"Miri, what do you mean you have Quidditch practice?!"
Norah and Miri stood at the bottom of the Grand Staircase in the midst of the billowing crowd of excited students awaiting the impending visit to Hogsmeade village.
Miri looked exasperated, her tone truly repentant. "I'm sorry Norah. It was a last minute practice, you know. Our Slytherin game is only two days away!"
Norah sighed. "I guess I can't argue with that excuse. But why have an emergency practice on the day of the first Hogsmeade trip?"
While others in the vicinity chattered happily about visiting Zonko's or restocking at Honeyduke's, Norah felt a rain cloud form over her head. Though she hated to admit it, her only real friend was Miri. She supposed this was due to her tendency to monopolize situations; only a severely stubborn person such as Miri could coincide with such a control freak. With Miri away at practice this left Norah alone in the village, hopelessly bored and lonely.
"Are you sure you don't just want to stay here, Norah?" Miri eyed Norah's gloomy expression with genuine concern and pity.
"No, I'll go. I need to get a new quill anyway, and I could get some Christmas shopping done as well."
The idea of shopping pointlessly turned the cloud over Norah's head into a threatening dark purple color, foreshadowing the coming afternoon.
The ecstatic crowd made its way out the oak doors and marched out onto the manicured Hogwarts grounds in the general direction of Hogsmeade. Miri walked with Norah for as long as possible, holding off the coming rain over Norah's head.
"Why don't you come to my practice with me?"
"I hate Quidditch."
"Oh, yeah. Well you could bring work to do."
"Finished it all." Norah exhaled in torn desperation; pretend to shop or pretend to watch sports?
"Norah!"
The quiet, curt voice had not come from Miri. Norah snapped out of puzzled thinking and looked in the direction of the voice.
Tom Riddle was striding toward her and Miri, his pace quick and graceful. Miri's eyebrows raised in confusion and she watched him fall into stride with her and Norah. At the sight of Tom, Norah's heart leapt and her personal storm cloud dissolved, confusing her momentarily.
"Hello, Tom," Norah said. Her voice echoed Miri's expression.
"I was wondering if I could join you in town today?" Norah noticed he directed the question to her specifically.
Miri caught it, too. "Well, I'm going to Quidditch practice. I'm sure Norah won't mind you're company, will you Norah?"
"Uh, er, no," Norah stammered. They had stopped on the path and the crowd moved on, staring in their direction as they passed.
"Excellent," Miri said sarcastically.
Norah's brow furrowed at her tone. "I'll see you later?"
"Yes. I have to go now." She moved to leave but turned back briefly. "Enjoy your day."
Her tone was passive and mocking; the comment was directed toward Tom. She walked briskly away toward the field, leaving Norah stunned and Tom as nonchalant as before.
They turned at the same time to continue toward the village. Their walk was quiet for a long time; both listened uninterestedly to classmate's conversations. Some stared at them, an unlikely pair, and Norah could almost hear their thoughts as if they were shouting them at her. It's not what they think, she told herself. Is it?
The weather was stale, typical for early October. No wind rustled the leaves, and the only noise came from the giddy students and the disturbed gravel beneath their feet.
The awkward silence between Tom and Norah was broken just outside of the village by an irritated voice from behind.
"Tom! Tom, wait!"
Tom hesitated and turned his head toward the voice, but he did not slow his pace. Norah turned her face, too, and she saw Marius Lestrange sprinting toward them.
"Tom," Marius said, falling into step with them and panting. "Tom, aren't we meeting today? Everybody's waiting for you in…the…"
Marius' sentence trailed off, his expression confused at something he saw in Tom's face. Norah was confused, too; she couldn't see Tom's expression and wondered what was wrong.
"No, tell them not today," Tom whispered quickly to Marius in a furious tone. Norah wondered if he was trying to keep his message inaudible to her; he wasn't doing a very good job. "Go, I can't talk now."
Marius' eyes flickered to Norah and quickly back to Tom. He snorted quietly.
"Get," Tom hissed.
Marius quickly backed up and was lost in the crowd. Tom looked after him with a scowl on his face.
"Is something wrong?" Norah asked as they passed through the Hogsmeade gates.
"No," Tom said curtly. "Not at all." He turned to Norah and smiled like he didn't have a care in the world.
Norah knew by his conversation with Marius that he was lying, yet his tone and expression now could've convinced her otherwise. He was a good liar, she could tell…but why did this scare her?
They had come to a stop in the street as the crowd dispersed, roaming farther into the quaint hamlet, disappearing into shops.
"So, Norah," Tom said, breaking her away from her thoughts.
"Oh, um, yes?"
He stared at her with the strangest look, somewhere between fascination and contemplation. "What were you planning on doing this afternoon?"
"Well, I…I did need a new quill."
He smiled again. "Scrivenshaft's it is, then."
Their trip to the supplies shop was short-lived; since Norah really had no intention to buy a new quill, she ambled around the nearly empty store, towing Tom behind her. Deciding she better just get something, Norah grabbed a rather pretty peacock feathered quill from the nearest shelf and went to pay at the register.
"Where to now, Miss Harris?" Tom asked as the bell over the shop door rang out their departure.
Norah really couldn't think of anything else that she would want to do in town. Part of her wanted to lie and say she wasn't feeling well, had an overdue book at the library, something to do that would allow her to leave. Tom's presence today was unexpected and had her strangely nervous; she didn't like the feeling at all, yet she couldn't help but continue to make excuses in order to stay.
"Well, um, I was thinking of doing some early Christmas shopping," Norah said, lying terribly. "Did you have any shopping to do for your family, too?"
Tom stiffened. "No, I'm an orphan, remember?"
If Norah could have inconspicuously smacked herself on the forehead at that moment she would have. How could she have been so stupid as to ask him a question like that? Her ears burned, making her even more uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me," Norah said quietly.
Tom didn't respond but continued to lead them toward the next shop. They entered the cramped building, and Norah began her quest halfheartedly. Tom's quietness upset her; he stared into space as if in thought, not paying attention when the man behind the counter asked if he needed help with anything.
They quickly left that shop, still as silent as before. As they walked out into the street, a northern breeze, too cold for October, blew their way. The wind felt good on Norah's red ears and neck, but raised goosebumps on her arms. Winter was coming; she could feel the change in the air.
"I'm sorry," Tom said suddenly.
Norah turned to him, surprised at his broken silence. "For what? I'm the one who needed to apologize; it was very inconsiderate, what I said."
"No, I need to stop being bitter," Tom said, shaking his head. He paused and stared off over the hill to the mountains. A small smile spread across his mouth, almost a smirk. "It's all over and done with now."
Norah didn't quite understand what he meant by that, but could see by the toothy smile that he now gave her that she was forgiven.
"Would you like to go get a butterbeer, Norah?"
The breeze blew back in the opposite direction, wafting Tom's scent toward Norah. It was a strange, yet pleasurable mix; honey, leather, moss, and another floral fragrance she couldn't quite place. She breathed in the scent again, her eyes closing involuntarily.
"Norah? Butterbeer, at the Three Broomsticks?"
Norah noticed she had taken a step toward him as she had breathed in his scent, and she stepped back quickly. Tom looked at her with amusement in his eyes, slightly mocking, as if he knew what she was doing.
"Um, sure. Why not," she smiled, trying to recover herself from that last ordeal.
Tom smiled twice as big. "Good. I'll buy," he winked.
Norah rolled her eyes, but didn't argue, as she followed him toward the inn.