The Dark Lord's Rose - A Tom Riddle Love Story

Part I - First Date

February 12, 1944

This was it. Tom looked in the mirror and straightened his tie, feeling as though he might be sick. Avery and Lestrange were also finishing getting ready, but Tom left before them; he and Rose hadn't made plans to attend the dance with the group. He was quite sure she hadn't wanted to anyway, as Avery had invited Orion.

He waited for her at the entrance to the Great Hall, fidgeting with the two tickets in his hands. The large clock in the school's vestibule indicated that she was late. He watched as the minutes ticked by. Tom began to get increasingly nervous and the nauseous feeling returned in full force. Five minutes late? She was never late for anything. What if she had suddenly decided not to go?

Tom felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, and he was enormously relieved to turn around and see Rose standing in front of him.

"Hi Tom," she smiled. She was absolutely stunning and he fought the urge to just stand there gawking at her. Her dress was deep purple with glittering silver accents and it was long enough to just barely brush the floor. She was also wearing high heels that made her a few centimeters taller than usual, almost tall enough for him to press his lips against hers with only a slight tilt of her head. Her dark red hair was elegantly styled up, revealing her long, graceful neck. "I'm sorry I'm late."

He could barely speak, but managed to say, "Good evening, Miss Horton. You look quite breathtaking."

If he would have said something so direct even the day before, he would have been tormented with reservations regarding how she felt. However, he had fully prepared himself to change things between them once and for all that night.

She blushed slightly, and it pleased him immensely. "Thank you," she replied.

"Shall we go inside?" He offered her his arm and she took it as he led her to the entrance of the Great Hall. They presented their tickets to Professor Viesey and were ushered inside.

The room was nearly unrecognizable. There were decorations everywhere, and for a moment, he mentally disparaged the staff and student body for putting so much time and energy into a single event. Perhaps if everyone invested the same drive in academics, the school would be in a much better place.

His date was pulling him toward a table, which snapped him back to reality and out of his cynical thoughts. There were only a few remaining seats; Headmaster Dippet was about to say some opening words to signify the ball's commencement. She led him to the table where Loretta Ashcroft and Emily Springer, two of her Ravenclaw roommates, were sitting. Unfortunately, upon further investigation, Tom noticed that Warren Cramer was at the table as well, whose eyes lit up as they rested on Rose.

"Is this okay?" she whispered before sitting down.

He nodded, though he was hesitant as he watched Warren's eyes scan over her body. At least he could get some satisfaction from the fact that he was her date instead of Cramer's. Her friends greeted her warmly and tossed a few polite greetings his way. While he often wished Rose was in Slytherin with him, Ravenclaw was certainly the next best. Those in her house didn't irritate him nearly as much as the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff students. Well, with the exception of Warren and Faye, of course.

She was in the middle of a conversation with Tom regarding the Apparition lessons they were enrolled in when Faye, Adam, Markus, and Rebecca entered the Great Hall and tried to find a table. The two girls were following the boys and were smiling and laughing with each other. He watched as a dark look passed over Rose and he recognized a small flame of a temper ignite inside of her. "Faye has changed quite a bit," she said. Her voice was convincingly calm, but he knew her well enough now that he could read her emotions in her dark blue eyes. "It's funny, really, before she and Adam were together, she wouldn't have anything to do with Rebecca."