November Snow

Extra: Tom Riddle x Leah Avery

Leah and Tom never really talked to each other, although they were placed in the same house and had all classes together ever since first year of Hogwarts. Leah remembered the first time, and possibly the last time they acknowledged each other, vaguely actually. She tended to forget things, as opposite to her smart nature and her rival in classes, Tom.

"Hello, I'm Leah. Leah Avery." The first year Leah said to the dark-haired boy sitting next to her at the Slytherin table the moment she sat down.

"Tom Riddle." That was all he said.

Leah never understood how the other Slytherins were all over Tom. Sure he was charming, that she had to admit since she was somehow drawn to his charm as well, but there were no reason for the girls to fawn over him like he was the only boy in the school or for the boys to treat him like a living God. To her, Tom Riddle was just any smart boy she could find in the school. But still, something about Tom made him different.

She noticed things. Although she had bad memorizing skills, she had the eyes of a hawk and inhuman senses. She noticed the way he talked to his 'followers' as well as the girls, he acted so calm and cold, as if they meant nothing to him. Even his 'friends', or at least she thought they were friends since she always saw them with him, he never took notice in anything they did. But she overheard someone said he punished them in horrible ways when they did something that didn't please him. And yet, whenever he was in her sight, he was always calm and quiet.

That was until they were both made Prefects. Leah quickly made her way to the Prefect compartment to find him there, alone. That was the first time they ever talked officially, a brief conversation for them to know that each other existed. And they didn't talk anymore for a long while, even on their Prefect duty time together.

Tom never really noticed any girl in the school. They didn't worth anything to him. He never loved, a boy who was born in result of a love potion can never love. But this one specific girl, Leah Avery, caught his eyes. She was smart, but forgetful, beautiful yet insecure, and he didn't have that effect on her like he did with others. She intrigued him, so he kept an eye on her.

He wasn't surprise when they were chose to be Prefects. He had predicted it since his first year at Hogwarts with this cheerful girl sitting next to him at the feast. They were opposite polars, one hot and one cold, yet somehow they just attracted each other. They were rivals in study, but he never wanted her to stop being his rival in any class.

Unsurprisingly, they both made it to Slughorn's club as they were his brightest students in Potions. He loved them, really, he never stopped talking to them whenever they were around and bragged about them when they weren't. And Christmas came, so was Slughorn's Christmas party for those who stayed at Hogwarts for the holiday. He knew Tom and Leah would come.

Tom hated his orphanage. He found them 'unfit'. Leah hated her home. Her veela of a mother never understood why she wanted to study when she was such a beauty, and her drunk of a father didn't even remember she was his daughter. Amazing how a girl like her came from a family like that. Seemed like they had much in common.

"It's Slughorn's party tomorrow." Leah suddenly brought it up during their Prefect duty "Have you found a partner?"

It wasn't like she wanted to go with him. She was just curious. Tom knew that, he was curious about her as well.

"No." He said "You?"

"No." She said "We can go together if you want."

It was just a suggestion, Leah never thought he would want to go with her. After all, he was Tom Riddle and she was just Leah Avery. But he did. And with that, they went to the party as partners, they didn't hold hands or dance, but they were partners. From there, they talked to each other more outside of class, and soon enough, Leah found a soft spot for him in her heart.

He didn't love her, or maybe he did and didn't realize it. They were together, or at least that was others referred to. They kept their distance, they kept each other's space, they respected each other's secrets. They both had dark past, they knew. But they had the passion and soft spots for the other.

One time, they went out of line. They were both seventeen, senior students at Hogwarts, and it was like a storm raging out of passion. They didn't know what they were doing, they didn't realize how fast it went, but when they knew it was too late. By the time they graduated, Leah was two months through pregnancy.

Tom disappeared, he left her life as fast as when he came, but this time he left a scar in her heart. She truly did love him, like she would love herself. She learned to love that little soul she was carrying in her stomach for nine months, after all the baby was hers and his. She lived on her own, taking care of herself and her growing stomach, her parents had forgotten about her.

She was alone, afraid, fragile and in pain. She prayed to the Lords above her that they would give her someone who truly loved her for once, and seven months later, she gave birth to this beautiful girl. She named her in honor of Tom's mother, as a mark saying that she was his daughter, Crystal Merope Avery. She did consider the last name Riddle, but she knew how much Tom hated his last name. 

Crystal grew up fast. She loved her mother more than anyone else had ever loved her. Leah felt at peace. She knew she was finally loved by someone.

And then Lord Voldemort rose into power. Leah was smart, she immediately knew it was the Tom Riddle that went to school with her for seven years. She was scared, she feared he would come and take her beloved daughter from her. But she knew he had a heart somewhere inside that cold facade of his.

On the night of September 1st, 1976, when Crystal was at Hogwarts safely with her friends, Tom came to their house. Leah was there, still beautiful even though time had affected her, waiting for him. She knew he would eventually come, not for the good cause. He demanded her to hand him the sixteen-year-old child they shared, Leah refused him. And he decided to kill her.

"You'll never have her." Leah said as he pointed at her with the tip of his wand, tears rolled down her cheeks as he rolled the curse over his tongue "You do realize I still love you, right?"

"I do." He said coldly, and a flash of green light escaped his wand, she laid dead on the cold floor.

She was the closest to heaven he could ever be.