From Her Reflection {tom riddle}

part vii - the serpent

On the surface, the gift Tom had given y/n was nothing more than a peace offering, and to him, it seemed that she took it very well.

The serpent was, after all, the animal presented on the crest of Slytherin. y/n had mentioned before about what she had to do to prove that she belonged in their house, so Tom thought that it was a sufficient enough present to keep her distracted for some time. 

But the gift wasn't completely worthless to Tom. it served him many purposes, such as collecting information on y/n. using his parseltongue, he was able to communicate with Nagini about her relationships, daily endeavors, and thoughts on Tom. He had tried for a few days, but Nagini was quite stubborn, insisting that y/n was a good owner and she didn't want to betray her trust. 

He was eventually able to get some information out of her; the snake informed Tom that y/n, although she was close with her dormmates, generally kept to herself and never mentioned Tom. She was also becoming closer to Fleamont Potter, and Nagini was certain that the boy knew about all of Tom and y/n's encounters. 

"unbelievable..." Tom muttered under his breath as he removed his ear from the exterior wall of y/n's room. "that idiot will sway her in the wrong direction." 

"There is one more thing," Nagini spoke. Tom leaned against the wall once again, eagerly listening to the snake. "I've noticed that she's been having strange moments where she spaces out or stares off into her mirror, and then lose her balance. it has only happened twice, but i feel that it is still valuable information to you-" suddenly, they were cut off by the sound of laughing and footsteps approaching tom. he quickly stood up straight and turned towards the source of the sound to find y/n and Fleamont Potter making their way into the common room. 

He peered over the balcony and watched intently: y/n's arms were wrapped tightly around her textbooks as she looked around the common room to make sure no one saw the boy enter. Fleamont had his robe draped around her petit shoulders, the Gryffindor embroidery shining brightly against the grey and green colors of y/n's uniform. they were engaged in a vibrant conversation, and it was clear Fleamont was throwing in flirtatious jokes every now and then. 

tom wanted to laugh at the boy's failed attempts to swoon y/n; every time he made a coy remark, she would brush it off by changing the conversation. it was clear she wasn't really interested. 

as tom was about to retreat to his room, he noticed y/n laugh once again and place her hand softly against his chest. it was a subtle movement that probably meant nothing to her, but Tom knew Fleamont's heart was probably beating madly. 

it was this movement that caused a rush of rage to flood tom; even the slightest idea of them being in close proximity was beginning to irritate him, not because he was jealous, but because he knew a bond between the two could ruin his own plans. 

tom loudly cleared his throat which caught the attention of both y/n and Fleamont. upon seeing the prefect, y/n groaned and rolled her eyes in annoyance. she looked back over at Fleamont and handed him back his robe before sending him a little wave on his way out. 

"did i interrupt something?" tom inquired. 

"why, jealous much?"

"how could i ever be jealous of a dim-witted idiot like Potter? i'm mentally and physically superior to he is, which is why i wonder why you choose to waste your time with him rather than having meaningful conversations with me." 

he studied the girl's reaction for a moment- she raised her eyebrows in slight surprise but then returned to her exasperated look. 

"Just because you buy me a snake and say sorry doesn't mean that we are 'friends', Riddle," she began to make her way up the stairs, her eyes filled with fury. "and frankly, I've been feeling quite suspicious about the how genuine your actions truly are. according to Fleamont, you're known for using others for getting what you want."

"and you believe him?"

she looked him up and down. "I'd believe him over you any day."

at this point, she had reached the entrance of her room, her knuckles white from how tightly she had been gripping her books. "so tell me, Riddle, what is it that you need me for?" 

the boy looked down and smirked. she's a smart one, isn't she?

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. you intrigue me, y/n. I just want to learn everything there is to you, that's all." she shook her head and scoffed. 

"tell me the truth, not the bullshit you tell all the other girls."

he cocked his eyebrow and leaned closely to y/n, tilting his chin down so that his eyes could perfectly see her's. 

"'other girls'?" y/n's head lifted up, the tips of their noses nearly touching. she had been close to tom before, but not once did she feel weak in the knees like now. the backs of her arms were pressed against his built figure and she could feel the movements of his chest as he spoke. 

"you're the only girl that has ever been slightly worthy of my attention, y/n," he whispered into her ear, his lips yet again teasing her skin. though she was normally snarky and confident around Tom, y/n now found herself speechless. " I can see the power surging through you- your yearn and desire to prove yourself to everyone that you aren't a force to be reckoned with." he paused yet again, deepening his eyebrows and quickly glancing at the girl. she looked at him too, suddenly realizing that she hadn't been breathing. time seemed to stop as if the world around them had completely dissolved and there was only Tom Riddle standing beside her, grinning madly. 

"I want to help you, and I can help you. but first, I have to explore and discover every inch of you, y/n." 

she shuddered as the last words escaped his mouth. they were cold and insidious, yet strangely comforted her. she could feel her cheeks burning as they were suddenly kissed pink like a spring rose. 

he knew exactly what he was doing, and it was working. 

then Tom moved past her, trying to fight back the smile he wanted to break out, leaving the girl in utter shock and disbelief. how could she let the boy she deeply despised flatter her so easily? 

as much as she hated him and how rude he was to her, no other boy made her feel as giddy as he did. something about his raspy voice and the way he always tried to be close to her made butterflies explode within her and her heartache. Were his feelings genuine, or did she just fall victim to his infamous charm? 

as Tom returned to his room, he couldn't help but beam proudly. though y/n was stubborn and difficult, she seemed to crack under his presence much like every other girl at the school- they were simply too easy to charm.

he thought about the way she bit her lip anxiously, how she gulped in anticipation, and when she tried to avert her gaze so he wouldn't see her scarlet cheeks. unlike her usually irritable self, y/n had become completely silent- shy to his touch. and Tom loved the idea that he had cast a spell on her, making her crumble at the sight of him. even the concept of having her under his control and being obedient made his own heart flutter. 

when Tom arrived at his room, his mind previously occupied with thoughts of y/n, he remembered what Nagini had told him about her. these episodes were odd, but the mirror notion was what stood out to him the most. 

"It must be a coincidence," he said to himself as worrying thoughts ran through his head. "what was it that book mentioned- being 'connected emotionally'? surely that couldn't be true with someone like her and i..." he trailed off, trying to come up with a plausible conclusion to his thoughts. 

finally, he decided to ask Nagini to gather more information before he would go on with this theory of his.