Chapter 18- Ground Rules
It seemed that most of the school knew about the subtle change in Tom and Cho's relationship before they even consciously registered it. The gossip mill had begun during their partnership on their Ancient Runes project, deepened during their dance together at the Christmas Ball and then had completely run rampant when numerous sources saw them looking quite cosy indeed. There was no public displays of affection – no hand holding or tender kisses to be seen, but it was the look in his eyes when he saw her speaking to others and the way he would wound an arm around her waist as though to anchor her to him. There would be times when she would blush at his flagrant displays, her half hearted chiding quickly dissipating when he would smile indulgently at her. Tom Riddle never smiled like that throughout his 6 years at Hogwarts – it wasn't in his repertoire of expressions and he never saw the need to display such emotion that is until Cho Chang came along.
It was official – the unflappable and handsome Head Boy who had never shown any interest in female companionship now had a girlfriend.
But to Cho, who politely ignored the ill hidden whispers, could not fathom the words 'Tom Riddle', 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' being in the same sentence. The words seemed too juvenile to describe their relationship and yet Cho couldn't think of an alternative way to put it. She felt as though she had barely scraped the surface of whom he was and she still wasn't sure if she liked what she found beneath the carefully crafted façade. But for some reason, and perhaps it was naïve of her to think so, he seemed to care for her and that caused a feeling to awaken inside of her that she hadn't felt since Cedric had been with her.
She hadn't been prepared for Tom's swift interruption during Henry's dance with her nor the desperation then profound relief she saw in his eyes when he found her. Her qualms and reservations about the young man couldn't contend with such proof and she doubted even Tom Riddle was good enough of a liar to fake such emotion.
So despite her misgivings, Cho decided that it was good enough for now because of one simple reason - he appeared to like her, and she, against all reason, liked him too.
Deep beneath the castle in one of the unused classrooms, a group of a dozen hooded students stood in a loose semi-circle, their faces hidden in the darkness of the room. They had been summoned here ahead of schedule, for a special meeting it was said. The occupants had shivered at the words as passed on by Malfoy that morning at breakfast and they hoped it was not one of them being punished. The last time a 'special meeting' had been called, Yaxley had been tortured for his lack of subtleties regarding their plans. Their master had been most displeased, and sure enough, the others had learned their lesson from his little demonstration.
The torches on the damp walls flared just as the door quietly opened and a figure slid in through the gap. He confidently strode to the front of the room, situating himself before the group. The warm light cast shadows upon his face, highlighting his angular features as well as the perfectly polished 'Head Boy' badged pinned proudly to his chest.
"My Lord" greeted Abraxas, his head bowed in respect "What is the reason for our meeting today?"
Tom placed his clasped hands behind his back, pacing the floors with languid steps "I suppose that our meeting today is to reinforce some ground rules Malfoy" he said, his tone slow and measured "To ensure that none of my loyal followers do something that would… go against my wishes"
The group was silent, not daring to interrupt whatever he had to say next. Tom smirked faintly at their rapt attention, pausing in his steps.
"I'm sure it has come to many of your attention that I have been affiliated with a girl named Cho Chang recently?"
A quiet murmur of assent drifted across the room, though they didn't comment further.
"You are not to harm or associate with her or else I will make my displeasure known" said Tom calmly, though the threat in the undercurrents of his voice was quite clear he was serious. "If it comes to my attention that someone has disregarded my simple request, you will find yourself…" he stopped, eyeing a few of the more volatile and arrogant members of the group who shrunk back at his gaze "the victim of a most unfortunate accident"
A boy with dark hair and greyish eyes stepped forward, clearing his throat to speak "If I may ask my lord, how does Miss Chang fit in with our plans?"
Tom's eyes flashed as he regarded Orion Black with narrowed eyes "That is no one's business but mine"
If Orion was unsatisfied with that answer, he knew better than to dispute it in front of Tom. Stepping back into line, silence descended upon the group again to which Tom smiled coldly.
"Very well then, now let us move on to other matters…"
Licentious grins spread across the faces of the young men and women in the room, eager to hear about the next steps in their road to glory.
The Christmas holiday was finally upon Hogwarts and as Cho watched Arlene and Henry wave goodbye from their carriages that would take them to Hogsmeade, she found herself anticipating the solitude. Although she had been reminded that Tom was staying at Hogwarts over the holidays, she noticed that he also enjoyed seclusion which suited Cho just fine.
