Rose & The Riddle || Tom Riddle Story

Chapter Seven - Future Plans

Tom was abruptly annoyed at his Transfiguration teacher's intrusion on his and Rose's conversation and he was enraged when he saw Dumbledore walking off with his date. He was hoping he would be able to eavesdrop because he just knew that they were going to talk about him.

Cadmus, Avery and Lestrange were all drunk and obnoxious. If Headmaster Dippet hadn't been chatting them up at the moment, he would reprimand them. He absolutely hated drunken people and he expected better from his followers. He would have to punish them later.

Tom scanned the room and was displeased that he even had to be here. Although, he knew if he wanted to keep up his appearance as a model student and prefect, he needed to stay for at least most of the night. Normal students were having fun with their friends, laughing, eating and drinking, but Tom didn't see the point in partaking in such mundane activities.

He looked over at the doorway again and saw no sign of Rose's return. He was so consumed in his own thoughts that he didn't see Druella Rosier appear beside him.

"Hi Tom," she said seductively. Tom resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Druella," he said curtly, still looking straight ahead.

"Where's your little Rose gone off to?" she pondered.

"That doesn't appear to be any of your business, does it?"

"Tom, come on," she said. "What are you doing wasting your time with Rose Davies?"

"That's none of your concern, Druella," he spat as he turned to face her. His arms still placed behind his back.

"My family has money, Tom," she said. "If you were with me we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. We would be the ultimate couple. I don't see why you'd choose her over me."

It took every ounce of self-restraint to not smack her across the face in front of all of their teachers and peers. Instead he glared at her and hit her with every insult that popped into his brain.

"Since you are so keen on looking for reasons as to why I would never touch you, feel free to grab a quill and some parchment so you can jot it down and re-read it later while you cry yourself to sleep. For starters, you remind me of a case of Dragon Pox. You come around when nobody wants you, and then when you're here you make everyone sick. You prance around the school like the daft bimbo you are and couldn't even tell me the difference between a Summoning Charm and a Banishing Charm. And finally, you're so incredibly easy that if anyone in their right mind felt inclined to sleep with you, they'd unknowingly be sleeping with every male in Slytherin House. Shall I go on?"

Tears welled in Druella's eyes as she stared into Tom's. He didn't feel bad for what he said, in fact, quite the opposite. Watching her cry beneath him filled his veins with a delicious power. He couldn't help but smile as she muttered a few obscurities at Tom and stormed off.

Tom scanned the room and no one seemed to notice. He had kept his composure. As he glanced back at the door, he noticed Rose return with Dumbledore. He studied the look on her face, but couldn't quite place her expression. He quickly filled a plate with food and handed it to her as she walked back over to his side.

"Thought you might be hungry," he said. She thanked him and took the plate. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," she lied. Tom could tell. He didn't appreciate being lied to. He cursed himself for not being able to see inside her mind.

"He just wanted to discuss my potential career options once I leave Hogwarts," she continued. Tom studied her expressions carefully. "I've received outstanding marks in Divination since my third year, so we were just discussing where that could lead."

"Oh?" Tom asked, feigning interest.

"Yes," she said. "He thinks that Professor Vablatsky may retire in the next couple of years or so. So he was just discussing student teaching possibilities."

"Is that so?" asked Tom. The conversation had suddenly piqued his interest. He too had an interest in being a Professor at Hogwarts once graduating. He thought it would be a good place to seek out new recruits for his future plans.

"Yes, and that would be amazing," said Rose as she picked at the food on her plate, barely eating it. "I've always considered Hogwarts my home, and I would stay here forever if I could."

Tom watched the side of her face as she paid attention to the plate food in front of her, hardly touching it. He never would have pegged Rose Davies to excel in such an imprecise branch of magic such as Divination. Most people didn't have the inner eye to make predictions about the future; in fact, very few people had the gift. Tom knew for sure he had no special skills in Divination, nor did he care. He didn't need the silly subject. However, it couldn't hurt to have someone with the particular skill in his pocket. The girl could prove herself most useful to him.

"What about you?" asked Rose, pulling him back to the conversation. She raised her face and looked at him with bright green eyes, which Tom noticed their color for the first time.

"What about me?" he countered.

"What are your plans after Hogwarts?"

"I expect I will work within the Ministry," he lied. "Professor Dippet has been giving me leads since the beginning of last year. However, I'm not sure that's the path I truly want to take."

"Working for the Ministry would be a great job," said Rose.

"I suppose."

"What are you thinking of pursuing then?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and smirked. "Let's just say... I have plans to make a name for myself. You will not find me working in an office for the rest of my life slaving over paperwork."

"What about your friends?" Rose asked as she glanced over at Cadmus, Avery and Lestrange who were now dancing, terribly and obnoxiously on the dance floor. Avery had just knocked a drink out of Professor Merrythought's hand and Lestrange was now trying to cheer Druella up by shoving his tongue down her throat. Tom scowled at this behavior.

"They're imbeciles," said Tom shortly, breaking away from his embarrassing group of followers.

Rose laughed. "They're your friends, aren't they?"

"I don't have any friends," said Tom straight faced. "Those idiots are merely the weak seeking protection or the ambitious seeking some shared glory."

Rose glanced back over at Tom's gang before she spoke.

"They aren't like you," she finally said.

He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue.

"You're... not cruel, like they are."

Tom couldn't hold back a laugh. Rose watched him, but she wasn't laughing with him.

"You've no idea how cruel I can be, sweetheart," he mused. It sent a chill down her spine, and he reveled in her fear. He turned to face her, took the plate out of her hand, placed it on the table and deftly pushed her up against the wall. No one was watching them as they were in their own corner.

Her breath hitched in her throat as his long, pale fingers trailed up her arms until they reached her face. His face was inches from hers. She closed her eyes and parted her lips, waiting to taste his perfectly sculpted lips. Tom's eyes wandered to her lips and then back to her eyes, which remained closed. He smirked, his mouth inches from hers, and he could feel her light breaths against his lips. Her eyes fluttered opened when she realized that he wasn't going to kiss her. Her breathing was much heavier now.

"When will you stop teasing me?" she asked quietly. He grinned. "I need you..."

"I know," he replied.

Tom wasn't unaware of how he made the girls at this school feel. But, something about Rose Davies intrigued him. She didn't throw herself at him like most of the others, like Druella or Norah. She waited to be hunted down by her predators. If only she knew what kind of predator Tom really was.

He continued to look deepinto her eyes. If anyone had been watching them, he would assume they lookedlike two infatuated teenage lovers. But for Tom, it was much deeper than that.A dark desire pooled in his stomach. He wanted to use Rose to his advantage,and he would. Oh yes, he would