Things had been awkward.
Well, awkward was not the perfect word to describe Leo's situation but her head was already full of things that needed more attention than increasing her vocabulary with fancy words.
So, here are some other words that are close enough (which you must read in lady Gaga's voice) : odd, peculiar, maddening, never been done before, not surprising but certainly disappointing, perhaps the worst till now.
Unlike other people, Leo never took out the time of her life to think about what it would be like to meet her soulmate.
No, she was not claiming that she was 'not like other girls'. Leo was telling the truth.
Her reason? Why, it was a simple one and she was sure that many people would agree to that as well.
Two words: Fictional characters.
Yes, from books to anime and everything in between, there were way too many characters to daydream about. In cases like that, one would often forget about the possibility of having a soulmate.
Leo had been the same until one of her favourite if not the ultimate fictional man had become a reality. The character that she had spent her childhood with had come to life and was now her soulmate.
How wonderful! That must be the perfect 'Y/N moment' everyone dreams about.
Only, when dreams become reality, they turn into nightmares.
Tom and Leo had gone through arguments, friendship, deaths and now love. Tom Riddle was not a character from a book any longer. He was an important part of Leo's life and the thought of losing him made Leo feel restless.
Now, speaking on the 'awkward' part- Tom was ignoring Leo and Leo was trying her best to ignore Tom.
After the amazing revelation in divination class (hey, that rhymed), the duo had come to a silent agreement of avoiding each other. Maybe, in their young minds, they thought that if they tried their best to appear hostile to each other, maybe they could trick the fates and the threads of destiny into thinking that they absolutely despised each other.
So, when the fates would start their daily checking patrol, they would see Tom and Leo giving each other disgusted looks and go:
'hmmm...maybe they are not meant for each other after all. Let's give them a happy ending!'
-and then Leo and Tom can hop on a dragon and ride into the sunset. Problem solved.
Leo sighed miserably. Her thoughts were running wild with possibilities of a tragic end like the classic pessimist she was.
She must have been the only person in the world who felt absolutely devastated after finding out her soulmate was Tom Riddle, the handsome dark lord.
The great hall was filled with its usual vibrant atmosphere. Way too vibrant for Leo's sour mood. Laughter and chatter echoed throughout the hall as students and teachers gathered together, their faces illuminated with joyful expressions.
Leo was constantly stabbing pieces of green peas with her fork. Her expression was more sour than the lemon that a student was squeezing on his turkey leg.
She could feel eyes on her but chose to ignore them and stab the peas instead. When all three tines of her fork were filled with peas, she shoved them inside her mouth a bit too aggressively. The metal clanged against her teeth making the students who were staring at her look away quickly.
With a mouth full of peas, she stood up from her place. Her eyes swept over the entire great hall. With her cheeks puffed up, she looked like a depressed chipmunk.
When her eyes fell on Tom, he was already looking at her. His eyes held a hint of sadness. His features looked soft and the corners of his mouth were slightly tilting downward.
He looked so vulnerable that it made Leo even angrier than before because, at that moment, all she wanted was to give Tom the tightest hug and squeeze all the air out of his lungs.
She got out of her seat and swiftly turned away. Her feet stomped on the marble floor as she walked out of the great hall while grumbling under her breath about life being unfair and Tom resembling a sad puppy.
It was getting warmer, now that summer was coming. Yet, as Leo came out of the castle, a cold wind brushed past her, making her shiver slightly. It had been so long since she had a night stroll outside Hogwarts.
Ever since Tom had kissed her, things had been different. Not once did she feel lonely. She could sleep at night. Late-night strolls were never alone. Tom was always there, listening to her weird conspiracy theories about dementors collecting information for a secret society among the wizards.
He would talk about stars a lot. He loved watching the night sky illuminated by the silver light of the moon. When Leo told him that soon, men would land on the moon, Tom looked at her like she was crazy.
"Why would they do that?" He had asked, a bit annoyed.
"Because humans like to explore the unknown," she had answered.
"Is it so hard for muggles to just admire the beauty of nature from far away?"
That was what Leo should have done. She should have admired Tom Riddle from afar. Everything would have turned out so much better if she had stopped when Tom gave up the idea of making Horcruxes.
No, she should have stayed in her world, in that bus accident where she was meant to die. That was the ending that she avoided. Maybe the fates were being absolute bitches and punishing her for escaping her death.
Leo sighed once again.
Her thoughts were all over the place, full of regrets. There was no point in thinking about what could have been done and what should have been avoided. But humans still regret it, hoping to find someone to blame their misery on. Like how Leo was blaming the fates.
How pathetic.
She looked around, frowning at the location she had unconsciously walked to. It was a pond in the forbidden forest, where Tom and Leo had shared their first kiss.
Her heart clenched at the sight of the dark waters. Fireflies illuminated the wildflowers that Leo used to collect for Tom. The still waters provided a tiny bit of comfort to her raging mind.
The dark water of the pond felt so welcoming now that Leo realised that she was acting like one of those depressed female characters in cheesy romantic movies who just went through a bad breakup.
The tiny bit of comfort evaporated and all of her dark thoughts came crashing down on her. Overwhelmed by sadness and frustration, Leo's eyes filled with tears and her throat tightened. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She had to release it. She had to scream.
Glancing around, she scanned the surroundings, searching for any unsuspecting individuals or couples who might get a cardiac arrest by hearing a female shouting in the middle of the forbidden forest.
Once she confirmed that no one was within earshot, she inhaled deeply, preparing herself to unleash a scream akin to that of a T-rex.
