Warning: This chapter gets racy, no sex, its just racy. Don't say I didn't warn you ;)

Ch. 4: Stray Cat Drowning

The support of my bed had never felt so fine, and it wasn't even my body that was tired, it was my brain. I soaked up the feeling of the soft, green quilt beneath me, but soon paid for having been careless enough to leave my curtains open. A new weight strained the side of my twin mattress. I missed my queen sized bed terribly…not to mention the locks on my bedroom door.

"What was that all about at supper?" We knew one another so well that I could picture Celeste speaking the words in my head, even if my eyes were buried in my blankets and under my hair.

'Christ Almighty, leave me the bugger alone!'

"If it were any of your business trust me Celeste, you would already know what it was about." I had no intention of telling her, even if I so desperately wanted to. My words were somewhat muffled and I knew I was making it hard for her to comprehend what I was saying. Again, I honestly didn't care.

"This is ridiculous! Now you and that dirty blooded brat are sharing secrets?"

Sighing, I pushed my self up in order to flip onto my back.

"May I remind you that you were the one who stopped talking to me first?"

"Because of him!"

"That is not the point"-

"That is the point! I'm sick of seeing you with him! Of wondering what on earth could drive you to talk to him of your own free will!"

I cocked an unamused eyebrow, "You've been talking to Gregory, haven't you?"

"Not as much as you should be, you had no right to just break up with him out of nowhere."

"I thought this was about Tom, not Greg." I loved arguing. It was like rowing a boat. Constantly keeping up with the vicious current flowing against you and steering the conversation in what ever direction favored your advantage. It was times like this that I knew why I was a Slytherin and savored every second of it.

"It's about you." she growled testily.

"What about me then?"

"You're not yourself Lydia. You're conversing with mudbloods and you don't seem to quite understand how much of a threat to the values we hold he really is."

"Who is we, exactly?"

She stared pointedly, obviously annoyed with my impudence, "The purebloods, the rulers of this house? Your friends?"

"Friends indeed." I snorted rolling my eyes to rest on the satin trappings of my emerald bed curtains.

"I've already apologized for that."

"No you haven't, you simply explained your reasoning and personally that wasn't good enough."

"Are you going to force me to beg again?"

I shrugged, "If you must." a sadistic smile, much like the one's Tom liked to wear, crossed my mouth.

Any shred of having her back on my side was erased away for the moment. Her indention on my bed left and with it so did she. The desperate sympathy in her features was replaced with a more real determination.

"Fine, have it your way."

"Always love, always." Grinning, I pulled my curtains around me and curled up to go to sleep, still smiling.


From watery and blurry to clear, crisp and potently emotional; my dreams that night flowed about like a Van Gogh painting half the time. If they could qualify as dreams at all. It seemed I was merely reliving early memories of my childhood, each of them separated by blurry edges and thin, foggy veils as if they were layers being pealed apart. If a bit dull, it was at least peaceful and I slept harder than I could ever remember doing before.

As a result I woke up in a state of much greater refreshment compared to how I had felt before sleeping. Good thing too, it was Monday morning. Time for class.

The sixth years had potions first, which didn't bother me at all. It meant I could take all the time I wanted to get ready since that classroom was situated just across the hall, also in the dungeons. Once I'd done up my uniform, hair and make-up, my fingers couldn't wait to unlatch the gothic styled windows beside my bed. The panes were pushed aside to reveal a glorious day full of bright greens, sunshine and a whipping wind swooping down from the highlands.

'Lovely day for walking, this. Lucky that Care of Magical Creatures is this afternoon.' I squinted into the bright radiance, leaving the window open as I put my satchel together and left.

The first thing I noticed was that Tom had his reading glasses on and I daresay they made him look very fetching indeed, bringing out his jaw line somewhat and brightening his broody, dark green eyes. He barely glanced up at me as I walked into potions class. Only one of the two or three others in the room, he sat doing what else but more work.

