Study Date
February 27, 1945
"Good morning, love." Warren happily slid into the seat next to her at the Ravenclaw table and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She could hardly look at him she felt so awful. "How are you?"
Ignorance truly was bliss, she supposed.
"I'm doing well," she lied. "And you?"
"Absolutely fantastic," he beamed as he spread a bit of jam on a piece of toast. "I was thinking about what your father and I were discussing yesterday – you know, about the issues they've been having with the new models at high altitudes?"
Rosemary nodded, though she had no recollection of such conversation. Over the years, she had gotten remarkably adept at tuning out anything her father mentioned about Quidditch, Comet, or Cleansweep, Comet's largest rival in the market.
"Well, I won't bore you with the details –"
Rosemary thanked him internally.
"- but I was thinking about it ever since and I might just have a potential solution...Do you think it would be alright if I wrote him?"
Rose looked at him in surprise because of his hesitation. "Of course."
"Are you sure? The last thing I want is to waste his time…"
"He'd love to hear from you," Rosemary told him. "My father adores you."
"Really?"
She nodded.
Warren smiled down at his plate and then looked up at her. "I'll definitely write him, then."
As guilty as she felt about what she had done to him two nights prior, she knew there had really been no other option, especially after the firm reminder of the degree to which her parents fancied him. At this point, it didn't seem outlandish to conclude that they very well might disown her if she ever ended things with him –Tom seemed hardly a factor any longer. She knew she should be happy that her parents were so amiable with him – being with Warren meant no more arguments about who she might marry, after all – but for the most part, she actually found it oddly annoying.
Warren finished his toast and moved on to his eggs. "Are you by chance free tonight?"
The thought of spending time with him and being forced to confront her guilt sounded absolutely terrible, but Rosemary knew she couldn't just neglect him completely. She nodded.
"Great! A few of us were going to form a study group to prepare for the Transfigurations exam on Friday…perhaps have the kitchen elves bring something up to us while we're working. Would you like to join us?"
'How fun,' Rosemary thought sarcastically, but bit her tongue. Only in her house would she find people that would think this would be a good time. It drew a stark and rather laughable comparison to the Slytherin version of a get-together, which was considered incomplete without at the very least full table of liquor. Even so, Rosemary wouldn't have minded the idea if she knew it wouldn't simply turn into a question and answer session between her and her slightly less academically successful peers, Warren included.
"Sounds lovely," she said dryly, though Warren seemed not to notice.
"Perfect," he smiled again and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
Rosemary picked at her eggs and took a few bites, though she didn't have much of an appetite the past few days. Suddenly she felt eyes on her and she looked up instinctively to see Tom sending a small smirk in her direction. She had been sure to avoid him all of yesterday, a feat simplified by the fact that they shared very few classes on Mondays. Today, however, she would not be as lucky. They would have two classes together, Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic, as well as their monthly meeting with Dippet and the Heads of Houses.
Sunday night had undoubtedly changed things between her and Tom and she knew it was in her best interest to stay as far away from him as she possibly could. Rose couldn't get the way he had looked at her in such approval and satisfaction out of her head, nor could she deny any longer that he was too dangerous for her. This would certainly be nothing short of hypocritical. They were on equal terms now, both of them just as twisted as the other.
And so, a very, very dangerous thought kept popping into her head – if she knew then what she did now about herself, would she still have ended things with Tom? The answer was so obvious that this question felt almost rhetorical:
No.
This of course meant it was absolutely essential she keep her distance from Tom – she was terrified of the temptations that went beyond physical urges this realization might introduce.
Rosemary was about to look away from Tom's dark eyes when Faye strode into her field of vision and took the seat at the table directly across from her. "Morning, Rose….Warren," Faye greeted them both.
"How have you been, Donohue?" Warren greeted her warmly.
It suddenly struck Rose that her best friend had hardly interacted with her boyfriend of roughly two months. In fact, the last time she had seen them speak was on the way back to Hogwarts after the holiday break. Faye had been quite rude to him that particular afternoon, but her pleasant manner toward him now showed no evidence of this:
"Oh, you know…living the life of a soon-to-be-married woman. They never tell you how exhausting planning the wedding will be. Exhausting in a good way, though. We've only just started putting together the rough details…but when we're finished, it's going to be absolutely brilliant," she gushed. "Speaking of – Rose, I was hoping you might help me decide on a venue this weekend. Mum wants to put down a deposit so we can confirm the date and begin working on invitations."
