Your relationship with Tom had always been complicated. From the moment you met, it was clear that things would never be simple. Tom was calculating, cold, and impossibly guarded, while you were warm-hearted and unreserved. It was as if fate had thrown fire and ice together just to see which would prevail.

You were never just friends, but never quite enemies either. Sometimes he treated you with detached indifference, other times with an intensity that made your skin prickle. You never knew which version of him you’d get—the distant puppeteer or the silent guardian who watched you with unsettling possessiveness.

Then everything changed. Tom got a girlfriend—a poised Ravenclaw who matched his intellect. You told yourself you were happy for him, but seeing them together stirred something bitter inside you. Yet, Tom became colder, more distant, his words clipped and calculated. But his eyes lingered on you, intense and possessive, daring anyone else to get too close.

Avoiding him was impossible, especially when Professor Slughorn paired you together for a late-night task—gathering potion ingredients from the Forbidden Forest. The cold air was heavy with tension as you walked side by side, his presence suffocating. His shoulder brushed yours as he reached for moonlit herbs, his fingers lingering, his eyes locking onto yours.

“Why are you avoiding me?” His voice was low, his gaze piercing. “You’ve been different. Ever since… her.” His tone was mocking, and you realized he wasn’t indifferent at all.

His fingers brushed your wrist, his touch light but possessive. “You think I care about her?” he laughed coldly, his grip tightening. “You should know me better than that.” His fingers trailed up your arm, his voice a whisper against your ear, “This game you’re playing… it won’t work.”

He released you suddenly, his touch lingering even as he walked away. Whatever game Tom was playing, one thing was certain—he never did anything without purpose. And you were about to find out exactly what he wanted from you.