I hesitated when I came to my usual spot in front of Jonathan's seat and beside Celeste's. Biting my lip for a moment in thought and chance-taking, I maneuvered my way between the isles of black granite, rectangular work stations only to end up setting my things down beside the prefect.

"I'm sitting here, if that's alright." I told him, already scooting onto the fore placed stool.

He smirked, "I don't really seem to have a choice in the matter." his chuckle was soft and caused me to begin wearing my own mild smile as I unpacked my notebook, quill, ink and collected my cauldron from the rear of the room. It was muggy in the dungeons this morning, I hoped the fierce breeze outside would take care of drying up the air a bit.

"Sleep well?" he turned to me, seemingly finished scribbling down his thoughts for the moment.

"Quite, thank-you. I had such vivid dreams though…" I shook my head lightly, turning to my own notes and selecting which ones would come in handy for that day's prescribed lesson. The large, bold scrawl of Professor Veterinus read Befuddlement Draught in contrasting white chalk across her blackboard.

"Is that not good?" he looked rather confused.

I shrugged, "It's just odd, normally I can't remember half of what goes on."

He shifted in his seat, "Perhaps your subconscious is trying work through something particularly puzzling."

"Well, I don't think so…it was all memories. Things I didn't even know I had remembered."

"You remember everything, your subconscious just stores it away so you don't have to deal with it. It's what keeps you from going mad." he informed me.

"Really? Sounds fascinating."

"Oh, it is. I've read quite a few books on the human psyche. Interesting little buggers, our minds." he chuckled.

"I should imagine." a few more students were meandering in by now and I knew it wouldn't be long until I was met with shocked faces and Tom received his own death stares.

"I still have a few books, I'll lend them to you if you'd like."

I shrugged, doubting very much that I was going to do any more work than I really needed to but meeting him with a polite, "Maybe, I'll think about it. So, what's this?"

Before the words could even fall over his ears I had snatched up a black book the size of a standard bible from his side of the work table we now shared. I held it in one hand, flicking through the thin parchment pages in rapid, careless succession. Black scribbles all dated perfectly and in careful, neat handwriting. My page turning slowed to a stop as I recognized the handwriting as Tom's and the book as a diary. My attention was now as captured as his journal.

"People Who Motivate Me to Perfect the Unforgivable Curses." A snort of a giggle left my mouth as I read aloud the title of a small list he'd fashioned. A faint blush spotted his cheeks and he made a feeble grab for the book.

"Hey, I could do without you reading it out loud, thank-you."

I had of course turned all the way around upon his making an attempt at his diary, shoving a hand out to stop him. My palm caught him in the middle of his torso and I had to swallow, flicking my surprised eyes up for just a moment. He had very strong chest muscles. I forced my eyes to cast back down, hoping my pupils hadn't dilated or anything too embarrassing like that. Damn it all, a girl with cunning could do with out the mess of hormones.

My hand found itself being retracted and I tried my hardest to pour my focus back into the pages of his diary and the names on his list. He stopped fighting, sighed and dejectedly settled for watching me as I laid the book down on the table and scanned the text.

"Dumbledore, yes I agree with you there…The whole of Huffelpuff house"- I was forced to stop there for a few precious moments of ringing laughter- "All the other prefects" I chanced another glance, eyebrow raised.

"They're all stolid pricks you see."

I nodded in such a way that would notify him I agreed, even if he was being a little blunt.

"Myrtle Miser, yes well, one can only hope…Father…" I stayed silent, in an awkward state of respect (of that general unspoken rule that only very close friends may criticize family members who aren't their own kin) and knowing of Tom's resent towards his only living parental. Jesus, not more sympathy…

The last name on the list was written in red ink as apposed to the black that had scripted the previous others, suggesting it had been scrawled during a different, more recent sitting.

"Gregory Dépit." Again, my eyes rose to meet his own green orbs. After a few moments it was clear that if I didn't say something he certainly wouldn't, "Not because of me?"

