Sacred Silence | A Tom Riddle Story

4: Mudbloods and racists.

'I swear to Merlin, Dumbledore wants to punish me for something. I bet he heard me call him a little-'
Flo was cut off by Professor Slughorn, who greeted them into his classroom.

Shiv threw her schoolbag on one of the front desks. 'Was it that bad?'

'Shiv, he actually refused to shake my hand.' Florance looked at her with a genuinely hurt expression.
'Said he didn't want to touch a mudblood. He actually used the word casually. Like it was nothing.'

Siobhan rolled her eyes. Fucking Lestrange..
She knew the Lestrange family fairly well. Most pure blood families were very tight. She had even spent a couple of Christmases with Anthony when they were children.

They sat down and opened their books to the current subject.

'Miss Selwyn, a word, please?' Slughorn stood next to her.

Shiv turned to face him and gave him a small charming smile. 'Of course, sir.'

'I have discussed it with your head of house, and if you still want to, you can join the 6th year N.E.W.T classes on Friday mornings. Now, this won't mean you have to participate in the exams. They probably wouldn't allow you. But, I know it's all about the knowledge for you.' He gave her a pat on her head, Shivs smile turned uncomfortable for a split second.

'Thank you, Professor Slughorn. I will be there.' She spoke in a polite voice.

Shiv turned back to Flo, who was grinning. 'Such a good girl, Shivvy.' She reached over and pinched Shivs cheek.
Shiv managed to hit Flo's arm before Slughorn silenced the room and started his lesson.

They spent an hour and a half trying to perfect a potion that numbed the skin. Shiv and Flow finished early and were allowed to leave.

'I can't feel my pinky. Or my thumb. Hell, I can't feel my left hand,' Flo groaned. They had both sacrificed a couple of fingers for testing purposes.

'Library?' Shiv asked when they started climbing the stairs, leaving the dark and damp dungeons behind them. Flo nodded.

They found an empty table on the second floor of the library and spread out their books on the table.
Shiv took out a roll of parchment and dipped her quill in ink.

She started writing a letter to her parents. She addressed her father and started with a request for some books.
She made a list of what she needed, and made sure to add that he could send back anything else he thought might interest her too.
She also asked what the plans were for that upcoming Christmas, so she could decide whether or not she was traveling home.

Shiv rolled up the parchment and placed it in her bag. She would go to the owlery before dinner to send it.

She looked at her side of the table. Open books, pieces of parchment, broken quills and post-its were scattered across the table. Shiv Selwyn was many things, but definitely not tidy.
She looked over at Flo, who was working on an essay about werewolves. Her friends' neat handwriting was a stark contrast to that of her own.

Shiv opened her advanced level potions book she had just received from Professor Slughorn. She wanted to read everything his 6th years had already studied up until now.
18 chapters.. Slughorn had said his class was starting to practice making Amortentia, and that subject was found on page 208. It was going to be a long night.

As she leaned back in her chair with the book in her hands, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Shiv and Flo both looked up.

The tan face of Anthony Lestrange came into view. He carried a large scroll of parchment under his arm and looked around like he would rather be anywhere but here.

Anthony stopped in front of their table and threw the parchment in front of Flo.

'I finished the essay, guess you wanted to check?' He mumbled without making eye contact with either girl. Shiv didn't think it was shyness.. it was more of an arrogance.

Flo gave him a very sarcastic smile and picked up the parchment.
'Thank you, Anthony. You can go now. I will let you know when I-'
Shiv knew she went too far. A guy like Anthony Lestrange would never allow someone with Flo's background to speak to him like that.

Anthony's eyebrows raised. 'I can go now? Listen, you filthy abomination of our kind, I decide where I stand and when I leave. I'm not taking orders from a 15 year old fraud.'
The words were harsh and direct. Anthony looked unfazed as he saw Flo bite her bottom lip.

'I think you should leave, Anthony.' Shiv looked up at the boy with an expressionless face. 'Coming from a pureblood, you should be able to listen.'

Anthony scoffed and turned around. He knew he couldn't be too harsh on Shiv. They barely spoke anymore, but their parents were still pretty good friends. It was the same reason Shiv didn't unleash her full potential in clapping back.

The two friends watched him dissappear. Shiv knew Flo hated it when she stuck up for her in fights. It undermined her, but Shiv couldn't just sit and watch.
Besides, the only way to win an argument with a Slytherin was when you threw your pure bloodstatus at them.

Siobhan opened her mouth to say something to Flo, but her friend had already started scribbling fiercely on her essay again.

Shiv twisted the bracelet on her right wrist. 28 bloodred rubies were connected by a thin silver chain. Each gem had a family name engraved on it on the inside.
'Selwyn' was written on a small stone next to one that said 'Lestrange'. She knew she would never be seen completely out of her families' context.

They spent the rest of their day studying silently in the library and made their way to the great hall once it was time for dinner. Both girls were tired, and Shiv could sense that Flo was still upset because of the previous situation.

Sitting down, Shiv automatically glanced at the Slytherin sixth years.
Lestrange was sitting besides Malfoy. He was obviously talking about his encounter with Siobhan and Florance, because he kept glaring in their direction.
Malfoy said something and the whole group of boys started laughing. Shivs blood was boiling. She wanted to hex all of them. Repeatedly.

Tom Riddle seemed to be the only one not bursting out in laughter. Now that she noticed it, she realized she had never really seen him laugh more than a small smile or grin. She supposed it added to his whole stoic character.

And for the third time in the same hall, the two locked eyes from their different tables.
She wondered if Tom was mad at her for talking to one of his followers in a 'disrespectful' way. At the same time she didn't know if she really cared.

It took at least half a minute before Shiv was forced to look away by a familiar sharp pain in her temple. She squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened her eyes again, Tom was casually talking to Lestrange and Malfoy.

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This is definitely going to be a slow burn. It will be worth it though, I hope!!

Love,