His shirts were neatly pressed; his pants on a neat pile on his floor. Tom Marvolo Riddle smiled at his new house, recently purchased by he and his girlfriend, Phoebe McKinnon.
Tom put his arm around Phoebe. "Ahh, Phoebs, this is great. Think of the possibilities, dear," said Tom. Phoebe nodded.
"We could do so much with this place."
And it was true. The house had two stories. Tom had inherited it from his mother. Now, after graduating from Hogwarts and getting his degree from Bakesly's Secondary Wizarding Academy (his major was alchemy), he and Phoebe had moved into it.
Tom smiled at his girlfriend and looked around. Today was a good day.
Tom set up his alchemy set in the basement. He had been concocting a new potion for a disease he was all too familiar with; it was spreading around the country.
He picked his notes up and put them in his briefcase, walking upstairs for supper.
Tom walked to the counter and kissed Phoebe.
"How are you doing, sweets?" He asked Phoebe. She smiled.
"Just fine. Have you heard from Chez yet?" She asked him. He shook his head.
"No. But he and Cassie were scheduled to have dinner at Florean Fortescue's tonight, so I'm not that sure. Why?" He asked Phoebe. She shrugged.
"No reason. I just wanted to know if we should invite them to dinner. I haven't seen Cassie in a long time," Phoebe said, referring to her best friend, Cassidy.
Tom kissed Phoebe again and smiled.
"We'll hear from him soon."
Tom ran a hand through Phoebe's curly black hair, putting his thumb on one of her two red streaks.
"You know what? We should make the bedroom red," said Tom. Phoebe laughed.
"You should eat your enchilada, it's getting cold," she said. He smiled.
"Yes, dear. They look delicious."
Phoebe laughed. "Thanks. The recipe is from Danielle. Can she and Lillia come over? I haven't seen them in a long time."
Tom nodded. "Of course. Let's ask them to come and help decorate the guest rooms."
An owl flew through the window. Tom went and took the letter from it, running a hand through his jet black hair.
It read:
Dear Tom,
Hey stranger. Haven't seen you in a long time. I'll come over and help you decorate along with Lillia. She's started seeing someone…can't remember his name. But he's all she talks about sometimes.
Can I bring my friend Victoria along? She's wanted to meet you and Phoebe for a while now, and she has nothing planned. This weekend sounds good. Send your word back to me.
Love,
Dani
Tom scribbled on the other side.
Dani,
Yes, this weekend sounds good. Bring Lillia along. Your friend can come, too. Hope she likes chicken.
Tom
He sent the owl off again and sat by Phoebe, finishing his enchilada.
The week passed quickly and soon it was Saturday.
Phoebe heard a noise outside and went to investigate. Tom's sisters, Lillia and Danielle, were standing on the porch, helping a girl off a broom.
Danielle ran up. "Oh, Tom, it's so good to see you!" She said, flipping her red hair and hugging Tom. Tom smiled and let Dani hug Phoebe. He walked over to Lillia and smiled.
"Hi, Lil," he said, hugging her, running a hand through her dark brown hair. She smiled and kissed his cheek and pulled the girl over.
She was wearing robes of a deep red and her many-hued brown hair was shiny. She smiled.
"Hi, I'm Victoria Bloom," she said. Tom shook her hand.
"Tom Riddle. This is my girlfriend, Phoebe McKinnon," he said. Victoria shook Phoebe's hand politely.
"Hi. This is a really nice place you have," Victoria said. Phoebe smiled.
"Thank you. Tom inherited it from his mother, Veronica's side of the family. It wasn't that nice, but we're fixing it up," Phoebe said. Victoria smiled and nodded.
"You're doing a good job. Which rooms are ours?" She asked Tom. He thought for a moment.
"Up the stairs and to your right. There is a round room; you and Dani can share that room. Lillia can sleep in the basement with Eddie," he said. Lillia looked at Tom strangely.
"Eddie?" She asked him. He laughed heartily.
"Our German Shepherd. You'll like him," said Tom. Lillia thought for a moment and nodded.
"I suppose we will. Now, what are you making for supper, Phoebs?"
"Orange Chicken. Come inside and I'll start it," she said. They nodded and followed her inside the house.
That night, Phoebe, Lillia, and Dani went to bed, leaving Victoria and Tom, who were hungry and wanted to devour the remaining chicken.
Tom pulled the cover off the chicken and re-heated the stove.
Victoria got two plates out and two glasses, filling them with a white zinfandel.
"Wine, ah. Best thing to go with orange chicken," Tom said. Victoria laughed.
He plopped three pieces of the chicken on each of their plates, walking over.
Victoria thanked him and they began to eat in silence when Tom broke the ice.
