It's amazing how fast a year can go; last Christmas now seemed as if it had came and went in a blur taking Riddle away to Hogwarts with it.

The separation from Riddle wasn't as bad as it used to be when I was younger. This time I wasn't left in a derelict, depressing orphanage, full of children who hated and feared me because of the company I kept. Now I was surrounded by loving family who were there to keep me occupied in my many moths not seeing Riddle…

The toughest thing about my separation from Riddle was the fact that I couldn't remove him from my mind and that I yearned to hold him close again…I wouldn't have to wait long.

Summer crept up so fast that I knew it wasn't long before Riddle would be free from Hogwarts and upon my doorstep before long. It was only a matter of days now and my heart fluttered whenever I marked off a day on my calendar.

Early the next morning there was a quiet knock on the front door that roused me from my sleep. In an instant I was down the stairs pulling the door open in my euphoria and flinging myself into Riddles chest.

"Get dressed, I want to take you somewhere" he whispered into my ear "I will wait outside and try not to wake anyone"

There was no time to question him as I heard movement upstairs and I thought it best to take Riddle seriously and try not to make much more noise. With added haste I bolted back upstairs and changed into my best dress and I left a small note saying that I was out with Riddle and would be home soon to my family so that they would not worry if they found my bed empty.

He was standing beside the tall iron gates when I approached.

Upon seeing me he smiled holding his hand out to me. Carefully I slid my hand into his and gripped firmly whilst he lead me away from the house.

"Where are we going?' I whispered curiously.

My answer was silence as he took me around the corner and out of sight of my neighbours.

"Tom?" I asked feeling quite afraid now.

He turned around so that he faced me and pulled me into his chest.

"Do you trust me?" he breathed down my neck.

"Yes" though my voice was threatening to shake.

For a moment nothing happened then-

Everything went dark like someone had turned the sun off and decided to squish and press down on me from all sides; I could not breath as the air was knocked from my lungs and my eyes rolled into my skull; my ears too were feeling the pressure and quite suddenly it stopped and I was taking in huge amounts of air.

"It is not the most pleasant sensation" I looked up into Riddles face as he spoke "but apparition is much quicker than any means of magical transportation"

"But I thought in your letter that only wizards who are of age can-"

He cut across me "it doesn't matter; I am, intelligence wise already of age, even if I am only sixteen"

I had almost forgotten he was only a year older than me though secretly I was a lot older than him. After a few seconds of silence I had realised we had apparated somewhere.

"Where are we?" I mumbled looking around at sweeping hills and the unmistakable sound and smell of the country.

"Hangleton" he replied looking over my shoulder still holding me to his chest.

"But that's-I mean-we are miles away from my house" I spluttered letting Riddle go and looking around before a rather large manor caught my eye on top of a hill.

When I turned back to Riddle I found him staring at it; every inch of his face contorted in disgust.

This I found odd. In the end I too turned back to the manor trying to find out what was so disgusting about it unless it had some connection to Riddle that I didn't know about?

A hand touched my waist pulling me away from the sight of the manor.

"come" whispered Riddle.

He walked me into the nearest field and slowly took me up another hill opposite the manor. We perched beneath a lone tree and I could see just beyond the manor, on the other side, a small town which I assumed must be the village of Hangleton.

"Why have you brought me here?" I asked looking at Riddle shrewdly.

"It was the only place we could be alone" he whispered finally turning to me his eyes boring into mine.

I was utterly confused, "alone? We are always alone when you come over"

"No Bethany, your family was present even if they were not in the room" he replied still staring at me.

"Yes but if you only brought me here to talk and be alone as you say-"

He cut in "who says I brought you here to talk to you?"

A great lump caught in my throat stopping me from speaking. He pulled me a little closer brushing my long hair from my face as he kissed me gently. My heart was beating somewhere in my ears.

"I love you" he whispered into my ear as I felt the sleeve of my dress fall from my shoulder.

"I love you too" I whispered back as my dress fell completely away.

his hands moved smoothly across my body as he lay me down upon the grass, his clothes too lying crumpled upon the ground…