Hey everyone! Please read the A/N at the bottom! And thank you to NoneOfYourBusiness101 and riboflavinB2 for their lovely reviews.(:

P.S. to riboflavinB2 - I'm a nutrition major and I think your username rocks haha!

Going Steady

February 13, 1944

It was late; far past midnight by now. The water from the Black Lake swirled against the window of the Slytherin dormitory, just as it did in the common room. It was relaxing, and Tom quite enjoyed lying awake at night listening to it. Besides, ever since Rosemary had left his dormitory, he hadn't been able to drift off to sleep for even a single moment. He lay awake, recalling the feeling of her warm, smooth skin beneath his fingertips. She tasted just as delicious as he had imagined she would. He basked in the feeling of his lips against hers, soft and bright pink. And then there was seeing the rest of her, only the most private areas covered by her attractive undergarments. His eyes had traced her hourglass figure: her breasts looked even fuller without the interference of clothes to cover them and her svelte waist gave way to the smooth curve of her hips. He remembered reaching around and running his hands over her round, shapely buttocks. She was the type of woman that simply oozed sexuality, whether she was trying to or not. It drove him crazy; he had wanted to touch her all over and explore all of these places that he had only dreamt of.

Of course, he was deprived of taking things further thanks to his idiotic roommates. But as much as he wanted her and was annoyed at the interruption, Tom knew that it was probably best not to rush into things. He wanted to savor her and it would be quite foolish to spoil things by pushing them too far too soon. Not to mention the fact that he was rather nervous to explore all of these physical perks with her, given his own inexperience. Regardless, she was what he had striven for and he finally had her; at the moment, nothing else could make him happier, even if a certain body part of his was telling him otherwise.

Finally, he fell into a deep sleep. As he began dreaming, his attention shifted away from her. Scenes quickly flashed through his mind, as though he was racing through a slideshow: first he was back in the Chamber of Secrets, but this time, he had released the Basilisk from its dwelling place beneath the school. He watched as it slithered through the pipes, obeying his commands to target the Muggle-born students. Then there was another jump in time; now, he was seeing a body being carried from the castle. He knew instantly that it was Myrtle's. He briefly spoke to Professor Dumbledore, who told Tom that the school would be closed if the attacks didn't stop. Another time lapse occurred and he was cornering Hagrid, telling him that he was forced to turn him in.

He jolted awake, as though shocked with a lightning bolt. He was sweating profusely and panting, and he turned over in bed. He realized he was alone in the dormitory and when he glanced at the large clock in the corner of the room, he saw that it was already noon. He felt disoriented; had he really been asleep that long? The dream had felt so short. Tom rubbed his eyes and picked up his wand, pointing it at the glass on his nightstand. "Aguamenti," he spoke, his voice shaking slightly. The glass filled with water and he drank all of it, feeling its chill hit his stomach.

Tom should have been a bit more panicked; in a half hour, he was supposed to meet Rosemary in their usual study room at the library. But the dream had his mind's full attention at the moment. It seemed so real, but surely that wasn't what happened…

Was this supposed to fill the gap of time he couldn't remember when he took Rose to the Chamber of Secrets? If its contents were true, that would mean that he alone was responsible for the attacks on Muggle-born students and had merely framed. He suddenly felt nauseous and ran to the lavatory attached to their room, retching. He washed his mouth out in the nearby sink and looked up at his pale, sweaty reflection in the mirror. Could it really be true? Of course not, he tried to tell himself as he leaned down and splashed cold water on his face.

You know it is.

Yes, he knew. There was an unmistakable feeling in his stomach that told him the truth. Why or how had he forgotten, though? It was odd, but the fact that his own memories had failed him so profoundly bothered him, even more than the fact that he had essentially killed a fellow student. He knew he should feel extremely guilty and that it was wrong, but he couldn't force himself to feel any semblance of remorse. She was a mud-blood, after all.

Tom was still in a daze when he took a shower, gathered his classwork, and headed down to the Great Hall to pick up a bit of lunch to bring with him to the library. He wasn't hungry and questioned if he could even keep anything down, but knew that eating was probably the right thing to do at some point. The clock in the Great Hall told him that he was fifteen minutes late to meet Rosemary, but his body felt sluggish, as though he couldn't force himself to move faster even if he tried. His mind was still replaying the dream, and with each second that passed, it became clearer and clearer that it was indeed the reality of the previous year's events.

"So you and Horton really hit it off last night…" Tom's eyes came into focus and saw Olive Hornby sit down next to him at the Slytherin table. "Everyone's talking about it." She batted her eyelashes at him and a smirk danced across her face.