"So…where did you grow up?" He asked her. She smiled.
"Kent. But I only grew up with my dad. My mom died when I was two and my older brother ended up raising me. I never really had a feminine base in my life, but I guess they did okay, because I'm still here. Where did you grow up?" She asked him. His face darkened.
"In a Muggle orphanage. My mother died giving birth to me. My father was a no good Muggle himself. He sends me a Christmas card from he and his wife, but I burn it every year," said Tom. Victoria took a drink of the wine and frowned.
"I'm sorry," she said. He shook his head.
"Don't mention it. But, you know, we're sort of alike in that way," he said. Her smile dropped and his did, too. They looked at each other, on the verge of kissing melodramatically. Victoria laughed at the last moment and looked away.
"I'm done. I'll put the dishes in the sink for Phoebe, is that okay?" She asked Tom. He looked slightly put-out, but she walked over.
"It isn't you."
He nodded, understanding, and smiled lightly.
"The sink is fine."
Victoria walked into her room and pulled some pajamas out of her suitcase. She put them on and climbed into bed, looking at the peach-colored ceiling.
It was almost midnight, but she pulled a book from her suitcase and began to read.
In he and Phoebe's room, Tom lay in bed. He looked at Phoebe's face, the delicate features on her tan skin. He watched her chest rise and fall with every breath and saw how her lips formed a grin every once in a while as though she were having a good dream.
Phoebe was precious to Tom. She had kept him happy. He was happy…wasn't he?
Suddenly thirsty from the salty chicken, Tom got up to get a drink from the kitchen.
Victoria then realized she had forgotten one of her bags containing her hairbrush down by the kitchen.
Tom picked a glass up out of the cabinet and Victoria picked her bag up.
Tom heard the noise and ran over, pushing Victoria to the ground.
She groaned and Tom squinted through the darkness, his eyes widening.
"Victoria! Oh, I'm sorry!" He said, pulling her up. She grinned in amusement.
"That's quite alright," she said, dusting herself off. She looked at him and pushed the hair off his face.
"You need a haircut," she said, laughing softly. He caught her eyes and nodded slightly.
He knew what was coming. His heart and brain were screaming in protest, but his muscles were leaning toward Victoria.
She looked at him, startled, and flinched as his lips met hers.
The kiss was brief as she pulled away. She walked to the kitchen, sitting on a stool, muttering 'no, no, no.'
He sat by her and she looked at him, sighing.
"Tom, I'm attracted to you. And, call me stupid, but by the random act you just pulled, I believe you're attracted to me as well," she said, a sad smile playing at her lips.
"But you have Phoebe. And she seems like a truly nice person. So, right now, I'll smile, go up to bed, wake up, and leave none the wiser. Good-night, Tom," she said, getting off her chair, walking up the stairs. Tom looked at his hands and nodded as her door shut slowly.
"Good-night," he whispered, thirty seconds too late.
Phoebe awoke early the next morning.
She walked down to the kitchen, baking muffins and pouring juice.
Victoria walked down before the others. "Good morning, Phoebe," she said pleasantly. Phoebe grinned.
"Good morning, Victoria. Would you like some breakfast?" Phoebe asked Victoria, having no clue of what happened between Victoria and Tom the night before. To Phoebe, Victoria was merely a guest in her house. Just passing through.
Victoria hesitated and grabbed a muffin, eating it quickly. "Thank you, but I must be going now. My…uh…brother is expecting me," she said. In all reality, it was because she couldn't stand the tension. Phoebe nodded slowly and smiled.
"Well, it was nice meeting you. You're always welcome here," Phoebe said. Victoria smiled at Phoebe's genuinely nice gesture.
"Thank you. I may take you up on that sometime. Good-bye," she said, walking out the door.
She mounted her broom and flew away, in the direction of London.
Lillia and Danielle walked down a few minutes later, hair tousled from sleep.
"Where's Victoria?" Danielle asked sleepily. Phoebe smiled.
"She left, said her brother was expecting her," Phoebe said. Lillia's eyebrows raised.
"That's odd," she said.
"What?" Phoebe asked.
"Victoria's brother died four years ago," Lillia answered.
Tom was sitting on the deck out back, looking at the willow trees and begonias. The wind was blowing his black hair. Phoebe walked out and sat next to him. Lillia and Danielle were inside, playing a game.
She looked at him, smiling. "The weather's beautiful."
He kissed her forehead and took her head. "It's not the only thing. I love you so much," he said. She grinned at him and nodded.
"Me, too."
Tom looked at her and back to the sky. Yes, he was right for staying with Phoebe. She was the one he loved. But deep down, someplace far inside him, something said that he wasn't being true to himself.
That he didn't love Phoebe.