Fic: A Sense Of Unease
THE FIRST OF THE GIFTS ARE RINGING IN! MERRY CHRISTMAS
laundrylove !
Title: A Sense Of Unease
Author: Witblogi
Pairings: TRxMM
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: er...creepyness...
Summary: Christmas eve and Minerva runs into an unexpected character. I wonder who.
Notes: X-mas fic for
laundrylove . Also you know it's time warped because i did a lot A LOT of research and found out that mcgonagall is a full 10 years older than voldy, therefore making this pairing AU, despite that, i actually enjoyed writing this fic *nods*
A Sense Of Unease
Minerva arched her back, pressing her hand into her mouth as she suppressed a yawn. Blinking about the library, she checked her watch and gathered her books, preparing to head back to Gryffindor Tower.
It was Christmas Eve and the castle was quiet. Passing large arcing windows as she walked, she noted it was snowing. Big fat flakes were gently swirling to the ground, dancing in the chilly air and creating a picturesque blanket over the grounds.
Not taking her eyes of the sight of the snow falling on a inky northern night, she didn’t even see him coming.
Books were everywhere, it appeared he’d been trying to return half the library before the mandatory due date of midnight. Frowning deeply, she hiked up her long skirt and began gathering books whatever ones she could reach.
Standing up with him she sorted their books carefully and took his in hand. Frowning at the covers she recognized from the restricted section, she looked up into dark piercing eyes. It was that Slytherin fifth year, Tom Riddle, she knew him from prefect meetings but had never directly dealt with him.
“ Oh I…have to get to the library,” he took his books slowly from her frozen hand, never flinching, never taking his eyes from hers.
“ Tom Riddle right?” She questioned lifting one brow curiously. He nodded finally glancing down the hall, she knew he was cutting it close and holding him up would only result in a fee, “ Come on I’ll walk you, no one will question why a prefect is out of bed if you’re with the head girl,” she turned on her heel and began to march back down the hall knowing he’d follow.
He was a strangely quiet boy, odd for his looks, you’d think he’d be cocky with lots of friends and conquests. Instead, he appeared to just have followers, a kind of respectability that followed him like an aura of power.
“ Where did you get permission to take out those books?” she asked curiously, wondering which teacher was dealing with deadly curses at his learning level, maybe she needed to give a warning to Dippet, or at the least Dumbledore. He didn’t say anything for a moment as they entered the library and he shuffled to the return counter, stacking his books neatly atop the already mountainous pile.
“ Professor Slughorn, I wanted to do some extra research for some potions,” he said with an ease that suggested to her it was a bit practiced. She wondered what the boy was really up to and narrowed her eyes at him carefully.
“ Well, Riddle, now that that seems to be in order,” she took another look at the closing library and turned back to him, “ I’d like to ask you a few more questions,” She said casually, watching as the briefest flash of annoyance crossed his features.
“ As long as I can ask you a few in return as well,” he cocked an eyebrow at her. How very unexpected. They began walking in a general direction passing the large snowy windows again as the great clock above them began to chime twelve times.
“ Happy Christmas,” she sighed to him and he nodded in response. Odd indeed, he didn’t seem to endorse the saying and she found herself delving into his character a bit more, “ Or is it? Why aren’t you home for the holidays?” she asked innocently resettling her books against her ribs as they strolled. He shrugged again.
“ No home,” he shrugged it off stiffly. Minerva felt it would be best to leave that subject alone for now. Family was a sensitive topic for some people and especially around the holiday season.
“ You’re muggle born.” She noted it wasn’t a question but a statement of his observations on her. She felt a sudden chill in the empty hallway and wondered who this strange boy really was.
“ Yes, but I volunteered to stay at school as a chaperone.” She primly added information to his collection, wondering how much he really had on her. “ Why don’t I ever see you with others your age?” She asked carefully without being to blunt of his obvious lack of friends.
“ Peers are cause for judgment.” He stated simply moving forward with ease that left her feeling severely uneasy, “ Have you ever wanted anything just for yourself?” He asked suddenly stopping and turning to her. She halted too, pondering the meaning of his question.
“ Yes-“
“ But you’re always doing things for other people.” He added quickly, his eyes flashing for a moment looking stunningly red. She blinked; figuring her tired eyes must be playing tricks on her.
“ Well helping others is fundamental, morally appropriate, and besides it’s just a good thing to do.” She said suspiciously, watching disbelief colour his cheeks.
“ But don’t they drag you down? Don’t you feel that you could be doing so much more with out their interference, do-gooders trying to help when they only get in the way?” he hissed causing her to take a step back. Shaking his head he let out a laugh that sounded a touch too cold as it rang through the empty corridor.
“ I don’t know what you mean,” she crossed her arms over her books, holding them protectively to her chest. He smiled in a way that made her think maybe he wasn’t so odd after all, maybe he was just clever, far too clever for his age.
“ Well, Minerva, I have to be getting back to the dungeons, but first something to keep to yourself,” he reached out his long fingers curling around her upper arms hauling her forward into a hard, mismatched kiss that left her flushed and disgruntled. Wiping her mouth she watched him stroll down the hall.
She opened her mouth about to call out to him but a tinkling sound caught distracted her first. Looking up she saw they’d been standing beneath a bundle of mistletoe, tied with a ribbon and attached to three tiny bells that swayed in the drafty castles’ rafters.
Looking back down the hall Riddle was gone, the only evidence of him ever being there was her still tingling lips and the sense of haunting mystery that hung about the air.
fin