The next morning you headed down to breakfast with Daphne, who was nursing a bad hangover but was still under the impression she'd be fine to fly.
You watched as her eyes rolled from the motion of walking and you told yourself that at todays quidditch practice, you were staying up wind and well away from her, just in case.
You look down the table at Draco who is sat with Enzo and Blaise. You smile as you look down from Draco's gaunt face. The poor boy had had no sleep. Not because he was having a great night partying or up all night in a locked dorm with Astoria enjoying themselves but because he'd been terrorised.
Enzo kept smirking and trying to hold in his laugh as Draco stared down at his breakfast in a half asleep haze. You'd found out that during the night, Mattheo and Tom, had teamed up against Draco and were chasing him together, Pucey and the others joining in, chasing the poor boy around the grounds as a prank.
Without his wand to defend himself, he'd just ran, spending the night sneaking about the castle trying to hide from them. When he thought he was safe, his hiding place had been revealed to the group by none other than the poltergeist Peeves, who was hyper from all the fun he'd been having on Halloween and instead of ratting them straight out to the staff, he decided to join in.
Draco had turned nearly every corner and seen one of them and they had joined in the chase and when he had tried to hide, Peeves had popped up through a wall alerting them to his hiding places chasing him down the corridors too.
The game had only stopped when the Bloody Baron had come and chased Peeves away, the ruckus attracting the attention of Argus Filch, the caretaker. Draco had ran for it again and upon trying to get back into the common room, he'd found himself spelled out of it. He was found early this morning sleeping upright in a cubicle in the boy's toilets in the dungeons.
You tuck your lip in as you try to not smile as Draco's head slips off of his palm, his eyes opening again with a start.
As you're eating breakfast, you smile politely as you see Tom walk past with Adrian and a few other seventh years as they clap Draco on the back who jumps out of his skin and glares at them.
Toms eyes linger on you longer than they normally do which makes you smile a little more but also a little nervously. He rarely looked at you for more than a few seconds in public but today he kept looking at you. You awkwardly adjust your Slytherin green quidditch polo shirt, tucking it in a little more around your tummy and continue your breakfast, trying not to look at him.
You continue eating and you keep seeing Tom looking at you and it makes you look away. You try to ignore it but eventually you cave and text him, wondering why he keeps looking at you.
You smile down at your phone and stand up, grabbing your quidditch bag from under the table and you and Daphne head out of the Great Hall to your quidditch practice. It was now the start of November and the weather in the Scottish highlands was starting to turn wintery.
Frost and light snow was starting to happen and strong winds too. You weren't the fondest of this weather mostly because it really affected Quidditch play and you didn't want the December match against Hufflepuff being cancelled because of the weather.
An hour later, you were hovering not far from the Ravenclaw stand, waiting for Blaise to finish the passing drill he was putting a sickly looking Daphne through when a gust of wind rattles past you making you dodge sideways.
You hear Blaise's whistle calling you up the pitch and you turn to see where he is and shoot off, heading towards him. You don't get more than ten metres when a stronger gust of wind smacks you in the side sending you spinning, you cover your head with your arm as you collide with the wooden stands. Your eyes shut instantly from the impact.
"AW MERLIN!" A boys voice breaks through the darkness of your mind.
"Y/N...come on...wake up! Someone go get Madame Pomfrey or Snape!" A familiar girls voice joins it, their voices dancing in your mind as you slowly blink your eyes open, overwhelmed by the bright sky above you.
"No I'm fine, I'm fine..." you say groggily as you lean up hissing a little in pain. You knew nothing was broken, it was more the shock of the impact. You look down to see something that shatters your heart. Your broom, splintered into multiple pieces next to you where someone had cleared it away from under you into a pile.
"What happened?"
"The wind took you out. Straight into the stands. Are you alright?" Daphne says, kneeling beside you, her face filled with worry.
"I'll live." You say gruffly and look up at Adrian Pucey, your team captain and his face is grim.
"Practice is over for you. Go get showered... and if you're in pain, up to the Hospital Wing. I'm afraid it's back to the school brooms for you but please try and get that replaced asap, we need you on a fast broom." Adrian says to you and you nod and sigh.
Daphne helps you stand up and she scoops up your broom into a pile and you groan as you feel it collapse into a pile in your arms. You'd had it since first year, it was one of your most valued possessions.
