Back pretty quickly this time... Thanks to those who read, alerted and to SuperMegaFoxyAwesomeHotness (awesome penname, by the way) who reviewed.
Did you see the opening ceremony of the Olympics yesterday? It was amazing - J.K. Rowling was reading in it and they had a giant puppet of Voldemort! Doesn't that fit?
On to the chapter.
"Uh-oh. I'm sorry."
I shyly smiled up at the fifth-year that I had just bumped in.
"Don't bother. You're... Lorraine Riley, right?"
I looked at him in amazement. Even though he was a Ravenclaw, I didn't even know his name and he simply knew mine. Of a girl not even his age.
"Err... yes. And you are?"
"Fabian Hitchin."
"Nice to meet you, Fabian."
"So, uh... what's going on with you and that Hitchin-guy?"
"Don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on, Lorraine; don't take me for a fool."
I shrugged and kept on making notes of what Professor Slughorn told us about the potion we were about to brew.
"Lorraine!"
"It's none of your business."
Suddenly, his slender fingers fixed around my wrist and kept me from writing. My eyes shot up to him. "What the hell, Tom?"
"Tell me, or I'll go straight to Olive and ask her."
I groaned and he let go of me as he felt me giving in. He could be so damn insistent! "Fine, it's... really, it's nothing. We just... we met once or twice out on the grounds. And last time, we went to Hogsmeade together."
I tried to hide my emotions from him as the memories kept forcing their way back in. My hand in Fabians, his soft lips on my cheek... his lips capturing mine...
"You're together or something?"
I felt a bit of annoyance of him questioning me like this. And even though I really had no clue, I answered: "Yeah, I guess so."
"What do your parents say?"
"They don't need to know."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
My eyes met his for one last glance, but I couldn't keep them there. Because I didn't know how. "I just didn't want to go public."
"I thought I was your best friend?"
You are and I bloody didn't know how you would take it. "You are."
He stayed silent for a while and then he muttered: "I don't like him."
"Merlin, Tom. Do you really think that would bother me?"
He stared at me and then turned around to face his cauldron. I felt bad at once. "Come on, I'm sorry... I don't... I mean. You don't even know him. He's a nice guy."
"Yeah. Sure you would say so."
"Please, Tom, don't be like this. I really don't know where your problem is."
He scoffed and ignored me for the rest of class.
We were sitting in the Ravenclaw common room. Fabian had his arm around my shoulders and I leant casually into him. Lydia, Olive and some of his friends sat with us in front of the fire. We were quite having a good time.
"Hey, Lorrie, what I wanted to ask you: did you actually get into a fight with Riddle? Didn't see you together the latest time."
I felt Fabian stiffen and he pulled away. I sighed heavily. Well done, Olive. "Why, yes, we sort of did. He's being immature."
"Riddle?" Fabian asked. "We're talking about Tom Riddle? That Slytherin boy?"
"Sure," Olive said. "Didn't you know they were friends?"
"Well, no."
I sighed. "We know each other since first year on the train, so..."
"You never actually told me that you were friends. I wonder why that is."
I groaned. "That's because it's no big deal."
"No big...," Olive started, but Lydia and I both interrupted her: "OLIVE!"
Fabian stood up and I caught his arm. "Come on, don't be like that. It's really..."
"Now, listen to me: you will stop seeing that Riddle guy."
"What? No!"
He glared at me and pulled free. The door to Ravenclaw tower fell shut behind him.
"I really do think it's kinda sweet. He's jealous."
"It's disgusting and stupid. If he's being like that I don't need him."
"Oh, come on, Lorrie..."
"No, not come on, Lorrie – he's got so no reason to be jealous and I won't have it."
"Problems?"
I froze in place and turned around to see Tom leaning against a wall I had just passed. I could swear he hadn't been standing there just a moment ago.
Lydia sighed heavily. "We'll leave you to it."
"What..." Olive protested, but Lydia grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
"What do you want?"
"I heard you and Hitchin are having trouble in paradise."
"Sometimes I really want to know where you got your information from."
He smirked and took two steps in my direction. "So, I'm right?"
"Yeah, we actually did fight. Over you, by the way. He got jealous."
He still had that smirk on his face and I didn't like it. "Why is it that you're in such a good mood?"
"Why, I'm not in a good mood. I'm just... I missed you the last few weeks."
I rolled my eyes. "You could've just apologized."
I started walking down the corridor and he followed me. "What for?"
"Oh, I beg you."
He stayed silent until we reached the Great Hall. "So... did you break up?"
"For now. I don't... I don't really know."
He shrugged. "You know, I never liked him."
I froze and looked at him. Something about the way he said that was odd. As if... as if he had just wanted that to happen. And Tom Riddle always got what he wanted.
"Yeah," I muttered. "Whatever."
"Merry Christmas." I sat down across from him at the Slytherin table, ignoring the incredulous looks of both older and younger students.
I handed him a small box and he took it with a questioning look. "Go on, open it. I want to see if you like it."
He sighed and opened it. "A diary? Seriously."
I smiled. "I just wanted a little something. You know, you can keep your heart and your soul in it."
