"Uh… h-hi…"
Maybe it was because she was talking to a cat instead of a person, but the girl's tense expression eased up just a little.
"Hi! What's your name? Also, where is this place? Is this your home? Why are you here all alone? Where's your family? Oh! And do you know how I can get out of here?"
Tom flashed her a perfectly friendly smile, but the questions came firing out of him like a machine gun.
"(´･_･`) Um… well…"
Maybe because Tom asked way too many questions, or maybe because he touched on things she didn't want to talk about—either way, the girl's expression turned panicked. She looked completely overwhelmed.
That was bad enough, but Tom quickly realized something far more dangerous: as her emotions spiraled, an invisible, world-shattering force began rising around her.
To keep this walking catastrophe from blowing up the only living person he'd seen in ages, Tom lifted a paw and gently patted the top of her head.
Under his calming touch, her emotions slowly leveled out, and the dangerous aura dissipated.
Seeing Tom's encouraging look, the girl hesitated for a moment before softly speaking:
"Ariana. Ariana Dumbledore. That's my name."
Tom: (°ー°〃) Dumbledore?!
He felt a whole string of question marks explode above his head.
Dumbledore? That Dumbledore?
But wait—wasn't old Dumbledore a man? And wasn't his name Albus Dumbledore? Who the heck was Ariana? His kid?! Was this some secret family hideout?
Well… even if Tom hadn't forgotten most of his Harry Potter memories, he still never watched Fantastic Beasts.
His confusion didn't stop Ariana from continuing. Lost in old memories, she slowly explained:
"As for what this place is… I'm not really sure. Maybe it's the world of the dead. The last thing I remember is being hit by a spell."
"And why I'm alone… that's probably my punishment. Punishment for killing our parents."
"They never come to see me. They won't take me away. They just left me here… to atone."
Her mood crashed again, and with it, that terrifying force began to gather once more. Thankfully, Tom's soft little paw pads still worked, barely keeping her stable.
"I'm sorry… I almost hurt you just now…"
Seeing Tom nearly get blasted because of her made Ariana's guilt surge, and her emotions sank even further. To avoid another meltdown, Tom quickly changed the subject.
"It's fine. I forgive you! Oh, right—I know a Dumbledore too! Maybe you're related!"
Luckily, for this girl, the idea of family was irresistible. The instant she heard that, Ariana lifted her head, hope shining in her eyes.
"Really? What's his name?"
"Albus Dumbledore."
The moment she heard the name, she jolted with excitement.
"Albus? He's alive?! That's wonderful! Tom, can you tell me how my brother's doing?"
"Of course."
Tom nodded, studying the girl.
So Dumbledore had a sister? What was their family like?
Well, nothing better to do. Might as well chat. Who knows—maybe I'll dig up some embarrassing stories about Dumbledore.
(￣▽￣)
And with that noble mission, Tom began recounting everything he knew about Dumbledore from the well-behaved, respectable newspapers—definitely not The Quibbler.
"A-Albus and Grindelwald fought? But they were so close… how did they end up enemies?"
When Tom said Dumbledore defeated Gellert Grindelwald and became one of the greatest wizards of the era, Ariana looked genuinely shocked.
"They wanted to rule the Muggle world so people would accept their relationship! Why would they fight?"
"…I'm sorry, WHAT?! Are you serious? That sounds insane!"
Tom didn't know much about that part of history, but this version was way too wild.
But considering Ariana was his sister… maybe it was true?
How am I supposed to look Dumbledore in the eyes after this?!
(╯°□°)╯
"It's definitely true!"
Ariana insisted confidently.
"He told me himself!"
Tom's mouth twitched.
Great. Perfect. Now he kind of regretted asking. Was Dumbledore going to murder him when he got back?
Before he could respond, Tom felt something strange.
Looking down, he realized his body was turning transparent.
First time for him, sure, but he instantly understood the situation:
His time here was almost up.
Ariana noticed too. Her excitement faded into quiet sadness.
"Tom… you're leaving, aren't you?"
"Looks like it."
Seeing her downcast expression, Tom raised a paw and gently ruffled her hair.
"Don't worry. I'll come back and visit when I can! Oh—do you want me to pass a message to Dumbledore?"
"Message?"
Ariana looked confused.
In her understanding, this was the realm of the dead—leaving meant reincarnation or dissolution.
"Passing a message" made no sense to her at all.
"(๑•ㅂ•)و✧ Of course! I'm Tom! If I knew exactly what's going on with you, bringing you back to life wouldn't even be that hard!"
Tom said proudly.
Truthfully, he didn't have a real resurrection ability… but if she was a soul and if her body was intact, he might be able to shove the soul back in.
But she looked too solid—too alive—to be a normal spirit.
Without certainty, he didn't want to give her false hope.
Still…
Wait… if she really is Dumbledore's sister… why not just take her with me? I could totally use her as leverage.
Professor Dumbledore, sir… you wouldn't want anything to happen to your sweet little sister, would you~?
(￣ω￣)
Tom's expression drifted into supervillain territory, making Ariana shiver.
But… he was the first living being she'd seen in ages. In the end, she chose to trust him.
"Can you tell my brother I don't blame him?"
"…Yeah, about that—I changed my mind."
Before she could react, Tom pulled out a sack and yoinked it over her, stuffing her inside like a kidnapping pro.
"Whatever you need to say, you can just tell him yourself!"
And with his body fully transparent, Tom vanished from the white world—bagged Ariana in tow.
The old wooden cabin disappeared moments later.
---
"Tom! You're finally awake!"
"Meow?"
Groggy and barely conscious, Tom had just opened his eyes when something heavy crashed down on him.
Judging by the voice… that was probably Hannah?