Lost | Tom Riddle ✔

Chapter 86

"Counter Potions"

Tom picked the book. His eyes skimmed across the titles of other books on a shelf. 

"Spells of the dark"

Tom picked that book as well. His fingers drummed on the boulder of the said book.

"Life and lies of the foul"

His eyes zeroed when they landed on the particular title. The foul? As in "Herpo" the foul? He questioned himself. Tom grabbed the hold of the book with lightning speed. He didn't even glance to see if anyone was catching him catching his interest in one of the darkest wizards of the history. He didn't really need to since not all of the students were as dedicated as him to spend their Hogsmeade weekend in the old, dandy-looking book shop called Tomes and Scrolls. They busied themselves in filling their tummies whereas Tom preferred filling his brain.

Not able to control himself he turned the book over. Cover on its back read,

Herpōn ho deinos, an ancient Greek wizard, lived and perhaps continues to live the life of adventure and mischiefs. Dive in to find the secrets of the magical community discovered by him that earned him the foul in the book - "the life and lies of the foul". This is a special and limited edition for those who seek to go beyond the horizons of life.

Tom's eyes shone. In curiosity. The book looked new. The strict policies of Tomes and Scrolls made it impossible to open the book without payment. He had to have that copy. He placed the three books on the desk in front of him. His eyes caught the glimpse of the price. It was 2 Galleons, 15 Sickels. Sweat gathered on Tom's forehead. The book was expensive. He nervously pulled out a small pouch that held his savings. Without further ado, he poured the contents over the book. His fingers shook a little as he counted the coins. He had a total of 40 Sickels and 20 Knuts. 1 Galleon meant 17 Sickels and 1 Sickel meant 29 Knuts. Doing maths in his mind, he realized that he still needed 241 more Knuts.

Tom clutched his pouch tightly. He really wanted that book. He had never seen it before in the shop. The moments like these made him hate his fate. The childish chatter and laughter of ignorant students that were running on the streets of the village mocked him. They had no care in the world. They could buy whatever and whenever they desired and despite being a golden student Tom was struggling to buy what he needed. Despite getting his scholarships and muggle money, his cruel fate had limited his growth. Something that he despised with a passion.

Tom looked at the book again. The future of wizardry couldn't even afford the book. What a shame! With a heavy heart and shaky hand, he placed the book back at its place. His fingers lingered on its boulder. Next month, he would receive his allowance and then he would buy the said book. The problem was he wasn't sure that he would find it by then. Someone might snatch it before he could. And that thought didn't soothe him. Not in the slightest.

He turned around. Not anymore interested in the remaining two books. He was about to exit the store when his eyes landed on the girl in another section. His girl. She was standing in the second-hand section of books. Her hands were clutching the books as if she was afraid that if she lost her hold the book would disappear. Tom could see her brown eyes dancing across the page that she was reading. The excitement in on her face rivalled to that of some boy with a sweet tooth eying his candy. The sunlight peeking through the window beside her got reflected on her silky black hair. The light made her pale skin stand out more in contrast to the brown racks in her surroundings. Her whole aura screamed excitement, curiosity, and innocence. 

Tomes and Scrolls had the policy to allow 10 pages of free reading for any second-hand book. After the 10 pages, the book would snap shut and if the reader gets interested they had to buy it themselves. It seemed that Alexa didn't want to miss out on even a word of those pages. She was so engrossed in her reading that it made her look divine. To Tom, she did look divine. 

Simple yet enchanting. 

Average yet different. 

He didn't realize that her contagious excitement filled the sudden void in his heart over the expensive book he wanted to buy only a few minutes prior. The sudden warmth in his body on seeing her calmed him. 

Curious of what might have caught her attention, his feet dragged him in her corner. She looked so tempting that he couldn't control himself from hovering over her shoulder and taking a peek at what she was reading.

"The Longevity of Life," he blurted the title absentmindedly. His eyes widened in surprise. Was she interested in immortality too? His mind questioned himself in delight. 

Shocked and not prepared for sudden intrusion at all, Alexa jumped in her place. Her book fell from her hand landing on the floor with a soft thud. She turned around to face her boy. Her brown eyes with specks of violet got connected with the boy whom she was avoiding for the past many days. Her heart thudded in her chest as she observed him again in her close vicinity. It had been so long since they had been that close. Her palms felt wet with sudden moisture. She was getting nervous and excited by being so close to him at the same time. 

"Tom," she gasped his name as she leaned back on the shelf behind her. Suddenly her feet needed all the support they could get to support her own body.

The said boy looked at her lips as his ears gathered his name rolling off her tongue. His name did sound much better when she pronounced it. He recalled the night of her confession. The sudden happiness filled his body when he recalled the mess they made. The mess of emotions. He wanted so much to lean down and capture the mouth of that hypnotizing girl. Her simplicity had arrested him to her.

He took a step forward to cage her with him when his foot touched the abandoned book. Leaning down he caught it and turned it over to see the title again. The Longevity of Life. He pondered again.

"I didn't know you were interested in this topic," he noted softly.

"N-no one likes t-to die," she replied still breathless at his sudden appearance. Oh! The effect only he had on her.

 Tom's eyes skimmed over her face. His eyes hunting for any sign of a lie on her face. They rested on her eyes when he found none of them. He handed the book back to her which she took from him with shaking hands. Her fingers touched his fingers accidentally causing both of them to look at each other instantly. They both felt it. The way their magic reacted to one another was extraordinary. 

Tom looked at her intensely. He was giving her a chance to take off. The last chance. When she wasted it by staying rooted in her spot and making no attempt to create a space between them, he took another step finally caging her between him and the shelf. He leaned down. His nose reaching her hair as the fresh scent of coconuts evaded him. He had missed it. He missed it a lot.

"I missed you, sweetheart," his lips spilt before he could actually reflect on it for a second. "You have no idea how much."

~*~*~

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