Tom loathed her as he loathed so many of the vapid Hogwarts girls. Hornby was a perfect example of why he had never been interested in wasting his time dating before he got to know Rose. Unfortunately, Hornby had been showing considerable interest in him lately, dropping overly flirtatious hints and throwing herself at him whenever given a chance. Why? He hadn't a clue.

"If you don't mind me saying so, you could probably do a lot better." She continued, putting her hand on his knee and leaning forward, her platinum blonde hair falling toward him.

Normally, he would have forced himself to politely remove himself from the situation. But his mind was much too preoccupied with other, much more important, matters to deal with her. He grabbed her wrist hard and ripped her hand away from him. "Actually, I do mind. That's absolutely none of your business," he hissed with a menacing glare.

"Ouch!" She said, pulling her wrist from his grip and rubbing it before giving him a dirty look. "No need to be an asshole about it."

"No need to be a whore," he said snidely. He stood and left her sitting at the table with a shocked look on her face.

He hadn't meant to lose his temper and snap, but what in the hell was she thinking? He didn't feel guilty for what he said, but worried that it may come back to him in other consequences, such as costing him his polite reputation. But these thoughts didn't stay in his mind long, as he was quickly absorbed in his newly regained memories once more.

"Good morning!" Rose beamed at him when he finally walked into the library, utter delight swimming in her eyes. He had longed for this sort of outward display of emotion from her for quite some time, but was too caught up in himself to fully enjoy it. Her expression faltered and she asked, "Tom, is everything alright?"

He desperately wanted to tell her of his revelation, but knew he could not. How would she possibly understand, even if she was as blood elitist as he was? Tom wasn't deluded enough to think that she wouldn't be terrified of the fact that he had essentially murdered someone in Ravenclaw, her own house. "I'm fine," he said, forcing a half-smile.

"You don't seem like it," she said. "Was it last night? Do you regret-"

Thankfully, her words snapped him out of his haze and he was able to turn his attention to her, at least momentarily. "No," he interrupted. He didn't want her to think that he regretted anything about the previous night for even a second. "No, not at all."

For a moment, he wondered if he should feel guilty for leaving out his encounter with Olive in the Great Hall, but he didn't find it necessary to bring up to her. Tom moved to sit close to her and ran one of his hands down her silky, bright red hair. He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. How wonderful it was to kiss her whenever he pleased! She kissed him back, bringing one of her warm hands to his cheek as a pleasurable sensation traveled down his spine. He had found quickly that he loved the feeling of her hands on him. Whenever she touched him, he felt so many things that he never had before. It was overwhelming and Tom was thankful of the fact that he could lose himself in her, even when his mind was filled with such disconcerting thoughts. This, he was sure, would become his new addiction.

She pulled away and looked at him with her big, blue eyes. "So…does this mean we're, you know…"

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a confused look.

She sighed and continued. "You know…are we going steady?"

He smirked as he finally understood what she was asking. He wondered why she thought it necessary to even ask. "Well, yes Rosemary, I should think so."

"Good," she smiled back.

She was now dating Tom Riddle: it had yet to sink in to some degree, and she suspected that it may take a while. A huge sense of relief washed over her at his words, but she still worried about him. It wasn't like him to show up twenty minutes late for anything and then fail to apologize for doing so. While she waited for him, she had grown increasingly anxious, worried that he might not show up at all. It was a somewhat irrational fear, but she couldn't help it- the night before had been everything she wanted, but what if she had pushed the boundaries too far by essentially inviting herself back to his dormitory? Or, perhaps he would shy away from her, embarrassed after Adam and Markus had walked in on them.

It was a great relief that neither of these possibilities was correct, but it bothered her to see him this way, lacking his usual amount of attention and composure. It wasn't even that he seemed upset necessarily; rather, he was acting distant and distracted. For a brief moment, she wondered if it was possible that they would ever get to the point where they didn't have any secrets from each other. He certainly wasn't the type to reveal very personal things about himself, with the exception of the night before of course. The main reason she was so shocked to learn that he was the heir of Slytherin was simply that he had never divulged anything like that to her before. She told herself to be patient; he would probably open up eventually. They had only been officially dating for about five minutes, after all.

Thankfully, Tom seemed to return to normal as he took out his books and parchment and began working on homework. Rose resumed hers as well and they worked together in silence for a good while. They were sitting much closer on the couch than they had before and it relaxed her quite a bit. In fact, Rose was amazed at how relaxed she was with him now that there were no questions left regarding their feelings toward each other.

