The Boy Who Cried Wolf -- [Tom Riddle]

7 - The Oddities Of Trusting

Early the following morning, Goldie awoke slowly and groggily. After getting herself up and stretching, dressing for the day, she felt significantly improved.

Her actions from the night before were a blur. She remembered feeling exhausted and heading to bed early, but little else. Assuming it was due to social exhaustion – it was her first time in a school, after all – she brushed all concerns aside.

This time, Lysandra was still in bed. Not appreciating how she herself had been left to sleep late by Rowle, Goldie grabbed her belongings and exited the dormitory without a word.

Having prepared this time, she found her own way to the Great Hall without any help. As it was quite early in the morning, not yet time for breakfast, she darted straight to where Monique was sitting alone at the Hufflepuff table.

"Goldie!" She exclaimed excitedly as she noticed the Slytherin approaching, immediately shifting aside on the bench to allow her friend to sit.

Goldie beamed and took a seat, folding her outer robes beneath her neatly.

"How have you been finding Hogwarts?" Monique hummed, absently filling out a homework as she spoke to her friend. "And Slytherin...?"

"I like it here." Goldie replied, gazing up at the enchanted ceiling that was currently replicating the foggy morning sky outside. "Slytherin is... less than welcome, I suppose."

"Slytherin is always unwelcoming." Monique grumbled, shooting Goldie a look from the side. "Has anyone been pleasant?"

"Some people have been... tolerant?" Goldie mumbled, her statement resembling a question. "I think it may be my blood purity. People keep asking me for it, and I myself do not even know."

Monique's eyes flicked up from her work in surprise. "You don't know?"

Goldie shook her head. "I know nothing about my biological family."

Truth be told, Goldie had visited the orphanage from her very early childhood in the hopes of learning more about herself. Her journey there had proved fruitless when she found the orphanage abandoned and desolate. All records were either gone or molded beyond readability. With disappointed, she had returned back to the manor of the Pureblood family hosting her.

"That must be difficult..." Monique murmured with empathy, furrowing her eyebrows in concern. "Knowing nothing about yourself."

Goldie shrugged in response, remaining silent.

"I'm Muggleborn." Monique piped up after a moment, sighing. "Ultimate enemy of Slytherin supremacists."

Goldie chuckled in response. "So full of prejudice. Only the Lord knows how I will survive the year."

Monique grinned at Goldie's playful response, feeling validated by the absence of judgement. The Hufflepuff's parents – Muggles – had moved from home in Somalia to England in the hopes of living an improved life. They were met with excessive racism and discrimination in response, but her parents had always managed to get by. When the letter of acceptance from Hogwarts had arrived on her eleventh birthday, they saved their disposable income for weeks to afford her school supplies. Monique despised how the Purebloods acted; they showed no understanding whatsoever of the lives Muggles lived, and automatically assumed them to be inferior. Sometimes, she wished that the pureblooded families could face the same suffering so many Muggles did out of sheer spite.

"Do you have Alchemy with me?" Monique spoke up, escaping her thoughts.

Goldie searched her robes for her timetable, then confirmed that she was in the Alchemy class. Monique beamed happily, grateful to have a friend in the difficult subject. Especially one who was already stirring interest from teachers across the school.