Fantasies

December 11, 1943

They rolled beneath the sheets, sweaty and grasping each other everywhere. He turned her onto her back and climbed on top of her, kissing her lips passionately. His lips trailed down her neck and ran his tongue along her collar bone as she felt a wonderful shiver throughout her body.

He played with her breasts and teased her opening with his erection. He stopped kissing her, gazing at her with his dark eyes. "And what should I do now, Miss Horton?"

"Fuck me," she could barely speak, delirious with pleasure.

"I'm not convinced." He leaned close to her and whispered this into her ear.

"Please, Tom. Please, fuck me."

He gave her a smirking, satisfied look and she dug her nails into his back, letting out a gasp as he pressed himself inside of her.

Rosemary woke in a sweat, her heart pounding and head fuzzy. She remained in bed for a few moments, replaying the dream in her head for as long as she could before the details began to slip away. Tom Riddle had become a regular occurrence in her dreams, but they had never been quite so graphic. It seemed like the longer she nursed her infatuation of him, the more she craved him in an animal-like way. It was odd to her; she had never felt this sort of intensity for Markus.

She knew it was early, but the dream had left her wide awake and rather invigorated, not to mention outrageously turned-on. Rose just hoped that she would be able to push its memory from her mind when she saw Tom later that day for their trip to Hogsmeade.

By the time she showered and fixed her hair five different ways before deciding to wear it the first way she had tried, Faye had also woken up and began getting ready.

"Why did you have to ask Riddle?" she sighed. "I still can't believe it. It's going to be so awkward with him there."

"How so?" Rose asked while applying blush to her cheekbones.

"Well, hm, let me see…" She paused dramatically, pretending to think. "He's only the least sociable person at Hogwarts. How will Adam and I be able to talk at all?"

"He's plenty sociable. Just because he doesn't subscribe to Witch Weekly doesn't mean that he's not."

"Look at you, defending your boyfriend. How sweet." Faye put on some mascara as Rose glared at her.

"He's not my-"

"I know, I know. You just find him interesting. Fine, he can be sociable, but he definitely doesn't know how to have a good time. Honestly, I don't see how talking to him is any different than sitting in class. He may as well be a professor with the way he carries on…"

"Well, I don't mind it. By the way, I thought you might be a little more thankful that I set this whole thing up. We're only going to be there for a few minutes anyways. We'll give some excuse and then leave you and Lestrange to fall madly in love over a few cups of tea."

Faye's opinion of him genuinely puzzled Rose. She seemed to be the only person at Hogwarts that had a negative opinion of Tom and for such shallow reasons. He was too intellectual, really? One would think that someone in the Ravenclaw house would appreciate someone of such brilliance, but Rose knew that Faye didn't place the same importance on it. She was smart of course, but was quite insecure about the "bookworm" stereotype of their house and spent nearly all of her energy trying to avoid being labeled as such. Even Rose held this insecurity to some degree during their first few years at Hogwarts, but she had grown out of it by the time they were third years. It was because of this constant worry that Faye poured over the tabloids like Witch Weeklyand spent more time partying with friends than she ever did on homework. Tom was serious, reserved, and dedicated, which were all of the traits that Faye constantly attempted to rid from herself. This was probably the real reason for her dislike.

All of Faye's comments may have bothered her a lot more if she wasn't so excited to spend the morning with Tom. Besides, Rosemary knew that Faye was probably just giving her a hard time because she was so nervous about seeing Lestrange; teasing Rose about Tom was likely a nice enough distraction for her.

About an hour later they made their way to the Great Hall, where their male companions were waiting for them.

"Hey Adam!" Faye gushed. Her voice went flat when she turned to greet the other Slytherin with a slight wave. "Riddle."

Thankfully, Tom hadn't seemed to notice; or at least, he pretended not to.

"Let's get going!" Rose started toward the doors.

Faye and Adam fell back a little bit, but Tom kept pace with her. "Where to?" he asked.

She felt instantly weak when he spoke to her with his calm, even voice. "Faye wants to go to Madam Puddifoot's so there's no question in Adam's mind that they're on a date," she told him in a hushed voice, referencing the tea shop so popular among teenage lovers.

"I see." Tom smirked at her. "This will be interesting."

"Yes, it will."

