Love is in the Air
The next morning found Tom in the kitchens.
Thea had missed breakfast again and one look at the hallway to Hufflepuff’s dormitory gave Tom the inkling that she wouldn’t have had risked a detour to the kitchens to grab something quick before transfiguration class; the peeves had decided to make the place their playground this time around. His sentiments for the girl far surpassed his desire to not disturb the poltergeists, however, and he braced their attacks with rapid spells firing out his wand with precise accuracy. He took a deep breath once he had made it inside the bustling kitchen and spared a glance around for anyone free to ask for assistance. He was beaten to it when a voice cheered out from the side and he turned to see an elf regarding him in recognition. “Mister Riddle, yes? How can Tally be of help to Mister Riddle?”
“Ah, yes, Thea has spoken lots about you. It’s good to meet you, Tally, just ‘Tom’ is fine. I’m just here to ask for a piece of candy or sweets for Thea actually, unless she’s already picked something up beforehand?”
“Of course, of course!” Tally gestured for Tom to follow her and he obeyed dutifully as she spoke. “Tally was wondering if Miss Tina was coming but Tally supposes Mister Tom can give it to Miss Tina instead! Tally hopes Mister Tom has not been up to any murders lately!”
Tom blinks in surprise at Tally’s bright frankness, which ultimately reminded him of Thea. “The peeves are camping outside at the moment which is why I suspect she hadn’t visited this morning. And no, I’ve yet to commit any, in fact.”
They’ve reached the pantry by this point and Tally congratulated him on his lack of kill count thus far before turning to survey the open cupboards, fishing out a mini bar of chocolate that she proceeded to hand off to Tom. “Miss Tina has been very happy lately and Tally thanks Mister Tom for that! Don’t keep Miss Tina waiting now!”
That brought a pleased smile to his face. “Of course, Tally. It was lovely to meet you.”
Just as Tom had expected, Thea was perched over her desk the same way as she had been yesterday when Tom entered the classroom. When she turned to the sound of his footsteps, he could see more colour to her face than previously and relief washed over him further when she could manage a smile and a stronger greeting. “Morning, Tom.”
“Good morning. Feeling better than yesterday?”
She gave an affirmative hum as he took his seat and made a sound of surprise when he pulled out the bar of chocolate from his pocket and signalled her to take it. “For me?”
“Who else if not you, love?”
Thea mirrored his fond expression and expressed her gratitude. “You are a saint.”
“I doubt the world would agree with you on that.”
His amused tone reminded her of the irony to her words and she gave him a grin as her eyes glinted cheekily. “My saint, then.”
Tom quirked up his lips at this and felt the satisfaction rush through him. Hers, she had said. Oh, he wanted more.
He let her have her sweets in peace and only piped up once again when she had finished it. “I met Tally in the kitchens earlier.” Her lips parted in disbelief. “She was the one who gave me the chocolate when I mentioned that it was for you.”
Playful devastation befell upon Thea as she frowned. “No- I missed your first interactions?! That’s just cruel!” She then shook her head and curled up her lip, “but how is mother dearest doing, though?”
Tom huffed out a laugh and propped an arm on the table to lean his head against his palm, facing Thea fully and giving her his undivided attention. “I can see how you’ve taken after one another. She had expressed her approval on my lack of murder counts so far.”
Thea choked out a laughter at her failed attempt to stifle it. “Sorry! Sorry- I just-” Tom smiled fondly as she reigned herself in with a few deep breaths, hiding her lips behind her hand. “I suppose that means she’s doing good!”
“That, she is. And I can’t fault either of you; I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
A flush to her cheeks, she settled into a beam. “‘Merlin-blessed’. The ladies had said that was what the boys called me.”
Tom hummed in agreement, “and I quite agree.” Her flush grew darker and she cleared her throat. “Speaking of, since when had you gotten close with Black and Rosier?”
Thea turned to mimic his posture. “They approached me just the other day and wanted to discuss the inbreeding issue. One thing led to another and I’m now preparing a research presentation to help them in their task in convincing their parents that it’s a practice that should be dropped.”
“Oh?”
“Mhm. You can check it out once I’ve got it all prepared, too! The bigger the audience, the more feedback I get to help me improve it.”
Tom tipped his head in a promise of his attendance and Thea sent him a smile that warmed the air around them. “And they’re treating you well?”
“Yes! Blood supremacy ideals aside – which I’ll work on-” Tom let slip a chuckle and Thea brightened up further, “they’ve been great! I would love to be friends with them.”
“At the rate I’ve seen you three get to know each other yesterday, I’d say you’re well into the path of befriending them.”
Thea was beginning to wonder if she should head down to the hospital wing tonight to ask for some sort of muscle-relaxing potion the more she chatted with Tom. Her smile had yet to let up and her face muscles were starting to stiffen.
They only stopped their conversation when Dumbledore had entered the class and once the double period lesson had ended, Tom spoke up. “The ladies insisted that you join us for lunch today.”
Thea shot him a brazen look and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And it’s not just because you want me there?”
Her grin only widened when Tom gave a laugh. “Oh, darling, I’d always want you with me. They were just very adamant that their message got across.”
Thea’s hands didn’t stop as they packed up her belongings but it was near thing. Her brain had frozen at Tom’s sudden confession and she could sense an approaching flush to her cheeks. She eyed Tom, flustered, as he offered his hand once again.
“So? Will you join us?”
Despite her malfunctioning thoughts, the answer to that question would always ring clear in her subconsciousness. Once she was ready to leave, she shot Tom a charming grin and took his hand, “of course, love.”
Their hold remained clasped together even as they entered the Great Hall and walked to the snakes’ table. This was the closest the others had seen the pair together and Druella let out a croon once they were near enough. “Well, aren’t you guys adorable!”
