the devil's redemption [tom r.]

48|| The Last Adieu.

She stiffened, her eyes wide as he pushed her away from him, refusing to make any more physical contact with her. Rosalind felt it then, true somatic pain. Hearing those words was like no other torment inflicted on her. He loved her. Tom Riddle loved her.

Rosalind never expected to hear those words from him, and she was okay with that. She didn't mind if he loved her silently, but now knowing that he came to terms with it, as well as actually confessed to her left her head spinning.

"It wasn't supposed to go this far, I swear." Could her words be any more painful? She was addressing whatever their relationship was and he seemed to understand what she meant. They weren't supposed to love each other. They'd both known that from the beginning of the year when Zhelyazko informed her about Grindelwald's plans. Why did they ignore it?

"I know, it wasn't."

Could he possibly love her? Despite her trying to convince him otherwise all year long, she contemplated his inability to feel. Could it have been mere infatuation and he mistook it as love? He was a child born from a love potion, after all. Could it actually be possible?

But she didn't care at that moment. All that mattered was that to him, it was love, despite it being so disgusting in his mind. How did he let himself slip so far below that he considered being in love? He shook his head angrily. No. He was not in love with her. He loved her; and to Tom, that was a huge difference. Being in love sounded so stupid to him.

He looked at her then, really looked at her, and he saw the emotions in her eyes. Love and pain. So different to what he felt. All he could think of was the anger bubbling inside of him– he wanted to break something. But this was the Knight's room. There was nothing breakable unless he used his wand, which would not be so satisfying. So he decided to take his anger out in a different way, and pressed his lips to hers.

Tom gripped the fabric of her dress so tightly, pulling her as close as she could get. Rosalind kissed him back just as fiercely, their tongues battling in place of all the words left unsaid. He pushed her against the wall, feeling the heat of her body radiate through him.

Her hands pulled at his dark hair, her heartbeat increasing to beyond ordinary. Their lips moved in harmony, creating a heavenly melody that left them both breathless. Their kiss slowed down. It was no longer angry, it was soft and gentle. "I love you so much," she whispered against his ear, the intimacy of her voice sending a chill down his spine. He wanted to whisper it back, he wanted to say it so desperately, but he didn't. He opted for burying his nose in her hair, inhaling the tantalising smell of her berry shampoo. For the last time.

"Please, stay away from me for the rest of our time here. At least let me try getting accustomed to this," his voice was soft, making her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. Four days. She could deal with four days away from him when she was leaving him for good. But the thing was that she wanted to spend every last minute with him. She wanted to memorise him, so that her memory of him would never fade.

She nodded against his head, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. For the last time. She wanted to absorb every moment, every aspect of him while it lasted. "Goodbye Tom," she finally said, after minutes of savouring the warmth of his body seeping into hers. She had to say it. Their separation was inevitable.

He did not reply, but instead looked into her viridescent eyes, icy blue clashing against emerald green. The combination was deadly, their eyes speaking emotions they could never let on coherently. This was the last contact they had before she left the Room of Requirement.

***

Saying goodbye to her friends for the last time was something that left her with a frosty emptiness. Oliver still had no idea that she wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts for her Seventh year, and she felt a strong quench of guilt as she hugged him for the last time. Telling him would only make things more complicated, and lead to to questions she wasn't prepared to answer.

Next was Abraxas. He cried. Seeing the way he wept left a gaping hole in her heart, for she knew that no one would ever love her as deeply as Abraxas did. She kept apologising over and over again, but she didn't know if it was for leaving or for breaking his heart.

Tom was nowhere to be seen, and she tried to convince herself that it was for the best. She knew that even the smallest eye contact with him would make her break, so perhaps not seeing him would reduce the pain.

Rosalind stepped off the Hogwarts Express for the last time, feeling her shoulders tense at the invisible weight placed upon them.

She examined the crowd, not missing the familiar face of Zhelyazko Vandalov. And the bastard was smirking at her as if he'd won the Wizarding lottery.

*****************
Hello, lovely ones. I really want to thank you all for your votes and feedback. Even my silent readers, I know you're there, and thank you!

And the YouTube video is a different song but I really like it sooo

~Sparklejet❃