O r p h a n ● Tom Riddle [Harry Potter Fanfiction]

➌ Trois - Too Late, Mr. Rabbit.

I was right. It wasn’t a mess hall. It was a mess room. Literally. Billy was making most of the mess though as he gobbled up his mashed potatoes – it was flying everywhere!

The room was packed with sad looking children, all sitting lined up on wooden planks beneath the dark wooden tables. Interiors were the same wherever she went in this place. Dull. Boring. Ugly.

At least there was consistency, right?

There was an empty spot in the far corner of the room, by the window. An entire table was empty. Tom made his way there as soon as we entered the hall, he didn’t even spare a glance at the other tables. He already knew where he was going to sit; it was practically reserved for him.

The room of children all turned their eyes to stare at me, understandably. I was the new kid, and I just entered the room with Tom Riddle Jr. but I smiled at them, a smile that shocked them, I doubt they were use to seeing a happy face. I then followed suit with Tom, and walked to the far side of the room where he sat, staring out the window.

I plopped myself right next to him, and waited for the mess lady to hand me the gruel looking platter of mash potatoes and gravy. I too, started staring out the window, and I realized what he was looking at. He was watching the family at the park across from the orphanage. It was a family playing around with their young ones, a little boy and girl. Frolicking about with their little bubbly faces.

I turned to Tom, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at me, a bit surprised, I didn’t think he realized that I was sitting here this entire time, or he was just surprised to see anyone sitting here. When he realized it was me, his face scrunched up in disgust, but I only smiled.

“It’s so disgusting, isn't it?” I asked. 

He looked surprised, and then suspicious, “Yes… their faces are certainly disgusting”

I chuckled, “Ugly muggles”, and then I started to eat my mash and gravy, but I could feel his eyes on me. The entire time, he only watched me.   

****

“You're not like them”

We were sitting outside now, on one of the benches in the courtyard as we watched the other kids run about, the ground held a thin layer of snow, and it crunched beneath their feet. Billy was picking on a little girl in the middle of the yard, his lackeys all crowded behind him, the other children simply watched.  

 “We’re not like them at all, Tom,” I said as I made my way towards the crowd, Tom watching me, he’s always watching me.

“You’re so ugly, no wonder your mother and father left you!” Billy yelled right into the little girls face.

“They probably couldn’t stand looking at you, they couldn’t sleep! Why did they have such an ugly cry baby?!”

The girl had started to cry, her black hair beginning to stick to her face, her hands clenched in fists by her side, and she was such a small little girl too. “Billy, are you picking on another girl already?” I asked with a cruel smile.

“Shut up cootie girl! You have cooties and a crush on Tom Riddle!”

The crowd ignited in “ewww”’s and “gross!”

“Billy, don’t you have a pet rabbit?” I asked, sweetly.

His face turned dark, he was angry, and scared.

“Don’t you dare touch Ramsey! I’ll… I’ll-“

“You’ll what, Fat Billy?” it was Tom, he had made his way over, and the crowd of children visibly began to disperse, some glancing back in fear.

 Billy looked like he was about to cry. And he did.

“Don’t touch Ramsey!” he wailed as he ran across the yard, and quickly retreating inside the building, probably to check on Ramsey.

Too bad Ramsey wasn’t there anymore.

Tom and I both smiled as we looked towards the railings above the door.

Too bad Ramsey wasn’t there anymore.