Chapter 7:

Two months had passed and not a word was spoken between the two of them. Tom had managed to push her out of his mind; he had more important things to attend to, like find out where exactly the Chamber of Secrets laid.

He was sitting at the Slytherin table, taking a large bite of his waffle when he saw something that almost made him gag. Nicole was… snogging Travis? He felt enraged at that moment, he was about ready to jump out of his seat and push Travis into the ground. However, his better judgment won out by a hair.

He looked at her with clear distain but she did not turn to acknowledge his presence. He got up from his seat, strutting out of the great hall in a determined manner. He found himself in front of a painting, tickling the pear, watching a doorway appear as the kitchens came into view. Tom needed to talk to her, no not just talk to her, he needed to punish her. How dare she flirt with Travis, or any other for that matter? She was his; he entered the kitchens with a look of distain upon his face.

"Mr. Riddle, What brings you to the kitchens this morning? Was the breakfast unsatisfactory?" asked a rather stocky house elf looking heavily concerned, apparently under the impression he had done something horribly wrong.

Tom was inclined to say yes, to rant and rave and yell to his hearts content, it might have relaxed him after what he had just witnessed but he shook his head. "No, the food was delicious as usual," his words sounded sincere enough and the house elf cracked a smile revealing a good many missing teeth. Tom fought back the impulse to shudder with disgust. "You clean the common rooms, yes?"

The elf nodded enthusiastically, "Yes Mr. Riddle, I clean the Gryffindor common rooms myself, with help of course," he pointed to some of the other house elves, some already preparing meals for lunch.

Tom's facial expression remained plain, but in truth he was rather excited. "Tell Miss Sullivan to meet me here at seven o'clock in the evening tomorrow." He replied simply.

The elf nodded, "I shall do just that Mr. Riddle. Is there anything else, a waffle perhaps, some orange juice?" Tom shook his head and the elf gave a bow before returning back to work.

The next day was going by excruciatingly slow. He had double History of Magic and double Transfiguration. At what seemed like a lifetime of waiting it was now six thirty. He then headed towards the kitchens, perhaps he'd think of something to say in the short time before her arrival, or more likely he'd know instinctively just exactly what to say when he set his eyes on her.

The same stocky house elf greeted him pleasantly, "Mr. Riddle, Miss Sullivan has agreed to meet you here at seven o' clock," Tom nodded, still obsessing over what he had witnessed the day before. At long last the door opened again, and in came none other than Nicole. She was paler than usual, but she was there all the same. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Tom walked towards her.

There was silence as the two met each others' eyes, and with a sudden burst of rage, Tom pushed her against the wall with a great deal of force, she let out a moan of pain before he used his free hand to restrict her air passageway. The house elves turned in shock, one came foreword wagging his finger. "There will be no fighting in the kitchens!" it shouted in a squeaky voice, but Tom ignored it.

Nicole was beginning to feel light headed, she struggled for breath which Tom blatantly refused to supply and just as she was about to pass out, he took his hand away from her neck, still pinning her to the wall. She tried to wriggle free of his grasp but was unsuccessful. "You traitorous slut!" He cried as she was still trying to catch her breath. She looked at him wide eyed and confused.

"You will let Miss Sullivan go NOW!" cried the voice of another house elf. "Or we shall inform the Headmaster." Tom looked over his shoulder, and then back to Nicole, he let her go with reluctance, his eyes still fixed on her. She collapsed to the floor, rubbing her neck, still breathing heavily.

"How could you?!" He began, even more threateningly than before. He was pacing left and right, trying to find the exact words to use. "You let him touch you." He spat with clear disgust. He looked at her, as if expecting some sort of explanation.

"Like you care," she looked up at him indignantly, getting up to her feet, her body supported by the wall behind her. "I'm nothing to you, remember?"

He looked as though he had just been slapped in the face. He came closer again, the house elves stared at him, afraid he would go after her again. "You're slightly more than nothing, Nicole." He spoke softly, caressing her cheek. She looked terrified, unsure of where he was going with this. "You're mine."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, she stared at the floor, "Yours?" she asked, unmoving. He pulled her into his arms for the first time, embracing her in a hug. He thought it would be awkward, or he would be filled with a desire to vomit but neither turned out to be true. At long last he felt peaceful as though he had been waiting for this moment indefinitely.

She did not resist him in the slightest, he was unsure just exactly how they had gotten here, but he didn't question it, he released himself from Nicole's arms, tears still running down her face. The house elves were confused beyond measure, quite a few were scratching their heads, most went back to their kitchen duties as dinner was fast approaching, but a few just couldn't seem to take their eyes off the odd couple.

