Beta: Cloudy

(≖‿‿≖)ノ⌒●~*

Daphne ended up roping Tracey and Pansy into my room to help tame the insanity that was my curly red hair. Because I normally swept it up in a bun or ponytail, the girls decided it was time to let my hair down.

They tamed the frizz, yanked out the knots with a pain-free brush (bless you magic), then softened the curls. After that I had to get into my dress before they continued on with my hair, then make up.

Hermione arrived shortly after I was done getting ready and they switched over to her. My room had officially been taken over by the girls and it smelled of perfume, make up, and some type of hair potion. Knowing they'd have the rest handled, I decided it was time to meet back up with Tom in the chambers. I needed to make sure his dress robes fit, since he didn't have a wand of his own to fix them if they didn't.

It was, admittedly, very satisfying to get looks of surprise from my fellow Slytherins. I received several compliments—most of which I felt were sincere. I was terribly proud of my babeh snakes. Despite how lovely I looked, I didn't receive any catcalls or any compliments that made me uncomfortable. All the boys and girls were cordial and respectful.

My pride for them made it impossible not to smile warmly and brightly at each of them in return. Some of them blushed, and others beamed in response.

I wondered how different my House had grown from canon. Were the snakes warm and affectionate in canon behind closed doors, or was that a change brought upon my guidance?

Would it be too arrogant to admit that I wished it was because of me?

(≖‿‿≖)ノ⌒●~*

I stepped off Iris—no way in hell I was letting my dress and shoes get dirty with the pipe water—and glanced around the Chambers. From the shadows of one of the hallways, Tom Riddle stepped out in black dress robes. He was fixing the cuffs on his left sleeves, a coy smile on his face.

He said, "You look absolutely beautiful, Rosie."

I couldn't fight back my silly smile, a small blush over my cheeks. He wasn't wrong. I looked amazing. Thank you, Lily, for being such a beautiful lady.

The dress was primarily a deep blue to match my eyes. It was a ballgown dress, enchanted to be flowy and easy to dance in. It had short sleeves with an embroidered design, pulled down my shoulders to give a v shape neckline. The bottom half of my dress had shimmering stars enchanted onto it. It was meant to look similar to a night sky, the magic sparkling with each step I took. My mask was the same shade of blue, stylized in a traditional shape that only covered the upper half of my face.

Used up all of my allowance and then some for the dress, shoes, and mask, but I was happy with the results. I never went to prom, or owned such an extravagant dress in either of my lives. I was happy to cross that off the bucket list.

Tom, unsurprisingly, looked absurdly handsome. The dress robes had a suit-vibe to them. He had a deep blue suit vest and bow tie to match my dress. His own mask was black, and would cover his upper face.

I hoped it would be enough to not catch Dumbledore's attention. I mean, really, what were the odds that Dumbledore would immediately assume Rosie Potter, a Twin-Who-Lived, was being escorted to the Yule Ball by Tom Riddle?

Surely, surely, Dumbledore wouldn't conclude that. That'd be insane! He wasn't that Gandalf-ish.

There were plenty of dark haired students. It'd be logical to assume I was being escorted by someone from one of the other visiting schools. No way Dumbledore had all their faces and names memorized. He was good but he wasn't that good, right?

Right. I was fine. It was fine. Everything would be fine.

And if not?

Welp. I got to go to a dance with a hot guy that had a voice like butter. Can't complain. I will captain this ship into hell.

I politely clapped. "Gotta say Tom, you clean up nice."

He raised an eyebrow as he slowly parroted, "Clean up?"

"Okay, well, you already know you're a hottie to start with. What else am I going to say?" I laughed. "You look hotter than your normal hotness?"

A snort escaped him before he could cover up his laugh. "Right. Yes."

"Tom, you look hotter than your normal hotness."

"Thank you, Rosie. Are we riding Iris to the hall?"

"At least until we're out of the Chambers, then she's going to be spending the evening playing with Hedwig," I said. "Your robes fit okay?"

"They're perfectly fine," he assured me. "Shoes need a little readjusting."

"Oh. Here," I said as I handed him my wand.

Tom blinked in surprise, gaping momentarily before he recovered. "Wh—Where did you keep that?"

I turned around and patted my lower back. "There's a sliver of a pocket for a wand to fit then disappear under the petticoat."

"Isn't that—?" His cheeks turned a little red as he carefully accepted the wand.

