Lost | Tom Riddle ✔

Chapter 34

*Tong*

*Tong*

*Tong*

Tom looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost bedtime. He closed the book that was spread on the table in front of him and adjusted his cloak. He looked around himself as discretely as possible. The next day he was going back to Hogwarts. He was missing the castle he called his home so bad. He missed everything, his followers, his friends, his best friend and his sweetheart. It was pathetic how he had to spend his valuable time among the dimwits that surrounded him in the oldest pub in London. Spending the three weeks there was Dumbledore's idea. When his Transfiguration master suggested the thing, Tom wanted nothing more than strangling him to death. However, after giving it a little thought, he agreed with the latter. There were high chances of him encountering his past self.

It was disastrous when a person encounters his past self in time travel. There were cases where the latter lost its sanity on seeing the future self. Tom didn't want that. A chuckle left those sinful lips when he recalled his professor's face when he heard that Tom succeeded in travelling three weeks back in time. It was definitely a shock, even for him. However, what was more shocking was Dumbledore's cooperation with him.

It was no secret that his Transfiguration master was suspicious of him and was not foolish enough to trust him blindly, so Tom was surprised when the former decided to let Tom stay in the Leaky Cauldron rather than that old, ruddy muggle orphanage. He remembered the last words Dumbledore said in that meeting,

Wool's orphanage is a safe place for you, but considering the recent events, I want the place to be safer. I want to keep an eye on my students. Sometimes, I may not be able to do that directly, but remember there are others who will happily do that for me.

What did he mean by the first part was not clear to him yet. He was sure that it had a hidden meaning. Was that related to the so-called dark things that Dumbledore referred to in their earlier conversation? Sition. Even after three weeks, his encounter was a clear memory to him.

On remembering the not so hidden warning, those chocolaty orbs automatically landed on the innkeeper. The brown-headed male was standing in his bar, his one hand was holding the glass tightly while the other was cleaning it with the cloth cautiously. His light brown eyes were shining while he was talking to the woman who Tom guessed was a customer. Tom knew Dumbledore had spies everywhere, and he was sure this innkeeper was one of them.

Tom. He thought sarcastically. The innkeeper was his namesake. This was the reason Tom hated his name. So common he thought. Nothing was special about his name. Even his last name was common. To top it all off, his name was muggle-ish. He despised anything that was related to muggles, even distantly. In Tom's opinion, his friends had better names than him. Their names gave away their powerful ancestry. Tom wanted something like that for himself. He wanted to have a name that will be so powerful that even the great wizards would fear to say it.

He stood up from his place. He was about to enter his room, when a conversation, more like traces of it caught his attention.

"Do you remember the woman who was killed a year back near this pub? They said the murderer is dead." An old shaky voice whispered loud enough for Tom's keen ears.

Tom halted and hid behind a wall. When he took a cautious peek, he saw a woman, maybe in her late seventies, talking to a woman equally old. The other woman replied,

"Yeah, That's what their newspapers say." She added. "Ah! That poor girl. She had a troubled life. I can't place myself in her shoes."

"Yeah! Sienna Winters." The first woman whispered. "I believe she was a squib."

"Yes, she was." The other woman nodded her head enthusiastically. "I met her once in the Diagon Alley. Poor girl! She was looking at wands with so much hope."

"Were you related to her?" The first woman asked.

"No. She used to live in my neighbourhood for some time." The woman told. "Honestly, I initially thought that she was a muggle. She never had visitors."

"Yeah too bad." The first woman replied. "I would rather be a muggle than a squib.

Tom listened to their conversation. A squib? Was that the reason ministry never took interest in her case? Or was it something else? Tom thought. He had imagined many things, but not this. His mind was boggled. Truthfully speaking he agreed with the first lady. The pain of knowing that something existed that you would never get was the worst in his opinion. He couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts. The place that also housed the only person who had all answers. The person who was the reason he was in this situation in the first place. The little violet-eyed witch.

~*~*~

Ah! Finally. I hope you liked this. Honestly, it took me so much time to decide how I wanted Tom to spend his time. I hope this was worthy of your wait.

Finally, I will be able to add some Texa moments in an upcoming chapter.

If you are confused, refer chapter 23 to know about the woman mentioned here.

If you liked this story and want to read more, please vote and share it. It will inspire me to write more.

Thank you all!!!