"Is there any other reason?" He met me with such confidence and clarity, I was almost put out with confusion shot under with a spot of denial.

"Alright, class? Class! Can I please have your attention? Enough chit-chat let's get started, now if you'll please begin copying the notes on the board we can begin the lecture." Professor Veterinus' voice amplified to reach everyone in the room. Taking a deep breath I found an empty page in my notebook and began copying notes, tuning the stout, black haired witch out of my buzzing thought process.


Come lunch I was more hesitant to sit with the mudblood so publicly. Choosing a safer route, I opted to finish the essays I had neglected for yesterday's romp through the Hogwarts student records. Of course it was my foolish my mind that forgot: Tom Riddle didn't take lunch, preferring to spend his time studying…in the library.

"Fancy seeing you here."

His words were low and again dangerously close to my ear. Thanking every God above that I liked to sit in secluded areas near the back shelves, I turned to the boy immediately behind me.

"Are you following me?"

His hand came down to rest on the back of the chair that sandwiched me against him. My only real exit was now blocked and we were even closer than we had previously been.

"I should be asking you the same question."

'Watch it…' a wary, sing-song voice noted as my eyes rested on his mouth. Two more inches forward and we'd both be in more trouble than either of us needed.

"I forgot you took lunch in the library."

"Is your mind failing you so fast?" he clucked his tongue in disappointed mockery. "So young…"

I rolled my eyes as he lured a small smirk from me.

"Look, I'd love to chat but I have work to do. I have to get back to it."

"You can't get back you weren't there to begin with." It had seemed that he had been getting ever closer and my eyelids were instinctively faltering when Tom up and took a seat in the chair beside mine.

"Bastard…" my mumble was a breathy one as I pulled out my own chair with a rough yank.

"Ah, ah, watch your language Lydie." he chided, pulling a few of my books over to have a look. He may have been charming but he was still dreadfully nosy. "So, what have we got?"

"Um, one for Visions, and one for…ugh Transfiguration." I read back my findings from the notes I'd taken earlier that week.

"Well, which one do you need help with?"

Reaching a hand out, I slid my books back so they were back in front of me.

"Neither, you go along and do your own work, I'll do mine. We should get on quite nicely that way, don't you think?" I had already taken out a quill and a bottle of ink.

"Lydia I have nothing else to do and I'm offering to do one of your essays for you. Any normal Slytherin would take advantage of this."

"Perhaps it's a nasty shock to you Thomas, but you're not the only ambitious one in this house. Besides, my writing has a distinct style and I'm sure yours does as well, you don't think Dumbledore's that daft, do you?"

"That's a very silly question, of course I do." his smile grew a little and his tone went cocky.

"Well, go bother him then. I have work to do."

I suppose he just had to get in a last jab before leaving. Men…

"No wonder you haven't got any real friends, you push them all away." the hiss in my ear was again low and his tone was more than deliberate as he leaned over my shoulder and whispered just before traipsing off.

Forty five minutes later and I looked up at Tom for the 27th time. I guessed it was time I admitted, at least to myself that he was devilishly attractive. He was chatting animatedly, while standing in an isle across the room from me, with two of his mates from Slytherin and some blond Ravenclaw girl whom I couldn't place from the view of her back. She apparently was much more willing to admit to herself how handsome she found Riddle. She had killer legs though and I instantly didn't like her. Or the fact that she was twirling her long, platinum hair while shifting from one foot to the other. Or that her pleated skirt seemed shorter than it should have been.

But it certainly wasn't the fact that she was talking to Tom, no that didn't bother me. That would just be silly and I am not a silly little schoolgirl. Then again, only silly little school girls can't stop staring…

Shifting my eyes I focused them back down on the half a page of scribble. For all the time I had put into the damn thing, my pittance of an essay wasn't even that good and I was beginning to wonder if pride over prejudice had been a smart idea. After all, just because he had dirty blood didn't make him any less of a prefect and as I said earlier you don't become a prefect on accident.

