Hogsmeade was a place where Leo had bad experiences that she would not want to go through again. It was a place where everything started to go down, ever since the people from Alliance were after her.
Therefore, after their last encounter, Leo was a bit hesitant about tagging along with Tom for another shopping spree.
Not like she was given a choice to deny.
Tom wanted her to tag along and she just had to follow. There were no 'buts' in between.
"Stop making that face. I can see the funny faces that you are making behind my back," Tom said, still facing forward.
Leo's demeanour slumped.
They were walking down the brick road that lead to Hogsmeade. There was no snow piled around like the last time they had visited. Instead, the roadside was filled with green grass. A few occasional huts appeared along with their steps.
The weather was clear and breezy. Although, it was still quite cold.
Despite the pleasant weather, Leo felt anxious. She had this nagging feeling at the back of her head that something was going to happen. Maybe because she didn't like Hogsmeade any longer. She won't be able to handle another shock about her past life any time soon.
"Well, I don't see why you need a tuxedo now. You look good wearing anything!" Leo whined, "or wearing nothing at all."
Leo mumbled out the last part hoping Tom won't hear her. But the way he shot her a concerned look, she knew that he had heard everything. Leo offered him a sheepish smile before avoiding his gaze completely.
"I have grown out of the previous suit I had," Tom reasoned, "besides, you need a dress as well. I cannot have you wear my old t-shirt and some trousers to Slughorn's party."
"Right," Leo sighed, having nothing else to say.
They arrived at a decent-looking tailor's shop. Tom held the door for Leo to which she shot him a raised eyebrow. Nonetheless, she walked through. Tom followed behind her and finally smiled at an old man who was standing to welcome them in.
"Oh, welcome children! Do you not have anyone with you?" The old man searched behind them but was met with nothing but a cold breeze.
Before Tom could make up some lies and answer the man, Leo interrupted.
"We are orphans," she said with the most deadpanned look on her face.
She could almost hear Tom's glare that was drilling the back of her skull.
The old man fumbled with his words looking between Leo and Tom, "o-oh I see. How can I help you today?"
"I was wondering if you could make me a suit," Leo said once again.
Tom pinched the bridge of his knows. The old man looked beyond flustered. He glanced at Tom for assistance but Tom looked like he was ready to just walk out.
"A suit for you, young lady?" The man asked again, just to make sure she was serious.
"Yes. For me as well as my friend right here," Leo pointed her thumb at Tom who tried his best to keep a straight face.
Leo had no plan for making a suit for herself. She did it out of spite.
Tom had dragged her out of her warm and cosy blanket just to stroll outside and interact with people. She had plans to terrorise children, maybe steal some food from the elves and venture into the forbidden forest. She had to annoy him at least. Or she won't be able to sleep at night.
She felt Tom's hand snaking around her arm. The old tailor fidgeted in his place, trying to shrink away from the stoic look that Leo was giving him.
Poor man. This might be the first and last time he would have a lady wanting a suit for herself.
Before she could terrorise the old man even further, Tom yanked her behind some racks full of suits, away from the old man's sight. Leo yelped in surprise when she bumped into a mouthful of expensive fabrics.
She flailed her hands to remove the suits from her face only to end up facing Tom's chest. She slowly lifted her head and shot him an innocent smile.
Tom's left eye twitched in annoyance. He towered over Leo's small figure making her realise how tall the boy had gotten in a few years. The distance, or rather, the lack of distance between them made Leo's ears turn a bright shade of red.
Something between them had changed. There was a slight tension arising along with their uneven breaths. Despite trying her best, Leo couldn't hold his intense gaze. She swept her head to the side, pretending to be nonchalant about everything.
Tom had other plans. Perhaps he had forgotten that they were in Hogsmeade, inside a tailor's shop, hiding behind a bunch of suits. Because the moment Leo tried to turn away, he placed his palm against her right cheek and forced her to stare at him once again.
If Leo was a balloon, she would have burst a long time ago. Her heart felt like it would leap out of her mouth. Her stomach dropped and she could feel a bunch of butterflies doing martial arts inside her belly.
She bit the sides of her cheeks in order to hide her flustered expression.
"What do you want?"
Tom rolled his eyes at the ironic question, "I wanted a suit. Why do you want a suit as well?"
"I wanted to match with you," she said softly while fiddling with her fingers.
Tom narrowed his eyes at her as she shot him the most innocent look with her big eyes shining in the darkness behind the clothing rack.
"You wanted to annoy me because I dragged you here against your will," Tom concluded with a disappointed tone.
