I paint the sky black
You said if you could have your way
You'd make it nighttime all today
So it'd suit the mood with your soul
Oh, what can I do?
Nothing, my sparrow blue
Oh, what can I do?
Life is beautiful, but you don't have a clue
Sun and ocean blue
Their magnificence, it don't make sense to you
Black beauty,
Black beauty
I paint the house black
My wedding dress black leather too
You have no room for light
Love is lost on you
I keep my lips red
To seem like cherries in the spring
Darling, you can't let everything
Seem so dark blue
But oh, what can I do?
To turn you on or get through you?
Oh, what can I do?
Life is beautiful, but you don't have a clue
Sun and ocean blue
Their magnificence, it don't make sense to you
Black beauty,
Black beauty
~Black Beauty by Lana Del Rey
¤¤¤¤¤¤
"SO YOU'RE TELLING ME, that you've never gotten any detentions before? Not even in Beauxbatons?" Noah asked in amazement, his eyes wide as he sipped on his coffee.
Rosalind was out on her 'date' with Noah, as Willow had insisted to call it. They were seated in one of the booths in Madame Puddifoot's, where she'd ordered a milkshake and he black coffee.
"Nope, never," She admitted, feeling a blush find its way on her cheeks as Noah stared at her in astonishment.
"Wow, I think I've been to detentions more than classes," He confessed, slouching back in his seat comfortably.
"You're a troublemaker, what can I say?"
Noah chuckled, sitting back straight and leaning closer on the table separating them.
"How are you adjusting here? Is England a lot different than France?" He asked curiously, after explaining to her that he was originally American, and went to America every summer.
She shrugged, "They're both really nice, I guess."
"So, you're the Quidditch captain of the Hufflepuff team," She tried to change the subject, unwilling to remember her memories in France.
"Oh yes, I play Seeker. Do you like Quidditch?" Noah seemed even more excited to speak about his favourite sport, which he excelled at.
"I don't mind watching it. But I'm not much into playing."
"Oh, that's a shame. I think I'll continue playing Quidditch professionally after Hogwarts," Noah kept blabbering on and on about his love for Quidditch, his tactics and the couple of times Hufflepuff won the Quidditch Cup.
They kept asking and answering questions, and she actually had a chance to mention Willow and Oliver to him. Noah also told her about his friends, James Diggory, Beatrice Abbot and Omar Sultan. They both agreed to go out as a group on their next trip to Hogsmeade. She couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts and tell Willow. The redhead would be ecstatic.
"What about you and Tom Riddle?" There it was, the long awaited question. It had been nagging him for days now, and he desperately wanted to know about it.
The smile on Rosalind's face fell at the mention of his name, and Noah immediately apologised after noticing her distraught state. "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me anything."
"No, it's okay. We just dated for a little while. Didn't exactly work out well," She explained in a low voice. She refused to let Tom's name become a taboo to her. She still had to see him every Saturday, after all. And she didn't want to let herself feel awful just because of a boy. She was worth much more than that.
***
To say that Willow was happy with the news Rosalind had was an understatement. The redhead kept thanking the blonde over and over again, claiming that she'd already found the right one. When Rosalind asked her if she'd ever had a decent conversation with the Diggory boy, the answer was never. This made the french blonde question her friend's mental stability.
Going on with her Saturday routine, Rosalind went to the library after her date, and then proceeded to head to the Room of Requirement. She dreaded seeing Tom, for obvious reasons. It was too painful for her to just watch him from afar, unable to hold him, help him, or even be an ounce of light in his life.
She knew that despite everything he'd said, she still meant something to him. Even though he tried denying it, she was different from everybody else. She was the only one that was capable of breaking down his walls –that he'd been building up for many years– brick by brick. Rosalind could see right through him, she knew his past, and his future. She was the only one that made him feel vulnerable.
Reaching the seventh floor on midnight, Rosalind entered the Room of Requirement, only to find Tom alone. It wasn't usual for him to be early for the meeting, nor for the Knights to be late. His back was facing her, and he just stood there, staring at the bookshelves.
She stood awkwardly in the doorway, speaking to the Slytherin snake for the first time in days. "Where are the rest?"
Rosalind didn't greet him, she didn't even wait for him to face her. She spoke abruptly, and as usual, he seemed to be expecting her question. Her presence didn't startle him in the slightest.
Tom turned to look at her, a strange animosity in his eyes. "The meeting was canceled today."
Her eyebrows furrowed on their own accord. That was beyond strange, Tom's meetings were never cancelled. They were something sacred.
But she decided against voicing her questions. "Fine, I'll just leave then."
She was about to exit, when Tom's cold voice interrupted her. "Oh, not so quickly. I didn't inform you for a reason."
Rosalind sighed, she wasn't exactly in the mood for his ominous words. He enjoyed being a riddle, always so mysterious when he spoke.
"And what is that reason?"
"Do come in," Tom urged, his hands crossed behind his back. "And shut the door behind you."
Rosalind didn't protest, but she couldn't help the increase of her heartbeat. Even after everything that happened, she still anticipated being alone with him. Maybe she should've been afraid, terrified even, of being in the company of a monster like him. But she wasn't. She would never be afraid of him. Rosalind knew that he would do anything but hurt her, he'd do the complete opposite.
