tom riddle imagines

10: orphans on christmas (f.d.)

imagine:
it's christmas and you're spending the holidays alone in the castle.

but so is tom riddle.

________

"You know you can stay with us during the holidays," Ginny chirped as she wrapped her arms around your shoulders in comfort, "we'd love to have you there—the more, the merrier."

You gave yourself a second to consider before politely declining her offer. Your heart cracked a little as you let her down, but you were never fond of holidays anyway. You despised them, found no use of them. Maybe it was your trauma from every one of your holidays ending up with an argument between your parents and you having to freeze on your roof in the cold winter, trying to get away from the noise. Or maybe, it was the fact that your parents had died in that fire from an argument that must've gone physical at one point, on Christmas Eve. Either way, you felt no sadness from it, just trauma.

Ginny, however, assumed you had never celebrated Christmas before, which was partially true, but not in that kind of way, the Harry way. There was one point where you weren't an orphan.

You patted the redhead's shoulder in reassurance, letting her know you'll be fine on your own. You noticed a little doubt in her expression, but soon, she believed you.

As you both began parting ways, the crack you felt earlier only began to grow. You realised it was the first time you had to spend the holidays on your own. As quiet as the castle was going to be, you found enjoyment in it. Sitting by the fireplace in the Slytherin common room all alone didn't sound so bad.

A cold gale harshly greeted you by the entrance of the common room as you entered. It sent shivers down your spine as you glanced around the empty, vast space; a mere, subtle piano melody echoed down the hall from one of the chambers, possibly from one of the students' dorm. An uneasy feeling gradually sank in your stomach as you slowly went your way to your dormitory.

__________

The next morning, you decided to spend your time in the Great Hall. Although there weren't much students left in school during the holidays, they still offered food to those who stayed. You sat in the corner of the Slytherin table, close to the entrance in case you needed to flee away to avoid being bombarded with questions by some curious professor.

Your gaze was fixed on the words of your book as you silently ate your food, avoiding a handful of students left in this vast castle. From the corner of your eye, you spotted one student, who sat at the opposite end of the Slytherin table, staring at you as if you were fresh meat. You felt awkward by that, so it was only a matter of time until you forced yourself out of the Great Hall so you could leave his sight.

There you were, in the Slytherin common room all alone with a dozen pages left of a good book and the crackling fire keeping you company. Once again, you felt utter peace as your fingers meticulously trailed on the words of the pages, uncovering what was truly behind each word. You hadn't reach a book this well-written since your 3rd year, and hoped to God you'd find another book this captivating.

You heard footsteps approaching you from the entrance of the Slytherin common room, making you sigh as you slowly shut your book tiredly. In front of you stood strange ol' Tom Riddle, a boy you were never fond of. The know-it-all, the arrogant, the merciless, sickened prefect hiding behind a façade of a charming, pretty boy—you wouldn't exactly point out what was off about him, but everything about him baffled you. He couldn't be this perfect from being raised at an orphanage now, could he? Wool's Orphanage, in particular.