A/N: Hellooooo again :) Thank you for everyone who reviewed, the encouragement and feedback was amazing. But, unfortunately, I'm very greedy. I want more, more, moooore! Haha I hope you enjoy this chapter!
The Beginning of Term Feast was an especially unpleasant affair. Tom had invited Lucy, Edmund, and Emily to sit with him and his friends. Of course, they accepted (no one refused Tom Riddle) although Edmund and Emily seemed to be much more enthusiastic to do so than Lucy was.
Ed's chest was puffed out as far as it would go, inflated with pride. He wore a huge, voracious grin on his face, clearly thrilled with his current position across from Riddle himself. Emily, once again, was a pile of goo on the table, a look of absolute admiration stuck on her face. Her eyes were fixed on his handsome, stoic face, a serene smile on her usually pursed lips.
It was obvious that the two of them were thrilled with their current situation, but it was equally obvious that Lucy was not. She sat immediately to Tom's right, hands in her lap submissively, not touching her food but staring at her plate silently. She was hoping with all her might that by remaining silent, Riddle would forget that she was there. No such luck.
"So Lucy," he began, spearing a bit of Shepard's pie on his fork. "How many NEWTs are you taking this year?" The sudden start of conversation seemed to startle all of those around him, especially Edmund who didn't seem to care for the fact that he was addressing Lucy instead of him.
"Five," Lucy muttered reluctantly, swirling her fork around on her plate, forcing the peas and mashed potatoes to mingle. Tom nodded appreciatively, a polite, but unnerving smile on his face. "That's quite impressive,"
"I strongly advised against the heavy workload she's made for herself," Edmund interjected, determined to insert himself into the conversation. Tom turned his head calmly toward him, eyes frigid with frustration and annoyance.
"Did you?" he asked tersely. Edmund seemed to regret his decision to interrupt already. He swallowed with visible difficulty.
"Well yes, I-I didn't think she could handle it. It's a monstrous load to…" Tom didn't seem interested in what he had to say.
"It might be too much for you to handle, Fintan, but I have no doubt that Miss Graves will do quite nicely. From what I hear, she's remarkably gifted," and with that, Tom redirected his full attention onto Lucy.
Lucy was perplexed. She was under the impression that the only reason either she or Emily were there was because of Tom's interest in Edmund. It had never occurred to her that it was really her that he had been interested in. There was only one girl in his little following, Bellatrix Black. And, well, she simply wasn't normal. Lucy always found her to be a little demented, and a little too zealous about her family's lineage.
All of a sudden, Lucy's chest began to tighten and her heart began to race. This was not a group she wanted to be apart of. She looked around the table, looking at the other members. Of course, there was the ever-deranged Bellatrix, a seventh year like the rest of them, with her wild black hair and crazed eyes. Then there was Yaxley and Dolohov, also seventh years. Next to them was a fifth year, Lucius Malfoy. She recognized him from the Ministry Christmas function the year before. He seemed very different in this setting. At the Ministry he had seemed shy, and unsure, but among his older, more powerful friends, he was haughty with an irritating smirk on his pale, pointed face. There were a few more faces that Lucy didn't recognize, but they all had one thing in common: all of them were fixated on Riddle with an almost worshipful reverence.
Lucy let a shiver run down her spine. No, she definitely wanted nothing to do with this crowd. They were a whole new level of pureblood mania and the way they looked at their leader was unnerving.
She stood up suddenly, snapping herself out of her inner-monologue. "I think I'll head in early, if you don't mind," she said hurriedly, suddenly very eager to get out of there as quickly as humanly possible.
Unlike the rest at the table, Tom seemed completely unphased by her sudden movements. "Of course, let me walk you back," he offered, dabbing a napkin on the side of his mouth and preparing to get up. This was the exact opposite of what she wanted to happen.
"That's really not necessary," Lucy insisted but Tom waved her objections aside. "Really, you shouldn't be allowed to roam the halls alone," and it was obvious that that was the end of the discussion.
