ONE WEEK BEFORE
The gloomy and early morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of the bedroom, casting a muted forest-green glow across the cluttered space. The air was thick with the lingering scent of last night's revelry– cigarette smoke, cheap cologne, and something more intimate.
Fee stirred beneath the tangle of blankets, her mind slowly and painfully surfacing from the fog of sleep and alcohol from last night. Her body ached in familiar places, a reminder of the heated, toxic passion she could never seem to escape.
And she hated herself for it.
Turning her head, her hungover gaze landed on the sleeping form beside her. Her ex-boyfriend Tom Riddle is the most feared Slytherin in all of Hogwarts. He lay sprawled on his back, one arm thrown carelessly across her bare stomach. His dark curled hair was tousled, starkly similar to the slight dark stubble lining his jaw.
He almost appeared peaceful, the sharp edges of his usual arrogance softened by sleep. But, Fee knew better- the cruelty and manipulation lurking beneath that deceptively handsome exterior.
Oh, who by the way was her best friend, Lola's triplet brother.
Her heart clenched at the sight, the faded memories of last night flooded her mind. A mixture of longing and self-loathing tightened in her chest. Why did she always come back? Why did she let herself be pulled into his orbit, only to be shattered time and time again? She knew the answer, even if she refused to admit it. Tom was an addiction, a poison she couldn't get away from.
Carefully, she wiggled herself out of his loose grasp, something beyond unnatural as she did it successfully. Fee moved slowly and stealthily from the bed to avoid waking him.
"Should've become a spy," Fee thought to herself.
She didn't want to face him right now, didn't want to hear the inevitable cutting remarks or endure the icy indifference that always followed their nights together. Besides, she needed to get to class, which started in an hour.
Shit.
Her clothes were scattered across the floor, mingling with his in a careless display of their chaotic relationship– if one could even call it that. She picked up her party outfit from last night, and a pang of guilt shot through her as she dressed quickly. But, she couldn't walk around the common room in this. Someone would know.
Without thinking, Fee grabbed his Slytherin robe to wrap herself around in it to escape the humiliation that would follow.
Fee glanced back at Tom one last time, her heart aching with a confusing mix of emotions. She had loved him once, fiercely and blindly, but that love had turned into something dark and twisted. She couldn't stay, not now, not ever.
The brunette girl easily had it all. The attention that came from almost every guy from Hogwarts. Practically any guy in the school could easily treat her better than Tom Riddle ever had, but he was the one she had allowed herself to let in, and as she fell deeper into his spell, he had broken her completely.
Fee slipped out of the bedroom, her footsteps silent on the plush carpet. Taking a quick scan around, the common room was deserted, the remnants of last night's party were not evident anymore.
Quickly, yet cautiously, Fee moved through the hallways, silently praying she wouldn't run into anyone as she made her way toward her dorm room. But, as she turned the corner she bumped into two people, she didn't want to see right now.
