Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Bonus Chapter - New Year's Eve - 1944

BONUS CHAPTER!!

I literally had the inspiration for this chapter last night, and I decided to post it today because it's a very important day... TOM RIDDLE'S BIRTHDAY!

So I thought it was fitting to give a little bonus chapter and post in honor of Daddy Riddle's birthday (HAHA sorry).

This scene takes place in London in 1944 (so chronologically this happens between Chapters 15 and 16) I had to change some things in those chapters so this bonus chapter made sense and everything adds up. But I hope you guys like it! Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program. Enjoy!

As the sun descended behind the tall buildings of Trafalgar Square, Rose buttoned her coat up to her throat to keep out the chill of the winter air. She walked briskly, yet silently with no particular destination in mind.

The streets were abuzz with party goers, heading towards pubs, bars and various night clubs to ring in the new year. She averted her gaze as she walked past a herd of drunken muggle men who thought it a kind gesture to wolf-whistle as she passed.

"Hey baby, where you off to?" yelled one of them. Rose scowled in disgust.

"Yeah, why don't you come party with us?" shouted the other one, slurring his words. "I need someone to kiss at midnight!"

Rose ignored them and quickened her pace. She did not know where she was going, but she wanted to get away from that situation. She found a pub that did not appear to be too crowded, considering the amount of people who had flooded the streets.

She sat down at the bar and ordered a glass of whiskey on the rocks. She wanted something strong. Something that would keep her mind off of the stress. She gazed around the room and watched happy couples and families celebrating together. They looked so happy, regardless of the war that was going on in the country. She assumed people were holding onto hope that the new year would bring change. They wanted something to look forward to - something to be excited about.

Rose sipped on her whiskey, and it burned her throat on the way down. She was unfamiliar with muggle alcohol, and it tasted horrible. In fact, she had never even been to muggle pub before until this very moment. But, she needed to get away from her family. She honestly just wanted to be completely alone.

She watched a happy couple tucked away at a table close to her. They laughed and the man wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she cozied up to him. He placed a kiss on her cheek and then mumbled something in her ear, which caused her to laugh. They looked happy. Rose couldn't help but smile at them, wondering if they had as many issues as she and Tom did. She wondered if all love hurt the way it hurt her. Watching that happy couple, she felt immense jealousy.

Rose looked down the bar a little further and noticed a young man who happened to catch her eye. He couldn't be older than eighteen. She noticed how attractive he was immediately, but paled in comparison to Tom Riddle. Once he realized she was looking at him, he smiled at her. She blushed and returned the smile. Her eyes widened in utter shock as he made his way over towards her.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked, as his eyes trailed down and noticed she already had a drink in her hand.

"Oh, no. I think I'm good," she responded sheepishly.

"Do you come here often?" he asked. Rose giggled at the classic pickup line.

"No, I actually just happened across this place," she responded. "You?"

"Yeah," he said before taking a sip of his beer. "I'm actually waiting for a few of my buddies. This is one of our favorite spots. As you can see it's not too popular with the tourists, so that's why I was shocked to see a new face in here, and a quite pretty one, I might add."