▌ 001.

       “ just look at his robes, ” comes the whisper from behind him. 

       “ riddle must be a MUGGLE name, ” another murmurs. 

       the robes weigh HEAVY on his shoulders, and long, thin fingers curl tightly into fists which he presses hard upon the table. young tom riddle stares resolutely at the chalkboard two rows before him. embarrassment strikes at the center of his chest, his ears burning in furious humiliation. 

       “ he hasn’t said a word, y’know, since he’s been sorted, ” says the first. 

       “ you reckon that old, filthy hat was wrong? ” a quiet laugh from both. the same young boy continues. “ five galleons says —- ”

       “ quiet down, quiet down! ” the professor interrupts, addressing all the students gathered – the chatter all around has ceased, giving way to unspoken anticipation. their first defense against the dark arts class has begun. 

       “ warmest greetings to you all, ” the witch begins, and tom remains unmoved, uninspired by her pleasant smile. “ and as i prefer to see each and every one of you still in my class, in one piece, by the end of term, consider this my formal warning: dueling is forbidden outside of this classroom, or inside unless it pertains to our specific lessons. not that there’ll be any of that just yet – we’ll cover the basics, first, before i’ll see you turning wands against each other. should i see a single hex from any one of you, not only will you lose house points, but you’ll also —- ”

       she carries on, and tom’s attention wanes – it’s the same in every class: should any student be caught ignoring school rules, there’ll be some form of punishment. a familiar structure, he laments, having endured similar restrictions previously, at the orphanage. tom recalls professor dumbledore’s warning, the day of his first and only visit. 

       “ i’d rather partner with the bloody baron, ” whispers the first young boy from before, “ than be forced to work with him. ”

       the emphasis on ‘him’ brings tom ‘round to face them, his pale face expressionless as his dark gaze flicks from one boy to the other. they return his blank look with mocking snickers of their own; the sound grates on his patience & he burns their faces to his memory. the professor clears her throat, and tom returns his focus to the front. 

       “ scary little git, ” tom hears, again, from behind him. “ it’s no wonder there’s that empty chair beside him. ”

       professor merrythought’s kind & clueless gaze soon becomes all that stands between young tom and his frightful retaliation. 

       for now.