Rosemary nodded with a smile. "Of course." It made her incredibly happy to see her best friend glowing the way she did when she spoke of her quickly-approaching marriage. Rosemary wondered if she would ever be this excited if (or more likely when) Warren proposed to her and it seemed incredibly unlikely. Faye had fancied Adam for years before he began to show any interest in return. Her story was one of patience and loyalty…the latter of which being a quality that Rosemary was almost positive that she did not possess based on recent events.
"I'm happy for you, Faye," Warren smiled at her and then at Rosemary before checking his watch. "Well, I should be off to Care of Magical Creatures." He kissed her briefly on the lips. "I'll see you later."
As soon as he was out of earshot, Faye said, "I only hope that my relationship with Adam can one day be as healthy as yours. You two really give us something to strive for."
Rosemary had little tolerance for Faye's occasional bitchiness early in the morning and even less in the aftermath of the previous weekend's events. "Shut it," she warned the blonde.
Faye smiled cheerily and took a drink of water, looking far too pleased with herself.
After Charms, his last class of the day, was complete, Tom reported to Dumbledore's for a meeting with Dippet and the other Heads of Houses. Rosemary and the others were already there when he arrived and slid into the vacant seat next to her. He greeted the professors and apologized for being the last to arrive, though the meeting wasn't scheduled to begin for another few minutes anyway.
The table they sat around was quite small, which meant his chair so close to hers that he could almost feel the warmth of her body radiating off her. He stole a look at her out of the corner of his eyes and fought a grin. Every time he looked at her in the past two days, he was reminded of the way she had knelt before Warren and broken at least five school rules in the matter of about five minutes. With each reminder came the same feelings of surprise and admiration, as though his memory of the other night had yet to fully sync with reality. He had always seen a sliver of darkness in her – this, after all, that was what had drawn him to her in the beginning of it all – but she had reached a whole new level. Quite frankly, it seemed too good to be true and just thinking about the other night was getting him turned on all over again…
Headmaster Dippet began the meeting by praising Dumbledore for the slow rebuilding of parents' confidence in the school's security and asked him to comment on any updates from his recent meeting with the Ministry. Though perhaps unsurprising, it was impossible for Tom to look at Dumbledore in the same way after everything Raoul had told him. As he spoke, Tom watched and listened intently, examining every gesture, word, and facial expression that came from the professor.
Unfortunately, he had yet to think up a plan to accomplish his mission of spying on the miserable old fool, though he had been actively trying for at least a week. He knew couldn't exactly waltz into the old man's office and rummage around; one of the many paintings on his walls would surely tattle on him, after all. Tom knew he would have to resort to far stealthier measures – in terms of actual logistics, however, he was stuck.
After a few brief and rather vague updates on Grindelwald, Dumbledore shifted topics. "In terms of safety within Hogwarts itself, I am pleased to note that the efforts of the apparently student led anti-muggleborn organization have also subsided somewhat over the past few of weeks."
Oh, if they only knew that he and the Knights were simply preoccupied with preparing themselves for even larger endeavors.
"Even so, it is essential that we continue our investigation discreetly and ensure that this malicious behavior does not reappear…"
Dumbledore looked at him square in the eye which might have startled him before, but Tom needn't worry any longer – Occlumency had become all but second nature to him in the past few weeks. However, his heart rate did pick up significantly when Dumbledore's eyes moved to Rosemary's and he realized how easily she could unintentionally reveal his secret.
He needed to think of a way to get her mind away from the topic of his wrongdoings – and quickly. On a sudden impulse, he discreetly reached under the table and ran a finger up the side of her thigh. He felt her tense slightly, though thankfully she kept her vision focused on Dumbledore.
Dippet moved on to ask the other Heads of Houses if they had any specific concerns and Tom watched as Dumbledore's eyes moved away from Rosemary. With a potential crisis (hopefully) averted, he knew it was safe to remove his hand from her. He hesitated, however, his fingers resting just a bit higher than the edge of her thigh-high stockings, captivated by the delightful softness of her skin.
He moved his hand even higher and she shifted uncomfortably in her chair and Tom fought a smirk. He knew it was highly inappropriate and, if Dippet of any of the other professors caught on, very well might get him removed from his position as Head Boy, but Merlin it was fun watching her squirm…
"I certainly have something to say," Professor Flannigan started with her usual air of slight hostility. "This 'ECB', as we continue to hear more and more about, is wreaking havoc on Hogwarts. Students are coming to class half-drugged, hardly paying attention, and then passing exams with flying colors. It's allowing them to cheat!" Tom remembered Rosier telling a few of the other Knights about his experience with the 'Clever' component of 'Ease, Clever, Bliss' and how easily he had achieved an 'E' on his History of Magic exam with the drug's help.
