After having such a terrible upbringing, Tom Riddle didn’t know that he was even capable of loving anyone. Then you stepped into his life, unassuming and innocent, and his entire life seemed to be flipped upside down.

He still remembers perfectly clearly the first time he met you, on the Hogwarts Express first year, how no one else would sit with him, you did.

He remembered your face; the kind smile you gave him as you asked to sit with him, the shimmer of magic in your eyes. But most of all, he remembered his stomach lurch the first time he heard you laugh, and even though they were sorted into separate houses, they stayed friends.

Today, you and Tom were in the library, studying for an upcoming potions exam. It was well into the evening, but you refused to go back to your common room, insisting that studying in the library got you better grades and so on. He didn’t exactly believe you, but he’d give up hours of sleep for you. Even if it was just for studying.

“My dear, what are the uses of Dittany again?” He looked over to you slouched over a thick textbook, and he grinned contently. You was beautiful, even if your posture currently resembled that of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

He knew exactly what Dittany was used for, after all, he brewed Wiggenweld potion weekly, he just wanted to see your gorgeous eyes look at him again. It’s been too long, all of four minutes, but for him, that was all too long.