In our solitude | Tom Marvolo Riddle

Chapter 5

Unlike the previous year, Tom Riddle had become more sociable and more witty; he showed proudly great attitudes towards everyone, becoming to them a brilliant Tom Riddle more and more alike to the Tom Riddle everyone knows in the near future. Though the boy had always been brilliant; everyone knows it, the professors pity him for being a poor orphan who's talent and intelligence does not fit in the place he unfortunately has to reside in.
Unbeknown to Tom, Mia already knew enough about him; enough to not be fooled by his witty and magnetic charms, enough to give him kindness she herself wished was given to her when she was alone. Mia relates to the male, she understands what it's like living in an orphanage isolated by people, how it felt being so alone all the time; Though she knew there was more to him than just an orphan, she knew his story because she was given it by Dumbledore herself during her filth year at Hogwarts. She didn't exactly want to know more about Tom, but she had been practicing legilimens with Harry Potter herself for several reasons, and knowing more about Voldemort was 'crucial' in defeating him.
However, no matter how much she understands him and wishes to bring him a nonchalant life it wasn't enough for Mia to completely not expect anything that doesn't deprive him too far from the well-known he who must not be named.
"Mia?" Mia!" Isadora, who sat next to Mia, the shaking of the brunette's hand in front of her face broke the girl's thoughts.
"Merlin Mia, I know you fancy Riddle but you've got to stop staring." Malfoy teased, the boy had gotten close enough to the blonde through the 1st year and was used to calling her by her name when he's with the group by now The boy sat just in front of the blonde girl on the Slytherin table, with Avery on his left and Lestrange on his right; Isadora nodded, sitting just next to her blonde friend.
"Sorry, what were we talking about?" Said Mia, receiving a giggle from Isadora.
"Don't mind them Mia, you wrote in owl post that you're staying with your grandma right?" Isadora said, changing the topic knowing what the purebloods in front of her would've brought up if given the chance.
"Your grandma's Scarlet Heartstring, I've heard about her from my father's talk." Abraxas stated, "Most of it was from your annoying letters though! I've received at least a dozen about that old lady from you!" Lestrange nodded in agreement, having also received several letters about Scarlet's often or not pointless travel stories that only Isadora seemed to be interested in. Both the boy's fathers also worked in the ministry of magic and often brought up how they'd come with their father to their work trips in France, occasionally bringing Avery along.
"Right Heartstring, what about your parents? Why are you staying with an old hag anyways?" Avery asked, receiving a glare from Isadora; "Didn't you know Avery? Both her parents are-"
"TERROR STRUCK! MUGGLES LEFT DEFENSELESS!" screaming a kid from Gryffindor table, cutting off Malfoy from finishing his sentence.
"The murder of three muggle families went unnoticed! Ministry is under panic caused by the muggles' war! The suspect is a man named Krafft, one of Grindelwald's acolytes before he surrendered to Dumbledore!" Read the second year from the Gryffindor's table, grabbing attention from most of the students in the halls.
"I heard about it when I was over at Malfoy's manor." Lestrange said,
"Our fathers were talking about it, the crime scene was so brutal my father said he puked at the sight of it." Malfoy added. "I heard he was looking for something."
Mia went pale for a bit, shudders coming up her spine while listening to Abraxas and Rodolphus. This event had never occurred, not that she recalled; Grindelwald's acolytes never committed anything after what had happened, but why now? Was she the reason it happened? Has her existence itself caused a butterfly effect that caused the death of three whole families? I
'Is it my fault?'
She felt a tap on her shoulder, and saw Isadora's concerned face when she turned over.
"Are you okay? You look pale Mia." Isadora asked worriedly, tapping her friend's cheek.
"Yeah, I think the soup I'm eating is foul." The blonde girl said, making up a poor excuse for her behavior which received a nod from Isadora as she passed over a glass of juice to the girl.
Her behavior was generally unnoticed by her friends when they started discussing how they've all decided to sign up for the same classes to take together this year, but the mild excuse wasn't one good enough to pass the eyes of a certain male. Tom looked over at the girl, curiosity flashing his eyes; wondering why she had been acting weird since some kid read the daily prophet.
Tom sat a few seats away from them when they got separated when Professor Slughorn asked to talk to him when they first came into the great hall, the boy ended up sitting a few seats away from the rest of the group with some of Professor's Slughorn club members.
Mia noticed the boy seemed to have been ignoring her since Professor Slughorn's encounter for the rest of the day, but it wasn't something she was too bothered about. Only because she wanted to enjoy time with her other friends rather than with only Tom, she came to realize during the summer vacation that she's only ever been hanging out with Tom and he didn't even answer her owl. Not a very nice friend, in her opinion; though nothing less coming from Voldemort, It didn't really bother her though.