t h e n e x t
day, Tom had to focus very hard to keep himself from smiling when he arrived at Potions with his followers. Evelyn stood by the door waiting for him, her cigarette dangling between her lips surrounded by a familiar cloud of smoke. Her eyes focused intently on the group of boys approaching her.
The three boys behind Tom bounded up to her like eager puppies. Their tails wagging, their wide eyes bright. Malfoy, Avery, and Lestrange had no self-restraint, and if Tom hadn't been so relieved to return to their normal schedule again, he would have scolded them for it.
Tom watched as the trio all but tackled Evelyn with hugs. She had to whip the cigarette above her head so as to not burn them in their excitement. She flicked it away, the thing vanishing into the air before she playfully pushed the boys off of her. Her smile was the realest one Tom had ever seen from her.
He approached as casually as he could and his followers respectfully made room for him. Evelyn watched him approach with amusement, her smile never leaving her face.
"I decided to stop punishing you all," Evelyn proclaimed. "You now may willingly bask in my presence at all hours of the day."
Tom could see how Evelyn craved the attention of friends. Craved the fact that they had missed her in her absence. Although he had never felt he needed friends before, he had felt the same feeling toward Evelyn when she finally decided to talk to him again.
"I'm glad you have finally decided to join us once again," Tom mocked, enjoying the way it made Evelyn's smile grow.
"I honestly missed all of you drooling over me," Evelyn said as she pressed a hand against her blonde curls. "Did give me a bit too big of a head, I'm afraid."
Avery gave her a loopy smile, "Nonsense your head is perfectly small."
Tom immediately rolled his eyes, but Malfoy was the one who hit Avery on the back of his head.
"We are all just glad you are feeling better," Malfoy said as he wrapped his arm around Evelyn's shoulder to begin guiding everyone into the classroom. "Maybe class will finally be entertaining again."
Tom pressed his ring hard into his side as a burst of yellow lit up the stone. The warmth it created surprised him. This was the first time anything like happiness or any emotion other than that raging red anger had shown through at all. He tried to focus instead on the way Evelyn wrapped her arm around Malfoy's waist, her other hand coming to pat the boy's chest.
"I do live to make you boys' day," Evelyn cooed.
Tom's chest tightened at the way Evelyn held Malfoy but then released when she turned to look over his shoulder toward him. She threw him a flirty wink. Maybe she was simply just becoming close friends with all of his followers. He had the brief thought of if she had talked to any of them while she wasn't talking to him.
Evelyn removed herself from Malfoy's grip before walking towards the seat next to Tom. Her hand brushed Avery's shoulder and squeezed Lestrange's hand as she passed them. When she sat by Tom, he didn't hide his curious gaze.
"What?" Evelyn laughed as she caught sight of his face. "I spend a lot of time around boys. I just so happen to find your's interesting enough to talk to."
Tom looked back at his followers who had taken their seats. They were joking around with each other, nothing like how Gryffindors would, who were simply just obnoxious. His followers were still purebred aristocrats at heart, but their tendencies to act like teenage boys with each other were still very evident.
"I thought you said they were imbeciles?" Tom commented as he turned his attention back to Evelyn who had also turned slightly to watch the others.
Her smile remained as she scrunched her nose up slightly, returning her gaze to him.
"When I'm not snogging them, they are actually nice to talk to. Just because they are imbeciles doesn't make them bad friends," Evelyn said as she turned completely to the front of the classroom.
"Do you snog them often?" Tom wished he could take back his words. Evelyn's giggle made him embarrassed that he had even asked.
"I don't often, no. But if you are jealous, Tom, I could always save a space on my calendar for you."
Tom looked away, "No, I am not jealous. I just don't like that you are fooling around with my followers."
Tom started when he felt Evelyn place her hand on top of his, their rings touching.
"Not that I would ever do what you told me to do, but they are much better friends than kissers," Evelyn sincerely said.
