Fluke; Chapter 2

By Ginny :)

JKRowling owns Tom Ridde, and anyone else I forgot that has featured in her books. I own pretty much everyone else. Although Snoop is losely taken from Kaye Umanski's wonderful charactor, Dead- Eye Dudley.

Someone seemed to think that 'Fluke' is another name for some kind of parasite [sorry, your name escapes me], and... it isn't. Well, not that I know of, although it does have interesting possibilities :)... the word 'Fluke' actually means 'accident' or 'co- incidence', so now you know. I thought it fitted *shrugs*. I'm one of those people with no lives, who have meanings behind most of their charactor names [Portia, Pitty's real name, means 'Pig- like', and there's a charactor in this called Eulalia, which means 'talkative', and so on.]

And my thanks to everyone who replied to my post '... so long :(' on the message board. As you can see, I've decided to stay! :) Mucho appriciated, glad you cared ^_^. [For all those who didn't read it, I threatened to leave, for various resons, but anyway, I'm staying]

Thanks to hermione potter, my poor, abused beta- reader for betaing this. Ting tang diddle eye poe, hermione! [Don't worry if I've lost you, readers, private joke...]

Read & review!

Ginny :)

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Every day for some time after that, Fluke took to hanging around in the library, in the hopes that Tom Riddle would appear. And, each day, when he failed to, she tried not to feel too disappointed. She had hoped that she would see him again, other than from a distance, but, it seemed to her, this was not the case.

Fluke was mildly bored. She was in the dormitory, lessons having finished, half-listening to a fellow Hufflepuff, Eulalia Fletchety, a very talkative girl with fluffy light brown hair, large front teeth, a round face, and eyes the colour of unwashed denim, talking about something or other. Fluke was not exactly friends with Eulalia; she was too quiet, Eulalia too talkative, and they didn't know each other well enough, but they got along. Fluke was doodling in her sketch book, Eulalia's cat, Snoop, asleep next to her.

Snoop was an indisputable Nero amoungst cats. He had a pug- like face, most of his right ear missing, and claws like steak knives. He would chase anything, up to and including fully grown hippogriffs. His fur grew in patches, and one of his eyes was scarred so that he could no longer see out of it. He growled in his sleep, dreaming of goodness knows what. It probably involved blood, though.

Fluke winced as Snoop flexed his claws in his sleep, sinking them in to the bone.

"He's just a little sweetums, really," Eulalia informed her, "Lycius can't stand him, but that's just because he simply isn't a cat person," Lycius was Eulalia's brother, "He likes his dull little owl, you know Ragamuffin, well, that's Lycius's. He really is terribly dull- Ragamuffin, not Lycuis- and I think--"

Fluke quickly snapped her sketch book shut, as the click of the door informed her of someone entering the room. It was Pitty.

"Hello," Pitty smiled around "Did you have a good day?"

Fluke sighed. Pitty was obviously in one of her 'I'm going to be your best friend because no one else is around worth talking to' moods.

"Hello, Pitty," Eulalia greeted her "Fine, thanks. Did you know, Josiah Loxley said--"

"Did he really?" Pitty cut across Eulalia, "Fluke, will you come down to the Quidditch field with me?"

Oh, so that's what she was after. Of course, it wouldn't look right for a student as popular as Pitty to be walking across to the pitch on her own, now, would it?

"Well, I dunno..." began Fluke.

"Oh, please? It won't be the same without you!"

"Are Freya and Adeliza coming?" Freya and Adeliza were the last 2 Huffelpuff girls, and Pitty's obnoxious friends. Fluke loathed them.

"No, actually. They're meeting their boyfriends, and Tarrot was busy, and I didn't want to go along and play guzb'ry." Tarrot Jaded was Pitty's boyfriend, a 'Gryffindor oik', as Eulalia would have put it. Fluke didn't actually mind him, all things considered.

"Oh," Fluke wondered vaguely why Pitty was in Hufflepuff. She wasn't what you'd call loyal. But, Hufflepuffs are also hard- working. Pitty was not clever, and had to labour away to get decent results. So maybe that was it. She hadn't the brains to be a Ravenclaw, or the schemingness necessary to be in Slytherin, or the bravery to be in Gryffindor. So, Hufflepuff it was. In a way, they were all in the same boat. It just depended on what kind of boat you thought you were in. Fluke was pretty sure that she had a little tug- boat, steaming along, but never really getting anywhere...

"Are you coming or not?! Pitty's voice interrupted her thoughts, an edge toit now.