Your family wouldn't replace it on your birthday, it was too close to it. You carry it downstairs and on your way to the changing room you throw it in the outside bin.
-
The next morning you notice a few bruises in the shower and sigh at your little accident. You were fine but your broom wasn't and it was expensive to replace. Not only that but your boots were falling apart too. They were old ones with laces that went right up your legs that took ages to do up. They weren't even in your house colours which had always annoyed you.
You distract yourself from your upset about your broom by getting ready for your date with Tom. You wonder where you're going. You pull your camera into your bag and stuff it with your hat scarf and gloves too and pull on your winter boots and jacket.
You run out of the dorms quickly to avoid anyone seeing you and make for the south gate. When you get there, Tom is leaning against it smoking his cigarette. He smiles as you approach and he stubs it out. You start walking down the path, heading past the Black Lake. You look at the signs, wondering where it is he's taking you.
"So where are we going on this little date of ours?"
"For a walk and lunch."
"Oh that's cute! Whereabouts are we going for lunch?"
"Just to one of the hamlets over that way, well south of the Black Lake. There's a really good pub there. Does a good Sunday lunch. Most students don't know about it so I thought it might be a good place for us to go. It's quiet and out of the way and we can be alone."
He smiles at you and you grin. You feel so excited about this cute day out together. Finally a proper date and alone time.
"Well if it has a Sunday roast I'm there. Not that the school one isn't good... but it'll be nice to go somewhere new." You say with a smile and follow him as he walks.
As soon as you're past the Black Lake and into the forest paths he holds his hand out to you. You look down at it and smile and take his hand.
"So why are we going out for a date?" You ask.
"Because we've never gone out alone together. I don't go into Hogsmeade much...people stare at me... and I can't be bothered with it. Besides, I've got something I want to show you this way if I can. " Tom says and he looks down a little as he looks at the path, stepping over a small log.
It makes you wonder what it must be like for him. Seeing people whisper about him wherever he went. You'd noticed it in school. How people jumped out of his way or watched him and Mattheo warily. Even some of your friends got the same treatment as they were all sons of former Death Eaters. It made you sad as none of these boys were their parents and most of them .
"Can I ask something?" Tom's question snapping you back into the present moment and you smile and nod at him. "Why did you look so upset when you came out of school?"
"Oh my broom. I saw the quidditch pitch and just felt annoyed again. I... crashed yesterday because of the wind and broke my broom." You say nonchalantly with a little sadness in your voice.
"WHAT?" Tom wheels round and his hands immediately goes out to yours, holding them tight. His face angry and worried.
"I'm fine. I wasn't high up... not really. I... I landed in the stands. Just a few cuts and bruises." You say with a smile but his face is still rigid.
"Are you sure?" His hands holding your wrists tights as he looks all over your fully clothed body as if he could magically see through your clothing to see any injuries.
"Yes I'm fine don't worry about me. It was old anyway, I've had it since first year. It was starting to get cracking anyway. I suppose it was only a matter of time until another accident happened and it broke."
"Oh... I'm sorry about your broom."
"Mmm... so am I. I have to use a school one now. I was going to ask my family for a new one for my birthday but it's so soon, it would be rude so I might wait for Christmas. See if I ask nicely if they'll replace it."
"Yes I know. It's in just over a week isn't it? The Wednesday?" Tom says to you and you blink and nod.
You wonder how he knew when your birthday was. Then like the answer to many of your questions, it was probably Mattheo's doing that Tom knew so much about you. Also the fact he'd kind of been around in the background of your life for years, mostly because of your close friendship with Mattheo and your 'putting up' with Draco.
"Uh yeah, it is. But it's so close to it, I know my family will have already sorted any presents for me and they're coming up to see me. Taking me out to dinner." You say with a smile that Tom returns.
"That's nice."
Tom pulls you to the right and you start heading down a downhill path between the trees. It was so nice and quiet in the forest but you both kept your wands in your pockets, just in case. It may be day time but the forest was filled with wild creatures, you had to be careful.
"So what are you getting me then?" You say teasingly and he looks across at you and smirks.
"Nuhuh...it's a surprise."
"Oh it better be good. Make up for that prank of yours." You say shoving yourself into him gently.
"I thought I already made up for that." He says with a grin and pulls you to him, kissing you. He walks for a little bit, his arms wrapped around you kissing you as he walked you backwards for a few steps making you giggle.