He frowned "I'll try it out. I feel bad, you know I have nothing for you."
"Don't. Besides you're just saying that to be nice."
"Why are you not on Ravenclaw table, huh?"
"What for? Who's waiting there for me?"
"Ay, no one, I just thought..."
"You just thought I shouldn't sit here, right? Because they're looking."
He sighed heavily. "You make it hard on them."
"Your friends cope. The others can, too."
He didn't answer me and his eyes travelled restlessly throughout the Great Hall. As usual, during the Christmas break, Hogwarts was – relaxingly – empty.
My own eyes fixed on a girl sitting further down the table with her friends. I smirked. "You know. Phoebe Greengrass is watching you all the time."
"You wanna say what?"
"She surely wouldn't mind your attention."
Now it was him who smirked. "Oh, she had my attention."
I stared at him blankly, trying to process what he had just said. "Sorry, what?"
He smirked. "She was not good, though. I already regretted the one go I had..."
I held up both my hands to stop him. "I don't think I want to hear that."
He laughed, high and cold, I shuddered.
"She doesn't look at you like she regretted it."
"Poor girl believes to be in love with me. It's ridiculous."
My eyes searched his face for any honest pity or even sympathy but I only found hollow amusement. I scoffed. "I wouldn't have thought you to be like that."
"Like what?"
"Like..." I didn't have the words for it. It shocked me that he was so... so cold, so unscrupulous. I had known it all the time; it just shocked me that I had to admit it now. "Forget about it."
Malfoy, Nott and Avery sat down around us and Abraxas grinned at me. "So I heard you finally broke up with Hitchin?"
"What's your excuse not to like him?"
"Never made the effort to investigate on his blood status, huh?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Now, why would I?"
"Because his mother is a bloody muggle and his older brother is a damn Squib."
I wanted to say that I didn't give a damn about his blood status or about whether or not his brother was magical. But I saw the look on Tom's face and I decided that it wasn't worth it. "Well, then I can be happy to be rid of him, can't I?"
The others laughed and Nott lightly punched my arm as to symbolize camaraderie.
Tom and I were sitting outside. The warm sun of spring was grazing my face and I felt... fine. For the first time since quite long. Fabian had caused a terrible scene, telling me I was just "a Slytherin's slut", insulting me for associating with "those fanatics" and expressing his regret for ever having touched me. Now, my head resting comfortably on Tom's lap, I felt fine. Relaxed. Even a little happy.
"Aren't you ever afraid?"
"Afraid of what?"
"Death."
I frowned and sat up to look him in the face. "Of death? Merlin, Tom, I'm barely fifteen..."
"Are you, or are you not?"
"No, I'm not. Besides, I do believe that... well. We all have to die. And it obviously doesn't end there, right? The ghosts have made their choice..."
He scoffed. "I'm never going to die."
I laughed nervously. "Come on, Tom, you're smarter than that."
"No, no, I'm serious. I'll find a way."
I frowned. All this talking about death and – Merlin's beard – achieving immortality scared me. "Stop it, now. You shouldn't talk about these things, Tom."
"Slughorn wants to meet tomorrow; he's got some guy from Puddlemere United."
"Really?" I asked. Quidditch just bored me.
"Come on, that's something. Famous Quidditch player..."
I just shrugged and Tom looked at me in disbelief. "You shouldn't tell that Malfoy. Or Nott, you hang out with them quite often latest time..."
"Any problem with that?"
We were interrupted by a rather small girl in Slytherin uniform. She was pretty, but I could tell by the way that she looked at Tom that her self-confidence was at rock bottom.
"Tom?"
He sighed and shot me an apologetic glance. "What is it, love?"
"I... uhm... I..."
"I told you it was only that one time, right?"
I raised an eyebrow. He was really incredible. Poor girl.
"I know, but..."
"Take a hint."
"TOM!" He glared at me, but I knew that I had done the right thing interfering.
"Don't worry, love, it's nothing personal," I told the girl. "He does that with every girl. You should choose more carefully."
She was close to tears. "But..."
Tom grunted. "I told you to leave me alone."
I sighed heavily. "It's not your fault, you know? He's just a jerk."
Finally, the girl was able to move; she ran down the corridor and disappeared behind the next corner.
"That was a bad one. I need to choose better."
I turned to glare at Tom. "Please tell me she was older than twelve!"
"She's third year, don't panic."
I shook my head. "You really are incredible."
"Oh, I know."
I very much felt like slapping him, but I pulled myself together. "Why don't you just search for a real girlfriend, huh?"
"What would be the point in that?"
"It would be normal. And you wouldn't hurt these little girls you're always playing with." I leant back against the wall like I had before.
"That's just it. I love a good game."
"You're abhorrent."
He shrugged. "You're still standing here with me."
Standing was a nice circumscription. As soon as I had leant against the wall, he had put one hand next to my shoulder, on the wall; the fingers of his other hands ran through my hair.
"Well, I'm your friend."
"So? I got a friend. I got girls. It's practically the same as if I had a girlfriend."
I scoffed and stepped away from him. "Tell Slughorn I'm sick or something. I'm not going to attend."
Review? Maybe? Yes? Thanks!