I set my quill down, marking the page of 'A Manufactured Ministry : A Collection of Essays on Our Government' I hadn't been able to concentrate on.

'Forget it, I don't need this.' I was up in an instant and packing my things back into the leather satchel over the back of my chair, 'I don't want to be late for Care of Magical Creatures anyway.'


For such a beautiful day it went along disastrously. At first studying hippocampuses down at the shore of the lake was rather fascinating and made even more so by Miss Amelia Tresky loosing her wayward grace once again when she slipped on an algae infested boulder right into two feet of water. As for the lecture, we all had a chance to take magnifying glasses up and have a good long stare, at the hippocampuses not Amelia. Half way through the lesson however, clouds blew in over the mountains and heavy rain fell thicker than the trees in the Forbidden Forest. Once again I was reminded of why I hated Scotland so very much. Sopping wet, and even worse muddy, my hair had been reduced to thin, gangly strands all stuck together and my make-up washed away. I must've looked like a raccoon that had just gorged a mouthful of raspberries what with my smeared mascara and lipstick.

The lesson for the day was canceled as we couldn't very well bring Hippocampuses back into the castle with us, so we settled for going back to our common rooms until dinner. A shambled chorus of 'Aqua Evanesco's echoed through out the entrance hall as the Slytherin company all made our way into the cool damp of the dungeons, our tempers flaring over the weather. It was a very odd experience for me to not have anyone to sound off to. Maybe I did want my friends back, even if they were arses half the time.

Aqua Evanesco was a fine spell for getting the water out of things, but the dirt and moisture that stayed behind on layers and layers of clothing was an awful bother to be left with. Especially when one's robes were splattered with caked muck. So it was off to the dorm bathroom again for another warm shower. Which, after being pelted by liquid ice, didn't sound half bad.

It probably wouldn't have been either if every other girl in my dorm hadn't had the same idea and gotten to all the stalls first. Just the muggy clouds of steam issuing from the shower sprays made me jealous.

Curse it all for my being born a girl and the dorms being split up according to gender. Merlin only knew, they would take even longer than usual for every spec of dirt and cold that wasn't welcome on our pompous skin. Traipsing back down the stairs I compromised with a spot by the fire. The warmth was as scarce as seats were for the horde of students crammed around the merrily crackling hearth.

"You're looking very attractive Lydia, I must say." I hadn't even had to look and I not only knew that I was being teased by Tom, but also that he was amused by my appearance. "Although I wasn't aware that the drowned cat look was in this season."

Looking up and to my left, I spotted his usual cheeky smirk as he leaned over the back of the sofa I was seated on. Not a hair out of place nor a bead of dirty rain marked his seamless complexion. Boy, if I had skin like that make-up would make me turn up my nose.

"It isn't, but then neither is being a mudblood." I scoffed. I was certainly in no mood to entertain. I was wet, and sweaty, and dirty and I couldn't stand it. That didn't mean he was going to leave, "So why aren't you wet?"

"I don't take Care of Magical Creatures." How I would have loved to smack that gloating look off his face.

"Pray tell which course were you oh-so-brilliant to have chosen instead?" I drawled lazily.

"Muggle studies." his look went straight.

"Gee, I'm really missing out on something, huh?"

"Hey, I'm the one missing out on dripping all over the carpets, remember?"

"Tom, do me a favor. Shut-up." My contempt only fueled his passion for annoying me. It was clear that he liked to play with people, get the most enjoyment out of their antics as possible. I liked that, just not when he was doing it to me.

"Gladly, only why don't we get you cleaned up first. You need a shower quite desperately, did you know?"

