Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to JK Rowling's characters … I'm just borrowing them! Any characters that are not from the world of Harry Potter are of my sole creation and I own the rights to them.

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Chapter 7

The following morning, Lara woke up to find stacks and piles of shopping bags and hat boxes and shoe boxes from brands that she only dreamt of owning.

She turned over and her cheek grazed a piece of paper; slightly crumpling it. She sat up in bed, yawning and stretching her arms out. "Hmm," she sighed tiredly as her eyes scanned the note.

I am away for a few hours this morning. I hope that when you wake you will be pleasantly surprised.

"Pleasantly surprised is right," Lara smiled and found that she was even blushing when he was not around.

"But," she thought as her smile faded; letting the letter drop onto her lap, "how did he manage to get these? Is there something that he is not telling me? Where did he get the money?"

Lara looked away from the gifts and sighed to herself. She did not want Tom to think that her love could be bought. She was beginning to feel that he valued objects higher than affection. Lara reminded herself that she was not an object, but, in fact, flesh and blood.

She pushed herself off the bed and opened the door to the private promenade. The fresh air burst forth, sending her blonde waves flying in the direction of the wind. In the distance, she saw something jump and dive back into the sea. She marveled at how vast the sea really was, for, she had only seen it on a map. It had never dawned on her that the map was merely on paper and that the sea was much bigger in person.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Lara smiled as she turned to see Tom, "Yes."

"Why didn't you open your gifts?" He asked as he walked towards the balcony; resting his elbows on the railing.

Lara paused, looking out to the sea as she tried to find the words to say. "Tom," she looked into his eyes, "you shouldn't have."

"Why?"

Lara looked down, "Chanel? Givenchy? Dior?"

Tom smirked, "You deserve the best."

Lara uncomfortably smiled as Tom continued, "We will be dining at the restaurant tonight."

It never struck Lara until now that Tom was one of those men that enjoyed the finer things in life, no matter how they obtained it.

They listened to the breeze and the dolphins as Tom placed an arm around Lara. She took in a deep breath as he pulled her closer to him. "Tom," she looked up at him, "where did you go this morning?"

He paused, "Nowhere special."

Lara decided not to probe any further. For, Tom was in a good mood and maybe if she acted well enough, he would let her go back home to her family. She smiled; changing the subject, "It's so beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Tom muttered softly, not taking his eyes off Lara.

Lara blushed and shyly looked away, "I suppose I should get ready or something."

"For what?"

"The day has started," Lara nodded towards the sun shining brightly against the ocean, "as if you didn't notice and I intend on not spending all of my time in here."

Lara turned and walked back into the room. Tom followed her, "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing special," Lara echoed Tom's words as she opened one of Tom's many gifts. She had not exactly had time to pack since she had been taken by force.

She lifted out a blue dress with buttons down the left side of the skirt and a matching turban. She walked into the bathroom; holding the dress and closed the door behind her.

Tom leaned against the wall then crossed towards the armchair; resting his legs upon the bed. He kept his eyes upon the door, half-expecting Lara to come out with her wand pointing at him.

However, Tom quickly realized that Lara had forgotten her wand at her house. His mouth formed into a smirk, for, he imagined that she was a strong woman and took pleasure in the fact that she was defenseless.

The bathroom door slowly opened and Lara came out, blushing deeply in a dress that would make the most obstinate man fall to his knees.

Tom looked away, not wanting to fall under her spell. "I assume," Tom kept his eyes diverted, "that you are going without me."

"If you want to come," Lara began before Tom cut her off.

"No," Tom interjected, "I have business to attend to."

"I'm not stopping you," Lara shook her head; a strained smile appeared upon her lips. "I just thought that maybe you'd want to spend some time with me. I guess I was wrong." Before Tom could reply, Lara had walked out of the room; shutting the door behind her.

At a quarter to eleven, Lara walked into the room to find it was empty. She anticipated that Tom would be waiting for her in the armchair, his eyes watching the door. But, he was nowhere to be seen.

Her gifts had all been opened and laid into neat piles upon the chaise lounge that was at the foot of the bed. She found a pair of pajamas and put them on.