"Not to mention the numerous hospitalizations it's caused," Flannigan continued. "I believe our course of action up to this point has been ridiculously permissive, Armando. If we do not find a way to get it under control, I will be resigning at the end of this term – I have absolutely no desire to teach to such a disgustingly immoral student body."
The table was quiet for a few seconds in the aftermath of her outburst and Tom felt Rosemary tense again beneath his fingertips.
"Though we have alerted the Ministry on the matter, there has been very little investigation into the source of the illicit material. I can only assume this is related to their increased allocation of resources to the effort against Grindelwald's forces," Dumbledore said.
"I feel very strongly on the subject as well, Florence," Slughorn said finally. "It is an abhorrent exploitation of the art of potions. Perhaps, if the Ministry is failing to provide us with support, we should take the investigation into our own hands…"
Viesey nodded. "I agree entirely, Horace."
"I could at least begin by completing a thorough inspection to attempt to elucidate its contents and perhaps identify where the ingredients might be coming from…" Slughorn suggested. "With your permission, Armando, perhaps Ms. Horton and Mr. Riddle could assist me – it is certain to be a laborious task and, as my top seventh-year Potions students, their help would undoubtedly hasten the process."
Dippet looked thoughtful for a few moments before saying gravely: "I suppose this is our best course of action. Are you willing to assist Professor Slughorn, Ms. Horton? Mr. Riddle?
"Yes Sir," Tom nodded.
"Yes Sir." Rosemary echoed him, her voice much higher than usual.
Tom noticed that Dumbledore was looking at her again and instinctively, he began drawing circles on her inner thigh with his fingertips to try and shift her thoughts once again, though when he realized what he was doing he wasn't sure why – what did it matter if she got herself caught? The only secrets he should be concerned with were his own. Even so, he felt a very strange urge to help her…to protect her.
After all, if she got herself expelled, that would surely mean the end of their sensual encounters.
"What in the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed as soon as they left Dumbledore's office. Thankfully, the corridor was empty.
Tom regarded her in his usual cool, arrogant amusement. "You seemed rather…stressed. I thought you could relax a bit."
"Well that was far from relaxing," she told him snappily.
The look of amusement persisted. "I was doing you a favor, you know."
"Oh, thank you so much. Your beneficence knows no bounds – I just crave another touch by you every waking minute."
"I know," he said plainly.
She stopped walking and looked at him, genuinely unsure whether or not he was serious – she did fantasize about him quite a bit, after all, which he would easily know if he had been reading her thoughts again…Or perhaps he was just bantering her back. It was always so difficult to tell.
"That's not exactly what I meant, however. You'd do well to remember that Dumbledore can likely read your mind like an open book, a precarious situation indeed given our secrets."
"Why do you care whether or not I get caught?" she snapped.
"Your secrets aren't the only ones you're keeping."
"And if he read my mind and knew what you were doing under the table?"
Tom smirked. "I suppose that was a chance I was willing to take."
Unbelievable.
"Well, maybe I wasn't!"
"I suggest you learn Occlumency, then." He said this so casually, as though it were such a small feat – as though it wasn't a skill that took most wizards and witches a lifetime to master. "The least you could do is develop a foundation."
With the growing pile of schoolwork, brewing for Jasper, Head Girl duties, Warren, and now the stress of helping Slughorn's investigate her own potion, it was difficult for Rosemary to imagine taking on yet another task. Even so, she couldn't exactly argue with Tom's reasoning either – learning Occlumency (or, as he mentioned, a foundation), was really in her best interest. Particularly hers, as she would no longer have to worry about whether or not Tom was inside her mind. It had been something she had thought about pursuing multiple times after their split anyway, but had never really gotten around to it.
"If you stop by – let's say around ten this evening – I'll borrow you a few of my books on the subject, as you'll find little information in the library…Perhaps we could fulfill some of those persistent cravings, as well." He sounded just as casual as he had while suggesting she learn Occlumency.
Rosemary said nothing as they strode the remaining length of the corridor side by side. While his offer was certainly tempting, she knew she needed to stay far, far away from Tom Riddle. Her feelings for him kept coming back with increasing strength each time they were together; she knew it would only make things with Warren even more complicated than they already were.
As predicted, she felt rather exasperated after the study session with several of her fellow Ravenclaws. While they certainly weren't behind in the material, they asked her countless questions about trivial details and facts that she was almost certain wouldn't appear on their upcoming exam. Such over-preparation and frantic studying days before an exam was embarrassingly typical in Ravenclaw house.
