#Mara's Works

[justsomewritingblog]

The Hero's Mission

Request:  None

Requested By:  Nobody

Prompt: “You're the hero, huh? I guess that makes me the villain."

Pairing:  Tom Riddle x Gryffindor!OC/reader

Summary:  The death of The Boy Who Lived requires the need of the Time Turner to change Tom Riddle for the better, saving dozens in the process. A Gryffindor has a different plan in mind, however.

Warnings:  mentions of death and murder

A/N:  Sorry for the wordcount. Not sorry for the Tom Riddle.

Word Count:  13K+

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He really did it.

Voldemort killed Harry Potter.

The world seemed to have screeched to a halt, everyone staring in disbelief at the dead boy.

The Dark Lord cackled.  “I’ve done it!  I killed The Boy Who Lived!”

Red flooded my vision.  I pulled out my wand, marching forward.  Just as I raised it to cast a spell, my arm was grabbed and I was dragged back into the castle.  I fought against it, turning to point my wand at whoever had a hold of me.

My eyes widened and I stopped.  “Professor McGonagall,” I breathed out quietly.

“Albus only wanted this used if absolutely necessary, but I believe this is the only way,” she said, letting go of me and reaching into her robe.

I blinked at her in confusion.  “Professor?”

She pulled out a chain, a tiny sand-timer dangling from the bottom.  Looping it around my neck, she looked me in the eyes.  “This is a Time Turner, allowing you to travel back in time.  You’ll need to return to the year 1945,” she told me.  “There is a young man there by the name of Tom Riddle.”  She looked back to where the battle had taken place, the sound increasing.  “He will become Lord Voldemort.”  Her gaze turned back to me, holding a shine of sternness, as well as concern.  “You need to go back and change him for the better.  It will save many lives.”

“Professor, I can’t-”

“You must, Miss King.  There are no other options.”

“But why me, Professor?”

She regarded me for a few moments.  “You will know, dear.”  Her eyes dropped to the time turner.  “The protection charm around that has been taken off, allowing you to go back more than five hours.  Take it and turn it backwards fifty times.  That should take you back to the right year.”

The noise got louder.

The Headmistress turned to me.  “Hurry, dear.”

I nodded, grabbing the time turner.  I began to spin it, counting up to fifty.  Once done, I looked up, staring at the castle wall in front of me.

It was similar to the wall I had been in front of before, though this wall was intact and clearly newer.  It possessed less scratches and burn marks.

Students walked past me and I quickly realized I stood out like a sore thumb.

Muttering a quiet “multicorfors” I waved my wand over my garments, making them look appropriate to the time period.  I stuffed my wand back in my robe, looking around.

Where to start?

A group of students walked by me.

I quietly slipped into step a few paces behind them, looking around casually in an attempt to not seem like I was obviously following them.

They unknowingly led me into the Great Hall, sitting down at their tables.

I stopped in the doorway, looking around for the Gryffindor table.  Spotting students wearing red ties, I strode over, trying not to seem suspicious.  Sitting down, my gaze raked over the room.

The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were behind me, the Slytherin table in front.

I scanned the Slytherin table for anyone that looked suspicious or evil.

Finding nothing out of the ordinary, I frowned, about to pause my search to eat, when my eyes landed on a boy seated amongst the Slytherins.

He was sitting up straight, talking with the people around him.  He had a lean figure, dark hair that fell over his forehead on one side and features that looked- at least from where I was sitting- like the perfect blend of soft and hard.

I stared at the boy for a few moments, completely sucked into his demeanor and appearance.

He was talking to the people around him, looking at one of his housemates.  His expression shifted slightly and he lifted his eyes, his focus landing almost instantly on me.

“-looking at?”

I whipped my head to the side to face the girl sitting next to me, grateful for the interruption.  My cheeks coloured slightly, no matter how much I tried to fight it.  “Me?  Nothing, I was just-” my eyes, quite without me telling them to, drifted back to the Slytherin table for only a fraction of a second.

They didn’t even have enough time to focus on anything.

“I have an idea…” one of the girls, sitting across from the other, said.  She smirked as she stabbed something with her fork.

“What?”  I recoiled.  “I was just getting used to my surroundings,” I said.

It was technically half true.

“I thought I didn’t recognize you,” the other girl said.  “Are you new to Hogwarts?”

I paused.  “Yeah.”

“What year are you,” she questioned.

“Seventh year.”

“It is a bit unusual for someone to join Hogwarts so late in their schooling,” the other said.

I cleared my throat.  “Well, I was transferred from a different school…..” I trailed off before quickly introducing myself.

“Nice to meet you, King.  My name is Margaret,” the girl sitting diagonally from me spoke.  She nodded her head to the girl sitting next to me.  “This is Joan.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Joan greeted.

I nodded.  “The pleasure is mine.”

“Class will be starting soon…” Margaret informed.  “Do you have your books?”

I faltered.  “Uh…no, I-I don’t.”

“You can borrow ours,” Joan assured.  She nodded her head at the brunette across from her.  “Margaret and I always sit next to each other.  You could sit with one of us, if you wish.”

My eyebrows furrowed.  “How many students can sit at a desk?”

“Two.”

I turned my head to Margaret.

She went on.  “You can sit with Joan.  I will find another seat.”

“Oh!  No- I can’t.”  I lifted my hands.  “I would hate to split you two up.”  I shifted my gaze between them.  “Is there an empty desk behind you?”

“There is.”

“Then I’ll sit there.”  I shrugged.  “No worries.”

They gave me confused looks.

I frowned.  “What’s wrong?”

“You…” Margaret trailed off.

“You say things in a most unusual way, King,” Joan said.

I pursed my lips.

Oh yeah.

“I… apologize,” I said, though it sounded more like a question.

They smiled.

“Come.  Let’s head to class.”

I followed their lead, standing with them.

A lot of other students were rising to their feet as well, presumably also heading to their classes.

My gaze drifted once again to the Slytherin table, seeing the boy already standing, scanning the crowd.

His eyes met mine again.

I quickly snapped my head back towards my classmates, wincing slightly at the pain my neck had received for it.  Following their lead, I stubbornly kept my gaze intentional, only allowing it to drift to the halls of the school, so familiar and yet so strange.

“Our first class is Potions,” Margaret informed.

I grimaced behind her back, quickly wiping the expression away when Joan turned around to face me.

“It is taught by Professor Slughorn,” she added.

I nodded, taking in the information.

The girls pushed the door open, stepping through.

“We usually sit here,” Margaret informed, gesturing at a desk in the middle of the room.  She turned to me.  “Are you certain you would not prefer to sit with one of us?”

I nodded.  “Positive.  I’ll just sit behind you.”

“Here.”  Joan reached into her bag, pulling out a book and handing it to me.  “Use this.  Margaret and I will share.”

I accepted the thick book, making a mental note of the fact that Potions textbooks seemed to stay about the same size, even decades apart.  “Thank you.”  Sitting down behind them, I placed the book on the desk before leaning forward.  “What page are we on?”

“Three-hundred forty seven,” Margaret whispered back.

I thanked her, turning to the correct page, guessing that the book was probably close to seven hundred pages.  Looking up, I noted that this class period was shared with the Slytherin house.

Once everyone was seated, Slughorn started speaking.

“We are picking up from where we left off last time.”  His gaze raked across the classroom.  “Chapter-” he paused, his eyes landing on me.  A confused expression formed on his face.

I did my best to keep sitting tall, my leg bouncing anxiously.

“Do we have a new student?”

All eyes in the classroom turned to face me.

I held my head high, determined to not cower under the weight.  I kept my eyes locked onto the man at the front of the class.  “Yes, Professor.”

He hummed.  “Curious.  I was not informed we would be getting a new student.”

“A mere mistake I’m sure, Professor.”

“Most likely.  What is your name, then?”

I introduced myself, eyes unintentionally shifting downwards slightly towards the dark haired boy seated at the front of the class.

He, like everyone else, was already looking at me.

I quickly raised my eyes to Professor Slughorn again.

“-sit with Miss King for her first lesson?  In case she needs any help?”

The boy turned to his teacher.  “Of course, Professor.”

With abject horror, I watched as the boy collected his things, walked towards the back of the classroom, and sat next to me.

I looked back to the front of the class.  “Professor, this really isn’t necessary-”

“The Head Boy will willingly assist you if needed, Miss King,” Slughorn said.  “If you get along well on your own, should he so choose, he may return to his own seat.”

I held in a sigh.  “Yes, Professor.”

“Good.”  He turned his back to the class to look at the chalkboard behind him.  “As we were talking about in the last class…”

I ran a hand through my hair, reaching for my quill to start to take notes.  My hand closed around nothing and I lifted my eyes to look at where my quill was supposed to be, only to get a foul reminder.

I wasn’t where- or rather when- I was supposed to be.

I had no supplies.

Deciding I would rather try to memorize what Slughorn was saying instead of asking the boy next to me for anything, I folded my right arm on the desk in front of me, staring towards the front of the class.

“You might want these, Miss King.”

I turned to the soft noise on my right.

Merlin, even his voice was lovely.

At closer proximity, I could better make out his features, greedily noting that everything- his eyebrows, lips, nose- were perfect.

His dark green eyes were staring down at me, shifting between my own.

Before I stared too long I- with some effort- pulled my gaze away from him to look at the parchment and quill he had slid towards me.

My eyes widened slightly.

“It seems, Miss King…” he trailed off and I could hear the smirk in his voice, “it was good luck that I was sent to sit next to you.”

I lifted my head to look at him.

He was, indeed, smirking.  His green eyes shone with kindness and just a hint of mischief.

“Thank you,” I said, grasping the quill and beginning to write as I tried to focus on what Slughorn was saying.

Merlin, that didn’t stop my leg from bouncing, though.

~~~~~~~~~

Class ended and I stood, handing the quill back to the Head Boy.

He looked up at me, still sitting, his gaze dropping to the object.

“Thank you for allowing me to use your quill,” I said, holding my notes at my side.

The boy lifted his gaze to meet my eyes.  “You may keep it,” he said as he stood, forcing me to now look up at his tall frame in order to meet his eyes.  He slung his bag around his shoulder.  “I have more.”

I nodded once.  “Thank you.”

The corner of his mouth pulled upwards.  “You are welcome, Miss King.”

“Come on, King,” Joan said, grabbing my arm.  “Our next class is this way.”

I gave one last look at the Head Boy, nodding my head again to signal a ‘farewell’ and a ‘thank you’ before allowing myself to be led out of the classroom.

~~~~~~~~~~

“This is Transfiguration, taught by Professor Dumbledore.”

I faltered in my steps, stopping in the hallway.

Professor Dumbledore.

It had been so long-

“...you alright, King?”

I blinked back into reality, looking over at Margaret and Joan’s concerned faces.  “Uh, sorry.”  I offered them a crooked grin.  “Go on; what were you saying?”

They talked, but I didn’t listen.  As we strode into Transfiguration class, my eyes instantly made their way to the front of the room.

A man was sitting behind a desk.  He had long white hair and a very welcome face.

“Professor Dumbledore,” I breathed out, relieved to see someone familiar.

To see the man that had been killed.

“Yes, that’s him,” Joan said.

“Here is the book for this class.”  Margaret handed me a textbook, which I accepted, though not really paying attention.

