Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.

Chapter Twenty-Four

November 15, 1937 — First Year

"I'm really sorry about Fleamont, Tom," Hermione said for the nth time as they walked towards their respective classes.

They would had to separate soon since Tom's next class was DADA and Hermione's was Charms. Tom was taking his time with Hermione but if she wasn't going stop apologizing soon, he'd likely spell her mouth shut. Tom sighed, irritation making his skin itch. Why couldn't she just leave this be? He didn't care an iota about what Potter had said. He didn't even care anything that was remotely related to Potter!

"It's fine," Tom said exasperatedly, waving her apologies away like they were flies he wanted to swat. "I don't really care about Potter. He was... He was only trying to protect you."

It left a sour taste in his mouth, knowing that Potter was trying to be valiant or something. Tom had only allowed Potter's insolence because it was on behalf of Hermione. He could appreciate his loyalty and his attempt at protecting Hermione even if it was against the wrong person. But still, knowing that Potter questioned his relationship with Hermione and that Tom couldn't do something about it, made him very irritated. Add to the fact that Hermione kept apologizing for actions that weren't her own, Tom was all too ready to unleash his growing frustration on someone.

"He doesn't have a solid basis in his accusations that doesn't stem from the opinions of his family about my house," Tom continued. "It doesn't bother me so it shouldn't bother you either."

"But I am bothered," said Hermione, unwilling to let this matter go. "I'm especially bothered with the fact that he told you to stay away from me."

Tom sighed under his breath. "I knew that I shouldn't have told you what happened."

If Hermione wasn't so perceptive of his moods and if she wasn't so good at spotting his lies, Tom could've avoided this painfully inducing conversation. But no, he just had to tell her the truth now, hadn't he?

"Well, I'm glad that you did!" Hermione shot back at him. "I would be terribly upset if you didn't. Fleamont has no right to do that."

"Yes, yes, as you said countless times," Tom said monotonously.

"Yes, I know!" Hermione continued, either unaware of his lackluster response or simply ignoring it. "But I just can't believe that he'd do that. I know that there's no love lost between the two of you but this kind of behavior is very uncharacteristic of him that I just have to put him on his place. He can't dictate who I befriend. Honestly!"

Tom counted to ten, backwards, in Latin.

"And accusing you of being a dark wizard!" She continued. "I can't even comprehend what prompted him to accuse an eleven years old of being a dark wizard! Oh, Tom, I'm so sorry that he said that to you."

Merlin, there's that sorry again! It was truly grating on Tom's nerves. She had nothing to apologize for except for having such sorry excuse of Gryffindor friends. She shouldn't apologize for the actions that was done by her friends, and to be so stubborn about it! This aspect of her personality wasn't something that he was fond of. He disliked it immensely that it was prompted by Potter.

He was already frustrated enough that he hadn't found anything in the library about his heritage. No matter how many newspapers he scoured and Hogwarts yearbooks he examined from cover to cover, he still hadn't found anything that about his family name, Riddle. He was certain that he wasn't a mudblood; no one of pure blood would ever be chosen for Slytherin. He'd already been told that Riddle wasn't a wizard name but he'd been so certain that it was. Maybe he was a half-blood. If he wasn't a pureblood, he would be a half-blood at least.

If he was a half-blood, it'd make things easier for him in his house but also difficult. He had the protection of the three Slytherin princes but he didn't want to rely on that protection any longer. All he needed was a connection to one of the pureblood families but even after many weeks, he still hadn't found anything that could lead him to a pureblood family. He was angry at himself because of his failure. Now, Hermione was worsening his temper by mentioning Potter in his presence.

Potter. Potter. Potter. Tom sneered inwardly, his chest burning. Okay, so maybe he cared about Potter— but that was only because Potter was friends with Hermione and thought of himself as her knight in shining armor. Now, Hermione was talking about him and Tom would be very happy if she could just stop already before his ears bled. He knew that she was mad at Potter, even pleased about it in fact, but he would really like to go on with his day without her mentioning a thing about him again. She already got to live in the same dorm as Potter and now she's talking about him?

