Stop running from me (A Tom Riddle Story)

Greengrass

"Are you going to tell me about it my lady?"

"Not unless I have too."

The wind had lost its bite, becoming gentle and fresh, blowing branches and tousling the hair of students - but no longer stealing their warmth. It had lost is iciness.The remnants of snow had entirely vanished and the rivers swelled with the melt water. The only brilliant white remaining was that on the snowy peaks of the mountains that ringed the otherwise flat land. Esmeralda watched as some first years splashed each other at the edge of the lake, their laughter echoing across the grounds. She shifted and lent back further against the tree, refusing to look in his direction.

"Remind me again why we are here?" he asked, picking the flowers that sat as a wreath around the tree.

Esmeralda sighed and tilted her head, looking towards the castle.

"Because I trust you and I know you won't ask questions about... whats happening." She replied quietly.

Cygnus Black rolled his eyes.

"You know Tom will kill me right?" 

There was no joke in his voice. He sounded nervous.

"Don't be stupid Black, You're one of this inner circle. Unless you sell information to Dumbledore, which I know you won't, he won't hurt you." Esmeralda snapped.

Cygnus frowned at her.

"We're not ment to be alone with you my lady." He muttered, the title slipping in automatically.

Esmeralda turned to him sharply.

"OK enough with this 'my lady' bullshit. I am not your lady, I am no ones 'lady'. Just call me by my name."

Cygnus blanched and stopped picking at the flowers, gingerly meeting her gold eyes with his own.

"But Tom said-"

"Tom's not here Black. And quite frankly I don't want him here currently." She interrupted, watching him closely.

She had never had a conversation with just  him before. Either Tom was by her side or Remi had dragged her to Hogsmade as a third wheel. But she trusted him. Though Tom's first man was Malfoy, she trusted Black more. Malfoy was more likely to tell Riddle whereas Black... there was something in his eyes that made her trust him.

"I wouldn't let you hear him say that." Black said quietly, his eyes never leaving her.

Esmeralda shrugged.

"He probably already knows." She countered, "Sometimes I just need a break from... from-"

"What he is." Cygnus finished with a nod, finally tearing his eyes from her and looking over at the lake, "I can understand that."

He looked tired, as though everything that was happening was draining him slightly. It suddenly occurred to her that Tom didn't exactly give them much free time to simply... have fun.

"Was he always like this?"

Cygnus shook his head and began to pick at the flowers once more.

"He was so quiet in the first three years. We all just ignored him... well, the kids in the older years didn't. He was just so different that I think he seemed an easy target. Until one day in fourth year, something changed."

Esmeralda raised an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't know what Tom did. Only that one day they hated him and the next they were too scared to even go near him. From that moment if he asked them to do something, the did it. And everyone else just... started doing the same."