ethereal | tom riddle.

ribbons could be ropes

When Tom had gone off somewhere for the weekend, Eliza was very lost. With nothing better to do, she went down to the library and picked up a romance book randomly, taking it back with her to Tom's dorm to read.

She was deeply hooked on to the book, reading it so intently. When a knock sounded on the door, she groaned in frustration at having to put down the book to open the door. "What is it?" She said, answering the door irritatedly. "Oh," she cleared her throat. "Professor Slughorn." 

"Eliza? Is Tom around?" He had become accustomed to finding Eliza in Tom's room over their years at Hogwarts, learning not to look into it too much.

"Uh, no professor. Tom's just away for a moment. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well," he replied, passing her a book. "Do give him this book. It has very good information on what we had been discussing."

"Alright sir, I'll let him know. Anything else?" She took the book from him, smiling politely.

"Nothing else, dear. Oh, but since Tom's unavailable, I take it that you won't be joining us for the Slugclub dinner either then?"

"I won't professor, but we'll definitely attend next time." She politely replied, as he smiled and nodded, walking off as Eliza closed the door and locked it.

She left the book on the coffee table, eagerly returning to her own. She laid back on to the bed on her stomach, opening the book to the page she had left it at. She continued reading it for a while, and then came across a rather interesting chapter.

Her lips parted slightly in shock as she read what the wizard was doing to the girl. She knew she should've shut the book and she knew it was wrong for her to read those things, but Salazar, she could not stop. She read how he tied up the woman's naked body, using ropes and magical bonds. She could help clench her thighs slightly, imagining that being done to her. She kept reading, the chapter getting more interesting by every word.

When the chapter ended, she didn't want to admit her disappointment. She continued through the book, waiting to find more of those scenes but she was only able to get in two more chapters before she realised she was late to dinner.

Hastily getting up, she splashed her face with some cold water, combed her hair and put her stockings on. She took her book back to her own room, knowing no one would find it there. She lifted the mattress, putting the book under there.

She looked around her room for a moment, realising how long it had been since she was in there. She sighed, leaving the room knowing she shouldn't be later to dinner.

Luckily, when she went down to the common room, Abraxas was just coming out of the boy's dorm area. "Where were you?" He asked her, as she approached him.

"My dorm."

"You're never in your dorm." He said, a suspicious undertone.

"I had to get something." She said casually, trying to seem normal.

"Like what?"

"Girl stuff." She replied, giving him a look knowing he couldn't question her further when she said that, but he still was suspicious.

They walked up to the dining hall, Abraxas telling her about their quidditch practice that day. They sat down at their usual place, Tom's place left empty. They knew he wouldn't come, but still, no one moved to sit there.

Dinner went on as usual, them switching from one topic to the next. After finishing, all of them returned to the Slytherin common room where they sat in their usual corner, Theodore and Rosier telling them every bit of gossip they'd heard since the previous night.

"What are we doing for Christmas?" Orion asked, upside on the couch with his legs against the headrest and head hanging off where his legs should have been.

"Gift exchange on Christmas morning, of course. Then, Hogsmeade for lunch," Abraxas responded from his usual armchair, legs thrown over the armrest. "Something in between, then dinner and drinking till our brains fizz out." Everyone enthusiastically responded to the last part, making appreciatively sounds of agreement.

"What's the something in between though?" Rosier asked, laying on the carpet between everyone.

"Shouldn't you spend time with your girlfriend?" Eliza questioned, almost as a joke.

"I think she'll be busy with another guy's dick in her mouth." He replied nonchalantly, causing everyone to laugh, though they all knew it was true.

"Anyway, I was thinking we show up drunk to the carolling thing again." Theodore suggested, grinning madly.

"That was so fun last year." Rosier laughed.

"We are so doing that again." Abraxas agreed.

They all continued talking until it was very late at night, and then they decided to go back to their dorms. Eliza walked back to Tom's dorm, Abraxas with her. "I'm going to go shopping for gifts tomorrow. Do you want to come with?" He asked her, knowing she'd be bored out of her mind without Tom.

She agreed instantly, saying that she really had to go because Christmas was two days away and she didn't have gifts for Orion and Rosier yet. They finalised a time in the afternoon to go so it wouldn't be crowded. Eliza realised that her book was in her dorm, going back a few minutes later to make sure she didn't bump into anyone.

Luckily, she could quickly sneak back into Tom's dorm after getting her book from her room. She stayed up for hours, until she finished the book, having encountered more scenes like the ones she'd been interested in earlier that day.

That definitely gave her an idea for her Christmas present to Tom.