Potter might not be physically there but he might as well be since he was monopolizing Tom's time with Hermione!

"It's just so unbelievable! What he did was—"

"Hermione," he said through his barely contained anger, "you are very important to me but if you as much as mention Potter in my presence, I will stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth."

She paused in the middle of the hallway which forced Tom to stop as well.

Hermione blinked her eyes. "But I thought you don't care what Fleamont said."

"Precisely," Tom answered through gritted teeth.

Now could she finally shut up?

"Then why did you threaten to curse me?"

He threw his hands in the air, thoroughly fed up. "Because you are annoying me, you barmy witch!" He snapped, huffing. "You have been talking about Potter since breakfast! I've heard nothing but Potter all throughout the day! So help me, if you mention him again today, important or not, you will lose your tongue!"

Hermione recoiled back at the vehemence that sprouted from Tom's voice. Seeing her stunned expression, Tom kept ahold of his emotions. The last thing that he wanted was to take his anger out at Hermione.

"That wasn't very nice, Tom," Hermione said, frowning. "I just wanted to apologize—"

"And you already did. Countless of times. I accepted it already so this conversation is over," he said, glaring at her. "You don't have to prolong this conversation by mentioning Potter all the time! I don't care what he thought or what he did. I don't care anything about him so drop it, Hermione. I mean it."

Hermione's lips quivered and there was a wet sheen that coated her eyes. Tom knew that she was about to cry and he averted his gaze, blowing out a deep and frustrated breath. His anger hadn't abided and he knew that if Hermione pushed, he'd snapped. He wished that she wouldn't push him so but Hermione was proving herself a pretty stubborn thing.

"I'm just worried about the two of you," Hermione said quietly, her voice slightly breaking. "You two are my friends and I don't like to see you fighting like this. Maybe, if you two could learn to get along—"

Tom snapped his eyes to her. "Are you serious right now?" He spat. "Hermione, you can ask anything of me, but asking me to play nice with Potter isn't one of them. Not in this life and not in another. The only thing that we have in common is being friends with you and that's it. He can stay on his side and I can stay on mine."

She bit her lower lip. "If you two could just—"

"No!" He barked out, glaring at her.

Why couldn't she just let this matter drop?

She snapped her mouth shut and then glared back, unshed tears still in her eyes. "Is it wrong for me to hope that two of my friends can get along? I just want you and him to stop fighting with each other."

"Well, too bad that you can't always get what you want." Tom sneered. "Just because you're Gryffindor's golden girl and princess, doesn't mean that everything has to play by your rules. You seem to forget that I'm in Slytherin and you cannot lord over me just like the rest of your Gryffindor subjects. I am not them and don't even think about making me one of them!"

Her cheeks went red and a flash of anger crossed her eyes. "I can't believe that you would accuse me of that! I am not lording over anyone, least of all you! I never tried to pretend that you're one of them and I never thought of making you into one of them! And how dare you, one of my dearest friends, to even think that about me! I will not have you disparage my character! I have never thought of you like that and I am offended that you would think that I did! Is it so wrong to think that there's the slightest chance that you and Fleamont can tolerate each other? Is it so bad that I hoped at least?"

Tom was momentarily stunned, knowing that this was the first time that he had come across Hermione's anger. Oh, he'd seen enough when it was directed to other people but it had never been directed to him. Even when he was ignoring her before and snapping at her when they weren't friends yet and he thought that she was annoying, she had always been patient with him, gentle and caring. She had snapped at him before, after Mulciber's and Avery's attack on her, but never this much. This was the first time that she had ever unleashed her anger to him.

He pursed his lips, not liking this turn of events.

"And just because you're angry doesn't mean you have to take it out on me!" Hermione concluded with a glare.

Tom didn't respond, just glaring at her for a moment before turning around and marching to his class, seething to himself.

He didn't hear her follow him and he ignored the sinking feeling weighing in his stomach.