Tom stalked out of the room of requirement having just ended a meeting with his followers. Orion Black was just as weak and blindly obedient as his other knights, and just as easily manipulated. While many people had a thirst for power, Orion Black seemed especially eager to obey him in order to attain it. The Black family were well-known supremacists and it was especially easy to spew some pureblooded falsehoods in order to gain his loyalty.
It was a rather simple tactic that he employed with most of his loyal servants. He would give a nonsensical speech about how inferior mudbloods and muggles were and how they needed to be eradicated. And then, their pre-existing prejudices about blood status that have been deeply ingrained in them since they were born, would be fuelled. Knowing that their lord Voldemort believed in the same rhetoric as they do makes them want to follow him, because they strongly believe in his cause and ideals. It gives his followers a purpose, a goal, which makes them much more loyal to him. Orion Black was just one of several people who followed him for this reason, although he was especially eager - how pleasing.
When Tom begins his reign over the wizarding world as a powerful dark wizard, it will be that hate people have for muggles and mudbloods that he will twist and shape into loyalty for him. It's so very easy to manipulate hatred.
Tom wasn't foolish enough to believe that mudbloods were magically inferior to half-bloods or purebloods. The amount of magic given to witches and wizards is random. There are some pureblood wizards that might as well be squibs and some mudbloods that are very magically capable. The entirety of pureblood supremacy is predicated on the idea that wizards are inherently more powerful and superior if they have an ancestry of wizards, which is untrue. Hermione is living proof of that, being of muggle origin while simultaneously being one of the most talented people he knew.
Tom himself does not particularly like mudbloods but he knows that their blood has no effect on their magical ability. But Tom does loathe muggles to an alarming degree, his hatred predicated on the simple fact that they are weak, disgusting and utterly useless beings. His filthy muggle father and all the inhabitants of Wool's orphanage were proof of that.
"Ah Mr. Riddle, I am lucky to have caught you. How is Miss Greene and your potion coming along?" Slughorn interrupted his thoughts and seemingly appeared from thin air.
"Oh it's coming along wonderfully! It will most likely be ready today." Tom answered in false politeness, offering a charming smile to his idiotic professor.
"Well, I am quite excited to find out what potion you two have brewed. I know it will be exceptional." Slughorn gleefully praised. Tom thanked him and went on his way.
The exstimulo potion was going to be wonderfully useful in his future endeavours and he was immensely glad that his and Hermione's combined competence will result in such a beneficial potion.
Classes today were less tedious than usual because Hermione had decided to sit next to him in almost all of their classes. Usually she sat next to her friend (Cynthia Black if he remembered correctly) and Abraxas, and only next to him if neither were in the class. So, the classes this morning were filled with sharing notes and arguing about various topics. It made him only mildly giddy. Was this what having a friend was like? Wanting to spend every waking moment with another person?
Last night, when Hermione had sat next to him on the roof and they talked, he had revealed more about himself than he ever had. And Hermione was exceptionally adept and getting him to speak about things he never thought he would. Something about their relationship shifted last night. Tom was starting to like her, to care about her in a way he never had before. She was becoming an actual friend and it frightened him beyond belief. Caring about other people was a weakness, one that was easy to exploit. This is a bad development, Tom told himself repeatedly. This is an especially bad development because Tom didn't trust Hermione.
He was foolish starting to, but after their confrontation in the Slytherin common room when everyone was at Hogsmeade, proved that she wasn't trustworthy. The sheer will and determination to protect her secrets from him made him realise that her secrets were far more important than he initially thought.
There was something so suspicious about her that made him rightfully apprehensive. She knew more about him than she let on , that much was obvious. She knew about the orphanage, his muggle father, about his followers, she knew that he was not innocent in any way considering she asked if he had ever killed anyone.
And there was also the fact that she's an unregistered witch and is lying about her past.
And yet, he was foolishly telling her of his opinions no matter how controversial. He was revealing himself and being stupidly honest. It was refreshing and heady to be truthful, especially to her. But again, knowledge is power, and he was giving her too much of it.
Too much power for a witch he didn't trust.
And he knew she didn't trust him either. Because she was often wary of him in such a way that revealed she knew much more than was physically possible.
And it wasn't possible at all, no one knew these things about him because he had never revealed them. Not even to the knights of Walpurgis.
But she knew.
It made him entirely incandescent that she was hiding information from him. Secrets that she seemed so very adamant to keep. How fucking disrespectful.
