A baggage of love ( Tom Riddle x Reader )

Chapter 4

Y/n's POV:

A lot of students in the class give me dirty looks as my hiccoughing solutions beats the whole class but Ascot gives me a wink and a thumbs up across the room.

I go to wait for him outside while he asks Slughorn a question but a firm hand grabs my shoulder.

" what's your doing?" Tom asks me, his hand wrapped tightly around my arm.

I try to squirm out of his grip since he's clenching it a little too hard, panic falls over me as my heart starts rapidly beating.

" what's your problem?" I snap but my voice sounds like a shriek of fear.

" your potion, how did you do that?!" He asks angrily.

" let go!" I try to escape but he doesn't resist and grips my arm tighter.

" I'm smart! I've done it before at Beauxbatons okay, I remembered it!" I spit out, he doesn't loosen his grab of me, just frowns, I see the veins in his neck as his breathes heavily like he's agitated.

" bullshit" he whispers.

Multiple students walk by and stare, friends whispering to each other as they point at us.

" you're hurting me" I say as I look into his eyes.

As soon as I say those words, Tom's facial expressions softens and he looks at his hand on my arm before slowly letting go and standing back.

My heart rate becomes normal again as he backs away, " thank you" I say while I rub my now free arm trying to brush off the pain.

" I don't trust you y/l/n" he spits at me before storming off.

When he leaves, all eyes are on me from the people in the hall and I know they don't care because when I look at them they all continue to stare.

I frown at them all for not being so discreet with their dirty looks, I want to snap at them to tell ask what they're looking at but my words can't form.

" what are yous looking at?" Ascot's voice says from behind me.

Everyone's gaze on me leaves as they look away but it doesn't stop them gossiping, it's like they're not even trying to whisper.

" maybe she doesn't know what a psychopath he is"
" she's going to be the next one to disappear"
" silly girl probably think she has a chance"

I walk in silence with Ascot as he may notice my embarrassment.

It's not until dinner time when he brings it up, going through all the lessons like normal.

" are you going to tell me what happened earlier?" He asks me while I'm in the middle of eating my vegetable pie.

" what's there to tell?" I say and he rolls his eyes.

" y/n love, you can't possibly think I haven't heard about it" He says and his words make me blush.

I now roll my eyes at him playfully, " really, it was nothing"

" I know that's a lie" he says considerately.

" he only grabbed my arm, he finds it suspicious that I already knew the potion" I shrug.

" it's not the fact that he grabbed you, he spoke to you in the middle of the hallway"

" what?"

" Those stories I've told you about Tom, you asked why he doesn't get caught, he doesn't do anything in front of people, y/n he doesn't even talk to anyone" Ascot says shocked.

He notices my facial expression, where I doubt him and chuckle.

" I'm serious! He doesn't talk to anyone except professors, if he does it's a secret, yet he grabbed you and spoke to you in front of the whole corridor" Ascot says like he's worried for me.

" Ascot I doubt that means anything" I try to say.

" just be careful, I don't want anything bad happening to you" he says in a serious tone.

" okay" I respond.

" and one last thing, there's a cream in the first aid kit in the common room that gets rid of bruises" he tells me before returning back to his jokey self.

My arm has been aching while I've been writing all day but I haven't looked at it, although I'll keep in mind to do so later on.

Ascot doesn't bring up the conversation again, even when Tom enters the hall and takes a seat at his unusual corner.

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After dinner, I wait until Ascot goes to bed since all he seems to do is sleep. He goes bed early and still manages to wake up late.

I return to my dorm and change out of my uniform, putting on a pair of grey baggy shorts with a long sleeved black top.

At this time, since it's still quite early, people are either in the library or out with their friends, so the common room is rather empty.

I creep downstairs, it's so dark in here. I wonder if all the other house common rooms are as dark, for some reason I imagine the Hufflepuff room being filled with light.

I tip toe on my feet and successfully pull down the first aid kit, my cut on my head has faded away only leaving a brief scar.

I place the kit down as I roll up my sleeve, when I look at my arm I gasp out loud out of shock and fear.

I didn't expect it to look this bad. The bruise is a dark purple and green, a massive irregular shape with almost splodges of a lighter yellow. I grimace at the sight of it.

I keep my sleeve rolled up as I rummage through the kit trying to find the cream but Ascot didn't say what it was called and I'm for once unfamiliar with something since I normally don't get into such aggressive scenarios.

I continue looking when Tom suddenly appears right by my side, making me jump, he came out of nowhere.

In his hand he's holding up the pot of cream that has a clear state of ' for bruises only' on it.

I'm about to ask him if he could do the honour of handing it to me but before I speak, he unscrews the top off.

Silently, he takes my arm, gentle this time, and dips his two fingers into the paste as he rubs it on my bruise, blending it in.

His touch makes goosebumps raise on my arms and I think he notices, he continues to rub in the cream on to my bruise when he speaks, avoiding my eyes.

" I didn't mean to hurt you" he says in a low tone.

When I don't answer him he looks me in the eyes like he's waiting for me to tell him it's okay.

" you've got a short temper" I shrug light heartedly.

" well you are rather infuriating" he says, I genuinely think he means it but a small giggle escapes my lips.

" where are you off to Riddle?" I ask.

The last time I asked him where he goes going, he threatened me.

But this time, he doesn't. I think he's satisfied that I listened when he told me not to call him by his first name.

" prefect duties" he says before he takes his hand off my arm, putting back the cream into the first aid kit.

I stand there for a moment and furrow my eyebrows as a thought appears in my mind.

" what were you doing with that?" I ask.

" what?" He asks confused.

" when I came in, you were already here with the bruise cream" I say intrigued.

And then there's the signature frown he gives me. It looks more furious every time.

" never know when to mind your own bloody business, do you!?" He yells before he storms off and slams the Slytherin common room door on his way out.