riddle ▷ Tom Riddle Era

P A S S I O N

September Twenty First, 1943

The halls were becoming dark and the lights-out curfew was looming ever closer. Yet, two students lurked out of bed and wandered the corridors, heading towards the same place. The Owlery. Arabella, tired from all of the birthday festivities from earlier in the day trudged slowly up the winding stairs, dodging the owl droppings that scattered the concrete floor. A silver chain rattled around her neck, flashing sadly. The words Happy Birthday! that Jaelyn had charmed it to show were fading and in her rush to meet Tom Riddle, Arabella had forgotten to take it off. Everyone had wished her a happy birthday. But how could anyone be remotely happy when there had just been two tragic deaths within the school? Fondling the cheap necklace softly, Arabella began to think about why she really wanted to meet Tom so badly. She wanted to believe that she was just curious. Curious of all the strange things that had happened to her since beginning to interact with Tom Riddle. But deep down, she knew that it was something more. Arabella was curious. But she wasn't curious about the events around Tom Riddle, no, she was confused about Tom himself. Why did she feel as if her stomach was lifting off the ground every time his hand brushed her cheek? Why, with her own circumstances, did she even feel something at all? She'd read it was impossible, yet here she was, climbing up a flight of stairs to meet a boy on the edge of midnight. 

It was madness.

And Arabella loved it. 

As Arabella reached the top, the soft hooting of the sleeping owls began to get louder. She pressed her palm on the wooden door and pushed it gently, trying not to make a sound. She wandered in and peered around. "Tom?" She called quietly, "Riddle?" 

And then suddenly there was the sound of feet, making their way towards her. She looked up sharply to see Tom Riddle making his way towards her. He had shed his Hogwarts robes and was wearing black jeans and a green shirt that hug his figure tightly. He got closer and closer and seemed to have no interest in slowing down. He reached out and gripped Arabella's head with his long, lean fingers and pulled her face up to meet his own. With simple passion, his lips met with hers and he pulled her body tight against his.  After a few seconds of being frozen in shock, Arabella pulled away with wide eyes.

"What in Godric are you doing, Riddle?" 

Still holding her face, Tom cocked his head. "This is what you wanted, yes? You wanted to forget about all the pain you are feeling." 

Breathing heavily, Arabella swallowed nervously and nodded, shivering as Tom gra.zed his fingertips lightly across her jaw. "What do you get out of this?" 

Tom leaned in again, giving Arabella a clear view of his gorgeous face. He smirked and his hand travelled down to the small of Arabella's back. "Answers," he said simply and kissed her again. 

Arabella only hesitated once more before she raised her hands to his hair and gripped his soft locks in her fists. She kissed back madly and let him guide her to a wall where he pressed her against it. "Answers for what?" She managed to get out, as his lips pressed against her neck.

"Everything," Tom answered and then there was no more hesitation, no more barriers. Only pain and loss and Arabella wanted that all gone. Badly. So she closed her eyes and relaxed into Tom's arms and felt all that pain seep away into the inky darkness outside the owlery walls. 

September Twenty Second, 1943

A curious brown owl pecked the sleeping Arabella softly. It hooted and pecked her again when she did not move. Arabella groaned and opened her eyes groggily. With a start, she realised there was an arm wrapped around her waist. A thin blanket covered her body and the body of the person next to her. Turning her head, Arabella almost screamed when she saw the person. All the memories of the night before came rushing back and Arabella blushed madly. Gently, she pushed Tom's arm off her and she clambered up onto her feet. She scurried around frantically, looking for her robes, somewhere on the floor of the owlery. 

Once she had dressed herself, Arabella took one last look at the prefect that still lay peacefully on the floor, draped in the blanket and hugging the air. Arabella swallowed slowly and felt her stomach tie itself in knots. No one could know. That was for sure. She would be mortified if anyone were to discover what they had done!  

Softly, Arabella began making her way out the door. Trying not to wake Tom, she closed the door softly and clicked it into place. As she made her way back down the stairs, Arabella made a silent promise to herself. No one would know. Not ever. She would have to come up with a reason to have been missing all night long and the fact that it was on the night of her sixteenth birthday didn't make it any less suspicious. 

Soon the great doors of the hall came into view and Arabella walked in with her head held high. Jaelyn spotted Arabella at once and leapt up from the bench. "Where were you last night, Bella?" Jaelyn asked playfully. "Who were ya with?" 

Arabella laughed and swatted Jaelyn's hand away. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Jae. I with with Edmund all night. He wanted some company."

Jaelyn's eyes clouded over with confusion and with a jolt, Arabella realised she had never told Jaelyn about Edmund Luca, the lonely boy she had met in the hospital wing. Arabella grinned as she realised this would take Jaelyn's mind of the absence of her for a while. "Sit," Arabella said and the two friends sat down at the Slytherin table. "I have to tell you about this guy I met in the hospital wing. His name is Edmund and he..." 

But then the Great Hall doors opened and Tom Riddle walked in. Their gazes met and he smirked. Tom sat down on a different table next to his friends and Arabella breathed out deeply, releasing the air she didn't realise she was holding. She turned back to Jaelyn's expectant gaze and carried on with her story. 

Lucky for Arabella. Jaeyln couldn't hear the way her heart was beating in her chest.