“Thanks,” I managed to get out before sitting in the only open seat; next to a Ravenclaw.  My eyes stayed locked onto the Professor as he began teaching.

~~~~~~~~~~

“And this is the Common Room,” Margaret said, leading me through the portrait of the Fat Lady.

I smiled slightly at the familiar face before being pulled in.

The room, though possessing some similarities to the Common Room in my own time, had notable differences.

The arrangements of the furniture were different, the furniture having a far older style than what I was used to.

“It’s very nice,” I said, observing the room.

“Our rooms are up these stairs,” Joan said, gesturing.  “Do not attempt to go up the stairs to the boys’ dormitories.  They are charmed.”

I nodded.  “It was the same way at…” I paused, “my other school.”

Margaret turned to face me.  “Where were you before you transferred?”

“Uhh…it was very similar to this, but it was a small school,” I bluffed.  “You probably wouldn’t have even heard of it.”

They nodded, satisfied.

I let out a small breath of relief as they began to move around the room, introducing me to my other housemates.  I greeted them all, smiling.

“Follow us,” Joan said, walking towards the stairs.  “We will see if we can find your room.”

“Did Headmaster Dippet say which dormitory was yours,” Margaret asked.

I froze, eyes wide.  “No…no, he didn’t.”

“Oh dear.  This may be a problem.”

“I can go ask him,” I said, realizing that I had yet to officially announce my…transference, anyway.

“We will go with you.”

“No!”  I shot my hand out before quickly retracting it and lowering my voice.  “No, it’s okay.  It’s getting late, and I don’t want you out past curfew.”

“But do you know the way,” Margaret questioned.

Assuming Dippet’s office was in the same location Dumbledore’s was, I nodded.  “I’m sure I’ll find it.”  I began backing up towards the door.  “If I’m not back before you girls go to bed, have a goodnight!”

“You as well,” they said, waving.

I turned, exiting the Common Room.

Alright.  Time to find Dippet’s office.

I began walking through the castle, making mental notes of the differences and similarities between this Hogwarts and mine.  As the duration of my walk lengthened, I began to wonder why I was even doing this.

I didn’t need to sign in to Hogwarts.  I didn’t need to take notes in class.  And I certainly didn’t need to start forming attachments to young men.

I didn’t have time to be distracted, no matter how gorgeous that distraction happened to be.

I had one job to do.

I had to find Tom Riddle.

I had to kill him.

“Miss King.”

I jumped at the sound of the voice, whipping around.  I couldn’t make out who was approaching me, since the castle was getting dark as evening came upon it.  Pulling out my wand, I held it out in front of me.  “Lumos.”

A light shone at the end of my wand, illuminating the boy that stopped in front of me.

My eyes widened.  “Merlin,” I breathed out.

It would be him.

The Head Boy raised an eyebrow, cocking his head.  “Curfew has begun, Miss King.  I do not wish to take points away from you on your first day, but-”

“I’m sorry,” I interrupted.

He closed his mouth, looking over at me.

I could see a flicker of surprise, and possibly annoyance, in his eyes at being cut off.  “I was just on my way to see Headmaster Dippet,” I explained.

The Head Boy’s expression shifted, becoming more curious.  “Oh?”

“I realized he never told me which dorm was mine,” I said.

The boy didn’t need to know that I hadn’t actually been accepted into Hogwarts yet.

That would have been very suspicious.

“I see.”

A beat of silence passed between us.

“Then let me escort you.  If any other Prefects find you alone, you likely will lose points.”

I nodded.  “Thank you.”

The Head Boy pulled out his wand and flicked his wrist slightly, a light appearing on the end of it.

My eyes widened.  I hadn’t heard him cast ‘lumos’.

The boy gestured and began walking.

I fell into place beside him, increasing the speed of my steps to keep up with his longer strides.

We walked in silence for a few minutes before the boy broke it.

“Why have you transferred to Hogwarts so late in your wizarding career,” he questioned.

“I have a job to do,” I replied without thinking.  My eyes widened as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

He turned to look down at me, regarding me curiously.  “What is the nature of your job?”

I floundered for a realistic response.  “My parents just thought that the school I was previously at wasn’t preparing me well enough for a career.”

“A career?”  The boy was silent for a moment.  “Most witches your age hope for marriage out of school.  There are few who wish to work.”

“Well…” I pursed my lips.  “I guess I’m one of the few.”

The boy hummed.  “We’re here,” he said.  He turned to look at the gargoyle.  “Strawberries.”

The gargoyle spun, revealing the staircase.

I looked over at the Slytherin.  “Thank you.”

“I’ll wait until you’re done.”

“That’s really not necessary-”

He smirked.  “So you keep saying.  But as I said, if you want to avoid losing points, I will need to accompany you.”

I looked at him for a few moments before nodding, heading up the stairs.  Once at the top I looked around, noting that the office was very similar to Dumbledore’s.  “Headmaster Dippet,” I called out.

A man with long white hair and a short white beard and mustache emerged from behind a pile of books.  His eyebrows furrowed.  “Yes?”

“My name is King, sir,” I said.  “I was transferred to Hogwarts today.”

The Headmaster sat down at his desk.  “It is very late in the day to be transferring, Miss King.”

I swallowed nervously.  “It was a late decision, sir.”

He raised an eyebrow.  “Very well.”  Pulling out a quill and parchment, he asked “what are your parents’ names, dear?”

I froze, trying to remember the names of my great grandparents.  “Edward and Dorothy King, sir.”

He nodded, writing the names down.  “What school did you transfer from?”

I listed the first school that came to mind.  “Beauxbatons, sir.”

He nodded again, writing some more.  “That’s a good school.  Why did you transfer?”

I fisted my robe sleeves as my leg began to bounce.  “My parents thought I would be more suited here.”

He looked up at me, saying nothing.

I pursed my lips.  “Professor?”

Reaching into his desk, he pulled out more papers.  “I see you have already been sorted into Gryffindor…”

“Professor Dumbledore, sir,” I said.  “He saw me earlier…”

The headmaster hummed.  “He made no mention of it to me.”

“Probably just an oversight, sir,” I said quickly, beginning to sweat.

Merlin, who knew trying not to be caught in time travel would be so difficult?

“Probably.  Very well, Miss King.”  He reached over his desk, handing me a piece of paper.  “This is your dormitory room.”  He stepped around the desk, leading me back down the stairs.  “I will show you to the Common Room-”

“There’s no need for that, Headmaster.”

We both turned to the voice, seeing the Head Boy standing right where I had left him: in the middle of the hallway.

“I already volunteered to take Miss King back.”

“Ah, Mister Riddle,” Dippet said, clearly pleased.  “Excellent.”

My eyes widened and I nearly choked on my own saliva.  All the blood drained from my face and my heart began to beat erratically in my chest.

Dippet placed his hand on my back and shoved me gently towards the tall boy.

I simply stared up at him, at a complete loss for words.

There was no way-

“Hurry along, Mister Riddle,” Dippet encouraged.  “I’m sure Miss King would like to go to bed at a reasonable hour,” he said, smiling before turning back towards his office.

“Goodnight, Headmaster,” the boy- Riddle- said.

“Goodnight, children.”

Once the gargoyle closed, the boy looked down to meet my gaze.

I didn’t think I had moved in the last two minutes.

Let alone breathed.

“Are you ready, Miss King?”

I finally blinked.  “Riddle?”

He stared at me, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.  “Yes.”

I opened my mouth again, my voice wavering.  “Tom Riddle?”

His eyebrows furrowed further.  “Yes.”  He looked at me curiously.  “Why?”

“I…” I trailed off.

What was there to say?

The silence stretched on and he narrowed his eyes at me.

I blinked at him.

His eyes widened and he leaned back slightly, standing up taller than he had been before.  “You’re the hero, huh?  I guess that makes me the villain.”  He lowered his head, stepping further into my space.

I took an instinctive step backwards.  “You should already know you’re the villain,” I muttered, amazed that I was able to speak, let alone say something so bold in my current state.

“You’ve come to kill me,” he whispered.  “Tell me…where…exactly…are you from?”

I took another step back.

“If you don’t tell me, I can still get the information,” he insisted darkly.

“Stay out of my head,” I warned, with more strength than I felt.

“Everything alright here?”

Tom and I turned towards the voice, seeing two Prefects standing in the hallway.

Tom turned his body mostly towards them, moving away from my space and returning to his full height.  “I was escorting Miss King back to her Common Room.  She just got her dormitory direction from Headmaster Dippet,” he explained casually.

My eyes widened in horror at the speed in which he effortlessly swapped personalities.

“Very well,” one of the Prefects said.

“Enjoy your trip,” the other said with a wave as they walked away to continue their routes.

When they were out of sight I broke into a full sprint down the hallway.

I had no plan.  My body was moving purely on instinct.

Where could I go that would be safe?

I didn’t have time to think.

He could easily catch up.

Running through the halls, I turned a corner and was promptly whipped backwards.  I fell into a chest, trying to rip my arm free of the hand that held it.

Tom’s long fingers and firm hold were making it difficult to break his grip.

“Let go of me!”

Tom lowered his head.  “Be quiet.”

“No!”  I went to reach for my wand, but Tom’s other hand shot forward, fingers wrapping around my wrist and keeping both of my arms in his hold.  I struggled against him, but it was no use.

“Why are you here to kill me,” Tom demanded.

I continued pulling against him.

“Answer me, witch!”  His eyes flashed red, his face contorting into one of anger.

I froze, chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.  My wrists hurt and my body was tired from fighting against his hold.  “Because you’re a monster,” I spat.  “Because in my time you’ve killed countless people,” I panted, glaring up at him.  “Because I have to stop you.”

Tom said nothing for several moments, studying me closely.

I defiantly met his eyes, knowing he could use Legilimency if he wished.  He already knew half of it, anyway.

“Am I the most powerful wizard in your time?”

I glared.  “No.”

“Who is,” he demanded, his hold on my wrists tightening.

I lifted my chin, looking at him proudly.  “Dumbledore.”

Rage flashed across Tom’s face.  “Impossible.”

“It isn’t.”  I stared at him, unwavering, even though I felt like my heart was being squeezed.  “You’re going to lose…Voldemort.”

He stared at me, his chest rising and falling harder and faster than it had been.

Then he smirked, an aura of confidence washing over him.

“If I am truly going to lose, why did you come back in time to stop me?”

“To try to reduce the number of deaths,” I half-bluffed.  “Just because you get defeated in my time doesn’t mean we should let you get away with all those murders.”  I glared at him.  “I know I’m too late to prevent the deaths of Myrtle, some of the other students around here, and even others, but what I can try to stop, I will.”

“So you’ve come to kill me.”  Tom raised an eyebrow.  “Did you really think you would be able to?”

“That wasn’t my mission.”  My eyes narrowed at him.  “It was just the one I chose.”  Reeling my leg back, I swung it forward, kicking him in the shin.

He doubled over.

I kneed him in the nose.

He let out a yell as blood began to run down to his chin, his hands loosening enough in surprise that I managed to wiggle one of mine free.

Grabbing my wand as fast as possible, I aimed it at him.  “Stupefy!”

He shot backwards, back colliding with the castle wall before he hit the ground.

Walking over and rolling him onto his back, I held my wand at his throat.  I looked at him, his unconscious body laying on the floor.

Kill him.  Do it.

My grip on my wand tightened.  Foolishly, my eyes raked across his softened features.

Even as blood trickled from his nose, I couldn’t help but think the annoying thought that he was breathtaking.

The two sides of my brain fought each other.

Now’s your chance!  It would be such a pity to destroy something so beautiful.  Avenge all he’s done!

I ground my teeth together, hand shaking as I pointed my wand at him.

Save the world!  Save your friends!

Don’t destroy him!  Do what you were told to do!

End it!

Do the right thing!

Ending him is the right thing!  Stop him from causing harm to others!

Murder is never right!  Change him to become a better person!

You can’t change him!  He’s too far gone!

You don’t know that!

I let out a yell, jerking my arm towards the wall alongside Riddle.

A flash of light emerged from my wand and struck the stone.

Parts of it crumbled, falling alongside the unconscious boy.

I stared down at him for a few moments, heaving breaths.

I had to go.

He could wake up at any moment.

Giving him one final glance I ran towards the Common Room and didn’t look back.

Announcing the password I rushed in, sprinting up to my dorm.  Opening the door as quietly as I could, I sped in, hurrying onto my bed.  I sat on it, hugging my knees to my chest as I stared at the door.

I couldn’t afford to sleep.

He might come for me.

~~~~~~~~

I shakily made my way to breakfast the next morning, creeping around every corner to make sure Tom wasn’t there.  I sat down at the Gryffindor table, only a few students in the Great Hall this early.  Having had no sleep, I decided I would at least get something to eat and try to work through my thoughts.

Now that I hadn’t killed Riddle, what was my next plan?

Should I try again to kill him?  He would definitely be watching me, now.  He knew that I knew.

Should I try to convert him?  Easier said than done.  He’s already committed crimes, and I already attacked him.

Merlin, what did I get myself into?  Why didn’t I just kill him when I had the chance?

No, I scolded myself.  You did the right thing.

Even if it was for selfish, and admittedly, stupid reasons.

Alright.  Tom Riddle was alive.  I allowed Voldemort to live.

I could only hope I wouldn’t come to regret it.

In my time, the situation couldn’t get much worse anyway, so what the heck?  Might as well see where this takes me.

I pushed the eggs on my plate around with my fork, being hungry and yet not possessing an appetite.

“Miss King.”

My head shot up, gaze locking onto a pair of green eyes.

“Riddle,” I greeted coldly, my throat tight.  “How’s your nose?”

He glared as he sat down across from me.  Ignoring my question, a smirk formed on his face as his gaze scanned me.  “Did you sleep in your uniform, King?”

I frowned, mentally cursing myself for forgetting to cast a glamor charm.  My clothes were quite wrinkled.  “I didn’t sleep, actually.”

“Is that so?”  A crooked grin formed on his face.  “And why is that?”

I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes.  “You’ve killed for less.”  I left it at that, knowing he understood the subtext.

He hummed.

I raised an eyebrow.  “Why are you here?”

“For information.”

I let go of my fork, letting it clatter slightly as it connected with my plate, and crossed my arms.  “About what?”

“My future.”  He inclined his head towards me slightly.  “You.”

“There’s not much to tell.”

“Oh, I think there is.”  He leaned forward, lowering his voice.  “If you came to kill me, why did you not do so last night?  I was unconscious…” he trailed off, sitting more upright.  “You had the opportunity.”

I regarded him silently.

What was the best way to respond?

I was never very good at figuring out what to say in delicate matters like this.

It was made even worse by the fact that what I said could drastically impact the lives of countless people, myself included.

“I couldn’t,” I finally said.

Tom raised an inquisitive eyebrow and sat up even straighter.

He clearly had not been expecting that.

“And why not?”

I looked towards the doors of the Great Hall to avoid him using Legilimency on me again.

I did not want him using anything to his advantage.

“I somehow managed to convince myself that you were capable of saving.”  I allowed myself to look back at him.  “That you were worth saving.”

He stared at me silently, keeping his expression very guarded.

“You’re a very bright wizard, Tom,” I said.  “Powerful, too.  In the right place, you could do great things.”

“I will do great things,” he insisted.

“You will do impressive things,” I corrected.  “But they will be evil.”  I sat up straighter.  “For your own selfish end.”

His eyes briefly flashed red and I saw his face twitch as he tried to control his expression.  “It’s natural for me to look out for my own interest,” he said, voice slightly tense.

“At the cost of everyone else?”  I rolled my eyes.  “How typically Slytherin.”

