In a Past Time (Tom Riddle x Reader)

Double-Sided Sticky Tape

"I need you for a moment."

He speaks, voice sweet like candy yet dripping with venom.

"She's busy, can't you see that?"

"Busy or not," He starts, a struggle to remain calm in his burning brown eyes as we all feel the eyes upon us. "I dearly need her help right now."

Abraxas laughs with salt in his tone. "Like hell you do," Abraxas states sharply before snatching my hand and pulling me out of the Great Hall, "Let's go."

Struggling for a moment to pull my hand from his grip I come to a full stop, swiftly turning towards the murderous stare behind us. Palms beginning to sweat slightly, I grapple in search for words. God! Please just say SOMETHING! Finding difficulty in figuring out how to speak again, my lips leave me dry. An almost deafening silence fills the hall. Although the small circle we are in has become perplexed and fixated on the situation at hand, most of the other students continue to talk freely amongst themselves. Nobody dared to raise their voice, to risk alerting any professors, or worse, the Headmaster, of the situation. Somehow remembering some words from the English lexicon, I spoke out a rough sentence, my dry throat causing my voice to be a tad hoarse.

"Maybe later, Riddle, I'm terribly sorry," I begin, attempting to form some kind of smile on my face, "Unless it is crucial I promised I would help Abraxas with some of his classes. I can come find you later if that's alright?"

Goosebumps swarm my body as my mind becomes more aware of the situation. Nothing seemed off at first, but now, having broken out of the frozen shell I had frozen into, I've become nearly hyper aware of just how many eyes were upon us.

Riddle peels his eyes from Abraxas and stares intensely back towards me, his eyes meeting mine, burning, lingering. Heart pounding against my ribcage, I fear it may burst out or halt, unexplainably.

"Isn't Malfoy one of the top students in his classes? What could you possibly help him with?"

As his words leave his cherry blossom lips, a small amount of fear leaves as the insult hits my ears. A bit annoyed now my mind conflicts with itself. Seriously, dude? Ouch...

"You forget that I am also one of the top students of my class, Riddle," shifting my feet uncomfortably, I purse my lips before parting my lips to speak.

"M-"

Just as I get the first sound from the first word of my sentence, Abraxas pipes up a tad quicker.

"Top of the classes or not there are still things one can improve on," Nearly the very second that Abraxas opens his mouth to speak Riddle's lip twitches upwards faintly, "(Y/N) happens to have a brilliant perspective-"

All sounds cut out, a war trapped in our eyes, our souls, Riddles eyes never leave mine, mine never leave his. The world nearly freezes around us. Knowing fully well it would be impossible to understand, to know what Riddle is truly thinking, the most I can do it attempt to close my book's pages. Each second that passes closes my lungs as though a boe constrictor were wrapping itself around my throat. I can feel my body go still, only the tiniest rhythm of vibrations from my hand with each pulse of anxiety. Such a warm colour. His eyes, a warming, brewing, calming brown. The brown you associate with warmth and kindness. The shade that reminds you of chocolate frogs and a free sprit. So how are they so cold? An icy coolness, a frozen chime. I never really saw it before. No- cogs turning I start, I saw it before, I always see it every time I look into his eyes. No matter where he looks or who he looks at, they always seem so distant. No, I saw, but I did not observe.

A faint memory of a story Mr. Potter had told when I was a child swims into my mind, blocking out everything else.