Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter character's or anything related to the works of J.K Rowling. I only own the plot and original characters you may notice as you read this chapter.
I do not have a beta to help with any errors in this chapter, or any of the other chapters you may read from this installment-so if you see an error that needs to be fixed let me know. I will try to fix it as soon as I can.
So since this story is rated "M"-more mature stuff will be happening soon. You've been warned.
Thank you for reading this, and let me know what you think by putting a review.
October 5, 1943
"She's staring at you again," Peter stated as he added salamander blood into a cauldron.
"Peter," Ophelia hissed as she stirred their potion counter clockwise; a small hue of green was started to appear in the cauldron. "You keep staring at her direction! She's probably staring at you!"
Quietly, the Hufflepuff male started to crush some wartcap in a little pestle. He looked at Selene Sharpe from the corner of his eyes; there was no way the Ravenclaw student could notice his glances at her. Selene stirred the potion in her cauldron as she held her solid stares at Ophelia.
"Pipa! I know for a fact is isn't me Selene Sharpe is staring at!"
Ophelia took a small breath in, "Are you done crushing the wartcap?" She had a hard time keeping herself calm and collected since her last interaction with Tom. Ophelia was dazed and locked up in her own mind more so than usual.
Her burn on the left palm was completely healed and she had the Episkey spell to thank for that, but the impression of fear Tom inflicted onto her was fresh as ever.
"Fine." Peter threw the grounds of wartcap into the cauldron without any caution. "Don't believe me but she looks rather peeved with you, Pipa."
Ophelia's thoughts bubbled to when she was stuck in the Slytherin prefect room, how she thought that perfect Selene, with her red hair and bright blue eyes should have been working on Tom's notes!
"What?" Ophelia snapped, "If anyone should be peeved with anyone it should be me! I should be peeved at someone!"
"Oh, Miss Darwin." A voice that belonged to Professor Slughorn bellowed out, "There is no reason for you to be peeved with anyone. Especially not in class." The potions professor narrowed his kind eyes, only a little bit as he spoke his next sentence to the Hufflepuffs. "Now, Miss Darwin and Mister Elwood anymore outbursts and I will have to take five points away from your house. Please, finish your potion."
"Yes, Professor Slughorn," the two said in unison.
Ophelia and Peter waited for the professor to check on students on the opposite of the classroom before their started to whisper.
"Geez," Peter started off, "angry much? Anyways, why should you be peeved?"
Ophelia quickly wracked her brain for a lie. She looked down into the cauldron and stirred the potion in a clockwise motion. "Well," the half-blooded witch began, "would you be peeved if someone was indeed starting at you while you were working?"
The Elwood boy opened his mouth, only to promptly shut it afterwards. He glanced carefully over to Selene Sharpe, who was in the middle of a conversation with another Ravenclaw student. "I suppose I see your point," Peter whispered.
Tom Riddle stood with perfect posture outside of the potion's classroom. Avery stood off to his left side and Malfoy stood off the his right.
The heir of Slytherin was not one to be trifled with today; he realized he had made a human error. He was disgusted with himself for getting angry and admittedly, a very small, almost non existent part of him could say (half heartedly) it might have been wrong to put his hand on a lady the way he did. Tom was also angry about it too because now he had clean up his own mess.
I enjoyed it too much, Tom thought as he recalled the events of Ophelia in his room. Who wouldn't though?
He was in control and had the upper hand; he liked the control he had over Ophelia; Tom liked the physical roughness he brought suddenly into their….He supposed the word 'dynamic' could be used.
But yes, he enjoyed the physical roughness he brought suddenly into their dynamic.
"My lord," Malfoy pointed a finger towards the crowd of students that exited out of Professor Slughorn's room. Malfoy squinted his eyes slightly, "I see Darwin walking off with Elwood." The pure blooded ,blonde male made sure to address the Hufflepuff female formally.
"Remember," Tom said lowly to Malfoy and Avery, "make small talk with Peter Elwood. He is from a good family in the wizarding world-see if you can make somewhat of a decent impression on him." He had a plan mapped out in his head as to how he'd coerce Ophelia to keep her mouth shut and her schedule available.
The sixth year student probably only took five steps towards his intended destination before a barricade delicately appeared in front of him.
Damn it, Tom cursed, time for the facade. He did his best impression of a boyish grin, "Miss Sharpe."
Selene's perfect, pearly, white teeth were exposed-the corners of her mouth curled into a perfect smile. "Tom," she nearly sang out his name. "Please, call me Selene. Especially with how close you and I have been getting." Selene gave Tom a wink.