'Ladies do not throttle people…ladies do not throttle people…ladies do not throttle people…' Clenching my jaw I was desperately trying to keep a level temper. He leaned down, muttering in my ear so no one else, not even the crowd gathered to lick the feet of the fire, could hear his words. Words that could have lost him his Prefect badge and what ever lasting shred of respect I commanded at Hogwarts.

"Let me take you for a soak in the Prefects' bath." his hand came to rest on my shoulder, his thumb stroking over my slip, the strap of which I knew he could easily feel under the thin cotton of my white oxford. "You can take off these filthy clothes, get clean in heated water, and you won't even have to stand…I'll be glad to hold you."

I was taken aback for no more than two seconds before seizing his hand and slipping out of the common room, glad for once that prissy girls took such long showers and my ex-friends didn't get the chance to see me lacing my fingers between his.


I wasn't tired this time and was able to fully appreciate the marble floors, mild candlelight and sweet water. Back amongst the tall pillars I fancied myself a roman princess, stealing away in the middle of the night to break forbidden chains. The vixen in me was alive, not to mention the tease. No curtain was needed to aid me this time around as I took the time to savor every button I undid, stripping down to the satin and lace of my petticoat. My blue eyes kept as much of a watch on Tom as he did on me. Ladies, I assure you, you will never feel more powerful than when a man can't take his eyes off of you.

My back was to him only long enough for my fingers to fold the uniform I had just taken off and set it in the corner. That seemed to be ample time enough for Thomas to carelessly throw his clothes in the opposite corner and slide into the pool, clad in dark grey boxer briefs. Feverish lust had found its way into my blood somewhere between frustration and the wanting I'd awakened while watching Tom in the library. Perhaps this was some sort of liberation, my way of staking territory and showing that Ravenclaw girl up. After all, beating out competition was in my nature. Sneaking away to snog mud blooded prefects while half-naked however, was something I liked to think of as the opposite of my nature.

Not that I had known we were going to snog when we were making our hurried way up seven floors worth of changing staircases, mind you. But I wanted to by the time the stairs decided to let us get where we were headed and God knows I always got what I wanted. My hands were eager to go exploring over his chest for a second time. My lips were more than ready to become battered and swollen again. I hadn't had a spot of intimacy since two weeks before breaking up with Greg, and cuddling on a common room couch was hardly my idea of frisky. To my utter disappointment Gregory had never quite proved to be the playful, hormone infested type of person I was. Personally I would have invited his excitement but more than not was forced to listen to Celeste's tales of Jonathan and her sneaking away to spare classrooms for a thrilling snog in the moonlight. They would always just barely avoid being caught by Filch and they liked it that way. It added to the excitement. That was another way Celeste and I related to one another, we were natural born renegades.

Even there in the bath, the fact that Tom and I were breaking a good ten school rules (at least four of which could have gotten us suspended or worse on their own) whilst simply 'washing up' was what took my breath away the most I figure. Rule breaking was practically a fetish of mine, even if I was all but OCD over upholding lady-like standards. Then again, its never about the rules your breaking, its trying to get away with it. Danger certainly was my favorite game. And it was then that I knew why I was having less and less of a problem with Tom. It was because I was supposed to hate him. The rules said I was supposed to keep away from him, I was supposed to be a good girl and stay with the purebloods. But the tighter my friends played on those restrictions, the more I wondered, what was I missing?

Columns of steam rose from the pool, creating their own spiraling pillars as they stretched for the heavens only to have their dreams crushed by the impending ceiling. The near scalding water seared at my thighs, steadily creeping higher all around us. Candle light reflected off of the surface of the rising water, now choppy from the taps and our climbing in. My steps were slow and silent, bringing me closer to him. I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I felt like an attention starved kitten. His eyes and hands were busy turning the taps on when I reached him, allowing even more water to gush down into the bath. My own hand splayed out on the shoulder farthest from me while my lips met the other softly. Three or four kisses later and he was just standing there, soaking it up if you will. I'm not sure Tom had ever been put into that sort of situation before, but we both made sure to rise to the challenge. We weren't in Slytherin for nothing.