Tom removed his hand quickly from hers and didn't bother to speak to her anymore.
"Meet with me after class, so I can show you what I found," Evelyn whispered one last time as class began. Tom nodded in acknowledgment and hid his ring when it grew warm with happiness again.
***
Tom found it rather difficult to pay attention in class. Evelyn was in an exceptionally good mood and kept sending him small smiles and turning around to talk to the boys behind her. She was laughing and Tom was sure it was real. Every time a giggle would escape, Tom had to stop himself from physically reacting. It was like little fairy bells had decided to ring around the classroom and it was really unfair that Slughorn was blatantly ignoring it.
The potion class was extremely long, and the cleanup process was even longer. Tom had found himself more than once dropping whatever he was holding whenever Evelyn's hand slightly brushed him. Or when he would catch traces of her perfume through the clouds of foul-smelling concoctions that his classmates had failed to make properly.
When class finally ended Evelyn didn't hesitate to grab his hand and all but drag him out of the classroom. Tom was in no state of mind to pull away, but he did see all the glares and knowing looks sent his way.
It bothered Tom a little that even though Evelyn was just holding his hand, people thought that he was letting her pull him away for a quick snog. If they ever did snog, Tom knew it wouldn't be in some broom closet and it definitely wouldn't be quick.
Tom yanked his hand away from Evelyn when the thought rushed through his mind. Why would he even think that? Why would he even consider it?
Evelyn turned around with an annoyed huff, her uncharacteristically jittery attitude making her antsy. She went to grab for his hand again, but Tom smoothly pulled out of her reach.
"Where are you taking me in such a rush?" Tom demanded, not liking being caught unawares.
Tom could imagine Evelyn rolling her eyes at him, but she didn't. Her face kept a cultivated mask of indifference.
"I told you I needed to show you something, I did not believe I would have to spell out that it was probably not safe to be overheard by listening ears," Evelyn said, her tone making Tom want to both rage and lean in to hear more.
Evelyn didn't give any indication that the waiting was making her nervous, but the way the air seemed to thrum around her made Tom hesitate again. He wanted to see if she would crack and show how impatient he knew she was. Her only tell was when she swiped for his hand again. Her eyes ignored the students who had slowed to listen in to their conversation.
"Fine," Tom finally spat. "But, I will walk there on my own."
This time Evelyn did roll her eyes, making him feel like his actions had come across as more childish than he had meant. She turned on her heel with a breath that sounded as if she said, "Ridiculous."
Tom only barely recognized the hallways that Evelyn had led them into. He made a note that Evelyn had better knowledge of the castle than him, and he tried to push away the rush of petty anger that came over him at the thought. She probably only knew these hallways because she had snogged half the castle and needed hiding places to take each one.
"Because I know you are probably thinking it, I did not find this because I was snogging some idiot. I don't do that nearly as much as you think I do," Evelyn said, throwing him a cheeky look. "I found this because you would never believe how easy it is to explore the castle after curfew. I find it absolutely hilarious when you Prefects walk by without ever catching me."
Tom's fists tightened knowing she had read his mind, but loosened when he caught her teasing tone at the end, not that Tom liked to encourage her teasing. It was really something that most days he found annoying and if anyone else tried it with him, they would be dead. But Evelyn was different somehow.
Her little jabs had always made him want to add to them. He liked watching her smirk curl on her lips when he threw something just as quick back at her.
"I'll keep my eye out for you, then. Thanks for the heads up on letting me know a student is out of bed at night," Tom promised, thrilled to play another game with her.
Just as he had hoped, the twist of her lips told him of her failed attempt to hide her love for a verbal retaliation.
"Yes, well if you catch me, I'll be sure to give you a treat," Evelyn purred. "No one has ever caught me."
Tom knew exactly what she meant by a treat, and even though part of him was disgusted by the thought of himself falling for the tricks of this girl, another part of him made a mental note to spend a little bit more time on his prefect duties scouting for her.