I really don't have time for this right now, the heir thought with a small amount of disgust as he looked down at the red headed girl.
Malfoy and Avery almost felt the need to pat their dark leader well on the shoulder; but decided against it.
Tom faked a happy chuckle, "While that is true, I do enjoy calling you Miss Sharpe." He tried to think of a smooth, and gentleman like lie, "Especially because I know that you are a true lady through and through." His brown eyes darted quickly from Selene to where Ophelia had been.
She was gone. That damn filthy witch.
Tom Riddle felt Selene place her delicate and perfect hands on his shoulder; he looked down at her.
Their lips met for a chaste kiss; Tom felt Selene smile in the middle of the kiss.
The Ravenclaw student pulled away from the boy's face and whispered lowly only for him to hear, "I'm only a lady through and through, until you want me to be something else."
Tom tried his best not turn his nose at Selene even though he found her statement interesting but rather repulsive. He merely painted the boyish smile on his face and went on his way-just as if Selene had said nothing.
Ophelia was doing a great job at being a complete mess the rest of the day. It seemed what Peter had said about Selene starting at her escalated to Selene being at every nook and cranny of Hogwarts Ophelia was in.
It wasn't just in Peter's head; it was now in her's too. If Ophelia had to head towards transfiguration, Selene was there in the crowd of students as they passed each other.
If Ophelia had to use the restroom, Selene Sharpe was suddenly there perfecting her already groomed hair in the mirror.
If Ophelia took time to take in the ever expanding beauty of Hogwarts, Selene was there in the background like the plague.
I am losing it.
Ophelia found herself in the library later in the day. The sixth year Hufflepuff stared blankly at the textbook she picked at random to distract from the fact a sixth year Ravenclaw seemed to stalk her.
What the hell did the Hufflepuff pull out from the shelf?
Did she care? No.
Oh, Merlin, was she frazzled. Tom had turned to be a bigger arse than she realized...a violent one at that too. Now it turned out that his girlfriend, who had beauty, brains, and pure blood was a stalker.
Is this hell, Ophelia thought as she raked her fingers through her brown hair. This must be hell.
What did she do to deserve the change of direction in terms of her and Tom? She helped him! That was all she did for the longest time was help that Slytherin who didn't give a damn about her.
Ophelia never liked how Tom treated her like a second citizen-but, fuck, she finally got used to his prickish behavior!
Not once did she ever feel like he'd lay hands on her! Hurt her verbally-that stung but she'd get over it. Hurt her mentally-a bit harder to not feel like shit but Ophelia felt better by the next day.
Tom burned her using some sort of wandless and wordless magic; he shoved her to the door; he pressed himself up against her body; he put his pale hands on her neck and was calm and in control the whole time. Though was scared the most still was the seductive tone he used on her!
What in the actual fucking fuck?
Ophelia took in a deep breath, collected her things, and walked off to the exit. He liked it...I felt like he did...Ophelia was nearly two yards away from the exit until a disgusting thought entered her mind. Did I like it?
Before Ophelia could answer her own question, she felt some bump hard into her. Ophelia was greeted by the fiery red hair of Selene.
Oh, Merlin, no.
Selene said nothing, she only finished the rough shoulder check she initiated. The sixth year Ravenclaw then pushed her hand down into one of the Hufflepuff's robe's side pocket.
Ophelia tensed up; she feared Selene took her wand but felt the weight of her wand still safe in the pocket of her robe.
No, Selene had dropped something in there-not taken something out.
The half-blooded witch said nothing as Selene retreated deeper into the library. She wasn't hurt, she felt no pain-though she was rather nervous.
Ophelia took in another deep breathe in an attempt to calm herself and finally she walked out the doors of the library.
Before she allowed her curiosity to get the best of her, Ophelia decided hide in the comfort of the Hufflepuff dormitory.
As soon as reached the empty room, Ophelia quickly put her hand in the pocket she was sure Selene put something in. For a split second, she felt like a child who had their hand firmly in a cookie jar, about to sneak a yummy treat. It made her calm for a moment.
Her fingertips brushed against what felt like paper-she grabbed it and pulled it out. In the neatest script it read:
Keep away from Tom…
This is your first and only warning.
-Selene Sharpe
Ophelia could almost chuckle-she honestly did not have to be told twice to stay away from Tom.
Consider it done.
Ophelia pulled her wand out of her pocket, she placed the letter into the nearest bin, then pointed her wand at the letter. "Incendio."