Usually it was she who interrupted their study sessions with her ramblings or complaints of her own unproductivity, but this time it was Tom who created the disruption. He put down his book, turned toward her slightly, and tilted her chin up with his fingers slightly to bring her lips to his. It astounded her that every time she kissed him, it felt just as mind-blowing as the first time. Tom kissed her lightly and pulled away, looking at her with his dark eyes.

They just sat there for a bit as he stared at her as though it would be the last time he would see her face and was trying to study every detail. It made her rather nervous and she let out a small laugh. "You know, studying is much more enjoyable now."

He smirked back at her. "It is."

It was clear that neither of them knew what to say; now that their relationship had officially begun, there was sure to be the adjusting phase where they had to discover a somewhat new dynamic. In an effort to disrupt the silence that had fallen over them, Rose said, "Thank you again for last night. It was by far the most spectacular first date I've ever been on."

"I thought you might enjoy it."

"It's going to be kind of hard to beat really…I'm not sure if there are any amazing places in Hogwarts that I can show you, that you won't already know about," she told him.

"That's really not necessa-" he began to say, but she interrupted him.

"Wait, there is a place I can show you! Would you like to take a break from studying and head outdoors?" she asked him.

He gave her a quizzical look, but said, "Sure."

They put on their coats, leaving their books and notes in their study room in the library and telling the librarian that they would be back in a little while. They reached the front entrance of the school and stepped outside. It was a very early spring; though it was mid-February, the snow was already beginning to melt.

She led the way, taking them across the front lawn toward the Quidditch pitch. They reached the end of the sport arena and she glanced around, making sure that no one was watching. "Let's run, before anyone sees us!" She smiled at him excitedly.

"What?" he asked, but she was already running into the Forbidden Forest.

He caught up with her easily with his much longer legs. "You've been to the Dark Forest before?"

They slowed down and started walking again after the castle was out of sight. "A few times. My grandfather brought me here once when I was a little girl. He knew Headmaster Dippet quite well and would bring me to Hogwarts when they visited sometimes," she explained. "Have you been in the Forest before?"

"A few times." He smirked at the surprised look she shot him. He was such a straight arrow: the golden boy that had never broken a rule. But she was quickly finding out that he had an adventurous side that she never could have imagined. It both excited and intrigued her, and it made her fall for him even more.

She interlaced her fingers with his, pulling him along as they approached her spot in the Forest; the sound of rushing water indicated that they were quite close. They had been walking along a small stream to the point when it finally opened up and poured over a rather steep drop of rocks, creating a beautiful cascade. Rose led him around the side of the cliff, where they could safely climb down and observe the waterfall from the bottom. At its base, there was a perfectly clear oval shaped pool that the water collected in before continuing to trickle out into another stream. Around the pool, dozens of flowering plants surrounded them, already showing some blossoms because of the surprisingly mild winter. "I hope you haven't found this place already." She glanced up at him.

"No, I haven't," he told her. They stood, taking in the beauty of it all.

Well, Rose was taking in the beauty of it at least. She wasn't sure if Tom was actually enjoying it at all or just being polite. Perhaps he thought coming out here was an entire waste of time. The thought made her nervous and she began to ramble: "My grandfather would always tell me these stories about this place. He said that Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw used to meet here while they were building the school. They were supposedly in love, but kept it a secret because they didn't want the other founders to think they were unfairly benefiting each other's houses, or something like that. I'm not sure if any of it is even true; he was kind of a loony. My mother hasn't spoken to him in years because after my grandmother passed away, he ended up getting remarried to a half-blood. He only wrote one letter to my mother after his wedding and she never even opened it. I saved it when she threw it away; he was basically pleading with her to forgive him..." It was then that she finally realized that she was indeed babbling. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I'm not trying to be a bore."

"You aren't," he said. "It sounds like you miss him."

"I do," she admitted. "I'd like to see him again someday."

"Even though he remarried a half-blood?"

It certainly seemed to answer any questions she had regarding his opinions on blood status. "Yes," she said, hoping that he wouldn't judge her for it.

"Well, I hope you can see him again." There was something about the way he spoke that was wholeheartedly sincere and it comforted her greatly. She smiled up at him as he changed the subject: "I wonder if it's true, about Salazar and Rowena."

"It could be true. I don't think it's out of the question," she said. "I have to admit, I wish I was the heir of Ravenclaw right now. It would be so much more romantic that way."

He didn't say anything, but looked at her for a moment as though he were studying her. Then her heart fluttered incessantly as he pushed her back up against a smooth rock and pressed himself close to her. She reached up and put her lips on his and he responded by resting his hands on her waist, pressing against her even harder. There was so much charge between them, so much uncontrollable sexual tension that was throbbing to get out. She wondered how long it would be until they went all the way.

