Sacred Silence | A Tom Riddle Story

45: Calmth during the storm.

It was Friday evening, around 8. Shiv and Flo were nestled in a corner of the library, watching the storm that passed Hogwarts rage outside. Branches flew against the windows, looking like skeleton fingers in the dark night sky.
Shiv drew a small heart in the condensation on the window, then rested her head against it. Her eyes scanned over the page of a 6th year charms book that she had picked up. She had caught up on her studying by now and was able to do some leisure reading wilst Florance was finishing up her homework for Monday.
Normally, they would wrap up and go to the ledge in the courtyard on Fridays, but the storm rendered that impossible.

Shiv took a sip of wine (that they had brought with them in a coffee pot and were drinking out of mugs) and closed her book.
'Since we can't go out tonight, I agreed to meet Tom at 9. He said he'd come to the library,' she said, breaking the silence of studying next to each other.

Florance looked up, her expression questioning but not angered.
'Oh? For your project together, or?' She wondered. Their project, Flo always referred to the work Tom and Shiv had to to together as that.

'I don't know, he didn't say,' Shiv answered honestly. They never met on Friday nights since they were both on duty at midnight and did all their research together on other days.
She was equal parts excited and worried about his request.
She didn't like that excited feeling, though. It made her unsure about her own thoughts and strategies. She was starting to question where her act ended and her real feelings began.

'Do you enjoy hanging out with him?' Flo questioned. The way she asked wasn't intruding but sounded genuinely curious.

Shiv looked at the window where the heart she had drawn earlier was slowly dripping down in rough streaks. She wanted to shrug, to tell Flo that she truly didn't know, but it was hard to keep it all inside, and she felt the need to talk to someone about it. But talking made it all too real and would make her spiral, and she didn't want that.

'More than I'd like to admit,' she mumbled finally. It was true, and she knew it by the way her eyes kept searching for him in every room. The whole castle had turned into a possible meeting point for them, and Shiv caught herself glancing around at any sign of him. She dreaded the time between their meet ups, and she hated herself for it.

Flo closed her own book and put it aside. She stretched her legs on the windowsill they'd been sitting on, and Shiv instinctively put her hand on her ankle.

'I kind of get it. He has a very particular charm about him,' Flo said as she brought up her mug to take a sip. Shiv gave a sad smile, unable to disagree.

'Anything else happened between you two besides smashing each other into surfaces and kissing?' Flo asked in a playfully teasing way. She poked her shoe into Shivs side, which earned her a giggle and a slap I'm return.

Shiv felt her face get hot as the memories of their escapades ran through her mind. 'I haven't even told you about Paris..' she mumbled, and she saw her friends eyes widen.
And so, she told Flo about what had happened in the cafe, and than what had happened yesterday in the library. Flo listened, mouth open a little, eyes wide.

'Siobhan Artemis Selwyn,' she grinned finally. 'I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not my first choice who you did it with, but..' Flo trailed off.

Shiv felt a small smile spread across her face. She allowed herself to feel a certain girlish excitement about these events with Tom that she hadn't felt before. It was nice to talk about it with her best friend, the only girl her age Shiv actually liked. This reminded her once again (the painful stabbing feeling in her chest) that it was better to keep trusting Flo and open up to her more often.

'It's all just very..' Shiv started, 'There's just a lot of tension..' she tried again, and she started twisting the bracelet around her wrist in frustration.