"In between my butt cheeks? Yep. Sacrifices must be made to look beautiful," I said, thinking back to Wonder Woman and how she hid her sword.

"My robes come with a couple loops up the sleeve," Tom said, gesturing to one of his sleeves.

"Oh. Shoot, then you can hold onto it for the night," I said dismissively. "My buttcheeks don't need the work out."

"Ah. Okay."

"Sorry, too personal?"

"We've been sharing the same body for years and now you're asking if it's too personal?" he said dryly.

"Point."

Tom twirled my wand a couple of times. "There is one more thing to do before we go."

I cocked my head. He held out his right hand, using the wand in his left as he transfigured a spare button into a beautiful blue rose. With a smile that would make a weak woman swoon, Tom Riddle presented it to me.

"If you say something as cheesy as a rose for my Rose, I will squeal. Loudly," I warned, wagging my finger at him.

There was a moment of silence as Tom processed that. Then he gently placed the rose in my hair, looked me dead in the eye and said, "A rose for my Rose."

I squealed loudly, bursting out into peals of giggles as I covered my burning face. "How? How can you say that with a straight face?"

I wasn't looking at Tom, but I thought I felt a smile in his voice as he said, "Because I know your reactions make it worthwhile."

(≖‿‿≖)ノ⌒●~*

Iris got us up and out of the Chambers. We snuck out of the bathroom, fixed up our masks, then headed toward the Great Hall. Tom was a lovely escort. Despite having longer legs, he kept pace with me so I felt no need to rush or try to match his speed in my dress and heels. Which was great. I could wear heels fine and dandy, but I didn't think I could run in them. We did draw a fair few looks. There weren't many red-heads in the school, and my hair was noticeably darker than the Weasley family. A lot of people could pick me out from a crowd from my hair color alone.

Tom and I arrived a few minutes before it was time for the ball to begin. There was a crowd of students, each chattering with their dates or friends. Tom and I stood separate from the others. He leaned forward to whisper in my ear, "I forgot the smell of Hogwarts."

"It does have its own smell, doesn't it?" I mused. "I wonder if someone could turn it into a candle."

"Who would buy that?"

"I would. You wouldn't?"

Tom considered it after a moment. "I suppose it would be nice to have on hand."

"Light it up on a cool rainy day," I said lightly. "Huddle under a warm blanket and read another mystery. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"You paint a lovely picture, Rosie."

Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"

I gripped onto Tom's arm as he escorted me over to Professor McGonagall. I could feel the curious eyes of many students fall upon me. I knew a fair few of them would be wondering who was escorting the Hogwarts Champion.

The chattering crowd parted to let us through. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan, told us to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; we were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stationed themselves nearest the doors; Davies looked so stunned by his good fortune in having Fleur for a partner that he could hardly take his eyes off her. Hermione looked exceptionally gorgeous next to Krum. Daphne had done wonders to tame her bushy hair into something sleek, shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head.

The Great Hall opened up and the other students were allowed in. I got a chance to see my friends with their partners. Draco and Pansy were matching in white, while Theodore and Tracey coordinated with green.

I couldn't help but gasp when I saw that my twin brother was escorting Daphne Greengrass of all people. The two popped out with their black and scarlet color coordination. Daphne was a queen above reproach and she raised her chin up proudly. Harry, who had offered her his arm, nodded at me as he passed by.

How? I must know the story behind that.

I knew I was a busy person, but how in the hell did I miss that?

Good for them! I had no clue if they were going as friends or something more, but either way, good for them!

Once everyone else was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the us—the champions and our partners—to get in line in pairs and to follow her. We did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as we entered and walked up toward a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges sat.

The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables had vanished; instead, there were about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people.

The flooring had been enchanted to sparkle as if we were walking on enchanted ice that reflected the starry ceiling. There were sparkles of magic in the air reminiscent of fairy dust that twinkled. The entire Hall had been transformed into something out of a winter fairy court.

Dumbledore smiled happily as the champions approached the top table, his twinkling eyes zeroed in on Tom. Then his smile broke out into an almost gleeful grin.

Yeah, no way he'd be that happy if he thought Tom flippity flappity Riddle was taking me, I thought with relief. Phew, crisis averted.

All the students wore masks, but none of the adults which was fine. The important part was to make sure that Tom's mask wouldn't draw attention. It would be too odd if only my escort wore a mask to the Yule Ball.