Leo's sparkling eyes dimmed and she dropped her head in defeat. She contemplated her options for a while. Tom was partially correct about her wanting to annoy him. But, she wanted to get a suit as well. She wanted to look cool and play James Bond around the halls of Hogwarts.
With a sigh, she glanced up at Tom, "but I really want a suit."
Tom stared into her eyes without a word. A few seconds passed before the boy removed his hand from her cheek and grabbed her arms instead. He dragged her out of the narrow place and came out into the open area where the old man was waiting for them.
The tailor looked like he was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. As soon as their eyes met, the man jumped in his place and pretended to inspect his measurement tape as if it was a new species of animal.
Tom gave Leo a side glance which she returned with a hopeful expression.
The boy's eyes softened for a split second before he whipped his head facing forward, "Very well. We are both getting a suit."
Leo took a second to register his statement before she jumped 3 feet up in the air. The sparkle in her eyes returned as she threw her arms up and dashed towards the old tailor who looked like he had aged a few more years in seconds.
"Did you hear him, old man? I am getting a SUIT!" Leo exclaimed while shaking the tailor by his shoulder.
Tom could almost hear the old man's bones clattering inside his body. He once again had to hide his face behind his hands, already regretting his decisions.
"Now," Leo flared her nose and spread her hands wide open like she was asking for a hug, "take my measurements. I want to style it on my own."
Tom found himself a place to sit from where he could observe Leo's moves.
She was explaining to the tailor what she wanted her suit to look like. She had a big grin on her face and her eyes were bright with excitement. On the contrary, the old man looked like he was losing his energy by the clock.
Tom wondered how everyone would react seeing Leo wearing a suit at a party. But if she could handle the criticism, Tom had nothing more to say to her. If she wanted to wear a suit, she could. Even Tom wanted to see what she would look like, but he would never admit it out loud.
After what felt like hours, Leo was finally done with her measurements, making sure to even draw a small sketch for the tailor. She glanced at Tom only to get startled because the boy was already looking at her. She shook her head to get rid of her blush that was threatening to climb up her cheeks and gestured for Tom to come forward.
The tall boy slowly stood up, still holding her gaze and slowly walking towards her with calculated steps. Leo's smile faltred a bit, wondering why Tom was acting that way. As if he was trying to increase the tension that was already between them.
He walked until they were only inches apart. Tom still stared at her with such intensity that she felt like he was trying to split her head like a watermelon. Leo couldn't even tell if they had been staring long. But as soon as the old tailor cleared his throat awkwardly, Leo knew they had been just gawking at each other for way too long.
She furrowed her eyebrows when Tom offered her a proud smirk before turning away from her. Leo let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She backed up a few steps before staring at her hands that were shaking.
What kind of twilight shit was that?!
She glanced at Tom's tall back and then back at her shaky hands. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that Tom knew what effect he had on her and he was thoroughly enjoying it.
✱ ⁕ ❋ ✻ ✽ ❃ ✿ ❊
"My lord, do you want us to go retrieve the locket?" Malfoy asked carefully.
Tom was staring at the mirror inside his dorm room while buttoning up his shirt. Instead of the look of confidence he always had, he looked rather uncomfortable as he could feel Avery's eyes drilling holes into his back.
He quickly buttoned up his shirt and moved to fix his tie to perfection.
"As I have said before, I have more pressing matters to attend to. If you are willing to proceed with the previous plan, you are free to engage," Tom explained.
He was now trying to brush his semi-wet hair. The curls had increased in length. No matter how much he tried to sweep them back, they bounced back and curtained his face like a lion's mane. With a subtle sigh, he gave up taming his hair and kept it messy.
"Tom, are you forgetting what our objective was?" Avery asked boldly.
If it was any other day, Tom would have snapped Avery's neck in half but now, he could care less about what the boy thought of him.
"Plans change all the time, Avery. It is a part of growing up. It is time we grow up as well," Tom muttered half-heartedly.
Malfoy glanced at Avery to see the boy seething in his place.
"Oh boy," Malfoy whispered to himself.
Just before Avery could jump at Tom, Malfoy caught him from the back and struggled to keep him steady. Tom shot them an unimpressed look before going back to staring at himself in the mirror.
"Tom! You must come back to your original goal. We have a task that we must complete-"
"Yes, of course, we do," Tom mumbled, not even paying attention to Avery.
"We should go, Avery," Malfoy struggled.
Avery fought against the blonde-haired boy with all his strength, "We are the Knights of Walpurgis! We must fight for the purebloods."
Tom straightened his collar for the tenth time. He was a man on a mission today. He didn't have time to pay attention to Avery's whining.