"No it will be. I promise." He says with a sweet smile. His words make you smile again, wondering what it is he's getting you for your birthday. A part of you secretly hoped for more flowers.
"Oh it's so nice to be out here... just us. Not worrying about people seeing us and making comments." You say with a happy sigh, looking up at trees and then at Tom.
"It is." Tom says with a smile and he stops and looks around him, getting his bearings.
"Right, we normally should go right but I want to take the central path, there's something up ahead, that if we're lucky, you might get to see. I'd get your camera ready." He says with a grin.
You make an excited face and rummage in your bag, checking your camera's manual settings. You snap a few photos of the forest around you, checking it and smile. Tom's walked ahead of you and you turn your lens and with his back to you, you snap a couple of secret photos of him and smile down at them before, throwing your camera neck strap around your neck and following him, catching up to him and putting your hand back in his.
"So what is it with you and that camera? I've seen you out with it a lot over the years." He says, nodding down at your camera as you walk. It was an odd question that put you on the spot.
"Oh I just... like taking pictures." You say shyly, not really able to explain why you enjoyed photography when put on the spot so quickly. You just did.
"Yeah I've seen your Instagram. You take some good ones."
"You have instagram?" You say in shock and stare at him.
You never thought Tom would be the sort of person to have social media. He always came across like he couldn't care less about other peoples approval or having interest in anyone else's lives, he was too focused on his own. You'd never seen any evidence of him on social media either.
"No of course I don't." Tom scoffs in disgust. "Mattheo showed me it when you took photos of him and your friends last summer. I even saw the ones you took when you all came for Draco's birthday at the manor. You must be good with it, you even made him look good."
You smile down at the camera in your hand a little shy at his compliment about your photography.
"So where did you get it? A muggle camera? Magic cameras not good enough for you? You some sort of witch hippy..." He says with a mocking, teasing grin and you make a face at him.
"No it was a gift. I...was really interested in art and drawing when I was younger and photography eventually became part of that. Don't get me wrong, I like my magic camera too but I like this muggle one more."
"Why? Yes they have good technology but it's not magic. It doesn't capture movement in the same way."
"That's exactly why. An ordinary photo captures a split second moment of life. Nothing more. That one specific percentage of a second that the shutter closes and it captures an image, no more. A snapshot. I also like that you have to learn how to use it. About lighting and composition. That you have to work with your subject to get a good photograph." You say with a smile and Tom raises his eyebrows and moves his lips and nods.
You turn and look up at the sound of animals above you and you see some red squirrels running through the trees. You point your camera up at them, following one until it stops still, clinging onto the side of a tree trunk. You click the button and your camera fires off a few snaps. You pull your camera away and press the button to view your pictures. You turn the screen to Tom.
"Look. Cute isn't it?" You smile and Tom looks back up at the little squirrel that you can both barely see because it's so high up and he makes an impressed face at the photograph that shows its small face in high detail on your camera's screen. Each little red hair and whisker standing out, it's beady little eye shining.
"Fast reflexes with a camera. Far less with a wand." He says with a smirk and you elbow him playfully, letting your camera go, letting it fall down to your side and you hold the lens in your hand as you walk. You keep walking through the forest admiring the autumnal colours and the fresh cold air.
"So what is this thing we're diverting to see? I'm just asking, do you think I'll need my long or short lens?" You say to Tom as you follow him down the slight slope, watching your feet instead of him as he walks ahead of you a little, clutching your camera tight to your chest just in case you slip.
"I'd say long. It's not close to the path." He says and turns his head looking around through the trees before walking on. You follow him, wondering how he knows where he's going. There's no signs and no obvious landmarks.
You're in the middle of a forest in the middle of the Scottish highlands. You look down at your phone and your signal is low. It makes you a little anxious and you walk a little faster following Tom closer until you grab his hand. He smiles down at your hand in his again and gives it a tighter grip, his thumb wrapped protectively over yours, your full hand in his.
"You know...luring me out into the middle of the forest like this...after your little stunt on Friday, I'm starting to wonder if you're actually out to kill me." You say with a little laugh.
"Now why would I want to kill my favourite person?" Tom says with a smirk down past his shoulder at you. His words and smile makes you nearly giggle as you walk down into a narrow path between the trees.
"Oh... I'm your favourite person now, am I?'
"Yes... I thought that was glaringly obvious Y/N"
"Huh.... You know I like that." You say with a grin and he smiles back at you before he stops you, putting a hand out across you and points far off to your left.
