Pity the Living ♔ Tom Riddle

9 || Debts

October 1936.

London.

Tom

Tom watched the taxi drive away with utter relief and minor disappointment. The black cab drove down to the end of the street and out of sight, taking away a good portion of Tom's fear with it. Finally, Billy Stubbs was leaving the orphanage and leaving Tom in peace but leaving with an absurdly wealthy grandfather, that made him frown with bitter jealousy. Why should a boy who had almost had him raped get to strut off into a life of luxury while Tom had to stay in this dreadful place?

He fiddled with the corner of Gisela's latest letter, thankfully containing far more content as requested, and retreated to his bed to reread the letter. With Billy Stubbs gone, the frustration and anger had faded and left him only in sadness. Every morning he woke expecting his friend to be breathing softly on his shoulder but found himself cold and lonely. He hoped he would gain some sanity back now that his tormenter had departed, and Gisela's letters were longer.

Dearest Tommy,

I cannot express how horrified and guilty I was reading your letter. I hope that nasty boy has left and you are safe. The Sergeant will pay for his crimes one day, no need to worry. Karma eventually bites us all, no matter how long it takes.

Durmstrang is proving to be a fantastic school. The first-year subjects are Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, History of Magic and our 'lessons', that consist of singing, languages and ballet for girls. Unfortunately, it seems the German Wizarding World is as far behind on Women's Rights as Britain is. All this talk of marriage as though it is our only path in life, yet I laugh after all that talk in my room; I'm never getting married. I have decided to put my effort into my study, and I am clearly top of the class for my stream.

Hogwarts curriculum is somewhat the same, apparently, but instead of Dark Arts they teach 'Defense', and Astronomy and Divination are subjects - a load of horseshit about reading palms and crystal balls like they do at the circus, and frowned upon here at Durmstrang. They also have houses, which I mentioned before, that separate you by personality; Gryffindor for the Brave and Glorious, Ravenclaw for the Wise, Hufflepuff for the Loyal and Just and Slytherin for the Ambitious and Cunning. Having read deep into the descriptions, I have no doubt you fit the Slytherin traits - as do I.

The only problem with the Slytherin house is they are very... prejudice. Unlike Durmstrang, Hogwarts accepts students with parents who are both Muggles, and there is a sort of 'elite' society that is very anti-Muggleborn, who are mainly in Slytherin house. I looked up 'Riddle', and the surname isn't on the 'Sacred Twenty-Eight' Pureblood list, nor is there any record in the Durmstrang library. I'm sure there is something in the Hogwarts library, but perhaps we should establish a 'German' identity for you to avoid anything going wrong. No one will think you're any less than half-blood in Slytherin house - which you aren't based on your ability to speak to snakes - but I worry about them thinking you have some Muggle heritage and it being like the orphanage. If they question you, we have all the proof you need; your sister goes to Durmstrang. We obviously will need to elaborate on this story, but it would be a settling start.

As for my fellow classmates, which are all girls as they separate genders here, we were right in thinking they would be a bunch of spoilt pampered children with lovely childhoods. I have only made one real friend here, a Russian girl called Olga, and she is all I need for company. I think you would actually tolerate her presence. She is the only Russian here and grew up in Paris. For some reason, she is quiet about her own childhood, as I am, although she does have some family. Why she attends here, and not Beauxbatons or Koldostoretz, remains a mystery.