His eyes narrowed.  “And I suppose it’s very Gryffindor to run headfirst into something without actually planning it out.”  He scoffed.  “Is it also a Gryffindor trait to retreat out of their task so foolishly when their opponent was helpless before them?”

I felt my anger boiling up.  “I spared your life!”  I whisper-yelled, conscious enough of the few other students in the room.  “The noble thing to do.”

“Because you are so focused on being noble, aren’t you?”

“I don’t send giant snakes to do my killing for me, you miserable boy,” I hissed.

“They weren’t worth my time.”

I slammed my hands on the table, pushing myself to my feet in a hurry as I glared daggers down at him.  “I should have done the job!”

Riddle stood as well, towering over me as he snarled back.  “If you had any brains, you would have!”

The room fell completely silent.

My chest took in air at an irregular rate, and I noticed Riddle’s breathing was also unusual.

We refused to look away from each other.

“Your ‘perfect boy’ image is slipping, Riddle,” I whispered, raising my eyebrow challengingly.  “Tread lightly.”

“I was about to give you the same warning.”  His eyes narrowed and he leaned closer.  “You do not want to make an enemy of me, King.”

I met his eyes, a determination and fury flowing through me.  “You were my enemy before I got here.”

Tom’s jaw clenched.  

The doors to the Great Hall opened, students beginning to flood in.

Riddle cast me one last glance before turning and making his way over to the Slytherin table.

I let out a relieved breath, plopping back down on the bench.  I watched Tom as he sat down, being joined by his housemates.

They all talked animatedly around him, but Tom seemed…distracted.

“Hello, King.”

I turned, seeing Margaret and Joan.  “Good morning.”  The words sounded tense, bordering on rude, to my own ears.

Margaret followed my previous line of sight.  “Looking at the Head Boy again?”  A teasing smile formed on her face.

I crossed my arms, scowling.  “I resent that.”

“Hopefully she’s studying the enemy.”  Joan turned to me.  “You had better be coming up with ways to win the House Cup this year,” she remarked.  “Slytherin’s won the past several years because of that boy,” she said, nodding towards Tom.  “Everyone loves him.”

I looked back over towards the dark haired boy.  “How... lovely,” I sneered.

The girls shared a look.

“Did you manage to find your dormitory alright,” Margaret asked.  “We never saw you.”

The blood began draining from my face as the memories from last night came back.  “Yeah.  It’s not with you two, though.  By the time I got back from Headmaster Dippet’s office, everyone was already in bed, and I got up early.”

At the sound of a few claps I turned my head to the right to see the Headmaster trying to get everyone’s attention.

I thanked Merlin for the distraction.

“Good morning, students,” he greeted.  “Normally I don’t want to interrupt your breakfast, but I believe some point adjustments need to be made.”

My eyebrows furrowed.

“Last night one of the Prefects found Tom Riddle with some injuries,” he began.

All of the color drained from my face and my blood ran cold.

“Our Head Boy was walking back our newest student,” he gestured at me, announcing my name.

I felt faint as all eyes turned to me.

“Riddle has brought it to my attention that when he was walking Miss King back to her Common Room, a troll attacked them, injuring Tom and breaking the wall.”

I was certain the astonishment on my face was evident.  Eyes wide and eyebrows to my hairline, I stared at the Headmaster in bewilderment.

“The Head Boy is certain that Miss King chased the troll out of the school while he was indisposed, saving everyone.”  Dippet smiled.  “For her bravery on her first evening at Hogwarts, saving the Head Boy and the rest of the school, I award Miss King with fifty points.”  He began clapping, everyone else following his lead.

I whipped my head around to look at Riddle, the only one besides myself not clapping, meeting his eyes in confusion.

“I needed to give them some reason for my state you so rudely put me in,” a voice in my head said.

The voice was proper, smooth, yet stern, and so clearly Riddle’s.

I ignored the clapping, keeping my focus on the Slytherin.  Why didn’t you tell them the truth?

“If I had told them the truth, I would have had to tell them why you attacked me, wouldn’t I?  I could have lied, saying you simply lost your temper or felt that I threatened you, but questions about me would arise, wondering what I would have done to warrant such a response from you.”  Tom sat up straighter in his seat, arching an eyebrow as he kept his eyes locked onto mine.  “You pose no threat to me.  You can’t tell anyone what you know without sounding like a deranged lunatic, especially after being here for only a day.”

I struggled to think of an appropriate response.

A hand on my back and a voice right by my ear had my head turning to my left, seeing Joan and Margaret smiling at me.

The connection between Riddle was broken, a sharp twinge in my head causing me to wince slightly.

“Why did you not tell us?”  Margaret asked excitedly.

“I…” I trailed off.  Looking down at my plate I hesitantly lifted a forkful of eggs into my mouth to buy me some time while I thought.  I forced down a gag at the unwanted food.  “I didn’t think it was important information,” I offered weakly with a shrug.

“It’s most definitely important,” Margaret insisted.  “You saved the Head Boy.”

I grimaced at the thought, looking back down at my plate.

“The entire school,” Joan corrected, eyeing her friend.

Margaret looked over to the dark haired girl.  “Well, obviously, but the Head Boy was more immediate.”

I lifted my gaze, keeping my head down, to look at the Slytherin table.

Tom was staring in silence at his own plate.  Unlike my shuffling of the food on mine, he simply looked down at his, his arms crossed and resting on the table.

What was he thinking about?

Was he thinking of killing me?  Would he decide to kill Dumbledore, since I told him that he was the most powerful wizard in my time?  Was he plotting a murder of someone else?  Was he actually thinking of changing?

I put my elbow on the table, holding my forehead in my hand.

Merlin, this was too much.

“Are you well, King?”

I turned to the girls.  “Just a headache,” I excused.

Technically, one was beginning to form at the number of questions and stress of it all.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Margaret said.

“Hopefully it goes away soon,” Joan remarked.  “Potions will be starting in only a little while.”

I groaned.  Here I was, supposed to save the Wizarding World, needing to attend class.

As if I needed more problems in my life right now.

Rubbing my forehead, I sat back up and ate a little more.

Did I want it?  No.

Was I going to regret not eating?  Yes.

Managing to get through half of my breakfast, I stood with everyone, making our way to Potions.  As I took my seat, accepting Joan’s book, I made a mental note to buy some textbooks since, apparently, I would be here for a while.  Flipping to the page we left on last time, I went to pull out some paper to take notes on, but paused.

I mentally added parchment to my shopping list.

The noise in the room got louder as more students filed in, taking their seats.

At the sense of someone sitting beside me, I turned, eyes widening at the figure there.

Oh, yeah.

I had been so concerned about avoiding Tom Riddle’s possibly murderous intentions I had forgotten that he sat next to me in Potions.

Though, I did recall that he didn’t have to.

“Miss King,” he greeted, passing me more parchment as he kept his eyes toward the front of the class.  His gaze remained there, even as he asked “do you still have the quill I gave you?”  He finally turned to look at me.

I nodded.

He turned his attention to Professor Slughorn as the man began writing on the board.

My eyebrows furrowed.  I leaned towards him slightly.  “What are you doing?”

He glanced at me.  “Preparing for class.”

I rolled my eyes.  “I meant sitting here.”

He smirked.  “Only to keep up pretenses, Miss King,” he insisted quietly.  “It casts a good image for the Head Boy to assist the newest student.”

I scoffed, sitting upright again and turning back to my own book.  My eyes roamed the page, pretending to be interested in the words.  “Everything’s all about pretenses with you,” I mumbled.

I didn’t bother looking at his reaction.

~~~~~~~~~

I made my way into Hogsmeade, treading the streets slowly.

Merlin, I really had no idea where I was.

The shops all looked so different from my time.

My heart tugged slightly and I frowned.

My time.

How long was I going to be in this cursed place?

However long it takes to do something about Voldemort, I reasoned with myself.

Letting out a huff, I kept walking, peeking my head into shops to see what they were.

“Looking for something, hero?”

I turned at the sound of the voice, seeing a blond standing on the sidewalk.

Tom Riddle stood slightly in front of him, towering above the boy.

The blond smirked at me.

My eyebrows furrowed, my questioning gaze unintentionally shifting towards Riddle.

Tom nodded his head towards the boy.  “This is Avery.  He’s one of my friends.”

I gave him a disbelieving look, cocking an eyebrow.

Tom lifted his head slightly, tilting his chin up a little in defiance.

I turned to look at Avery.  “I’m not a hero.”  I crossed my arms.  “Whatever Riddle said, it’s not true.”

Avery raised an eyebrow at the accusation.

Tom’s expression remained stoic, but I could see his features harden slightly.

I sighed.  “Look, could you just tell me where to purchase some parchment and textbooks?”

“You don’t know,” Avery asked incredulously.

“I’m not exactly from around here.”  My eyes drifted to Tom before turning back to the blond.

Avery chuckled darkly.  “You could just look around and find out for yourself.  Get more acquainted, you know.”

“That’s what I was doing before you interrupted,” I retorted.

Tom nodded his head towards a store, clasping his hands behind his back.  “I believe you’ll find your desired things in there, Miss King.”

“My desired things, huh?”  I scoffed, beginning to walk towards the building.  “I doubt it.”

~~~~~~~~~

I sat in the library, scratching my head as I stared down at my Transfiguration textbook.  I wasn’t focusing on the words, though.

I was trying to figure out how to get through to Riddle.

I didn’t want to seek him out, but I had to do something.  I couldn’t just wait around for things to happen on their own.

But how does one get through to a psychopathic murderer?

“You’ve been staring at that same page for ages.”

It took a few moments for me to realize that I was the one being spoken to.  Looking up, I locked eyes with my guest.  My stomach caught in my throat.  “I don’t see how that’s any of your business, Riddle,” I muttered, looking back down at my book.

He sat down across from me.  “I understand; Professor Dumbledore is such a dull teacher.”

I lifted my head to look at him, a glare crossing my features.  “Professor Dumbledore is an excellent teacher.  He’s an excellent mentor and an excellent man.”

Tom sneered.  “I would have sooner compared him to a vulture.  He’s always watching me.”

“Gee,” I deadpanned at him, “I wonder why that is.”

His eyebrow twitched upwards; in challenge or annoyance, I couldn’t tell.  “There’s no evidence of anything I’ve done.”

“Maybe you just seem evil to him.”  I crossed my arms.  “He’s a good judge of character.”

Tom smirked at me.  “Unlike yourself.”

I looked at him in silence for a few moments.  “I can judge someone’s character.”

“Perhaps, but you must not be very good at it.”  He pulled out a book, flipping to a random page to feign studying.  “You left the Dark Lord alive, remember?”

A pang of guilt and rage rushed through me.  “I told you why.”

“But I don’t believe it.”  He lifted his head to look at me.  “Gryffindors are noble, but they’re also headstrong.  If they make up their mind to do something, it takes a lot to get them to change their mind.  And what could be more noble than avenging the deaths of so many?”  He leaned forward.  “So.  What made you change your mind?”

“You’re so smart.”  I leaned forward in my own seat, narrowing my eyes at him.  “Figure it out.”

Tom stared at me for a few moments before letting out an incredulous chuckle and sitting upright.  “Surely you wouldn’t let something as mundane as physical attraction sway you.”

My face broke into a harsh heat and I leaned back in my seat.  Having no response, I simply scoffed and averted my attention to another student searching the shelves for a book.

Tom continued to stare at me in silence.

I could feel my face getting warmer at the attention.

The awkward prolonged quiet wasn’t helping, either.

I took a deep breath, trying to fight off the sweat that had formed a thin layer over my skin.  I practically willed my cheeks to lose some of their red color.

Merlin, they rivaled a Weasley’s hair.

Turning my glare towards the Slytherin sitting across from me, I crossed my arms.  “You didn’t kill me, either.”  I nodded my chin towards him.  “I know your secret.  I’m a threat to your cause.  I could expose you for what you really are.”

“You can’t expose me, remember?  No one would believe you.”

“Dumbledore would.”

His confident smirk was replaced by a frown, his eyebrows pulling together.  His form tensed, sitting more rigid than before.  He looked to the side.  “Dumbledore is a fool.”  He met my eyes again.  “He can’t do anything to me.”

“So you keep saying.  But I’m not convinced.”

Tom’s eyes narrowed at me.  “Are you trying to get me to kill you?”

“No.”  I shrugged one shoulder.  “Just trying to figure you out.  You said you were keeping me alive for information.”

“A true statement.”

I leaned forward.  “Then use Legilimency.  Read my mind and find out all you want to know.  Then you would have no reason to keep me alive,” I challenged.

Tom’s eyes shifted between my own.  “It’s too easy.”

I rolled my eyes, sitting upright again.  “Sorry, I didn’t know that taking over the world was a sport to you.”

He regarded me silently.

When the silence stretched on, I looked back down at my textbook.  “What are you doing here, anyway?  Are you following me or something?”

“Don’t be absurd.”

I glanced up at him before returning my attention to the page in front of me.  After rereading the same sentence eight times I huffed, closing the book and staring in annoyance at the cover.

Transfiguration: Third edition.

