You don't own me, Riddle

Chapter 8- The bench

Ari shuddered from the cold September wind that blow along the castle grounds. The evening view was absolutely breathtaking, as the sunset over the castle bathed everything in an arrangement of colors while various star constellations started to become visible.

The young witch sat on a bench near a lake she recently discovered, her legs crossed in her lap. She enjoyed the silence this place was providing. In her opinion, it was the perfect place to wait out the hours before her midnight Astronomy class.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, and felt refreshed as the cold evening air filled her lungs.

"Hello, Astrid" A voice disturbed her silent paradise. She saw a figure take a few steps out from the shadows, into the soft light provided by the sunset.

Her eyes fell to her lap and she felt flustered, this time because of shame.

"Hi, Tom" she answered. His steps stopped right in front of her. She raised her head reluctantly and took in his appearance. "And please call me Ari" 

He tilted his head. "Why?"

She clenched her jaw and stopped herself from snapping at him. She wanted to tell him that it was none of his business. Instead, she reminded herself that she had decided to be nicer to him.

"I just don't think it suits me" She lied.

 She let her eyes wander to the lake, which presented a perfect reflection of the sky.

"I think it does" he began as he took a seat next to her on the bench. "It's a beautiful name".

A stubborn butterfly started flapping its wings inside her stomach. "Thanks" she breathed. She twisted slightly in her seat. "And, thank you for you know, cathing me earlier". she said in a cough.

He chuckled. "Any time". They sat quietly beside each other for a while, just enjoying the night, and strangely enough, each other's company. At least she did.

"How has your first week been?" He suddenly asked interrupting the silence, and she turned her head to look at him.

He had his head slightly leaned up towards the sky, while his both arms were swung over the backrest of the bench. She noticed that he had really long dark eyelashes that complimented his dark eyes that now, much like the lake, had the mirror image of the sky in them. The faded lights that still stubbornly remained from the sun danced in his dark curls, making Ari's hand itch to know what it would feel like to run her fingers through it.

He tilted his head towards her with a questioning look, probably since she never answered his question. She suppressed the irritation she once again felt because of his effect on her and took a deep breath while whispering in her mind.

'Not his fault'.

"It's been interesting" She answered, and allowed herself to look into his eyes. 

"How so?" He asked, maintaining their eye contact.

She smiled and let the past week's events roam her mind. "Well for starters there is the girls I sat with on the train on my first day. They certainly contributed to my experience" 

She chuckled and broke their eye contact, only to see the last sting of colors disappear over the horizon.

"I would have never guessed that they would become so important to me, especially in just a week." She giggled, thinking about Kat squeaking over things that amazed her, which was literally everything, and about Stella and Georgia's friendly arguments.

"And of course my other roommates" she continued. 

Elizabeths ability to brighten any room she was in was something Ari greatly admired about her. Even Helen, who she had barely spoken to, made her want to smile.

She watched the corner of Tom's mouth twitch like he was suppressing a smile. This got her thinking about her favorite dimple-filled grin. "And then there is Jack"

Tom's face instantly hardened. "And that is?" He asked in a serious tone, almost forcing her to hold eye contact with his intense staring. Her own smile also faltered in surprise. 

"A friend?" She finished.

As they stared at each other, she became aware of how close they were. His face was less than half a meter from hers, and his hands practically touched her shoulder. Her heart started to beat faster.

His serious eyes never left her's as he reached out his hand and grabbed a strand of her long white hair, holding it between his fingers. 

She was sitting so still that she began to wonder if she even could move if she wanted to.

His hand slowly lifted towards her cheek and he dragged his cold, slightly rough fingertips along her cheekbone. "A friend?" He asked.

Ari had to take a moment to even understand what he was saying, let alone whom he was talking about. "Yes " she whispered. 

His eyes flickered once to her lips, and then back to her eyes. Ari felt her vision become dizzy, her heartbeat and breathing the only thing she heard.

He paused, as his fingers rested just underneath her lip, and reluctantly withdrew his hand placing it on the bench between them.

He broke eye contact with her and cleared his throat. "I'm glad you seem to enjoy your time here". 

She furrowed her eyebrows. A moment ago he was touching her face and staring into her eyes, and now he spoke politely to her.

"What do you think about the classes so far?" he asked. 

Now they were back to a casual conversation? Ari felt a headache begin to manifest.

"They are okay, although nothing new so far," She told him. "I am however a bit confused about the curriculum." He raised an eyebrow "Oh?"

"It all seems a bit too... safe" she tried to explain. "In Durmstrang, we had dueling class at least a few hours every week, unlike Hogwarts that only makes some students duel at specific times, and strictly voluntarily."

The young witch had Tom's full attention. " The closest thing to dark magic here is how to defend yourself against it". 

She sighed. "I better go, Astronomy class is about to start" She turned to Tom, and was surprised to see he was smiling. Not just a cocky grin, or slightly upturned corners of his mouth, but a full smile.

"I'll walk with you" he insisted and got up before she had time to turn him down. She signed. Perhaps she would become used to him, and less affected by him if she stopped trying to avoid him.

She smiled at him "Let's go"

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A/N

They finally talked, and Ari decided to not avoid him anymore. What consequences will this have? Maybe they will become friends, or perhaps something else.

Why do you think Tom reacted the way he did when Jack was mentioned? Once again, is it jealousy, or did something happen between them?

Tom also seemed awfully interested in Ari talking about her experience at Drumstrang.

Have a nice day!

-Naomi