A Hint of Normalcy (Tom Riddle)

A Potions Class Conversation

*just pretend that's slughorn*

    I woke up rather early, which I'm fairly sure is due to pure excitement. I quickly get dressed and prepare myself for the day, "breakfast is at nine" I mumble and look at the clock only to realize it's 6:30. I glance towards my bed to see Saoirse sleeping soundly.

    I grab a book, sketchbook, and pencil then I make my way down to the common room. I doubt hardly anyone's awake judging from how bare the common room was. For some reason the tune of Winter Wonderland plants itself in my head. Since I was alone, I figured it wouldn't disturb anyone if I quietly sang a little, so I softly started singing.

    I sit down on the couch near the fireplace and start doodling, mostly because while singing, it's rather difficult to read and actually comprehend what you're reading. After Winter Wonderland I just kept singing christmas songs, which is odd because usually I'd be the one to say "why on earth are you singing christmas songs in summer" but here I am singing christmas songs in summer.

    I continue on until I hear someone say "Why the christmas songs, It's summer" I turn at the sound of a familiar voice, low and behold it's Tom, I should've known.

    "Hey Tom" I ask "how was your first day?" he doesn't answer till he sits down in one of the chairs around the fireplace then says "it was alright, and you?" "mine was alright as well" I say placing my sketchbook on the ground and picking up my book to start reading, Tom pulled out his book as well and we read in silence till other people started waking up which was around 8:15-8:30

    May I just say it got loud rather quickly, seeing as breakfast would be starting soon I went back to the dorm room and put away my sketchbook then went back to sit on the couch and waited till the prefects came and showed us the way to breakfast.

a/n I'm switching to third person, I apologize

    As the first years walked through the halls Lilith was in awe of the intricacies she saw in the castle and  how beautifully it had been made, eventually everyone got to breakfast.

   Lilith saw Tom and headed over to join him at the table, he was reading and somehow he hadn't spilt anything on it. Lilith began eating and noticed as a group of boys came over and sat near Tom. They looked annoying, one of them had long platinum blond hair, and looked very stuck up, there was one other she took notice of, he had dirty blond hair that was, thankfully, short. She couldn't deny he was kinda cute, though it was breakfast and she intended to eat...and finish reading her book, which was about spells.

    Lilith was an avid reader of fiction before she received her letter as it was, but after she got her letter she took it to an entirely new level. Every book she read felt like a storybook, an entire other world that she couldn't wait to discover and learn the secrets of. And it was, for it wasn't simply a storybook, it was real, every single word of it.

    Breakfast seemed to be gone as soon as it started, and it was time for class and according to her timetable she was going to potions, so off she went. Eventually she found the potions classroom. Even though she had thought she'd be one of the last ones to arrive only 6 other students had gotten there before her, including, of course, Tom, and so she goes over and sits by him.

    Tom looks over and rolls his eyes "how long do you plan on following me around like a stray dog" he says scoffing, Lilith in turn looks at him with a smirk "well, I was thinking till I left Hogwarts, honestly Tom I could've sworn I had already explained this" she paused "and also, I'm not a dog, if I lose interest in observing you and using you to avoid people, I'll just stop. I stay and go as I please it's very simple"

    "so" he starts "all I need to do is bore you and you'll leave me alone, is that it?"
"well, I hate to break it to you Tom, but I doubt you'd be able to transform a person as interesting as yourself into a bore. I'd hate to see you in that state,  you'd probably look even more dead inside then you already do."

    She paused in hopes to prevent herself from laughing, it failed "Though what would be really interesting is if you started behaving like the girls who share a dorm with me" she says laughing "Just last night they were gushing over some guy they met in the common room"

    "They were probably talking about me you know" he says "I can be quite the charmer"
Lilith laughed harder at the statement "Ah yes, did I fail to mention they said he was a gentleman. Threatening someone's life twice within the first few hours of meeting them doesn't sound very gentleman like to me Tom"

    "I can put on quite the act you know" he stated "In fact how do you know my mannerisms and way of speaking right now isn't all some big act" he asked slightly smirking.

    "Fantastic question, truly incredible, frankly I don't know, but see I don't care all that much either,but if that is the case I might be even more interested in my little people-watching project then I was to begin with" she said with a wide smile

"Then I suppose I'm being rather counterproductive then aren't I" he says
"Correct" she states still smiling.

    Professor Slughorn clears his throat to get the classes attention"Ahem, students please look this way we're about to begin"
Everyone looks up at the professor, Slughorn knowing he has the attention of his class begins to teach, giving the class an introduction to the art of potion making. Lilith, though enthralled, looked to her left to see Tom copying down practically every word coming out of the professor's mouth with the prettiest handwriting she had ever seen.

    Lilith had never really taken notes, paying attention was difficult enough as it is, but trying to write while listening is something she'd never be able to do. Aside from that, her handwriting was so terrible that if she did successfully take notes, she'd be unsuccessful in reading them.

    After the lesson she walked over to Tom and started talking "How do you write like that, you have the best handwriting I've ever seen, mines rarely even legible" Tom just stared, wondering why she got so excited over something so incredibly stupid and replied "I suppose talent, skill, the fact that I'm practically the perfect human being" he boasted

    Lilith rolls her eyes responding "sure Tom, sure, if you want to believe that go ahead, but everyone has things they're bad at, nobody's perfect you dingus" at this Tom looks slightly irritated and says "Maybe I'm the exception but, even if I'm not I'll still be better than you"

    She rolls her eyes and says sarcastically  "yes yes, understood, copy that, by the way what's your middle name?" For a moment he looks confused then says "it's Marvolo, why"

    Completely ignoring his question she mumbles "Hmm, I see, I see" she thinks for a moment then her face lights up "Hey, hey Tom" Lilith enthusiastically says "what" he seethed, clearly aggravated that he'd been ignored.

    "I'm going to enjoy observing you during our years at Hogwarts. You seem to be quite the" she pauses "riddle, I'm sure it's going to be simply" she pauses again "marvolo-us, don't you think" she starts laughing so hard her chest hurt at the pun she'd just come up with.

    Tom stares at her looking at her with a face that showed that he was, by all means, not amused "You know I didn't realize my respect and expectations for a person could plummet so far so quickly, you were already at a record low as it was, I must admit it's quite impressive" he sneered
"Well I'm glad to know you're impressed oh incredible and marvolo-us Tom, it was one of my better works" she smirked

    "You're insufferable, Lilith you know that right"
"Oh I'm well aware"
She says still smirking
And with that she skipped towards her next class.

a/n I'm fairly sure that's the longest chapter I've written so far. It has so much dialogue, I kept trying to think of words to use other than said, though I'm pretty sure that failed, feel free to inform me of my failures, it's greatly appreciated.