I chewed on my lip before stuffing the book in my bag and standing, marching out of the library.

~~~~~~~~~

I steeled myself, knocking on the door.

“Come in,” a voice from inside called.

Pushing open the wooden door, I stepped into the office.  “Professor Dumbledore?”

“Ah, Miss King.”  A small smile appeared on the man’s face.

Merlin, I almost cried at the sight of it.

“Please,” he gestured, “have a seat.”

“Thank you, Professor.”  I sat down in the chair facing his desk.

“What can I do for you?”

“Professor, I was wondering…”  My leg began to bounce.  “I was wondering what you could tell me about… about Tom Riddle.”

Dumbledore’s eyebrows rose.  “What would you like to know about Tom?”

“Anything useful.”

Dumbledore cocked an eyebrow at me.

My leg bouncing increased speed.  Surely, I could tell Dumbledore what was going on?  In my time he was dead anyway, so it wouldn’t have an impact later?

It was flimsy logic, but it was all I had.

I huffed.  “Professor, I’m from the future.  I was sent back from the year 1998.”  Reaching into my robe, I pulled out the time turner to show him.

His expression remained mostly impassive as he simply looked at the object before lifting his gaze to me.  “All but two time turners in the world only take the wearer back at a maximum of five hours.”

“This one was altered by the person who sent me back,” I explained, trying to be as vague as possible.

He didn’t need to know everything.

I fisted my altered uniform roughly, twisting the fabric in my hands.  “Professor, I was sent here to change the past.  To save everyone that Riddle kills.  But I’m not a hero.”  I let out a humorless chuckle.  “I’m starting to wonder if I’m even a Gryffindor.”

“Why would you not belong in Gryffindor?”

I lifted my eyes to meet his.  “I had the opportunity to kill Tom Riddle, before his acts got too carried away…but I didn’t.  I cowered out of it.”

Dumbledore hummed.  “Oftentimes, killing is the easy solution.  Especially if Tom becomes as bad as you say.  It is simple to end someone that would cause so much harm.”  He looked at me meaningfully, with a warm smile and a kind look in his eyes.  “Sometimes it takes more bravery to spare a life.”

I bit back tears and nodded.  I cleared my throat.  “What should I do, Professor?  How do I change a killer?”  I moved in my seat, sitting on the edge of the chair.  “How can I get through to him?”

“I do not know everything about Mister Riddle,” Dumbledore informed.  “He grew up in an orphanage.  His mother died when he was very young.  His father abandoned him.”  Dumbledore clasped his hands, resting them on the desk.  “There must be a reason that you specifically were sent here, Miss King.  Use your judgment.  Find your own way.”

I sighed, looking down and nodded.  “Thank you, Professor.”  I stood and exited the office.

My own way, huh?

~~~~~~~~~

What the frick was my way?

I briefly considered the option of holding my wand to his throat, demanding he fix his mistakes or I’d kill him, but I quickly reasoned that wouldn’t work.

No matter how much I wished it did.

I had been in 1945 for a few weeks, but it felt like I had been here for a number of months.

And I was making no progress.

My grades weren’t even very good, since I had other things on my mind.  I had never been a good multitasker.

Merlin, I was seriously doubting Professor McGonagall’s choice in sending me back.

I had no idea what I was doing.

Alright, then.  I’d wing it.

I stood from the chair in the Common Room, making my way to the door.

“Curfew starts soon, King,” Joan warned, looking up from her book.

“I know.”  Without looking back, I pushed the portrait open and closed it behind me, making my way to the dungeon.

I never liked the dark, and this part of the castle seemed to soak it all up.  Thankfully, I could still see.  Reaching the door to the Slytherin Common Room I paused.

I didn’t know the password.

And with curfew starting soon, Riddle might not have even been in the Common Room.

I chewed my lip.

Thankfully, the door swung open on its own.

I froze as a figure walked out, not sure if I should be relieved or not.  “Avery,” I greeted.

The blond looked up at me, his steps halting.  “Hero?”  He raised a judgmental eyebrow.  “What are you doing at the Slytherin Common Room?”

“Looking for Riddle.”

Avery watched me for a few moments.  “He’s inside.  He’ll be starting to patrol soon.”

“Can you get him?  I need to talk to him.”

Avery thought for a few moments before retreating into his Common Room.  He emerged shortly after, Riddle in tow.

Avery walked down the hallway, doing whatever it was he was going to do before he saw me.

Tom closed the door behind him, looking down at me in a manner similar to Avery’s.

It was different, though.

Tom was studying me.  Trying to figure me out.

He raised a silent, questioning eyebrow at me.

I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable in my own skin.

I cleared my throat.  “Can we talk?”

His other eyebrow rose in surprise.  “I’m going to begin my rounds soon-”

“I know; Avery told me.”  I looked up at him.  “But I need to either sort this out or go home.”

Tom’s expression shifted ever so slightly.  “You would go home?  Even if your goal was unaccomplished?”

I shrugged one shoulder.  “If I can’t do what I was sent to do, there’s no point in hanging around a time that isn’t mine, is there?”

Tom regarded me silently for a few moments.  “No.  No, I suppose not.”

I gestured at him.  “Especially with you graduating soon, I’m going to lose a lot of contact with you.”  I cracked a small smile.  “Unless I apply for a job at the same place.”  I tilted my head, my smile growing.  “But I kind of doubt I’d get it, since I would only have about two months of proof of my existence, so…”

The corners of Tom’s mouth raised slightly.  He nodded, looking down the hallway.  His gaze drifted back to meet my eyes.  “Walk with me.”

I fell into step beside him, needing to jog a little initially to catch up to his long paces.  Once I settled into a rhythm that would keep me next to him, I relaxed, turning to look up at his side profile.  “Do you like being the Head Boy?”

He turned his head to look at me, a confused expression overtaking his features.  “What?”

“You heard me.”

He raised an eyebrow, looking forward again as he turned corners without much thought.

I figured he must have memorized his paths at this point.

“It gives me power, but also responsibility.”

“So, yes and no?”

He looked down at me.  “Did you come to talk to me about something as dull as this?”

I shrugged, turning my attention forward as we rounded another corner.  “I just wanted to talk to you about anything.”

He kept his expression guarded.  “Trying to discover my weaknesses?”

I frowned as I thought for a moment.  “Not really.”  I looked up at him.  “I don’t think your feelings on your Head Boy duties are particularly useful insights into the darkest parts of your mind,” I admitted.

His eyes flickered down to me very briefly before looking ahead again.  “Was there anything else?”

I pursed my lips.  “I didn’t really have anything in mind.”  I looked back towards him.  “Just…tell me about yourself.”

A skeptical look overtook Tom’s features as he continued to stare ahead, resolutely not looking at me.  “You’re trying to get me to reveal something.”

I could see it behind his eyes, though.

Vulnerability.

“Tom…” I sighed, looking up at him.

He finally looked down at me.

I frowned.  “You’re far too cynical.  Is it so hard to believe I just want to get to know you?”

Tom raised an eyebrow.  “You did try to kill me.”

“And I haven’t for almost a month now,” I reminded.

Tom’s eyes shifted to the floor for a few beats before he looked forward again.  “I still don’t trust you.”

“Nor I, you.”

~~~~~~~~~

I tugged at my hair, looking down at my Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.

“Is something wrong, King?”

I looked up, seeing Tom sit across from me.  “My grades are slipping because I’ve been a little…preoccupied.”  Pursing my lips, I let out a small huff.  “And Defense Against the Dark Arts was never one of my strong suits,” I remarked, gaze returning to my book.

“Well, fortunately it’s my best subject.”  Tom stood, moving around the table to sit next to me.

I felt heat creep up my neck at the proximity.

He placed his hands on the table, his robe sleeve brushing mine, looking over at the pages I had flipped open.  “What have you been struggling with?”

Merlin, how was anyone supposed to think with Tom that close, let alone focus.

“Uhhh.”

Tom looked down at me, his green eyes peering into mine.

My breathing picked up, chest rising and falling at a faster rate.  I studied his face for a few moments, gaze dropping briefly to his lips before quickly averting my eyes to stare down at the textbook.

King, what do you think you’re doing!?  Pull yourself together!

I forcibly cleared my throat.  “Uhhh,” I repeated, my voice even weaker than it had been.  I let out a strained chuckle, holding my head in my hand.  “Merlin, Tom.”

“Are you alright, King?”

I looked over at him, only to turn even redder at seeing the smirk on his face.

“Should I take you to the healer?”  His eyebrows quirked upward almost mockingly.  His features shifted, feigning concern.  “I don’t believe that shade of red is normal.  Or healthy.”

I glared, the expression holding no actual anger, and swatted him in the arm, looking back to my book.  “I hate you.”

He let out a breathy chuckle before pulling the textbook closer to him so he could see it better.  Gesturing at it, he looked back at me.  “What’s confusing you?”

An affectionate smile graced my features.

I didn’t even have the thought to gasp in horror at the action.

~~~~~~~~

“No, that’s purely a defensive spell.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, scratching down a note as I took a bite of toast.

Tom sat next to me, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

“I think some of these spells should be more versatile,” I muttered, finishing writing and sitting upright.

“Unfortunately, we cannot decide.”

I looked up at Tom.  “Bummer, really.”  I huffed out a sigh.  “I guess we just have to focus on what we can control.”

Tom’s gaze dropped slightly.

I could practically see the gears turning in his head.

“Indeed,” he said.

I blinked at him for a few moments before pointing at a sentence in my book.  “But, does-”

The sound of the doors in the Great Hall opening brought my attention to them.

I sighed as students flowed in.  Looking back to Tom, I frowned.  “I wish there was somewhere private we could meet.  We aren’t in the same house, so we can’t even both be in the same Common Room.”

Tom hummed.  “The library is only available for certain hours, as well.”

I nodded, pursing my lips.  “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”  Closing my book, I looked back at Tom as I put the textbook back in my bag.  “Thanks for all your help.”

Tom chuckled briefly.  “It’s a wonder you made it to seventh year in your time.”  He stood from the Gryffindor table, looking down at me.  “I can only assume that magic has gotten even more complex in future decades.”

“The style of writing is different.”  I sent him a crooked grin.  “Less pompous, if you ask me.”

He scoffed.  “Less professional, you mean.”  He turned around, returning to the Slytherin table.

I smiled at his back for a few moments before returning to my breakfast.

“How are you, King?”

I looked up, seeing Margaret sit across from me.  “I’m doing well, how about you?”

She smiled.  “I’m ready for the day.  Our finals are in only a few weeks, but I feel prepared.”

Groaning, I put my head in my hand.  “Don’t remind me.  This Defense Against the Dark Arts stuff is killing me.”

“You seem to be doing better in class,” she remarked, pouring herself a cup of pumpkin juice.

I smiled softly, the image of Tom Riddle appearing in my head.  Clearing my throat, I looked up at the Gryffindor.  “It’s a miracle, Margaret.”

~~~~~~~~~

“I’m ready to go to sleep,” Joan remarked, heading back to the Common Room for the evening.

“It has been a long day,” Margaret agreed, readjusting her grip on the books she held to her chest.

“I’ll probably be up for a little bit,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair with a huff.  “I need to do more studying.”

“Miss King.”

The three of us turned to the voice.

I involuntarily smiled at the sight of the Slytherin.  Nodding in greeting, I managed to wipe most of the smile away.  “Mister Riddle.”

My housemates were looking between us suspiciously.

Tom turned to the two girls.  “May I borrow her?”

They exchanged glances before nodding at the Head Boy.

Tom smiled.  “Wonderful.”

I looked at the girls and waved.  “I’ll catch up with you later.”

They waved back before continuing to head towards the Common Room.

I turned back to Tom, raising an eyebrow and smirking slightly.  “Borrow me?”

He smirked back.  “It worked, didn’t it?”

I shook my head, chuckling.  “What did you need?”

“I wanted to show you something.”  He gestured for me to follow him, which I swiftly did.

I didn’t even realize I no longer had trouble trying to match his pace.

“I found somewhere I think we could meet,” he said just quietly enough so that no one but me could hear.  “I had read something about it and began to research.”  He turned a corner, stopping in front of a wall.  He stared up at it.  “It’s called ‘The Room of Requirement’.”

My eyes widened.

Of course!

“Brilliant, Tom.”  I turned, seeing the familiar door begin forming on the once-blank wall.

Once the door had fully appeared, I walked forward, opening the door and stepping inside.

I paused, looking around.

“Is something wrong?”

My gaze raked the room.  “It’s just different from my time.”  I chuckled, observing the couch and two chairs surrounding a small table.

A fireplace sat a few paces away, filling the room with warmth.  A red rug covered the floor, a bookshelf in the corner of the room.

I chewed on my lip.  “I suppose it’s for a different use, though.”

“What do you use the room for in your time?”

The voice was so close I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I looked over my shoulder, seeing Tom standing behind me.  My gaze raked his features.  I forced my voice to remain steady.  “Practicing spells.”  I drew my gaze from him to look around the room again.  “It’s usually much more open than this.”

Tom hummed before moving from behind me to stand by the small table.  “I thought this would be a good place for us to study,” he remarked casually, running his hand along the back of a chair.

I watched the action before lifting my gaze to meet his eyes.

He met mine at the same time.

“It’s very cozy in here.”  I walked towards him, sitting down on the couch.  “I might do more sleeping in here than studying.”

Tom sat down next to me.  “I will not let you sleep.”  He looked over at me.  “Not with the end of the semester so close.”

I huffed.  “Right.”  Sighing, I pulled my school bag off my shoulder, dropping it on the floor next to me as I pulled out my DADA book and set it on the table, turning to the right page.  “Now… where were we?”

~~~~~~~~

“Correct.”

I sighed out in relief, leaning back against the familiar couch, running my hands along my face.

“You really are doing quite well,” Tom said from beside me.

I let out a short chuckle.  “Only thanks to you.”  I dropped my hands to my lap, looking over at the Slytherin.  “There’s only one week left until exams.”  I scooched forward on the couch so I could better reach the table, looking down at my textbook.  “With all of this new information, my brain may explode.”