Faye and Adam caught up, so their conversation about the other couple was brought to an abrupt halt. They trekked through the snow to Hogsmeade, which was swarmed with Hogwarts students, as expected. It was the last trip before all of the students returned home for the holidays, and many were out and about finishing up their Christmas shopping. Most of them were also headed to The Three Broomsticks, which would have been where Rosemary had chosen for them to go if Faye hadn't been so adamant on the tea shop.

When they arrived at Madam Puddifoot's, were seated, and ordered their tea, her instincts of wanting to go to The Three Broomsticks were validated. The tea shop was quaint and pleasant in its own way, but very uncomfortable for double dates wherein it was clear that no one knew quite what to say. At least at the pub, there was plenty of noise and other people to watch or comment on.

"Can you believe this weather? It's awful," Faye said, clearly uncomfortable at their silence.

Rosemary inwardly cringed. Faye was talking about the weather? She thought about trying to spare her friend by changing the conversation, but this was the perfect opportunity to pay her back for all of her remarks about Tom. She was going to make this as awkward as possible and enjoy every moment of it. Her mouth curled into a smirk as she said "I don't know, I rather like the cold. What do you think, Tom?"

Faye knew exactly what Rose was doing and glared at her across the table. The only thing worse than starting a conversation about the weather and realizing your faux pas, is when it is helplessly rubbed in your face.

Before Tom had a chance to answer, their waitress returned to the table with their tea, along with some finger sandwiches and little cakes. Rose picked up her cup of Earl Grey and took a sip, giving Faye a chance to change the conversation.

Thankfully, she took it. "So, that was quite the Quidditch match yesterday! I didn't think there was any way Slytherin could have made a comeback, but you did!"

Adam certainly perked up at that; he loved talking about Quidditch just as much as Markus did. "Well, you know, it's all about the teamwork…"

He carried on for a few minutes and Faye gazed at him, positively transfixed. She glanced at Rose for a moment and smiled, looking so genuinely happy to be there with him. Rose checked the clock at the wall, thinking that it may be a good time to leave since things were on a good note.

"Oh, Tom! I've completely forgotten…we have our Prefect meeting today don't we?"

He played along, as planned. "Yes, you're right. I must've forgotten too."

"We should get going," she said quickly, hurrying to put on her coat and scarf.

"Oh no, I wish you could stay!" Faye's voice sounded pouty, but her eyes danced with delight. Adam, on the other hand, looked completely clueless.

"You know we can't. Dippet is very strict about these meetings," Rose told her while reaching for her coin purse to pay for her tea. She looked up, surprised to see that Tom had already placed three Sickles on the table, exactly enough to cover both of their teas and the tip.

They said goodbye to Adam and Faye and headed outside. "Thank you for that, you didn't have to pay for me…"

"It's nothing," he said, giving her that confident half-smile that she so enjoyed. He was such a gentleman and it charmed her to no end.

"Well, where to now?" she asked and then added nervously "I mean we can go back to Hogwarts if you want. We don't have to stay out."

"I don't mind either way. You know, the weather really isn't that bad." He smirked at her.

Rose laughed, remembering the awkward conversation. "That was so painful!"

"It was."

"I don't know what she was thinking." Rose paused, desperately trying to come up with something for them to do instead of return for Hogwarts. She wanted to spend as much time with him as possible and wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. But she didn't want to seem desperate to hang out with him, either. She tangoed back and forth with what to do, but decided to take a chance and ask him if he wanted to go to Hogsmeade's bookstore, Tomes and Scrolls.

"Sure," he agreed, with his usual calm, nonchalant air that drove her mad with wonder.

They walked together to the store and it all seemed very surreal for a moment, to be there with him. He was there, spending time with her, presumably by choice. It made her indescribably excited and nervous all at once. She looked up at his handsome face and the memories of her dream from that morning came back in full force.

Rose allowed herself to bask in the thoughts for only a moment. Because of her own arrogance, it occurred to her that if he was anyone else, she could likely seduce him and make her erotic dream a reality; she knew that she wasn't unattractive, not to mention the fact that boys her age were somewhat predisposed to accept any sort of proposed physical contact. But Tom was so very different from most boys her age. Surely he would only look down on that type of advancement.