This was the primary reason that Faye detested so many of them and Rosemary was certainly beginning to appreciate her perspective. While Rosemary shared these characteristics to some degree, she didn't take it to the same extremes – nor did she need to. She had always been naturally intelligent and had learned early on that studying was more of an option than an obligation. It had been a similar situation for Faye, though she was far more content scooting by unnoticed in the middle of the class than Rosemary could ever be.
Thankfully, after nearly two hours of studying and a snack delivery from three kitchen elves, everyone began trickling away to their dormitories or the library. She remained seated on the floor next to Warren who, surprisingly enough, had been the member of the study group that had annoyed her least.
"I'm sorry they bombarded you with so many questions," he said quietly. "A few of them practically begged me to invite you…it's just that you're basically the best in the class…"
Though she was still annoyed that she had wasted her night in a study group that wasn't helpful to her in the slightest, the ego stroking certainly helped to take the edge off. "It's fine. I was happy to help," she fibbed.
"I might have a way to make it up to you," he told her, before standing and extending his hand to help her up. "Follow me."
It didn't take long to figure out that they were on their way to his dormitory. Rosemary's pulse quickened.
'I might have a way to make it up to you.'
Did that mean what she thought it meant? Or had she simply spent so much time with Tom that she was just jaded?
They entered his dormitory and she was rather disappointed that his dormmates weren't there, as she had hoped their presence might deter him from whatever it was he was do.
He gestured to his bed for her to sit and she did so, hesitantly. "One minute," he told her, as he pulled his shirt off over his head. "I can't stand that they keep the fire going downstairs all winter. It's always too hot in here."
Rosemary was expecting him to ask her if she'd like to shed a piece of clothing next, but instead he moved to his desk and began shuffling through a large stack of papers. She watched him in curiosity, her eyes occasionally drifting down to his muscular arms, chest, and abdominals. Rosemary had to admit she was impressed – all his years of Quidditch had apparently paid off.
He seemed to find the page he was looking for and joined her on his bed. She had calmed slightly, no longer fearful that he would suddenly jump on her. Warren turned to her and she watched him study her face as he said, "Before I give this to you, I just want you to know that I won't be offended if you don't like it…"
Her curiosity was piqued. "What is it?"
He said nothing, but handed her the sheet of paper. It was a sketch in ink of a girl sitting on a tree stump in the middle of a forest with a crown made of roses. It took her a moment to realize – "Is this…me?"
She watched his face reddened slightly.
"Like I said, if you don't like it…."
She shook her head. "Warren, this is amazing – I didn't even know you could draw!"
"This isn't my best," he said bashfully. "I was bored in Care of Magical Creatures today…Usually I sketch whatever 'creature' we're studying, but I couldn't quite get you out of my head."
Usually, she would have found such a sentiment cloying, but this time she minded it much less. "Can I see the others?"
Warren's slight nerviness seemed to fade as he smiled and nodded at her before fetching a rather sizable stack of parchment from his desk. He handed the pile to her and she looked through them one by one in awe. There were labeled diagrams of sleek broomstick models, sketches of nearly every magical creature she could think of, and quite a few of the same girl, always with a flower crown on her head. Rosemary's smile got little wider every time she ran across one of these.
Tom had never drawn her before…
"What is this?" she asked him, holding up a sketch of a small, foxlike creature with a huge, bushy tail that dwarfed its body, large eyes, and long, pointy ears. The pattern of its fur, however, was what took her breath away; it looked as though someone had painted an intricate, swirly masterpiece right onto the creature.
"That's a Rhayma. Kettleburn managed to catch one for class with a trapping enchantment he had placed on a certain area of the Forbidden Forest, but he's only seen a handful of them there. This little guy was terrified in front of us all…I felt sorry for him. They don't have much to defend themselves against predators except for their agility."
Rosemary was fascinated and was suddenly filled with regret that she hadn't elected to continue the class at the N.E.W.T. level. While she loved animals and had placed into Care of Magical Creatures with an 'O' on her O.W.L., at the time it seemed to be a colossal waste of time in comparison to the other course offerings. But she wouldn't tell Warren that.
"Can I keep this?" she found herself asking him suddenly, holding up the picture of the Rhayma.
He smiled. "Of course. You can have any of them." Suddenly, he added excitedly: "We should try to find one!"
"Find what?"
"A Rhayma – we could sneak into the Forest this weekend…"
Rosemary was surprised by his suggestion, but quickly became just as excited as he seemed to be. "Really?"
He nodded. "Let's go Friday after the Transfigurations exam – I'm sure we'll want some fresh air afterward."
