Charice was shaking when she got back to the Slytherin common room. Tom Riddle had wanted to meet with her tonight. He was well known throughout the school. He had outstanding marks in every class at Hogwarts, he was head boy and was so handsome and charming you couldn't help but take notice of him. Charice had liked him for as long as they had been at Hogwarts but she figured he had paid little attention to her existence. Sure they had spoken in passing, been paired together in potions classes and such but it had never been for any reason other than that that he had acknowledged her and he wanted to meet up tonight.
She tried not to bounce around too excitedly as she got ready for the evening with Tom, but she was failing miserably. She could barely believe he had said the words but they kept repeating in her head.
"Perhaps you'd like to join me this evening and we could get to know each other better." He had asked, his dark eyes seeming to penetrate her very core as he spoke. Her heart pounded as she replayed it over and over in her head and she blushed every time she saw that charming grin in her mind.
After hours of trying to contain herself and primping for the evening she was finally waiting in the common room for Tom, trying to push the possibilities of it being a dream, or worse, a joke, out of her mind as she read a book so as to not seem like she was waiting for anyone in particular if it were a joke. Charice had never really stood out. Sure she got amazing grades and was just barely beat out of becoming head girl but she was never really noticed in Slytherin. Sure, she was a pureblood but that was nothing unusual in Slytherin. She was pretty but she had never felt at all stunning and never got the impression anyone else had ever thought that about her. She felt so plain until Tom had asked her out for the evening. She realized that she was actually staring at the common room fire rather than reading her book when Tom's voice was heard from across the room. She looked back down at her book, one from the restricted section about curses that had been passed around the house the last few weeks, trying to act nonchalant.
"Are you ready Charice?" His voice was smooth and made her heart skip a beat.
"Oh, uh yeah." She smiled and set the book down. Several girls in the common room glared at her as they walked past them and she could feel their eyes, burning into her. Tom was, after all, quite charming and many girls had fancied him.
They walked down the halls in silence, Charice too afraid to speak, before Tom finally spoke up.
"I thought we'd head up to the Astronomy tower. Beautiful night and I've made quite sure we won't be disturbed." He smiled and her heart pounded.
It was really happening.
After a few drinks in the Astronomy tower and some talk about the restricted curses book and several other topics such as Slytherin's likely win of the house cup and quidditch, they had run out of subjects to discuss. Charice was looking down at the nearly empty glass in her hand, sloshing what was left around a little, when Tom's hand touched her chin to make her face him. She could feel the heat in her cheek as she stared into those dark eyes of his until he leaned in to kiss her and she closed her eyes.
Charice slipped into bed, though she was unsure why as she'd have to be up in just a couple hours. She touched her cheek, where Tom had kissed her goodnight. He was silent on their secret trek back to the Slytherin common room and it made Charice nervous. She had never done anything like that before. She had had so many firsts tonight; date, kiss, night out passed curfew, and then of course the big one. She was still in a bit of shock. She had a couple of good friends but they had never talked about that kind of stuff much. She had heard your first time was supposed to be, uncomfortable, but she didn't expect that at all. She lay in bed, mulling it over for the 2 hours until she had to get ready for classes. She contemplated telling her friends, but remembered the looks from the night before. No, it would probably get out sooner or later that she and Tom were dating, but she didn't need the hate any sooner than necessary.
Charice gasped as she rolled out of bed and pulled up her shirt to look at her hip. It was bruised. And she swore it was in the shape of a hand print. She looked at the other side and it was the same. When she got to the bathroom she checked her shoulders which were bruised too. She made a mental note to be a little more careful in the halls so as to not bump into anyone and went about her day thinking it couldn't be anything out of the ordinary.
Later that day when she got to Potions, Tom barely spoke to her. It was nothing more than his usual during class but Charice was sure it was nothing and that he merely wasn't the kind to go gallivanting around campus with his arms around her but when he seemed to be avoiding her, she decided to confront him. Sure she was quiet and reserved but she was damned if she would be walked on.
Tom was finally the last one in the Slytherin common room. The quiet was nice, he was quite sick of all those simpletons and their pointless banter. He hated chit chat. He had had more than enough the night before with Charice in the astronomy tower, but he had known it was necessary to get what he wanted, and after he had gotten it, he wondered why he bothered. He wondered why anyone bothered. It wasn't worth the hype and he had no intentions on wasting time on that again, though the power he exerted over Charice without her even realizing it was fun, it didn't give him more than a moment's pleasure. Definitely not worth the work to get to that point.
Footsteps came down the steps of the common room and Tom rolled his eyes. Just when he thought he was going to get some peace and quiet.
"Tom?" Charice's voice came from the end of the couch he was sitting on.
"What?" He didn't even try to hide the annoyance in his voice.
"Um, have I done something to upset you?" She asked timidly.
"Go away." He growled.
"I-I just don't understa-" She began before he cut her off, not wanting to hear anymore.
"You were terrible, now go." He spat without looking up from his studies, thinking she would run back to her room for a good cry, but she didn't, she just stood there. He looked up and there were tears filling her eyes. "What?"
"I-I don't understand Tom, I thought we shared something. I thought we-"
"You thought what? We'd start dating? Ha." His voice was cruel. He had accomplished what he wanted to, there was no reason to keep up the charade.
"Tom! There's no reason to be like this! Tell me what I've done wrong."
"It's done. It's over. Just go on about your life. Why are you still pestering me?" He turned his attention back to his book.
"Tom, you hurt me." Her voice was stronger now and it caused him to look back up and her. She was angry and he struggled not to laugh. "I'll-"
"You'll what?" He snapped. "You'll tell?" He smirked.
"Maybe I will." She glared.
She had fear in her eyes when Tom came at her slamming her against the wall. She gasped for breath, his hand at her throat giving him a rush of power better than the one he had had the night before.
"You won't. If you do, who will believe you? You're just some girl who never seems to be quite good enough. You come close but you just can't reach perfect." He sneered. "And if you do tell anyone you'll regret it, trust me." Her eyes fluttered with fear and he could tell she was terrified she was going to die. "Why don't you run along back to your room like a good girl." He said before releasing her and she slumped down to the floor. She gasped for air for a few moments before leaving, thoroughly defeated as Tom turned back to his book as though nothing had happened. Tom was quite content, knowing she would never dare say anything. She didn't either and the next day she was back to normal, as though she had forgotten the whole ordeal, though from then on any time she sensed he was growing irritated with her she was quick to correct her actions quite quickly which always gave him a rush of that feeling of power again.