Hogwarts: a school of Witchcraft and Love (Tom Marvolo Riddle x F!reader)

Chapter 3-11

It didn't matter what age they were—people could be awful at any given stage of their lives.

At around the age of eight, kids made fun of each other's looks and excluded classmates from playtime.

By ten, they discovered the power of influence, leading to spreading rumors and bullying.

At fifteen years old, teens tried to figure out who they were and where they fit in.

Sixteen was a strange phase. They were almost adults, but not really. With the increasing of years also came the increasing of violence. Being verbally abusive could start at any age, but it was around the mark of fourteen, fifteen, sixteen that it got worse and willingly hurt others.

In short, anyone could be rude, and you learned this the hard way.

Who was to say decided that you were the one who was interested in discovering the whereabouts of the Chamber of Secrets?

Who was to say how word got out that Myrtle was found dead by you?

Which was only partially true-you were only the second person. The first was the first-year Hufflepuff girl who no longer went to this school.

Her parents, after having had an argument with Headmaster Dippet, had chosen to have their traumatized child be taken away from Hogwarts, teaching her at home instead.

The reason?

They felt that a school as prestigious as Hogwarts should not have let anything like this happen. They were furious that someone lost their life in what was promised to be a safe environment.

You wouldn't have ever known about her departure if you hadn't seen her father drag her away through the halls when you were on your way to Herbology.

Only by the arm. Had she been dragged away by the ears, she may as well have been your long lost twin sister. Madam Pince had given you that exact same look when she turned you in to Dumbledore after the Restricted Section fiasco.

You didn't get all the ins and outs of it and weren't like Alyssa Evans who had ears everywhere. This was only from what you saw with your own eyes.

It was only right that parents were concerned with the safety of their off-spring. They entrusted their children, who were one day to further their family lines, to mentors, staff, teachers. But sometimes, the reality was harsh.

Hogwarts was a magical place of wonder, but it wasn't immune to danger. For you, all that was important to you was how much you loved being here, learning, having fun and being with people like you.

Being included. But for someone who was supposed to be included, others sure made you feel like you weren't.

Myrtle's passing and the mystery around it was all everyone ever talked about. The higher-ups weren't allowed to share the gruesome details, but somewhere along the way it must have gone wrong.

Your name was being tossed around like no tomorrow.

"Why do you think (Y/N) hated Myrtle?"

"I don't know. Maybe she was jealous that Tom helped her."

You could ignore the gossip for the most part, even when it really wasn't nice and definitely didn't help with your troublemaker reputation.

It was the looks that were far more hurtful. Students of all years looked at you like you were a monster and a danger to stand too close by. Their suspicions made it hard to carry on with your studies and enjoy the last semester of the year.