Anyway, she didn't just want him physically. She wanted so much more from him; she wanted to explore his brilliant mind and the bounds of his sarcastic wit, to find who he was behind his guarded exterior. The question was: how long was she willing to wait before taking matters into her own hands?

It was a wonderful moment, just to walk around and talk with her without the distraction of a potion or Donohue and Lestrange. He was certainly glad to get out of the stuffy tea room; it had been so uncomfortable and quite frankly, tiring. Tom certainly didn't enjoy being around Faye Donohue, Rosemary's closest friend. He found it odd that they were even friends, as Donohue seemed particularly vapid. Regardless, now that he was alone with Rose, he felt refreshed; going back to Hogwarts was the furthest thing from his mind and he was pleased that she had suggested an alternative.

They arrived at Tomes and Scrolls and they began looking at the rows and rows of books. Tom had been there before, but was always rather disappointed in their collections. The books rarely featured any subject that wasn't already taught in Hogwarts, such as more advanced Dark Arts. He supposed this was due to the shop's close proximity to the school and that its primary patrons were therefore Hogwarts students.

He pretended to browse the aisles of books, but really he was watching her. She was slightly biting her bottom lip, which was both adorable and suggested she was having a hard time choosing what subject to read. This reminded him once again about her attitude of undying curiosity for nearly every subject. It was one of the many reasons that he had developed feelings for her, after all. If she wasn't there with him, he would probably face the same dilemma of choosing which book to read, but Rose was simply too much of a distraction.

She pulled a book, Alchemy: Ancient Art and Science, from the shelf and examined it for a moment. Then she turned to him and asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Oh, erm, yes!" Tom looked to his right and grabbed the book nearest him and held it up. To his dismay, it was a Muggle Studies textbook.

Great going; now she thinks you're a Muggle-lover of all things…

Thankfully, she didn't seem to have noticed his choice in literature, if such a book could even qualify as literature. He followed behind her as she led them upstairs. The one thing he quite enjoyed about the store was the large reading room that was located in a loft above the shop area. There were several comfortable chairs with a large wood-burning stove in the corner. Customers were free to use it to relax and read as they pleased.

Tom took a chair and Rosemary sat in the one across from him. She lounged in it sideways, swinging her legs over one armrest, and resting her back against the other side. Due to the way she was sitting, her skirt had crept up her legs and revealed the lace trim of her thigh-high stockings. There was that feeling again: that inability to breathe. Rose shifted and her skirt crept even higher so he could catch a peek of her light skin. Her legs looked so smooth; he desperately wanted to touch her there and place his hands even higher if she would let him.

Tom forced himself to avert his eyes and to look at the book in his hands, pretending to read while he continued to fantasize about her. What was she doing to him? It was both worrisome and delicious at once. He had never before entertained much of a sex drive, but now it was nearly all-consuming. If he didn't have as much natural talent for his classes, the distraction of her might have impacted his grades negatively.

They sat there for nearly an hour and he found that he truly appreciated the simplicity of it; they could enjoy each other's company without words. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to entertain the notion that it might be like this all the time if she was his. He imagined studying for exams with her as she curled up next to him on one of the Slytherin common room couches, occasionally taking breaks to snog, of course.

Rosemary glanced up at the clock in the corner of the room. "We should probably head back."

He nodded in agreement, but his insides were slumping in disappointment. They left the store after she purchased the book she had been reading, stepping out into the afternoon's fresh snow.

It made him nervous when he noticed that she had grown somewhat quiet after leaving the bookstore. Had she expected him to talk with her more while they were inside? Was she bored just sitting there reading with him? He mentally kicked himself for not thinking to keep her more entertained and contemplated whether or not he should ask if something was wrong.

When they reached the gates to Hogwarts, she stopped walking. She took out her packet of cigarettes, offered one to him, and he took it. Like nearly everyone at Hogwarts in the 40s, he had picked up the habit around thirteen. He leaned against one of the iron gates and looked down at her through their smoke. The snow around them seemed to make her red hair shine even more brilliantly. After a silence that he wanted desperately to fill, she said, "I'm really dreading going home next week. I'll have to tell my parents about Markus and I…and I know they won't take it well."