I may have gotten away with kisses but I didn't even finish a second nibble over the taught skin of his shoulder before he'd lifted my chin and stealthily pinned me against the wall. For the first time our mouths met. Our dance certainly wasn't delicate, but we were only just starting towards passionate. His hand lingered, long fingers delicately wrapped around my neck until finally allowing them to drape down. The exploration he was allowing himself turned me on more than our kisses. Down my collarbone, gently caressing the raised bone with his thumb for a few strokes before heading off down to my cleavage.

My chest rose, half because I gasped at his boldness and half because my breathing was becoming ever more labored. His hands on my skin mimicked the alcohol that had gently burned my throat in the study the other night. However, my mind could barely process his touches as he slid his tongue between my lips.

Though I was shaking, I was determined to show him I could play the same game as he. My knee bent forward and I slid my thigh between his own. Shyness was near laughable by now as my upper leg slowly slid this way and that seductively. His other hand contracted around the thick strands of hair it was already drifting through in exhilarated excitement. Not to mention surprise. As I said before, I had a hunch Tom wasn't too experienced in this line of art and I'm pretty sure I made his mind stagger somewhat with that particular move.

Tom pulled back, staring me dead in the eyes with his lips barely parted as he sucked in one deep breath after another. If I was supposed to stop moving my leg I wasn't aware, as my eyes met his gaze. The giggle that rose in my throat when I realized his pupils were dilated was repressed only by my flirtatious smile being bitten into before it could grow. Only for a moment before he caught up in our little game of arousal, leaning down to swiftly bury his face in the crook of my neck.

He was following my lead, licking and gently biting the more vulnerable skin of my neck. Somewhere between the pleasure and pain I let my head fall back to rest on the tile, my eyelids taking their own cessation and falling closed. I could feel it in every inch of skin I came into contact with, I had seen it in his eyes, he had needed me. He was just as on fire as I was and that was so much more satisfying than any of Greg's kisses could ever dream of being. Pureblooded as they had been.

And suddenly…oh, the tile supporting my head was so wonderful. The exhilaration in me began to fade out, as if a loud crashing symphony had finished its orchestral song early. My senses tried to fight the biting and the hunger to shut down. This only brought on more exhaustion. A frown formed across my brow, cutting deep, almost pained lines into my features. The fingers fell from his copious, black tufts of hair, almost shinier than my own.

"To-Tom," I barely got out that last breath before slumping from the wall in a rather ungraceful fashion into the approximated four feet of water around me. The pressure seemed to increase with every inch and I could barely stay awake for long let alone move. This was the worst bout of fatigue I had ever felt in my life and this time it was life threatening. Strong, pale hands grasped at my shoulders and that's all I could remember before blacking out.


Water sputtered from my mouth the moment I woke in the hospital wing. Everything was blurry and so bright. I continued coughing, trying desperately to hoist my spine into an upwards position.

"Ah, ah, ah." the sound of low heels scurrying across tile. A cold hand with long nails helped me sit up and forced a few grandfather pillows behind me. "Easy does it," the hands retreated, "She takes her time healing but Merlin doesn't she heal well, Albus?" a feminine voice spoke from beside the bed I was on. Very slowly, the dizziness began to diminish and things came into focus. Globs of brown, gold and white became wood planked walls, candle light and clean sheets over dozens of empty beds.

"What happened?" my voice was croaky and sluggish. All at once I was suddenly brilliantly aware of an immense headache not secure to any one part of my brain. The entire muscle seemed to throb painfully, renewing the sensation every other second and making it even worse. My dreams came back to me…memories again, such vivid memories. Only this time they were not simple, small and apathetic. Every painful event I had ever experience had come crashing down on my senses like torture that had fried my thought processing cells to the point of burning out.

