Those You've Known

Chapter 1- It All Started at Lunch

"Professor, I don't understand why we keep Muggles around. I'm sure it would be quite easy to kill off the entire race. You must admit we are superior to them."

Tom Riddle Jr. was sitting in his Muggle Studies class, debating the professor over the usefulness of Muggles…again.

"Well, Tom, you see, Muggles are actually an interesting race. We can learn a lot from them."

"Oh, I'm sure we can learn many things from them, Professor. I just don't believe we can learn anything useful."

"Ah, well then, I suppose anything I say won't change your mind-set. I've debated you on this many times, Tom, and I'd prefer that you do not question me. After all, I am the professor and you are the student. Now class, it seems that our time together has run out, but I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow when we begin our discussion on Muggle bath toys. Good day to you all."

Tom stood up with the rest of the class and rolled his eyes. "I seriously question the intellect of some of the professors here," Tom muttered to his friend, Zion.

"I agree," Zion said as they walked out of the classroom and headed to lunch. "I mean, does Professor Binns even know what he's talking about half of the bloody time? And Professor Dumbledore, I've never seen an odder bloke my whole entire life."

"Dumbledore's a genius, Zion. I would've thought you were smarter than to assume I was talking about him. In fact, I was talking about everyone here besides him," Tom said scathingly as they stepped into the Great Hall. He craned his head above the crowd of people, searching for someone.

"Are you looking for Cecilia again? Bloody hell, Tom! She's a Gryffindor. You're a Slytherin!"

"I don't need you to remind me what house I'm in, Zion. And I shall do as I please. Don't you think you should go eat something? I could hear your stomach rumbling from across the classroom in Muggle Studies," Tom sneered as Zion hurried off to the Slytherin table.

"Hey Tom, who're you looking for?" Tom turned to see a girl with bright blue eyes and long curly blond hair looking at him with a huge smile on her face. Cecilia.

"You, actually. Come on, I'm starved, let's go eat," Tom turned and began to walk towards the end of the Hufflepuff table. If they ate lunch together at either the Slytherin table or the Gryffindor table, people would be giving them dirty looks the entire time, but the Hufflepuffs, on the other hand, could care less about them.

"Wait Tom," Cecilia said, grabbing his arm. "I don't know if we should eat together anymore." She frowned. "My friends have been saying that we're being gossiped about. And I-"

"Why do care what people say?" Tom asked, cutting her off.

"It's just…it makes me uncomfortable. My friends are talking to me less and less. They think I'm going to the dark side. Soon I'll have nobody to talk to."

"You'll have me," Tom said, not understanding why Cecilia was so bothered.

"Tom, we only see each other during mealtime. How do you think it feels to sit in the Gryffindor common room all by myself as everyone else is having fun with their friends? It hurts."

"And do you think I don't go through the same thing?" Tom asked angrily. "Do you think that I'm not ignored? Because I am, Cecilia, I always have been. Ever since I was dropped off at the orphanage as a baby I've been alone. How do you think that feels?"

"I'm sorry, Tom," Cecilia whispered, tears in her eyes. She sighed and wiped the tears away. "You know what? Let's just forget this and eat." She led the way over to the Hufflepuff table and they both sat down.

"You don't have to eat with me if you don't want to," Tom mumbled as he grabbed a tuna sandwich off of a platter of food.

"No," Cecilia said, shaking her head, "I want to. So," her voice brightened, "How were your classes this morning?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Potions was confusing; thank God Slughorn likes me, or else I'd be failing his class. Charms was way too simplistic. Muggle Studies was absolutely horrendous. The professor still won't accept the fact that we're superior to Muggles and that we need to completely wipe out the race."

Cecilia frowned, looking disturbed. "What do you have against Muggles? You were raised by Muggles."

"And they made my life a living hell. They're good for nothing, Cecilia. What, do you're parents actually believe Muggles are useful?"

"Well, actually-"

"And let me guess. You're parents were in Gryffindor. They're about the only House that actually accepts Muggles and Mudbloods." Tom made a sound of disgust. "If it were up to me, no Mudblood would ever be allowed to step foot into Hogwarts. They're just like Muggles. Unworthy."

Cecilia's face paled ever so slightly. "Tom," she whispered, "You shouldn't speak like that, it's wrong."

"Whatever," Tom said, stuffing his mouth with food. "At least you're a pureblood. I'd hate if you were a Mudblood. There'd be no way we could've been friends if you were a Mudblood. It wouldn't have been acceptable."

Cecilia lowered her eyes. "Yeah…Tom…I don't-"

"Cecilia, you haven't eaten anything. Are you feeling alright?" Tom asked, completely oblivious to Cecilia's discomfort.

"I'm fine, Tom, really," she said, noticing how concerned he looked. "I just, um, remembered a Potions paper I had due today that I didn't start yet. I should prob-"

"Take mine," Tom offered. "Slughorn won't even notice."

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that," Cecilia said, standing up. "I'll see you at dinner." She ran away from the table, leaving Tom confused and lonely.