Fluke decided that she might as well, "Yes, all right. Shall we take our brooms?"

"That's the point of going down there, you mug! To practice flying."

"Oh-- right. See you, Eulalia."

Eulalia was now busily ignoring them. She disliked Pitty, and rarely even spoke when she was around. Still, she bid Fluke a polite farewell.

~*~

"It's cold and dark," Fluke moaned, "I didn't realise 'twere this dark. Let's go back, Pitty."

"Don't be silly," Pitty, Fluke noticed, had her eyes fixed on a group of flyers, some Slytherin boys, "let's go and practice."

Fluke was very aware that Pitty had only come down because she knew the boys would be there, and wanted to show off. Pitty was a pretty good flier, and played as a chaser for the Hufflepuff team. Fluke, however, was hopeless. Still, she didn't really care; Slytherins would laugh at her whether or not she was flying, and she might as well get a little practice in.

Pitty had swooped over to the court, and was busy doing loop-the-loops, her dark hair fanning out behind her. The boys were watching her now.

"Come on, Fluke!" Pitty shouted, just to show the boys that she wasn't alone, "You can try out for the team sometime soon with a little practice!"

Fluke shrugged, and mounted her broom. The likelihood of her ever trying out for the team was extremely minimal, and the occurrence of actually getting onto it was even less likely. Still. She got the broom to hover, and slowly, carefully, flew over to join Pitty.

"Bet you can't catch meeeeee!" Shrieked Pitty, and sped off. Fluke stared after her for a moment but following a jeer from the Slytherins, shot off after Pitty, cursing all the way.

Fluke was not a good flier, and Pitty was very advanced. She knew what she was doing, Fluke did not. Fluke tried her best to follow Pitty, aware that she'd look even more like an idiot if she didn't play along, but suddenly, Pitty did a sharp turn in the air, and shot off, skimming through the crowd of Slytherin boys, dodging through them. Resigned to fate, Fluke took a deep breath... and followed.

Thump.

She'd hit one of the boys. They fell to the ground, and hit it together with a thud.

"Ow..." she sat up, nursing her elbow. Pitty had landed neatly nearby, and was smirking delightedly.

"Sorry..." Fluke apologised to her hapless victim, "I really didn't mean to..." she avoided the Slytherin's gaze, not looking at him, as she picked herself up from the ground and began dusting her robes off, worried that he'd find some revenge, "I say, are you all right?"

He sat up, clutching his head, frowning in pain. Fluke looked who it was for the first time. Tom Riddle. She'd almost killed Tom Riddle! A deep blush spread over her usually pale face.

"Yes... I think so... ow... just a bit dizzy..." he rubbed his forehead, frowning, "Sorry, I should have gotten out of the way..."

"Riddle," interrupted Pitty, throwing Fluke a mock dirty look, "do you think you ought to go to the hospital wing?"

"Well, I-"

"I'll take you," she smiled at him sweetly, "I don't mind. My friend's a bit of an idiot, you see. Just needs a little practice!" she gave a silly giggle.

Fluke sighed. Typical. Pitty had a boyfriend- Tarrot- but that wasn't going to stop her flirting, not for blood nor money.

"Bloody Hufflepuffs," said one Slytherin-- who had apparently been created by a god who had at first wanted a brick wall, but had changed his mind halfway through-- as he glared at Fluke, and pointed his wand, "Let's see what you'd look like if I just rearranged your face a little-" the other Slytherins grinned maliciously.

"Leave her, Kendre," said Tom, and the boy- Kendre- fell back, muttering.

"Don't think you've got away with this, girly."

Fluke gave a nervous squeak. Now she had Slytherins on her trail. This didn't look good.

"Are you coming to the hospital wing too, Fluke?" Asked Tom Riddle, still clutching his forehead, where an impressive bruise was growing, "Argh, this panes!"

"I... don't think so," she admitted, she'd be most unwelcome if Pitty went along too.

"All right. See you."

"See you later, Fluke," Pitty gave her a smug smile. Fluke stared stonily back at her. Pitty knew how she felt about Tom-- she wasn't exactly covert, even if she'd never actually admitted it to anyone except herself. Fluke resigned herself to fate. She slouched back off to the Hufflepuff common- room, feeling depressed.

It might have been an hour later, when Pitty accosted her. It seemed that the nurse, Madam Lucas, expected Fluke to go and apologise to Tom Riddle, who had concussion.

Fluke had half- expected Pitty to demand to come with her to the hospital, but it seemed she had other things on her mind. No doubt a meeting had been planned with her friends or maybe Tarrot. And they were, of course, one hundred times more important then boring Fluke Astley and an injured Tom Riddle.

