For the remainder of the weekend the girls of Slytherin studied diligently, so much so that they only left their common room for meal times, for the Charms test on Monday afternoon.

"Good luck" Aubrey had whispered to Elle and Ana just before the test had started.

Like all their quizzes before, Stretton had used a marking charm to grade the exams immediately after they were completed, and each student had their grade back by the end of class, except for Aubrey.

"Miss Knight?" Stretton asked, once he had dispersed the marked essays back to the eager students, "could you stay behind, please?"

"Sure" Aubrey said, a large pit of worry forming in her stomach.

Elle and Ana lingered at the doorway but Stretton urged them out and promptly closed the door in their faces, "go on, Aubrey will catch up with you shortly" he yelled through the wooden door.

"Have a seat" Stretton said, motioning to the empty chair in front of Aubrey's desk. Aubrey sat down, taking a deep breath and tried to keep a normal breathing pattern.

"Miss Knight" Stretton said, sitting on the edge of Aubrey's desk, overlooking her, "I'm afraid that you're performance in Charms is somewhat lacking, and it's beginning to cause me concern."

Aubrey nodded and shifted in her seat, uncomfortably. Professor Stretton was suddenly sitting very close to her.

"I thought that tutoring would help to improve your grade, but it's obvious to me know that you need extra instruction."

"What do you mean, Sir?" Aubrey asked.

"I think extra lessons with me will suit you better, Aubrey" Stretton winked at her, flashing a wide smile.

Aubrey stood up and made her way to walk around her chair but Stretton stood, blocking her path.

"I've been doing extra lessons with Tom, though" Aubrey replied, realizing how big and intimidating Stretton suddenly seemed to become.

"Yes, and your lessons have been an excellent way for me to monitor your progress" Stretton said, stepping closer to Aubrey. "You've been working hard with Riddle, but despite your efforts, you're just not showing improvement. It's now appropriate for me to step in."

"Why don't I just drop the class? Or you could just fail me?" Aubrey said, continuing to back away from an increasingly approaching Stretton. She was running out of room, and would be hitting the cold, stone wall of the Charms classroom at any moment.

"Tsk, tsk Aubrey" Stretton said mockingly, "that's not the attitude I thought you'd have. I'm a little disappointed, as I had hoped you would be one to do anything to increase your mark in Charms."

Aubrey did not reply but instead quickly side stepped her approaching Professor and made an effort to run around her desk and towards the classroom door. Though she managed to put some distance between her and the teacher, he outstretched a long, muscled arm and grabbed hold of her by her billowing robes, halting her in her tracks. He grabbed her arms and forcibly led her to the corner of the stone room, with her back against the wall.

"What will you do to increase your grade, hmm Aubrey?" Stretton smiled, his face now just inches away from hers.

"Let me go!" Aubrey said sternly, struggling against the much larger and stronger man.

"No" he replied calmly, noticing the look of panic quickly escalate on the young girl's face. "You can go ahead and scream if you like Aubrey, no one will hear you now that dinner's being served, but I like screamers."

"You can't do this! I'll tell the other teachers" Aubrey threatened, trying to remain strong as Stretton gently played with strands of her loose hair and caressed her face.

"You can tell them whatever you like" the professor replied calmly, "they'll never believe you...and you'll likely terminate your exchange." Stretton's body had pinned Aubrey's frame against the wall, and despite her efforts at putting up a fight, she was trapped. The Professor's hands moved from her face and hair downwards, gently caressing her neck and collarbone and up and down her sides. He played with the silver clasp that held her robes shut before quickly snapping it undone.

"Please don't" Aubrey said, a feeling of hopelessness and sheer fear washing over her, "I won't tell anyone, if you just stop now."

"Oh, I won't be stopping for quite some time" Stretton replied, brushing Aubrey's black robes aside and revealing her skirt and sweater uniform. Aubrey looked directly into his gray, lust filled eyes pleading him to stop, but still her Professor did not relent. She could feel his heavy weight and strength pressed up against her, preventing her from moving and making it difficult to breathe. He smelled of heavy musk and tobacco and his shaggy brown hair made an uncomfortable tickling sensation on her skin as he mouthed her neck.

"Please stop" Aubrey whimpered, a few tears falling from her eyes as she gave one more failed attempt to squirm away and out from underneath him.

"No" Stretton replied, looking Aubrey right in the eyes, placing his hand on her bare knee and running his fingers up her thigh, underneath her skirt, "you're just too pretty."

As Stretton's hand was reaching higher and higher, Aubrey did the only thing she could think of. She screamed. A blood curdling, deafening scream escaped from her mouth, causing her throat to burn. Stretton only smiled wider, and began to pull at Aubrey's flesh, his hand continuing to rise. Aubrey kept screaming, stopping only to regain her breath.

Please let someone hear me.

"That a girl" Stretton smirked in between her desperate cries, "just keep scre-"

But his words were interrupted with the sound of the heavy wooden door swinging open.

"Let her go!" Tom Riddle yelled from across the room, his arm outstretched and his wand pointed directly at Stretton.