“I think that is unlikely.”

I chuckled as I turned to look at Tom, only to freeze, my breath catching in my throat.

He was looking down at me, a warm glint in his eyes.  A beautiful glow was being cast on part of his face from the fire, contrasting the dim lighting of the rest of the room.

The sounds of the crackling embers filled my ears.  The smell of wood flooded my nose.

A warmth overtook me as I looked between Tom’s green eyes.

My heart twinged.

I gasped slightly, looking away.  My eyes wide, I held my head in my hands as I tried to calm my breathing.

This can’t be happening.

“King?”

I felt the couch shift as Tom leaned closer to me.

“Are you alright?”

I looked over at him, meeting his concerned eyes.  I let out a tiny quiet, albeit strained, laugh.  “I’m alright, Tom.”  My gaze dropped to his lips, lingering there for far longer than I had intended, getting caught up in mentally tracing their shape.

I briefly wondered how they’d feel.

I groaned, falling sideways on the couch, my hair splayed out on the cushion.  I hid my face in my hands.

What in Merlin’s name was wrong with me?

Sighing, I turned, lying on my back as I stared up at the ceiling.

He’s the Dark Lord, he’s the Dark Lord, he’s the Dark Lord, he-

I closed my eyes.

The Dark Lord would never help the woman sent back to kill him with her homework.

My eyes opened, seeing Tom looking down at me.

His face was contorted into one of confusion as his gaze raked my form before meeting my eyes again.  He quirked an eyebrow.

I chuckled, sitting up again.

“Is everything okay?”

I smiled at the Slytherin.  “Yeah.”  My gaze drifted between his curious eyes.  “It is.”  Slowly, I reached my right hand up.

His gaze went to it, watching for a few moments, before his eyes returned to mine.

I carefully placed my hand on the side of his face.

He took in a sharp inhale, eyebrows pulling together and eyelids fluttering.

I gently rubbed my thumb over his cheek, reaching my left hand up and placing it on his shoulder.

He stared into my eyes with so much emotion I could barely stand it.

I leaned forward slowly, watching him intently for any indication of rejection.

He swallowed hard as I got closer.

When I was just a few inches from him, I met his eyes.

They were large, looking alarmed, but I didn’t find any dislike.

I slowly closed the gap, my eyes fluttering closed unintentionally the moment our lips met.

Merlin, his lips felt so perfect against mine.

My hand on his shoulder shifted, dragging across his back to cradle the back of his head.  My fingers threaded through the hair, loving the softness.

A tug on my waist brought my attention to the weight of his hands on my hips.

I broke the kiss slowly, desperately needing air, and rested my forehead against his.  I continued to play with his hair as I panted for breath, my eyes still closed, afraid that if I opened them the moment would be gone.

For the first time in a long while I could finally hear Tom’s breathing, nearly as ragged as mine.

I felt a gentle nudge against my lips and kissed back, my right hand taking place at the back of Tom’s head to replace my left hand, which had traveled down to Tom’s left shoulder.  My arm laid completely across the back of his neck and shoulders, pulling him towards me with such force I fell backwards onto the couch, Tom following.

I opened my eyes as I pulled away, looking up at him.

He panted from above me, eyes drifting between my own.

Shifting my right hand, I brushed some of his fallen hair out of his eyes.  “I think I love you,” I whispered.

His eyes widened and he froze, his breathing seeming to stop altogether.

But perhaps it did.

As much as my head screamed at me that this was Voldemort, the Dark Lord, the killer of dozens, it didn’t feel true.

I could never feel this way about Voldemort.

Tom Riddle was a different person.  He shared the same anger issues, hurts, wishes for something better for himself, but he wasn’t so malicious.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, cradling his jaw again.  “You don’t need to say it back if you don’t want to.”

Tom’s wide eyes searched my own, as if in disbelief of what he’d heard.

I chuckled, reaching both arms around his back and pulled him down, laying him on top of me.

He tried to use his forearms to support his weight, but I forced his entire body onto me, enjoying the fullness of his presence.

Letting out a content sigh, I wrapped my arms around him, rubbing his back.  I turned my head, placing a kiss on his temple before we stilled, just listening to the sounds of our own breathing and the fire, feeling nothing but each other.

~~~~~~~~

Tom hadn’t spoken to me since yesterday.

While he normally would spend some time eating breakfast at my table before most of the students came in, he marched straight to the Slytherin table, an expression on his face that I had never seen on him before.

He didn’t look quite confused or angry, but he didn’t look happy or sad either.

The best guess I had was that he was trying to figure out what to do after our last…interaction.

To be fair, hearing those three dangerous words from someone not from your own time sent to kill you would probably send me for a loop.

I slowly ate supper, doing some thinking of my own.

I had caught him looking at me multiple times today, but that was hardly surprising, or even helpful in finding out what was going through his brain.

It was doing little to calm the anxiety that had seemed to settle in my stomach and reside there all day.

“King?”

I looked up, seeing Margaret and Joan looking at me expectantly.  “Sorry, what?”

“What are your plans after you graduate?”

I let out a small chuckle at the irony, looking back down at the food on my plate.  “I’m not sure.”  My gaze lifted to find the Head Boy.  “I guess that depends.”

Margaret caught it and she gasped, clasping her hands together.  “Are you going to marry Tom Riddle!?”

My fork slipped out of my hand, clattering against the plate as my eyes widened.  “Shhh!”  I narrowed my eyes at her.  “Merlin, Margaret, people can hear you.”

She grinned sheepishly.  “Sorry.”

After a beat of silence, Joan looked over at me.  “Well?  Are you?”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.  “I don’t know.”  My leg began to bounce and I brought my hand down, placing it on top of my knee in an effort to stop its movements.  “I don’t know what we are.”  I looked over at him.  “I don’t know if we can.”

Can you marry someone from the past?

“We didn’t think you and Tom were that close,” Joan admitted carefully.  “I know that you would often disappear, but we didn’t know why.”

“He’s helping me study for the upcoming exams,” I said, gaze dropping back to my plate.

“Is that all?”

I glanced over at Margaret.  “I don’t know.”  Putting my hands on the table, I stood.  “I’m going for a walk.  I’ll see you both later.”  Stepping away from the table, I marched out of the Great Hall, not once looking back.

~~~~~~~~

I simply had to ask him.

Two days had gone by without anything from the famous Slytherin.

I sat at breakfast, trying to figure out when the best time to approach him was.

He didn’t even come into the Great Hall early like he usually did, instead coming in surrounded by his followers amongst the flood of other students.

“Attention, students,” Headmaster Dippet spoke.  “Your final exams begin today and last throughout the week.  To avoid cheating, only one house at a time will take their exams so that everyone can have their own desk.”  His gaze raked across the tables.  “Your schedules are posted on the classroom doors.  Now,” he gestured, “enjoy your breakfast.  And good luck.”

I ran a hand through my hair as he sat back down.

Alright.  Approaching Tom before our exams was out of the question.

Maybe I could catch him in the hallway.

I then had the thought that talking to the most famous boy in school about our love life in the middle of a likely-busy hallway was not my best idea.

After class, perhaps?

He might have Head Boy duties, or something.  He’d probably run off to his Common Room as soon as he could, anyway.

Merlin, this was giving me a headache.

Sighing in temporary defeat, I pulled out my textbook to begin studying for my first test.

