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Chapter 3 -- Being Together Is the Hardest Part

Over the next few weeks, Riddle and I had to (grudgingly) have study sessions together in the library for our Charms project. The actual project was ridiculous; the setup was thus: You have an acre of land in the middle of a vastly populated muggle area. Using only charms, keep the muggles away for a forty-eight hour period.

"No, Avery, it has to be this," Riddle said nastily, shoving an old musty book in my face. We were in the library having a... 'rough' time.

"Uh, excuse me? It can't be that; he said so in the handout," I hissed as the mean old librarian, Madame Bixby, walked by. I snatched the book out of his hands and put it back on the shelf. I sighed and went back to doodling mindlessly in my notebook.

"You know, it would help if you weren't so completely bonkers, doodling all day," Riddle smirked. I slammed my notebook shut angrily.

"And you've got something better for me to do? 'Cause you've come up with zilch," I remarked in a casual tone. "I still cannot believe that idiot professor put us together."

"Are you going to whine all day about it or actually work, because you're simply a distraction right now," Riddle said haughtily.

"Fine! I'll see you next class, sodder," I growled, throwing my stuff into my bag and stalking off to Potions.

The charms I knew we had to use were very complex, but fortunately we were only doing the project hypothetically, so we didn't have to perform the spells. Even so, it was very difficult to find the proper spell books.

Each study session was agony; Riddle and I couldn't agree on anything, so we tried to keep the talking to a minimum.

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I walked into the corridor outside Gryffindor tower lethargically; I had no urge to get to the library quickly, so I took my sweet time walking there. I turned the corner near the library, then-

Riddle was running swiftly down the hallway toward me; I was about to ask him what was going on when he said, "Shhh shh shh!" and clamped his hand over my mouth. He dragged me down behind a statue of Derrick the Foul using his other arm, and I fell backwards on top of his lap. I suddenly heard the squees of Riddle's fan club.

"Where'd he go?"

"This way, girls!" A huge pack of girls ran past us; one of them was holding a piece of what looked like Riddles robes. Riddle's arms encompassed my small frame; his hold was surprisingly well, strong.

Mind out of the goddamn gutter, Atalanta. This is Riddle here. A shudder of revulsion went through me. As the last one turned the corner, I felt Riddle breath a sigh of relief beneath me.

"Mmph," I said. He released his arms quickly.

"Thanks for the smothering, just what I needed to pep up my day." Riddle scowled.

"Do you realize how long I've been waiting for you?" he said angrily, pointing at his watch.

"Uhh, no?"

"Thirty minutes! Then those girls came in the library and started chasing me; I ran out and saw you-"

"And that's when you had the urge to asphyxiate me. Yippee," I said sarcastically.

"We can't go back to the library, they'll be waiting for me there," he mumbled to himself.

"Well then, Riddle, where do you suggest?"

"Slytherin commons?"

"No way. How about Gryffindor commons?"

"They'd flay me alive if anyone found me in there."

"Maybe we can come back here later tonight," I thought aloud.

"What, during Head Boy and Girl duties?"

"We haven't caught anyone out of bed in over a month. Come on, it's not like Madame Bixby would ever yell at you, her star pupil."

"Sod off. I guess that's alright." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. See you at ten," I scoffed and walked off.

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I arrived late that night with my bag slung across my back. I pushed by bangs behind my ears and entered the library. It was very dark and quite spooky. I shivered as a board creaked beneath my left foot. I was a scardy-cat, in truth.

"Riddle?" I croaked. "Riddle?"

No answer.

"Riddle?" I said a bit louder. Then-

"Tom?" I was worried, he was supposed to be here, and I hated walking around after dark alone-

"Atalanta?" I heard a voice call. It was Tom- I mean, Riddle.

"Finally," I said, relieved. "Do you just walk slow, or did your fan club attack you again?"

"It's just now ten o' clock, so you were early," he smirked, pointing at his watch.

"Piss off. Look, let's go look through that section we found earlier," I said, trying to change the subject. We walked through the cases of books and began searching. Only then did I allow myself a peek a Riddle. He was wearing a white button down shirt untucked with black pants and a green and silver striped tie hanging loosely around his neck. The top few buttons were undone near his collar and his sleeves were rolled up in a very masculine way. His hair gleamed in the candle light, and-

WOAH... no more staring. Mind out of the gutter!

I jerked my head away and began searching through the dusty books. Giggleworth's Guide to Egyptian Charms, Charms Through the Ages, Bezlebick's Charms for Dummies...

"Urgh, this is possibly the most boring thing I've ever heard of," I groaned, and sat back into an old library chair. Riddle sighed and nodded his head, still scanning the shelves.

"I concur, Avery..." he said mildy; then his eye widened. "But-- here! Look at this!" he said excitedly. He had pulled a dusty book off the shelf. Riddle plopped the book down in on the table before and leaned over my shoulder so that we were very close to touching. Extremely close.

"Uh personal space?" He rolled his eyes and scooted a bit to the left.

"This is it; Loquat's Charm. The one I told you about before?" I nodded, a vague memory popping up in the back of my head.

"Refresh my memory?"

"It automatically detects any magical remnants on any one person; this spell, combined with a modified Oblviatory spell could work!" Suddenly it clicked.

"Oh, my God, Tom, you're right! It could work-" I started, but Tom was looking at me funny.

"You just called me Tom," he said in a slighty confused voice.
Oh. I felt my cheeks blush in spite of myself. Thank God for the dark.

"My mistake, Riddle." An awkward pause.

"So yeah, that should work," Tom- er, Riddle, said distantly.

"Whatever," I said sharply.

"Anyway, since we're done, I'm going," Riddle said, looking away.

"What, you got a date?" I scoffed, half-smiling.

"None of your business, Avery," he said scathingly.

Woah, backing off now...

"Okay... Bye then," I said, confused. He grabbed his stuff and headed off in the opposite direction of his common room.

Muggles say curiosity killed the cat. Never have muggles been so accurate.