Back To You

Chapter 6

You opened the door to the Restricted Section and sneaked in. Tom was standing there with a book in his hands. You slowly walked towards him. He shut the book and looked at you.
Y/n: "I saw Filch on the way...we have to be really careful." you told him in a quiet voice.
He nodded. He seemed different this time. As if he was finally taking this seriously, not playing any games.
T: "Y/n, I don't know why we both had the same dream but there must be a reason. And I want to find out so stop avoiding me."
Y/n: "Well that's just great. First you tell me you want me to be scared of you, then you follow me everywhere and stare at me but tell me I should stay away from you and now you tell me to stop avoiding you? What the fuck!"
He got closer to you and covered your mouth with his hand.
T: "You need to be quiet. Listen to me. Me and you...we should spend more time together. You came here because you wanted to know why I won't leave you alone so I'm telling you now. The answer is because I can't. Seeing you in my dreams made me far too interested in you."
He said that almost as if he was threatening you - his face so close to yours, his eyes giving you a piercing look, his hand still on your mouth. This was Tom's way. He couldn't tell you something nice without making sure you'll still be afraid of him. Was he even realising what it does to you? All you could think about was how his lips would feel against yours. You gripped his hand and removed it from your mouth, your fingers clenching his wrist. You didn't want to let go.
T: "You're allowed to say something now."
You slipped your hand into his. He didn't bat an eye.
Y/n: "I agree."
He took a step back and ran a hand through his hair.
T: "Right. Meet me at the Astronomy Tower tomorrow at midnight. I don't want anyone to see me with you."
He opened the door and walked away. You couldn't help but think 'Did I just make Tom Riddle nervous?'
You spent the next day replaying that conversation in your mind over and over again. You could still feel his touch, his warm hands... You just couldn't wait to be with him again. It was a dangerous game you were playing but there was no other way. You've never been in love like this before. Was it even love?
When you walked into the Astronomy Tower that night, Tom was already there smoking a cigarette. You joined him.
Y/n: "So...what's the plan?"
The silence was so loud you started thinking he's gonna push you away again but to your surprise that wasn't what he had planned at all. That night you couldn't almost recognise him.
T: "I was thinking we could just talk. I want to get to know you, Y/n."
Y/n: "What do you want to know about me?"
T: "Everything."
You were stunned. At first you thought he was joking but when you looked into his eyes you saw he was genuinely interested in you. He turned to you and waited for your reply. You told him about your family, about how you never had many friends because everyone seemed to think you were different and soon you realized they were right. It was hard for you to fit in and no matter what you did you always felt alone. After awhile you developed your own coping mechanism. Other people didn't matter to you anymore. You were sick of hearing them talking about their problems. You never understood them. Their problems seemed trivial compared to what was going on in your head. You were alone and it felt good.
You told Tom all of this and more. He turned out to be such a good listener and he kept asking you questions. His eyes were on you the whole time while he was smoking one cigarette after another. The thought, that maybe it wasn't right to tell such personal things to someone this early, crossed your mind. But it felt so right. You felt like you knew him. And the best part about it was that he truly understood. How could he not? He was different too. He was the most interesting person you've ever met.
Y/n "Here, in Hogwarts, I finally feel like I belong. I have friends who don't judge me. And their problems don't seem insignificant to me. It's all real."
He nodded.
Y/n: "What about you, Tom?"
T: "You'll get to know me...in time. It's better if I don't tell you much yet."
You gulped. He's Voldemort's son, of course he won't tell you about his life. You looked at him. He seemed lost in his thoughts.
Y/n: "Tom? I- You don't have to talk about him if you don't want to but...just know that I would understand."
T: "Y/n, you're saying that now but you have no idea."
Y/n: "I-"
T: "Don't." He turned to you with that stern look that always gave you chills. You nodded.
T: "Go to bed now."
There was no point in trying to convince him anymore. When he spoke to you like that you wanted to obey. You started walking away towards the stairs. You turned around to look at him. He was smoking another cigarette. 'I would do anything for him' you realized as you watched him and walked down the stairs.