"Shh... look."
Off through the trees you see movement in a small clearing. A few patches of bright colours moving and making small noises.
Wild moon calves.
You cover your mouth in excited shock. You'd only ever seen the ones in the pens at school. They were sweet and gentle creatures that were starting to make their return to the Highlands, their numbers increasing after many years of poaching and many years of conservation work to protect their numbers.
"I know how much you enjoy your magical creatures classes... i thought some wild ones would make your day." Tom whispers quietly to you, his voice right by your ear.
You smile up at him in thanks and turn to watch as they graze and slowly your hand reaches down and you lift the camera up to your eye, staring down the viewfinder at them. You see a herd of mothers and small babies and a larger male standing on a large rock in the clearing watching over them all, protecting them from predators. You stay as quiet as you can.
You snap a few pictures and show them to Tom who nods. As you take your photos and watch in amazement, focusing on taking your photos, Tom stands at your side, arms folded, his head turned watching you with a soft, pleased look on his face at how happy you look. He swallows and smiles as you grin down at the photos and then turn to him and he stares at you with a soft smile on his face. You stare back at him, a happy grin on your face and he shakes his head and smiles at you and pulls your hand so you can continue walking and not disturb the moon calves and risk them running off further into the forest.
Soon the path starts to merge with a sandy road and you start to emerge into civilisation. Stone cottages, a small hamlet and right in the heart of it, an old pub with a thatched roof. Tom holds the door open for you and you head in and take your seats, enjoying the warmth of the fire.
When your food arrives, you realise just how hungry you had been. You hadn't eaten much at breakfast as you had been nervous about your date with Tom. You eat your food like you're actually starving.
Tom raises an eyebrow at you, amused by your appetite and you smile at him.
"That good is it?" He says with an amused smile.
"Mmhmm... sorry I'm just hungry."
"No don't apologise. I was nervous you'd be a picky eater..."
You shake your head and smile at him and he shakes his head a little and laughs.
"I am so glad you're you... do you know that?" Tom says with a smile.
"What do you mean?" you ask raising a confused eyebrow as you cover your mouth with a napkin as you chew.
Tom stops eating and looks down and away and then at you and smiles.
"I just mean... there are other girls out there...and i'm so glad that you're not like them. I like that you're comfortable enough with me to eat properly. Not ordering a salad and water because it seems lady like. I like that... you're just yourself with me. It makes it...easier for me, to... be myself."
You blink at him and smile and nod.
"Well... I find it easy to be myself with you. I don't feel pressure to... try and be someone else. Have you had that before... on... other dates?" You ask as casually as you can and his eyes lift from his plate to you.
"No. Not on dates as such, just... some other girls i've been forced to spend time around, I could never date girls like some of them. I find them annoying, that they worry about all the things in life that I have no interest in."
"Such as?" You ask curiously.
"Social media." Tom says with a smirk and you snort a little air out of your nose and nod.
No, he clearly didn't like social media or get the point of it. But as someone who spent a lot of time trying to be anonymous, you understood why.
"So does that mean I can't ever post you?" You ask with a slightly cheeky smirk and he looks at you.
"Why would you want to? That's the thing I don't understand. I can understand taking the photos and keeping them on your phone or printing them for yourself, your dorm or your home... but sharing them online so others can see? I don't understand it. Especially photos of your relationship..."
"Well... i think it's just a lot of people do it without thinking. It's just part of what they do. A part of a normal relationship in this day and age. But, I personally, i'd like to post photos of us, just...well... I suppose you're right... to show off..." You say as you realise why you'd want to share a picture of yourself and Tom.
Taking the photos of yourselves together is one thing but sharing them online, had a slightly different meaning. If you were going to share him online, it was simply to brag that he was your boyfriend. He raises an eyebrow at you again and tilts his head and a slow smile spreads on his face.
"Show off what exactly?"
"That I have a really sweet and handsome boyfriend and look how happy we are?" You say with a laugh that makes Tom shake his head in amusement.
"I see. Well... I don't really like having my photo taken. Like at all. So... I think that might be somewhat difficult for you."
"I'll just have to be sneaky with it." You say with a grin and look down with a mischievous smile and Tom's face goes confused and he follows your eyesight down to your phone that you had propped against the table, secretly taking a photo of him. His face instantly tenses up and he shoots an angry look at you.
