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

Chapter 4-02

Having been mostly around just Alyssa as a Gryffindor, you hadn't really been anything special. You were just another student like everybody else. You blended in, didn't stand out, and life at the school was good like that.

But while maintaining relationships with some of the school's most popular people, that didn't hold true.

You didn't want to be all alone, and while you had talked to Eileen and Rosalind, you believed they were simply your roommates. They were the first faces you saw when waking up, and the last faces you saw when going to sleep. No more than that.

In the morning, when eating egg omelette, your new presence at the Slytherin table was noticed within minutes. Abraxas ate with you. So did Lestrade and Avery. There was the same trademark smugness about them, and Avery taunted you about how easily your loyalty changed. He didn't know the full story.

Abraxas did, and shut him down by saying it wasn't your choice but McGonagall's decision that put you into Slytherin.

Not that you were going to lose sleep over what Avery thought of you.
The one person's opinion you cared about was also the one you didn't get.

Tom's was limited to complimenting that green looked well on you, nothing more and nothing less. Your roomies weren't all that bothered about taking you with them to classes so you weren't going with them. Malfoy had you covered with your timetable.

Being member of the cool kids club put you into the spotlight. People whispered and stared at you but not because of murder rumours, but because it was weird to see you around them.

Tom kept true to his word and shielded you from it. And what he did, Abraxas and Lestrade automatically did too. Avery chose to be the exception to the unwritten rule of safeguarding your new status because he disliked you.

Their reputation and popularity opened doors. Most prefects and professors treated them with respect, even turning a blind eye to minor rule-breaking.

Who cared when Avery shamelessly cheated on an Astronomy test? Being seen with them you didn't have to worry about being jostled in the corridors because people automatically parted for you.

They made way for you, you not for them.

You still liked being in the background. So instead of being at the front with Tom and Abraxas, you were behind Avery and Lestrade.

That decision had its consequence. None of them noticed you being pulled away by the back of your cloak. The quartet continued down the foyer and you gasped, swivelled your head and gulped all at once before seeing it was just Will.

Now he regretted distancing himself from you. After seeing who your new gang was, he had something super duper important he needed to talk to you about, and it couldn't wait for another day or even an hour.

"Hear me out. I need you to."

You held your tongue at his plea, not sure if you were ready for what he was about to say.

His shifty stare flicked to the emerald you were wearing, and he grimaced. "So... The snakes?"

Why did everyone keep splitting the world into categories based on their Houses? Why couldn't Alyssa and Will see there was more to it?

"The snakes." You left your reply at that as his shoulders tensed up, the guilt and regret pouring from him.

It wasn't Slytherin that was driving you apart; it was Will himself. He wanted nothing more than to be a good friend, so you listened to what he had to say.

"Tom Riddle did... Something to me last year." Outwardly he acted like every other student around but the apprehension was the driving force that made you ask, "What did he do?"