Harlow sat at the Slytherin table, strangely isolated from the other students as it was so early in the morning. She cut into her French toast with vigor and leaned back in her chair, her hair was combed back and fastened in an intricate braid and she'd taken the incentive to add some muggle makeup to her face, subtle enough that the professors wouldn't notice but out of the ordinary enough that Luxe would see it for sure. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and watched as light pink lipstick smeared onto the white surface.
"Why'd you do that, Harlow?" Luxe appeared beside her, sliding elegantly into the seat next to her on the bench.
"It wasn't me enough" She smiled up at him. Harlow was no longer going to act as the shy girl, she'd have to act as the Harlow that drew Luxe in the first place.
"Good choice." Luxe popped a piece of cantaloupe from her plate into his mouth, grinning slyly.
She raised an eyebrow and continued eating, well aware that Luxe was eyeing her like a hungry wolf.
"Rosier!" Tom appeared behind her, glaring down at his friend. Luxe immediately sprung up from his seat, taking another bite from Harlow's plate before moving on to join Tom at the head of the table.
Tom gave Harlow a slightly scathing look and she made sure that she ducked it, as much as she didn't want to.

"You getting close to Rosier?" Brittany nudged her, Harlow jumped.
"More like he's getting close to me."
Brittany laughed and just for a moment Harlow could imagine that she was back home again with no dark lords and handsome counterparts to worry about. But a quick glance at the people around her proved that wrong. Her heart sank but she smiled as Brittany continued talking about what Professor Dumbledore had shown his class the day before, a cool transfiguration trick that turned a chair into a small pony.

She hadn't realized that Brittany had gotten up until the bench shifted underneath her and Harlow almost slipped off.

"What is up with you today?" Brittany stared down at her disapprovingly as Harlow got up from the bench, much more unsteadily than she meant to.

"Nothing" She muttered back. Luxe turned to look, a corner of his mouth turned up in a fiery grin. She gave him a small wave and he returned one. Harlow resisted the urge to shudder with disgust.

She made her way to Potions class, following the tide of Slytherin students through into the dungeons. As she placed her school supplies next to a cauldron Luxe sneakily slid into the place next to her.

"Harlow, tell me something about yourself..." He whispered as the professor brushed past. God, he was such a creep.

"I'm a trader of secrets, so will you promise me that whatever I reveal you will reveal something equally valuable back?" Harlow whispered back, her words hanging in the charged air between them.

Luxe paused in thought and was about to answer before the Professor cut him off.

"Alright, everyone! We'll be making Amortentia today." The girls in the room heaved a soft sigh, all at once. Harlow tried not to roll her eyes but found that a smirk had already shifted the corners of her mouth. Luxe chuckled, a deep sound with malicious intent in it bubbling before her. The professor turned to Luxe with a raised brow.

"Do you find that funny, Mr. Rosier? Have you forgotten about your meeting with the headmaster that you are currently missing in this hour?" Her voice rang with righteous justice as Luxe pinked slightly and stood up, his bag almost hitting Harlow before she ducked. He exited to the slam of a door, leaving Harlow alone.

"Now, we'll be brewing the potion in station pairs as we don't have enough ingredients in our storeroom as of now, so please gather together with the person sitting next to you. Mr. Riddle, you can scoot up and share Ms.Prewett's cauldron." Harlow almost swore but kept her mouth firmly shut, moving her books slightly to the right to allow Tom to join her.

He slid into the place beside her elegantly and pushed his books away, it seemed like he didn't need them. The professor started to place the sparse ingredients in front of each person and instructed them to turn to page 81 of their books. Harlow flipped her pages instantly and landed on the instructions. Her hands reached for the Ashwinder eggs before she realized that another hand was already there before her. Her own fingers lept away from the cold skin she felt as Tom rolled the eggs over to his cutting board, slicing them expertly.

She didn't want to annoy him of course, but she did have to make him like her....allow her into his elite group. And what she had been doing before was fine wasn't it? It attracted Luxe after all. She just had to be one step ahead of Tom. Always.

"I'll put in the rose thorns." She proclaimed, picking up a rose and slowly using a dagger to shave off it's sharpest thorns.

"Tell me, Riddle. Do you believe in love?" She gathered the thorns up in her delicate hand, allowing them to spill into the bubbling water of the cauldron as she stirred it clockwise twice.

"Love?" The word sounded foreign on his tongue. He had gathered up the eggs and made to put them in the cauldron before she held out a hand. He was distracted.

"You forgot this step." Bending carefully over his hand she blew the eggs a kiss, pouted pink lips just millimeters away from his skin.

He let them tumble into the cauldron and instantly uncapped the powdered moonstone. He lifted his wand and floated the small dust particles into the air, letting them follow the small stream of wind he'd generated into the top of the brimming cauldron.

"You didn't answer my question." Harlow bit off a sprig of peppermint, chewing it in her mouth before spitting it into the bowl. It brought out the juice better and Tom seemed to know this since he didn't comment on her procedure.

"I don't believe in it." He answered stiffly. The pearl dust was cupped in his hand, they were trembling slightly out of anger.

"I don't either." Harlow lied, her voice as smooth saying it as if it was the truth. He glanced up in surprise and the pearl dust started to fall, Harlow grasped his hands with her own and overturned them into the cauldron.

Tom took the ladle and started the complicated process of stirring while Harlow adjusted the heat, it was a lapse of silence between them yet it was loud with their thoughts.

"Love is a kid's bedtime story, I believe it isn't real." Harlow stepped back from the finished smoking potion. "What do you smell, Tom?"

"I don't smell anything. I told you, I don't believe in love." His nose twitched. He was lying.

"Oh, love doesn't matter in terms of the potion. It just lets you smell the things that comfort you, that attract you. That you like...or is that something that you're not capable of?" She glanced up at him and quirked a brow. He stayed quiet.

"Do you want to know what I smell?" Harlow continued, slipping some of the potion into a small vial. Luxe entered the room, sending a wink her way as Harlow continued to look at Riddle.

"What?" He said, his voice already bored and indifferent.

"You."

~~~

Author's note: I'm having some trouble looking up the professors' names because Tom's time was so far back. If you do have any suggested names comment them here and I'll bring them into the novel. I hope you enjoy this chapter and sorry for the late update!

- Uniquent