"Why would you want to take photos of me eating?" He asks with a scoff and he looks annoyed and confused at you.
"So i can remember this date. Have photos to look back on and i'm being sneaky because I know you'd say no." You grin and scroll through them and smile.
"Can you... not just use your brain to remember? Delete them." Tom says almost teasingly and then firmly and you sigh and look down.
"Do I have to? You look fine... I just want some actual photos of you and me when we're out together. This is our first time out together..." You say softly and lift your eyes, giving him a slight puppy dog look.
"Fine. Keep it, but don't make a habit of doing that." He sighs and watches your reaction, the slightly sad look in your eyes that he doesn't want to take a photo with you.
"Do you not...take photos then? Like at all? Like not even selfies?" You ask out of curiosity, trying to move past the slightly uncomfortable way you feel in this moment.
Tom shakes his head more and a proper laugh comes out.
"Selfies? You are joking?"
"No? You're...handsome and-" You start to say, feeling a little shy to be complimenting him so directly in public but he cuts you off.
"Exactly. I know i'm not unfortunate looking. Why would I feel the need to take photos of myself? I don't look at them, i'm not vain and I don't share them online because I'm not insecure enough to need attention, likes and comments about my looks from others." He says matter-of-factly and starts eating again, his words stunning you into an awkward silence.
"Oh. Oh right."
He looks up at you and realises his words may have upset you a little as you often posted selfies and group photos and times when you were having fun. You were a teenager in the age of social media, it was the norm. Tom was the outlier but because he spoke with a strong voice and conviction, it made you feel like you were doing something bad by doing what everyone else does.
"I... I didn't mean it like that. I just meant about myself. I know you probably post things for other reasons but I personally hate it all. But... I'm also not a natural photographer like you are nor am I a very fun loving person. My instagram would be very boring.... my phone may as well not have a camera... I rarely use it." He says as he tries to lighten the mood again and you smile at him and eat more.
"No I get it, it's not for everyone. I like sharing my camera photos on it more than taking selfies really...it's not like many people like them anyway. I don't have a very large following... unlike girls like Sera or Annie." You say and your own self-deprecating tone makes Tom's eyes narrow as he watches you.
"Please Y/N... you can't seriously want to be like those two. They have a lot of likes and followers because they are vapid and vain individuals. They showcase their wealthy lifestyles that people think is 'aesthetic' so they click like and leave inane comments on with far too many emojis" Tom says in a judgemental snarl with air quotes, his voice growing into a rant. "They also use that word wrong which drives me insane. It's not aesthetic, it's aesthetically-pleasing... but I digress. Girls like Sera and Annie have large followings because they over edit their photos, party a lot and post things for attention and it is....pathetic, frankly."
"Sounds like it annoys you a lot..." You say, his tone making you feel a little uncomfortable. It sounded like he really doesn't like
"It does because it makes girls like you... as beautiful and genuine and creative as you...feel inferior for no reason. When really what they are posting is a convoluted web of lies. They post a photo of a handbag or a dinner to make their lives look interesting when they probably had the most boring day ever. You could fake Sera's feed very easily in this day and age of A.I and search engine images and amass a large following. People want her lifestyle because of what she lets them see but have no idea what it's actually like..." He says in a scathing tone.
"And people want her..." you mutter under your breath but Tom catches it. You tried to keep your jealousy about her looks and wealth to yourself but sometimes it slipped out. It really did seem like the universe had favourites at times and Seraphina Avery really seemed to be one of the really lucky ones.
"What do you mean by that?" He says tilting his head as he cuts up more of his food.
You look at him and consider avoiding it but his eyes force you to speak what you truly mean.
"Oh... just she's practically perfect. She's gorgeous, intelligent, wealthy. Literally everyone at school has or does fancy her..." You say and Tom's eyes move slightly and then focus back on your face as you continue to talk. "She has a large social media following so she can easily get free stuff from brands, which she could afford to buy anyway. Oh...and the fact she's an Avery. Pure Blood. So she's obviously going to marry rich too and doesn't need to work a day in her life, but because she's so perfect, of course she wants to be a career woman too. Wants to work in fashion like Annie does and they probably have the connections to make such a dream happen almost overnight..." You say and sigh, annoyed at how lucky some people's lives are.
Tom listens to you and he blinks at you for a few moments and his face tenses and his eyes narrow a little as you watch him roll his jaw, thinking of how to reply to you, before clearing his throat and reaching his hand across the table.