She approached him, but didn't get too close. She wanted to show him that she wasn't just some puppet, a toy to satisfy his pleasure. She was going to keep her distance.
But what Rosalind was afraid of was him approaching her. She doubted she could resist him.
"So, how was your date with the Hufflepuff half-blood?" Tom asked suddenly, shocking her with his straightforwardness.
"He has a name, you know," She tried defending her friend, but Tom seemed even more infuriated. He didn't like her sticking up for some pathetic weak boy.
"Whatever. You really did a downgrade with that one," He raised and eyebrow, satisfied with the scowl on her face.
"I won't allow you to just insult me and my friends all of a sudden!" She exclaimed, taking a step closer to the handsome boy, overtaken with darkness.
"But I'm only speaking the truth," He stated nonchalantly, a smirk gracing his face. He looked insanely attractive and he knew it.
"How'd you find out, anyway?"
"Darling, I'm Tom Riddle. And Tom Riddle always knows everything," His smirk would've split his face in half if it became any wider. He took a threatening stride towards her, his eyes gleaming tauntingly.
"Do you want me to show you to whom you truly belong?" His voice became a husky whisper. He looked down upon her, noticing anger in her eyes.
She needed to step away from him. She couldn't possibly trust herself with him standing this close to her. And she suspected he knew that very well. He knew the effect he had on her.
But she had a much stronger one on him. And she was going to use that for her advantage.
"You know I'm not an object, Tom. I don't belong to anyone," She spat, irritation obvious in her words.
Tom tucked a stray lock of her golden hair behind her ear, his fingers slightly brushing across the cheeks he'd longed to caress for a while now.
The action itself left Rosalind breathless, her anger evaporating quickly. She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to savour the moment.
"You're beautiful," He whispered, which took her aback tremendously. He'd never said that to her so plainly before. "And everyone knows that. You don't deserve someone like him."
This made her angry once again. Not only did he insult Noah once more, but Tom was also hinting that he was the only one who deserved her.
"Then who deserves me? You?! You've done nothing but break my heart over and over again!"
"It's just. . I can't stand seeing you with him, Rosalind," Tom muttered back, for once trying to avoid her eyes.
"Why do you care, though? It's not like I mean anything to you," She quarrelled, but she'd never admit that his words almost made her melt.
He bit his lip, leaving her unintentionally glancing at his mouth. But she wouldn't kiss him. Not after everything that had happened.
"You don't. But don't you think that it's pathetic, going from this," He gestured to himself, "To that?" He waved his hand at the door, indicating Noah, who was most probably asleep in his common room.
"You're too arrogant, Tom," The blonde replied, trying to hold back a chuckle. "Besides, are you sure I mean nothing to you?"
They were chest to chest by then. He was looking at her in a way she couldn't quite describe, like she was a masterpiece. Her eyes held a sultry gaze, as she ran her hand from his jaw, to his neck, and then his hair.
He exhaled heavily, licking his lips while his eyes studied her face. He wasn't able to stay away. He tried pushing her, he tried distancing himself from her, but nothing worked. Tom was addicted to Rosalind. He needed her to stay sane.
"You're something else, Rosalind Bonaccord."
"Trust me, I know."
***
Rosalind didn't know if she should look forward to spring break, or dread it. Being Tom's 'partner' was exhausting yet exciting all at once. She always had to surpass his expectations, which was quite draining. But she was consistently awaiting something new and risky as well.
Tom and Rosalind sat by the Black Lake on a Monday afternoon, the former trying to complete an essay that was due after the holidays. They were wearing layers and layers of clothing, but they enjoyed the view of the frozen lake nonetheless.
"Come on, Tom! It's for next month, you'll have plenty of time," Rosalind nagged, poking at his arm. Tom ignored her nevertheless. "I'm bored."
She watched him write for a few minutes, before deciding that she's fed up. She needed some source of entertainment.
"Hey, would you mind giving me a map," She winked and fired her finger guns at her companion, "to your heart?"
Tom looked up from his work the moment she spoke, only to stare at her blankly for a few seconds, before going back to his assignment. But the french blonde was determined to romance the living hell out of him. No matter how corny it seemed, it was rather humorous, watching Tom's reactions.
"I'm sorry, but it's just that I got a little lost," She explained before winking with another set of finger guns, "in your eyes."
Tom glared at her, evidently annoyed at her antics.
"Stop glaring sweet cheeks, you know you want me," She hummed in a sing-song voice, making his eyes widen.
"What did you just call me?"
"Sweet cheeks," She shrugged, making him chuckle at her ridiculousness. Rosalind laughed along, but abruptly stopped when a wave of biting frosty air washed over them. She suddenly felt gloomy, without any legitimate reason.
But then she noticed Tom staring over her shoulder, at something behind her that was no doubt the cause of the sudden mishap.
A dementor.
***********************
Thank you for 15k+ reads!! I really appreciate it, it makes me feel awesome!
Please vote (only if you liked the chapter at least a bit) and I particularly love replying to your comments and interacting with you guys.
Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year!🎄❤️
P.S. I'm sorry but I had to include the whole song (Black Beauty) since it just screams Tom Riddle.
~Sparklejet❃