"You passed out in a pool of water and nearly drowned. Your lungs are fine, but your mind…well you've taken some damage but it's nothing I can't fix." These last words seemed much more for the old man beside the school nurse than for me. I'd be damned if that old man wasn't Professor Dumbledore.

"Good evening Miss DelaTorre. So good to have you back."

"How lo"- I rubbed at my eyes, desperately trying to massage the pain away. "How long was I unconscious?"

"A good three hours I'd say." the school nurse (hell if I knew her name) was turning down the sheets and fetching something from her office.

"Whe-where's Tom?"

Dumbledore looked to the nurse for an answer to my inquiry as she emerged from her office carrying a short, strikingly purple bottle. She studied the back of the bottle closely before pouring out, not liquid but small yellow and orange rocks across a dish on the bed side table. She handed two of them to me, one orange and one yellow.

"Here, suck on these. When they've dissolved make sure to put two more in."

Popping them in my mouth I received a sour blast of citrus acid. Well, my nerves were certainly more alert now. The headache steadily declined in power and soon only a dull pulsing in the very center of my brain was left.

"Where's Tom?" I asked again.

"He's fine, he was sent back to his house upon bringing you here. Which brings me to another question, Madame Constance, a moment please. "

The nurse gave a me an unsure look for a moment before nodding and retreating to her office before closing the door behind her. Lovely, thanks lady. Surely I had just cost Tom his badge and maybe even my entire house a large number of points. I turned to look at Dumbledore begging him with my eyes to spare me the lecture.

"What caused you to black out such as you did?" He gazed down at me with his hands clasped neatly in front of his robes. I suppose he felt it his duty as Deputy Headmaster to stick his incredibly crooked nose into my business.

"I was running and I slipped on the wet tile. I guess I fell unconscious and rolled into the pool." I shrugged nonchalantly. Lying on the spot was a specialty of mine.

"I see. It was a very lucky thing that Thomas saved you then. Tell me, how exactly did he know there was something wrong?"

"He'd been calling for me to come out, that's why I was running you see. He was afraid that the other prefects may have wanted a bath after the storm as well and didn't want me to get caught. You see, there were no showers available in my dorm room and I had a lot of school work to finish and I was covered in mud. Tom was nice enough to let me into the prefects' bathroom. Anyways, when I didn't answer his calls he came in to check on me."

"Ah, yes. I've noticed that you've developed a certain new fondness for Tom's company."

My eyes grew darker, my features suspicious.

"Yes…I've been going through a hard time with my friends is all. He's just being kind."

"Even after you've ridiculed him his entire life at Hogwarts?"

"Yes." What the bleeding hell was his problem?

"Lydia I hope you'll understand my asking you to exercise caution when trusting Tom's motives."

"Say what have you got against Tom Riddle anyway?" This was getting absolutely ridiculous.

"Nothing my dear, nothing at all." his eyes went somewhat wide in assurance, "I admire him in all truth. He has risen above such tragedy as death and abandonment to become a marvelous student. He is with out a doubt the most brilliant 16 year old I have ever known. But I am sure you have seen the same lust for power in him as I."

My lips remained docile. I supposed, in very small ways, I had indeed.

"When some one as cunning as Tom wants something he'll do anything to obtain his goal."

I frowned, "Professor, if you're implying that Tom hurt me"-

"No Miss DelaTorre, never." the old man laid a hand on my shoulder, gazing out at the rain splattering the window behind me. He seemed unable to find the right words as moments later he looked back down at me. His head bobbed in a mild nod only he knew the reason for. I swear, the man was off his rocker.

"You know they say no one is perfect, until you fall in love with them. You're a smart girl, you'll do well to remember that. If ever you need my assistance, I assure you that my office is always open." As he patted my shoulder, I winced at the pain that shot up my neck and he walked off.

A/N: Holy god that chapter was the hardest thing I have ever had to write. I hope the effort paid off though, would you mind letting me know? Tom likes his fan mail. Thanks ;)