Tom Riddle | Short Stories

Bookstore Clerk

Since Tom was very young there had been a bookstore down the street from the orphanage. It was run by a man a woman and their daughter. Their daughter was always sweet to Tom since they were young. Her name was Angelica, and she was a muggle. Tom knew it was wrong to take advantage of a girl with a crush, but how else was he meant to get books for free.

Tom came during the summers and she always handed him a book, free of charge. He had no doubt that her interest in him was romantic until the summer before his sixth year, he walked into the store,

"Tom, hi," Said Angelica as she stacked the books on the shelves, "We just got a new shipment of all things Science Fiction, books have been practically flying off the shelves,"

"That's good for business," Said Tom as he followed her through the familiar store,

"Brilliant actually, how is that posh boarding school of yours?" She asked as she fixed her father's job resorting the books on the shelves,

"I'm not posh," He said, rolling his eyes at her and she cocked her head to the side,

"You may not be but that school of yours certainly is, most boarding schools are except for the military schools. But I've known you a while you don't go to a military school,"

"I don't, I suppose my school is a little posh," Said Tom, and she smiled as she looked at him as she always had,

unlike many other people in London her skin was deep like caramel almost and her hair was dark like chocolate. Right now it was pulled back in a braid,

"A little? You told me you have a feast every night and there is even a secret society or club, what is it?" She asked and he knew she was playing dumb,

"Slug club, don't play obtuse Angelica it's unbecoming," He said and she rolled her eyes returning to the stacks of books,

"Unbecoming," She mimicked, "So no more Jane Austen for you, how about," She pulled a book out of the box she had been carrying, "Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mister Hyde?" He took it from her and she turned back to the shelves, "It always makes me curious why you don't have a literature class at your school,"

"It beffudles me too," He said, and she nodded,

"It's about a scientist who isolates all his dark side into a seperate personality, scientifically of course, goes so far as to explain the entire process," Said Angelica now leaning on the shelves and watching Tom look at the old book,

"You don't think it's magic?" He asked a smile tugging at his lips at her annoyed expression,

"For the umpteenth time, yes I believe in magic, and I will not keep putting up with your teasing about it, but given the description in that book I can say that without a doubt it is not magi-"

"Angelica!" Called a male voice from the front of the store, a voice Tom did not recognize, but Angelica turned a little pink,

"She's probably around back, mate, you know her," Another male voice,

"Who?" Asked Tom raising an eyebrow,

"Friends from school," She said as she picked up the box and moved to where the thuds were coming from,

"Oh this is far too dusty," Said a female voice,