Lucy sighed unhappily and nodded. "I'll see you back in the common room Em, Ed," Emily just nodded, in shock of what had just happened. Edmund didn't even do that; he just glared at her. Lucy was wracked with intense guilt. She hadn't meant to ruin Ed's chances of joining the group he so longed to belong to. The anger in Edmund's eyes could only be compared to that in Bellatrix's. She was positively vibrating with anger. Lucy had always suspected she got some kind of jolly out of being the only woman high enough on the food chain to be associated with Riddle.
Lucy had no time for apologies. Riddle grasped her by the upper arm, much like Sebastian had only hours earlier, and lead her gently out of the Great Hall. Once they were out in the corridor, an awkward silence surrounded them.
After climbing a few flights of stairs Tom stopped and turned to her with a confidant, bone melting smile, if not a little arrogant. "Something's been bothering you. Would you tell me what it is?" It was phrased as a question but Lucy knew that it was no such thing.
"Well…" Lucy struggled with whether or not she should tell him the real reason she was so upset, it didn't require much thought. Those dark eyes of his seemed like they could see through anything, including lies. "I think Edmund's angry with me. He thinks that I'm stealing his spotlight,"
Tom let out a laugh; not a good natured one but a malicious one, clearly at Edmund's expense. "Fintan? Don't let him bother you Graves; we can't let people like that get to us," Once again, Lucy was very confused.
"People like that?" she asked. She had thought that Edmund was a great choice for an acquaintance and friend.
"Don't get me wrong, his bloodline is impressive and no doubt Daddy will get him a nice cushy job at the Ministry after graduation with all those connections. But we have something that he doesn't," Tom was getting excited, it was showing in his eyes and posture.
"He lacks real talent, intelligence. He has no drive. People like us, Lucy, don't have any such deficiency." Lucy was indignant, feeling an urge bubble inside of her to defend her friend.
"Then why lead him on? You got him all excited, paying attention to him like that! Why not come to me directly?" Tom grinned at her much like a father would to a silly child.
"I've offended you. That kind of loyalty is an admirable quality, but misdirected. To answer your question, there aren't exactly many females in my little group. Of course there's dear Bella, but I'm afraid she doesn't take kindly to newcomers," He gave her another one of those unnerving smiles again and took a lock of her hair and spun it around his finger. "Especially not ones as pretty as you are,"
Lucy jerked back as if he had burned her. Tom was displeased with her reaction, but carried on, "I've been watching you for a long time Lucy,"
Lucy didn't like this at all. The tightening in her chest was back and her mind began to whir, thinking of excuses to leave.
"I don't know, Tom… I'm not really sure if I'd fit in with your friends," this had come out more quickly and high-pitched than Lucy had planned. She cleared her throat and began again. "I just don't think I'm what you're looking for,"
"I can understand why you're hesitant to join us, Lucy. We aren't exactly what you would call a conventional school organization," he smirked at this, as if enjoying an immensely gratifying inside joke. "But I urge you to think of everything we could offer you. With me, Lucy, you'll be powerful and adored," he rested his hand on her shoulder, squeezing a little. "Surely those things appeal to you,"
Adored? Lucy had never been adored before in her life. Admired, yes and liked, sure, but never adored. She couldn't deny, she longed to know what it felt like. She looked up at Tom, his handsome face grinning at her, so clearly eager to have her be a part of his group. Had she ever been so wanted before? No, she never had.
"Alright, I suppose I could try it out…" she conceded. If she didn't like it, she could always politely decline other invitations and go on with her life. Tom was jubilant.
"Excellent Lucy. We're having a little get together tonight. Meet me outside the great hall at 11:00," he was grinning victoriously, kissing her cheek before allowing her to continue to the common room alone.
As she walked down the staircases and down into the dungeons all she could here were Tom's words echoing in her head. "you'll be powerful and adored… adored… adored,"
A/N: I hope you guys liked it! Again, please review, I live for reviews! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for Chapter 3.