~*~

Fluke entered the hospital wing, nervous. She didn't exactly want to be there, but she supposed that she might as well. She'd nothing better to do, when all was done and dusted.
"Oh, you're here to see Riddle?" The school nurse, Madam Lucas, demanded.

"Yes."

"Well, go right in. You've done him quite an injury there, girl." She tutted disapprovingly.

"Er, sorry."

"Tell him that, not me. Chop chop!"

Fluke entered the cubicle nervously, pretty sure that she would make a fool of herself yet again. Not that it was anything she wasn't used to, but sometimes, she reflected, it'd be nice for something to go right in her life. Just once. Please?

Tom Riddle sat up as she entered the room.

"Oh, hello Fluke."

"'Lo, Riddle," she was painfully aware of her blushing cheeks and avoided his eye.

"Tom," he corrected her, "not Riddle."

"Er, Tom, then. Um..." she sat for a moment, unsure of what to say, and then decided that she might as well get apologising over with, "I'm most awfully sorry about-" she began, but he cut across her.

"Never mind. We all make mistakes, don't we." It was a statement, not a question. She smiled shyly.

"I... I suppose so."

"How is life?" Tom asked her. Fluke felt herself warming to him and his careless manner.

"None so good, but I suppose it could be worse," she admitted.

"Well, mine's all right, if you ignore the obvious," he gave her a twinkling smile, "Why don't you sit down? You needn't stand on parade, you know."

Fluke say down hesitantly on the edge of the hospital bed, fiddling with her fingers.

"How come you are always so quiet?"

She shrugged "Force of habit, I suppose."

"Don't you want to talk?"

"No one ever listens to me."

"I'll listen," Tom told her, "so, let's talk."

"What about?"

"Life, the universe and everything!" They both laughed.

"There's nothing to know about me," Fluke admitted, "My life is completely boring."

"Really?" His eyes smiled, "I expect that's just what everyone thinks, but how many people is it true of?" He paused, "I'm going to do something worthwhile with my life."

"What?" Fluke wondered.

He gave her a joking grin, "I'm going to rule the world!"

Fluke giggled, and he gave her another smile.

"That sounds like fun," she nodded, going along with the joke.

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be interesting," he replied slowly. Of course he was joking, but something told Fluke that he sounded just a little too serious, "There's so much wrong with the world."

"I know," she agreed, "but one day everything'll be all right for everyone."

"Of course. Someone agrees with me, then," Tom stared directly into Flukes eyes. Her stomach seemed to turn inside out.

"Well... yes..."

And then... and then... his mouth was on hers. He smelt strongly of disinfectant, but she decided to ignore that.

This was the most glorious feeling. Fluke's stomach seemed to melt inside her. Oh, gosh...

"Ahem!"

They sprung apart. Madam Lucas had entered the room, and was looking stern, "I was under the impression, Thomas Marvolo Riddle, that you were injured!"

"Er--"

"Honestly! This is not the kind of thing that goes on in hospitals!"

Tom muttered something in Flukes ear, and she nodded, still red- faced.

"Come on! Off with you! I don't know, children today...!" she shooed Fluke out of the cubicle.

Dear Diary,

1st October, 1948

Today was... well... pretty amazing. Not the kind of thing that happens in reality. Or rather it does, but not to people like me.

I almost killed Tom Riddle!

That's not the amazing bit, actually, because that would have been rather bad, all things considered. I'd probably have been expelled, and Pitty would have gotten really annoyed with me, because she likes Tom, because she thinks he's handsome . She has a good point, actually... But I digress;

The Nurse, Madam Lucas, sent me into the cubicle to apologise to him. That's fair enough, you might think, but whilst I was talking with him, he kissed me. It was just the most amazing thing! I could dance right now, only I won't, because Pitty and Adeliza are here, and they already think I'm touched. Maybe I am touched. It would explain a lot.

Tom also said that he wants to meet me tomorrow, by the lake at lunchtime. I wonder why? He really is a very strange boy. When he's joking, he seems serious, and when he's serious, it feels as though he's joking.

Pitty was trying to flirt with him earlier. Maybe we could feed her to the giant squid. Well, it'd be something to do of an evening, and it would have a certain comedy value.

There was that awful custard for pudding again. I swear, there's things living in it! It eats spoons; This cannot be natural.

Well, so long for now!

~ Fluke~

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Please review!

Ting tang diddle eye poe! ;)

~ Ginny :)