She [Tom Riddle]

nineteen

"I asked him already." Celeste said as soon as she entered the dorm. Luna and Cho were already waiting for her.

"What did he say?" Asked luna.

"He said yes."

"See? I told you. Of course he'll say yes to you. But, have you told him about your feelings for him?" Asked cho.

"No. Not yet. I'll tell him on the graduation dance."

"Wow. That's the perfect timing. That will be really sweet." Luna said.

"Cool. Can't wait. Now, we need to sleep. The test results will be up tomorrow." Cho said.

"Good night girls." Celeste tucked herself to bed.

"Good night."

"Night."

▪︎
The morning came, they needed to be in the great hall for the test results best student announcement. The three of them rushed to the great hall. When they arrived, everyone was already there waiting. The professors already sat on there own seats. All eyes landed on the three of them, mostly on Celeste who was still busy fixing her bed hair. Cho grabbed Luna and Celeste to find a seat. Celeste was still looking around, finally her eyes landed on him, on the one she had been looking for. He smiled and mouthed "hey", she did the same.

Cho pulled Celeste to her. "Let's go. There is no time to flirt with Tom. You can do it later."

They finally sat with the other Ravenclaw students. Professor Dumbledore got up from his seat. He looked around at first, not sure what he was looking for, or who. Then he let out a breath, a sign that he wanted to talk. "I'm happy to announce that everyone passed." He said. The students were cheering. Celeste and her two best friends were relieved to hear that.

"Final points, 500 to Gryffindor, 400 to Ravenclaw, 300 to Slytherin, and 250 to Hufflepuff. Congratulations to Gryffindor." The students applauded. Gryffindors were the loudest of course.

"Now for the best student, congratulationS to Hermione Granger from Gryffindor, Draco Malfoy from Slytherin, Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff, and Celeste Nolan from Ravenclaw."

Celeste was really surprised. She didn't expect that at all. She was beyond happy. Her friends hugged and congratulate her. Everybody knew what best student meant. Perfect score on all the tests, perfect attitude, perfect attendance. And Celeste was perfect.

"Congratulations, C. You deserve it." Luna said.

"I'm so happy for you." Cho hugged her the longest.

"Thank you guys. I wouldn't have done it without you both, my two beautiful best friends." It was really sweet. They hugged each other.

Professor Mcgonagall stepped forward. She waited until the students were back at their own seats. When she finally got the students attention, she gave the information. "Remember students, tomorrow is graduation dance day. Make sure you have your date and dressed nicely. And oh, my dear Celeste, we want you to sing at the graduation dance tomorrow."

Her smile faded. Her heart stopped. How did she know that she could sing? The only person who knew about her talents were Luna and Cho. And surely they didn't tell anyone, let alone Professor Mcgonagall.

Right. She almost forgot. He knew. He listened to her singing a couple of times.

It was okay. She wanted to try to sing in front of a crowd. But she got so nervous most of the times. Too nervous that she couldn't even remember her name. That was the reason why she never wanted anyone to hear her. But she guessed it was too late now. Everybody knew.

Tom walked over to Celeste and hugged her. He kissed her forehead. Luna and Cho was still behind her. They both smiled.

"Congratulations Cherry. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, Tom. But don't be too happy yet, because i'm going to kill you in a second. Did you tell Pofessor Mcgonagall that i can sing?" She asked.

"Of course. She was asking around, looking for a perfect singer. And you crossed my mind. I told her to pick you as the singer. You'll do great. I have no doubt on that."

"But i haven't got any idea on what song should i sing. I never even performed before. God, i'm nervous." She said.

He touched her shoulders to calm her down. "Hey relax. You'll be fine. Why don't you go to the music room and practice?"

"Good idea. Let's go." She took his arms. But he refused. He let go.

"No. I won't go with you."

Celeste was confused. "Wait what? Why?"

"Surprised me, Cherry. I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled. Then left with his friends.

Celeste sighed. Her two best friends laughed beside her. She didn't know if she needed to be grateful for the oppurtunity or scared.

She parted ways with her two best friends. She went straight to the music room to practice. She didn't know what to sing. She was scared that she would ruin it. The it crossed my mind. What if she told Professor Mcgonagall that she wasn't feeling really well?

The more she thought of it, the more it looked like a bad idea. She hated lying. And besides, secretly, she wanted to impressed Tom. He was the one who told Professor Mcgonagall to chose her. He wanted to hear her sing. He wanted see her performance. And surely, he expected her to sing not just for him, but for every other students. He wanted her to share her talents. He wanted her to spread her wings. She didn't want to let him down.

She had been in the music room for almost two hours. Her body felt stiff. She got up from her seat to stretch her whole body. After that, she left the music room to meet Luna and Cho who were already waiting for her in the common room.

"So? Ready for tomorrow?" Cho asked.

"Yes. I asked Neville to play the piano tomorrow. I want to focus on my vocals."

"Cool. We can't wait to hear your beautiful voice." Said luna.

"Oh please. My voice are nothing compared to you."

"I can't wait to see Tom's reaction tomorrow. And oh, don't forget. Tomorrow is your big day. Remember to tell him about your true feelings." Said cho.

"Yeah, i know, i know."

She almost forgot about that. Could she do it? What would his reactions be? Celeste was terrified but she had high expectations. She hoped everything turned out well tomorrow.

~