Sitting in the great hall, with her potion books wide open in front of her, Alexa was completing her assignment. It was a Monday morning, so the great hall was not very crowded.
It was the day when Tom was going to inspect her work. After their last encounter in the library, she avoided looking at him directly. She had no idea how was she going to face him that day.
"Snow, what's the answer to question number twenty?" Logan, who was sitting beside her, asked.
She read the question. 'Does sleeping draught affect the dragons?' It read. Before she could answer, however, Logan started complaining, "I don't know why he gave this questionnaire to us right now? Shouldn't we be preparing for upcoming O.W.L.s rather than revising the old stuff?"
She smiled at him. "Revising the old stuff makes the basic understanding strong. And the answer to your first question is yes." Thanks to the terror of Riddle, she had done her research by heart for the said potion.
He looked at her, eyes wide open in disbelief. He put his hand on her forehead and she giggled.
"What are you doing?" she asked him.
"Who are you and what did you do to my Snow?" Logan replied with a question. "Is your tutor growing on you?"
She started feeling hot. The remembrance of the events that took place the other day was causing blood to rush in her cheeks. She tried desperately to hide them behind the curtain of her dark bangs. Then she remembered that she was not the only one who was assigned with a tutor.
"Speaking of tutors, who are you assigned to?" she asked him, hoping he won't notice her desperation of change of subject.
"I -" He tried to reply but someone cut their conversation from behind. "Tutor? Who the hell is stuck with you?"
They both turned around to find a beautiful brunette. She had light blue eyes that complimented her Ravenclaw uniform. Her tan skin clearly indicating she was an outdoor person. She had a Quidditch captain emblem on her chest. She wore a teasing smirk on her lips.
"Ah! You would love to know, won't you, my dear cousin?" the badger replied. This time his lips were mirroring the exact smirk that his cousin had. Now that they were both hosting the same teasing looks, Alexa could see they indeed had some similarities.
"Yes, I would love to know who is the poor lad? or is it a lady?" she asked him.
Without backing away, he teased her more. "Yes, he is a poor lad. After all, he is a love of your life."
At this, the colour drained away from the anonymous girl's face. She straightened her posture. In place of her previous playfulness, one could detect a burning rage.
"Don't." She gave him a threatening stare and with that, she left.
After the girl left, Alexa turned to look at her companion, to see there was no change in his posture. one at all. She shook him and when she got his attention she hushed,
"Who was she?"
"That was Rebekah Grayback. She is my cousin. She is a fourth-year Ravenclaw," he replied looking back at his assignment, writing the answer to his initial question.
"Is she a Quidditch captain?" she asked him. Alexa never knew a fourth year could be appointed to that position. Amusement was written all over her face. This slightly dulled Logan's enthusiasm. He just nodded his head in affirmation. Sensing this change, Alexa decided to change the subject.
"She looked like she wanted to burn you. Who was your tutor again?" Alexa asked him.
"That would be Anthony Avery. The Slytherin fifth year," he replied looking at her in adoration, clearly grateful for the change of subject.
Alexa tried to recall the said guy. As far as she remembered he was a reputed pureblood, who was blessed with looks and intelligence, but from Rebekah's face, it was clear that she repulsed the notion.
"Then why did she respond like that?" Alexa asked Logan again.
"Don't you know how the pureblood families work? They want to keep their bloodlines pure." Logan snorted. "When she was born, her father, that is my uncle, arranged her marriage to Anthony who was merely a year old at that time. They didn't even wait for her to understand the meaning of marriage. You know she is a straightforward feminist, so she hates Avery's guts."
"But what about him? Does he agree to this marriage?" she asked.
"Anthony has always been a golden child. He never refused," he added in a hushed voice, "If you ask me, I think that poor lad has the crush on her. He agreed to the marriage the moment he came to know about it. Maybe this is the reason why Rebekah hates him more."
Alexa took the information in. Truthfully, she felt sorry for Anthony more than what she felt for Rebekah. From her observations, Anthony was a goody-two-shoes, who kept Riddle sane.
"So, how's is Riddle treating you? He is not torturing you, is he?" Logan asked her in concern. He had placed his hand on her shoulder. Was he hiding something from her?
She opened her mouth but was cut short when they heard a loud thud, followed by the laughter. She turned to look at the entrance of the Great hall. A girl left the great hall. Her sobs were audible to all of them who were in a ten-meter radius around her. As soon as the girl left another girl stood up, who she believed was Olive Hornby. It was no secret that the latter girl enjoyed tormenting the other girls, especially the socially awkward girls.
However, the girl's laughter was interrupted when Tom stood right in front of her. He had just entered for his breakfast.
"Hornby, why did I see a Ravenclaw running away, crying?" He scolded her his voice full of authority. His voice was enough for Alexa to feel the shivers.
By now, the said girl composed herself. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were looking anywhere but him. "I don't know?" she responded, more like she questioned him.
Tom never liked bullying. His life in Wool's orphanage was enough to make him hate the bullies. However, there was one thing that Tom hated more than that. It was lying.
Tom sneered. "You don't know? Then I hope you will find that out in tomorrow's detention." With that said he turned around only for him to capture Alexa's eyes.
For the first time in two days, she was looking straight at him. For the first time, he could see appreciation for him in her deep brown eyes. For the first time, he forgot where was he. Then he looked at the boy beside her. He was the badger, the same one that she had defended, the same one whom she had called her friend. That badger had the guts to put his hand on her shoulder. His dark eyes narrowed on that hand. He wanted to burn that hand with his gaze. Why did he put his hand on her shoulder? Why was she not objecting that hand? Why were they sitting that close? he asked himself.
Suddenly he turned around and left the great hall. His appetite was long forgotten. However, the only question that remained in his head was
'Why did their closeness affect him?'.
~*~*~
I hope you liked this not very eventful chapter. I will edit this chapter soon.
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Thank you all!!!