Chapter 58 - Worries

As Thomas rose from his seat, thanking Dumbledore for letting him take a day or two to rest, he excused himself from the office, leaving the headmaster and Hagrid alone in the room. Dumbledore watched Thomas depart with a warm smile, but his attention shifted back to Hagrid, right as the door closed behind Thomas.

"Hagrid," he spoke gently, "I couldn't help but notice that Thomas was carrying a sword on his waist. Care to enlighten me on its origin?"

Hagrid scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Ah, well, y'see, Professor, it's a bit of a complicated story. That there sword... it was a gift from Ronan, the centaur chief. He gave it to Thomas as a symbol that he's a friend of the centaurs and at the same time, recognizing young Thomas as a warrior."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with understanding as he sipped some lemon juice from his cup. "It seems the centaurs hold him in high regard and I take it that happened because Thomas had fought side by side with Ronan's son?"

Hagrid nodded while proudly answering. "Aye, they do, Professor. Thomas fought alongside Marsius, protectin' their territory and takin' down those creatures. The centaurs were impressed, they were and that ain't an e'sy job."

As Hagrid spoke, Dumbledore listened intently trying to connect the dots that were making Thomas Grayson. The boy as a whole was a mystery, one dangerous mystery if led astray by dark forces, but until now, nothing had made the headmaster doubt the boy's intention. Especially since every time he asked about him, the professors were praising the boy, telling him that the boy was always helping his classmates and being polite, despite the rather not so behaved friends he had. Yet he still could remember the first time Thomas had got into trouble, on the night of Halloween, when he alongside his three roommates as well as Harry Potter, Ron Wesley, and Hermione Granger fought a troll and even won, when Thomas and his friends brought the creature down, using a magical dagger out of all of the things. Glancing at the dagger, Dumbledore wondered how did the boy truly met a devil that belonged to one of the ruling families of the underworld and how he managed to befriend her to such a degree that she gave him such a weapon.

Then a faint furrow appeared between Dumbledore's brows as he thought about some rather scary possibility. Could it be that Thomas had a deeper connection to the biblical factions than he had initially assumed? After a first year to know to fight, especially one that comes from a family of non-wizards, this was nothing short of a miracle, not to mention his strength and the fact that he seemed way too weary of anything, almost as if the boy had seen the horrors of wars himself and had created a barrier between him and anyone he doesn't deem a friend or family.

Finally, after trying to hide those thoughts, Dumbledore turned his gaze to Hagrid. "Hagrid, I appreciate your account of what transpired. For now, this will be all. However, I must ask you to remain vigilant. The hooded man and the devil woman may return, and we need to ensure the safety of our students."

Hagrid nodded in response and Dumbledore could see that the Half-Giant was somewhat worried about meeting those two. "Don't worry, Professor. I'll keep an eye out. Nothin' gets past me, y'know."

"Thank you, Hagrid. Should anything unusual occur, please inform me immediately."

Meanwhile, Thomas just reached the Ravenclaw common room, which was empty at this late hour. Not wanting to waste any more of the rest of the night, he went directly for his room and as soon he entered, entered his room, to his surprise, he saw Michael, James, and Adam waiting for him, all of them looking worried as if a dragon just attacked them. As soon as he saw him, Michael got on his feet and rushed towards Thomas.

"Tom, what in Merlin's name happened out there? Hagrid and I saw those red sparkles in the air before Hagrid made his way towards your location and soon afterward, I found Malfoy and Fang running towards us. He mentioned something about you needing help, but I didn't manage to ask him anything as the centaurs took us back to the castle."

Hearing Michael's worry, Thomas took a moment to gather his thoughts, feeling grateful that his friends were worried for his well-being, but that didn't stop him from letting out a tired sigh before recounting the events of what happened back there.

"Guys, it's... it's been one hell of a night. As Mickey might have already to you were out searching for the wounded unicorn, and Malfoy and I alongside Fang were put together in one team. As we were searching for a centaur, Marsius found us and decided to help us look, but unfortunately, for us, we stumbled upon something much more sinister. There was a hooded figure feasting on the carcass of the dead unicorn. Marsius fired an arrow at the figure, but it didn't even reach the figure as it bounce off a barrier. Before we could react, a devil woman appeared, summoning grotesque creatures to attack us."

The room fell silent, while his friends looked at him as if he was some madman. Seeing that Thomas could only force a smile on his face before continuing.

"I fought alongside Marsius, trying to defend ourselves. We were outnumbered, but we held our ground. I managed to create a path for Malfoy and Fang to call for help, but while I was fighting the creatures, the devil woman charged Marsius ... and he lost his fight against her."

Michael's eyes widened in concern. "Is the centaur okay? What happened to him?"

Thomas's voice trembled slightly as he replied, "He's hurt, badly, but the centaurs are taking care of him. They're healing his wounds as we speak. I hope he'll be alright."

