Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters!
Chapter Seven
The Next Day
"Professor!" Emma called as she ran after Horace Slughorn in the hall; this had to be executed with perfection or else it would completely fail.
She was alone, of course, because although Slughorn loved Tom Riddle like a son (or something like that), he was also a tad bit unnerved by the fifteen year old.
Slughorn turned around and smiled at the sight of Emma. "Miss. Ashwood!" He was positively beaming now, "What brings you to see me today?"
Emma batted her eyelashes and put on a sweet smile. "Sir, I was wondering if we might meet up at approximately seven o'clock this evening—I have a couple of questions for you." Under Tom's direction, she basically made herself absolutely irresistible.
"But Emma—Miss. Ashwood—that will cut into dinner time."
Of course they'd been prepared for this. Emma batted her eyelashes and bit her lip, making sure to look up, directly into his eyes. Slughorn gulped. "Please, sir? It's rather important, you see... for a project I've been putting off for some time now, and I just—I need some help." She mustered up the most "seductive" look she possibly could.
Slughorn looked very flustered. "Okay, I guess. No later." He added quietly, "And we need to make it quick."
Emma grinned. "Awesome." She said, "We'll see you later then."
"W-we?" Slughorn sputtered, his eyes squinting slightly.
"Yes." Emma licked her lips, "Tom and I." She smiled again, and flitted down the corridor before he could catch up or utter another word.
Emma walked down to the dungeons and entered the Slytherin Common Room, ignoring Abraxas' calls as she made a beeline for the boys dormitories, and entering the room she knew was shared between Tom and five of their other friends.
The bed at the very back belonged to him, and the hangings were drawn. "Tom?" She called tentatively, walking in that direction.
"Emma? You can come right over." He called right back, and she quickened her pace to make it over there, slipping through the curtains.
Tom was lounged on the bed, legs crossed at the end, with a book in his hands. His hair was all tousled and he looked almost sleep deprived.
Emma couldn't help but think that he was incredibly cute at this precise moment, as he beckoned for her to come stretch out next to him. She lay down beside him, and he turned to look at her.
"Are we good for tonight?"
"Yeah." She said quietly, "We're great."
He smiled at her, "Good. He'll be pissed that you're taking me along. Are you prepared for that?"
"Of course." She said quickly, "I don't need Slughorn's approval." She said, "If it'll make him stay away from me, actually, I will be very happy."
Tom chuckled a bit. "He is a bit creepy." He agreed, grabbing her left hand and playing with her fingers. Emma closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the mattress. It was the first she'd been able to relax in way too long. Like—truly relax.
He seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Embrace this moment." He whispered, "Before our Defense essay is due on Friday, before we have that potions assignment due tomorrow, and before we have to do more acting and Prefect duties tonight."
Emma groaned at the thought of Prefect duties that night. They were really starting to become a pain. She was, however, annoyed at Tom's ability to handle all of this without a single problem. As if he read her thoughts, he smiled.
"I have problems, Miss. Ashwood." He said in a low voice, "I think I've just perfected the art of hiding it."
Emma raised an eyebrow, and turned so her entire body was facing him. "What is riddling you, Mr. Riddle?" She asked, holding back a small smile.
"Feelings." He said quietly, "Fears."
"You're afraid of things?" Emma asked softly; she'd always been under the impression that Tom was fearless.
"One thing in particular." Tom was staring interestedly at her hand, and suddenly Emma was struck with the feeling that she really didn't want him to elaborate. He did anyway. "Death."
"You're afraid of death?" She asked quietly, licking her lips as she stared at him closely. "I think you're about a hundred years off of that—if not more." She added, "Wizards live long lives. Healthy wizards live even longer. You're both."
Tom almost cracked a smile at her attempt to lighten the situation, but he knew she wasn't completely stupid, and Emma knew exactly what he was talking about.
"There are always ways to evade what we fear most—and avoid it." She said cryptically, giving him a coy smile, "It's just a matter of finding it."