"Riddle!" Stretton stammered, who's wand laid abandoned at his desk across the room, "what do you think-"

"I said 'let her go'" Tom interrupted, stepping closer towards Stretton, "now."

Professor Stretton removed his hand from Aubrey's leg, allowing for some distance between their chests, but he then grabbed a hold of her wrist, encircling it in a tight grip within his fingers.

"You don't know what you're getting into here, Tom" Stretton said, his grip on Aubrey tightening as she struggled to pull free.

"I don't think you understand, Stretton" Tom said calmly but sternly, "you've just been caught breaching the boundaries of student – professor relations, which I will ensure is brought to the attention of the Headmaster, and your career will be ruined."

"And I will make sure your career never begins, Riddle!" Stretton retorted, "that perfect record of yours will quickly plummet if you meddle in business that isn't yours!"

A flash of red light escaped from Tom's wand and stung Stretton in the middle of his chest. He caught himself from falling on the nearby bookshelf and, in doing so, released Aubrey from his grasp. She quickly ran over behind Tom, tears streaming down his face.

"You hexed me!" Stretton yelped once he had regained his breath, sounding surprised. Tom continued to stand firmly, his wand drawn.

"Yes, and if you do anything to her ever again" Tom said with hostility and outrage laced in his voice, "I will ensure that the next spell I cast on you will have detrimental effects, Professor."

While Stretton continued to struggle against the book case, Aubrey ran out of the classroom door and down the long, empty corridor.

"Aubrey!" Tom's voice bellowed after her, "Aubrey, stop!"

Aubrey ignored Tom, instead keeping her head down and her feet moving. Though she was grateful Tom had entered the classroom before things with Stretton progressed further, her feelings of shame and weakness prevented her from wanting to see or speak with Tom.

"Aubrey, wait" Tom continued, quickly catching up with her and grabbing her arm, spinning her around.

"Don't touch me!" Aubrey yelled.

"Okay" he mumbled virtually inaudibly, instantly letting go of Aubrey's arm. "Aubrey, did he hurt you?"

Aubrey's chest was heaving up and down and her heart felt as though it was too strong for her encasing bones and flesh. She was sure that at any moment, her heart would pound straight out her chest. She stared at Tom Riddle, wide eyed, streaks of tears continuing to run down her face and her breathing heavy.

"Aubrey, did he?" Tom treaded delicately, "did he hurt you, in another way?"

Aubrey shook her head quickly, but still remained silent.

An angry and frustrated cry escaped Tom's lips, "that bastard" he shouted, "how dare he do this to you!"

Tom began to pace and his fists shook violently, "how dare he lay his hands on you, and threaten you!"

More tears fell down Aubrey's face, and she began to cringe as Tom's frustrations became more hostile and violent.

"I should have killed him!" he said, his attention still not directly on Aubrey, who was now staring at the stone floor, "I should have made him suffer!"

"Tom!" Aubrey cried, causing the dark haired wizard to look up, "please, stop."

"He will pay properly for this one day, Aubrey" Tom said, looking her in the eyes and taking a few steps closer. "I will make sure he suffers for his wrongdoing-"

"Tom, no" Aubrey tried to interject.

"I will avenge you, Aubrey Knight."

Aubrey stared at him, unsure of what to say or do.

"Do you want to go back to your common room?" Tom asked a few moments later, in a much gentler voice.

"Yes" Aubrey replied.

"May I escort you?"

Aubrey nodded, and the two made their long walk down to the dungeons, unnoticed and meeting no one as most students were preoccupied in the great hall.

Minutes later the two stood before the hidden stone entrance to the Slytherin dungeons, with Aubrey's breathing and tears temporarily controlled and subsided. She and Tom had walked the entire way in silence, and while a million questions were swarming around Aubrey's mind, she didn't have the energy or interest to ask them.

"Here you are" Tom said once they reached the entrance way. Aubrey noticed that his jaw was still clenched and his fists were still shaking.

"Thank you" Aubrey stammered.

"Would you like me to send your friends?" Tom asked, but Aubrey shook her head no. She wanted nothing more than to be alone right now.

"Very well, look after yourself then" Tom replied, turning away from the entrance and making his way back down the hallway.

"Tom!" Aubrey called out, feeling as though the words about to leave her lips were beyond her control, "yes."

"Pardon?" Tom asked, turning around to face Aubrey.

"Yes" Aubrey replied again, but Tom continued to stare blankly at her.

"I'd like to go to the ball with you" Aubrey stammered, completely unaware of what possessed her to accept Tom's invitation at this exact moment, "if you would still have me?"

"It would be my pleasure" Tom replied a few seconds later, a faint smirk forming across his lips, "take care, Aubrey."

Aubrey entered the Slytherin common room and headed directly to her dormitory, crawling into bed and pulling the thick, green velvet bed curtains in around her. She lay down on the soft bed, clutching a pillow tightly and began to cry again, allowing more tears to trickle in a continuous stream out her red, bloodshot eyes and down her face.