Tom, ever the gentleman, pulled out my chair for me at the table before he took a seat beside me.

There was no food yet on the glittering golden plates, but small menus were lying in front of each.

Professor Dumbledore took the lead by reading out pork chops from the menu and the food magically appeared on his plate. Others soon followed behind him. Tom and I both got the steak, although he loaded his up with more mashed potatoes and buttered rolls while I added a fair bit of vegetables. I couldn't blame him. He literally hadn't eaten anything in decades. If I hadn't had mashed potatoes and rolls in decades I'd be craving it too.

"Oh," came the small voice of Tom after his first bite into the food.

"Missed it?" I asked him.

"Surprisingly," he admitted. "It's the little things in life, I suppose."

"After tonight, we can keep working on... your situation," I said quietly.

"I'd appreciate it."

Talk around the table was amicable. Tom didn't speak much—likely concerned Dumbledore would recognize his voice if he did—so I had to compensate by chatting a lot more than what I would have liked. Thankfully, I had a lot of practice in babbling with Booboo last year.

When all the food had been consumed, Dumbledore stood up and asked the students to do the same. Then with a wave of his wand, all the tables zoomed back along the walls leaving the floor clear, and then he conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it. The Weird Sisters trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause; they were all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn.

Tom and I stood up, as did the other champions as it was time for the opening dance.

The Weird Sisters struck up a slow, mournful tune. Tom placed a warm hand on my lower back, pulling me into the dance as the music began. All that practice with Draco had paid off. Tom and I moved with reasonable grace—him more so than I because of course Tom Marvolo Riddle was a good dancer why wouldn't he be.

Bastard.

He smoothly moved me around the floor. I could feel the eyes of hundreds of students upon us, yet no nerves came from that. The only butterflies I felt was from feeling how close he was to me. It was a surreal sensation, like something out of a fever dream. When the first song ended, the rest of the students joined us on the floor. Tom and I continued to dance. I couldn't speak on his behalf anymore; his expression was impossible to read and I could no longer feel his magic, but I hoped he enjoyed dancing with me as much as I enjoyed dancing with him.

Into the third song, Tom's eyes were focused on my own. It was hard not to look away from embarrassment. He had a naturally intense gaze, but with it being wholly focused on me while we danced—

My whole face felt hot. His lips twitched, not giving way to a smile but certainly displaying amusement.

He leaned closer to me as he danced. We were so tightly pressed together I wasn't sure if it was wholly appropriate, but no one was separating so I wasn't going to complain. He whispered, "You seem to be having fun."

"I am," I admitted, a trail of goosebumps crawled down my back at his whispered voice. "I hope you are?"

"It's nice," he said then gave me a twirl. "Hogwarts never had a ball when I attended, but some of my... acquaintances had similar events."

"Wow. I hope I'm your favorite partner," I teased.

"By a—ah, what did you call it? A long shot?" he assured me.

"Awww. You're using modern lingo. You're adorable."

"From hot to adorable. Is that an—ah—an upgrade or a downgrade?"

"Don't be silly, Tom. You'll never stop being hot."

We danced for another ten songs, our banter coming easily. He did get a couple embarrassed squeaks out of me when he jokingly flirted. Even without heat behind it, Tom had some ridiculous game.

Despite being asexual and uninterested in courting, Tom had the natural charisma to act otherwise.

Is he aromantic, too? I idly wondered as we played around.

I wanted to ask, but since Tom had denied ever being in a proper relationship I wasn't sure if he even knew. Whatever he was, I was inordinately happy being able to joke with him. To me, it felt like our friendship was progressing into something healthy and strong.

"I'm getting a little tired," I told Tom after the eleventh dance.

"Want to move somewhere more private?" he asked. I giggled out of nervous reflex, my mind jumping to other thoughts.

"What, like a broom cupboard?" I teased.

"Maybe later."

I snorted, biting my lip hard to keep from chortling. Tom's eyes sparkled with mirth, and he escorted me out of the hall. The professors had set up the courtyard into a quieter spot for people to relax and converse. They had brought out dozens upon dozens of rose bushes, each twinkling with fairies around them, and an assortment of floating lit candles. Only a few professors were standing guard outside to make sure none of the students used the bushes to—ahem—get better acquainted.

Tom and I carefully weaved through the students outside, slipping past the courtyard. We moved further away from the castle until we found a lovely spot hidden from view. Tom pulled out my wand and transfigured a random pebble into a stone bench. He waved it again, silently muttering the spells as he conjured rose bushes like before and summoned the fairies to be our lights.

