Alisha sped past bodies of students in their assigned robes, ashamed with herself for having let her mind slip from the fact that she was dating someone else, and she'd just had a deep made out session with his best friend. Of course, she'd always known that Lucius had something for her. He'd barely tried to hide it, and if he did, he did so poorly.
She halted when she saw a large encircling crowd ogling at something that was evidently special. She got curious and pushed past people until she got to the front of the cheering people. Her eyes were met with one of her best friends, Avery, down on one knee holding a small velvet box toward Bellatrix, who was grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat.
"Bellatrix, I love you," proclaimed Avery, "There's not enough words to describe how I feel. My feelings go deeper than any word invented can convey. But if you allow me to, I will spend my entire life showing you exactly how much. And I will devote my entire being to make you feel the same way."
The crowd fell into awe at Avery's heartfelt words, obviously, not one of them had ever been told that even in the slightest way. It came from something like a fiction novel. It didn't seem real. Bellatrix's shoulders sank as she was swayed by his words.
Alisha watched as Bellatrix told Avery everything everyone wanted to hear, everything she wanted to say, everything she felt. Alisha smiled sadly at her two best friends' romance. She could feel at the pit of her stomach, the strangest feeling ever for her - jealousy.
She couldn't even remember the last time Tom had told her he loved her. It's always been about how much he hated her. But Avery's love felt true. He was madly in love with Bellatrix and he knew how to express them. As much as Alisha wanted to express her love for Tom the same way, she couldn't, because he scared her.
"Oh Avery, how do I even begin? You've said it all. And all there is for me to say is that I want to be with you. For the rest of my life, I do."
"You do," Avery repeated, astonished and overwhelmed. He took the silver engagement ring that his father had given his mother when he asked her hand for marriage and slid it into Bellatrix's fourth pale and slim finger.
Alisha felt the hot tears starting from her eyes. She was the happiest for her best friends. She wished them nothing but the best. She watched the way Avery held Bellatrix's hand, so passionate, like she was a delicate flower that he felt lucky to hold. And Bellatrix looked at him like he was the only person who'd ever given her any love. Alisha realized now just how much she needed that in her life. She realized then that that's how love should be. Tom neglected to give her that.
Alisha wiped her tears and clapped ahead with the crowd, nodding her head in approval and support of their relationship. Everyone behind her followed Avery and Bellatrix to celebrate their young betrothal.
She swiped her hand into her robe's pocket and slid out the rose that Tom gave her months and months and months back. She'd kept it with her all this time to remind her of the last sweet thing he'd ever done for her. She walked out toward the courtyard right outside of the hallway and held the rose up to her face, examining the withering beauty. It was hard, but eventually, she let it drift from her fingers and blown into the grass far away, the gravity causing some of the weak petals to fall out.
Then she turned around and started walking back to the Slytherin headquarters, very much determined to let Tom go. It seemed like she was the only one holding on anymore.
But Tom stayed behind, a piece of his heart merely dangling off its broken edges when he saw the wilting flower left for dead on the ground. He walked over to it and glared at the red and black flower, picking it up as if it was a knife. He flicked his wand and illegally apparates himself out of the scene.
Meanwhile, Alisha uttered the password for the walls to overturn and went inside. She walked up the staircase into the girls' common room with a dull, weakening heart.
As soon as she got inside, she saw that Tom was the only person inside. He might've charmed the other girls out of the room to give him enough space to yell at her. He had his back turned, studying the hard covers of a particular book. He slammed it shut, knowing she was behind. She didn't care. Not anymore. Today, it was all going to end.
"Alisha," he said, so breathy that it almost sounded like he was speaking in parstletongue again. It reminded her of their very first date, back in 4th year of high school, two years before he pressured her into seducing Slughorn. He hadn't taken her into the Chamber of Secrets since then. Maybe it was specially reserved for first dates only. Tom turned around. "Can I just ask you a question?"
He asked as if something was irking him, like a pet peeve that Alisha wasn't aware of. Quite frankly, she wasn't aware of much. She responded with a shrug, her face lifeless, she leaned her entire weight on the door.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked.
"Yes," she said blankly.
"And that is?"
She inhaled. "What happened to us?" she began, walking slowly over to him.
"What are you talking about?" he spat.
"We used to be in love. You were in love with me, now you don't love me anymore," she said.
She sparked some sort of interest in Tom, he was hanging on to every bit of her words like he never has before. This was the part where she was actually interesting to Tom.
"What makes you think that?" He offered a raise of an eyebrow.
But she answered him with another question. "When you look at me, what do you see?"
He hadn't expected that question at all. It was farthest thing in his mind. He thought she was just going to cry and mope about it like the weak, snivelling, sad excuse for a pure-blood she was. "What?"
"You used to say that I was beautiful all the time. That I was the most interesting to look at. Warm, sunshine, captivating. Three words that consist of eight letters, remember?"
Tom swallowed the lump on his throat that made him weak on the knees. He did remember. How could he forget? It was a sacred memory. A sacred place. And she was sacred to him. Just as he'd said then. But he kept silent.
"Of course you don't. People can say things without meaning them. Maybe it was the timing then that we don't have now. Maybe we both changed and neither of us can accept it. Because this relationship is all we have left of what everything used to be."
Tom was very touched by her words that it felt like she'd cut a wound into his heart, mind and soul. When did she become so wise? And was what she was saying true? He could've sworn she couldn't even spell 'literature' weeks ago. No, wait, that was two years ago. When they still laughed with each other.
Now the idea of her being smart enough to know that what he was doing was toxic and unhealthy clouded his train of thought. She was speaking for herself. She was using her voice. Things are different now. He couldn't stand it. He knew where this was going.
"I know where this is going," Alisha announced. "So we might as well just — "
"Don't," interrupted Tom. "even say it."
"Tom, things are changing. You're changing. Even your name. What, do I have to call you 'Voldemort' now? I knew you as Tom. I loved Tom. I don't know if I can love 'Voldemort' the same way."
He looked her dead in the eye maliciously, frightening her gravely. She didn't know how, but it just looks like he was getting bigger, or maybe it was her just getting smaller. He was angry. More than angry.
"Tom, I just think that maybe we should e— "
Before she could even finish the word itself, Tom drew his hands over her mouth, clasping it shut. He placed another hand at the back of her head, hugging her closer to his body submissively. She struggled to get away from him, clawing her fingers through his robes. Though her best was his worst. She was weak.
His hands collectively covered her nose as well, preventing her from breathing, her screams and cries for help and begs for release muffled by his strong and firm grip on her face. His fingers dug into her cheeks until they drew blood. He lifted her entire body up by solely her head, causing her to sway her feet around in attempt to wriggle out of his touch.
"You are not leaving me. Ever. You're not even going to say it, think it, utter it. Not once. Not twice. Not ever."
And with that, she went out cold, her legs falling limp up in the air. Her hands dropped to her sides. Tom slowly drifted his fingers off of her nose, giving her a chance to breathe. He hadn't killed her - yet.
He laid her down on the floor and spread her long, luscious hair around, playing and twisting his fingers around it like he would every night as she slept gracefully. He took it up to his nose and took a whiff of her fragrance, so enticing.
He carefully laid it back down on the ground beautifully before moving to caress the sides of her perfectly constructed face. He fingered the trail of the faint blood that dripped down to her chin. It looked so mesmerizing on her and her only.
He drafted his wand from the insides of his robes and flicked it around, and immediately, the couple disappeared into thin air. As for Alisha, it was her last ever time in Hogwarts. She was never to be seen by anyone ever again. Tom Riddle- Voldemort, made sure of that.