how it feels to be alive {tom riddle}

twenty-four: damsel

DAMSEL

Days had passed, and due to Lucia's impending return to Hogwarts, she had lay all her belongings on both beds and the floor of the hotel room. She stood over her potions kit, organising her new and old ingredients into neat compartments for easy access when she started classes again.

Tom was flicking through an old Defence Against the Dark Arts book on his bed, surrounded by Lucia's clothing.

"This is ridiculously painful, I hate packing." Lucia grumbled, closing the box of potions ingredients and turning to her uniform and other clothing items strewn across Tom's bed.

"You are rather impatient." Tom chuckled, crossing his legs at the ankle and turning the page of his book.

Lucia began placing her robes in her open trunk, thankful for extension charms for allowing her to fit all her belongings in comfortably.

"It gets a bit old when you get to the seventh year." She pointed out, refolding one of her skirts.

"Is that actually how short the uniform skirt is now?" Tom gaped, looking at the tartan material in shock.

"You'd think after all this time you wouldn't be surprised." Lucia laughed, placing it on top of the rest of her uniform items.

"If you wear that skirt everyday then there is no way you're convincing me not to come with you." He teased.

"Sometimes I think you're this beyond-human being, and then you go ahead and prove to me that you really are just a gross teenage boy." Lucia shook her head, "You've seen me in shorter skirts than that anyway."

"I've seen you in no skirt at all actually." Tom pointed out, cocking his eyebrows in a way the Lucia knew he was imagining it.

"Stop being creepy, or I'll hex you." She laughed, pushing his shoulder lightly.

"You wouldn't dare." He feigned coldness, grasping her wrist quickly, which she pulled free and moved to folding her robes.

"You don't scare me, Tom Riddle. I'm not going to pine for your every bit of attention." She pushed, looking at him confidently.

He reached and pulled her so she was pressed against the bed, his hand finding its way to around her neck as he leant over to hold her down.

"You shouldn't have said that." He murmured, his eyes flicking to meet hers.

Lucia was lost for breath for a moment in shock, not having expected such a physical reaction from him. He new what he was doing though, his aim not to just frighten her.

His fingers loosened and he trailed them gently down to the base of her neck, leaving his hand pressed against her skin. She could feel the heat radiating from his fingers melt into her skin, it was exhilarating.

She managed to free one leg and hook it around his, pulling him over in a way he didn't expect so she could move to hold him down instead.

Her eyes met him, his still slightly in shock from her sudden movements.

"Don't think for a second that I would pretend to be some damsel in distress for you." She said sharply, her hands resting on his chest.

She pushed herself off him, rolling off the bed and back to her feet. "And now you've messed up my folding of my clothes. You can refold them without magic." She rolled her eyes, not actually displeased with him, but imagining him having to do such a mundane job made a smile creep onto her face.

She moved towards a bag near where her trunk had been previously, which contained several unopened bottles that made a clinking noise as she placed them in the trunk.