melody [tom r.] - Chapter 1: Chapter 1
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The aspect of wrong had a wide spectrum, from little filthy deeds to the most evil of sins. Tom Riddle was determined to cover the entirety of the compass with his doings, he wouldn't leave one blasphemous sin undone.
But according to his beliefs, there was no such thing as right or wrong: there's only a person's subjective judgment. He chose which were vices and which were virtues in the world he ruled, in his head. But despite that, he revelled in accomplishing what people considered wicked all while fooling them, because they couldn't see beyond his morality. They saw a perfect mirage, which they all secretly envied, and perhaps admired. And that's where they were wrong.
Tom saw himself on the highest peak of the world, with a magnificent mind of his that thrived to enumerate the universe. The universe revolved around his mere existence, that was why he was immortal. Everyone else was below, simply because their minds could not grasp fully who he was, and why he particularly liked evil. What consensus found wrong he found amusing, and thus he sought all that was forbidden.
And perhaps, just perhaps, taboo romance was one of them as well.
Tom Riddle sat behind his desk, watching silently as the students filed in. It was his first year teaching at Hogwarts, and he got the Defence Against the Dark Arts position after Galatea Merrythought retired.
Most of his teachers were astounded when he came back to Hogwarts so early, especially that his academic skills would've served him well in the Ministry. Tom had different plans, however. Ones he was not willing to share with anyone.
The young professor left his chair to stand facing his class, his eyes immediately flitting to the only empty seat in the room. The deserted seat was in the far corner of the classroom, and he didn't need to look over the students to know who the absentee was.
"Good morning, class," Tom started, his eyes moving from one student to another. "Today, we will be discussing the topic of. . Werewolves." A wave of his wand enchanted the chalk to write on its own, and the title was soon clear to all of the Seventh years.
"I'm sure you kno-" A knock on the door interrupted him, and the students watched interestedly as the last student walked in. Melody Malfoy showed no guilt as she strutted into the class, her bag held nonchalantly over her shoulder.
"Miss Malfoy," Tom's tone made the rest of the class lower their gazes to their desks, not wanting to accidentally do anything that would anger him.
A lot of students favoured professor Riddle, especially the Slytherins and the female population in general. But that didn't mean they didn't find him very intimidating. Tom never lashed out at students, though. It was his calm tone that made them cower beneath his gaze.
"You are ten minutes late," he glanced at his watch as he spoke, but she still seemed indifferent. "I don't appreciate tardiness in my class. Detention tonight, at seven."
He didn't miss her eye roll when Melody nodded, taking her seat in the back of the class. She'd done it all on purpose. Rumours said that Riddle tortured students in detentions, and she wanted to find out for herself. She knew perfectly well that Professor Riddle was very punctual, and thus decided on showing up late.
She was also perfectly aware that girls usually purposely messed up during classes just so they could get detention alone with him. But her motives were completely different.
She didn't blame them for liking him, though, for he was undeniably handsome. Melody just couldn't bring herself to feel any sort of attraction towards him.
She would've felt that something was wrong with her, but she was used to not relating to others. She was always on her own, and she never seemed to have any friends. She rarely even spoke.
And that is why Tom found himself interested in this introverted student. He felt like they were similar in many ways, and she greatly reminded him of when he used to go to Hogwarts as well. He never had any real friends, although he pretended to do just for the sake of social norms. He kept to himself a lot, too, but Tom had been much more discreet about it. Melody, however, made it clear that everything and everyone were beneath her.
But she was so different from her brother. Tom had attended the school with Abraxas Malfoy, and the latter was very social and interactive. He was quite popular and had many friends, yet Melody was the polar opposite of that.
Tom had also visited Malfoy Manor on more than one occasion, but he rarely saw Melody there. She seemed to be always locked up in her room, refusing to make any interaction with her own family. If she hadn't occasionally showed up during meals, he wouldn't have known that she even existed.
Melody ignored Riddle's lecture, although it was anything but boring. She'd always been interested in the Dark Arts, and their new professor seemed to focus on teaching his students Dark Magic rather than defending themselves against it.
