Into Your Gravity ( Luna Lovegood & Tom Riddle )

Chapter ten: Christmas

"You got this for me?" he asked after a moment, staring down at the quill.

"Hm?" Luna asked, glancing over. "Oh, yes. Do you like it? I got it for you at Scrivenshaft's, though I painted the snake on it myself. Look!" she pulled her wand from behind her ear and prodded the silver snake with it. The little serpent began to slither up and down the sides of the quill in the way she had Charmed it to earlier.

Tom watched the snake's progress without smiling. He then very delicately placed the quill back in the box, replaced the lid, and pocketed it. "You're quite gifted at Charms," he said stiffly.

She smiled and ignored the fact he hadn't thanked her. "Thank you. Did you get many good presents? I did."

"No."

"Didn't get many good ones, or didn't get many?"

"Both."

Luna set her bacon down. "Why haven't you gotten many presents?"

"I suppose Lestrange and Nott just didn't have much time to go Christmas shopping for me this year," Tom snapped.

She paused and bit her lower lip, then returned to her bacon. "I'm sure they would have poor taste in presents, anyway."

"Presumably. Apple juice?" he said, offering her the pitcher.

Unable to stop the grimace that crossed her face despite the unusual politeness he was displaying, she said, "No, thank you, I don't like apple juice." She then leaned over towards him to whisper in his ear conspiratorially, "I don't believe in apples."

                                •

Goosebumps broke out on back of Tom's neck stood up as she whispered ridiculousness in his ear about apples. Her warm breath brushed along his jawline, the smell of maple syrup on her lips mingling with the citrus in her hair in a not-unpleasant way. Pathetic, said his mind. You like the way she smells? You should be so much better than this. Tom shook his head, electing against asking her how one doesn't believe in apples.

"You owe me a walk in the snow," she said, leaning back out of his personal space.

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't owe you anything."

"Well, you did agree to it last night before you got very upset with me for trying to keep Nargles out of your hair - you're welcome, by the way - and also, while I'm not fond of the idea of required reciprocity in regards to gifts, I have just given you one, and I note you haven't gotten a Christmas gift for me."

"I'm going to the library right now, anyway," he said, voice flat to indicate it wasn't up for debate.

She raised her eyebrows back at him, giving her an even more permanently surprised look. "The library? That's very studious of you, on Christmas. You're a very hard worker. No wonder you have the highest marks in every class."

"I've a lot to do," he said as he stood up from the table, but some of the edge was lost from it. He had learned over the past couple of months that her compliments were in general quite genuine when given, which caught him somewhat off-guard. Slytherins smarming up to him, teachers adoring him, girls flirting with him? That he was used to. This girl? Not quite so much.