She turned the light off as she climbed into bed and began to cry softly, afraid that someone would hear. She placed her hand to her mouth to muffle the sound; letting the tears roll down her cheeks.

Lara woke that morning to find Tom kneeling by the edge of the bed; stroking her hair. She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked away, embarrassed that Tom had seen her cry.

"Lara, look at me," he said quietly.

Lara obeyed, partly out of fear and partly out of curiosity. Was he capable of more emotions? Was he capable of feeling something other than self-love?

"Tom," Lara whispered.

Tom reached over, wiping her tears from her eyes. Lara placed her head upon Tom's shoulder; catching him off guard. He placed two awkward arms around her as she cried into his shoulder.

"You miss your family, don't you," Tom asked politely.

"Yes," Lara said muffled into Tom's shoulder.

Tom moved back; holding Lara tightly by the shoulders as he continued, his features hardening, "I am your family now."

He let her go; Lara crossed her arms across her chest; rubbing her shoulders. She looked away from Tom, tears still rolling down her cheeks. He stood up and walked out of the stateroom; leaving Lara alone again.

Finally, the ship docked at the Port of Durres in Albania. If they walked to Tirana, the capital of Albania, it would take roughly seven hours. Tom was in no mood to walk thirty-eight kilometers. On the other hand, driving would only take thirty-seven minutes. Thankfully, the ship had arranged a taxi to take them to Tirana; pre-paid. Lara had an inclination that Tom had something to do with this; it was almost as though good luck fell into his lap at all times.

The driver spoke no English. But, he had already been given instructions to take them to Tirana. The taxi driver appeared to have the same glassy eyes that Lara had previously seen. She suspected Tom, but felt it was a risk to her own life if she addressed her concerns. She had never been one to be meek, however, the situation called for desperate measures. She had to play a part and too bad that it was a part she did not like. She could have run away several times. She could have jumped out of the carriage. But, escaping was a waste of time. He would have tracked her down and brought her back.

She wondered why he had left England so abruptly and in such a manner. She wanted to know so many things, but was too afraid to ask.

Soon, they reached Tirana and the cab pulled over to a hotel. The taxi driver smiled at Tom and pulled out a suitcase from the trunk. Lara had purchased a suitcase from the cruise souvenir shop to hold all the gifts Tom had gotten for her.

Lara moved to pick the suitcase up, intending on carrying it to the hotel room. But, Tom shook his head; holding his hand up as if to stop Lara. Being the polite gentleman that he was; Tom picked the suitcase in one hand and held Lara's in the other. Once they reached the lobby, Tom turned to Lara, "Sit down and don't move from the sofa."

Lara opened her mouth to protest, but, decided to slump into the couch; her arms crossed grumpily across her chest. Tom walked towards the counter and was gone for only a few minutes before she heard a voice say behind her, "Excuse me miss, is this your suitcase?"

Lara looked up to see that the bellhop and the man behind the counter now had the same glassy eyes as the cruise staff and the cab driver had. Lara wanted to scream or cry anything to stop these defenseless people from being tortured.

Tom watched her closely and pulled her aside, "Don't say a word or else."

Lara had had enough. "Or what," she hissed back, "are you going to put a spell on me as well?"

Tom clenched his jaw and stayed silent until they reached their hotel room. The hotel room was the most beautiful that Lara had ever seen. It was all white and there was crown molding on top all of the walls. There was a fireplace and two beds that were separated by rows of Grecian columns. Both beds had canopies that were made from gauzy white chiffon.

She knew now that Tom could not afford all this, but, decided not to say anything, for, his temper frightened her.

Tom turned towards her to continue the argument, "Do you mean the same spell you've put on me?"

Lara's jaw dropped, "What do you mean? Are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy," Tom said darkly.

"Then," Lara shook her head in disbelief, "you of all people know that I'm not experienced enough to put a spell on someone. And even if I knew," Lara raised an eyebrow, "I would never do it!"

"You have bewitched me in some manner," Tom continued paying Lara no heed.

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

"You mean to tell me that you have no other explanation?"

"One," Lara looked away from Tom.

"What is it?"

"You've fallen in love with me."

There was silence. Tom looked down as though he were in some sort of struggle. "I will be away for most of the night. Good night," he walked out of the room.

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