She was just not in the spirits for anything, and her mind wandered off as she glanced down at her Head Girl badge. She rolled her eyes once again, feeling the urge to rip off the gleaming pin overtake her. She never wanted to be Head Girl, but her father used his connections to get her the position. Melody did not care if she deserved it or not, she just didn't want to waste her valuable time in such stupid responsibilities.
"Miss Malfoy, perhaps you could answer Mister Hallock's question," Riddle interrupted her inner complaints with his annoying voice, and she snapped her gaze to meet his.
She came to the conclusion that she greatly disliked Professor Riddle, and it took her one month to finally realise that. He knew that she wasn't concentrating, and thus chose to humiliate her in front of the class. Classic move.
She stared back at him, and they seemed to be in a staring contest. The students watched silently, unable to decide who was more intimidating: Melody Malfoy or Professor Riddle.
"I didn't quite catch Mister Hallock's question," she answered, not breaking eye contact with her attractive teacher. William Hallock was a pathetic Hufflepuff whom she greatly disliked. He seemed to get his way with everything because people pitied him. Poor William, his family was murdered by Grindelwald! Melody could not care less.
"Mister Hallock, please repeat your question, because Miss Malfoy seems a bit slow," Tom mocked, still staring at her, but she refused to look away first. A few students chuckled at his comment, but immediately shut up when they noticed Melody's withering glare.
"C-can werewolves still think properly when not in their w-wolf form?" William stuttered, his eyes darting from Riddle in the front of the class, to Melody in the hindsight.
"When in his or her wolfish form, the werewolf loses entirely its sense of right or wrong, but they do not suffer from a permanent loss of moral sense. They simply go back to normal when in their human form," Melody answered unfalteringly as she coolly leaned back in her seat. She did have plenty of free time back home, and she spent it in reading or playing music– all in her solitude.
Amusement danced in Tom Riddle's green eyes, and he only crossed his toned arms over his chest. Now that she thought about it, she'd never seen him in anything but a fancy suit. "Very well, Miss Malfoy. I do hope that you restrain yourself from daydreaming and focus more in my class."
Melody huffed in annoyance, her face setting into a permanent scowl. For a split second, Tom wondered what she'd look like if she smiled. Then again, he wasn't much of a smiler himself.
He kept smirking for the rest of the lesson, and Melody wanted nothing more than to punch that smile off.
But according to his beliefs, there was no such thing as right or wrong: there's only a person's subjective judgment. He chose which were vices and which were virtues in the world he ruled, in his head. But despite that, he revelled in accomplishing what people considered wicked all while fooling them, because they couldn't see beyond his morality. They saw a perfect mirage, which they all secretly envied, and perhaps admired. And that's where they were wrong.
Tom saw himself on the highest peak of the world, with a magnificent mind of his that thrived to enumerate the universe. The universe revolved around his mere existence, that was why he was immortal. Everyone else was below, simply because their minds could not grasp fully who he was, and why he particularly liked evil. What consensus found wrong he found amusing, and thus he sought all that was forbidden.
And perhaps, just perhaps, taboo romance was one of them as well.
Tom Riddle sat behind his desk, watching silently as the students filed in. It was his first year teaching at Hogwarts, and he got the Defence Against the Dark Arts position after Galatea Merrythought retired.
Most of his teachers were astounded when he came back to Hogwarts so early, especially that his academic skills would've served him well in the Ministry. Tom had different plans, however. Ones he was not willing to share with anyone.
The young professor left his chair to stand facing his class, his eyes immediately flitting to the only empty seat in the room. The deserted seat was in the far corner of the classroom, and he didn't need to look over the students to know who the absentee was.
"Good morning, class," Tom started, his eyes moving from one student to another. "Today, we will be discussing the topic of. . Werewolves." A wave of his wand enchanted the chalk to write on its own, and the title was soon clear to all of the Seventh years.
"I'm sure you kno-" A knock on the door interrupted him, and the students watched interestedly as the last student walked in. Melody Malfoy showed no guilt as she strutted into the class, her bag held nonchalantly over her shoulder.
"Miss Malfoy," Tom's tone made the rest of the class lower their gazes to their desks, not wanting to accidentally do anything that would anger him.
A lot of students favoured professor Riddle, especially the Slytherins and the female population in general. But that didn't mean they didn't find him very intimidating. Tom never lashed out at students, though. It was his calm tone that made them cower beneath his gaze.
