She Saved Me | Tom Riddle

Love and War

And just like that we're down to the final three chapters...holy sh*t. I would say this has gone by fast but I started this story like three years ago lol so with that said we're going to be jumping forward a little bit instead of the day to day stuff we've been doing. So yay.

Listen: Falling Leaf by Bud Ross and The Asylum

48| love and war

June

The impending end of the term was fast upon Hogwarts, and with it came the worst week of the year. Last minute studying, sleepless nights, and endless stress was all there was to look forward to. All three were experienced in varying degrees and for different reasons depending on the person. For some, like Mia, it was due to the overwhelming fear of performing poorly. But for others, Liam for example, it was a result of knowing they would barely pass.

These observations were the only things providing Tom with entertainment, as he felt nothing but confident about exams. He always read ahead before and found little challenge with any of the material now. Most of the lessons, from before and now, were easy for him to grasp. That fact confused him slightly since he didn't have the privilege of growing up in the magical world. But those who did seemed to not even care to learn. Perhaps that is what lead him into believing he was more deserving of magic.

Regardless of the decade he was in, Tom was surrounded by entitled children who never wanted to further their abilities. At least the ones in his social group tried for the most part. Liam he wouldn't even bother with, he was a lost cause. Mia, ignoring her marginally annoying personality, took her education seriously. And Ava seemed to have a similar thirst for advancement as he did. That was reassuring.

When it came to the day exams started, Tom and Ava confidently walked in together for potions. He excelled in class despite Snape's distain for him, and Ava handled herself well against any potion thrown their way. This time they were given two familiar ones to brew-an advanced cure for a cough and veritiserum. But then Snape randomly assigned them different challenging potions that they hadn't practiced in class. He was tasked with brewing an elixir to induce adrenaline. Later he learned Ava had to make a poison for weeds that would only need a single drop. Such an odd choice for her of all people.

The other class that stood out to him was Defense Against The Dark Arts. He went through the exam, practical and written, with no issues. Ava seemed to struggle more on the written portion since she was a hands-on learner. Mia, despite all her studying, fumbled with the practical element. She had a habit of second-guessing herself. Liam had trouble on both sections from not preparing.

If Tom were to be truly honest, he enjoyed this current Defense Professor far more than the one he had. Lupin was more personable and showed a little care for the students being able to apply their knowledge to the real world. But he was also a little too friendly for his liking. That was to be expected however. He could never imagine he'd be comfortable around overly friendly or kind people. Except the Merins of course. They weren't too bad to be around most days.

Until someone has to listen to two of them going back and forth about how they felt about classes, plans for the summer, or any tiny piece of gossip they overheard. It was all Tom could do to avoid showing his irritation at his current position. Ava had dragged him to the library after lunch, where Lizzie just happened to be. Now they were all sitting together and he was stuck listening to the most mundane topics. He liked Lizzie of course, but he forgot how rapidly and frequently she spoke. And Ava only encouraged her.

"You know you could at least pretend to like being around us."

Tom broke out of his stare at the table to look at Ava. "I didn't realize I had a place in your conversation."