Hogwarts: a school of Witchcraft and Love (Tom Marvolo Riddle x F!reader)

Chapter 3-12

The ground beneath you developed a sudden gravitational pull, close to swallowing you whole. Your head swung left and right with the motion of your gaze doing an eenie-meenie-mini-mo with the three people you held dearest.

The Hogwarts Express was minutes away from transporting its passengers out of the realm of magic, with Tom obscured by the shadows on your left, his trunk by him, half-turned away, keeping his distance.

And on your right, out in the sun, were Alyssa and Will, representing the two conflicting sides of your heart.

Bloody hell! A compartment could comfortably fit four people, and by your count...

One.

Two..

Three...

You counted in your head, one by one, raising a finger for each person.

....

There were four of you!

The equation of companionship was easy in theory, but the emotional variables messed it all up. Why were you made to choose who to sit with?

The answer was as ridiculous as it was obvious. It was because Will and Tom couldn't survive over five minutes of being in near proximity with each other, let alone five hours.

The Slytherin was being the biggest child among you four, adamant on not going with anyone else but you.

And you, you, could not persuade him to open up to others.

Traditionally speaking, sharing a compartment with Tom was a given, but things were changing. You were changing. You were getting old enough to branch out and make new connections.

Returning to King's Cross shouldn't be a big deal. Signaling to Alyssa and Will to wait up for you, you neared the Slytherin, hopeful for some compromise.

Compromise was not in his vocabulary. What you received in return was a harsh slap on the back of your hand and a growl that punched out of him.

That... Was mean. Tom wasn't touchy-feely but he allowed your touches since they comforted you.

Your temper flared up at the treatment, and you needed to be careful with what you said so you wouldn't further ruffle his feathers. "Do you have a problem?"

What was up with him? Why did he push you away like that?

The bravery in you battled to hold its ground at answer that was as stone cold as it was a lie. "No."

Like with Abraxas, your dynamic with each other was evolving, but not necessarily for the better.

You weren't the only one changing. So was Tom, and as the days went by, it got more and more obvious. You would never know what caused him to go so quiet and secretive.

It was like he was stuck in a cycle of mood-changes. One day he let you and other people near him and the next, he closed himself off. It was getting harder to predict when he let you in on what was bothering him, making you think that you had done something wrong.

"Yes you do!" Your naivety was shining through in your insisting. "You're acting all weird and grumpy. We've always sat together before, and now you're making it a big deal!"