"H-hello…"
Perhaps because she was facing a cat rather than a human, the young girl's tense expression relaxed just a little.
"Hello! What's your name? Also, what is this place? Is it your home? Why are you here alone? Where did your family go? Oh—and do you know how I can leave?"
Looking at the timid girl before him, Tom wore a perfectly polite smile. At the same time, he unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of questions, as relentless as a machine gun.
"(´･_･`) Uh… well…"
Whether it was because Tom asked too many questions at once, or because he had unknowingly touched on secrets she wanted to hide, the girl's expression quickly grew flustered. She stood there at a complete loss, unsure how to respond.
If that were all, it would have been fine. However, Tom noticed something far more alarming.
As the girl's emotions became increasingly unstable, an invisible ripple of power began to spread outward from her body—an overwhelming force that felt as though it could tear apart heaven and earth itself.
To prevent this power from erupting and killing the only living person he had finally managed to find, Tom quickly reached out with one paw and gently patted the girl on the head.
The effect was immediate.
Under his soft touch, the girl's agitated emotions gradually calmed. The terrifying ripple of power weakened, then slowly dissipated into nothingness.
Encouraged by Tom's gentle gaze, the girl hesitated for a moment before finally speaking in a small, quiet voice.
"Ariana… Ariana Dumbledore. That is my name."
Tom froze.
"(°ー°〃) Dumbledore?!"
A flood of question marks instantly appeared over Tom's head.
Dumbledore? As in that Dumbledore?
But wasn't Old Dumbledore a man? And wasn't his name Albus Dumbledore? Who exactly was Ariana? His daughter? No—he'd never heard of that.
Did this mean he was currently in some strange place where Dumbledore had once raised children?
Well, setting aside the fact that Tom had already forgotten most of his memories of Harry Potter, even if he hadn't, he had never watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. His confusion was completely understandable.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—Tom's confusion did nothing to interrupt Ariana's narration.
Lost in her memories, the girl slowly began to explain her situation.
"As for what this place is… I'm not really sure myself. Perhaps it's the world after death. After all, the last thing I remember is being struck by a spell before coming here."
"As for why I'm alone…" Her voice grew quieter. "This is probably my punishment. My retribution for causing my parents' deaths."
"They won't come to see me. And they don't plan to take me away either. They've left me here alone, so I can slowly atone for my sins."
As she spoke, Ariana's mood sank deeper and deeper. Along with the change in her emotions, that same terrifying presence began to rise around her once more.
Thankfully, Tom's soft paw pads were just barely effective enough to calm her again, pressing gently against her head until the dangerous energy receded.
"I'm sorry… I almost hurt you just now."
Seeing that Tom might have been injured because of her, Ariana was immediately overwhelmed by guilt. That guilt caused her newly stabilized emotions to plummet yet again.
Realizing things were heading in a dangerous direction, Tom hurriedly changed the subject.
"It's fine, it's fine! I forgive you!!" he said quickly. "Oh, right—by the way, I actually know a Dumbledore too. Maybe he's related to you!"
For the lonely girl before him, the word family was irresistible.
Hearing Tom's words, Ariana instantly looked up. Her eyes sparkled with sudden hope.
"Really? What is his name?"
"Albus Dumbledore."
The moment she heard the name, Ariana's emotions surged.
"Brother Albus?! He's still alive?" she exclaimed. "That's wonderful! Tom, can you tell me how my brother is doing now?"
"Of course I can."
Tom nodded readily, though he couldn't help giving the girl a long, thoughtful look.
So Dumbledore really did have a sister. Just what kind of family had produced someone like him?
"Well, since I've got nothing else to do, I might as well chat with her," Tom thought to himself. "Maybe I can even dig up some of Dumbledore's dark history~ (￣▽￣*)"
With that delightful goal in mind, Tom decisively began recounting everything he knew about Dumbledore—mostly second-hand information gathered from mainstream newspapers and wizarding magazines. Naturally, he excluded The Quibbler.
"Brother Albus and Grindelwald had a fight?" Ariana murmured in disbelief. "They were so close back then… and yet they ended up falling out?"
When Tom mentioned that Dumbledore had defeated Gellert Grindelwald and gone on to become one of the greatest wizards of the modern era, Ariana's expression filled with shock.
"They wanted to rule the Muggle world back then," she said slowly. "Wasn't that so the world would recognize their relationship? Why did they fall apart?"
"No—wait, what did you just say?" Tom blurted out. "For real?! That's way too outrageous!"
Even though he knew very little about this history, there was no way it could have developed like some bizarre unofficial fan theory.
But then again… Ariana was Dumbledore's sister.
"(╯°□°)╯ How am I supposed to look at Dumbledore the same way after this?!"
Tom felt his worldview collapse in real time.
"Of course it's true," Ariana replied seriously. "My brother told me about his relationship with Grindelwald himself."
Looking at her earnest expression, Tom's lips twitched.
Suddenly, he regretted listening so closely.
"What if Dumbledore kills me for knowing this?" he wondered nervously.
Before he could dwell on it further, Tom sensed that something wasn't quite right.
He looked down.
His body was slowly becoming transparent.
Although this was the first time it had happened, Tom immediately understood what it meant.
He was running out of time.
Ariana noticed it too.
The girl, who had been excited just moments ago, fell silent.
"Tom…" she said softly. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
"I'm afraid so."
Seeing how lonely she looked, Tom reached out one last time and gently stroked her head.
"Don't worry. I'll come back to see you when I get the chance!" he said cheerfully. "Oh, by the way—do you have any message you want me to pass on to Dumbledore?"
"A message…?"
Ariana looked confused.
In her understanding, this place was the world of the dead. Leaving it meant only one of two things: reincarnation, or complete dissipation.
She didn't understand what Tom meant by bringing a message, nor how he could possibly come back.
"(๑•ㅂ•)و✧ Of course!" Tom said proudly. "I'm Tom! If I weren't unsure about your current state, resurrecting you wouldn't even be difficult for me!"
Strictly speaking, Tom didn't actually possess the power to resurrect someone in the truest sense. However, if Ariana was merely a soul and her body was intact somewhere, he could probably try stuffing the soul back in.
That said, Ariana didn't look like a normal soul at all. She was vivid, solid, and completely opaque.
Uncertain, Tom chose not to give her false hope.
Then, a dangerous idea suddenly crossed his mind.
"Wait… if she really is Dumbledore's sister," Tom thought, "why don't I just take her with me? I could use her to command Dumbledore later~ Professor Dumbledore, you wouldn't want your sister to… (￣ω￣)"
As Tom's expression gradually became more and more sinister, Ariana felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine.
Still, since Tom was the first living creature she had encountered in countless years, she chose to trust him.
"I want you to tell my brother," she said softly, "that I don't blame him."
"…Actually," Tom said suddenly, "I've changed my mind."
Before Ariana could react, Tom took advantage of her confusion. He pulled out a sack and stuffed the girl inside without hesitation.
"If you've got something to say," he declared, "you can tell your brother yourself later!"
As he spoke, Tom's body became completely transparent.
With the sack containing Ariana slung over him, he vanished from the pure white space.
Once they were gone, the simple wooden house disappeared as well, leaving nothing behind.
"Tom! You're finally awake!"
"Meow?"
Tom groggily opened his eyes. Before he could even assess his surroundings, something heavy crashed onto his body.
Judging by the voice…
It was probably Hannah.
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