Rosie ⎮ Tom Riddle

Seven

Alliance

The crowds surrounding the Quidditch field hummed with anticipation as the game played on. Slytherin was facing off Hufflepuff, and for all that Rosalie tuned into the game, it was a rather thrilling match.

The vibrant colours of the teams clashed against the blue backdrop of the sky, not a cloud in sight. It was the perfect day to view a game like quidditch, but Rosalie was disinterested, her head resting on her arm as she leant forward on the bench she sat, staring off into the distance.

Echoing through the air was the excitement of the students, Slytherin passed and scored, leading them 4-1, each house supported their own fiercely.

In the midst of it all, Rose sat at the very back of the stands, which was a deliberate choice to distance herself from the roaring crowds. She really never had taken much of a liking to Quidditch.

She was a lone figure in a sea of spectators, but somehow, Tom had found her just fine. He ascended the stands and settled closely beside her, not taking a moment to look at her. Rose took her sight away from the game, not having paid much attention to it anyway, and instead looked at Riddle.

The tight feeling in her throat returned, a chill on her spine at his close proximity to her. Her body told her to get away, to leave in fear of him cursing her again. She disobeyed it and kept looking with intrigue; had her plan worked?

"Why help me?" Tom's question cut through the ambient noise, his sharp and sudden gaze fixed on Rose. His inquiry was a challenge, hanging in the air, and it demanded an explanation.

Rosalie swallowed. It had worked.

"Do I need a reason?" Her tongue spoke fast for her, Rose's tone was as inexplicable as the expression on her face.

Tom didn't trust himself to make out if she was lying or telling the truth anymore, he found himself, to his annoyance, relying on his gut feeling. No woman, or man for that matter, had caused him to ever do this.

"Yes," Tom asserted quickly, his insistence on the matter echoed in the space between them.

Rose's mind swirled with contemplation. The rather synchronised quidditch chants blended with her thoughts.

Finally, breaking the silence, she said, "I'm done doing what everyone else wants. I want to live my own life for a change." The words were raw in her throat, and Tom could say, without a doubt, that that was no lie. He found himself listening more intently as she continued to speak.

"I can admire the way you can live for yourself. I think I have something to learn from you, Riddle." Rose looked away from him quickly, in an embarrassed rush she had managed to incorporate her real feelings on the matter.

The harsh truth of it was that Rosalie did admire Tom. He lived his life how he wanted, even if he filled it with dark and cynical things.

Her words lingered, punctuating the air with unspoken implications. Despite her admiration for Tom's sense of freedom, there was always to be a small amount of distain that churned beneath that. The darkness of the magic he wanted weighed heavily on her mind- along with the lives at stake because of it.

All Tom could do was nod, acknowledging her response, a silent acknowledgement of the shared understanding between them, or what he thought was. Without uttering another word he rose from his seat, leaving Rosalie alone with her thoughts.