Rosie ⎮ Tom Riddle

Fifteen

Unfathomable

  All Tom did in his free time these days was watch Rosalie.

  Every moment of his life was filled with her, revolving around her. He couldn't let her out of her sight for more than a few moments, because he was afraid she would slip away. In her absence, he found himself consumed by thoughts of her: her intoxicating scent, the lingering taste of her lips, the melody of her voice echoing in his mind. Even in the depths of his restless dreams, she haunted him, a persistent presence that refused to be ignored.

  And when he couldn't sleep because of his thoughts of her, he would release them the only way he could, and end up standing in her dorm room for hours on end just watching her sleep, listening to her shift and turn, her conscious locked deep in her body.

  He was meant to meet with some of his new recruits in a few minutes, but he couldn't yet bring himself to walk away from her unmoving body. He would search all over her face in those moments, desperately searching for her next breath; it always came, but the fear of it not coming stayed with Tom all the same.

  Reluctantly, he finally pulled himself away, leaving the room quickly so he wouldn't be able to change his mind. He entered the common room with confidence, his hands in his pockets and jaw clicked.

  As he had expected, he saw three heads over the back of the couch, awaiting his arrival expectantly. Tom had only managed to convince one other student to join them for the meeting, but it seemed William and Coriolanus had managed two, which had surprised him.

  He walked over to them and sat himself down in the armchair across from the couch. He leant over his knees and ran his tongue over his teeth, sending the boys on the couch into a fury of nervousness at Tom's quiet manner.

  "I'm glad you're all here." He said quietly, his mind still fixed on Rosalie's sleeping face. He wanted this over with so he could go back and see her.

  "Before we really begin this initiation, I'm curious as to what really made you come." Tom finally looked at the three of them.

  Dolohov, a family previously connected to Grindelwald.

  Malfoy, all filthy rich and open muggle haters.

  Mulcifer, a family that liked to keep it in the family.

  Tom was in no position to judge. He needed people, and quickly.

  Malfoy seemed the most eager to speak, and Tom listened intently to what he had to say. It was too early to scare them off.

  "Well, it was that girl that convinced Dolohov and I. She made it all seem so clear as to what we wanted. She said that only you would be able to get us what we wanted."  

  "Girl?" Tom questioned, a sickening feeling in his stomach.

  "Rosalie?" He asked again when there was no immediate reply.

  "That was it." Malfoy replied, suddenly remembering.

  "She was the one who convinced you to join me?"

---

  Rose and Lily sat in their usual study spots in the library that Friday afternoon, neither having much reason to do anything else.

  "I'm so bored."

  Lily pushed her supplies on the desk away from her, leaning back into her chair with folded arms and a fed up look. Her eyes begged at Rosalie to say something interesting.

  Rosalie dropped her quill and let her face rest on her hands, gazing off somewhere into the distance, she took a breath and spoke. 

  "I know. I miss Tom."