Wrapping her coat tighter around herself, Cho headed back inside the castle whilst wondering what to do with the rest of her day. She had already wrapped the small amount of presents she was going to give tomorrow and there was no homework left for her to do. Staring out the window and into the oddly blue skies, Cho decided that with a warming charm, it would be a nice day for a leisurely broom ride around the pitch.
Ducking back into her dormitory to add a scarf and a pair of gloves to her outfit, Cho made her way to the quidditch pitch without seeing a soul on her way. Going into the storage room, she grabbed a broom as well as a snitch to practice on.
"Mind if I join you?"
Cho turned around, her hand already in her pocket and grasping her wand before it loosened as she saw who it was.
"Quentin? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home for Christmas?"
The green eyed boy replied wryly, his eyebrows raised at her defensiveness "Shouldn't you be at home for Christmas?"
"Touché" replied Cho, not wishing to delve into her fabricated life story. She grabbed another broom from the cupboard and tossed it to Quentin who caught it easily "Do you play quidditch?"
The boy shrugged, his boots crunching against the snow as he made his way across the pitch "No. My parents are muggles so I hadn't even heard of quidditch till I got to Hogwarts. I can fly decent enough not to fall off though"
Cho laughed while mounting her broom, "Very well then, let's see just how good you can fly"
Tom felt exceedingly distracted as he tried to finish his extra transfiguration reading that was required for the holidays. There was a sense of unease ravelling inside of him and he had nothing to explain its presence. Everything was going well for him – he was the top of the class, his followers were loyal and unquestioning for now and everything in regards to Cho Chang had panned out as nicely as he could have hoped for. So why was that feeling still there after all his reassurances?
Abandoning his reading material, Tom swept out of his dormitories to find Cho who seemed to have a knack of easing his troubles with just one smile.
He found her quite easily, at the first place he had looked. She was circling the pitch, letting a tiny winged golden ball flutter out of her hands before she skilfully caught it again. If Tom had it his way, he would never allow Cho to fly on a broomstick again, it was simply too dangerous. Cho Chang was as delicate as a butterfly, fragile and delicate and needed to be handled with care. But also true to her namesake, the only time she looked free was when she flew. When she was flying, Tom could see how unabashedly happy it made her. There was no sign of the vulnerable yet guarded girl he had first met in class, only a happy and carefree spirit that Tom could not crush even if he wanted to.
As Tom continued to observe, he was suddenly quite aware of another figure that haphazardly flew towards her. He hovered unsteadily, both hands gripped tightly on the handle of his broom as he spoke to Cho. Frowning at this unknown presence, Tom moved himself into plain sight. Spotting him far below, she spoke a few quick words to the boy before descending smoothly, the tips of her boots touching the icy grass before she slowed to a complete stop. Her cheeks were flushed from a combination of exertion and cold, her smile radiant as she saw him.
Even after all the times she looked at him, his stomach still dropped like the first time she did. Aware that they were now graced with the other boys' presence, Tom just gave her a brittle smile and a small greeting. Not noticing his frigid mood, Cho came quickly to his side and gave his un-gloved hand a squeeze.
The boy looked nervous as Cho introduced them. He was a 6th year Gryffindor, though he looked younger than his age suggested due to his thin build and boyish features. Tom had no idea when they had met each other's acquaintance but he knew better than to ask now. Even though he knew little of the female mind, common sense told him that his questioning would be viewed as a hostile interrogation.
"Dinner should be served soon" said Tom pointedly, wanting to get away "Perhaps we should make our way there?"
"Quentin! Why don't you join us?" added Cho brightly, missing the look on Tom's face "That is, if you don't have any other plans?"
Quentin shook his head, dark blond hair falling into his eyes as he smiled "Sure, why not?"
"You're mad at me aren't you?"
Tom didn't break his stride though he looked at her briefly "What gave you that impression?"
Cho bit down a smile "Your lovely, warm personality at dinner perhaps?"
Tom refused to be amused by her, his mood souring at the mention of dinner. Quentin had joined them for dinner though it was clear whose company he sought out. Throughout the entire meal, he had monopolized her attention with foolish stories and jokes that Tom cared nought for. Consequently, he spent most of dinner glowering at the boy like an attention starved petulant child. The Christmas break was meant to be a time when people weren't there to scrutinize them. It was a time when he could set the pace of their relationship without hindrances. It was a time when Tom thought that he could perhaps begin to subtly shape her into his ideals so it wouldn't come as to much of a shock when he would eventually tell her the truth.
But it was all ruined because Quentin Brogley had appeared, and would undoubtedly appear more often during the holidays; thus foiling his plans. For that, Tom instantly hated the boy the first moment he saw him on the quidditch pitch.
