Loyal | Tom Riddle

41: Snogging

A/N:  Please vote and comment!  :-)

As the fickle Scottish sun rose earlier with each morning and sank below the treeline of the Forbidden Forest later every night, so too did the time Arabella and Abraxas spent together lengthen.

Although they had gone a few months without so much as greeting each other when rushing to class, the pair now proved almost inseparable -- except when in the presence of Tom.

One uncharacteristically sunny and delightful May morning found the newly reunited two taking advantage of the fair weather and revising outside, under the shade of an ancient oak on the shores of Black Lake.  Arabella sat leaned against the sturdy trunk of the old tree as Abraxas lounged in front of her, spread out on the blanket he'd brought along.  No matter much they tried to engross themselves in reading about the Giant Wars or the Inanimatus Conjuration, neither could seem to stop stealing glances at the other while pretending to focus on the subject matter at hand.

"You know what?" said Abraxas suddenly, slamming shut his textbook as he propped himself up on his elbows.  "Today's too lovely of a day to spend reading.  We should be doing something fun."

Arabella blinked, stunned.  "But we've got to sit our O.W.L.s in only one month--"

"C'mon, Ara.  Please." Malfoy looked up at her with hope shining in his silver eyes.  "When will the weather ever be this nice again?  When will we ever get to spend time like this together?"

"Tomorrow, probably," answered Arabella with a tiny smile.

He sighed, dramatically rolling over onto his back so that she appeared upside down to him.  "Can we take a little break, then?  All this revising is boring me to death.  I might become the newest ghost at Hogwarts -- and then I'll have to haunt you.  For life."

"Alright, fine."  Her tiny smile grew into something more genuine as she held back a giggle.  "But no more than fifteen minutes, you hear?"

"I can't promise anything," Abraxas replied with a cheeky grin as he reached out for her arm and yanked her down to lay beside him.  "Ah, much better."

Arabella readjusted herself to be in a more comfortable position, providing the blond Slytherin with the opportunity to fake a yawn and extend his arm casually behind her shoulders.

To passersby, they appeared blissfully unaware of all their serene surroundings and very much enamoured with one another.  The close proximity in which they enjoyed the shade of the old oak and the gentle breeze that skimmed Black Lake suggested a familiarity untouched by time or distance -- something rather surprising for two people who had gone nearly two whole months without saying a word to each other.  Naturally, the scene stirred the imaginations of those who witnessed it, greasing up the gears of Hogwarts' rumour mill with some much-needed oil.

Abraxas turned his head to study Arabella.  Her eyes took in as much of the sparsely-clouded sky as they could discern through the leafy canopy above them, and one of her fingers fiddled absentmindedly with a button on her blouse.  She seemed content, for once at peace with not only herself but the world around her as well.  The thought brought a smile to Abraxas' lips.

He carefully rolled onto his side, propping his head up with his elbow as he continued gazing down at her.  "What are you thinking about, Ara?"

Her bright eyes tore their focus away from the clouds and instead rested upon his face, inquisitive yet warm.  She angled her body a bit more towards him, almost subconsciously.

"To be honest," she began slowly, "I'm thinking about puddings."

"Puddings?" Malfoy repeated incredulously, unable to stop himself from laughing.  "And here I was, expecting you to say something smart like, 'world peace' or 'how to predict the future by reading cloud shapes like tea leaves.'"