Song above

Nightmare - Halsey.

I woke up the next morning naked and alone. I felt absolutely disgusted with myself. What the hell was I thinking, sleeping with Tom Riddle?

You obviously weren't thinking at all. My mind said harshly.

I sat up, rubbing the back of my neck. My back stung from where Tom's nails had dug into my skin. He was rough, dominant. I walked delicately to my closet and pulled out a cloak and a towel. I needed to have a shower and get clean. I felt contaminated.

I used all of the soaps I owned in the shower, scrubbing every inch of my skin until it stung even worse. Oh well. At least now I felt clean.

I got dressed in my uniform, throwing my hair into a messy bun. I wasn't bothered with how I looked. I wasn't hot, I was average looking and with no desire to make heads turn in my direction. Especially not Tom's.

Vowing silently to never be as stupid as I had been, I walked down to the Slytherin Common Room slowly. My entire body hurt, walking was painful, thanks to Tom.

Tom came down the staircase not too long after. His hair was a mess, but instead of making him look messy he looked hotter than ever. I bit my lip as he approached me. While I wished the ground would open up and swallow me, Tom appeared even more arrogant and cocky than ever, sauntering forward with the air of someone who had single handedly won the Quidditch world cup.

"I'm surprised to see you up so bright and early," He said, a smirk on his stupid face. "Especially considering how quickly you passed out last night."

"I just wanted to not be late for classes." I said quietly.

"Since when have you cared about classes? You've missed so many of them already..."

He was trying to provoke me but I wasn't falling for it. Something had changed inside me. I felt empowered somehow. I had been face down in the dirt for so long, and had found myself gloriously in one piece despite it all.

Even though I had slept with Tom.

It was strange.

"Last night was better than I thought." Tom said, a purely demonic grin on his face.

"It was ok." I said absently.

Tom raised an eyebrow. "That's not what you said last night." He goaded me.

"I didn't say a lot of things last night." I snapped. "And I don't really get what there is to talk about, anyway. We fucked. So what."

Tom's expression wasn't letting anything on but I could tell this wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked me directly. I looked right back into his arrogant face.

"Wrong? Everything is wrong here, Tom. You, especially."

"Let me guess." Tom held up both of his hands in mock defence. "You're going to say I molested you. Which we both know didn't happen. And I'm not going to stand here and deny the amount of times you screamed my name, if that's what you were looking for."

"I am not shying away from the fact we had sex." I said bluntly. "But this will never happen again."

"That's a shame." Tom said in a very low voice. "I rather enjoyed myself."

"Good for you." I snapped. "Hearing that just makes my day."

Pure confusion crossed Tom's face, my heavy sarcasm catching him off guard.

"I think I'm going to go and get breakfast." I said staunchly. "You can come with me or not, I really don't care."

"I think I might go with you." Tom said after a pause.

"You can please yourself." I said, turning away and beginning to walk off. Before I got 2 steps however a cold hand had locked around my wrist.

"I don't like your attitude." Tom said dangerously into my ear.

"Yeah?" I pulled my hand away from him roughly. "I dont like how guys think having sex with a girl equates to ownership."

"Ah." Tom smiled down at me. "So this is why you've got a temper."

"10 points to Slytherin." I said coldly. "You catch on so fast!"

Tom reached out a hand, gripping my face so hard it actually stung.

"Watch yourself." He stepped closer. "You have no idea what I am capable of." Danger was emanating off him in waves. But I didn't feel scared. If anything, I was mutinous.

I grabbed Tom's hand and pulled it down. "You are the one who has no idea." I told him with force. "I am capable of so many things. Don't you get it? You will never understand me. So don't even try to. You'll only embarrass yourself."

I woke up this morning feeling disgusting. But in this moment, I was feeling stronger than ever. I was able to recognise the difference between defeat and self strength. I was able to walk through Hell, and now I could smile. And about damn time. I had been tested in fire, and proved to myself who the hell I was.

Sex was just an action. I had not lost anything. Purity was an identity I could choose for myself, it wasn't anything that Tom could steal or by any means tarnish. It empowered me to understand this, so not even Peeves trying to pelt chalk at me as I walked to the breakfast hall with Tom in my wake was enough to get me down.

I sat down at the Slytherin table before Tom.

"I'll take that." I reached out for the Pumpkin juice before Xavier Malfoy could get his hands on it.

"Thanks." I poured myself a generous amount before downing the entire goblet in one. Tom stared. In fact everyone on the table was staring at me because they could tell I had fucked Tom off somehow. I beamed at everyone, utterly unperturbed.