Thea flashed her a shy smile in response while Tom voiced out his thanks. There wasn’t a hint of denial, that the two of them were something, in the air and Thea felt her heart lighten at the potential reciprocity of her feelings. Sat together, Thea on Tom’s left, they only let each other go once their plates had appeared in front of them.
Turning to Druella and Walburga, who was sat across the former, Thea queried, “Tom said you needed me for something?”
Druella lit up in remembrance and Walburga nodded as she spoke, “we were thinking, since you’re helping us with our issue, we thought we could help you with something that you may find a hindrance in the future too; namely, high society etiquette and customs.” Walburga smiled when intrigue crossed Thea’s features. “Seeing as you’ll be alongside Riddle as the both of you lead the change of our time, you will most likely be forced to participate in events and so, we figured we could teach you a couple tricks on how to deal with them.”
Besides her surprise in learning that the others viewed her to also be spearheading their future with Tom, she didn’t see any reason to deny their offer. “I do have to warn you though, I might be absolutely horrendous at it.”
“That’s alright, we’ll be there every step of the way! And we’re not our mothers,” Druella shared an knowing glance with Walburga, “so, whenever you need a break, just let us know and we’ll slow it down, yeah? We’ve got time, there’s no rush.”
Their generosity was such a switch from how Thea had been treated a lifetime ago and she could feel the waterworks bubble in her throat. She quickly swallowed it down and took in a shaky breath that sparked empathy in both ladies as they reminisced on their own set of haunting memories. “Thank you, both, really. That would be lovely.”
“Of course, Thea.”
First-name basis, that was another milestone in their friendship. The most basic of basics in high society etiquette that she knew was that she could refer to those of higher status by their names if they had initiated it beforehand. It was a sign that Druella and Walburga wanted to establish a connection with Thea and had hopes of a deeper bond in the future. She felt her insides warm again and knew that she, too, wanted this friendship to bear fruit.
Having heard the sentimentality in Thea’s words previously, Tom looked to her in concern and reached behind to rest a palm against her back to gain her attention. His worry only grew tenfold when he spotted the glistening in her eyes and the rawness of her grateful countenance, eyebrows furrowing as he questioned her quietly. “Everything alright, love?”
Helga, was Thea surrounded by people who cared. She had to put in twice the effort to stop her tears from flowing and gave a sincere smile. “Yeah, just- feelings getting the best of me.”
Not entirely convinced but momentarily assuaged, Tom caressed her back soothingly and dropped the subject so as to not push her vulnerability. “Did Rosier and Black tell you what it was they wanted?”
Thankful for the distraction, Thea hummed affirmatively. “In exchange for helping them with the inbreeding troubles, they’ve decided to teach me the ways of surviving high society. Said that they foresee me being forced to attend events in the future.”
“Hm. They’re quite right. I expect people will demand to see the person who has changed Wizarding Britain for the better.”
Thea titled her head in confusion, “wouldn’t that be you?”
Tom retrieved his hand from her back, sending shivers down her spine as his fingers trailed against her body on its path to her face, where he gently brushed her fringe away and tucked it behind her ear. “None of that future – nor this present – could have happened if it hadn’t been for you, my dear. Even if you choose not to go down the path of actively leading our goals, I will not cease to honour you and your love that you’ve given in your successful efforts to defy fate.” Thea had to fight against her instinct to lean against his touch when he cradled her face briefly before dropping his hold on her regretfully. “Magic knows, the day I withhold from telling everyone that it was you, who have blessed our land with a prosperous era, is the day that will never come, even as the sun dims or the apocalypse reign.”
Thea’s heart might have stopped – she couldn’t tell – as her breath got caught in her throat and her heart’s beating filled her ears. She couldn’t even acknowledge the deep pink that had coloured her cheeks and could only imagine how stupid she looked as she gazed at Tom with absolute devotion, glittery eyes and all. The tender fondness to his expression didn’t help her case and she was only, barely, distantly aware that they were currently in the hall. Still at a loss for words even as she swallowed the lump in her chest, her voice came out breathless as she spoke, “gosh, Tom, I- you can’t just say things like that!”
Tom grinned boyishly as Thea gradually began returning to her senses. “Not even if it’s true? How else am I supposed to be honest with you, love?”
“I-”
That had caught her off-guard once again and she gnawed on her lower lip when words flew out of her mind. Her action had seized Tom’s notice and her nerves flared harshly as gravity pulled at her heart when she saw his eyes darken when they flicked to her lips and back up to her eyes. Her thoughts screamed at her to get a grip and ground herself back into reality-
-where they were very much in public, still.
With a slight jump, Thea widened her eyes and fully regained her bearings, sparing a glance around her to remind herself of her circumstances. Her sights landed back on Tom who was now sporting an uncertain smile. “Too much?”
“No! No-” When he remained doubtful, she took his hand and brought it to her lap reassuringly. “I just- it would have been nice if we weren’t in public- not that I’m embarrassed of you! Not at all! I’m just… privacy for us would be nice.”
His hand flipped over in her grip to grasp one of hers and interlocked their fingers solidly. She forced her eyes back on Tom from where she had averted them to, and felt her insecurities abate with the warm smile he sent. “That’s alright, love. There’s always time for us, yeah?” His features soften at her nod and his grip on her hand tightened slightly, “I’ve meant every word that I’ve said so far. That includes earlier; you’re always welcomed to join our table anytime. The others would be glad to see you too.”
Overwhelmed with emotions that had been snowballing since she had woken up this morning – from her frustration at the peeves for preventing her visit to the kitchens, to her love for Druella, Walburga, and Tom – she could only manage a soft whisper that shared more of her heart than the semantics of the words she uttered.
“Thank you.”