"Okay," she smiled. For the first time in quite a while, she was genuinely looking forward to spending time with him.
She felt guiltier than ever, now, for failing to make an attempt to truly get to know him. Perhaps if she had, she wouldn't have rediscovered her feelings for Tom…perhaps she wouldn't have cheated on Warren with him. What else about him might pleasantly surprise her?
There was certainly a bit more pep in his step upon learning that Rosemary fantasized of him regularly, though this was not entirely surprising anyway. He had only been bluffing, of course, when he told her he knew about her desires, but her face in the aftermath had told him everything. Tom had resolved long ago to avoid reading her thoughts at all cost; her body was addicting enough, he couldn't even imagine what form his addiction might take if he allowed himself to indulge in her inner musings.
At any rate, it was certainly entertaining to give her a hard time about it all, but Tom knew he had been fantasizing about her just as much. And even more so after seeing such a darker side of her. For the last forty-eight hours, he couldn't get her out of his head for longer than ten or fifteen minutes at a time. Though these thoughts had essentially been the bane of his existence just a week or two prior, he found they no longer bothered him so profoundly.
Nor did the prospect of an affair with her continue to conflict him. Of course, all of this depended on her willingness to participate, but judging from her reaction that afternoon this wouldn't be an issue. The only way this would change was if she suddenly grew moral, but this seemed a relatively slim possibility.
Best of all, he had experienced a huge reduction in his annoyance while watching her and Cramer speak that morning at breakfast. There was something intrinsically satisfying about knowing that, inevitably, she would come back to Tom for what she so clearly needed. If sex was power, which he had clearly proven in her exchange of Beaumont's information, then he controlled her – not Cramer.
All of this was on the forefront of his mind as he strode down to the dungeons for his meeting with the Knights. Usually they met on Fridays, but he had moved the meeting up because Friday happened to be Avery's birthday, which meant that the majority of the Knights would be sloshed or drugged (or, most likely, both) before evening hit. He could have commanded that they postpone the celebration, of course, but Tom supposed they deserved a reward after their recent progress in procuring new members. They had managed to expand the club's membership by seven Ravenclaws since the last meeting. Dolohov had also displayed some ingenuity in inviting his Durmstrang cousin and his friends to attend the meetings via head-only floo.
Markus had also convinced Tom to allow some of the less trivial Slytherin girls into the meetings. With this particular addition, he couldn't help but fantasize about what it would be like to look out at his small crowd of followers and see Rosemary sitting amongst them, near Dolohov and his other most trusted associates.
Perhaps they could even resume their private dueling lessons in the Room of Requirement…the thought alone of watching her master the Cruciatus or one of the other Unforgivables was enough to leave him breathless. In fact, this might not be far off at all: after their conversation that afternoon, it was quite possible that he would be coaching her in Occlumency. Perhaps, he thought excitedly, he could corrupt her even more. Or maybe he was just getting carried away with himself.
Overall, Tom was ecstatic about the turnout, but knew there was something that needed to be done about their meeting place. He could blackmail Rosemary into turning a blind eye to the odd number of Ravenclaws she might see heading to the dungeons during her rounds, but what about the other prefects? Well, he supposed he could blackmail them as well, but it would take far more effort.
The other issue of recruiting new members was ensuring that everyone was on the same page, not only with their goals, but with skills as well. Tom had been training many of the first Knights for months – the new members had quite a bit to catch up on. Perhaps he would have a new member pair up with one or two of the old ones so they could show them what they had learned. Hopefully this would take some of the burden off Tom so he could focus more on plotting their strategy.
He would think of a definitive solution for these problems later; as he launched into the meeting, he allowed himself to get lost in the rare sensation of contentment that had suddenly enveloped his reality.
"I cared about her as a person, as a soul, and I wanted to fuck her. And that was the recipe for something much worse than carnal sin – it was a recipe for falling in love." ― Sierra Simone
I had hoped to post this chapter earlier, but I ended up re-writing a few sizable chunks of it over the course of the week. Sorry for the delay! Also, I know Tom's sections were a bit short this chapter, but my next update will be primarily his POV.
A huge thank you as always to my lovely reviewers: Alice Helena, Oksanallex, Blerb, Jehilia, Mrs. WaylandOdinsonBlack, RosiePosie15, marly4077, Lady Ravanna, Raylis, RainbowKitteh13, CharlotteBlackwood, and four guest users! We've officially reached 500 reviews - so excited about this!(: According to my records, reviewer #500 was marly4077 - so congrats! You've won a spoiler!
Another thank you to all of my readers that have shown support to my story by following, favoriting, and/or reviewing!