"That sounds like a challenge, dear."
Evelyn's eyes sparkled. Tom could almost see her mind already calculating all the ways she could win and all the ways she could let herself be caught.
"It always is, love."
Tom almost let himself smile like one of his followers did when they saw her— that loopy smile, like lovesick puppies. Tom didn't even know he could make that stupid expression. It was a problem that Evelyn could affect him like this. He knew it was. But for the time being, she wasn't interfering with anything and he was sixteen.
Tom wasn't blind, he knew that Evelyn was beautiful. He knew that he could feel just as much as any boy did when a beautiful girl walked by, it's just sometimes he didn't quite understand it all.
After the strawberry incident at Slughorn's Christmas party, he had stupidly become curious about it. When Malfoy arrived back at school, Tom had asked him about it. He had threatened to murder him when he had laughed at first, but he had found out that Evelyn was teasing them with how she was eating the strawberry. They were watching her mouth and Tom had been watching the table's reactions, not even focusing on Evelyn.
Tom could understand why boys tended to want to be near Evelyn. She usually gave them at least a little of what they wanted. Tom wasn't going to lie to himself and say he didn't enjoy her hanging around him. They were an attractive pair and they definitely turned heads in the hallway.
It did make Tom feel more powerful, and it was interesting watching others' reactions to him. In a way, without Evelyn knowing, he had caged her in when people watched her hang out with his group. Tom wouldn't mind even getting a chance to kiss Evelyn, but he knew he couldn't be obsessed over it like his followers were. The fact that he might want to kiss her was only out of pure curiosity of why everyone wanted to.
He also couldn't help that Evelyn made him feel a little different than usual. Tom knew, of course, that he could never love and therefore wasn't really concerned about Evelyn as much as he could have been. She was definitely a person that one, even if not meaning to, could fall in love with.
"When you are done fantasizing over me, Tom, we've arrived."
Tom bit back his snarl, "I really wish you would respect my privacy and stay out of my mind."
"I hadn't been reading your mind, Tom, but thank you for letting me know I was occupying it," Evelyn said in a way that always made Tom feel like he had been tricked into saying the stupidest thing to ever be uttered.
She pushed in the dark door at the end of the hall but didn't step inside. She pointed toward the only object in the room. Tom had already been making his way toward it.
"It's inside of that chest. A third year, in Gryffindor named Rubeus Hagrid, is hiding away an Acromantula," Evelyn stated. Tom dropped the lid of the chest he was about to open.
He took a step back and rolled his eyes, "Why on earth would a giant spider be of any use to me, Evelyn?"
Evelyn didn't move from the door, but her gaze wandered to the ceiling, "Because, Tom, you are hiding a giant pet too and he's going to grow restless when you don't let him eat at least one muggle-born."
Tom waited for a better explanation than that.
Evelyn gave an exasperated huff, "I'm saying, that your pretty little basilisk is going to murder one of the students in Hogwarts one of these times, not just paralyze them, and someone is going to have to take the blame."
The thought didn't even occur to him. Mostly because he fully assumed that the giant snake would do everything he said and nothing more. In reality, Tom was very lucky that no students had actually died from the attacks. He had fully meant for them too.
"Thank you," Tom conceded and looked back toward where Evelyn was still standing slightly outside. Tom's ring lit up with pride. He was glad that Evelyn had spun around and was heading back down the hallway. Tom shut the door behind himself and caught up with Evelyn.
"I am a bit curious," Tom said as he caught up with her once more. Evelyn hummed in response, letting Tom go on. "If you were so excited to show me the Acromantula then why didn't you step into the room? You weren't scared were you?"
Evelyn tried to hide it, but Tom caught how her eyes darted from him and then away again. The redness that traveled up her neck.
"I must confess, I am not scared of anything except spiders."
Tom couldn't help his laugh. Evelyn glared at him, but her own laugh had come bubbling up anyway.