"Love... People's lives can look perfect from the outside, when they're... they're really not. That's why I dislike social media so much. You're seeing a few, most likely staged photographs and short videos that have been edited and planned and you think... someone's life is better than yours. I can tell you, as someone living in a pure blood family and who has been immersed in pure blood culture all their life, it is not all it is cracked up to be. A lot of it... is archaic... and downright stupid...and doesn't belong in this day and age." he says and his voice shifts, becoming darker and more angry.
You look at him and there's something about the way he says this that makes you want to change the subject. He was annoyed at something big, something huge in his life and you didn't like seeing him like this, so you force a smile and nod and change the subject to some inane gossip from school as you always like Tom's sarcastic commentary on what goes on in school.
You pass the rest of your meal chatting to each other happily and laughing, enjoying being able to be fully open with each other in public. Tom pushes closer round the table when your food is done and your butter beers arrive, his arm around your shoulder and his other hand sometimes sitting on your leg as you talk with each other.
Before you leave the pub, he pulls you close and grabs your phone, holding it straight out in front of you both and he leans in close to your head and you see the slightest curve of a smile on his face as you look at the screen and smile and he takes the photo for you before kissing you on the side of the head and sliding out of the booth. You look at the single photo and feel your cheeks round, a slight warmth coming to them as you look at the cute selfie.
Soon you're on your way back to school, walking hand in hand when you come back to the very edge of the black lake. It spans for the whole horizon, Hogwarts a mere dot in the distance. You walk down to the edge of the lake, snapping away more photos when you see the sunset looks perfect. You turn to Tom and motion your hand to a spot to him.
"Stand there for me."
"No."
"Oh come on."
"No. I'm not having my photograph taken."
"Oh Merlin why not? It's not like you're not photogenic."
"I don't care. I don't like having my photo taken. I hate being forced into things. The Malfoys make us take family photos at Christmas. Worst day of the year." Tom grumbles and it makes you giggle.
"Please? Just one? Just for me? I'll never show it to anyone."
He tilts his head and blows air out of his nose as he makes an unimpressed face at you.
"Please? Just one? Just for me? I'll never show it to anyone."
He tilts his head and blows air out of his nose as he makes an unimpressed face at you.
"Fine. What do you want me to do?" He says in a moody petulant way uncrossing his arms and looking at you like you'd just insulted his entire existence.
"Just stand there." You point back at the spot.
You lift the camera up and move, framing him better. He stands there awkwardly, his face unimpressed but he slowly relaxes his body and you snap the shutter a few times, moving your lens in and out, taking a really good portrait close up of him that makes your heart melt when you see the picture through your viewfinder. Even in the half light he was perfect, the shadows highlighting the contours of his face perfectly. You couldn't figure out how someone who looked like him could feel self conscious. He hears the shutter sound go off again and his face goes angry.
"That was more than one!" He snaps at you.
You grin at him and stick your tongue out at him as he marches across to you reaching for the camera.
"Give me that!"
You pull away from him and bend over, protecting your camera against your stomach as he reaches over you trying to grab it. When he realises he can't get it off you he steps back, his nostrils flared, his jaw locked in an annoyed way. You stand back up and look at the photos, turning the screen to show him.
"See? Handsome. Perfect." You say with a grin as you flick through the photos to show him. He wrinkles his nose and you see it and his lips twitch in discomfort and disgust. You kiss his cheek and you can't help but laugh a little at his reaction.
"Well I like them. Even if you don't and no, I'm not deleting them."
He pulls you to him, his face softening at your compliments and he gently strokes your cheek like he often did. His fingers soft and gentle on your skin. You smile at his touch and you get an idea.
"Go on... you give it a go."
"Oh... I...no I don't want to..." he puts his hands up in refusal.
"No... go on... just take a photo of the lake or... the trees or me, I don't mind." You say with a smile and shove the camera into his hands.
He looks down at the camera like you handed him a screaming baby but he breathes in and blows out the air quickly, lifting it to his eyes. He points it at the lake and you watch as he moves the lens a little taking a couple of snaps of the lake and then turns it to you.
You smile at him and stick your tongue out, making a stupid face and you see him smirk behind the camera as he takes a photo. You smile properly, actually hoping he'll get one nice photo of you that isn't a selfie and he lifts the camera back up to you and you hold your smile. You hear the button be pressed but your smile slowly drops as you see him lower the camera, his smile dropping and he suddenly looks a little awkward or uncomfortable.
