Malefic [BOOK 2]

Enchanted

Leo hesitated to open the door to Slughorn's office. 

Through the walls, she could hear that the students had already gathered. She could hear people chattering excitedly, laughing about all the merry things in their life. The delicious smell of fresh food wafted in the air and entered her nostrils. She had planned through the entire day on what food to start and what food to end the party with.

But as she stood in front of the door, wearing a slick black suit beside Tom with her hand around his arms, Leo hesitated.

Maybe it was too early to show that it was okay for ladies to wear suits as well. People would laugh at her, taunt her, and even talk about Tom because he was with her. She had taken the decision on a whim, just to annoy the heck out of Tom.

Tom didn't look annoyed. He looked amused and a bit worried as well.

Therefore, her plan had failed and she didn't feel half as enthusiastic as before.

Leo glanced up at Tom to find him already staring at her. They shared a few seconds of just searching each other's faces for any trace of hesitance.

"Maybe I should-"

"Maybe you shouldn't -"

Both of them started together making Leo chuckle and Tom exhale loudly like he was trying to laugh as well.

Leo let go of his hands and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears, "Maybe this wasn't the best idea. I should change."

Tom nodded, "Yes. You should."

Leo nodded but couldn't help but feel a little upset. Just a little bit. Having self-doubts was nothing new to her. She was never the one to feel confident about her appearance. However, she rarely had the energy to spend time on how she looked. The determination was always there but she was missing effort. But wasn't that the story for everyone?

Now that Tom had agreed to her doubts as well, Leo couldn't help but feel embarrassed. 

"Yeah, I should just...go..." She mumbled and shot Tom a very forced smile.

Her plan was to run and never look back. This night could remain as a horrifying memory that she would remember at night and cringe at herself. Before she could bolt, Tom caught her collar with his crazy reflex and forced her to face him.

"You need to stop doing that," Leo pointed out weakly.

"Then stop trying to run away without letting me finish," Tom argued back.

Leo sighed while keeping her gaze fixed on the floor, "I was not running away..."

Tom stared at her with an unreadable expression while Leo waited for him to say something. She gathered up enough strength to stare back at him, wanting to know what he had in his mind.

Tom was looking rather conflicted. Leo couldn't tell why. He was glancing at her and then at the closed door that separated them from Slughorn's party. He placed a hand against the cold wooden surface making Leo's eyes widen.

Was he going to open the door? Leo thought he didn't want anyone to see her dressed up like that. Was he going to just toss her in like a cat and laugh like an evil villain in the background? Leo couldn't tell. Tom had those tendencies. He is one of the most famous villains in history after all.

"Tom, give me five minutes. I'll change into something more... appropriate for the occasion," Leo tried to reason with him while struggling against his grip.

Sadly, he didn't budge. Leo had to work on her muscles.

Tom chewed on his lower lip looking deep in thought. Finally, he let out a sigh and lifted his hands off the door. He grabbed Leo's shoulders and pulled her a little closer. She gasped like an anime school girl while staring up at him with her eyes wide open.