Faltering Facade - Tom Riddle

I - Head Girl, Head Boy

Marlowe Clavis was going to explode.

Yup, she was going to explode-and in every way possible, too.

Yes, even in that way.

"Congratulations to each and every single one of you first years!" Professor Dippet exclaims, his voice sincere as it booms through the Great Hall. Excitement seems to pour out of each student, enthusiastic cheers and unsynchronized claps sounding from each of the four tables. That was something Marlowe had always loved about Hogwarts; the unwavering pride students had for their school, but more specifically, for their houses.

Collective excitement was always. . . well. . . exciting.

All of the first years had just been sorted into their houses, which meant that this years Head Girl and Head Boy were about to be announced. Marlowe's chest tightens at just the thought of it. The girl had been in anticipation of this moment ever since she witnessed her first sorting ceremony. Awe had struck her watching the selected Head Girl and Head Boy as they strode confidently to the front of the room, continuing to reign as some of the most influential students for the rest of their stay at the school.

Marlowe knew then and there that she wanted to others to experience that same feeling with her that she had once experienced herself. Selfishly enough, she wanted people to look up to her. But in the grand scheme of things, who doesn't?

She had worked her ass off each and every single year after that sorting ceremony so that she could make Headmaster Dippet and the other professors' job at picking Head Girl stupidly easy, and blatantly obvious. She almost knew for certain that she had done just that-and the rest of the school seemed to know it too.

Marlowe is pulled away from her thoughts at the rigid nudge of a shoulder beside her. She turns suddenly to face a pale haired boy, who has a confident grin on his face.

"Marlowe for Head Girl?!" Abraxas Malfoy both questions and states at the same time, assertively nodding his head up and down as if Marlowe had already been named Head Girl. A small, shy smile creeps up onto her lips, and she simply chuckles in response to the boys words, lowering her head lightly as her eyes flicker between the people around her.

"Yeah!" Alphard Black pipes in confidently, shaking hands with Abraxas from across the table. A few of the other Slytherins around her add on some more enthusiastic 'yeahs' and other positive words. Abraxas holds up his hand for a high-five, in which Marlowe gives him, her brows furrowing and apprehensive smile growing as she looks into the boys pale eyes. A strange gesture, for sure. Innocent-and appreciated by Marlowe-but still definitely strange.

The girl wasn't exactly close with the students around her-or anyone really-but they still seemingly respected her. . . and the opportunity for someone in their house to be crowned a Head.

As if having remembered something important, Marlowe's eyes snap up quickly and search down the Slytherin table. Her probing gaze only passes over a few students before they stop almost abruptly, meeting with a pair of dark eyes-eyes that seem to observe her silently. Eyes that belong to-

"Tom for head boy?!" Abraxas both questions and states at the same time, again, turning down the table to face the darkly handsome man. Tom Riddle's eyes leave Marlowe and snap to Abraxas at the sound of his name. Similar 'yeahs' and positive comments are shared amongst people around him. Tom gives a small smirk, chuckling lightly, but doesn't make eye contact with anyone while doing so. He turns to face the front of the large room.