, she didn't understand what Tom meant by "telling him something," nor did she comprehend what "coming back to visit" could possibly entail.
"(๑•ㅂ•)و✧ Of course! I'm Tom, after all! If I wasn't still uncertain about your current state, even bringing you back to life wouldn't be that difficult for me!"
Tom's expression showed pride and confidence.
In truth, he didn't possess genuine resurrection abilities in the strictest sense. However, if Ariana was a soul and her body remained intact somewhere, he could potentially try stuffing her soul back into it—theoretically, at least.
But looking at her vibrant colors and complete lack of transparency, she really didn't resemble a normal soul in the slightest. Something else was at play here.
Without more certainty about the situation, Tom didn't want to give her false hope that might later be crushed.
However...
'Wait a minute—if she really is Dumbledore's sister, why don't I just take her with me? Maybe I could even use her as leverage against Dumbledore! "Professor Dumbledore, surely you wouldn't want your dear sister to..."
(￣ω￣)'
Tom's expression gradually morphed into something particularly scheming, his eyes were glinting with mischief. The look made Ariana's skin crawl with unease.
But considering that Tom was the first living being she'd encountered in countless years of solitude, she ultimately chose to trust him, her voice was soft and sincere.
"I want you to tell my brother that I don't blame him."
"On second thought, I've changed my mind about that."
Before Ariana could process what he meant, Tom took advantage of her momentary confusion to produce a burlap sack from... somewhere on his person, and promptly stuffed the startled girl inside.
"If you've got something to say, you can tell your brother yourself when we get back!"
As Tom completed this audacious act of kidnapping, his body became completely transparent. Clutching the sack containing Ariana, he vanished entirely from the pure white space.
After the pair disappeared, the rustic wooden cabin that had stood in that emptiness also faded away, leaving nothing but endless white behind.
"Tom! You're finally awake!"
"Meow?"
Tom's consciousness swam groggily back to awareness. He'd barely managed to open his eyes not yet having time to observe his surroundings when he felt something heavy crash down on top of him.
Judging by the voice, this "something" appeared to be Hannah.