"You are ten minutes late," he glanced at his watch as he spoke, but she still seemed indifferent. "I don't appreciate tardiness in my class. Detention tonight, at seven."
He didn't miss her eye roll when Melody nodded, taking her seat in the back of the class. She'd done it all on purpose. Rumours said that Riddle tortured students in detentions, and she wanted to find out for herself. She knew perfectly well that Professor Riddle was very punctual, and thus decided on showing up late.
She was also perfectly aware that girls usually purposely messed up during classes just so they could get detention alone with him. But her motives were completely different.
She didn't blame them for liking him, though, for he was undeniably handsome. Melody just couldn't bring herself to feel any sort of attraction towards him.
She would've felt that something was wrong with her, but she was used to not relating to others. She was always on her own, and she never seemed to have any friends. She rarely even spoke.
And that is why Tom found himself interested in this introverted student. He felt like they were similar in many ways, and she greatly reminded him of when he used to go to Hogwarts as well. He never had any real friends, although he pretended to do just for the sake of social norms. He kept to himself a lot, too, but Tom had been much more discreet about it. Melody, however, made it clear that everything and everyone were beneath her.
But she was so different from her brother. Tom had attended the school with Abraxas Malfoy, and the latter was very social and interactive. He was quite popular and had many friends, yet Melody was the polar opposite of that.
Tom had also visited Malfoy Manor on more than one occasion, but he rarely saw Melody there. She seemed to be always locked up in her room, refusing to make any interaction with her own family. If she hadn't occasionally showed up during meals, he wouldn't have known that she even existed.
Melody ignored Riddle's lecture, although it was anything but boring. She'd always been interested in the Dark Arts, and their new professor seemed to focus on teaching his students Dark Magic rather than defending themselves against it.
She was just not in the spirits for anything, and her mind wandered off as she glanced down at her Head Girl badge. She rolled her eyes once again, feeling the urge to rip off the gleaming pin overtake her. She never wanted to be Head Girl, but her father used his connections to get her the position. Melody did not care if she deserved it or not, she just didn't want to waste her valuable time in such stupid responsibilities.
"Miss Malfoy, perhaps you could answer Mister Hallock's question," Riddle interrupted her inner complaints with his annoying voice, and she snapped her gaze to meet his.
She came to the conclusion that she greatly disliked Professor Riddle, and it took her one month to finally realise that. He knew that she wasn't concentrating, and thus chose to humiliate her in front of the class. Classic move.
She stared back at him, and they seemed to be in a staring contest. The students watched silently, unable to decide who was more intimidating: Melody Malfoy or Professor Riddle.
"I didn't quite catch Mister Hallock's question," she answered, not breaking eye contact with her attractive teacher. William Hallock was a pathetic Hufflepuff whom she greatly disliked. He seemed to get his way with everything because people pitied him. Poor William, his family was murdered by Grindelwald! Melody could not care less.
"Mister Hallock, please repeat your question, because Miss Malfoy seems a bit slow," Tom mocked, still staring at her, but she refused to look away first. A few students chuckled at his comment, but immediately shut up when they noticed Melody's withering glare.
"C-can werewolves still think properly when not in their w-wolf form?" William stuttered, his eyes darting from Riddle in the front of the class, to Melody in the hindsight.
"When in his or her wolfish form, the werewolf loses entirely its sense of right or wrong, but they do not suffer from a permanent loss of moral sense. They simply go back to normal when in their human form," Melody answered unfalteringly as she coolly leaned back in her seat. She did have plenty of free time back home, and she spent it in reading or playing music– all in her solitude.
Amusement danced in Tom Riddle's green eyes, and he only crossed his toned arms over his chest. Now that she thought about it, she'd never seen him in anything but a fancy suit. "Very well, Miss Malfoy. I do hope that you restrain yourself from daydreaming and focus more in my class."
Melody huffed in annoyance, her face setting into a permanent scowl. For a split second, Tom wondered what she'd look like if she smiled. Then again, he wasn't much of a smiler himself.
He kept smirking for the rest of the lesson, and Melody wanted nothing more than to punch that smile off.
End of melody [tom r.] Chapter 1. Continue reading Chapter 2 or return to melody [tom r.] book page.