You walk back over to him and take the camera from him, looking at the photos of yourself. They were funny and light and your smile didn't look half bad in that last one, a little editing and they'd be good enough to post. You turn to smile at him as you put your camera back in your bag. His face had barely changed from when his smile had dropped when he was taking your photos.
You reach out to touch his arm and he twitches a quick smile onto his face before it goes back to a strange look. He looked almost sick. He reaches forward and his hands grabs yours, his thumbs rubbing your hands. He lifts his head and you look up at him, wondering what's wrong with him all of a sudden. You offer him a reassuring smile wondering if maybe he just felt awkward at trying something new, that he wasn't perfect at or educated in.
"I love you Y/N." Tom says suddenly and quietly, his eyes looking up to study your face as he speaks.
His words leave you stunned, your smile dropping. Time practically freezes and you stare up into his dark green eyes. Pure honesty and nerves written across his face, his mouth slightly parted and his breathing a little louder than normal.
"What... what did you... just say?" You whisper, sure that you'd misheard him.
"You heard me. I love you."
You stare at him in shock. His face is so serious but also just a hint of nervousness, a look you rarely ever saw on his face. He'd said the words you had longed to hear but also barely ever let yourself believe that anyone would ever say them to you. Let alone Tom. His eyes stare down at you and you hands on your wrists had a soft grip, pressing lightly as if trying to press a response from you.
After all the strange little moments where your stomach had flipped or you'd felt your hormones kick in, the dizzy way he made you feel. How comfortable you felt in his presence. He couldn't... you couldn't... it was too soon.. but was it though? You'd spent so much time together... it felt... right?
"I...I... I love you too." You manage to force out quietly, your mind completely overwhelmed with the shock and happiness you feel.
He grins widely and he comes forward, cupping your face and kissing you hard. You smile into the kiss and so does he and you both laugh a little as you keep kissing. He pulls you tight against him, his head on top of yours and you both look out across the lake, enjoying hugging each other.
Soon the darkness starts to descend and you turn, hand in hand to head back towards the school. There wasn't much time left before dinner was going to start. As you climb back up a rocky old set of stairs carved into the forest floor by old tree roots, you run up and climb on a small rock.
"Piggy back?" You ask cheekily with a cute grin.
"How old are you?" Tom says with an amused grin, his voice thick with joking disdain and he rolls his eyes.
You make a fake pout and he sighs and turns around, clearly not actually annoyed with you. You place your hands on his shoulders and jump and he grabs you, pulling you tight against his back. You wrap your arms tight around his neck and chest and with a quick throw you end up higher on his back and he starts walking with you. You can't help but giggle as it feels so strange being this much taller than normal and loving him carrying you. He doesn't get more than a few hundred metres before his smile stops and he complains.
"Merlin... you've got a grip like devil's snare...ease up...I'm not going to drop you."
"Sorry. You're just really tall. I feel a bit sick up here."
"You dare....I don't care how I feel about you, I'll drop you right here in the woods and leave you behind."
"Oh that's not nice... what if an acromantula comes for me?"
"Then it'll have a yummy snack."
"Mean. I'd just call Mattheo to come get me..." You say teasingly, knowing that his brothers crush on you wound him up. You found it funny now that Mattheo and you had slowly started speaking again.
You were so wrapped up in your feelings for Tom, you couldn't care less how Mattheo or anyone else felt about you. But you forgot that that isn't how boys work, especially when it comes to their brothers or friends liking their partner.
Tom's hand lets go of your left thigh and a second later you feel a sharp smack on your butt.
"OW! I was only joking!"
"I don't care. Don't talk about him." He growls at you and you roll your eyes. How he still could get like that even after you just told him you loved him and you were cuddling into his back and kissing his neck as he walked with you, you didn't know. It was clear you were only teasing.
You grin down at him, as grumpy as he was, he was so much lighter in spirit than normal. Your words of love to each other had clearly taken some pressure or worries away from him. You cling tighter to him and kiss the back of his head.
"So... uh... what made you...say that?" You ask softly, your head resting on his shoulder as he carries you.
He tilts his head round to look at you and smiles.
