You don't own me, Riddle

Chapter 11- Friends and lies

After cautiously bidding Tom and his "friends" goodbye, Ari returned to the Ravenclaw common room. She thought her friends would stay at the grand hall for at least a few more hours, giving her some time to think about Tom's offer. As she entered the common room, she immediately headed toward her dorm room. 

"Ari" a low voice broke the silence and her train of thoughts, making her turn her head to the right. Jack rose from one of the couches and slowly walked towards her, a serious look plastered on his face. 

"Jack? what are doing back here, why aren't you at the feast?" she asked slightly taken aback. He stopped in front of her and gave her a weak smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "Disappointed to see me?" "Not at all, I just did not expect anyone to be back already" She answered him, returning his smile with an even weaker one. 

His smile slowly fell, returning to the serious expression he had been wearing earlier. As he knitted his eyebrows his gaze fell and he reached out his hand to softly grab hers. His hand felt warm against hers, and to her surprise, comforting. "What did Riddle want?" He asked hesitantly, slightly tightening the grip on her hand and raising his head glancing at her through his eyelashes. 

She contemplated for a moment if she should confide in Jack, longing for someone to share what Tom had told her. She also remembered that Tom had made her promise not to tell anyone. She quietly sighed. 

"Actually, Tom was just the messenger" She started, repeating the story Tom had told her to tell her friends, should anyone ask about their interaction. "Professor Slughorn wants me to join his club" She felt a small knob in her stomach form because of her half-lie. Slughorn had in fact invited her through Tom, but of course, that was only a small part of the truth. 

"Professor Slughorn?" Jack asked, and she saw some of his worries disappear from his eyes. "Yes, apparently he is quite the collector" She continued, forcing a giggle. This made Jack's mouth twitch as if he was holding back a smile. He looked at her curiously, waiting for her to elaborate.   

"He calls it the slug club, and he invites only the 'most brilliant wizards and whiches'". Ari continues, adding air quotes to her story while rolling her eyes. Jack took half a step closer to her moving his hand from her hands to her chin. "You're definitely brilliant" He answers using his thumb to softly rub her cheek. 

Ari shifted a bit uncomfortably in her stand, nervously giggling while grabbing Jack's hand, and removing it from her cheek. She saw a flash of hurt in his eyes following her rejection, which made her heart squeeze with sympathy. Jack was one of her dearest friends, but she was not sure if she could return what she imagined he felt for her. 

She tried to think of something to cheer him up, and smiled warmly at him while squeezing his hand. "Tom mentioned a dinner party at the said club this Saturday." She said and felt jack stiffen at the mention of Tom's name. "Would you like to come with me?" She quickly continues. 

Jack relaxed a bit "But I haven't been invited" he answered warily. "I was informed we were allowed to bring a.. friend if we wanted to." Ari said, pronouncing the word friend instead of date, to not give Jack false hope. "I would really appreciate if someone I knew accompanied me". 

Jack's dimples emerged which filled Ari with a sense of calmness. She really loved his smile. She did wonder what it could be like to be with Jack, it seemed so easy and uncomplicated with him. The opposite of what it felt like with Tom. Tom was anything but uncomplicated, he was complex, challenging, and dark. She surprised herself with her thoughts and chased them away returning her attention to Jack. He watched her with curiosity. 

"Okay" He said. "Okay?" He nodded and grinned sheepishly. "I think I'm gonna head to bed early today, I'm beat!" Air told him, and squeezed his hand one final time before releasing it. "good night" she told him. "Night Ari " he answered. 

---Saturday---

The week had passed rather uneventfully. Although Ari shared some classes with Tom, the two had barely exchanged more than greetings. Ari thought this was due to Tom giving her some space to think about his offer, but for some reason, his coldness bothered her. Usually, he would find reasons to talk to her, while this almost felt like he was avoiding her. She was also grateful, since she had made up her mind to decline his offer. How could she join Tom's club if she was not even allowed to talk about it with her friends? She had decided to give him the news today at the dinner party. 

"Perfect!" Kat exclaimed excitedly, putting the final touches on Ari's makeup. "I'm all done as well" Stella said, taking a step away from Ari's up due, leaving just a few strands of her white hair hanging loose. 

Ari chuckled nervously. "Is this really necessary? " She asked, twitching uncomfortably in her seat. "Yes" her friends answered in a union. "You really clean up well" Georgia said, raising an eyebrow while looking Ari up and down. "No kidding, you're absolutely stunning!" Elizabeth said breathlessly. "Jack is gonna die" Kat continued, grasping Ari's hand and pulling her towards a mirror. 

Ari met her reflection and drew a breath. The small amount of makeup Kat had applied to her face was barely noticeable, yet enhanced her natural beauty. Her usually pale cheeks had a rosy blush, accompanied by rosy-shimmering eyelids covered by a thick lash line. Her lips were covered in lipgloss, making them look plump and soft. She had borrowed a dress from Stella, as she refused to bye a new one. The shimmering rose material hugged her slim figure, ending just below her knees. She wore flats, once again refusing heels to Kat's displeasure. 

She never wore dresses or skirts, besides her uniform, making her reflection now unrecognizable to herself. She self-consciously tugged at her dress, trying to cover up more of her body until Elizabeth grabbed her hand from her. "It will be fine" she told her and squeezed her hand, "It's just a party, try to have fun, okay?" Ari soften up and nodded at Elizabeth "Sure" she replied. 

"Come on now, your date is waiting!" Kat chippered. "It's not a date!" Ari replied quickly "We're just friends" She continued sternly, earning a smug look from her friends. "Alright, alright!" Kat said winking at her "your friend is waiting, now hurry or you will be late!"

Ari gulped and followed her friends out to the common room. Jack rose from his seat beside Victor on one of the couches as they entered and opened his mouth as he saw Ari. Victor let out a whistle. She let her gaze hit the floor and felt her cheeks warming. If they weren't already pink, they sure were now. 

"You look.." Jack started. "Amazing? gorgeous?" Kat guessed and smirked at the boy. "Breathtaking" He finished, ignoring Kat. For once, Jack didn't look flustered like he usually did while talking to Ari, he stood straight and did not remove his eyes from her as he walked up to her. "You don't look half bad yourself," She said, offering Jack a smile. He smiled back at her, showing his dimples. His blond curls were a bit more tamed than usual, and he was wearing a dark dress robe, with a white shirt tucked into his pants. This made him look more serious than usual, and Ari's stomach replied by slightly stirring. 

The pair were wawed off by their friends and headed towards the party, uneasiness settling in Ari's stomach. She gazed toward Jack, who was watching her with awe. She offered him a small smile, and he grabbed her hand just as they were about to enter. "Relax Ari" he said reassuringly and guided her inside. 

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A/N

Hello! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while (in ages lol) but I have been incredibly busy with finals and summer projects.

Do you think Ari and Jack would make a nice couple? Ack? or Jari?

Or are you strictly team Tom? And how will he react to Ari turning him down?

Have a good day!

-Naomi