"Is this about Quentin?" asked Cho quietly, her tone mildly curious
"No" replied Tom resolutely though that seemed to certify that that was the problem.
"What don't you like about him? Maybe if you actually spoke to him at dinner then you would see that he's-"
"He's what?" asked Tom, rounding on her "Funny? Clever? But of course he is, because you made that plenty clear during your conversations with him earlier"
Cho looked unfazed, though her eyebrows were raised "Actually" she said, her tone clipped "I was going to say 'nice'"
Tom fell silent though he was seething inside. Half because of how easy it was to lose control of his emotions around her and half because of the boy.
"I don't like him" Tom eventually conceded, breaking out of his stony glare
"You don't have to" replied Cho airily, brushing a lock of air away from her face.
"I think you misunderstand me-" began Tom before being swiftly interrupted by Cho
"I think you misunderstand me" said Cho, giving him a sharp look "I'm not going to ask you for permission to befriend other people Tom. It's not up to you who I associate with."
Tom gave her a sardonic look, not liking this strange rebellious attitude she had garnered "It's for your own good"
Cho rolled her eyes, disbelieving of what Tom was saying "Quentin is not a mass murderer"
"I'm not just talking about Quentin"
"Then who are you talking about? Henry? Arlene?" asked Cho, her righteous anger making her cheeks flush "That's a bit hypocritical considering the company you keep!"
Tom's voice was soft and dangerous, as though he was tenuously holding onto his temper "The company I keep?"
Cho took a deep breath, gazing into his eyes steadily. This conversation was heading in the wrong direction and the last thing she wanted was a fight just before Christmas time – especially with something as trivial as this. But at the same time, she didn't always want to surrender to what Tom wanted – a relationship should be full of compromises, not power plays and one sided decisions.
"I didn't mean it like that" said Cho slowly, taking a step towards him. His eyes regarded her suspiciously, his posture still tense and statue like "I just wish you would stop treating me like a child. I'm not as fragile as you like to think I am"
Tom hesitantly raised his arm, using his long pale fingers to gently brush against the soft skin of her cheek. He watched as her eyelids fluttered shut, her breathing uneven as his breath fanned across her face.
"Aren't you?"
A smile formed on her lips at his whispered words and she shook her head resolutely "Don't you trust me?"
Tom froze, letting his hand drop to his side. Did he trust her? If asked 2 months ago he would have said a firm 'no'. Even as a child Tom had never trusted anyone except himself. They all let him down in the end, rendering it foolish to hope for otherwise. But Cho was unlike anyone he had met before. Her dark brown eyes looked at him earnestly, so full of the blinded acceptance that he had tried to attain all his life. She didn't care about his blood purity or house rivalry, or even the stares and whispers that followed her because of him. She didn't mind that he had no money to his name and the fact that he had been brought up in an orphanage. He couldn't give her anything except himself – a boy who couldn't love but had learned to care.
Concerned by his silence, Cho looked up at Tom who watched her with an unreadable expression on his face. About to ask what the matter was, she was caught unaware by a pair of lips that descended on hers. Caught by surprise, it took her a moment to register what was happening. She was kissing Tom Riddle in the middle of a deserted hallway in 1944 and she was enjoying it. There were no feelings of guilt in her addled brain, only the sensation of his lips pressed to hers as his fingers dug into the soft flesh of her waist. It wasn't like anything she had experienced before. Kissing Cedric had been warm and comforting while with Harry it had been full of heartache and regrets. But with Tom, it was all unspoken passion and searing touches. While he could never tell her just how much she meant to him, he showed it through his burning kisses and lingering fingertips. In that moment, she was consumed by the entirety of him. The only thing that existed was his scent, his taste and the feel of him against her until they broke apart.
Tom's usual pale complexion was flushed a healthy pink, his dark eyes oddly bright and alive looking. His arms were still around her waist, looking at Cho with an emotion akin to amazement. She blushed under his stare, her voice soft and hesitant under his scrutiny.
"What was that for?"
Tom dipped down to kiss her again, longer this time, smirking as she pulled away breathlessly with a slightly dazed expression on her face.
"Have you really no idea what you do to me Cho Chang?" mused Tom out loud, the sweet taste of her still on his lips.
Cho laughed, the sound echoing off the stone walls "Oh come on Romeo, let's get back to the dormitories before the caretaker hangs us up for it"
Tom smiled, taking her hand in his as they walked, not caring who or what a 'Romeo' was.