butterfly effect, tom riddle

17. | past

My eyes flitted open, blurriness clouding my vision. I could hear the faint murmur of a conversation somewhere a few feet away from me. There was a slight pain throbbing at the back of my head, and I grimaced slightly as I forced myself to sit up.

"Thank you, professor," I heard a silky voice speak. "I will make sure to let Viviette know."

"Thank you, Tom," Merrythought's voice spoke. "I'm sure Viviette meant no harm—but of course, you two do seem to be academic rivals. Perhaps she was just attempting to prove herself—it was still highly unacceptable, however."

"I suppose so," was Tom's smooth reply, and I knitted my brows, turning over slightly.

Professor Merrythought was exiting the vast room I was in, and Tom was standing with his back turned to me, clearly having just had a conversation with her. I rubbed my forehead and stifled a groan.

"T-Tom?" I stuttered, watching as he slowly wheeled around to face me. I suddenly felt my blood boil in anger at the perfectly detached expression on his face, and stood up unsteadily. "You lying—"

To my utter humiliation, I fell back on the bed, unable to finish my sentence. A small moan of pain escaped my lips, and I lay back down on the bed, taking a few shaky breaths.

A deep chuckle rumbled through what I now realized to be the hospital wing, and I whipped around to cock an eyebrow at Tom coldly.

He wore a slight, amused smirk on his face as he sauntered over to my bed leisurely, towering above me. I glowered up at the black-haired boy, not even bothering to conceal the animosity I felt for him.

"I don't see anything even remotely amusing about this," I snapped, my grogginess being replaced by vexation. "The only charm I even tried to cast on you was the Disarming Charm—you were the one throwing all kinds of hexes at me. The moment I looked away, your stupid hexes got through my shield."

"You shouldn't be distracted during a duel," Tom replied glibly, his smirk lingering.

"And you shouldn't lie to teachers just to keep up your goody-goody reputation," I retorted indignantly.

Tom sat down on the mattress beside me, and I scooted away hastily, a scowl etched to my features. His small smirk transformed into a captivating smile as his intense charcoal eyes bore into my light blue ones.

"Don't you want me to forgive you?" he crooned softly. "For what happened on Thursday?"

"Okay, I spied on you using the girls' bathroom, big deal," I huffed, crossed my arms across my chest. "But you—"

"I told you not to speak of it," Tom hissed, a lethal gleam in his dark eyes. "You will take the blame for it—if you want my forgiveness."

"Oh yes, your forgiveness is of utmost importance to me," I snapped acidly. "Fine. I'm not a complete coward like you, so I'll take the stupid blame."

Tom sighed in exasperation. "Whatever. You have detention next week on Friday night, in the Forbidden Forest. I will be accompanying you."

My lips parted slightly at his words, and my eyebrows connected, unsure if I heard him correctly. "The—The Forbidden Forest? And you will be accompanying me? I thought the teachers didn't know that you were the one who threw that hex at me?"

Tom smiled thinly. "It wasn't a hex, it was a simple charm. And in case you've forgotten, Swan, I am a prefect."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" I inquired icily, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I volunteered to watch over your detention," he replied simply, his face as ambiguous and unemotional as always.

"You volunteered to watch over my detention in the Forbidden Forest?" I questioned in disbelief. "But why?"