Maybe focusing on something else would clear my head.

~~~~~~~~

By Friday I was determined to track this man down, even if it meant breaking into the Slytherin Common Room.

It had been a whole week since we had spent that evening in the Room of Requirement.

Merlin, it just was my luck that the first person I broke down walls for, confessed my feelings to and was intimate with would be from fifty years ago, and it just would be Lord Voldemort- the man that I had been sent to kill- and of course he would avoid me at any possible cost afterwards.

You couldn’t write this stuff.

As soon as I handed in my test for grading- briefly noting that there was no way I did as well as I would have liked given my mental state- I sprinted out of the classroom as quickly as I could, making a beeline for the Slytherin Common Room.

If I had to wait there for hours, I would see Tom Riddle.

He couldn’t run forever.

And so, I waited.

Because it was Friday, the last day before graduation, there was only one exam today in order to give the teachers enough time to grade everything.

Tom wouldn’t be long.

I waited outside their door for two hours, at some point sitting down because my feet were beginning to hurt from standing on the stone floor.  At the sound of voices, I looked up, rising to stand.

Tom, naturally, led the pack; taking up the front.

He looked away from one of his followers, eyes landing on their door before his gaze drifted to me.

I don’t think I had ever seen Tom Riddle look nervous before.

“King,” he addressed in a false sense of calm.

I could hear the slight waver in his voice.

Cocking an eyebrow, I resisted the urge to cross my arms.  “Riddle,” I replied in a cold tone.

He let out a harsh, silent breath, glancing away briefly before meeting my eyes again.  “What are you doing here?”

“Hunting for snakes.”  I allowed my arms to cross.  “They tend to hide when they get scared.”  I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes.  “You haven’t seen any, have you?”

Whispers broke out amongst the Slytherins behind Tom.

He looked over his shoulder, wordlessly silencing them with only an expression.  Turning back to me, he faltered for a moment.

I had clearly caught him off guard.

He was getting sloppy.

I mentally patted myself on the back.

Surely if Tom was going to end up as Voldemort he would have kept alert, right?

At his prolonged silence I raised an expectant eyebrow.

“What’s the wait for?!”  Someone from the back yelled.

I looked towards the back of the group before meeting Tom’s gaze again.

He huffed, rolling his eyes slightly.  Looking back to me, he finally found his voice.  “We were going to celebrate the end of the year…” he trailed off, hoping I would get the message.

If he thought I was going to succumb to his not-so-subtle hint to leave, he had another thing coming.

I scoffed.  “You’re not.”

“We’re not?”

“You’re not.”  I nodded my head towards the group behind the Head Boy.  “They can do what they please.”  I looked back to Tom.  “But you owe me a conversation and some time.”

He watched me for a few moments.

I refused to back down.

Tom sighed, nodding.  He gestured for the rest of his housemates to go in, quietly announcing the password.

When we were finally alone I remained silent, wanting him to crumble a little under the dread of what would come out of my mouth.

Frankly, I didn’t even know what I was going to say.

After a few moments he cleared his throat, drawing his shoulders back and holding his head high to stand to his full height.  He looked at me, raising an eyebrow, but I could see the flicker of fear behind his eyes.

I waited a few beats before asking the first question.  “Do you realize how horrible this week has been for me?”  I scoffed.  “Merlin, Tom, we graduate tomorrow- I worried I would never see you again.”

His gaze dropped to the floor.

I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious.  “Look, if you regret it- if you regret me- then you should have just come out and say it.”  I looked to the wall, terrified of meeting his eyes.

Silence stretched between us, feeling so suffocating I considered leaving to get some fresh air.

But I couldn’t.  Not now.  Not when I finally had him.

“I don’t.”

It was so quiet I barely heard him.  I finally turned my head to face him, meeting his gaze.  I eyed him, trying to find any indication of a lie.  Finding none, I continued.  “Why are you avoiding me?”

“I needed some time to think.”

I tried to swallow the lump that formed in my throat, but was unsuccessful.  “And?”  I managed to croak out.

He grew silent again.

If I didn’t know any better, I would say he was toying with me intentionally.

My eyebrows pulled together as I searched his eyes.  “Tom?”

He took a deep breath.  “I want you to stay.”  He straightened his posture again.  “I want you to stay with me.”

I swore my heart stopped.

Time seemed to halt around me.

I opened my mouth, trying to respond, but I found I had no idea what to say.

Did I want to stay with him?  Could I stay in a time that wasn’t my own?  Was he completely cured of his evil endeavors?

I blinked away my thoughts, squaring my shoulders.  “And your…plans for the future?”

He went silent, though he held my gaze.  “I never had anyone love me before,” he finally settled on saying.  “I didn’t think I was capable of the feeling, myself.”  He took in a large, shaky breath, but kept his eyes on mine.  “I’m willing to give up my aspirations for you.”  His eyebrows quirked up in vulnerability.  “If you’ll have me.”

I was rendered completely and utterly speechless.  All thoughts of an appropriate response fled my brain.  I looked down, trying to think, when I caught sight of his hands at his sides.  I lifted my head to meet his gaze.  “And the Horcruxes?”

He grimaced.  “I haven’t destroyed them, yet.”  He lifted his hand to look at the ring that hugged his finger.  “I’m not looking forward to it.”

“It’s going to hurt,” I confirmed, walking towards him to look at the ring.  Reaching my hand out, I stroked the gem, making a mental note that he let me.  I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes.  “That’s what happens when you split your soul apart.”

He sighed, nodding.

I clapped my hand on his chest good-naturedly.  “Be glad I caught you when you’ve only made two.  I imagine it hurts worse with each split.”

Having nothing to say, he simply nodded again.

I chuckled, holding his large hand between both of mine.  “So…” I grinned up at him, “you’ll get a good job because you’re so smart, I’ll get the best job I can, being in a different time and everything, and we’ll go from there.”  I gently patted the top of his hand.  “How does that sound?”

He smiled.  “It’s a start.”

I chuckled, stepping completely into him and wrapping my arms around him.

His arms came around me, settling on my low back.

I let out a small laugh.  “How on earth did I do this?”

Tom pulled away slightly to look down at me.  “Do what?”

“Tame the Dark Lord.”  I chuckled.  “I still don’t know what Professor McGonagall was thinking.  I have no idea how this worked.”

Tom thought for a moment.  “By being yourself, I suppose.”

I hummed.  “Sounds flimsy.”

Tom huffed a chuckle and I grinned, looking up at him.

Reaching my right hand up, I once again cradled the side of his face.

He closed his eyes, leaning into it, before he opened them to look down at me.

We both leaned forward, meeting in the middle, and our lips connected, slotting into place.

My heart danced in my chest as I ran my hand through his hair before pulling away to look up at him.  “I love you.”

He smiled down at me.  “I love you, too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: Holy moly, this is so long.  54 pages.

This was actually really hard to write.  Trying to make Tom Riddle redeemable is easier said than done.  I got stuck multiple times when writing this, trying to figure out how to best progress in a way that was realistic and moved the story and their relationship forward in a believable way.  He's also so nuanced that I reworked a fair number of his lines to try to sound as much like him as possible.

I went back and edited some things multiple times because I noticed that I was writing King coming at the problem from a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff way, so I had to try to adjust it to make her more firmly Gryffindor.  She still has moments of traits from other houses, but that's normal, so.

There's a couple things in the story that I didn't outright say, but wanted to share anyway:

-Tom WAS following King (in Hogsmeade, the library, etc.) to keep an eye on her, because she DID defeat him and could have killed him if she wanted.  While he never admitted it, he did view her as a threat.

-Dippet's password being "strawberries" I made up/guessed, because Dumbledore had started a rumor that Dippet had planted strawberries on the castle grounds, likely meaning the Headmaster was fond of them.

-Doing some research, I found that Abraxas didn't actually go to school with Tom, but Avery was one of the few Death Eaters that were confirmed to.

-Tom reacting so strongly to physical affection just made sense to me.  Especially growing up in an orphanage, that boy is definitely touch-starved.

-Tom avoiding King to think also seemed fitting, since he was new to love and he had to battle between a woman and all of the plans he had been crafting for years.  I think it's realistic that he would have tried to give himself space and time to weigh his options, and even not wanting to seek her out to tell her.

-Tom didn't see an issue announcing the password to the Slytherin Common Room in front of King because it was the last school day, so she couldn't use it after they graduated, anyway.

Anywho.  That was a lot. Hope you enjoyed.  Make sure to let me know what you thought!  I'm curious if you thought I did our dear Tom Riddle justice.

[ameliecausse]

Shaka and Māra, the demon King of the Sixth Realm~

[inksilvery]

commission for Randomuser909 on twitter

[iisabelinski]

He-lloo! I know I haven’t posted any art in like — looks at her notes — a year?! More? 😅

Been chipping away at this in my free time, and it’s finally done! My favorite space couple dressed in space ponchos, probably having a tense conversation before shit hits the fan and they need to get down to business 🔫🔫🔫

[my-last-brain-cell-is-socrates]

//Anne Carson, Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides // Chloe Liese, Always Only You //

[inacatastrophicmind]

[kindlythevoid]

Y’all, y’all, I know this is (among many, many other things) the talk-about-your-fanfics site but I physically cannot talk about them without being prompted. However, because I am dying to talk about them, I have decided to do it in the format of an ask game.

What story (stories?) are you writing rn that you’ll most likely publish next? ∩(´∀`∩)

What story (stories?) are you writing rn that will most likely linger in your head for an undetermined period of time? (*´▽｀*)

What tropes do you like writing about the most? (´▽`ʃƪ)

Lore dump about the OCs (see tags for options)! (∩˃o˂∩)

One individual fun fact for each OC in the tags. ヽ(‘ ∇‘ )ノ

Longest fic you’ve written (published or not)? ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

Shortest fic you’ve written (published or not)? ‹•.•›

Fic that is near and dear to your heart? ♡

Top three fics you’ve written (in author’s opinion)? ♡♡♡

Story Moodboard of choice (either you or author picks the story; author makes). (◡‿◡✿)

OC Moodboard of choice (either you or author picks the OC; author makes). ❀☉‿☉❀

Write another line in your WIP (rude, productive, but okay). ◔̯◔

Drop a playlist for a story! ♪♡♪

Umm… yeah, so feel free to reblog to use the ask game yourself!! Fingers crossed all those nervous writers get to lore dump, yeah?

[fireandiceland]

“he would not fucking say that” girl yes I’m aware this is a shitpost about a customer from germany requesting 19k condoms at my work and they are made in france

[lavender-bastet]

while this is one of my favorite scenes, if I was a sibuna i would've been like hey instead of taking an entire extra person into the tunnels, how about:

[telffiin]

they're so zuko & azula core

*flops around like a dead fish* finally finished this. i'm never attempting to render anything ever again. if there's some glaring mistake here i don't care i'm not fixing it

[justsomewritingblog]

Beating Malfoy

Request:  None

Requested By:  Nobody

Pairing:  Draco Malfoy x Ravenclaw!OC/reader

Summary:  A Ravenclaw is tired of being outdone by Draco

Warnings:  none?

A/N:  This was so fun to write!

Word Count:  6K+

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was the year.

I was not going to let a Ravenclaw be outdone by the likes of Draco Malfoy four years in a row.

Making my way to the Great Hall for breakfast, I sat down quickly, putting various breakfast items on my plate.

“What’s up with you this morning, Clarke?”

I looked up at the call of my surname.  “I’m doing it this year.”

Ivy raised an eyebrow as she sat down across from me.  “Doing what?”

I bit off a piece of toast.  “I’m going to beat Malfoy in Potions this year.  I don’t care if he is Snape’s favorite.”  I quickly downed some pumpkin juice to help me swallow the bread faster.

Ivy raised an eyebrow.  “Good luck.  You know Snivels is the most biased out of all the professors.”

“I know.”  I took another bite and picked up my glass, pointing my first finger at her with my hand still around the glass.  “But he also values intelligence and obedience.”  Taking a quick swig, I put the glass back on the table.  “Malfoy is only one of those things at a time.”

Ivy crossed her arms, resting them on the table.  “Frankly, I don’t know if he’s ever either,” she muttered, glancing over at the Slytherin table.

“What’s going on?”

Ivy and I looked up at the sound of the new voice.

The noise in the Great Hall rapidly increased, a large number of students pouring in, everyone just having gotten out of bed.

Ivy spoke up, talking just loudly enough that Drew could hear her over the chatter.  “Clarke here has decided she’s going to become Snape’s favorite student this year.”

Drew sat down on Ivy’s left, looking between us.  “She did, huh?”  At my nod he chuckled.  “Good luck with that.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly.  “I can do it.”

“Well, obviously you’re smarter than His Royal Brattiness, but I don’t think that matters to Snape,” Drew confessed, pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice.

“We’ll see.”  I popped the last piece of toast in my mouth, wiping my hands together to clean off the crumbs.  “I’ll see you guys later.  I’m going to spend the rest of the breakfast period studying.”  Downing the remaining bit of my pumpkin juice, I stood, casting a quick glance to the platinum blond sitting at the Slytherin table before walking out of the Great Hall.

Not this year, Malfoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I hurried into the dungeon, my books clutched tightly to my chest.  Stopping outside of Snape’s classroom, I paused.  How early was too early?  Surely he wouldn’t scold me for being ten minutes early?

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.  Looking around the classroom, I noticed that I was the only student here.  A feeling of horror overtook me when I saw Snape sitting at his desk at the front of the classroom.

His eyebrow was raised at me.

“You’re early, Miss Clarke,” he said, looking back down at whatever was on the desk in front of him.  “Is there a reason?”

I blinked, coming back into my senses as I hurried to my seat, placing the books I was carrying on my desk.  “I just wanted to do well this year, Professor.”

Snape didn’t look up from the parchment he was reading.  “Do you feel you have done unwell the last three years, Miss Clarke?”

I squirmed a little in my seat.  “No, sir.  But I know I can do better.”

His eyes raised to look at me, though his head hadn’t lifted.  Saying nothing, he looked back down at his notes.

A few beats of silence passed and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding before opening my books to where I left off.  I really didn’t want him to push me any further.

He didn’t need to know that I was trying to outdo his favorite student.

~~~~~~~~

“Can anyone tell me what Bezoar is used for?”

I was quick to raise my hand.

Snape turned to me.  “Miss Clarke.”

I lowered my hand.  “Bezoar is used in antidotes for the majority of poisons.”

Snape raised an eyebrow and turned away slightly before looking back at me.  “An example of an exception?”

“Basilisk venom, sir.”

The room broke out in whispers, no doubt the students recalling the events that overtook the school a couple years prior.

Snape raised his voice, drawing the attention of the students again.  He nodded his head ever so slightly at me before moving on.

My chest puffed out slightly and I turned to look at Malfoy who was seated a few desks away from me.  Waiting until he felt my eyes on him, I sent an arrogant smirk his way.

His eyebrow cocked briefly before his eyes narrowed.

I held his gaze for only a moment longer before looking back to the front.

I didn’t need my attention off the lesson for longer than necessary.

~~~~~~~~

“Hey, I was thinking we could hang out tonight,” Ivy suggested as she sat across from me at the dinner table.

“I can’t.”  I stabbed a piece of chicken.  “I’m studying tonight.”

Ivy rolled her eyes.  “You’re always studying.”  She gestured at herself.  “I want to do well, too, I’m a Ravenclaw, but you’ve left no time for anything social.  I feel like I haven’t seen you in months.”

“You’ve seen me,” I defended.

“Yeah, eating, in class, or in bed.”  Ivy gave me a deadpan expression.

“Sorry, Ive, but I’m so close to my goal.”  I swallowed some pumpkin juice.  “I just need-” I glanced towards the Slytherin table, trailing off when I saw Malfoy’s eyes already on me.

He was looking me over thoughtfully, his eyebrows furrowed.

I turned back to Ivy, eyes wide.  “ShoOT- what if he knows?  Rowena help me if he starts getting competitive and studying harder just to keep Snape’s favor, I swear-”

“Clarke, calm down.”  Ivy reached her hand out, placing it on the arm I had rested on the table.  “Malfoy doesn’t strike me as the studying type.  Besides, you were the one that threw him that look in Potions last week.  You basically challenged him, yourself.”

I released my hair with my other hand, remembering that Malfoy had been looking at me.  I needed to remain calm.

Even if it was just a front.

I couldn’t show weakness.

Clearing my throat, I sat up straighter.  “Well, you could do something with Drew.”

Ivy pulled her hand away from my arm, picking up her own fork.  “I have been.  But sometimes I’d like to just hang out with you,” she paused as she scooped up some peas, “or even the three of us.”

I looked at her, frowning.  “I’m really sorry.”

She nodded, not looking up from her plate.

My frown deepened.  “Hey, the weekend’s coming up.  I’ll take a break from studying and we can do something, alright?”

She lifted her head, meeting my eyes.  Giving me a small smile, she nodded.  “Alright.”

Satisfied that she was content, I stabbed my fork into some potatoes.  “Where is Drew, anyway?”

She nodded her head towards the Hufflepuff table.  “With Cedric Diggory.”

I cocked an eyebrow.  “Why?  He’s never spent time with Diggory before.”

“Because he’s one of the triwizard…quad-wizard champions.”

I nodded my head, remembering how Drew had said that he would’ve entered if he was old enough.  Raising my head to look over at the Hufflepuff table, I found Drew easily, being the only one at the table to be standing.

Cedric Diggory was looking up at him, a polite smile on his face.

I swallowed my food.  “I wonder what they’re saying.”

Ivy shrugged, looking over as well.  “Drew’s probably geeking out.”

I chuckled, looking over at Ivy only to see her gaze still fixed in their direction.  Raising my hand to hide my smile, I looked up at her.

She leaned the side of her head on her closed fist, her dark hair, while in a ponytail, nearly ending up in her plate.  Her gaze stayed unmoving.

When it became clear that she was lost in her thoughts, I spoke up to break the silence.

“Diggory’s cute,” I mentioned casually, looking up at her.  I fought the grin that wanted to take over my face.

Her eyes snapped over to me.  “You’d have to be blind to not notice that.  Everyone in the school thinks so.”  Her gaze drifted back to the Hufflepuff before looking back at me, though it seemed it took some effort.

“Too bad he has people around him wherever he goes.”  I smirked up at her.  “All you’d need is some alone time…”

She scowled, slapping my arm as her face turned a cherry red.  “Knock it off!”

I couldn’t even attempt to hide my laughter.  “I’m just saying…” I shrugged one shoulder, “he’s perfect for you.”

Ivy deadpanned at me, but I saw her expression shift slightly.  “Why don’t you go study or something?”

~~~~~~~~

With the weekend beginning the next day, I had crammed in as much studying time as possible.  Ivy’s reminder about the triwi- quad-wizard tournament had me recalling that Quidditch had been canceled, and I realized that Malfoy had even more time to study if he wanted to, which Ivy kept insisting he would never do.

It didn’t make me feel any better, though.

I sat in Potions, eagerly awaiting the next chance to answer a question.  I just had to be careful to not get overly excited and pretentious.

“Does anyone know the effects of drinking a Manegro potion?”  Snape turned to face the class.

I raised my hand.

“Miss Clarke.”

“The Manegro potion causes the drinker’s hair to rapidly grow.”  I lowered my hand.

“Correct again,” Snape said.

I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch just the slightest bit upwards before he quickly began speaking again.

Risking a glance at Malfoy, I saw him already looking at me, his forehead creased in thought.

I raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him before looking back towards the front, not giving myself the opportunity to have seen his response.

