Severus Snape: The Half Blood Prince

*(15) Riddle Me Not

In his miserable existence, she was the beacon of light, the highlight that illuminated his darkest days.

The next morning, Sophie rose earlier than usual, determined to cleanse herself of the past two days. The numbness that had enveloped her ankle had subsided somewhat, but the lingering hues of the universe seemed to cling to her, as if reluctant to let go.

It was Monday, which meant Slytherin had two consecutive free periods. However, Sophie knew she would spend those periods catching up on the assignments she had missed.

Hurrying to the main area of the common room, she found herself greeted by a familiar face—Tom. Her eyes widened at the sight of the boy reclining on the couch, his left arm draped lazily over the backrest and his right arm supporting his weight on the armrest. A blush crept onto her cheeks as she caught sight of the charming boy.

With haste, she descended the steps, eager to avoid being seen talking to him. "What the bloody f*** are you doing here?" she exclaimed.

Raising an eyebrow, Tom straightened himself up. "Well, good morning to you too," he retorted, observing her as she adjusted her collar in the mirror beside the couch. "Trying to look presentable, are we?"

Glancing down at him, Sophie positioned herself in front of him, partially between his legs. "First off, there is no 'we' about 'us.' And second," she paused, standing before him, "you didn't answer my question."

Her gaze met his dark brown eyes, and in the light fixtures above, she caught glimpses of their reflections swaying. A caricature of herself appeared in his captivating gaze, drawing her in. Leaning closer to speak to him, she was interrupted by a voice.

"Sophie? Is that you?" A familiar voice called out as footsteps descended the stone steps.

Acting quickly, Sophie sat down, appearing to relax on the couch in the common room, pretending to still be waking up. However, to her, it felt as though she were almost sitting on Tom's lap, nestled under his left arm when she had propelled herself onto the couch to appear nonchalant.

Before Severus could reach them, Tom began to play with strands of her thick, somewhat tangled hair, twirling them between his fingers. The heat in her face intensified, and she reached up to fix her hair, tugging it away from his grasp. His genuine grin didn't escape her attention, even though her focus was on Severus.

In Tom's mind, he was her secret, invisible to the rest of the world—unseen, untouched, unfelt by anyone else.

Trying to appear as normal as possible on the couch, she even pushed back slightly against Tom's arm to make it seem as though her head rested against the cool leather, not an invisible being. Her neck became exposed to Tom's gaze, and he couldn't help but fixate on it.

Finally descending the last step, Severus appeared refreshed compared to the day before. "I have to thank you for everything you've done for me so far," he acknowledged, walking toward the two other Slytherins in the room and taking a seat, still meticulously preparing himself. Clutching his notebook and a quill, he lacked ink.

"Are you going to the sp-..." Sophie began, but Tom moved closer to her and rested his chin on her shoulder, his breath teasing her skin, prompting her to adjust her position. "...to the spot?"

Tom had snickered when Sophie uttered the word 'spot.'

"That's right, I'll be there until lunch," Severus confirmed, rising quickly. "I need to ask Professor Slughorn if he has any leftover ink."

Tom's actions were becoming more fervent than she had anticipated. Sensing the urgency, Sophie stood and offered, "I-I have extra ink in my room if you need some later. I-I'll leave it outside my door for you if Slughorn doesn't have any."