Author's note: I would just like to thank Nova Sinfonia for her extremely supportive and helpful review of my last fanfic. That is all.
Chapter One
Lauren's face flushed slightly as Slughorn continued to praise her work.
"Headmaster Dippit even told me that she is in at least the top thirty percent in all of her classes" Slughorn went on, beaming at one of his prize members of the unfortunately named Slug Club. Lauren had been completely unnoticed by Slughorn until the end of the first quarter. Before then, he had overlooked her as a shy little thing who always did her work well and on time, but never talking unless asked a direct question, which wasn't often. When he looked over her grades, however, Slughorn had been shocked to see that this calm wallflower was doing far better than anyone else in the class. He chastised himself for not recognizing her obvious talents and asked her to one of the Slug Club gatherings the next day after class and she accepted readily.
Everybody in the club forgot about her after the first day when they realized she had nothing to offer in the way of conversation. She sat quite contentedly at the end of the table quietly eating and listening to what the others said or drifting into her own strange world. She was used to being alone. Her overpowering shyness and the fact that she spent all her free time reading at the library did not win her any friends. That day, however, the interest in her was renewed. It was one thing to have a special talent in one class, but all of them; that showed something special. At the far end of the table, Tom Riddle sat and thought of the interesting new development. Like everyone else, he hadn't previously paid any attention to her. Unlike everyone else, however, he knew exactly what to do about her. He had long since learned the benefits of befriending powerful people, whether they be teachers or exceptional students. Besides, he reasoned with himself, even if she turned out to be completely useless to him, there was no harm in having a little fun. Looking at her, however, he highly doubted that she was really worth the trouble. Her figure was unremarkable, more like a rectangle than an hourglass, with small breasts and hips to go with it. He decided that a pretty face could have saved her looks, but she was decidedly plain, even in that regard. Her long, dull brown hair didn't suit her face and her glasses and bad skin didn't help matters. He could tell that she didn't even bother with makeup. He had to admit, though that her brain was worth it. Clearly she was smart enough to be of use and sometimes it was the shy girls who were more willing to go to bed sooner, since they were more desperate and didn't know how to tease or say no. He suppressed a smirk, thinking about some of his previous flirtations. He left all the important girls (powerful witches, those who came from good families, etc.) with their hearts intact, some of them still convinced that the two of them were going steady. The unimportant girls were not so lucky, though he tried to make as few actual enemies as possible during his stay at Hogwarts.
The rest of the dinner passed uneventfully. As the students began to shuffle out of the door, Lauren noticed that Tom Riddle was by her side. She felt herself blush and hoped he wouldn't notice.
"So" he began casually as they walked down the corridor together "top thirty percent in everything. That's quite an impressive feat."
"Thanks" she replied and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering why he had suddenly started talking to her. She decided that she didn't like being the center of attention. She loved getting the grades and the palpable feeling of envy in the room, of course, but when it came down to people actually talking to her, it was too much. She was so unused to human contact that it made her nervous. "I like your shoes" she added, realizing how stupid it sounded as she was saying it.
"Thank you" he replied gallantly. "I like yours too".
"Thanks. I bought them about two years ago, but you really can't tell. They hold up remarkably well".
They continued to talk as they made their way down the hall. Tom was as charming as ever and even walked her to the painting outside the Ravenclaw common room.
Dear Diary,
I had a good day today. I did well on my Spells test (wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles) and had a lot of free time to study. I even got an extra two hours of reading done! The evolutionary history of magical creatures is actually pretty interesting. My next book will be decidedly lighter, though. I'm due for a novel. I heard from mum and dad! All is well and apparently dad is mere inches away from getting a raise. Call me spoiled, but I hope he does. Prof. S announced my good grades during Slug Club. Also, Tom Riddle talked to me on the way back to the dormitories. I think I made a fool of myself, as always, but as pathetic as it may sound, I was grateful for the human interaction, short and shallow as it was. Anyway, I should get to sleep soon, so goodnight and I'll see you tomorrow.
-Lauren
The next time Tom and Lauren saw each other, it was at the library three days later. She had been studying and was now reading a light muggle novel that her parents had sent her about a wonderful man who started having an affair with his best friend's wife. It was so exciting that she didn't bother to look up when Tom was next to her. Tom had just come from an exhausting study session in the room of requirement with a pert little Gryffindor who, like so many other girls, saw Tom as her pet "project". He now stood next to Lauren and gave her a seemingly tentative "hello, again".
"Oh, hello Tom!" she beamed. Surely if he came up to her again, he must like at least something about her. "Are you coming to the next Slug Club meeting?"
"I am. What about you?"
"Yeah. I like Slug Club. It's nice just being able to just spend time and talk with other people".
Lauren never actually talked during Slug Club, but Tom wasn't about to point that out.
"I know what you mean. One can feel so" he paused for effect "alienated at Hogwarts". He knew he had struck the right note because she nodded furiously and said that she knew just what he meant.
"I know! It's probably the only thing I don't like about Hogwarts. I enjoy being alone, though, so it all works out."
"Do you like other people?"
The question was so direct that it caught them both off guard. Tom almost apologized for having asked her, until she replied.
"I just think that some things are more important than people and I just don't always like being with people."
Tom let a brief smirk cross his features. He knew how to read people and her misanthropy showed through to him for the first time, try as she may to conceal its extent. He knew precisely what approach to take now; the "I'm the only one who understands you", "you and me against the world" method of attack would suit this girl well. He took a seat beside her and began talking in earnest. He talked about types of people he didn't like; show-offs, cheerleaders, anyone who he assumed a girl like Lauren would hate. He was right on every count. She nodded, wide-eyed, and told him nearly every other sentence, "I know! I feel that way too!" He was never blatantly unkind, and only hinted at individuals, never naming names, but he made her feel like they were the only two real, living people in a world populated by phony idiots by saying things like, "People like that just don't understand". He was almost surprised at how much hatred was in her and for some seemingly harmless people, but he kept on with his slow smile and low voice, making her feel with every sentence, every syllable, even, that they weren't like anyone else. He solidified the feeling by agreeing that yes, her sister was horribly unkind to insinuate that her glasses made her unattractive and even went so far as to say that she was probably jealous because Lauren's glasses made her look lovely. He thought that even she could see through that, but she continued to lap up every word.