Before I knew it, class was over.

As I collected my things I stilled at the sound of my surname, looking up at Professor Snape.

I tried to ignore the way Malfoy’s packing had slowed.

“Might I have a word with you?”

Ivy gave me a look that told me that she wasn’t sure if this was good or bad.

I gave her a similar one before heading towards the front of the class.

Snape waited until all the students had left before looking at me.

I fought the urge to shift on my feet.

“I must admit that I’m impressed with your knowledge this year.”

I waited a few beats to make sure that he actually wanted a response before saying “thank you, Professor.”

“I thought you would be interested to know that you have moved to the top of the class,” he remarked, looking down at a parchment.

I forced myself to keep a neutral face, but couldn’t stop the swelling in my heart.  “Thank you, Professor.”

Snape raised an eyebrow at me.  “Have you given any thought in becoming a Potions Master?”

I blinked in surprise as I looked over at him.  “Professor?”

He didn’t say anything for a moment.  “You would do well in that career.”  He didn’t make eye contact with me, instead making a note of something.

I briefly wondered if it hurt him to give a compliment, much less to a non-Slytherin.  “Thank you, Professor.  I will give it some thought.”

He looked over at me again before nodding and turning back to what he was doing.

A few beats passed and I deduced that he had said all he wanted to.

Getting a face-splitting grin the moment I turned my back on him, I collected my things and hurried out the door, being in such a good mood I called “have a nice evening, Professor!” as I rushed out of the classroom.

I had to find Ivy.  I had to tell her I had done it.  I had bested-

A hand caught my elbow, spinning me back around.

-Draco Malfoy.

My grin faltered and my eyes widened as I looked up at the Slytherin.

His gray eyes were staring down at me, his lips pressed into a thin line and his eyebrows furrowed together.

I had only felt this small seconds ago; standing in front of Professor Snape.

“Malfoy,” I greeted with a false sense of calm.

“What game are you playing, Clarke?”

“Straight to the point, I see,” I remarked, raising an eyebrow.

His eyes narrowed and I forced myself not to swallow nervously.

“I’m not playing any game,” I insisted.  “I’m just trying to do well in class.  Isn’t that normal?”

“You were doing well the last three years,” he said, eyeing me suspiciously.  “You’re going above and beyond this year.”

I smiled- a fake and confident one- at him.  “Thank you for the compliment.”

“Clarke.”

“Is it too hard to believe I just want to be better?”

Malfoy raised an eyebrow.  “Better than who?”

I swallowed, but responded in what I hoped would be fast enough.  “Myself last year.”

He said nothing, instead just searching my eyes.  “You’re lying to me.”

“If you say so,” I replied, yanking my arm out of his hold.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find Ivy.”  Turning my back on him, I walked away, hoping he wouldn’t follow.

Thankfully, he didn’t.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ve done it!”  I exclaimed, sitting down across from Ivy and Drew.  I piled some food on my plate.  “Rowena, it feels so good.”

“Does that mean you can have a life again?”  Ivy raised an eyebrow at me.

“Yep.”  I grinned, spreading butter over my potatoes.  “As long as Malfoy doesn’t come for revenge, I should be fine.”  I pointed the knife at my friends.  “I’m going to keep studying, just not as hard.  I don’t want to slip from the top of the class.”

“Do you think Malfoy’s upset?”  Drew glanced over my shoulder before meeting my eyes.

“Well, he did corner me after class,” I admitted.  Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked up at him.  “Why?”

Drew nodded his head towards the Slytherin table.  “He keeps looking over here.”

I glanced behind me, only to meet the blond’s gaze.  Rolling my eyes, I faced my friends again.  “Annoying git.”

“Does he know?”  Ivy questioned, leaning forward.

“I hope not,” I confessed.  “Merlin knows I don’t need Malfoy having a vendetta against me.”

~~~~~~~~

“We are going to be splitting into teams to brew a potion,” Snape announced.

Ivy turned to me excitedly, grinning.

“Headmaster Dumbledore would like the houses mixed as a way to…” Snape raised an eyebrow and frowned, “overcome house differences.”  He lifted his head higher.  “Therefore, you cannot be on the same team with a member of your own house.  I will assign the potions once you have all chosen teams.”  He began to turn away.  “If you do not choose a teammate quickly, I will assign partners.”

As soon as he stopped talking, students began bustling around, not wanting to end up with someone they hated.

I stood on my tiptoes, trying to locate a Slytherin that didn’t look sour.

“Clarke.”

I whipped my head around, eyes landing on Draco Bloody Malfoy.

Cocking an eyebrow, I addressed him.  “Malfoy.”

He looked at me for a moment before leaning towards me, placing his hand on my desk so he could whisper without anyone else hearing.  “I’m not happy about this, either.  Let’s just do our best and get this over with.”

I held his gaze.  “I agree entirely.”

He stood up straighter, his eyes still on me and hand on the table for a few moments before he faced the front of the class again.

I let out a small sigh I had barely tried to hold in.

Rowena, this would be my luck.

Snape, realizing everyone was settled into teams, walked throughout the class, handing everyone papers.  “You all have different potions to prevent cheating,” he declared, making his way through the next row.  “This of course means that some are easier than others.”  He held out a sheet for me and Malfoy, which we both reached for and grabbed at the same time.

I glanced at him before looking down at the parchment.

“Everyone will be held to the same standards.”  Snape turned around to face the class once he handed out the last sheet.  “I will not tolerate laziness if you have an easier potion.  Is that understood?”

A murmur of acknowledgement swept through the whole class.

“Since some potions take longer to brew than others, these are due by the end of the month.  I’ve checked them- none should take any longer than that.  That means you will be forced to work outside of class if you have a longer brewing time.”  His gaze raked the classroom one last time.  “You may start your potions.”

My head shot down to look at the slip of parchment I- we- were holding.

Veritaserum.

My eyes widened.  From all the reading I had done about this, it was a difficult potion.

I couldn’t show weakness.

Not now.

Pulling out my large potions book, I flipped through it until I reached the right chapter.

Malfoy looked over my shoulder before wordlessly walking to the ingredient table.

Assuming Malfoy knew what he was doing- he was at the top of the class until recently, after all- I reached under the desk, pulled out a cauldron and poured the exact amount of potioning water into it before bringing it to a simmer.

I turned back to see if Malfoy had the ingredients only to be met with a chest.

I looked up, meeting his gray eyes.

He held out the vial of Ptolemy to me.

I accepted it wordlessly, turning back around and pouring the vial into the cauldron, making sure to pour it anti-clockwise.  “It says to let it simmer for ten minutes,” I said, not looking up from my book.

Malfoy walked around me, his arm brushing my shoulder as he took place by my side again.  He picked up a sand timer, turning it upside-down.

I looked over at him.  “We need ten ounces of powdered moonstone.”  My eyes dropped back to the recipe.  “It’s supposed to be stirred in one spoonful at a time.”

“Well, obviously.  It won’t dissolve otherwise.”

I looked over at Malfoy, watching as he measured ten ounces into a wooden bowl.  Once he was done, when it became clear he wasn’t going to do it himself, I put the top back on the bottle and returned it to the ingredient table.  Making my way back to the desk, I tied my hair into a ponytail as I approached my partner.

His back was to me as he stirred the cauldron, his head turned to the side as his eyes scanned the recipe.

Admittedly, seeing Malfoy hunched over something was odd, since he usually carried an air of such high importance.

I walked over, standing next to him as I pulled out a knife and adder’s fork, slicing the tongue in half.

When Malfoy had finished with the moonstone, I added the tongue halves and turned the cauldron to a boil.

As we worked in silence, I realized that Malfoy was indeed very bright, and if he spent half as much time studying as he spent bullying, he could be one of the smartest wizards in Hogwarts.  It left me with mixed feelings that I was glad he didn’t bother to study, since he would have been beating me still, and as a Ravenclaw I was not going to stand for that, but also that he could be so much more than he was.  He struck me as someone who always had things come easily to him, so he didn’t put in much more effort than that.

I must have been staring, because the confused look he gave me brought me out of my daze.

He gave me a bewildered, and somewhat judgemental, look before turning back to the potion.  “Are you going to help me or not, Clarke?”

“I didn’t think you ever needed help,”  I retorted as I moved closer, pulling the cauldron off the heat once I saw that it was at a rolling boil.  “You’re a Malfoy.”

“I don’t,” he replied sharply.  “Some people just think I do.”  Malfoy’s eyes lifted briefly to the front of the class before he crushed the three Sopophorous beans and added it to the mixture.

My gaze followed his, just in time to see Snape pull his attention away from us.  I raised an eyebrow as I looked back at the blond.

“Now it just needs to cool,” he said, looking at the book.  He plopped himself into the chair next to mine- Ivy’s- his arms crossed, resolutely not looking at me.

I gently lowered myself into my seat, staring at the cauldron, trying to will it to cool faster.

The silence stretched on and I pursed my lips.

Merlin, this was so awkward.

Pulling my book onto my lap to at least be doing something to occupy myself, I began reading over the recipe again.  Simply to fill the silence, I said “it takes twenty-eight days to mature.”

“I know.”

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

He still wasn’t looking at me.

I huffed.  I was never a fan of the Slytherin, but if we needed to keep checking up on the potion together, I would rather it not be the most uncomfortable thing ever.  I stared blankly at the page, pretending to read, but my head was swarming with possible topics of conversation.

Malfoy, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to ignore me unless necessary.

Forcing a groan down, I looked over at him.  “Do you enjoy potions?”

He finally met my eyes.  He shrugged one shoulder before locking his gaze onto the cauldron.  “It’s fine.”

“Well, you’re good at it,” I reluctantly admitted, continuing to look at the side of his face.

His expression shifted ever so slightly, his gaze falling to his lap.  As if realizing his body language didn’t scream ‘confidence’, he straightened up, looking over at me.  “I know.”

I searched his eyes and he held my gaze, refusing to back down.

For a long moment we sat in silence as I tried to piece together…..anything.  I couldn’t think of anything to say, and I couldn’t even begin to understand the boy that sat next to me.

“There’s more to you than meets the eye,” I finally said quietly, more to myself than to Malfoy.

While his body language and expression stayed the same, something behind his eyes shifted.

I allowed myself to smile softly at him.

His gaze finally pulled from my eyes to glance at my smile.  His eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment before turning away and gesturing at the cauldron.  “This is probably done cooling.”

I chuckled, pushing myself to my feet.  “I’ll grab a strainer.”  Hurrying back, I held the strainer over a funnel into a vile as Malfoy poured the mixture from the cauldron into it.  “Alright, the recipe says to ‘leave bottle in a dark, cool, undisturbed location for the duration of the cycle’,” I read, closing the top of the vial.

“We could leave it down here,” Malfoy suggested.  He looked around the classroom.  “It’s got the right qualities.”

I nodded.  “Good idea.”  Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I saw the tiniest hint of a smile form at the edge of his lips before he quickly wiped it away.

Malfoy extended his hand out.  “I could put it by my desk.  I sit by the wall, so it’s less likely to be disturbed.”

I looked up at him.  The idea of leaving my assignment in Malfoy’s hands- out of my own- didn’t sit well with me, especially knowing about the kinds of trouble Malfoy could get into.  But- I reasoned- this was a group assignment and he was clearly a capable potion maker.  I also, for some reason, wanted him to feel that I trusted him…even if it was under a little internal debate.  Nodding, I set the vial in his pale hand.  “Thanks.”

Malfoy walked away from me, returning to his desk to put the maturing potion somewhere.

I took a deep breath in an attempt to soothe my unease, and instead turned my attention to my book, which I closed and put away.

Snape, upon seeing that everyone was finished, at least for the time being, dismissed the class, reminding us to check up on our potions regularly.

Everyone flooded out of the dungeon, the Slytherins going one way, the members of my own house going the other.

I headed out, looking around for Ivy and Drew.  Finally spotting them, I began to make my way over.

“Clarke.”

I stopped, turning around and watching in surprise as Malfoy walked over to me.

Once in front of me, he paused.

I held back a chuckle, guessing that he probably hadn’t thought this far ahead.

How very Gryffindor of him.

Within a few beats he spoke.  “How often do you think we should check our potion?”

I blinked in surprise at him.  “Well, the book doesn’t give a recommendation.  We could probably check it a couple times a week and be in good shape,” I said, shrugging one shoulder.

He nodded, looking at the side wall.  “Alright.”  He let his gaze fall to me again.  “See you later, Clarke.”  With that, he marched away.

I stared at his retreating form, more than a little taken aback.

“What was that about?”  Ivy questioned as she approached me, Drew on her tail.

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

~~~~~~~~~

“What potions did you guys get?”

“I got a memory potion,” Ivy informed, leaning back on one of the couches in the common room.

“Mine’s a replenishing potion,” Drew said.

“What about you,” Ivy questioned.

“Veritaserum,” I replied.

Their eyes widened.

“That’s a hard potion,” Ivy remarked.

“It wasn’t too bad,” I admitted.  “Malfoy’s a capable potion maker, so-”

“Oh, yeah, I saw he was your partner,” Drew commented, frowning slightly.  “How’s that been?”

I shrugged.  “Uhh.”  My nose scrunched slightly as I thought.  “It’s awkward, but he hasn’t been mean or anything.”

“Wow.”  Ivy stared over at me.  “That’s unexpected.”

“Well, he did approach her, so…” Drew reminded.  He grinned over at me.  “Maybe he’s got a crush on you.”

Ivy laughed.

