A/N: This is my first ever Tom Riddle fanfic. So, I'm still getting to know him as a character. This idea has been jumping around in my mind for a while now, but I finally got to writing it down a couple of days ago. Please review! .

The First Glance: An Unpleasant Encounter

"Hey, can you pass me that bowl, please?" a soft voice spoke from his left.

Tom had been pondering over the possible clues to finding the legendary Chamber of Secrets; he had been researching for months, now he just needed to put the pieces together. But sadly, it wasn't as easy as it sounded. He looked up. It was a fellow 5th year Slytherin girl. He didn't really know her, but then again, he never really paid attention to a lot of people in his year anyway. He glared at her; he hated it when people interrupted him for such stupid things. Shock and fear crossed her face but she quickly recovered as Tom passed her the bowl.

Tom stood up and walked out of the Great Hall to the grounds. He was overly frustrated; he had been trying to figure out the possible ways of getting into the Chamber of Secrets for days and wasn't getting anywhere. It was sunny today, with some November winds. Tom sat on a rock, his little hidden spot around the lake. It has to be in the most insignificant spot he thought. Somewhere where no one will think of looking. But where? There were at least a thousand different places that were insignificant. He would have left a sign of himself there. Yes, somewhere insignificant, but marked. That made sense.

Tom leaned back and closed his eyes. This was his favorite spot to. He could sit here and think for hours in the soothing silence, with nothing and no one to disturb him. And he could relax. It was peaceful here, and alone.

He heard soft footsteps on the grass and then somebody parted the bushes. Tom's lips formed into a thin line and he cursed under his breath. He opened his eyes and groaned. He saw a tall girl with curly auburn hair step in. It was that same girl from breakfast who Tom had glared at.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I wake you?" she said anxiously.

"I wasn't sleeping." His tone was cold. He sat back up again.

"Oh. I was just walking through the bushes, and it looked like a peaceful hidden spot to me so I came over here. I didn't think anybody would know of it." She was trying to explain herself. Well, the deadly look Tom was giving her didn't exactly make anyone comfortable. But that's exactly why he put it on; he didn't want people to feel comfortable around him. He wanted people to be intimidated by him, for people to admire him. "Do you come here often?" She continued talking. This time, she even had the nerve to step forward and sit on the rock beside his rock. He glared at her. He didn't want anyone else to know of his secret spot, but she had found it. Not only found it, she seemed comfortable lurking in it. That made him boil in anger, but he controlled his anger very effectively. That was one of his qualities; nobody could know the exact emotions he was feeling unless he intended them to.

"I don't see why exactly you should be interested in that," he replied calmly, turning his face sideways to look at her. Didn't she understand he wanted her to leave? He picked a long blade of grass from beside him and twirled it through his fingers to show his disinterest.

"Well, I was just wondering," she said casually whilst childishly swinging her legs. She didn't seem to realize that she wasn't welcome in his secret spot. "You seemed mad at me at breakfast." It was a statement without doubt. Her deep green eyes looked directly at him, daring him to answer her.

"I don't like being interrupted or asked for favors," he said keeping his expression and tone cold but in composure. The twirling of the grass was the only indication of his increasing irritation.

"Wow. You're kind of rude, you know. I don't see why I can't ask you to pass me the bowl when it is sitting the closest to you." Her tone clearly indicated that she didn't think her actions to be wrong at all. Unlike Tom, she didn't seem to be betraying any emotions by her tone; she kept on swinging her legs in a carefree manner.

"There were a bunch of other people you could have asked, I was concentrating on something really hard, and you interrupted me. And I really don't think I should be perceived as rude, considering that I'm not the one to barge into someone's place of peace and quiet and have the nerve to sit down and start babbling nonsense." Only Tom could have made such a rant sound calm, cool, and carefree. His level of annoyance was increasing every minute and he had a sudden urge to take his wand out and curse her.

"Well, I'm sorry for not being a leglimens and knowing you were thinking something. And I discovered this place on my own too, so I have the right to remain here as much as you do." Her casual yet smug tone surprised Tom; of course, nothing that she would be able to notice. But, nobody ever dared to talk to him in this tone, whether they knew him or not. His aura was intimidating enough for people to leave him alone, but apparently that wasn't the case with her.

"Well, unlike you, I have better things to do then argue about nonsense. And since you don't seem to want to leave, I think I will," Tom said with a finality in his tone and he started to walk away.

"Oh, so that's the deal, is it? When somebody else gets the upper hand in an argument, you run away?" Her tone was challenging. That hit a nerve, and Tom stopped dead in his tracks. He turned back towards her. She had a leering expression on her face and her loose curls were blowing in the wind.

"I'm not 'running away'." The quotation marks were clear in his tone. "But, I don't see the point of this discussion, and your company is irritating me. And, as I said, I have much, much better things to do."

"Whatever you say," she said with both hands raised over her head, rolling her eyes. Tom shrugged and walked away. He was going to have to be extra careful about avoiding snobby people for their own good. If she messed around with him one more time, she'd pay for it. He snarled and walked to the library to finish his Transfiguration homework.