A Song of Change

Chapter 2

Tom walked down the street towards the biggest music shop in town with no small amount of trepidation. He wasn't proud of seeking help in his music. He was used to relying on himself. Always had been. He did the networking, vocals, and writing in order to further his career. Seeking inspiration from the greats may seem like an obvious move for others, but for Tom it was a blow to his pride.

He inspected the shop in front of him with suspicion. The front had a rustic look because of the faded wood boards that made up most of the building. The windows were slightly smudged, but you could still see the interior. There were lilies planted all around the property. The Marauders of Music was written in large, swooping letters on a worn looking sign. It seemed more like a hip coffee shop than a music shop. He didn't know why this place was so popular.

When Tom walked in, the bell on the door alerted the chipper young man at the counter to his presence. Tom wished he wouldn't come over, but unfortunately luck wasn't on his side. He could only put on his award-winning smile to be polite. This was his best mask when facing strangers, fans, and followers alike.

"Hey, I'm Harry. Welcome to the Marauders. Haven't seen you around before," he said while sticking out his hand. He bounced on his toes a little while waiting for a response.

"Tom. Tom Riddle," he firmly shook Harry's hand. He seemed a little too hyper for Tom's liking, but it wasn't like they were going to interact too much.

"Well, I'll be behind the counter if you need anything. Just wanted to welcome our new customer," Harry said while sweeping a hand through his hair. He then walked away to return to the counter.

Tom noticed everyone excitedly greeted Harry when he walked by. Harry also returned everyone's words warmly and by name.

Tom now understood why people normally enjoy coming here. Harry definitely had a certain charisma that could draw people in. He had exceptional people skills that made his customers feel welcomed and remembered.

It also helped that he was handsome by traditional standards. He was very pale which created contrast with his dark hair. His hair itself was a force to be reckoned with as it was like a tornado had swept through it. Somehow it didn't seem messy though, only charming. He also had vibrant green eyes that would make most people want to do anything to keep his eyes on them.

Tom wasn't affected by Harry's appearance in the least.

For one, he was around attractive people all the time while making connections at social gatherings.

Second, Harry seemed pretty similar to him. They had slightly similar bone structure that made them look aristocratic. They also had similar skin and hair colors. Tom's hair was just much more tame because he knew how to use a brush. The most striking difference was their height. Harry was almost a whole head shorter than Tom so he had to look up when talking to him. Tom also had dark blue eyes rather than Harry's bright green.

Once Tom was done examining his new company, he finally had a chance to examine the interior of the music cafe.

The walls of the store were painted a warm grey which matched nicely with the faded, wooden tables placed across the space. Most of the color around the room came in the from of cozy beanbags and rugs that were various shades of green and grey. In the middle of the store were the shelves of music. Tom was expecting to mostly see vinyl records, but there were just as many, if not more, CDs.

On the wall were many different instruments, but the most common type was guitars. There were a couple of doors off to the side. When tom looked though the windows of the doors, he saw people practicing instruments, yet there was no sound leaking through the cracks. Next to the counter that Harry sat behind to ring up drinks and records was a sign up sheet for music lessons of all sorts. The paper was an atrocious red that would catch anyone's attention.

Tom was curious who taught those lessons, so he went up to the sign up sheet to take a look. Next to the type of lessons and the dates were the indtructors' full names. He was surprised that almost all of the lessons were manned by Harry. There were only four other instructors; Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. Tom noted that Harry's surname was Potter.

"Thinking about taking some lessons?"a voice suddenly commented.

Tom swirled around, but would never admit to being startled. When his eyes found the offending party, it was none other than Harry Potter behind the counter. "Pardon?"

"Music lessons, I mean. You've been staring at that poster for a while."

"No, I was just curious. I don't find myself lacking in instrumental ability, thank you,"he said, slightly affronted.

"I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, I was just wondering if I could offer any help,"he said, trying to ease Tom's temper. "I guess you look more like a theory guy. You and Hermione would get along great if that's the case. She's always been a wiz in music theory. You'd learn a lot,"he said with a lazy grin.

"I was just curious. I'm mostly self-taught, and it'll stay that way, I reckon. Thanks, though,"he said with a sparkling smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Harry was a little more uncertain and shifted on his feet, "'I get by with a little help from my friends,'" he said, quoting John Lennon, "Seems a little lonely not to have people with you to help you learn. To each their own I guess, not everybody needs help along the way. Come ask me if you need any help, though." He offered s small smile.

"Alright, thanks," Tom said with a little wave, signaling the end of the conversation that he never wanted a part of in the first place.

He walked away intending to get to work while waving away unwanted thoughts of a hyper, green-eyed man.

He got a bar stool, a bottle of water, a pen and notepad, and got to work after settling down at the music counter. It was going to be a late night. He had a hit song to write.

~~~~~

I welcome constructive criticism. This is my first piece of writing so I'll need a few tips. It would be great if you guys could tell me how I'm doing so far or if there are any errors that I missed.

It's no Consuming Shadows (bowing down to the masterpiece of Tomarry fics), but its a start.