Update! Happy Valentine's Day! In order to show my love for the readers of ATWS, I'm posting the fifth chapter! When was the last time I posted two chapters consecutively? Never! Haha so go ahead and please feel really special on this very special day. Cheers!

Challenge Accepted

She knew better than to challenge him. She had never duelled before. She would certainly never win. He might even take this opportunity to end her life as is. Should she even bother? However, the more Luna thought about how Tom insists she's stupid, the more she wanted to prove him wrong. Gryffindors were known for their courage, but Ravenclaws weren't cowards either. Slowly she reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand.

Tom grinned. It was the first time he showed more emotion than just a smirk, but the smile could bring goosebumps onto any grown man's arms. It wasn't a smile to show happiness as what most human beings would do. His smile was threatening. It showed amusement and sadistic glee that someone as minor as her would actually dare duel him. Still, he remained still and did not reach for his wand.

Luna raised her wand and prepared herself. A part of her mind was screaming at her for even considering this. There was no stopping now. If she were to surrender, the taunts from him would be never-ending. She never minded the way her peers laughed at her behind her back, but there was something about having this boy laugh at her. She couldn't stand it. She had no complaint about him being dominant in status and in power, but he was not about to also steal her intelligence. It was the only thing that she was certain about since her memory was eluding her at the moment. She had to survive solely on her wits, and Luna had a lot of that. There was no way he was taking that from her too. She took a breath and whispered, "Expelliarmus."

Multiple things happened at once. Red sparks flew from the tip of her wand, but she also saw sparks flying towards her from the direction of where Riddle stood without ever having heard a spell being cast. She immediately ducked and threw herself to the right, knocking into a desk and falling to the floor. Just as fast as it had started, it ended. Luna picked herself up, hopping on one foot as she had also banged her knee on a chair leg. She looked down the room and saw Riddle standing exactly where he had stood. He was holding his wand now. She never saw him taking it out. The only difference was his grin had vanished. His face was replaced with an expression of shock and confusion. Luna looked down and saw that she was still clutching her wand. She had moved out of the way fast enough to have avoided his spell. Her expression matched his.

What happened next went against all reason. Riddle's expression began to shift and a mix of hunger and ownership emerged in his eyes. Instead of being proud for what she had accomplished, Luna felt danger was imminent and she was in the centre of it. It wasn't right for Riddle to look this way. She had almost wished his cold glare would return immediately. He slowly made his way down the aisle towards her. She felt herself trying to feel her way out and put as much distance between them as possible.

"Apparently," His face was wiped clean again and the slight smirk returned. "I had underestimated you." He looked down at his hands as he touched her wand lightly. His eyes gradually lifted back to her face. Luna felt as if she was being body scanned. Everything about her was being committed to Riddle's memory. The bone chilling smile returned. "I'm not so sure you'll be so lucky next time," he taunted in a hair-raising whisper. He spun around and paced slowly back up the aisle. "You will attend classes with me. I don't want you out of my sight for the shortest second. Do you understand?" He glanced back over his shoulder at her.

The cold dread from last night returned to the pit of her stomach. Luna couldn't even disobey if she wanted to. She knew he was right. It was luck that allowed her to escape his spell. Then why did he seemed so surprised that she had ducked out in time? As if an unnatural force was controlling her body, Luna gave him a curt nod of understanding.

"I'll arrange a room for you in the Slytherin dungeons and I permit you to use the Prefect's bathroom," he continued. "You're not allowed to go anywhere without my permission until I can figure out why it is you're here, and whether or not you're a threat to this school." He meant a threat to him, but he was not about to admit it.

Luna blinked rapidly as she tried to digest everything. "Excuse me?" she interrupted.

Riddle slowly rounded to face her, incredulous that she was objecting to what he was laying down as law. "Think before you speak," he warned in a low voice.

Luna paused. Perhaps speaking up was a mistake she shouldn't have made. She felt his eyes boring down on her face. She hesitated before she began, heeding his warning. "Why do I need to stay with you?" she stammered out. She would never be able to catch a moment's rest knowing he would only be a few paces down the hall. She was also expected to bathe knowing that he was allowed to walk in whenever he chose. She shuttered.

"I said I wasn't going to let you out of my sight for the shortest second and I meant it," his voice came out low almost like a growl. His eyes allowed no rebuttal.

Luna didn't want to show any signs of agreement because she didn't at all agree with the arrangements. However, she also knew she had no choice so she chose instead to not give him the satisfaction of verbal accordance. She could tell he was annoyed by this, but he struggled to show no signs. She smiled inwardly. Although it seemed Tom Riddle was a boy void of emotions and feelings, Luna could tell it was a full time obstacle to do so. This might be the only upper hand she held on him and she wasn't about to let it go so easily.

Riddle cleared his throat and announced, "I have History of Magic next. I expect to see you there." He was gone in a flash.

Luna let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She felt on the verge of tears, but she was not about to let it escape her eyes. She had to place things into perspective. He Who Must Not Be Named was back and was damned sure on killing Harry. The world as wizards knew it was about to change. All she's suffering from was a bad case of the bullies. All Tom Riddle was was a bully. Luna hiccoughed at this thought. It was true. He was just a school bully. She could at least try to treat him like all the others.

A renewed resilience washed through her and the familiar dreamy smile returned to her lips. If Riddle wanted her to go to class with him, to stay with him in his room, so be it. The Luna Lovegood that Hogwarts knew wasn't about to let this tiny detail of a boy change her. She marched out of the room and headed up the corridor towards the History of Magic class.

The hours had passed slowly as Luna sat in the last class of Tom Riddle's school schedule. She had been trying so hard to pay attention, to even keep up with the workload that was two years ahead of her normal schooling. However, she was always interrupted by the thoughts of Professor Dumbledore's office. She was toying with the idea whether she went in or not. What had happened after, she was still struggling with two classes later.

Luna cast a longing gaze out the tall windows of the Astronomy Tower. She was longing for the familiar chastising voices of her roommates, for the warmth of just knowing her peers could see her, and even the friendly face of Ginny Weasley. She was wondering why she hadn't seen any of her friends or even Harry in the hallways when she heard something that completely pulled the chair from underneath her.

"Did you see it for yourself?" A girl with wavy red curls prodded the boy next to her. They were seated two rows in front of Luna and one seat to the left.

"No, but I heard Olive did!" The boy was unable to contain his glee with the news he was about to share.

"No way! What did she look like?" The girl's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"She was," the boy paused for dramatic effect. The girl shook his arm impatiently for him to continue. "Stark pale!" The girl gasped, which delighted the boy. "She was frozen in the exact position she was found dead. They say the last thing she saw was a pair of large, yellow eyes."

There was no diverting the attention of the girl now. "Yellow eyes? Whose? " she pressed eagerly.

The boy shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? She's dead." He turned his head back to the blackboard at the head of the class.

The girl huffed, frustrated her gossip for the day was not fulfilled and grudgingly turned to face the blackboard too.

Unfortunately for Luna, she knew exactly who, or rather what, the eyes belonged to. She drew back in her chair. The room suddenly felt a few degrees colder. Not only did she know what gave the murderous look, but she also knew who the victim was.

Moaning Myrtle.