A/N: For the Hogwarts Assignment #4 Muggle Studies: Muggle attitudes towards magic. Task #1: Write a medieval style AU in which a canonical witch or wizard is being burnt at the stake by a canonical Muggle.

365 Prompts Challenge: Dialogue – ''I've been waiting a long time for you.''

Insane House Challenge: Action – Defending

Scavenger hunt: Write a Ship you've never written

Resolutions Challenge: Write a pairing you've never written before

Word count: 2039

I have never written such a thing before, not even as an rp or anything so it can be ooc! And the young Tom and the teenager Tom are two different characters.

Tom is off age! Let's say, he's about...19 and 20 years old. The rating is M because of some slash (and the burning part, obviously..) so if you don't like it or feel uncomfortable, don't read it. It's not rape or anything, it's just some touching.

„You are indeed a very beautiful boy, Tom..."

Horace touched the boy's cheek while he took a closer look at his face. The orphan was everything he always wanted. Pale skin, an unique eye colour and a perfect body. He was well mannered and smart, too. He was so much different from the rest of the village. Tom was pure perfection, a true masterpiece. Even though some people believed that he used dark magic to have such traits. The boy chuckled and looked at the older man.

„Thank you, Sir. I appreciate it. You see, I know that you are watching me whenever my back is turned..."

He stepped closer, still wearing that somehow creepy smile. Horace was surprised that Tom noticed his looks but it was not hard to tell. Tom was a clever boy. He could not think straight anymore and so he crushed their lips together. Tom was not surprised at all, he saw the want in his eyes whenever he caught the aristocrat watching him. He began to kiss back but stayed submissive for now. At first, it was a shy kiss but as soon as he was comfortable, he wanted more. Tom felt the tongue licking over his lower lip, two strong hands grabbing his waist and a knee between his legs. Without wasting another thought he opened his lips and welcomed the wet tongue inside his mouth. This was not a game anymore, it stopped being a game the moment their lips met. Horace had to break the kiss. He was panting and sweat was dripping down his forehead. Tom was not exhausted at all compared to the man.

"My boy, I-I'm sorry...! I...I didn't know what just – I really – "

The orphan chuckled again and shook his head. To see someone struggling so much was entertaining.

"Do not feel bad, Sir. As I already said, I know that you were watching me and I could have stopped it. But, you see...it was not bad at all. Indeed, it felt good."

The aristocrat was surprised that the boy did not run out and shouted for help or pushed him back. Instead, he just stood there and told him that he was fine, that it felt good. This time it was Tom who kissed him. But he was not submissive anymore. And he went even further when he began to open Horace's pants and pushed them down...

Horace did not last long, it had been a few years since he had sex the last time. Tom made the cutest noise and happened to be a bossy little bottom. He laid down next to the young boy and watched him. His neck was already covered in love bites, just like his chest which was also covered in sweat. The dark hair was tousled and his half-lidded eyes were watching him. The dark eyes seemed to look straight into his soul. Maybe the rumours were true and he really used dark magic. At least for his looks. Nobody could have such a soft and pale skin if he did not use dark magic or was the devil himself. Tom turned on his stomach and put his head on his arms. Nobody said anything for a long time. Horace was the first who spoke and it was a mistake.

"We...can not keep doing this, Tom. I am so much older, I could be your grandfather, my boy. It is not that I did not enjoy it but..."

The orphan was wide awake. Did he hear right? Horace wanted to leave him? The age difference was huge but it did not matter for him. And besides, it was just sex. He did not want to stop this. It satisfied him and because of Horace, nobody dared to accuse him of being a devil. The older man was rich and had good connections which kept him away from the pyre. But without his protection he was as good as dead.

"Excuse me, Sir. I may be mistaken but did you say that we can not continue it? I must be wrong, right?"

Tom tried to calm down and not to curse him. Someone might hear it. He could see that the aristocrat was nervous and he was only able to shook his head. The boy began to tremble, his face was even paler than before. It was a mixture between anger, fear and grief. He did not want to die! It was his worst fear and his only fear. Horace tried to calm him down but Tom pushed him away.

"B-but Sir...the age does not matter! I do not care that you are so much older, a-after all y-you still want me, right?"

Horace was already up and got dressed. It broke his heart to see his beautiful boy like this but this time, they crossed a line. They should not have done this and their special friendship could have continued. But it was too late now and they could not go back anymore.

"Tom, my boy...I've been waiting a long time for you. But as you already know, there are rumours that you might use dark magic. And I can not deny the fact that I happened to think about it once or twice as well."

