Of Monsters and Men- Tom Riddle x OC

34

"Annie."

Animo snapped up her head at the commanding drawl, nearly toppling her book from her lap. Tom leaned against the curtain behind her chair, his arms crossed over in expensive suit coat as he observed her shrewdly.

"Is that all you've been doing?" His nose wrinkled at the tome in her hand before he reached over, plucking the pages from her fingers. "Reading children's novels?"

Animo pursed her lips, not trusting herself to defend Tales of Beedle the Bard. The last thing she needed was Tom finding out about the Deathly Hallows. The boy had enough obsession with immortality as it was. "Having been thoroughly ignored all week," she raised an accusing eyebrow, "I needed something to pass the time."

"Well, it's better than canoodling with house-elves," Tom's lip curled in disgust. He set her book down on the coffee table before them, sending it soaring through the air with a flick of his wrist. "The one in my quarters this morning wouldn't quit blathering on about you."

"Oh," Animo watched as Tom turned to face the grated window behind them, the sunlight falling over his sharp features. His skin seemed even more pale than usual, as if he had suffered several sleepless nights. "And what did they say?"

The boy shrugged, his posture stiff. "That you were a right pain in the arse."

"I—" Animo spluttered off into silence as she recognized the smirk playing on the edges of Tom's expression.

There was a loud bang down the hall that made both of them flinch, Animo more so than Tom. The sound seemed to snap Tom's snide disposition back into place and the Slytherin angled back to face her with a sour expression.

"I have a—" Tom paused, mulling over his words as though he knew Animo would be quick to judge, "prospective associate at the party Malfoy's holding tonight. I expect you to be there and convince him to see our perspective."

Not missing the clear command in his tone, Animo grimaced at the idea, twirling a bit of hair between her fingers. "And what could I possibly benefit from that, Thomas?"

The muscle in Tom's jaw begin to twitch. "You agreed to come." He snapped around, the flaps of his suit coat flaring with the movement. "And do try to wear something that doesn't make you look like a nun."

Animo's mouth hung open while she watched his retreating form, silently throwing an insult with the boy's every step. After she was certain that he had left the library, Animo reached forward once more for her book, settling it on her lap with a huff.

If Tom wanted a seductress, that was exactly what she'd be.

---

"Winnie is quite pleased with Miss Ani's attire!"

Animo looked down at the chipper house-elf, wondering how they maintained such positive attitudes. The lifeless orchestra tunes floating up the stairs grated on her nerves, a constant reminder of the dreadful ball that awaited. Hours of bowing and nodding and pretending to be enthralled by the barely concealed corruption of the wizarding world's highest classes.

Still, the appearance that greeted her in the mirror boosted her mood ever so slightly. Once she was sure that Winnie had left to attend to the kitchen tasks, Animo waved her wand over her neckline, letting it drop ever lower. The poor elf would have had a fit if she had seen such indecency.

The black dress hung to Animo's every curve, wrapping in pleats about her torso before hanging in a straight line to the floor. A large slit slunk up her right leg, exposing her thigh when Animo angled her knee ever so slightly. Satin fabric covered her arms up to her shoulders before falling away, exposing the entirety of her back. In an attempt to mimic Narcissa Malfoy, Animo had pulled her hair into a tight knot at the back of her head, drawing attention to the generous area of exposed skin about her neck.