“I doubt it,” I responded.  “The impression I got was that Snape recommended he team with me.”  I couldn’t help the smirk that formed on my face.  “He’s probably upset that the top in his class isn’t a Slytherin.”

“That makes sense.”

Drew pointed a finger at me.  “He approached you after class got out, too.”

“He was asking about the potion,” I defended.

Drew scoffed.  “Yeah, as if he couldn’t look it up, himself.”

~~~~~~~~~

Malfoy and I had come to the decision that only one of us needed to check on the potion at a time, and would only get the other if something went wrong.  That way we weren’t wasting time.

I had started checking on the potion during my free period, since Snape’s lessons were running longer as the school year went on, giving me less time to get to my following class, and- therefore- not enough time to check the mixture.

Thankfully my free period happened to be Snape’s free period, as well.

Walking into the empty classroom, I followed the familiar path to Malfoy’s desk and- by extension- my assignment.

I crouched down, eyes fixed on the potion.

The swirling of the liquid was the same as it had been the first two weeks- eleven days, technically- but I still wrote it down on my notepad.

It was always good to be careful.

“Clarke?  What are you doing here?”

I turned around at the sound of the voice, looking over to Malfoy as he approached me.  “Checking on the potion.  It’s my turn.”

“You must be losing your memory, Clarke.  You checked on the potion last time.”

I shook my head.  “No.  Not unless you skipped your turn.”  I raised an eyebrow at him.  “I check Fridays, you check Tuesdays.”  I turned back to the mixture before looking back at the boy.  “Did you forget?”

Malfoy didn’t say anything.

I stared up at him, awaiting his response.

“This is your free period, isn’t it, Clarke?”

I had not been expecting that.

“Yes.”  I eyed him suspiciously.  “But I know it’s not yours.  That’s why we set our schedule up this way.”

Malfoy stared down at me, as if trying to figure out what to say next.  “I already told Professor Flitwick I wasn’t feeling well.”

After a few beats of silence I pressed him for answers.  “And?”

“And what?”

“Are you sick?”  I quickly scanned his form.  “You don’t look sick.”

He reluctantly shook his head.

“So you lied to my head of house,” I accused, crossing my arms.

“I would’ve rather lied to Professor Sprout, but I don’t have her until later.”

“Were you just trying to get out of classes?”

His eyes fell to mine, having previously been locked onto the wall behind my head.  “Not exactly.”

I stared up at him, trying to figure out what on earth his deal was.  I was certain he could see the gears turning.

Malfoy cleared his throat.  “Since I can’t go back to Charms, would you like to do something?”

Before I could understand the full weight of what Malfoy said, I blurted out “I would like to take some points away from you for lying to a Professor just to get out of class.”

Malfoy eyed me warily.

 I sighed.  “But since I’m not a prefect, I can’t do that.”  Shaking my head incredulously, I raised an eyebrow.  “What did you have in mind?”

~~~~~~~~

After the day Malfoy had skipped class to just talk in Snape’s classroom, he had taken to visiting me every free period of mine, if only for a few minutes because I told him if he missed Professor Flitwick’s classes repeatedly, I was going to hex him.

I was certain only Merlin knew why Malfoy was so desperate to see me, no matter how nonchalant he acted.

My friends on the other hand were convinced they knew why.

I didn’t believe them.

I sat in Snape’s classroom, looking over the potion, writing down the lack of change in its color or behavior.  I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I wrote ‘day 25/28’ on the top of the parchment.  I didn’t even look up when I heard the door open, instead offering a “hey, Malfoy.”

“No change, I expect,” he replied, walking over to the mixture and crouching down beside me.

I shook my head, looking over at him.  “I’m pretty sure that’s normal, though.  If I remember correctly, the book said it’ll only change when we put it in the moonlight on our last day,” I said, reaching in my bag for my book.

“Don’t bother,” Malfoy said, looking over at me.  “I trust you.”

I stared at him in disbelief before clearing my throat and standing.  “Thank you.”

Malfoy stood as well, nearly half a head taller than me.  “You did memorize the whole book, didn’t you, Clarke?”

I shrugged one shoulder, fighting off a proud grin.  “Pretty much.”

Malfoy smiled down at me and it took all of my self-control to not shuffle under it.  He had become more relaxed around me, but it was still an odd sight.  “Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

My face flushed slightly at the praise and my gaze dropped to my shoes before I whipped my head back up to look him in the eyes.  I cleared my throat.  “Don’t you have class, Draco?”

He cocked an eyebrow, an amused smirk pulling at his lips before he looked back to the door.  “I do.  I’ll see you in class on Monday, alright?”

I nodded before shrugging one shoulder.  “I mean, you’ll probably see me before that, but…”

He looked at me for a moment before he nodded, turning and exiting the classroom.

I stared at his back until he was out of sight.

Rowena, what was happening to me?

~~~~~~~~~~

Heading into the Great Hall the next day, I greeted my friends with a wave and large smile.

“What’s got you so happy,” Ivy questioned as I sat down at the table.

“One: it’s the weekend,” I started, pouring some cereal into a bowl, “two: I’m excited to finish my potion on Monday.”

“I’m torn on if I want you to do well or not,” Drew admitted, frowning.  “If you do well, that means Malfoy will do well, too.”

“Draco’s not that bad,” I admitted, looking over at the Slytherin table.

The blond was smiling at something someone said, head turned to the side to look at them.  His gaze flickered to me then, his smile growing slightly.

I offered a grin in return before turning back to my friends.

They were both staring at me incredulously.

My eyes widened and my smile fell.  “What?”

“What in Merlin’s name was that about,” Ivy hissed, leaning across the table towards me.

“What was what?”  I asked, leaning back and suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

“Are you pals with Malfoy, now?”  Drew questioned.

I glanced back at the Slytherin table very briefly.  “I guess?”

Their mouths dropped open.

“You can’t be serious.”

I shrugged.  “He’s a nice guy.  No Prince Charming, of course, but-”

“Prince Privileged is more like it,” Drew said, crossing his arms and leaning back as far as he could without going over the bench backwards.

“I know he’s had a fancy upbringing and has been a bit of a bully, but he’s not like that-”

Ivy leaned forward.  “Are you hearing yourself?”

“When was the last time you saw him bully a student,” I pressed, raising an eyebrow.

“He bullied Potter and Professor Moody turned him into a weasel.”

“How long ago was that?”

“I don’t know.”  She shrugged.  “A month or two?”

“So.”  I leaned back in my seat.  “He stopped.”

Drew let out a humorless chuckle.  “Professor Moody probably scared him into being nicer.”

I sighed.  “Whatever.”  Standing, I made my way out of the Great Hall, heading towards my common room.  If they weren’t going to listen, I wasn’t going to bother.

“Clarke!”

I closed my eyes, slowing my steps before turning around to face the voice.  “Hey, Draco.”

He slowed his jog and stopped in front of me, his eyebrows furrowed.  “Is something wrong?”

I pursed my lips, looking away from him.  “I just had an argument with my friends, that’s all.”

“About what?”

I looked up into Draco’s eyes, surprised to see concern in them.  I opened my mouth, pausing.  I let out a huff and lowered my head, looking at my shoes.  “You.”

A few beats of silence passed.

“What did you say,” Draco asked, so quietly I barely heard it.

I looked back up at him.

He looked mostly impassive, but I could see the worry behind it.

“You’re not that bad,” I answered honestly.  “They just don’t see it.”

Draco looked to the side, nodding.

I could see that the tension had left his form.

Draco looked back to me.  “Join me for a walk.”

I nodded almost instantly, walking alongside him as he moved towards the same direction I was previously heading.

We walked in comfortable silence for a few moments before he broke it.

“Thank you.”

I looked over at him.  “For what?”

Draco didn’t look at me.  “For trusting me.  For defending me.  For spending time with me.”

I smiled.  “I enjoy it.”

His head turned towards me, surprise coloring his features.

“Besides…” I went on, grinning mischievously up at him, “it’s nice to find some intelligence and good conversation in the students here.”

~~~~~~~~

Draco and I rushed towards the dungeon, entering the empty classroom.  Grabbing the vial, we sped-walked back upstairs, being careful to not jostle our potion.  We walked towards a window, the bright moonlight shining through.

I looked up at the full moon, smiling nervously as I turned to Draco.  “Here it goes.”  I placed the vial in the moon’s rays, watching.

For several moments, nothing happened.

I knew it would take some time for the mixture to absorb the light, but I was starting to get slightly concerned.

The potion began to shift colors, becoming clear.  When it was done, I stepped towards it, opening the lid and smelling it.

There was no smell.

Giving the potion one final lookover I turned to Draco, grinning brightly at him as I put the lid back on.  “We did it!”  I pulled him into a hug, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Draco let out a small huff at my sudden weight against his chest before wrapping his arms around me.  “It still has to be graded,” he reminded.

I pulled away, looking down at the mixture before lifting my gaze to Draco.  “I’m confident.”

“Then let’s go turn it in, then.”

Draco and I made our way back into the dungeon, entering Snape’s classroom.

He was sitting at his desk, grading some of the other students’ potions.

Draco and I stood at the front silently for a few moments.

“Professor,” Draco finally called out.

Snape lifted his head.

I held out the vial.  “We just finished our assignment, Professor.”

Snape looked at the potion before accepting it.  He lowered his focus back down at the paper he was writing on.  “It will be graded by tomorrow’s class.”

~~~~~~~~~

“Everyone get together with their teams so that I may pass out your results,” Snape droned.

Ivy stepped away from me, quietly wishing me “good luck”.

“You, too,” I whispered back as Draco slid into Ivy’s seat.  I turned to greet him with a smile, which he returned.

As Snape walked through the classroom, handing out grades, I pulled at my robes.

Rowena, this was so stressful.

Draco eyed me with a smirk.  “You’re going to tear it,” he whispered.

“Sorry,” I muttered, relaxing my hold.

He chuckled just as Snape approached my desk.

I accepted the folded parchment and Snape moved on.  Staring down at the empty side, Draco leaned over to whisper once again.

“Are you going to open it or not?”

“I can’t do it.”  I shoved it into his hands.  “You look.”

Draco accepted the paper, smirking over at me as he began to open it.  “I thought you were confident?”

I deadpanned at him.  “A moment of weakness.”  I nodded at the paper.  “Now hurry up.”

He opened the page and looked down at it before looking back at me.  “I told you we didn’t need to worry,” he said, sliding the parchment towards me.

I looked down at the paper, a grin growing on my face.  “Full marks!”

Snape cleared his throat and I slapped my hand over my mouth, eyes wide.  He raised an eyebrow at me before continuing to pass out grades.

I turned back to the blond beside me, who was giving me a smug smirk.

“Now that you all have your results…” Snape began, returning to the front of the classroom.

I looked back to the Professor, unable to smother my smile.

“...are free to go.  I will see you all in class tomorrow,” Snape dismissed.

Everyone shot up, collecting their things.

I shoved my books into my bag.  “I can’t believe it!”  I looked up at Draco.  “It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my chest.”

“I’m not surprised,” he said as we moved towards the door.

I looked back at the doorway as I maneuvered through people, seeing a few Slytherins and members of my own house conversing.

“As much as I hate to admit it, you are a bright witch.”

I looked up at Draco.  “Thank you.  You’re pretty bright, yourself.”

Draco smiled.  “That’s why we make such a good team.”

I nodded, continuing to walk down the hallway towards the stairs.  “We are, aren’t we?”

There were a few beats of silence before Draco spoke up again.

“Care to make it official?”

I stopped, forcing him to stop as well.  Turning to him, I furrowed my eyebrows.  “What?”

Draco chuckled.  “And here I was saying that you were bright.  Maybe it would be best if I showed you.”

I cocked an eyebrow.

He leaned down slowly and my heart began to race.  His lips pressed to mine and my eyes closed without me telling them to.  Draco pulled away after a few moments, smirking down at me.  “Does that clear it up?”

I nodded, feeling the burning in my cheeks.

“Is that a ‘yes’, then?”

I nodded again, still too flustered to say anything.

He grinned, beginning to walk again, me wordlessly in tow.  “I’m glad Professor Snape told me to pair with you for our assignment.  Your competitive streak was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: This one absolutely ran away with me. It's 26 pages in Google Docs.

[mspaintbladie]

Ruan Mei/Blade wanters shall be Ruan Mei/Blade havers!! May the doodle luck be with us,,

[zendasian]

How it feels like to work on production as an intern

[ Day 7 No Instagram ]

[saturncodedstarlette]

Mara, completely serious : I have to get something off of my chest.

Y/N, with googly eyes : Is it your shirt, I hope it’s your shirt, please. .🥺

[fenharel]

astarion & ysabel ✨ gale & elowen lucien & shadowheart ✨ marazhai & arabella

tagged by @leviiackrman, @risingsh0t & @baldurians to use this picrew for my ocs, thank you!! tagging

@rkyloren, @shadowglens, @rosymorns, @solasan, @catacomb-chaos,

@stephschoices, @thefathersbride, @faerune, @queennymeria, @thedeadthree,

@alistairs & you!!

[bisexualbuckleyy]

still crying at karen saying “you are a very brave girl. but i want you to know that you don’t have to be brave all the time.” because that is exactly what this poor girl needed to hear!!! and so much of the time kids that have been through trauma get told that they’re so brave or so strong for going through that so to get to see karen say that she sees how strong mara is but that she’s allowed to just be a person and be scared and she doesn’t have to be this perfect victim because she’s safe now and she’s being given the space to learn and realize that. i just love karen wilson with my entire heart