Summoning all her frustration, Leo opened her mouth wide, ready to let out a piercing scream. But before she could release the full force of her voice, a rustling sound erupted from the bushes behind her.
Startled, Leo's scream was abruptly cut off, her face scrunched up with annoyance and her fist balled up in anger. Tears of anguish and embarrassment fell from her eyes. All she ever wanted was a moment of peace. Was it too much to ask for?
Even if a werewolf would come out of the bush tonight, Leo was determined the punch the daylights out of it. Her balled fists raised in the air. She was clenching it so hard that her knuckles had turned white.
"Whoever it is, you had better say your goodbyes to your loved ones before leaving," Leo said in a tight-lipped manner while squaring her shoulder, "HAAAA-"
"All my loved ones are dead."
Leo's scream got caught in her throat for the second time. A tuff of silky brown hair emerged from within the bushes. Dark feline eyes clashed against warm brown orbs like a sword against a shield.
Leo clenched and unclenched her fists that were still awkwardly hanging in the air.
Chen refused to spare her a second glance and walked straight towards the pond. Leo's eyes followed his every move. Questions swirled in her mind.
Did he follow her?
Was he a threat?
Could Leo knock him out barehanded?
What conditioner did he use?
"My hair was always better than yours, Leo," Chen called out.
Leo flinched at the sudden answer to her thoughts. She was used to hearing answers from Tom, not from the boy who was most likely the number one on the list of people Leo should avoid.
Her hand slowly came down and relaxed by her side. She took a few steps back and swiftly turned around, preparing to make a run for it.
"Leona, why don't you sit with me?" Chen's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Why would I do that?" She asked, slowly turning back.
He was sitting at the edge of the pond, staring into the dark water.
"I just need someone to talk to," Chen shrugged, not even trying to convince her to stay.
"How do I know you won't drown me in that pond?" Leo asked, now fully focused on her supposed-to-be-dead friend.
Chen's head turned to his side, not fully facing Leo. A soft chuckle left his lips but it held no humour.
"Come on, Leo. We both know that is more of your style."
✱ ⁕ ❋ ✻ ✽ ❃ ✿ ❊
"So, she just walked out?"
Tom nodded.
"Women I tell you. These creatures are really hard to understand, dare I say, harder than arithmancy," Tayden shook his head.
Tom was nodding but stopped halfway to look at Tayden in confusion, "But arithmancy is not that complicated. I would say Divination."
"Of course, you would say that," Tayden grumbled.
After a really heavy dinner, Tayden was planning to get a nice bath before snuggling into his beloved bed with his cat. The last thing he had on his list was to get stuck with a very depressed Tom Riddle.
He had always been weary of that boy despite being a year senior to him. Who could blame Tayden? Tayden's first impression of Tom was not great.
He still remembered it as clear as a day. He was a 2nd year and Tom had just started his first year in Hogwarts. It could have been his second week.
Tayden was taking an evening stroll to clear his mind. That was when he had seen a bunch of kids looming over a frail-looking child, calling him names.
Tayden wanted to interfere, he really did. But he was also a child back then, and not a strong one.
Little did he know, help was the last thing that Tom needed.
That day, Tayden saw a monster. He had only heard stories about such beings at night from his mother. Beings so cruel that they could kill without remorse. Since then, he had been careful to steer clear from the enigma that was Tom Riddle.
But now, as he was sitting beside Tom Riddle after six years, swinging their legs over the ledge of the astronomy tower, he didn't expect to discuss "girls" with him- well one girl.
"Did you confront her at least?" Tayden asked.
Tom stopped swinging his legs. He took a weary glance at Tayden and shook his head discreetly.
"She hesitates to even look at me," Tom grumbled under his breath.
The odd duo grew silent. Tayden pitied the boy. Leo was an amazing girl, there was no doubt about that. But she was a girl born with misfortune as her best friend. At every turning point, she always faced obstacles.
But that was not the worst part. Leo had been dealing with unfavourable turn of events on her own ever since Tayden had met her and based on her stories, she had been facing things all alone for a long time.
So, accepting someone to share her burden with someone was something she was not used to.
Tom, on the other hand, cared about very few things. Leo was one of them if not the only one. Naturally, he wanted to be the one who could be Leo's knight in shining armour.
Their characters clashed against each other so much. Tayden could see that they were indeed made for each other.
"Are you sure she not having the visit?" Tayden inquired, trying to give comfort to the boy who was as emotional as a piece of rock.
"Who would visit her in Hogwarts? She doesn't have any living family," Tom raised his tone in frustration.
"No living family- Tom!" Tayden exclaimed.
Tom turned to face him, his eyebrows raised in question. Tayden could not believe the boy.
"She could be unwell!" Tayden said in a strained voice.
"She looked perfectly fine to me," Tom argued back.
"Wha- ah- no! You know about Aunt Flo visiting!" Tayden sputtered.
Tom sighed and rubbed his eyes a bit too aggressively, "She doesn't have an aunt! And Flo is not a real name."
Tayden slapped his forehead. The sharp sound made Tom flinched inwardly. The heir of Slytherin eyed his forehead which was growing red alarmingly.
"You don't know about the curse? You know, when it's that time of the month?" Tayden whispered while leaning closer towards Tom so that no one could hear this uncomfortable yet very necessary conversation they were having.
Tom narrowed his eyes while leaning in as well, "Did someone put a curse on Leo? Does it have to do something with this month?"
Tayden blinked. Suddenly, the dark lake seemed quite welcoming because he was not ready for the conversation they were about to have.
And he was sure Tom was not ready either.
A/N: I just found out that the spikes on a fork are called tines!