Rose had mentioned this issue to him in the past, and he had his theory of how her type of family operated in such situations, but he had yet to talk to her directly about it. He wasn't quite sure what to say, but thought it should be something reassuring: "It may take a while to sink in, but I'm sure they will understand."

"I really doubt that," she scoffed. "You know, I'm rather jealous of you. I wish I was a man so I didn't have to give up everything I want to please mummy and daddy." Rose sighed and looked away from him. "I know it all sounds so ungrateful and childish, but I absolutely loathe that I don't get to choose anything for myself."

Her mood made him feel rather conflicted. Admittedly, he loved seeing the cynical side of her because it reminded him so much of his own tendencies toward darker thoughts. On the other hand, he was beginning to realize that seeing her upset made him desperately want to find a way to make her happy again.

"You don't sound ungrateful, nor do you sound childish," he managed.

In that moment, Tom wanted very much to talk her out of her feelings of helplessness. He could somewhat understand where she was coming from, but didn't think he could come up with the right combination of words to comfort her. He had never experienced her situation, nor did he have any genuine experience in giving advice.

He was distracted from this dilemma when a question sprung to his mind that he genuinely wanted to know the answer to: "What would you do with your life, if you were given the choice to do anything you wanted?" Tom realized that he had spoken impulsively and hoped that she wouldn't take it the wrong way, as if he had ignored her concerns.

Rosemary looked at him and gave him a small smile, which reassured him. "I've thought about it quite a bit and I'd love to be a Healer, maybe even at St. Mungo's."

Tom turned it over in his head and really meant it when he said, "You would be an excellent Healer, especially with your aptitude at Potions…"

"Really, you think so?" Her smiled widened.

"I do." He couldn't help but smile back at her. Before he knew it, his next words were pouring from his mouth without warning or thought. "You know, if your parents were to just marry you off someone who doesn't appreciate your natural brilliance, it would be a tragic waste. I truly hope that does not happen."

These had been his thoughts, but with horror, he realized he had spoken them out loud. He had been doing so well, so very careful to keep things entirely platonic until he was prepared to make his move. But, surely now, she would think he was coming on too strong.

It felt like eternity before she responded, mostly because he was so nervous. "Thank you, Tom. That means so much," she said finally. "Bloody hell, you always listen to my rants; I'm not sure how you find the patience. You've been a really good friend to me this year."

Good friend?

He inwardly winced; it felt like she had cursed him. Clearly, she had sensed the forwardness in his words and her comment was meant to put him in his place, which was exactly what he had worried about. She finished her cigarette and dropped it down to the snow. Now he was simply too filled with hopelessness to find anything else to say to her, even though he knew he should.

But then, inexplicably, she moved close to him and, standing on her toes to reach him, she lightly pressed her lips to the side of his face. His insides went crazy, but he somehow maintained his composure, remaining as unreadable as possible. He could smell the smoke on her breath and more than anything, he wanted to grasp her in his arms and move his mouth to meet hers. But he didn't. He simply looked down at her as she pulled away and gave her the smallest smile that he possibly could, so as to not draw attention to the fact that he had enjoyed it so much.

"I mean it. Thank you." She smiled.

They began to walk across the Hogwarts grounds toward the castle. Once again, he was completely clueless as to what her feelings were. A kiss on the cheek could be seen as normal for close friends, after all. Still, he didn't feel quite as hopeless as he had been seconds before. Tom tried to commit every detail of the kiss to memory. He could still feel her hot breath against his cheek and remembered that her long hair had just slightly brushed against his face. He also noticed was her kiss had developed some sort of dull ache deep inside of him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he had an odd feeling of certainty that it wouldn't go away until he could be that close to her again.

"Cigarette daydream; you were only seventeen. So sweet with a mean streak, nearly brought me to my knees." – Matthew Shultz

Alright, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter! Now, I do have responses to a couple reviews. I know my chapters aren't super long and I've toyed with the idea of making them longer. I think what I'll do instead is try to update twice a week instead of once. On a completely unrelated note, props to Jofrench22 for noticing that Rose's hair is the same color as Lily Evans'! This is intentional, but that's really all I can reveal about it for now! It will be quite a few chapters until it becomes important and I'm just beginning to lay the groundwork for many of the twists and turns to come.

Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews! They are quite motivating and keep me focused on writing and planning the story.