Tom Riddle - Downfall

Chapter 41: Slughorns ball III

"Oh, and who is this particular girl exactly?" I say in a sarcastic tone, smiling. Ton whispers in my ear, and I can feel his breath. It's really fascinating how we completely forget everything around us while we dance. Tom whispers back to me in a teasing way now, and I see a little grin on his face as he leans slightly closer to my ear to speak to me.
Tom: "Just a girl that I've come to know a little more lately... someone quite special to me. She's been on my mind a lot, and her presence is very soothing to me. I feel that I can share anything with her... even my more vulnerable side, if she would let me..."
"I think that would be really nice," I say and gently kiss his cheek as we finish the dance.
The touch of my kiss on his cheek feels absolutely wonderful to him now since he's already in a bit of an intimate mood. I can see the excitement in his eyes now, and he leans his face closer towards mine for a moment as he speaks.
Tom: "I'm having a lovely time tonight. I haven't enjoyed myself this much in a while. I really enjoyed this dance with you."
I go to the bar, and Tom says goodbye for a moment. He's talking to Professor Slughorn, and I'm sitting alone at the bar when a Slytherin student comes up to me and flirts with me. He seems like he's quite attractive. The Slytherin student introduces himself and starts to compliment me.
Slytherin Student (in a polite and charming tone): "Hi, I'm Marlon, I don't believe I've seen you around before. I'm from Slytherin, and I couldn't help but notice that you look quite stunning tonight."
"Uhh, thanks. I'm in Slytherin too, " I say rather disinterestedly.
The Slytherin student seems a bit surprised that I'm not as flirty as he was expecting, as he was anticipating a more receptive response from me.
Slytherin Student (with a bit of an amused expression now): "Oh, really? I figured with you being as beautiful as you are that you'd be in Gryffindor. You're a bit above most Slytherin, I'd say."
"What's that supposed to mean?" This guy is really strange and is also getting uncomfortably close to me. I look around impatiently and see where Tom is.
The Slytherin student seems again surprised by my slightly annoyed response, and he smiles in a slightly teasing way as he speaks to me.
Slytherin Student: "I only meant that you're beautiful and don't really strike me as the kind of girl that would fit in to Slytherin House. You seem too pretty to be a snake,"
He laughs a little bit as he speaks, and I notice that he's still slightly trying to flirt with me, but I'm not interested in him at all.
Now he comes closer to me and tries to make physical contact. "Ehm, can you please stop that?" but he's not impressed.
The Slytherin student doesn't like my slightly annoyed tone, and he leans in towards me in an even bold way, just to tease me. He comes a little bit too close to
me for my comfort, and I feel like he's trying to cross a line. I can see the look of amusement on his face, as he doesn't seem affected by me asking him to stop. This guy seems quite confident in himself, and he speaks in a slightly arrogant tone of voice with a cocky smirk.

but luckily Tom comes and puts distance between us. He stands protectively in front of me. Tom can see the annoyance on my face and the look of arrogance on the Slytherin student's face, and he isn't taking any chances. Tom walks up and immediately stands in front of the Slytherin student. His back is to me, and he has his arms folded.
Tom (speaking loudly in a stern voice to the Slytherin student): "Back off. She's not interested in you at all, so if you don't want to be on the receiving end of a spell from me, just walk away right now."
The student looks bravely at Tom but decides it's not worth it. He takes his drink and pours it over my dress. "Hey!" I say, and Tom grabs him by the arm. Tom acts very quickly and aggressively when he sees that the Slytherin student has poured a little bit of his drink over my dress. He grabs the Slytherin student by his arm now, and he's really mad at him now, and his tone of voice becomes even more stern.
Tom (in a louder and harsher tone of voice): "What the hell do you think you're doing? Did you really just pour your drink over her dress? if you dont leave now, you will not see you tomorrow."
The student runs off, and Tom turns to me worriedly. "Tom, that was a bit too much, wasn't it? You don't have to threaten him right away..."
Tom's expression softens a little bit, especially when he sees the concerned look on my face, now that the situation has cooled down considerably. He puts his arm around me now to try and comfort me.
Tom: "I'm sorry if that was too much. But I am not going to tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone, especially towards you. You should know that I wouldn't let anyone mess with you like that."