The sun was warming the spring air, making the lake sparkle on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Groups of students were scattered across the wide meadows in front of Hogwarts, enjoying the sunshine. Giggles and happy voices could be heard all over the grounds.
Meanwhile, Harry was walking between the greenhouses, his eyes fixed on the ground. Occasionally, he would peer into hedges or even crawl on all fours under a bush. Harry's trousers were already dusty, and green stains adorned the fabric at his knees.
Hagrid had asked the three Gryffindors to help him find one of his escaped animals. They split up to work more efficiently.
The humid air was more noticeable between the greenhouses than in the open fields. Various insects buzzed in the air, flying from flower to flower. Harry sneezed occasionally due to the plant odours.
Sighing loudly, he removed his dusty glasses, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He tried to clean the lenses of his glasses with his sleeve.
He really could have imagined a better way to spend such a great day. But no, instead of relaxing by the lake with his friends, he found himself crawling through dirt and bushes, drenched in sweat.
Harry exhaled once more in annoyance and then put his glasses back on. He resumed walking listlessly along the greenhouse when he noticed something small moving in the corner of his eye. The Knarl! He cautiously turned around and slowly walked towards it.
However, the hedgehog lookalike didn't want to make it easy for Harry and started to run.
Cursing, Harry sprinted after the creature, stretching his arms forwards. The Knarl stopped between a pair of shiny Oxfords. It was cornered. The wall of the greenhouse at the back, the shoes at the sides and from the front, Harry threw himself straight onto his stomach to catch it.
As fate would have it, Harry failed to catch the animal, and it jumped onto his head before running back into the bushes.
Frustrated, he slumped down and dropped his head face down onto the ground. After a moment, he regained his composure and lifted his head, noticing the pair of shiny black oxfords next to his hands.
Harry carefully let his gaze wander further up. Long legs were tucked into dark pleated trousers and a grey shirt was stuck into the expensive leather belt. As Harry's gaze continued to travel upwards, he straightened up into a kneeling position to get a better look at the person. He had to tilt his head back.
The grey shirt was not completely buttoned up, revealing pale skin. When Harry finally reached the face, he caught sight of a pair of red eyes that regarded him with disbelief. The Gryffindor blushed with embarrassment.
"Are you done admiring me?" a dark voice drawled. Tom Riddle. Harry couldn't believe he had thrown himself at the feet of the Head Boy, of all people.
"I didn't - I er..." Very eloquent Harry. Very eloquent.
Riddle raised an eyebrow and brought his slender hand to his mouth. A cigarette was tucked between his long fingers. That explained why the older Slytherin was out here alone, leaning against the greenhouse wall.
Awkwardly, Harry knelt in front of Riddle, unsure of what to do. He really wouldn't mind if the ground swallowed him up now.
"You know, other people try a simple hello and don't fall at my feet straight away", the tall boy chuckled huskily.
He turned bright red, not knowing what to say in his defence. "The Knarl... I - " he tried to explain anyway, stuttering, as he heard a puzzled voice.
"Harry?!" The man addressed startled and turned his head frantically in the direction the call had come from. He could have sworn his neck cracked.
Ron stood at the corner of the greenhouse with the creature in his hands. Stunned, he looked at the scene in front of him. The redhead looked first at Harry, who was kneeling on the floor between long legs, and then at the person the legs belonged to.
Blowing smoke from his mouth, Riddle leaned back against the wall. With a nasty smirk at the newcomer, he placed his free hand on Harry's head and gently ran his elegant fingers through his hair. Ron watched the gesture in bewilderment. His mouth fell open as he quickly looked away.
"Er, you know, Harry. Hermione and I - we'll just go ahead and see Hagrid. Yes. I'll - I'll leave you two alone then." Ron cleared his throat and walked backwards in long strides, his ears turning bright red.
Harry stared blankly at his best friend for a moment, who wouldn't meet his eyes. His gaze shifted nervously and erratically between the ground, the plants and the sky.
"Ron! Wait - it's not what it..." Ron, however, was long gone by the time Harry realised what an image he and Riddle must make.
Harry jerked forward hastily to run after Ron and clear up the misunderstanding. A tug on his scalp, however, held him in place. Perplexed, he looked at Riddle, who was holding him by the hair. His piercing red eyes were fixed on Harry.
"Not so quickly, little one. What's your name?" Riddle's slender fingers continued to run through his hair. There was a playful grin on the older boy’s lips.
Puzzled, Harry replied, "Harry - Harry Potter." For a moment, he wasn't sure how to proceed. He no longer knew what was happening. At a loss, he regarded the Slytherin in front of him. His cheeks flushed slightly as he admired the Head Boy's aristocratic features.
A smirk crept across Riddle's face and he released his grip on Harry. Without haste, he leant back against the wall and took a drag on his cigarette. The older boy looked at the flustered Gryffindor at his feet and raised an eyebrow lazily.
"What are you waiting for? Run after your little friend."
As the words registered in Harry's mind, he blushed with embarrassment. He quickly got up, causing dust to fly around. Standing in front of Riddle, he felt dwarfed. The Gryffindor only reached up to the other boy's shoulder.
Clumsily he adjusted his glasses, which were dirty again, and gave Riddle one last shy glance. Then he stumbled backwards, turned around and ran after Ron before the latter told Hermione some nonsense in the end.
For a while longer, Riddle stared after the awkward boy. He leaned his head back and allowed the smoke to rise from his mouth. Deep in thought, he dropped the cigarette on the floor, stubbed it out and made his way back into the castle.
"Harry. Huh… " The red-eyed boy let the name roll over his lips. The corners of his mouth turned upwards and formed an ominous grin. He chuckled.
He would keep an eye on the cute boy with the striking Avada Kedavra eyes.