Nightmare
Tom felt his chest heaving as his lungs tried to take in fresh air. The Dark Forest surrounded him, devouring him in its endless night.
A hiss came from behind him.
He whipped around with his wand at the ready. A blueish-grey figure emerged out from the shadows. It snake-like appearance and piercing gaze sent shivers down his back.
Tom had a spell on the top of his tongue but before he could say it, his wand disappeared.
The crunching of leaves sounded. Miss Norris stepped out of the shadows from the opposite side. "He's a lot like you," the resentment in her voice rings like a tolling bell in his head.
"We are not!" screamed Tom. "We are not a like!" He screamed until his throat was raw.
How could Miss Norris compare him to that thing.
Tom's eyes flew open and he found himself in bed. That was a dream? It had been a while since he had dreamed.
He rolled out of bed with a groan. After checking himself in the mirror, he released a sigh. How could she ever compare him to that thing. That thing was a monster straight out of a nightmare.
Tom squeezed his hand into a fist. He will make Miss Norris a follower by showing her that he was not the monster that she thought he was. He also vowed to find that hideous thing and kill it and its followers for what they had done to Miss Norris. The crime that they had committed was making it difficult for him to recruit the little witch.
Shaking off his thoughts, he dressed for a trip to the library. The library will offer him advice and was the perfect place to ground his thoughts.
A Teasing Taunt
"What are you doing here?" Miss Norris snapped at him. Her brown eyes flashed and he could see hints of gold in their depths. Her unruly hair stood on end, almost looking as if it were alive.
"I wanted to thank you in person for the present and very amusing letter." The two Gryffindors that Miss Norris was sitting with shot her a questioning look.
"There's no need for you to thank me," snapped Miss Norris.
Tom's lips quirked up into a half smile as he watched Miss Norris' nose scrunch up. "Of course I should. I'm also giving you an early invitation to come watch me play when quidditch resumes." Tom was pretty much taunting her behind his polite speech.
"It only seems fair that you come and see your gift in action." His words were honest and teasing. He was liking the way she acted like an angry cat when he teased her.
"Quidditch? Hermione, what did you get him?"
"A broom," admitted Miss Norris with a reluctant smile. "He helped me with something so I got him the broom as a Thank you gift."
"A broom!" The Gryffindor called Ignatius squealed. "Which one?" He held up his hand to stop Miss Norris from answering. "Nevermind. I can already guess that you bought him the latest version. I want one." Ignatius sighed absentmindedly.
Miss Norris turned her attention back to her food. Her crackling hair dying down into its regular unruly manner. "I will not be going to any quidditch matches. If that is all, you. May. Leave." She punctuated her words with an aggressive bite.
Riddle chuckled but done as she asked. It was best to not tease her too much.
The Set-up
Tom stepped out of the changing room. He already missed the thrill of being on a broom.
A hand clapped him on the shoulder. "We are having a picnic at Black Lake. You should join us."
Tom scowled at the annoying redhead. That particular Gryffindor was hanging around Miss Norris more and more which was giving her ample of excuses not to converse with him. "Why should I?"
Ignatius grinned a full tooth grin. "Hermione will be there and without a partner." The way he smiled and talked told Tom that he was up to something. But, this idiot was offering him the chance to get closer to Miss Norris. It still bothered him that she refused to allow him to call her by her first name.
"Fine," grumbled Tom. He followed behind Ignatius and the one called Septimus.
On the edge of the Black Lake were three girls sitting on a large blanket. Tufts of brown curly hair blew in the gentle breeze, making Miss Norris noticeable even with this distance.
Ignatius and Septimus broke away from him to greet their girls. Miss Norris sat still, watching the two couples. Tom could see the wistful look that she was probably wearing.
"What am I, invisible?"
Miss Norris' head whipped around to find him smirking. Strands of her hair stuck to the sides of her face.
"You're welcome," he heard Ignatius whisper in her ear. Why did she allow others to get close to her but not him?
"Why did you come?" Miss Norris hissed quietly to him when he sat down.
Tom shrugged and wore his best smirk, knowing that it would bug her. It was really amusing to tease her. "It sounded like fun, also, I knew it would irk you."
Lucretia's Letter
Tom reached his favorite reading place in Dippet's library. Hermione was there in her usual spot. She was reading a letter while wearing a small smile. Her chocolate colored eyes were even darker and her skin became flushed.
Without noticing him, she wrote down a quick response. Whatever was in that letter had her full attention.
"Who was that from?" Tom just barely kept the growl from his voice.
Hermione spun around from where she was tying the letter to the foot of the owl. "Tom, you scared me!"
Why did those words cause a pain in his chest? He shook it off and continued ascending until he was on the same floor as her.
"If you must know, it's from Lucretia," Hermione said with a humphed.
Lucretia? So, not Potter, Prewett, or Malfoy. Good. He felt a smile trying to form and quickly put on a neutral facade. "What did she want?" He wasn't actually curious but couldn't stop the question from voicing itself.
"She wants to meet me for tea this afternoon," growled Hermione. Why was she always growling at him? It made her seem more and more like a lion.
Tom looked away from her. Looking at her for to long did things to his heart that he didn't want to delve into. "Do you need an escort?"
"No. I am perfectly capable of going on my own."
Tom looked back at her, not liking that she kept refusing him. Her eyes were a darker shade of chocolate than they had been just a few minutes ago and her face was flushed a light shade of pink. "Are you alright?"
Hermione glanced away, hiding her face from him. "I'm fine. Just something Lucretia wrote."
What could have been written in that letter to get that kind of rise out of Hermione? An idea struck him.
He quirked an eyebrow and watched as her gaze flicked to it. While she was momentarily distracted, he made a move to the letter she still in her hand.
"Give that back!" Hermione yelled when she realized what had happened.
Tom reached out with his free hand and placed it on her head. She struggled against his hand, trying to pry the letter from him. Tom ignored her struggles and quickly skimmed over the letter.
Dear Hermione
I hope your vacation is going well and you are taking full advantage of the handsome man staying with you.
My summer is going splendid. I have something that I would like to ask you in person. Would you be able to meet Cedrella and I for tea this afternoon? There is a lovely place in Diagon Alley that is unfortunately going to close. It is called Ms. Abbott's Tea Shop.
I hope to see you soon, Lucretia.
He looked down at her and felt a weird sensation sweep through him. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "do you want to take advantage of me?" Hermione shivered against him.
"No!"
Disappointed with her answer, Tom straightened up, pulling away from her. "Good," said Tom with a sneer. He threw her letter onto the ground and backed down the steps leading to the main floor of the library.
Why was he disappointed? Was it not really disappointment but something else? Also, why did she always tell him no? Most girls wouldn't have denied him so vehemently, even if he paid them no mind.