A little later in the day, just after the sun set Tom walked to the library where Hermione was most likely huddled with an interesting book or studiously writing an essay. Tom entered the library and weaved through the shelves to reach their spot. Abraxas was unexpectedly there, sitting close beside Hermione and chatting happily. Tom's face transformed instinctively into a vicious scowl, his jaw clenched and his grip on his wand tightened, overcome by such a sudden and unfounded bout of boiling rage. His magic swirled around him, whispering and goading him into cursing that smile off Malfoy's face. His abrupt hostility was entirely unsubstantiated, he knew.
Tom was acutely aware of his own greed. It was what led him to leech power from the dark arts. To push the boundaries of magic and become as accomplished as he was now. That vicious greed and ambition was the reason he was closer to immortality than any wizard before him.
And it was that greed that made him want Hermione Greene as wholly and unconditionally his. What a good little follower she would be. Tom fantasised about it often, it was so visceral that he could almost taste it. Hermione bending to his will, gazing up at him in absolute reverence and following his every command. He would have her magnificent power and her sharp wit, her limitless intelligence and utter beauty at his disposal.
"Abraxas" Tom stated sharply, his eyes narrowing harshly. In an instant, Abraxas tensed fearfully. His posture suddenly rigid and his breathing shallow as if bracing for the Cruciatus curse.
"Shouldn't you be practising for the quidditch match next week, with Lestrange, he's waiting for you" Tom lied, his voice - despite trying to be civil, still sounded cold and unkind. Curiously, Tom just wanted Malfoy as far away from Hermione as he could be, they were far too close for comfort.
"Oh ah - yes, i forgot about that, i'm late to meet him" Abraxas mumbled, standing up and bidding hermione goodbye hastily. Tom's relief at his departure did unfortunately indicate jealousy. And even the thought of Hermione enjoying Abraxas's company more than his own made him feel feral in his anger and small in his insecurity.
Tom's jealousy was simply a by-product of his greed, that is all.
"Hermione, let's go finish our potion, shall we?" Tom ordered, his face blank and emotionless once again.
Hermione nodded, gathered her things and followed him to the room of requirement. Tom and Hermione worked silently, it seemed that both of them were quite awkward around each other after last night.
They both added the last ingredient to the potion. Finally, after stirring the liquid in the cauldron counter-clockwise six times, the potion lightened to a pale cobalt blue. Perfect.
They bottled three vials of the potion, one for each of them to keep and the other for Slughorn to test and grade. "Um well, I guess we're done" muttered Hermione, tucking her curly hair behind her ear only for it to bounce right back into its initial position. Tom wanted to reach out and tug on it.
Tom hummed noncommittally and stalked out of the room. He was rather vexed today. He shouldn't have been so vulnerable with Hermione yesterday, it was not the sensible thing to do, especially considering his distrust of her.
The stairs shifted as he descended into the dungeons, striding to his dormitory. Hardly a solace but it was far enough from Hermione. He needed the distance.
He sat on his bed, fidgeting with the two most important of his possessions. The black crystal of the Gaunt ring gleamed and reflected his dark eyes. Tom stroked the spine of the empty journal beside it.
Two horcruxes weren't enough. Not to achieve true immortality.
Tom's goal was seven, it was a magically powerful number after all. And It was fitting. The next two objects he desired to contain fragments of his soul were Ravenclaw's diadem and Slytherin's locket. If only he could find them. Lestrange and Yaxley were planning on visiting Borgin and Burkes antique shop during the Christmas holiday to find the locket. And the diadem…well that was proving to be quite difficult to find. But his knights were currently looking for information and despite their incompetence, they're well-connected and well-respected wizards due to their blood status and wealth.
His thoughts once again drifted to Hermione. The more he thought about her the more infuriated he got. She was making him feral in his lust for her and foolish in his honesty. Tom realised belatedly that he had not been focused on his plans recently, too consumed by Hermione's demanding presence. This only provoked his anger, how dare she? He may lust after her, he may desire her as his follower, he may care about her somewhat and, he may have formed a tentative friendship with her but it was not enough to lose sight of ambitions. His plans were his priority and nothing will change that.
Lord Voldemort will not have any weaknesses.
Authors note: Hope you liked this chapter, it was all in Tom's POV!
Let me know and leave a comment if you want more chapters in his perspective :)