A/N: Ahhh it took me over like a day and a half to post again whaaat?!?! Well, at least I have good reason. Apparently I have to read a bunch of books by some Russian dude before school starts for my college credit English course, which I wasn't aware of, and now I'm kinda in a hurry because school starts in two weeks. So that is why my updates will be slowed somewhat.

KyootNShort: Um, omg. If I had known it would be so offensive that Luna didn't believe in apples, I never would have said it. If it makes it any better, I love apples and apple juice. Um, again, I'm sorry.
Dead2self: I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Mysinisterblackrose: That made my day.
Right or Ryn: Bwahahahahaha I'm evil though, so maybe their friendship isn't as peachy keen as it may seem….
DarkeLyte: Eww, a too-nice Tom would be a real downer, wouldn't it? No, most of Tom's appeal is that he is a big old prat, so it wouldn't be much fun to make him Mr. Nice Guy, even if I was tempted to.

I know I didn't reply to all of them, but I'm sure you understand. I love all your reviews.

Disclaimer: dis-claim-er [dis-kley-mer -noun 1. the act of disclaiming; the renouncing repudiating, or denying of a claim; disavowal.
"Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course they actually become the person they seem."
--W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence

Chapter Thirteen: I Don't Like You

"Riddle! Wake up!" Tom was shaken awake in the middle of the night to an unpleasant sight: Abraxas Malfoy leaning over him.

"What d'you want, Malfoy?" Tom said sleepily and rolled over.

"I've found out where your dad is," Malfoy replied.

Suddenly wide awake, Tom sat up straight in his bed and rubbed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I know where he's living. He's still with his parents at their old house."

Tom felt revulsion deep in the back of his throat. "How pathetic."

Malfoy appeared to teeter on the edge of asking a question.

"Spit it out, then, Malfoy."

Malfoy scowled at him, still angry about the incident on the steps with Luna two weeks prior. "Why did you want me to find your father so badly?"

Tom sneered. "Perhaps if it hadn't taken you several months to find him, I would grant you that knowledge. Now tell me where he is."

"In a village called Little Hangleton," Malfoy explained, and told Tom everything he had found out before Tom dismissed him again.

Tom was unable to get back to sleep, and instead lay awake late into the night.

He was exceedingly grouchy the next morning, even more so than usual and ignored Luna as she bobbed along beside him before breakfast, going on about something. He didn't really acknowledge her until she prodded him in the stomach, saying, "Tom!"

He swatted at her hand. "What?"

"I was just asking if you were all right. You're acting funny," she said, observing him with her huge moons of eyes.

"I'm fine."

She poked him again. "Stop it. I know something's going on, and you know I won't stop until I know what it is."

He inspected her face. "All right, I'll tell you later. I don't want anyone to overhear us."

Luna seemed appeased with this arrangement and they separated to go to their House tables for breakfast.

It being a Friday, Luna had Ancient Runes, followed by Arithmancy. During Arithmancy, she sat down next to Tom. She leaned into him.

Suddenly tense, he said, "What are you doing?"

She tilted her head. "Sniffing you. You smell nice," as though this were the most obvious thing in the world.

Feeling foolish, he rolled his eyes and focused at the front of the room.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" she asked.

"After class, Lovegood," he snarled.

"Luna," she whispered before class began.

After class, Tom led Luna into the empty classroom that they had met in once before. He paced across the floor, trying to decide how to best word his problem.

Finally, Luna said dreamily, "Are you going to tell me?"

He scowled at her. "All right, fine. At the end of last year, I told Malfoy – you know, the guy you slapped – to find my father. I didn't tell him much besides my father's name, though he asked several times about my reasons for having him do this."

"Why didn't you do it yourself?" she interrupted.

"I expected him to complete the task over the summer, which made it easier for him than for me, as I was shut up in the orphanage."

She nodded, indicating for him to continue. "However, it took him longer than expected. But he still found him."

"Ooh, where is he?" she asked.

"Stop interrupting me!" he spat.

Ignoring him, she asked, "Are you going to go talk to him?"

He glared at her. "Of course not. I'm going to go kill him, Lovegood."

"Oh, well I would think he'd much prefer…." Her eyes grew wider than normal. She gaped at him for a moment. "Oh, Tom, you can't do that!"

Tom was furious with himself. He hadn't planned on telling her that much, but something about her always made him say stupid things that he hadn't intended to say. Now she was looking at him like he was horrible, which made his anger transfer to her. His eyes burned slightly, and he knew that they were red once more.

"Yes, I can. He deserves it."

"Tom, please, don't talk like this," she begged. She reached out to him, but he only grabbed her wrist painfully.

Ignoring her pained squeak of protest, he growled, "This is who I am, Luna. He deserves to die. He should die. Even you can't deny that."

"I most certainly can!" she cried. She tried to wrench her arm out of his grip, but he only held on more tightly. Choosing to not give him the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting her, she said, "Its murder. You should never commit murder."

"I can! Stop trying to tell me what to do, Lovegood!" he screamed.

She stared at him. Finally, she said very quietly, "I thought you had changed."

He threw her to the ground, and turned to leave. Before he could slam the door behind him, he heard her say, "I don't like you very much, Tom Riddle."

He stalked down to the Slytherin common room, deciding not to go to dinner. He went into his dormitory. He tried to lie down on his bed, but couldn't. He stood up once again, and paced the room. Finally, in a fury, he picked up a pitcher of water resting on his bedside table and hurled it at the wall. He grinned wickedly as he shattered, spraying water everywhere. This momentary relief did not last long. He threw himself onto his bed, punching his pillow furiously for a moment.

She would never know how much her words affected him. Of anything she could have said, she had said the only things that could have affected him terribly. Her voice echoed in his head: I don't like you...I don't like you...

He must have fallen asleep, because when he woke up, his roommates were in their beds as well. Glancing at his clock, he saw that it was just past eight in the morning. He looked out the window. A silvery mist hung low on the ground, and the sun tried feebly to warm the January air as it made its way above the horizon.

He rolled out of bed, his head pounding. He went to the bathrooms and took a shower as hot as he could stand. He stood under the water for at least an hour, before a pounding on the door moved him from his reverie. "Riddle! Get the hell out of the shower! You've been in there for almost two hours!"

He sighed, but turned the water off, not because of his roommate, but because his stomach had started to rumble feebly. He dried off and dressed, leaving the bathroom and scowling at the shouter – Nott – who scowled in return.

As he made his way up to the Great Hall, he remembered that it was Saturday. He was glad he didn't have to go to any classes today. It would be that much easier to avoid Luna. Luna…. I don't like you…I don't like you...

His head still ached as he entered the Great Hall. He threw himself down into a seat and began piling bacon and toast on his plate. He chewed violently, attempting to take out his anger on the food. A prickling on the back of his neck made him look towards the doors. Luna sashayed in with her Mudblood friend Cat. She didn't even look at him.

He glanced at her arm, but did a double take. On the wrist he had brutally grabbed the day before, a bruise was forming in the shape of his hand. It was a deep reddish purple right now. He stared at it as she walked to the Ravenclaw table.

He felt a pang in his chest that felt horribly like guilt. And once again, her words echoed in his mind. I don't like you…I don't like you...