James and Adam exchanged worried glances before James spoke up. "And what about you, Tommy boy? Are you alright? You fought against all those creatures and did you and Malfoy say something about a devil woman?"

Thomas gave a weak smile, appreciating his friends' concern. "I'm here don't I, guys. However, I got some cuts and bruises, but nothing too serious."

Seeing that Thomas still hadn't said anything about that devil, Adam leaned forward, hoping to make his friend talk a little bit about here. He was curious about who a devil woman was, and who could blame him for wanting to know more?

"Tom, mate, you mentioned that devil. What was she like? How did you... handle her?"

Thomas shifted uncomfortably in his bed, keeping his eyes on the floor. He didn't want to remember what happened and how the woman toyed with his emotions just like that, almost as if he was her toy.

"Guys, it's not something I can easily explain," he began, and his friends could see that he was hesitant about something. "She was... powerful. More than anything I've ever faced before, even more, powerful than that Youkai that attacked me and Latia."

Once again, Thomas's words dumbfounded his friends. If only they would have known, none of them would have asked about what happened. They could sense that the topic had become too sensitive, and they didn't want to push Thomas any further. Instead, they decided to respect his boundaries and allow him some space.

Michael yawned and stretched his arms. "Alright, guys, it's been a long night. I think we should get some rest now and let Tom have some time to recover."

James nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can talk about this later. Let's get some sleep."

Adam stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes. "Sounds like a plan. Tom, if you need anything, just let us know, alright?"

Thomas smiled appreciatively at his friends' understanding. "Thanks, guys. I'll be fine. Let's get some rest and see how tomorrow goes."

The next morning, Thomas and his friends gathered in the common room, feeling somewhat refreshed after a night of rest. After what happened yesterday, Thomas choose to retire for the next two days in his room, resting and trying to forget about that hooded figure and its devil follower. Since Thomas was still not back in his usual, James suggested they all skip the first class and go to the Great Hall for breakfast, hoping that after eating some good food their friend would recover some of his usual demeanor.

When they entered the bustling Great Hall, the aroma of freshly cooked food that filled the air hit them, and the sound of chatter echoed throughout the room. For a second, Thomas forgot about what he had faced last night, enjoying the normalcy of the great hall as he and his friends made their way towards the Ravenclaw table, they found some empty place beside Matthew and Emily, who were talking with some of their friends.

Just as they sit beside them, Matthew turned to see who sit beside him and his girlfriend and was pleasantly surprised to see Thomas and his friends, but when he look at Thomas noticed the change in his demeanor, and that made him concerned, after all not even when he lost 200 points did he look so bad and so tired.

"Hey, Tom, you alright? You seem a bit off today. If you're not feeling well, maybe you should skip Quidditch training this week."

Thomas appreciated Matthew's concern, but he shook his head, not wanting to miss one of the few things he genuinely loved to do. "Thanks, Matthew, but I can't skip training. We have an important match coming up, and I need to be there for the team. Besides, I love playing Quidditch."

Emily, who had grown fond of Thomas and had taken on a protective role towards him, even daring to proclaim herself as his big sister amongst her friends telling her friends not to touch her little cute brother, placed a hand on his shoulder before she too told him that she was there for him. "Tom, if something is bothering you, you can talk to us. We're here for you, and your well-being is more important than Quidditch."

Thomas gave her a small smile, before shaking his head again. "I appreciate it, Emy, but I'll be fine. Just some things on my mind, that's all." But as he was about to speak further, he felt a chilling gaze, filled with malice, piercing through him from across the Great Hall. The intensity of the stare sent a shiver down his spine, raising the hair on the back of his neck. Just as he was about to turn and see who was looking at him like that, Bahamut's voice echoed in his mind.

[Do not look, Thomas. Stay still and do not draw attention to yourself. Something's off about whoever is glancing at you, almost as if he was just a distant memory of someone trying to come back to life.]

Thomas gave Emily a small smile, appreciating her concern, but as he was about to speak further, he felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere. A chilling gaze, heavy with malice, pierced through him from across the Great Hall. The intensity of the stare sent a shiver down his spine, raising the hair on the back of his neck.

Before Thomas could turn to locate the source of the gaze, Bahamut's voice echoed in his mind, urgent and cautionary. [Do not look, Thomas. There is someone with ill intentions watching you. Stay still and do not draw attention to yourself.]

Thomas froze, his hand tightening around his fork as he resisted the urge to turn and look around the great hall. He trusted Bahamut and because of that, he focused on maintaining his composure, feigning unawareness as he continued to converse with his friends, hoping that whoever was looking at him would get bored soon.

For the next ten minutes, Thomas keep feeling the gaze trying to burn a hole thought him. As the minutes passed, his uneasiness began to subside, and a sense of relief washed over him until the gaze disappeared completely almost as if it never happened making Thomas let out a silent sigh of relief.

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