Note: Listen to the song above whilst reading <3
"Love takes practice..."
-Anonymous
Flora's eyes drifted towards the lake, her mind wandering over certain topics of Tom Riddle. Speaking of him, he was sitting right next to her, his feet dangling from the branch they were currently perched on. The palish boy was beside her, wearing an expression of calmness, his blue icicles running over the blue-green lake before the two.
"Can you stop?" Tom's voice spoke up, his eyes sliding towards Flora Nightingale expectantly. His calm face morphing into a straight façade. Flora rolled her eyes, masking her pounding heart at him catching her gazing at him. Tom finally let his eyes move from the brunette beside him and onto the lake as silence consumed the two in the pine trees.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Flora's soft voice awed, her gaze turning back to Tom Riddle. Tom nodded his head in agreement, the small movement of his nearly ink black hair fall in front of his face, as though each lock had it's own appendage and flopped around on his forehead. Flora noticed though, thoughts of her cutting his lock filling her mind. His eyes once again met Flora in a exasperated sigh and he gave her a pointed look at her staring again. "Sorry," she hummed, still not looking away from his brilliant blue eyes.
They both stayed in silence as Tom did the same. His gaze settled on her brown warm eyes that looked similar to a cup of hot coffee- filled with passion. His eyes squinted once she finally looked away, his eyes training on her light trace of freckles before blowing out a puff of air. 'What am I doing?' he thought to himself in confusion. Flora let her eyes dart around her surroundings once more before letting out a breath of air-similar to Tom's sigh that he had done before.
"I think we should start heading off, hmm?" Flora hummed, arching an eyebrow in Tom's direction.
"Of course, Nightingale," he agreed, his wand coming out of his green sweater. He muttered a quick levitation spell, his body lowering, his other hand grazing the tree's bark just in case. Once his feet touched the ground he stretched his legs quickly, getting rid of the tension between his knee joints. Flora looked down, the height of the tree making her feel small, but she wasn't scared. "Are you joining me Nightingale?" Tom rhetorically asked, his untamed right eyebrow raising in question.
"Just..." she trailed off, bending slightly for her boot as she slid her wand out "...wai-". Flora was interrupted from herself speaking as her wand left her hand and plummeted towards Tom Riddle's head. 'Damn it,'she cursed to herself; wincing at her clumsiness that decided to shoot out at the unfortunate moment. Flora closed her eyes in expectance as she heard the donk.
"Merlin Flora!" He growled. Flora could imagine his blue eyes squeezing into slits in her direction. She heard the crunch of Tom's footprints, and she regretfully opened her eyes to be met with a flying wand in her direction. Flora mumbled an obscenity as her wand hit her forehead before falling into her lap. Tom's chuckles filled the Forbidden Forrest and Flora mentally gave him a chinese burn.
"That's so not funny Tom!" Flora whined, her hand wandering to her wand before muttering the levitating spell. Wonkily she made her way down to the ground before shooting Tom a glare.
"I didn't do anything Miss. Nightingale. I think your imagining things," his teasing voice spoke, his face holding a slight smile of innocence. 'Bull,' she thought to herself before her stance stiffened at the noise from the bush.
"Tom?" Flora questioned, her gaze cautiously making her way to the bush. "Did you hear that?" She asked, her nose sniffling at the coldness attacking her.
"Saint Mungo's it is for Flora Nightingale," Tom loudly voiced out before hearing the ruffling from the bush. He cautiously raised his wand at the bush, his free hand ushering Flora behind him. His care-free persona wiped from his face. Silence consumed them for awhile before the bush ruffled again; a white rabbit jumped out, resulting in Flora to squeal at the abrupt fullness of it. Tom rolled his blue eyes before withdrawing his wand away from the wide eyed rabbit. "Lets go Nightingale. It's getting dark," Tom's voice rang out, his hand unconsciously wrapping around Flora's wrist to get her to start moving.
Silence.
Silence.
Ruffle.
Silence.
Ruffle.
"That damn rabbit," Tom growled, his eyes flaring wide in annoyance. Flora shrugged off his cold hand before making her way to the large bush.
"Here bunny bunny!" Her voice sung, her hand clicking in front of her and her lips puckering to make some sounds. "I'm not going to hurt you..." she trailed off her head turning towards Tom, not too sure if he would hurt the fragile animal.
"Flora?" Tom breathed out his eyes widening to convey an unknown message. His eyes then seemed to move to something behind her and she curiously moved her head in front of her to see a giant. Okay so maybe Tom would hurt it. But, she wasn't against the idea. It looked like a cross breed as it was only about a meter taller than her. Her throat tightened at the grey skinned monster that seemed to have a rag wrapped around it's lower half making Flora sigh in relief for a moment. It's hair having bald patches that seemed to make the creature not at all fragile.
"I," the voice breathed out smelling like rotten flesh. "Am.Not.A...Bunny!" It roared before jumping up in the air and landing back down on the leaves. The vibration coursed through Flora's frame and the birds in the trees seemed to swoop in a black mass as they squawked and flew away.
"Run!" Flora peeped up, her eyes wide and her breaths erratic as she pulled Tom with her. Tom's legs easily moved in front of her, trying to drag her with him. His mind absentmindedly wandered to the beast that they had ran away from in the Tri-Wizard Tournament as they skidded around a corner up the path. Danger seemed to follow the two and both of them knew it.
Its steps boomed behind them as Tom threw spell after spell at the creature that was gaining on them. Flora on the other hand was running out of energy, her legs slowing as their fingers were only just touching- a massive mistake.
Before Flora knew it, a large hand gripped her sweater and pulled her back, her heart thrumming inside of her rib cage in a mess. The air got thinner in her lungs- as if the air in her lungs were whooshing out of her because of the sudden movement. Gasping for air, she was roughly pushed up by the gurgling monster that was rambling words.
"Avada Kadevra!" Tom's voice broke out, his disheveled hair shining in the green light that shot out from his wand towards the monsters frame. It's body fell limp onto the leaf-bed floor; it's mouth wide open. Which showcased the sets of it's rotten teeth that were crooked and jagged. It's eyes were opened wide in surprise, but Tom dismissed the abomination as his eyes landed onto Flora Nightingale.
Heart racing, her entire body was shivering, wracked with violent shudders as a stick had embedded it's way into her back. She felt dizzy- bright, but misty pulsing auras seeming to surround her view. But a black figure seemed to drop beside her, but all she could feel was the thrumming energy that seemed to originate from nowhere. The world blurred before her, Tom's spell partially working before picking her up in frustration and running as fast as he could.
Something snapped inside of him as he realised that she had been weakly thrown aside from his own spell when the quarter giant had fallen in a heap. Instead of a normal person he couldn't feel the sadness, but the anger. Yes... he could feel the anger radiating through his veins
Even though he was conceived underneath a love potion it couldn't stop Tom's confusing emotions that seemed to run wild inside of him at each ragged breath he took. Magic is magic and it could be reversed...
"Dumbledore!" Tom yelled out as he saw the professors wandering frame through the mist. For once in Tom's life he felt grateful for the half-moon glassed buffoon in front of him that seemed to have a particular liking for Flora Nightingale.
If only he knew...