Title: Before the Fall
Author: Le Rouge du Sang
Disclaimer: I'm just a broken hearted fan trying to add to the legacy of Harry Potter, everything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling.
A/N: Continuing this collab with Atomic Bomb. We'll be looking for images to connect with this story, so that our characters have faces. Also, Nemesis, as with several characters in this story, is an OC.
Thanks to those who reviewed and added this story to their lists. I really appreciate it! So thank you to TheSmallerGrayWolf and Sachita for your reviews.
Hogwarts' prefects were expected to be the figure of responsibility. Tom felt he did a good job of this. Most of his house thought so, too, he believed. Of course, how much of this was just Tom's charm, only he knew. He was easily able to conceal his nature in front of the rest of the school, with the exception of a certain professor.
When he started his plan, he was unsure of how to proceed with Victoria, but he soon figured that as with any relationship, they must first get to know each other. Or rather, he must learn how to control her.
But Tom wasn't the only one planning. Another prefect, specifically, the other Slytherin prefect, Nemesis McGuire, had a plan of her own.
"Hello, Tom. How are you doing today?" Nemesis McGuire, another Slytherin student.
Like Victoria Nemesis was also a pureblood, but she lived up to her first name in every manner. There could never be a more hateful, foul, yet absolutely overly sweet person in existence. Or at least, she could be dangerously sweet when she wanted something.
Nemesis was a pretty girl, she could have any guy at Hogwarts. Her long, straight brown hair was tied back, letting everyone see her gorgeous face. Thin and pale, that was Nemesis. Dark eyes were the most captivating feature of her face. Once you looked into them, it would feel as though you were trapped in them.
"I'm fine, thank you. Did you have something important you needed to talk about?" Tom was slightly annoyed by her, but he would never show it. Every chance she got, she would latch herself onto him. Both of them being appointed to Prefect position only made matters worse.
"I just wanted to discuss some Prefect things."
Nemesis had decided that she would win Tom at any cost. In her entire life, she always got what she wanted, her parents made sure of that. And at this very moment, she wanted Tom and she wouldn't stop until she had him.
"Could we not do this at a later time? Perhaps the weekly meetings?"
Nemesis wouldn't have been so bad to deal with, if it wasn't for her spoiled upbringing. Her obvious acting when it came to her niceness and kindness. She was one of the people that Victoria met on a daily basis. Victoria may not have suspected much of Nemesis, but it was obvious that Nemesis only had interest in Victoria's helpful nature. In classes, Nemesis used Victoria as a partner because she would gladly do the work.
"But I feel that we should do more, so I decided that this couldn't wait."
Tom sighed and stood up; he was not in the mood for her excessive flirting. It was the same every time, she would bat her eyelashes, move closer, lean over, show off some of her...assets. And it would continue like that until Tom left or someone called them. It was almost routine.
Victoria was currently seated in the library, working on homework. No one really bothered to sit with her, not that she minded, she preferred to be alone. At least while in the library, she loved being alone.
"Victoria, do you mind if I sit down?" Tom appeared in front of her.
"Huh? Yes, of course. I don't see why not."
"So Victoria, OWLs are approaching soon, aren't they? Have you started studying? I've been mighty worried since our holidays ended."
"I've started somewhat. I mean, I've started thinking about how to organize my notes, but I've gotten nowhere."
She had not looked up since Tom sat down. Tom knew she was too focused on her work to really even care about him at this particular moment, not that cared, he was here to learn more about her, not the other way around.
Victoria hadn't bothered looking at him; she was so engrossed in her work. Tom never had to try, and she did not like that about him. Tom Riddle was, quite possibly, the most intelligent student at Hogwarts. Victoria wasn't that jealous, she was a good student, but she had to spend much of her time studying in order to maintain that. And sometimes, she would get annoyed.
"Victoria, you seem a bit stressed. Are you alright? Perhaps you should take a break, let's go to the Great Hall and get something to eat."
When she looked up, she found herself staring into his eyes. No matter how hard she could have tried, she felt herself getting lost.
"Um, sure, I suppose. It wouldn't hurt."
Tom stood and offered his hand to help her. Victoria gathered her belongings at took his hand; she was experiencing a sort of euphoria. Her hand was tingling as it had done before when he planted a kiss.
Tom smirked to himself; the girl had lost herself in thoughts, not realizing the tinge of red on her cheeks and the hint of a smile on her lips.
A few weeks had passed before Tom met Victoria again. And this weekend, he intended on making sure they would meet.
Today was the day students were able to go to Hogsmeade and Tom would use that to his advantage. Entering the Three Broomsticks, he began what he hoped to be a successful scheme.
"We should really stop meeting like this."
Victoria could hear the smirk in his words, looking up she grinned.
"You're the one that keeps sitting at my table."
"Details."
Victoria laughed and Tom had to admit that he did not mind the sound of her laughter. Unfortunately, that laughter stopped due to the appearance of a certain person.
"Hello you two. I see you're having a good time, Victoria." The ice was dripping from her voice, making Victoria uncomfortable. Tom, on the other hand, was cursing his luck.
"Hello Nemesis."
Victoria forced a smile; usually Nemesis was sweet and kind to her, but for some reason today she was acting strange.
Meanwhile, Nemesis had latched herself onto Tom's arm. Victoria, of course, saw this. She also saw Tom visibly try and pull away from her unrelenting grasp. Something inside Victoria just snapped. Standing up, she offered another smile.
"I'll let you two have a little alone time."
And with that, Victoria turned around and left them. Tom was already annoyed with Nemesis pushing herself closer to him, and her spoiling his plan only made it worse.
Tom was never one to outwardly show his anger, and this would not be the moment he did that.
"Nemesis, I think it's time I leave. I have some unfinished business. Goodbye."
He jerked his arm away from her, stood, and followed Victoria out of the building. His plan had been delayed yet again. He was getting desperate.
And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope you guys review and tell me if I need to fix anything or something like that. I'll be putting up pictures of the characters soon, so that way you can see what Atomic Bomb and I imagine our characters to look like.