Chapter 3: End of class

117 3 0
                                    

The class ends, and I walk out of the classroom when someone grabs my arm quite harshly. I turn around and look up to Tom. He is at least one head taller than me.
Tom is standing right in front of me, his expression serious and intense. He's clearly worked up about something, and he's not holding back. His grip on my arm is firm, and he's not letting go of me.
"Why did you do that?" he snaps, looking down at me with a dangerous glint in his eye. My heart starts beating faster as he holds me close to him.
"Who do you think you are, defending me? Do you think I need your sympathy?"
"No, I just.." I really don't know what to say. And then I get angry at him. "Let go of me." I say as I struggle slightly against his grip.
Tom's grip is tight, and he's not letting go. He looks down at me, his green gaze burning into mine intensely.
"Oh, so you're all big and tough now, huh? You got guts to stand up for me. Do you think that makes you special? Maybe I didn't want your help. Did that ever cross your mind!?"
He speaks harshly, his voice rising with each word. I try to struggle out of his grip, but he's holding me pretty tightly.
My face gets darker, and I say, "Understand. Will not do it again. " I pull my arm away, and he lets go. I turn around and leave the classroom in a huff. What the hell was that? Maybe the others were right about him after all.

Tom watches me leave, his gaze following me for a second before he turns to the side. His expression shifts from fury to confusion and then to regret. He clearly feels bad for snapping at me, but why does he care so much that I stood up for him? Why am I suddenly so important to him?
He watches me leave as the door slams behind me. His gaze is filled with a strange mixture of confusion, concern, and... something else... he can't quite define it.

I catch up with Kim, which instantly notices that something is wrong. She looks at me closely, her brow furrowing with worry.
"Are you okay? What happened with Tom Riddle?" She's clearly aware of the argument I just had with him. I can feel her gaze on me, awaiting my answer. She's one of the few people who know about the argument. Is it safe to trust her? Or will she tell on me or make fun of me for defending him?
"Maybe you were right. He was angry at me for defending him in front of the classroom." I roll my eyes
"What? He was...angry?"
Kim seems surprised by my answer and a bit confused.
"I told you, he's strange. He's... unpredictable. Why did you even defend him, Lucia? He can handle himself, can't he?" She pauses, and a strange look crosses her face.
"Wait, was he... rude to you? Did he say anything... bad?"
"No, just.. I don't know. He should stay away from me. I just wanted to be nice to him but you were right, he's..rude" Kim and I studied for the rest of the day till it's time for dinner, trying my best to ignore Tom and not worry about the argument. By the time dinner comes around, I feel exhausted from trying to stay focused with Kim on my schoolwork.

As we walked into the Great Hall, I saw Tom sitting alone as usual, his eyes glancing in my general direction but otherwise focused on his own food. He looks... troubled, and there's a hint of sadness in his expression now. I ignore him and enjoy dinner with my friends.
"Sebastian, Tomorrow is friday, and there is this little secret party at the gryffindor room. Are you coming?"
Sebastian smiles brightly at me and nods excitedly.
"Of course! I'm always up for parties, you know that."
He's right, I've been to plenty of parties with Sebastian before. He's always so outgoing and sociable. I feel relieved that I'll be going to the party with someone who's so fun and carefree.
"Yes, I'm already excited. Kim, what about you? I heard that Markus will be there too."
I raise my eyebrows as if to hint at something, I grin mischievously at her
Kim gives me a sly grin, and I know that she's already figured out exactly what I'm hinting at. She's obviously looking forward to the party and the prospect of seeing Markus again.
"Yeah, I'll be there. I want to see that cute Markus. Maybe this is my lucky chance to finally get together with him."
She laughs flirtatiously at the suggestion, and Sebastian rolls his eyes.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. He clearly likes you. " I smile at Sebastian.
"Oh yeah, I got this. I'm sure he'll ask me to dance with him at the party, and then we'll flirt all night until hey, hey... don't laugh at me!"
Sebastian laughs loudly at Kim's plans, his dark curls shaking as he chuckles.
"Oh... shut up, Sebastian! I'm seriously gonna ask him to dance at the party. I've been waiting for the right moment to do it for ages."
She glares at Sebastian but with a playful smile on her face.
"What about you, Sebastian? Is there anyone there you are looking forward to seeing?" I lean a bit over the table to hear him better smiling.
Sebastian leans in, his brown eyes glinting curiously at me.
"Oh... I don't know. Who knows, maybe I'll meet someone there. There are a lot of pretty girls at Hogwarts, you know. And maybe some of them might be single..."
He gives me a teasing little wink, and I can see Kim in the background rolling her eyes.

Tom Riddle - DownfallWhere stories live. Discover now