"I love you," he blurted out unintentionally; he clapped his mouth over his hands the moments after he'd said it. Nicole gave a hollow laugh, and smiled, pulling him closer by his arms, bending down his neck, for he was quite tall, and kissed him fervently. After a few moments Nicole turned away, but Tom didn't want it to end, he'd never felt this way before. Without thinking he added, "I love you very, very much," in the hopes of another kiss.

She grinned, "Tom," she answered affectionately, playing with the loose fabric of his robes. She kissed him again, this time Tom greeted it with equal enthusiasm. Nicole had just noticed their audience, Tom turned as well. At this the remaining house elves turned their heads, pretending to be busy with something or another, whistling suspiciously. Nicole gave out another laugh. "I love you too," her eyes filled with tears again, and she spoke softly. "I thought you'd abandoned me."

"I won't make that mistake again," he responded seriously.

They decided to eat their dinner in the kitchens; Tom was often noted for skipping meals, assumed to be off studying, and Nicole was frequently out of sight from her peers. The house elves were quiet now, none spoke a word, afraid they would have Tom incur his wrath upon them like he had Nicole no doubt.

At this thought, Tom suddenly felt racked with guilt, an emotion seldom felt. "I'm sorry," he whispered as Nicole sat rubbing her neck, apparently it was hard for her to swallow.

"I'm not going to hold it against you," She answered softly, giving a half smile as if it meant all was well. But all was not well, not well at all. He loved here, he had admitted this to her, to himself. How was it then, he was able to harm her? He wanted to kill her when she walked into the kitchens. No. Tom thought abruptly. He had never wanted to kill Nicole, but he had wanted to punish her.

This thought was not as reassuring as he had hoped. He'd lost his temper earlier, flew without hesitance into a fit of rage, he had only just caught himself. Had it not been for the house elf's interruption, would he have been staring at a corpse? He felt sick to his stomach at the very thought of it.

"I lost control," he continued, not wanting to drop the subject. "I never lose control." He avoided her eyes, he couldn't bare her them at the moment.

"My mother told me once when she was ill, that every emotion is a valuable one and can be used to one's advantage." Tom looked up at her, unsure of how to respond. "I had been crying," she explained. "She was dying you see. My father didn't tell me, but I felt it; her drifting away, becoming weaker and weaker. I was so sad, I could barely stand it, and I just wanted the feeling to leave me, I didn't understand it then, but I think I do now."

"So you think my anger is valuable?" He inquired, uncertain of how to take this. "Even when it enabled me to harm you?"

Nicole nodded. "Yes, Tom. Anger gives you focus, drive, determination and passion. In fact, now that I say it aloud, love and anger are rather similar, aren't they?" She took a bite of her food, taking a sip of her drink, her throat was still sore but she was hungry.

"Well then I guess I love you a lot," he replied with a bitter laugh. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Nicole scooted closer to him, giving him a kiss on his cheek. How he enjoyed her touch. She then returned to her meal, and Tom decided to follow suit, picking apart his as well.

They sat in silence for a while, their plates empty and a strange calm fell over them, Tom knew it would soon be broken.

"I suppose we should head back to our dormitories," sighed Nicole in a casual manner. Tom wasn't fooled; she was dreading the idea just as much as he was.

He nodded, "Can't leave anyone in my house alone for too long," he stated, standing up and brushing off his robes. Nicole stood up as well. "Who knows? Cygnus may have gotten himself blown up by a more vengeful Gryffindor."

Nicole scoffed, "I can be vengeful if I so please." Tom smiled, but said nothing. Nicole was the first to leave; after all they couldn't be seen together, at least not yet. Tom finally found himself in front of the Slytherin common room.

Muttering the password, he entered. Abraxas was busying himself with a dream chart for divination; he looked up to see his master looking quite pleased with himself and eyed him careful as though examining his words before speaking.

"You seem in an awfully good mood this evening," He replied hesitantly, unsure whether or not he should have taken notice of this.

Tom nodded absentmindedly, "I suppose so," he resumed a casual tone of voice. "Did you all manage to keep yourselves out of trouble in my absence?" He asked, swiftly changing the subject.

"Suffice to say we haven't done any lasting damage," he shrugged. He was uncomfortable conversing with Tom about things so menial, and Tom could tell. Tom found himself missing Nicole already, but it would pass in time.

After an uncomfortably long gaze, Abraxas got to his feet, understanding that he was to leave and disappeared into the dormitories. "Alone yet again," he sighed, taking a sit in the nearest armchair, staring at the dulling fire with mock interest. A once familiar feeling began to feel like a strange one, he had changed.