"Jane?" Repeated Freya, looking at the girl who didn't even break up with her face to face.
"Freya." She seemed to breathe. "What is he doing here?" Jane glared daggers at Tom. "So, was right?"
"You hardly have the right to be mad." Said Freya. "You left me with nothing but a note of explanation."
"Because I was under the imperious." Said Jane.
"What a terrible excuse." Said Freya. She folded her arms. She didn't do well with abandonment. She never had. She could forgive many things, but being abandoned hurt her more than anything. "Do you need money or something?"
"What?"
"You see my name in the paper and you think if you come back I'll be your personal piggy bank?"
"No, Freya, listen, it was Tom he put me under the imperious, he forced me to lea-"
"Of course he did. And he also stalked me the weeks before we started dating."
Jane frowned.
"So, you created the ideal scenario. How did you gain her trust?" Jane had turned to Tom.
"I mean really, when did you two get together? The day after I left? I'm guessing Freya was drunk. Because any stalker or someone who knew her a while would know how affectionate she is when she's drunk."
"Get. Out." Said Freya.
"Ooo did I hit a nerve?" Asked Jane.
"Jane, please, you can't seriously expect that I'd believe you, when you cheated on me." Said Freya.
"I did not cheat on you." Said Jane "I didn't write you a letter, you can use verita serum if You like."
"She said get out." Said Tom.
Freya looked a little stunned. Jane walked over to her and pulled her into a kiss. Freya froze. When Jane pulled away she muttered one thing before she dissaperated.
"I love you."
~•~
It had been five minutes and Freya still hadn't moved. Tom was watching her as she seemed to shift her weight slightly.
"She's lying." Said Freya. "Right?"
"Of course she is." He Said.
"Why would she lie?" Asked Freya.
"Because she's not a good person."
"No, she's never lied to me before."
"Do you believe her?"
"No."
"Do you believe me?"
"I don't know." She Said.
"Well you need to choose one." He Said a little harshly. "And, no, you can not have both."
"I just... I don't know."
"Do you love me?" He Said as though he was accusing her of something.
"Yes." She Said.
"Do you love her?"
"No."
"Then What is there to think about?" Said Tom.
"Nothing, I guess." Said Freya.
He proceeded to pick her up and carry her to the couch. She was in his arms and the world felt right once more.
"What do you think of emperor penguins?" Asked Tom. He knew her well enough to know that if she wasn't drunk, the number one way to distract her was specifically penguins.
"I think they're fascinating." She Said. "I was going to go to my London office around Easter. And your teacher invited me to a party."
He frowned, he had been unsuccessful.
"Yes, he mentioned that." Said Tom.
"I'll only go if you want me there." She Said. "How did you get out of school, by the way?"
"Told Slughorn that I had to see you. He was more than happy to allow me to use his fireplace." Said Tom.
"Is it true? Because why would you do that? I mean it's not like you stalked me, right?" She said.
"Of course it's not true. When I first met you I had no interest other than that I thought you were stunning, clever, and had weird healing powers." He Said he lied through his teeth. Now he had to convince her that that wasn't a lie.
"You remember." She said.
"When it comes to you, how could I forget."
"You, see that's the kind of thing a stalker would say." She Said.
"Or just someone who had a crush on a girl he thought he couldn't have." He said.
"Why do you always say the right thing?" She Asked.
"It's a curse." He Said.
She smiled. And he felt that it had worked. If she tried to leave him, he would just have to lock her away and never let her go.
"Besides it's not like you could ever love her anyways." He said.
"Because I love you too much?" She Asked.
"No, because you don't like girls." He Said.
Freya froze for what felt like the tenth time that day, then she got up.
"Yes, I do."
"But you're dating me." He Said. "And I am not a girl."
"That is true. But you do realize that a person can like both men and women?"
He shrugged.
"That was just a phase." He said.
Her eyes widened.
"My feelings will not be invalidated with 'it was just a phase.' The day we started dating, I asked you if this was a problem, and you said no." She spoke quickly.
"Well, you're dating me, doesn't that make you straight?" He Said.
"Sexuality is fluid." She Said. "Gosh, Tom, sometimes you can really tell that you were raised by closed minded muggles." She Said.
"I just believe in tradition." He spoke as if nothing was wrong. When he realized that he had never been in a fight with her before. His heart rate suddenly picked up, and he knew that he was in for it. But Tom, being Tom was stubborn and would never go back on something he had said for forgiveness.
"Well, in that case then a marriage isn't a marriage if there isn't an exchange of land and livestock." She Said, her face was slightly red.
"Love is between a man and a woman." He Said.
"Love is love." She Said. "You don't think I went through a terrible enough time growing up? Being confused about all this, thinking no one would accept me because I wouldn't accept myself? So when I came out to Candace it was a big surprise when she gave me a hug and told me that how now she could set me up with twice as many people. Men and Women or anything in between can love each other in any combination." It was clear that she had had this monologue memorized since she had come out for the first time.
"Freya. I love you. Just put this all behind you, it's not even a problem we need to worry about." He Said.
"Yes it is."
"Why?"
"I don't want to be courting a bigot." She Said.
"What?"
"Apologize. And say that you were wrong." She Said.
"It's not even legal."
"Just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's not right, like stealing from the rich to give to the poor, or killing in self defence, or well loving someone shouldn't be a crime." She Said.
"It's not like you ever loved her."
"That doesn't mean I wasn't attracted to her in a very real way." She Said.
Tom huffed Out a breathe he really had to think about how to get out of this.
"I just don't understand it." He said.
"You understand that I like both men and women?" She Asked.
"Well, when I pictured you at that school with boys and girls I was jealous of everyone, plus everyone at Hogwarts practically drools over you."
She cocked her head.
"So is this just a jealousy thing? Like you didn't want me to have a whole other demographic for which I could leave you?"
Tom realized that she had just provided him with an out.
"Yes, I just can't stand the thought of anyone else being with you." He Said, standing up and pulling her hand into his.
"Everything you literally said five seconds ago,
Was just jealousy?"
"Yes."
"And you're sorry?"
"Yes."
"I'm gonna need you to say it."
"What?"
"That you're sorry."
"Fine. I'm sorry." He mumbled.
"A little louder."
"I'm sorry." Said Tom.
She looked back up at him and smiled.
~•~
"WHY AM I SO FUCKING WEAK!" Said Freya into her pillow at she and Candace's apartment.
"Well I mean have you seen him?" Said Candace.
"Yes I've seen him. All of him."
Candace raised her eyes brows and smirked.
"No not that way, well, Yes that way, but I mean what's on the inside." Said Freya.
"Inside his Pa-" Freya glared at her. "Sorry, inside his heart."
"And I still love him. It's not like he goes out of his way to see me and he missed our big night, and he's never purchased an issue, he rarely writes to me. But just enough to keep me."
"Oh, honey." Said Candace. "It's not like you're engaged"
"That was his primary draw." Said Freya. "But now that I know that he thinks my sexuality is just a phase I don't know what to think."
"You two did it after you fought didn't you." Said Candace.
"Yes, and don't get me wrong it's always good, but this time it was like he was trying to prove something to me." She Said.
"I think you need to end it." Said Candace.
"What?"
"Yes, you need it to be done." She Said.
"Maybe I'll give him one more chance?" Said Freya.
"Fine, but if he hurts you, you better believe I'm going to break into Hogwarts with a chainsaw and kill him the muggle way." Said Candace.
"I have a favour to ask." Said Freya.
"What?"
"Come with me to an Easter party at Hogwarts?"
"I think that sounds eggselent."