Hide and Seek ● Tom Riddle

🇬🇧 ♦ 𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟗 ♦

Melanie couldn't wait for Tom to come back to the orphanage. She hadn't seen him in nine months and was a little bit scared that Tom wouldn't want to spend time with her anymore.

She was ordinary after all. He was special.

It didn't happen, though. Tom showed up back in the orphanage and looked much better than before. Happier. He smiled widely at the sight of Melanie sitting on the sofa with few other girls.

She didn't change a little bit.

"Tommy!", she squealed and ran up to him.

The other children made disgusted faces when she hugged her best friend tight.

"Welcome back, Tom", Mrs Benningfield approached him as well, "How was your school year? We've got informed that you had the best grades in your year"

"That is true, ma'am. The school is an amazing place indeed", he nodded his head.

Not only he looked happier, but he also sounded more open and courteous. They taught him some manners for sure.

"Glad to hear that", Mrs Benningfield chuckled.

"And how was your school year?", he asked Melanie.

She blushed a little and lowered her head.

"It was... normal"

"Let's go to my room. I'll tell you everything", Tom proposed and she nodded her head enthusiastically.

He locked the door and sat on the bed next to her. Her cheeks were bright red, she was that excited to learn more about the Wizarding World.

"The school... Hogwarts... It's in the castle. But, Mel, you've never seen such a castle! It's so large that I still haven't seen all of it! And there are moving stairs, talking portraits... Oh, it's beautiful!"

"Wow", she gasped.

"I'm going to show you something", he smiled mysteriously and took out The Daily Prophet out of his bag, "Look at the pictures! They're moving"

"Unbelievable!", she grabbed the newspaper and started to read it, "That's... That's all real, Tom!"

"Well, why would I lie to you, hm?"

"I know you weren't lying... But now when I see it... Oh God...!"

"Every student gets sorted into the one of four houses. The Sorting Hat chooses the house for you depending on your traits"

"And what are those houses?"

"Hufflepuff for the hard-working, friendly and loyal ones. Gryffindor for the brave, daring and determined. Ravenclaws for the intelligent, creative and original ones. Slytherin for the ambitious and cunning natural-born-leaders", he answered proudly.

"And where are you?", she asked making wide eyes.

"And what do you think?"

"I don't know... Gryffindor?"

"No", he laughed, "Slytherin"

"Oh", her smile disappeared from her face.

"What?"

"Nothing... It doesn't sound very nice, that Slytherin"

"Every house has its emblem. Us, Slytherins, have a serpent in ours"

"Ah, now it makes sense", she nodded her head and smiled again, "Where do you think I would be?"

"I don't know... Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, I think", he told her and his heart squeezed in his chest.

Oh, how he wished for her to go to Hogwarts with him. He imagined her in the blue or yellow robes and felt saddened. She would be a brilliant witch.

But she wasn't a witch at all.

"We call people like you muggles", he told her and she looked hurt, "Oh, it's not a bad word. It's just a person who's not a magician"

"Mhm", she gave him a fainted smile.

He made sure that she didn't feel excluded, though. Tom was slolwy explaining everything about the Wizarding World to Melanie for the whole summer. The owls, potions, charms, transfiguration, the floo powder... He even showed her his wand.

Time was passing very fast, but Tom didn't really mind that. He missed Hogwarts more and more with each day. When she once mentioned that to Melanie, she started to cry. He decided to never talk about it again.

He liked her, sure. But there was no place in the whole world as great as Hogwarts. And no matter how much he liked Melanie Benningfield, she wasn't able to make the Wool's Orphanage feel like home.