Serpentine [T.M. Riddle]

Abate

His second birthday at Hogwarts was equally as underwhelming as the first, but this time his present hoard had tupled[1] in size. Owls from various families both in Slytherin and not had graced his table during meal times and delivered delectables from all across Europe. He even had some fanmail, of all things, from normal witches and wizards who had heard all about the trial (something which Tom had begun to feel was dying down), and who wished to know where to send Ximena's gift, for every time they tried to send something, it was always sent back: their owl not being able to locate her. Once she was back at school, the letters had arrived in a quick fury, and left her half buried at the front of the Slytherin table line, looking like she had never seen so much paper and presents in her life, which Tom guesses is very accurate.

Unlike his own hoard of letters from those who had kept up with the trial, however, more than a good fistful of hers were howlers. Heeding the advice he had received from Hedwig, Tom had scanned his mail thoroughly for any jinxes and unusual magical signatures. Out of, say, a hundred, he would have guessed that five or so were negative or meant him harm. In contrast, Ximena seemed to have a negative to positive ratio of sixty to one-hundred. He had watched as Elle, Martha, and Nemesis helped sort through a good portion of the mail before finally giving into Ximena's request to simply get rid of it all...Even if there were good packages within the bunch. This went on for the full day before Slughorn had had enough harassment of one of his students, and cast a proper repelling charm for Ximena's mail.

As usual, Ximena had appeared easily detached from the situation; the novelty of being (quite literally) buried in letters worn off after about twenty seconds. Tom can't understand her level of passivity. The idea of letting events wash over you without a fight. He knows she has fight in her. He's seen it. You just can't be a Slytherin without fight. It's impossible.

He didn't (and doesn't) expect Ximena to invoke a journey of retribution against the correspondence that meant her harm, but...Shouldn't it be in the back of her head? The want to expel justice on those who have wronged her? It's a natural and fair way to feel...It can't just be him who feels that way.

Tom wonders if she remembered it was his birthday this past New Year's Eve.

Several other Slytherins, as mentioned, had remembered. He's set aside the various birthday and holiday gifts in a safe place (with a hex trap set in case anyone gets any ideas), sorting them by level of usefulness (the candy is eaten but useless. The books are read and useful). When he sets early to bed, he'll take them out and mull over a text behind the privacy of his drawn bed curtains. It's close to nostalgic, as he had done similar when he was still at Wool's, a few weeks before departing for Hogwarts for the first time. Settle down in his creaky bed on his flat mattress, turn on the torch, open up one of the secondhand textbooks, and nibble on a snack he had snagged from the kitchen when no one was looking.

The house elves know him well now. Have known him well for the past few months. Know all his favorite treats and meals. More often than not, he doesn't need to search for what he's in the mood for during feeding time because it's almost always prepared for him, appearing just as he sits down to eat. It's excellent service, and it deserves to be rewarded: he doles out compliments to the creatures, and they soak it in as if they were beggars receiving gold. It reminds him of the way his attention affects some of his classmates. Makes him feel like a God.

Of course, not all of his classmates treat him with such reverence. But that's only a matter of time. Many still think age makes them superior to him. They talk down to him like he has trouble understanding simple concepts. Even Elle has fallen victim to this sort of treatment of him: viewing him as a harmless little snake with a fascination for food. Something to be coddled and protected.