I took a seat on the bench beside him, my feet aching from being in heels.

December was chilly, and there was snow on the ground, but Tom had enchanted the area to stay warm. Under the clear night sky, we sat in comfortable silence. Neither of us felt compelled to fill it with unnecessary talk, both content to relax and enjoy the mood.

We were seated close together. Tom kept an arm around my waist so I leaned into him. It was comforting. I missed being able to randomly cuddle someone. At home, I could do it with Harry whenever, but it was a lot harder to do so at Hogwarts since we lived in separate Houses.

The clock chimed midnight which meant the ball was over and it was time to leave. I made a move to stand up, but—

"Don't," Tom sharply said, his voice barely above a whisper but it held a steel undertone. His hand on my waist squeezed as he pulled me closer to him in a subtle, but clear, act of dominance.

That was always going to be a juggle with Tom. Superior and inferior were the only statuses of his relationships. Our friendship had come close to equal, but it wasn't there yet. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but Tom still sought a dominant position.

Outright denying him would harm our relationship. He wasn't interested in someone who sought to critique and defy him at any point—there were enemies who did that plenty.

There was really only one way to handle that kind of move without setting him off.

Coyly, I took his other hand and placed it against my cheek. In a soft, husky tone I said, "My. Tom, you should know that kind of tone should be reserved for the bedroom."

He froze.

I couldn't see his face behind the mask but OH BOY I bet he was flustered! I kept my smile small so he wouldn't think I was making fun of him.

"Oh? Were you wanting to go to a broom cupboard now?" he retorted evasively, recovering from my surprise flirt attack.

"I didn't think you'd be interested," I returned, my cheeks reddening again. I steeled my nerves and fought against the desire to run away. No matter how flustered or embarrassed he made me, I didn't want him to think he'd drive me off so easily. He pulled me back on the bench, snaking his arm tighter around me.

He leaned forward, his nose touching mine as he was about to—

I held up a finger against his lips.

"Don't start something you don't mean," I gently warned him.

He had said he had never taken a girlfriend or boyfriend. He hadn't gone on dates. But Tom Riddle wasn't an idiot, and he knew exactly what others must have thought of him. I wouldn't put past him to use his appearance and sexuality to his advantage to manipulate or charm others to him.

He may not have considered them partners.

But there wasn't a doubt in my mind that "romance" was simply another tool for him to use.

He pulled back, a frown on his face.

"Tom, you have my support," I softly said. "You don't need to turn this relationship into something more if you don't want more. I care about you. I want you to be happy."

"Then listen to me."

See, we both knew that listen meant obey, but it would be impolite to point that out so I opted to take the word at face value.

"I will always listen to you, Tom," I promised him. I moved my hand back up to gently cup his face. He leaned into my palm, his dark eyes unreadable. "I'm here for you."

He didn't say anything for a minute, maybe two, then he leaned in again.

I closed my eyes, accepting the brief kiss on my lips. It was cool, sweet, and gentle. It hadn't been intended as a passionate romantic snog, but rather a—

Thank you.

"You're welcome," I told him with a smile.

His smile in return was small, awkward, and I think maybe even sincere.

(≖‿‿≖)ノ⌒●~*

Bucket List Completed:

49. Have a hot date to the Yule Ball.

ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ

Big appreciation for the lovely Cantrona who drew Rosie and Tom dancing at the Yule Ball! Rosie's dress is mindbogglingly beautiful. Watty and ao3 users got to see the picture in the chapter but my darling ff.net users will have to go to the link to see it--or read the chapter on wattpad/ao3.

Welcome to my accidental slow burn that I have written myself into and will now ride into hell.

This is the first of the named chapters because I have a feeling some of my readers may want to come back to re-read this specific chapter again after the story is done. The next named chapter will be The Greatest Heist in year 5.

I'm not an asexual with manipulative and sociopathic tendencies. How I'm writing Tom was done through my own research so apologies if I've offended any asexuals out there who feel I have miswritten their sexuality with him.

Answer: If I was mentally an adult I'd rather not have any children romantically ask me, but I think it'd be fun to go as a friend with Luna Lovegood or Harry Potter! Back when I was a kiddo reading the books I remember wishing I could go with Tom Riddle or Fleur.

Question: If you went to a masquerade, what mask would you wear?

Reviews are love!