Saturday morning found you slouched in the Slytherin common room, Pansy and Daphne chattering away beside you. Their voices washed over you like background noise; you weren’t listening.

Your mind was elsewhere—on last night.

On the sharp quips traded with Tom Riddle, the boy you couldn’t stand. On the way one thing had led to another, until you found yourself tangled in his sheets, your loathing drowned out by something far more dangerous.

This morning, neither of you had spoken more than a few words. You left his bed quietly, and he hadn’t stopped you. The unspoken agreement hung heavy in your chest: it never happened. You’d never speak of it again.

And yet, hours later, you still couldn’t shake it. The memory replayed over and over, no matter how hard you tried to push it away.

Your thoughts snapped back as your phone buzzed on the table. Your stomach twisted when you saw the name flash across the screen.

Tom Riddle.

For a moment, you considered ignoring it. Pretend you never saw. But curiosity—and dread—got the better of you. You swiped it open.

That was unexpected.

You rolled your eyes, thumbs flying across the screen.

I thought we weren’t going to talk about it.

Barely a heartbeat passed before the phone buzzed again.

Oh, I know. And you’ll spend the whole day convincing yourself it meant nothing. But you’ll fail.

Your jaw clenched. You shot a quick glance at Pansy and Daphne—they hadn’t noticed you texting yet.

It didn’t mean anything. Heat of the moment. A mistake.

You fired it off quickly, hoping that would be enough to end it. But the screen lit up again, his words twisting deeper.

Darling, I don’t make mistakes. So ask yourself—did you choose it, or did I let you?

The audacity made your blood boil, even as a shiver slid down your spine. Your thumb hovered over the screen, ready to shove the phone away, but more messages poured in.

Just think. I don’t do things on a whim. Either way, we both know this isn’t over.

Your breath caught. The next message came seconds later.

Be at the Astronomy Tower. Midnight. Don’t make me wait.

Your eyes widened. Heat rushed to your cheeks as you locked the screen and shoved the phone back into your pocket, heart pounding. Did he really just—?

The image of Tom’s unreadable smirk flashed in your mind. And suddenly, you weren’t sure what scared you more: the idea of going tonight… or the idea of not showing up at all.