Perfidy | Tom Riddle |

37.

Three weeks had gone by, Tom and Lyra had spent every moment together. Switching from sleeping in her dorms to his, they couldn't restrain their hands off each other in private and embraced every opportunity to sneak away messing with each other in empty classrooms, broom closets, the tower, even the obscure corner of the common room late at night.

Nott and Mulciber remain the solitary ones who naturally noticed their little sneakiness while others remained in the dark. The two boys had both agreed that in all their years of knowing Riddle, they had never seen him like this, not with them or with another woman. He seemed joyous for the first time? A genuine happiness, a faint smile inevitably appeared on his face when Lyra would walk in. He repeatedly touched her whenever he could, in potions his hand rested on her knee. During meals, his eager foot gently touched hers. Even while studying in their dorms her legs would be over his or a faint touch of their fingers. When she'd drift asleep during class her head would fall but he'd capture it before it slammed on the table, gently placing it down unable to concentrate while she looked graceful sleeping.

Whenever they weren't together, she obsessively tried to find anything to complete her mission, but of course no luck. There was no way she could identify him unless he killed again. It was a terrible thought that constantly remained secreted in her mind. She felt like a failure waiting around for another life to be taken in order for the identity of The Dark Lord be revealed.

The last time Tom had gathered the boys for a private meeting was the particular night she almost died. Lyra seemed to withdraw his mind off his plans, which troubled but also consoled him. He had a grasp of normality in his life, genuine affection for a lovely woman who drove him mad but didn't fear him, didn't try to alter him even with his darkness, even when he told her he's killed in the past. It didn't frighten Lyra, he didn't frighten her, she didn't look at him with contemptuous pity knowing about his extensive abuse, not even with fear after he's repeatedly hurt her many times, she instead always gazed at him with proudness in her eyes with such affection he didn't believe he deserved. Tom also never looked at her with pity knowing everything she's been through so far, he universally admired how someone was strong-minded not intentionally allowing her fears to consume her whole as many would.

He looked down on her, focused on a book while she impatiently kept skimming the pages. Tom thought to himself it was impossible to forge a connection with someone as quickly as he did with her. On the odd occasion, he incorrectly believed there was a slight chance she bewitched him or slipped amortentia into his system but always cursed himself for thinking she was capable of doing something as idiotic as that.

He knew that he remained a more efficient option for her, that their minds and power matched one another compared to any other student at Hogwarts. They were the same sides of a coin, balancing one another. She was able to keep him back from losing his violent temper at considerable times just the same as he held her back from exploding with pent-up frustration for some unknown reason.

"I want to show you something," Tom spoke out while Lyra was properly buried in a book with her head resting comfortably on his lap in bed. She secured her book and sat up staring at him, "What is it?"

"Come," he instructed, lacing their fingers together guiding her off the bed sheets.

"Tom it's three am and I'm in my nightgown."

"Here," He walked over to his cupboard and pulled out a grey knitted sweater hurling it to her, "Put this on." She did as he told slipping it on, "Where are we going?" she whispered as they crept out of the common room.

"Will you stop proposing so many questions and merely wait."

"For all I know you can be taking me to the forbidden forest at this unseemly hour." They stopped and stood in front of a wall, he threw a glance at her, "Wow," she sarcastically let out, "it's a wall."