Things quickly became more heated, both literally and figuratively. She broke away from his mouth and slid off her coat, tossing it to a nearby rock that looked dry. He pushed her back into place against the rock and kissed her even more passionately, as though he was trying to make up for the two seconds that their lips had been apart. Tom's hands were buried in her hair and hers were thrown around his neck pulling him close. She felt his excitement through his pants just as she had the night before and it drove her wild.

Rose broke away from his lips and began kissing along his jawbone and then down the side of his neck. He let out a small grunt in pleasure, which he then proceeded to try and cover up by pulling away and coughing a bit. She wasn't fooled, and was delighted that she was doing something that he liked. Rose pulled him back against her again and continued kissing his neck, adding in a few small bites. He exhaled sharply and she reveled in the satisfaction of driving him mad in this way.

Then she took it a step further, unbuttoning the top half of her blouse and bringing his hands up to her chest. He grabbed her sizable breasts in his large hands and squeezed them gently. "Harder," she said, with a playful look in her eyes.

He obeyed her command and she let out a small moan. This must have sufficiently encouraged him, because he was suddenly reaching behind her in an effort to unclasp her bra. He grappled with the hook for a few seconds until she gave him an understanding look and removed it for him.

She smirked as Tom gazed at her bare breasts for a moment. It was clear now that it didn't matter how much of a reserved gentleman he came off as in public: seeing breasts simply has the same effect on nearly every seventeen year-old boy. Finally, he reached his hands up again to meet them, her nipples hard from the mid-February air. He traced them and began pinching them lightly. She moaned louder while kissing him pulling his hips toward her so that she could feel him through his pants.

Suddenly, they heard rustling in the bushes near them and they both whipped their heads in its direction. "Shit," she hissed, picking up her bra, racing to put it on and button up her shirt. Tom withdrew his wand and pointed it at the bushes, walking toward them with deliberation and fearlessness. She realized that she admired his bravery and how quickly he had acted. When he got close, two birds shot out and flew into the high trees above them. Rosemary was startled and swore again.

He turned back to her, lowering his wand and laughing softly. She was red in the face, embarrassed from swearing in front of him, but began laughing after a few seconds. "I'm sorry for the swears…It took me a bit by surprise," she said.

Tom walked over and fastened one of the buttons she had missed in her haste. "Don't apologize," he told her. "It's one of the things I fancy most about you."

She was both surprised and thankful at his response. "Well, that's quite convenient, because I really fancy swearing."

Both of them were a little flustered from the disruption. "We should get back," she managed.

He nodded and she took his hand, leading him out of the Forest. Every so often, she snuck a look out of the corner of her eye at his handsome face. It was the third or fourth time that she did this that she saw a look pass over him as though he were deep in thought. She wondered if he was thinking about whatever it was that had bothered him earlier and if it was still bothering him now. Why wouldn't he just talk to her about it? Rose couldn't decide if she was selfish for desiring his openness. Perhaps it was simply some sort of residual insecurities from her relationship with Avery that caused her to yearn for a lack of secrets with Tom. She had to remind herself again that they had been intimately involved for less than a day, for Gods sakes. Why was she expecting so much, so soon?

"This thing about you that you think is your flaw - it's the reason I'm falling in love with you." – Colleen Hoover

Soo, two things! One is regarding Tom's character thus far. I know he seems a bit soft, and lot less dark. I just wanted to touch base and fill you in a bit regarding my plan for him in this fic...I really wanted to use this chapter as a turning point for his character (with recovering his memory and the way he snapped at Hornby), which I'm going to be developing much more as the story progresses. Up until now, I've focused so much on the relationship between Rose and Tom because I want it to resemble a real-life relationship...Especially the beginning of one, when it is rather all-consuming, since neither of them have fallen in love before. After things settle down a bit and he gets used to having her around, he'll return to his usual pursuits (this will probably occur around Ch. 14 or so; hang in there, haha).

I don't want to reveal TOO much, but let's just say this fluffy stuff won't last for long...Though I am kind of pacing out the story so his darkness uncovers itself very gradually instead of all at once. Near the end of Part I is where it will really develop and begin to take hold, and you'll see more of the Tom you expect. His hunger for power and knowledge as well as his possessiveness are definitely key components to his personality and I'm totally going to expand on them!

Second thing! I should be able to stay on the schedule of two updates a week, but finals are quickly approaching and right after school gets out, I'm moving across the country. It's very exciting, but there will be a lot going on. I'm planning on writing some chapters in advance so I can just do quick edits before putting them out. As it gets closer, I'll let you know if I can't stick to my schedule.

Thank you for listening to my ramblings! And, most of all, thanks for your readership!