All Is Fair ~ Tom Riddle AU

Chapter 36

There was only a little over a week to go before summer vacations began, yet Hogwarts was being destroyed from the inside out.

———> 0o0 <———

"Where are you taking me, Tom?" Artemis questioned, letting herself be dragged by him. "Roman could wake up at any minute and I need to be there for him."

Tom stopped in his steps, facing her with a tender expression. "The mandrake potion will still take a long time, Artemis."

Artemis scowled. "Stop being such a pessimist."

"I'm being a realist," he corrected. "I'm accepting a reality that you don't want to believe. Now, come on." He resumed walking, and due to his hand being intertwined into hers, she had to as well.

"Where are you taking me anyway?"

"Somewhere to cheer you up," Tom replied simply, not indulging in her curiosity.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "At least let go of my hand, would you? I am capable of following your footsteps without you dragging me."

"No, thank you," Tom said, not looking at her. "I like the way your hand fits in mine. I don't think I ever want to let it go."

"That's sweet," Artemis said. "But you are honestly gripping my hand too hard. It's turning white and I'm losing blood circulation." She said pointedly bringing Tom to a halt as he looked at their intertwined fingers and realising that she was indeed correct.

He flushed. "Sorry," he mumbled, letting go of her hand.

"That's alright, my muse," Artemis laughed as she looped her arm into his. "See? Now, this is better, isn't it? No-one gets hurt and we are still connected."

Tom smiled, resuming his steps. "Yes, yes it is."

Together, they walked up to the Astronomy Tower.

"Wow," Artemis breathed out, happy for the distraction the heavenly scene provided from the mournful atmosphere back inside the castle. Her eyes twinkled brighter than any star could dream to shine as she made her way to one of the windows, with Tom swiftly following her. "The stars look absolutely beautiful tonight, don't you think so?"

"Indeed, they are."

"Do you know who else is beautiful?" Artemis asked him.

"Who?"

"Me, of course!" Artemis stated, an offended look marring her lovely face as she frowned her eyebrows. "Do you think otherwise? And I caution you to choose your words wisely." She warned, making him chuckled.

"No, it's just bold of you to assume you are better looking than me."

Artemis lifted a disbelieving eyebrow. "You, better looking than me? Bless your poor deluded heart."

"Deluded? I happen to have an actual fan club."

"Aah, yes, I heard about that. The bane of all happiness -also known as Walburga- started it, didn't she? So there's hardly any real credibility to it." Artemis said, making Tom shoot her a playful glare with no real heat in it.

For a while, they just watched the stars together, standing side by side with his hand placed on hers, with Artemis desperately trying to forget the past couple of days and Tom debating in his mind whether opening the Chamber of Secrets was really worth the risk, especially since it made Artemis cry many times already.

"Do you feel odd when I call you 'my muse'?" Artemis quizzed him randomly, eyes still fixed on the glittering whites of the dark sky. "I mean, I never really asked you how you felt about it. Is it alright if I call you that?"

"Well, I don't appreciate you calling me Riddle-Who-Can't-Answer-A-Riddle but I'm fine with being called your muse." He paused. "Actually, you can call me whatever you want, even if you don't have a reason to." Tom smiled, making her cheeks flush.

"Merlin, you always make me blush so damn much," Artemis muttered. "Stop it."

"Only when you stop being the most amazing person in the world." He countered, prompting her to laugh. Tom turned around, taking a few steps until he was in the middle of the tower. "Dance with me?" He half-smiled, stretching out an arm.

Artemis giggled, nodding her head as she walked towards him and accepted his hand. "I would love to."

He smirked, pulling her closer and hooking his arms around her waist as she intuitively wrapped hers in a way that circled his neck. Their heads rested on each other's shoulders as their feet simultaneously in small steps to the beat of their hearts, a peaceful expression decorating both their faces.

Artemis didn't know for how long they just stayed that way but she became distinctly aware of the possibility of a monster loose at their school along with the fact that Roman was in the hospital wing and that it was also time for dinner.

"Tom," she said softly. "I think we should go now. It's late."

"Wait." Tom's voice was muffled as he spoke into her shoulders. "Don't pull away... Not yet."

Artemis paused before she nodded her head faintly, her chin still resting on his shoulder. "Okay. Let's dance the night away."

And so they did, forgetting about everything that had and would happen, simply enjoying the moment as their bodies swayed lightly to the music of their heartbeats under the immortal stars. For that night, the world revolved around them.