Star Crossed

Chapter Thirty Five- Half light

The July sun beat down on the grounds of Hogwarts, there was no breeze in the stuffy air as the birds filled it with their song. I walked through the outskirts of the forest, taking in the beauty of the trees and freedom, preparing to leave it for the prison that was home for six weeks. A crunch to my left startled me making me spin around, it was then that I saw him his back facing me leaning against one of the nearby trees. 
"Tom?" he turned around to face me, he did not seem surprised. 
"Grisha," he replied. 
"Are you okay?" I asked, his expression was strange it was not blank but it not displaying emotion either. 
"I'm fine." he replied bluntly, staring intently at a spot behind me. 
"You don't look fine," I smiled, tilting my head to try to gain eye contact with him. 
"Then don't look." He hissed, turning his head fully away from me now, I sighed and walked towards him I knew what was wrong because I felt it too. 
"The summer holidays," I breathed but he did not reply just continued to stare blankly passed me. "I know..." I whispered. 
"Do you?" he muttered under his breath, I felt a strange tug at my heart as I looked at him backed by the gleaming sunlight that bounded off of his dark ebony hair that dropped down over his pale forehead, his blue eyes glistening in the bright lights reflecting the dancing shadows of the leaves. 
"What is it like?" I felt the question slip from off of my tongue before I could stop it but yet he did not glare at me or tell me to mind my own business like I had expected, at first there was nothing but silence. 
"What is it like..." he repeated quietly, "What is what like?" he asked turning his piecing eyes towards me. 
"Your home." I whispered,
"My home is here," he spat, looking away from me again. 
"The orphanage," I corrected myself the word sounding strange on my tongue, I knew that is where Tom lived all of his life but there was something resoundingly real about saying it out loud. He turned his eyes to me again, staring down at me with a look in his eyes that I had never seen before they looked the most human I had ever seen them... I yearned to get behind them see what was really hidden there, silence stretched between us as he considered me.
"A prison," he replied in that moment I saw Tom Riddle like I had never saw him before. 
"What happened there for you to hate it so," I whispered desperate to know more I feared I was pushing my luck but Tom did not look irritated. 
"You ask a lot of questions Grisha but I don't think you are ready for the answers," he gave me small smile,
"You hide a lot behind those smiles don't you Riddle," I said staring now into each others eyes but neither one was pushing. 
"Something's are best hidden don't you think?" Tom replied tilting his head to the side. 
"It depends who you are hiding them from," I breathed feeling myself moving involuntarily closer to him. 
"You wouldn't understand Grisha. You were the little girl who had it all, a comfortable warm home, good food... a loving family."  he said the words as if they were poison to him. 
"I did once," I smiled a tear fell down my cheek as Tom's words brought back happy memories from my childhood "But it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." I added, he stared at me a battle raging behind his blue eyes. 
"Is it?" He asked his face now very close to my own. "In my experience all good things come to an end why set yourself up for a fall." his voice was soft as he stared down at me. 
"Because the view is worth the fall," I smiled as he raised his eyebrow at me. 
"You are not like anyone I have ever met before Grisha," he said curiously, my heart beating fast out of my chest, "I feel that you can see darkness and yet you're unafraid of it and nor do you crave it." 
"The dark is nothing without the light," I replied, "and where there is darkness there is always light," 
"What if the darkness overshadows the light?" he asked his voice quiet,
"Then I am not afraid of it." I replied. "What use is there in fear, fear is the only true enemy for once you fear something you are lost to it forever." 
We stared at each other as time slowed down I could no longer hear the birds anymore or see the leaves moving upon the trees, the world was still and silent... 
"You can't sell dreams to someone that has walked through nightmares Grisha," Tom whispered before he pulled himself away from me and turned to walk away, he paused and looked over his shoulder at me.
"Have a safe journey home Grisha," he said his empty cold expression returning to his face, the previous vulnerability vanished as if it had never been there, had it been there? Or had I imagined it?

I watched him walk away... Tom Riddle the half light boy... my half light boy.