Tom found himself unexplainably moving closer towards the blonde girl—struck with the unprecedented urge to kiss her until he couldn't breathe. He touched her face lightly, moving the hair away from her pretty eyes so he could see them as he brought her face closer to his own.
Their lips were barely touching when the door to the dormitory burst open, and Emma quickly slid under the covers. Tom shifted over so that the extra lump would be almost unnoticeable. If the right person came in, it would be. Thankfully, it was Mulciber.
"Tom, is Emma in here? Abraxas said he saw her come up to the dormitories." He asked slowly, looking around the room as he did so. Tom shook his head.
"I was hoping she'd come up and see me... but I haven't seen her all afternoon, unfortunately." He replied icily. Mulciber didn't even hesitate.
"Alright, sorry to bug you, Tom."
Riddle nodded in dismissal, and Mulciber left quickly. As soon as his footsteps could be heard retreating down the stairway, Emma popped back up. Tom watched her closely as she stood up and straightened out her clothes, barely sparing him a glance.
"I have to go to the library and finish off a Defense essay." She said, avoiding all eye contact, "I'll see you at six thirty?"
Tom glanced at his watch. It was already four o'clock. He glanced back over at Emma. "Are you going to be around at six for an early dinner?"
"I guess so." She looked up at him and smiled reassuringly. "We'll get what we need, and then in a month we can go through with the plan."
"In a month?"
"We need Olive." Tom said quietly, "Please, Tom."
He nodded, and she gave him another quick smile before walking quickly out the door. Once she was gone, Tom mentally slapped himself. He almost kissed her. Emma. The one girl he wouldn't want to get involved with. Well, no. He would want to get involved with her. He just couldn't. Attachment was a sign of weakness.
You're already attached to her. A voice in his head said venomously, Or you would be able to leave her behind.
He ignored this. Attachment lead to obsession or love. Both were also signs of weaknesses. Shaking his head, he pulled out his journal. Emma had given it to him as a gift before the beginning of the school year, telling him that she found it in a cute little shop during the summer and thought of him. He had been trying to save it for his sixteenth birthday the following December, but the urge to write his thoughts in the book was becoming much too persuasive.
Just as he began to write the date, the door burst open and Avery walked in, followed closely by Lestrange. "Writing in your diary, Tom?" Lestrange asked with a stupid smile on his face.
"It's not a diary, you buffoon, it's a journal. What are you two doing up here?"
Avery looked terrified. "Sorry, Tom—we were just coming to see if you wanted to have dinner with us?"
"Whatever." Tom muttered his reply, "You two, can come meet up with Emma and I at six thirty."
Avery grinned. "See you then! Oh, and I think Abraxas is looking for you downstairs."
"I guess I could come see what he'd like then, must be important." Tom replied sarcastically, standing up and stretching. He walked to the doorway where the two boys were waiting for him, and gestured for them to get moving towards the Common Room.
Abraxas was waiting on a couch by the fireplace—the farthest possible away from where Tom and Emma usually led the group to sit.
He saw Tom and immediately stood up. "I told you to stay away from her." He growled, "But you're with her more than ever now."
"You don't own her, Abraxas. Ever think that maybe Emma prefers my company?" Tom asked, looking Malfoy directly in the eyes, "I've never told her to not go be with you."
.Malfoy stared at Tom for a very long time, but something in the younger boy's eyes seemed to startle him. "This isn't over." He hissed before walking away.
Tom smirked. "That was anticlimactic." He muttered as he walked back upstairs to his room. He glanced down at his watch. 4:15. Pulling out his journal, he continued jotting down the date and began to write.
A/N:: Sorry this took so long! I've been writing just this chapter for a week, and although I originally wanted to add the part where they go talk to Slughorn, I'm saving it for next time. It still has to be to everyone who's favourited and reviewed and subscribed! You all make me happy. And yeah, this chapter was KIND of fluffy. You can thank Katelyn and her Klaine fluff all over my tumblr dashboard for that :)