The sky looked gloomy as ever, voluptuous grey clouds threaten to burst with rain and no light managed to escape through the thick barrier. Tom stared out the window of the orphanage, his eyes focused on you, playing alone with a battered plush by the front gate. You were about the same age, both of you proved to have extraordinary abilities that scared the other children and the staff. Tom would never admit to have any feelings for you, but his heart would betray him every time he observed you.

Being only eleven, it embarrassed Tom. He turned around to lay in bed. That's when he heard someone shout, "Freak!"

He rushed to the window. You were on the ground, elbows scraped and tears welling in your eyes. Three older kids, Tom despised all three, surrounded you. One of them held the toy above you mockingly.

"Give it back!" You pleaded.

"Come and get it, freak!" They weren't very creative with insulting nicknames.

They laughed, tossing the plush amongst each other. You desperately chased them, begging them to stop. He was about to leave his room and deal with it himself when he heard a choked yelp and screams. Your narrowed eyes stared at one of the bullies that now levitated off the ground with his face turned purple as he gasped for air. Tom was silently amused - the bully deserved it. A staff member came out and ordered you to put him down.

Your eye twitched and you begrudgingly let the bully fall, a crack from his ankle putting a grin on your face. Snatching the dirty plush from the dirt, you brushed it off and looked up. Eye contact was established. Your smile widened pleasantly, and you waved at him. Tom's face flushed as he waved back.

•••

"You're awfully quiet."

You looked up from your scribbling on your parchment and shrugged. "I don't have to talk all the time, Mcgonagall."

Robert squinted at you. "Hmm..."

"Stop it or I-" Something hit you in the back of the head mid sentence.

You turned around to see Lestrange holding up the middle finger and yelling, "Blood traitor!"

You rolled your eyes. Tom kept silent, arms folded across his chest. Despite his feelings for you, he did see you as a traitor - a Slytherin being friends with a Gryffindor was a big betrayal. It goes against everything he believed it, but then again, it was you. He admired what little he could see of your face before you looked away and he smirked to himself. You had certainly grown more stunning since the last time he saw you.

You caught a glimpse of Tom yourself, and felt something squeeze your heart. If he wasn't such a purist, you might have thought he was cute... but you did think he was cute. You buried your head in your arms across the desk, feeling flushed at the possible thought of being in love with him. It was true that you've known him since his orphanage days, but it wasn't like you talked or anything.

You checked your pocket watch. "Shoot, I'll be late to class." You stood up, stuffed all your things into your satchel, and kissed the top of Robert's head. "I'll see you later, Robbie."

You rushed out of the library before you could hear his reply. You couldn't be late to Defense of the Dark Arts again - Dumbledore would absolutely give you detention. Your hopes of being early were lost when someone grabbed your wrist and tugged you back. You turned around and found yourself with words stuck in your throat.

"Hey."

"Tom, I-"

His cold, yet somehow warm blue eyes. "Calm down, Y/N. I just wanted to... apologise for Lestrange's actions."

You furrowed your eyes and scoffed. You snatched back your wrist from him. "I don't have time for this."

"Wait- Stupefy!"

"Protego!" Thankfully, the spell deflected off your shield, possibly hitting a poor passerby. "Like I said, no time."

You ran off before he could put a hex on you. Tom observed the direction you went to, and felt his heart thump. If he didn't find you attractive before, he must have now. One day. He told himself. One day, I will have you, precious. Everyone knew; when Tom saw something he like, he was bound to get it eventually.

•••

Your satchel began to weigh down on your left shoulder, making your muscles ache as you climbed up the moving stairs. Students you didn't know gave you awkward smiles as you passed them, you waved to a few portraits who either waved back or haughtily ignored you. It was a nice afternoon, with Robert busying himself with overseeing Gryffindor Quidditch practices. You were alone, but you didn't mind. However, you could only think about one thing.

No. Nope. Stop it. I refuse to fall for someone like him. As if you were expecting it, you felt someone, most likely Tom, grab your wrist again. "What is with you and gra-"

His lips felt soft against your own, and you could almost feel his lashes brush against your cheeks. Your eyes widened with shock, your face reddened like a ripe tomato, and your body felt frozen in place. People stared. He pulled away and his grin looked charmingly crooked. He grabbed your chin gently and forced you to look at him. His thumb brushed over your lip and he winked at you.

"Whuhwusthat- What?"

He chuckled, his voice low. "That felt nice, didn't it? Oh, and we're still so close together."

Embarrassment hit you like a bat, and you pushed him away from you. Tom caught himself on the railing and laughed as he watched you stumble up the stairs away from him with a flushed face. It went exactly how he expected. His chest felt painful, he felt very warm inside and his smile didn't vanish for most of the day. It did feel nice, even though you didn't really kiss back. Maybe he really was in love with you, but that's ridiculous. Tom always thought love as a fickle thing no one needed.

But what else was there to label the way you made him feel?

•••

The news of your kiss spread like wildfire, and students would make fun of you in the hallways by making kissing faces as you passed them. You almost jinxed someone for calling you and Riddle the "perfect couple". It costed twenty points but it was worth it.

"Maybe it'll die down?" Robert suggested.

"Maybe, I don't know." You face flushed again. "I don't like thinking about it."

That was a lie. That was definitely a lie.

"Uhuh... sure." Robert stood tall beside you as a few seventh years mocked you. "Anyway, we're only sixteen. With N.E.W.T.S. and such, you won't have time for a boyfriend."

"Guess so."

There was no more talk about it after. Every time you remembered it, you felt like you were in a dream. The sensation of his kiss still lingered on your lips, although it had been a few days since it. You refused it. You refused to succumb to that attraction towards Tom. It would be easy too, if he wasn't there every time you turned a corner.

"You're not looking too good today." He pointed out as you slid into a chair.

"Leave me alone. I'm tired." You crossed your arms on the table and laid your head down. "Go bother someone else."

"Oh come on, sweetheart." He reached over to stroke your head but you grabbed his hand. "That's one way to make you hold my hand."

You released him. "What do you want?"

He grinned mischievously. His eyes took their time to examine your face, to absorb your beauty. Tom leaned in close to your ear, hot breath against your skin.

"I want you." He pulled away before you could push him and winked. "Think about it."

He returned to his group who gave him some weird looks and some laughed. You had no retort, no witty comeback. You felt heated, your heart banging against your ribcage. His words rang over and over and over again in your head, like a person running laps in your head.

I want you.