Oh, Ophelia | Tom Riddle

Inquisitive

"Are you staying here for the Holidays, Riddle?" Asked Ophelia.

"None of your business, Marigold." He replied.

They were on their prefect rounds, and he was walking especially fast today, she was struggling to keep up.

"Come off it, Riddle. I'm trying to make pleasant conversation." She Said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm staying here." He said, as they continued to walk.

"Where do you go in the summers?" She asked.

"You certainly are inquisitive today, Marigold. Halpert isn't neglecting you is she?" asked Riddle.

"No, I just want to talk during night patrols makes it all seem less intimidating." She muttered.

"Intimidating?" He questioned as though it were the most idiotic thing he had ever heard. He slowed down a bit so she could keep up.

"Well yes, you, the dark castle, the-"

"You find me intimidating." He said, his expression blank and she couldn't tell if he was happy or sad.

"Well you have a bit of a reputation, you aren't exactly mother Tereasa." Said Ophelia. "That and you are very tall."

"I'm tall? How is that intimidating?" He asked.

"Yes but you are not tall like a harmless tree, you are tall like a statue threatening to topple over." Said Ophelia,

"I see." Said Tom, "Are you staying in the castle, Marigold?"

She tutted at him, "So inquisitive." He rolled his eyes at her. "But since you asked, I am not I'm going home to Ireland."

"Where do you like in Ireland?"

"Small town, you've probably never heard of. The kind of place where there is not even a cinema." She said.

"Muggle town?" He questioned.

"Yep." Said Ophelia and Tom rolled his eyes, "You don't like muggles? They are just like us, except their magic tricks tale far more effort." She said and he scoffed at her.

"Muggles are our inferiors." Said Tom.

"I don't know they are pretty damn smart, my...friend from my town he is in university now in Dublin getting a degree in engineering and physics. He is going to learn to build airplanes." She said. "To bring people from one continent to another."

"We can already do that." Said Tom in a tone which made it seem like they had been having this argument for far longer than they actually had been.

"But soon so will they, evening the playing field, and even though they have some disadvantages they still figure out ways around them. Whereas wizards still use fucking quills." She ranted.

He laughed. She didn't think she'd ever heard him laugh before. He chuckled. Guffawed incredulously. But never laughed

"What?"

"Feckin' quells." He mimicked.

Him too? Maybe it was how she sounded.

"I don't sound like that." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sure you don't." He said in his smooth London accent.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir," she said imitating him, "would you like a spot of tea?"

He looked at her but he didn't look annoyed. "I don't sound like that."

"Well it would sound silly if I lowered my voice." She said, uncrossing her arms. He smiled for a moment, but it was fleeting. "Have you seen Nott recently?"

"No."

"Isn't he your friend?" Asked Ophelia.

"Not the way he's your friend." Said Tom.

"Well I should hope not, or I wouldn't want to go out with him." Said Ophelia. Tom didn't even remotely grasp the incinuation. "I keep getting run off at the door by Slytherins."

Tom's face was blank, as they walked. "Perhaps Nott has second thoughts." He said.

"I doubt that." She said, blushing at the memory of the kiss. "Why? Did he say something?" Ophelia looked at Tom her honey eyes covered in concern.

"I don't pay attention to the girls my dorm mates talk about." Said Tom.

"But you expect them to pay attention when you talk about a girl?" She asked.

"I don't talk about girls with them." He said.

"Boys then?" She said and he nearly looked at her incredulously.

"No." He said.

"Sounds lonely, I talk about everything with my friends. They knew about my crush on Nott before I did." Ophelia said as they rounded a corner.

"They know everything?" Asked Tom.

"Well not EvERYthing but most stuff." She said, Ophelia looked up at Tom. He must be so lonely. No one to talk to.

"Don't look at me like that, Marigold it makes me uncomfortable." Said Tom and she quickly snapped her gaze to the portraits on the wall.

"You know I once argued with the fat lady for fifty minutes. It was a rather stupid argument on whether green grapes or red grapes were better." She said.

Tom said nothing, he just kept walking forward.

"She said red wine was better, but we weren't having an argument about wine, it was a completely invalid argument." Said Ophelia, talking as she thought about how lonesome it must be to be Tom Riddle. He was above everyone, so he was all alone. "It's like arguing whether ducks or rabbits are better and bringing taste into the equation."

"Ducks are better." Said Tom without even thinking about it. She smiled.

"Sure they are, Riddle, you carry around a ducks foot for luck, I'll stick with a rabbits foot." She said Riddle, looked at her for a moment before looking at the portraits.

"Your Wandless magic, have you gotten any better?" He asked and she frowned.

"I only use it when I need it." She mumbled. "And yes if ever I need help you'll be my first call, or owl I should say."

"Don't you want to work on it, become more powerful?" He asked.

"I'll get to it later." Muttered Ophelia.

"You're going to procrastinate your gift." He said incredulously.

"I don't procrastinate," she said and he scoffed at her, "I delegate tasks to my future self."

He laughed a little. She liked his laugh.