"I've known for little while...I think... I just...didn't know what to do about it. Just seeing you like that, with your camera and the lighting... you just looked perfect." He says with a smile and you cant help but slowly smile and you lean forward and kiss the side of his head.
"You're too cute."
"Never say that again. I am not cute."
"Yes you are... and you love me..."
"Are you going to make me regret saying that to you Y/N?" He says with an annoyed smile and you nod.
"Yep. You loooveee me..." you say in a jokey sing song way, intended to wind him up.You lean forward again and whisper it into his ear and whatever calm he was trying to keep in disappears.
He immediately lets go of your legs, dropping you and you quickly land behind him, steadying yourself and he turns round to you, a slightly annoyed look on his face. It was clear he still didn't like being teased.
You stretch up quickly and kiss him fast on the lips shocking him and take off running giggling up the forest path. He turns and smirks and runs after you, easily catching you before you come to the path turning. He grabs you and pulls you off to a tree beside the path, pushing you hard up against it.
"What have I told you about teasing me? You know I don't like that?" He says, his tone a warning.
"Do you know what you do like though?" You whisper up to him, your voice filled with even more of a teasing tone simply because he told you not to, your eyes on his lips.
He raises an eyebrow at your tone and the expression at your face.
"Me." And you smirk at him and he grins at you and nods.
"Well that is true...even if you are the most annoying, troublesome tease there is..." He says with a grin and leans over you, he takes your face in his hand and pushes himself up against you, kissing you hard.
"I mean it...I really do... I love you." He says to you in between kisses and you smile again, your cheeks burning.
"I love you too Tom." You say softly, stroking his cheek, admiring his face, the soft look of love in his eyes that was reserved only for you and he grins at you and kisses you again.
-
Later that night, as you sit in bed going through your camera photos you see the photos you took of the squirrel and the photos you took of Tom and the ones he took of you. You save them all to your computer and smile at them and you upload the photo of the squirrel to your Instagram.
When it uploads, you smile at how cute it looks but also at the fact that no one else but you and Tom know the story behind the simple photo of a squirrel or what else happened today.
For a brief moment, your self-consciousness does take over and you can't help but swipe back through your profile that was just photos of your cat, pictures with friends and a few portrait photos of your friends that you'd taken when you were feeling 'arty'. (Oh and the photo of Glencoe that to a Muggle would look like it was taken by a drone or a helicopter but you'd actually taken it from your broom.)
You analyse your feed and feel a little annoyed at yourself for feeling so self-deprecating. Tom was right, everyone's lives were different and these are mere snapshots but your jealousy and self-consciousness had you typing away, sending you back to quietly stalk Sera's page. You had no real idea why you did it, maybe because the thought of her life was fresh in your mind from earlier today.
Her feed and following was that of a pretty girl with a lot of money who liked to have fun, a feed that was far more exciting and glamorous than yours and it makes you sigh a little.
Tom was so different to you, he didn't quite understand what life is like as a teenage girl, especially one at a school with people like Sera. People with unbelievable wealth and beautiful good looks. He didn't feel the same pressures as you did to conform or to...want to fit in. Even though you knew there was nothing wrong with your lifestyle or your hobbies, there were times were you wish you were more naturally extroverted or that you'd been a little more comfortable having your own photo taken, rather than always being the photographer.
As you sit there and think, you scroll through the photos of Sera's Instagram, feeling a slight sting of jealousy at her large following and the glamorous lifestyle she seemed to live around school life.
You swipe away from her profile and sigh. Annoyed at yourself for even looking at it after everything that had gone since the party and from the wise words that Tom had spoken. You knew it was a stupid thing to do, to compare yourself to her, or to any other girl really but you still couldn't help it at times. As you stare up at the ceiling trying to talk kindly to yourself, you recall Tom's words from earlier in the day and nod with determination and put your phone on your charger before heading off to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
Tom is right, these are snapshots. Most of them set up or edited. Life is more than just snapshots, she probably has loads of secrets and problems. Just like everyone else. No one's life is perfect... you say to yourself as you get ready for bed.
No today, today was pretty much perfect. One of the most perfect days you've ever had.
Tom Riddle, your boyfriend, had told you he loved you and not a single thought could remove the smile from your face every time you replayed him saying it to you in your head.
When you come back out of the bathroom, you slide under your covers and your cat curls into you and as you roll over and snuggle into him and you can't help but smile at the fact you had a boyfriend who loved you for you, and that felt more special to you than anything else.
-