"Is anyone else going to Charms this morning? Or are you all deciding to skip classes again?" From across the table I saw Tom's piercing gaze sharpen to molten steel and his knuckles whiten.

"Why would we skip Charms?" Xavier asked.

"Because you've missed six classes in a row." I said matter of factly. "In my personal opinion you're lucky that you haven't had a meeting with the Headmaster yet."

Tom looked about ready to flip the table. I smiled at him as I reached for a tray of hash browns.

"I do actually." Xavier said heatedly. "I am seeing the Headmaster last period."

"That's a pity." I said through a mouthful of hash browns. "Really."

"I guess." Xavier appealed to Tom, shooting him a look that Tom didn't bother returning.

"Hermione." He said to me in a soft tone. "That's enough."

"Sorry Tom." I said delicately. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Xavier looked utterly bemused. Tom on the other hand looked pushed past endurance.

"You know exactly what I mean." He said coldly. "Do not make me repeat myself."

"I wouldn't dream of it." I said sarcastically. "I sort of want to finish my hash browns." I waved my fork in the air, Tom's eyes following its movement slightly narrowed. "I'm rather enjoying my breakfast. If I died before I finished it I would consider it a waste of the House Elves time. They're really very delicious after all."

"Yeah, true that." A random Slytherin I had never seen added, obviously not understanding what was going on asides from how good the breakfast was.

Tom remained silent, watching me eating my breakfast. I fell silent too after a while. But then I had already finished my plate.

"Well then. That'd be me." I yanked my timetable out of my beaded bag. Charms and History of Magic. I better head off."

"Aren't you going to wait?" Xavier asked me through a mouthful of bacon.

"What for?" I said irritably.

"Us? I mean, we usually all walk to classes together don't we?"

"Yeah, we did." I said, getting to my feet. "Until now."

I walked up to Charms class alone. I was feeling better than I had in months.

It did help that Professor Flitwick was the teacher even in this time, I knew his teaching style and aced the first quiz of the day along with Tom.

"Riddle, top of the class again!" Flitwick squeaked happily. "But no surprises there of course."

"I am surprised." I said in a carrying whisper. Tom, who was standing at the front of the class beside Flitwick looked mutinous.

"And Miss Granger!" I walked up to the front of the class and stood beside Tom.

"Top of the class too! Very impressive!"

"Not really." Tom said to not only me but apparently the entire class.

"And why would you not be? When was the last time anyone ever got the same test results as you?" I said loudly. The entire class fell silent at once. Tom's eyes were shining very brightly. His gaze was enough to make me feel like we were the only two in the room.

"Occasionally. But this was luck. You are a mediocre student at best." Tom said coldly.

"I disagree." I said lightly.

"Now, now." Flitwick chirped, his small figure standing between the two of us. "A bit of competition is always healthy, but let's keep it within reason, please."

Tom looked as if there would be no reason stopping him from destroying me then and there. I just looked at him, beaming because we both knew there was nothing he could do to me with a teacher present.

"How about we go back to our seats." Flitwick said in a brave attempt at controlling the situation.

We both found our seats, I was sitting on the other side of the class. I opened my textbook and almost immediately was interrupted by what sounded like sex sounds from the other side of the class.

I looked up blankly. Tom Riddle was reenacting someone gasping and shrieking his name, the students around him laughing as if it was the most amusing thing in the world.

I stood up, pushed far beyond breaking point.

"What the hell are you doing, Tom?" I said loudly. Tom looked up at me, a stupid smirk on his face.

"Miss Granger-" I waved Flitwick down before he could speak any further.

"Well, Tom?" I said. The entire class was watching the pair of us.

"I'm sure you would remember what happened last night." Tom said. His voice was pleasant enough but I wasn't fooled.

"I'm sure to a mediocre person such as yourself sex jokes would be funny. But I personally don't feel that sex with you is worth bragging about to the entire class." I said loudly, causing gasps to erupt from the room.

"That is ENOUGH." Professor Flitwick bellowed in a voice louder than the pair of us.

"Miss Granger - to the Headmasters office. Now."

"I didn't do anything." I said angrily. "Tom started-"

"No excuses!" Flitwick pointed his wand at me. "Riddle, I shouldn't think this was a laughing matter. You will be dealt to later. Granger- need I ask you again?"

I stormed out of the room, angry beyond words. So I was going to be punished after that bullshit? I stormed off to Headmaster Dippets office, rage burning inside of me. This was injustice. So a guy publically humiliates a girl - and the girl gets punished? Was this sexism? Or just Tom being a cunning psychopath who got away with everything?

Probably both. I thought bitterly. Either way, I wasn't going to let Tom get the best of the situation. Hell no.