Nothing could have hurt him like this. To hear that the only person who saw the good inside him was now on the side of everyone else hurt him like nothing else could have done. He did not love him, of course not! At least he thought so. But it still hurt him because Horace was the only person he had left and who believed in him. Now he had no one. Tom began to tremble even worse and tears threatened to fall down. He did not cry because he was sad, most likely because he was angry and disappointed. The aristocrat was worried and put his hand on the boys shoulder but it made everything worse. The orphan got up and collected his clothes. He got dressed as fast as he could and wiped away his tears. This was the last time someone made fun out of him! He was too smart for this.

"As you wish. But remember that it was a mistake to play with me like this. Nobody uses and throws me away. You will regret this, Sir. I will leave now. Good evening."

With his head as high as possible Tom stepped out in the cold night. The whole village was quiet and nobody was outside anymore. Only a few guards were outside and he knew that they were watching him. He ignored them and their stares, Tom just wanted to go to bed and sleep. The boy went inside his hut and locked the door with a bar. He was sure that Horace would not stay quiet, he would tell them that he threatened him. This was enough for them to burn him alive so he decided that he would leave tomorrow as soon as possible. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was asleep.

…

"Open up!"

A loud voice and banging against the wooden door woke him up. He did not know how late it was but the moon was still on the sky so it was still night. Tom got up and went down. He pushed away the bar and opened the door. In front of him were three guards with torches and their swords drawn.

"Good evening, Sir. Is something the matter?"

"Tom Riddle, you are accused of murder. Horace Slughorn was found dead in his hut and you are the last one who left. It was obvious that you two had a dispute, we could hear it. You threatened him and you used dark magic to kill him, people heard how you spoke in an unknown language and saw you brewing some unknown liquids. If you please follow us."

One of the guards pointed the sword towards Tom. He should have ran away as soon as he came out of the hut. But now it was pointless. There was no reason to deny anything but he still tried.

"Sir, I understand that it seems like I use dark magic but I can say that I am innocent! Yes, it is true that I was with him and it is true that we broke up and that I was angry and shouted, maybe even threatened him. But I did not use dark magic! I liked him, he was good to me and I can not believe that he is dead. I did not know until you told me. And I would have visited him again to speak with him about us. But this is none of your business. Please, if you excuse me now, I am tired."

But they did not let him go inside again. They grabbed his arms and dragged him out of the house...

…

It took days until they came to a solution. But he knew how it would end. Tom was scared, he did not want to die! And that Horace was dead...it made the situation even worse. He would have come to his aid to protect him! He...knew that Tom was a normal boy. He just loved to read and he knew many things. But this was no proof that he used dark magic. He did not know if it was real but somehow he...loved him. Even though it was hard to admit it and the orphan regretted that he never told him this. Maybe that was the reason why they broke up and why he was dead now. He should not have played with him and should have told him his true feelings. Maybe...this would have changed everything...

"Riddle! Get up!"

A guard opened the huge wooden door and was ready to kill him if necessary. Tom stood up and tried to look as proud as always but it was hard with dirt, the handcuffs and the tattered clothes. The man pushed him forward the whole time whenever he thought that Tom was not fast enough. It was too late, he would burn so it did not matter.

"I will curse you! All of you! You will regret the day you accused me of being a dark wizard!"

The guard ignored him and continued to push the orphan until they arrived at the pyre. They tied him to the stake and did not care if they hurt him. The whole villagers stood around the place and watched the scene. They shouted, accused him of being a murderer and threw whatever they found at him. It only made him angrier. That, and the fear of being dead were too much for the twenty year old boy.

"You will regret that! All of you! I curse you! You will all die! We will meet again – in hell!"

He screamed and trembled. The orphan was scared, scared of death. He did not care about the pain or anything but he did not want to die. Nobody ever came back and even though people said that it was like sleeping...he was scared. When Frank Bryce came closer, the burning torch in his hand, he tried to rip off the ropes, tried to escape somehow but the ropes did not give in. The people wanted to be sure that he could not escape. Everything would end soon and he was not ready for it. Nobody could ever be ready to be dead. The flames touched the straw and within a few seconds everything was burning. It did not take a minute and the flames began to burn him, too. Tom tried his best not to scream but it was useless. He did not want to show his fear and pain but it hurt. It hurt like hell where he would be soon. (If there was a heaven and hell.) And sadly he would never see Horace again to tell him that he loved him. All he could hear were the rustling and crackling of the burning wood, straw and the crowd cheering. His screaming died down pretty soon and the last thing he saw before everything went black was Horace's smiling face.