Hogwarts: a school of Witchcraft and Love (Tom Marvolo Riddle x F!reader)

Chapter 1-08

As the Hogwarts Express chugged along, you peered around at your fellow students. It was your first trip back on the train and you were on your way to return home. Your good mood dwindled a little bit every time you cast a peek at the boy whom you were sharing a compartment with.

Still, you stubbornly refused to be intimidated. After some hours of saying nothing you greeted him with a bright smile, but he merely gave you a curt nod and turned his attention to his book, clearly not interested in speaking.

You however were not going to be put down by his coldness. You struck up a conversation about Hogwarts and all the amazing things you'd seen so far and the classes you loved most. Tom listened silently, you knew, but despite your attempts to re-establish your friendship with him, he remained distant and aloof. You couldn't understand why he just wouldn't talk to you, but after ten or so times of trying to get him to speak, you gave up.

*~*~*

When you walked through the thick, metal gates of Wool's Orphanage, the place you had called home for as long as you could remember, you felt a sense of nostalgia wash over you. It only had been a few months since you last stepped foot in this place yet it felt like a lifetime ago. You had been so thrilled when Tom showed you your Hogwarts letter, and now that you've had a taste of the wizarding world, you couldn't help but feel a bit out of place back in the Muggle world.

It was a mix of emotions. On one hand, you were excited to see your old friends and have a break from the magical world. On the other, you missed the feeling of magic in the air and the sound of spells being cast. Hogwarts had become your home away from home and being back at Wool's felt strange.

Stepping through the halls of the orphanage, you heard familiar voices and laughter. You followed the sound to the living area where most of the kids sat gathered. They all greeted you with hugs and questions.

You spent the next few days catching up with everyone and it felt good to be back despite the fact none of them understood you. You exchanged stories about your first semester at Hogwarts while indulging in Mrs. Cole's cooking. However, at the back of your mind, there was only one thing you really wanted to do.

You looked around your bedroom and realized that this place wasn't all bad. You made friends here, too, and they were here to welcome you back with open arms. And while magic may not be present in the same way it was at Hogwarts, you knew there was a different kind of magic all around you.

So, as time carried on, you settled back into life at the orphanage and slipped back into the habbit of doodling. While you didn't have too much difficulty adjusting to normality, you couldn't say the same for the only other magical being with you.

You saw Tom struggle-like a puzzle piece that didn't quite fit in the picture. Each time someone approached him or attempted to get close, he would recoil, either ignoring their existence or lashing out in frustration. The incident with Luna, who innocently touched his shoulder during breakfast, had left a mark on your memory. Something was undeniably amiss with Tom, but you didn't understand his inner turmoil. It was like he wasn't even trying to connect with others, resulting in a self-imposed isolation where he was now surrounded by children that didn't like him just as much as he didn't like them.

You wanted to help him but didn't know how. So you kept your distance, at least for the first couple of days, until the night you found him tucked away against an old pipe, faintly illuminated under a small ray of light coming out from between cracks inside an old cupboard closeby.