Today, Leo would wear a suit as well. Not that it was a competition or anything but Tom had to look better than her. It was a matter of life and death to him. For years, he has been receiving comments about his handsome looks and smart appearance. He would utilize it all today to surpass Leo's looks.
When he was satisfied with how he looked, he finally turned around to see Avery looking like he was about to pass out from talking so much. Malfoy shot him an apologetic look before scolding Avery once again.
Tom sighed, "I have decided against the idea of making Horcruxes. If you people want, you can proceed on that path but be aware of the consequences. That is all I have to say."
Avery deflated like a balloon making Malfoy sigh in relief. He glanced at Tom one last time with a genuine smile.
"Enjoy your evening, Tom."
Tom nodded curtly before stepping out of the dorms. He crossed the common room while fidgeting with his tie. He couldn't help but feel a bit unsettled. There was a heavy feeling on his chest and his gusts swirled in his stomach making him feel nauseous.
Was he nervous?
Tom shook his head. It couldn't be. He never felt nervous. Why would he feel nervous? Was it because of Leo?
Tom stopped dead in his tracks, right in front of the exit. Images of Leo flashed across his mind. Few were memories and few were just his imaginations. He was overwhelmed with the wave of warmth that swept his entire body. He placed a hand on top of his rapidly beating heart and willed himself to calm down.
It was not the first time going somewhere with Leo. Why did this feel so different?
He forced himself to exit the dorms and walked across the dungeons. His footsteps were the only sound that he could hear. The walk was shorter than he had anticipated. He walked out of the dungeons to the Hogwarts hallway.
Tom was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to notice Leo waiting for him by the staircase. Only when she spoke up did Tom lift his head to face her.
"Well, well, Tom. How many hearts are you planning to steal today?"
Tom halted in his tracks and finally spotted Leo leaning against the railing of the staircase with her blazer swung over her shoulder. Her legs was crossed over one another with a hand tucked inside the pocket of her trousers.
She was wearing an identical suit to Tom. Dare he say, she looked better than him wearing it. Her hair was loosely braided to one side with a small yellow flower sticking in her hair.
In order to hide his true expression, Tom narrowed his eyes at the girl, "What are you doing here?"
Leo pushed herself off the railing and started walking towards him. He couldn't help but glance down at her loose tie and her shirt that was losing a button revealing her collarbones.
Although she looked smart, she was still the same clumsy little devil. Therefore, she tripped on her shoelace and stumbled into Tom's chest. Tom had to grab her shoulders to steady her before she pushed off of him and offered him a proud grin.
"How do I look?" She asked with eyes full of hope and excitement.
Tom took a step back to stare at her a little longer. She looked absolutely opposite to him. He had made sure that not a single thing was out of place. His tie was straight, his shirt was neatly tucked in and his blazer didn't have a single crease.
Leo looked like she got out of her bed. Her blazer was over her shoulder, her shirt was sticking out from one side and the tie looked like it had retired from its job. Nonetheless, she looked absolutely beautiful. Tom couldn't comprehend how she could pull off looking so untidy but he had to admit, Leo looked great in trousers.
"You look decent," he mumbled while picking out the yellow flower stuck in her hair, "but are you sure you can go to the party just like that? People would talk-"
Leo cut him off with another smile, "Does this bother you?"
Tom pursed his lips in thought. If he was being completely honest, it didn't bother him at all. He was rather worried about how he would keep his eyes off of her.
So, he shook his head which made Leo smile even wider, "Then it doesn't matter."
Tom's heart skipped a beat. He had trouble breathing. He had to look away from Leo to collect himself. Leo shot him a look of concern.
"Are you alright, Tom?" She placed her hand on his arms trying to make him look at her.
"Yes," Tom wheezed out.
"Okay," Leo chose not to push it.
Instead, she took out the bouquet of flowers that she had been hiding under her blazer.
"Here, I bought these for you. They are not wildflowers," she offered them to the boy who yet again snapped his head to the other side.
After a few seconds, he glanced back at her and took the bouquet from her hand.
"Leo," Tom said weakly, "you didn't have to..."
"I wanted to! I like giving you flowers. They make your cheeks go red," Leo grinned at him.
Tom smaked his forehead with the flowers softly not knowing how to respond. He kept his face hidden behind them trying to get rid of the warmth in his face.
"Let's just go. We are getting late," he mumbled in defeat.
Leo nodded enthusiastically and started dragging him across the halls leaving him to wonder how the rest of the night will play out.
Hopefully, nothing too dramatic.
A/N: Hello there people! I'm alive and I am done with my term papers and assignments.
Hopefully.
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Well, I hope you lovely people will enjoy this chapter. I was thinking of ending this book soon but so much plot is left
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