Darkness and Devotion - A Tom Riddle Story

The Corridor

Her books felt heavy in her arms. Actually, everything felt heavy compared to the lightness of her thoughts. Tonight. Tonight with Tom. With him. 

It was all she could think about. Professor Slughorn noticed her distraction and fretted over her for ten minutes after class ended. Evelyn sighed and just told him that she was distracted with an upcoming assignment. She didn't think telling him that her mind was completely shrouded by a boy would be wise, even if Slughorn did like Tom—so much so that he proceeded to bring him up at least a dozen times in their class, bragging about how "one of his students" might have caught the brilliant boy's eye.

Transfiguration wasn't any better. McGonagall's stern eye noticed that Evelyn wasn't copying down any notes almost immediately and sentenced her to a light detention of assisting the librarian after dinner. Evelyn would have fought had she been braver, would have insisted that she do it another night, a night where she didn't have the most alluring man waiting for her. But McGonagall wasn't the professor to trifle with so she begrudgingly resigned herself to her fate.

Now, she carried those heavy books on her way to dinner, bummed that she wouldn't be going to his dormitory after. Evelyn adjusted the strap on her bag. I need to get a new one. This one was so frayed after years of having textbooks shoved into it.

While she sat at the table, her mind wandered to the future. Not to the far future—the days when she was able to think of a life beyond her death at seventeen were rare—but to the future that lay waiting for her in a few hours. Her evening with Tom. What would they do? Would he finally kiss her? Would they do more?

Would he even come at all?

"I gave you my word, Little Dove. I will be there." His voice appeared in her head softly, almost tenderly, which was so unlike Tom and so like him at the same time. Cold, callous, uncaring... except with her. "Now, eat."

She smiled to herself and began to pick at the soup in front of her. Pumpkin, it looked like. Evelyn grabbed and spoonful and brought it up to her mouth. As soon as she swallowed it, his voice appeared again. "Good girl. I will see you soon."

"Soon, Tom." And then his presence left her. She could have sworn that he left the faint caress of darkness behind, like a phantom touch on her jaw, when he left.

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Evelyn's arms arched when she finally finished her detention. It was late, past curfew even. Oil lamps had gone out and the only one remaining in the library was the stern-faced librarian, who looked at Evelyn as if she were the biggest nuisance instead of actual help. Tom was probably worried, though apparently not worried enough to appear in her head and ask where she was. It was no matter; she would see him soon and explain it anyway.

"Goodnight, Madam Pince," Evelyn bade to the black-haired woman sitting behind a desk with a tall, feathered hat.

"Goodnight, Miss Black. Ensure that you are going directly to your dormitory." Madam Pince's voice was sharp and largely unpleasant, though Evelyn knew that the woman secretly liked her. Or at least tolerated her more than most of the other students. After all, when she saw that it was Evelyn who would be completing the detention, she took away a stack of books and softened her dark eyes ever so slightly. It was sad that she was one of the nicest people in Evelyn's life. It spoke volumes about the others.

"I will." She held the note in her hands tightly. Miss Evelyn Black is temporarily excused from curfew, as she was completing tasks on my behalf, it read followed by Madam Pince's signature. Her saving grace if she were to be caught by a prefect. Or worse: Filch. Evelyn shuddered at the idea of seeing him or his cat. They were both horrible. She might have been excused from some of the librarian's unpleasant disdain but she certainly wasn't excused from theirs.