When dinner arrived, Tom was apprehensive about seeing Cecilia. Her abrupt exit at lunch worried him. He walked into the Great Hall, scanning the tables for her. Not finding her, he sat down at the Hufflepuff table and waited for her arrival. By the time she came, dessert was already being served. Tom was just about to get up and go sit over at the Slytherin table when he saw her walking in. She was with someone. A boy. They were laughing together as they walked, and when they parted, Cecilia hugged him.

Tom frowned as Cecilia happily walked over to the Hufflepuff table. "Hey Tom," she greeted him, looking much happier than she did at lunch.

"Who's the guy you walked in with?" Tom asked, trying to sound uninterested.

"Laurence? He's in Ravenclaw and a fifth year like us. He helped me with my Potions paper." Cecilia grabbed a piece of pumpkin pie and began eating it hungrily.

Tom stared at Cecilia in confusion. "I offered to help you with the paper," he said quietly.

"No, Tom, you offered to give me your paper. It's different. I just didn't think cheating was the right thing to do." She shrugged and smiled at him.

Tom was far from smiling. "I could've helped you if you needed help," he muttered, biting into a piece of chocolate cake.

"You know you're no good in Potions. You even said so yourself at lunch. You said that it was confusing. It was just easier to go to Laurence."

Tom scratched the back of his neck. "Are you and Laurence friends?" he asked, avoiding Cecilia's gaze.

"Not particularly," she said slowly, gazing curiously at Tom. "Are you jealous?" she asked incredulously.

"No!" Tom said, quickly, his cheeks turning light pink. Why was he acting like this? He didn't like Cecilia in that way. They were just friends. That's all. "If you guys aren't friends, though, why'd you hug him?" Tom asked, still avoiding her gaze.

"It was a simple thank you gesture. Tom, why are you acting this way? You know you're my best friend here at Hogwarts."

"I know," Tom murmured, pushing a brownie crumb around his plate. The conversation was becoming too uncomfortable for him.

"Then what's the problem? You're acting like my father."

"Look," Tom said, finally meeting her gaze. "I was just asking a question. So can we just drop it? For being my best friend, you're awfully oblivious to how uncomfortable I am with this. In fact, you seem to be completely oblivious to all of my feelings."

Tom stopped abruptly, knowing he went too far. A look of hurt crossed Cecilia's face. "I'm oblivious to you're feelings? Did you not notice how I felt at lunch? How uncomfortable I was? I was just going to forget about it and move on. But then you have the audacity to say that I'm oblivious to your feelings." She stood up, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You can go eat with someone who isn't so oblivious to you feelings from now on." Cecilia turned around and hurriedly ran out of the Great Hall.

"Wait!" Tom called, but it was too late. He put his head in his hands and silently cursed Cecilia for making him feel like this. In fact, she was the only one that ever made him feel anything. Maybe that's why he hung out with her so often. But did he really have a crush on her? He didn't think so. He'd only seen her as a friend throughout the past five years. When he saw her with Laurence, though, something coursed through him. Something he couldn't describe. It was like a mixture of hatred and wanting. He refused to admit that it was jealousy. Tom Riddle was not jealous of anyone. Jealousy was for weak people. He was not weak.

Tom stood up, deciding that sorting through his feelings caused him too much of a headache. He'd sort through them some other time, when he wasn't so tired and upset. Or maybe he wouldn't even need to sort through them; maybe everything would just fall into place without him even needing to think about it.

He took a longer, roundabout route back to the common room, hoping to perhaps see Cecilia again. She wasn't anywhere to be found, and Tom retired to the Slytherin dorm room, already forming in his head what he was going to say to Cecilia when he saw her at breakfast.

Tom walked down to breakfast with Zion the next morning. He was talking about a first year that had accidentally cast a spell in Charms class that made Professor Flitwick turn into a monkey.

"Isn't that a little advanced for a first year?" Tom asked, even though he wasn't really paying attention.

"I suppose. I don't think the kid really knew what he was doing, though."

"What's his name?" Tom asked as they entered the Great Hall.

"Lucius Malfoy. He's in Slytherin with us."

"Mm. I'll have to keep him in mind," Tom said as he searched for Cecilia.

"In mind for what?" Zion inquired.

"Nothing," Tom said, annoyed that he didn't see Cecilia anywhere. Zion frowned at him before going over to the Slytherin table.

Just then, Tom spotted her. She was sitting at the Ravenclaw table. With Laurence. Anger bubbled up inside of Tom, and he debated whether or not to go over and ask to speak with her in private. No. If she isn't going to apologize, then he won't either. He stalked over to the Slytherin table and sat down next to Zion.

What he didn't know, though, was that across the room, Cecilia saw him. She saw the anger flash across his face. And as he went over to the Slytherin table, a single tear fell from her eye.

Author's Note:
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "Those You've Known". I'm also in the middle of a Hunger Games fan-fic titled "Their Worst Nightmare" so it may be a while until I update this again. That is, unless I get a lot of reviews, in which case, I'll update as soon as I can. I just need to know that this story has a fan-base. Sooo, REVIEW! =) It'll make me happy, and in the long run, make YOU happy.