Tom Riddle X Reader - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Tuesday right after muggle studies you had double potions lessons with professor Slughorn.
After walking into the classroom you noticed that the circular tables had been removed and rectangular ones were scattered across the room instead, seating only two people per table - no longer for a group of 6.
Now all of the tables faced towards the professor's messy main desk. Tom was seated at one of the tables in the front row whilst Lily and Severus sat at the table next. It appears that the assigned partners hadn't moved
And therefore you sat in your usual spot - next to Tom.
"Now, everyone" - Slughorn said, breaking the chatter in the room as all of the students watched him hold up a vial full of red liquid "Who can tell me what this is?"
Tom calmly raised his hand and so did Severus Snape among some of the other students seated at the back of the class.
"Go ahead, Mr. Snape" - Slughorn nodded at Severus
"It seems to be a babbling potion." Snape easily replied
"Very good!" - Horace broadly smiled "Can anyone name me at least two of the ingredients?"
Again, Tom confidently raised his hand as well as Severus. But Slughorn didn't appear pleased with the lack of knowledge in the room as most of the students remained as stiff as boards.
"Miss Evans?" - his eyes stopped at quiet Lily who hadn't been raising her hand for a while
"...Aconite..." - she slowly said, leaning back and forth on her seat, thinking about the answer as she wasn't completely sure "And... Dittany?"
"Yes! Excellent!" - Slughorn lowered the vial on top of his pile of books "I sure hope you've read up as this is what we'll be making today. Your instructions are in front of you, you have one hour, good luck"
When the rumbling between the students began and the professor trailed between desks to help and guide, next to you Riddle broke into the chatter too.
"Impressive. At the duels" - he said with his green eyes steadily watching the cauldron before looking into yours "How does someone as young as you know such advanced transfiguration of Incendio charm?"
"My father taught me that move." - you told him
"Your father." - he repeated, now at least aware you couldn't be muggle-born "Must be powerful. Or carelessly foolish."
"He is a great sorcerer. Please try to watch what you say."
"How did you do it." - he calmly asked, inquiring about the spell
"It's just rage. And any rage within, like fire, it spreads or bursts after time." - you glared into his eyes with a blank stare "So I'd watch out if I were you."
"Hm." - he smirked, completely unalarmed as he looked back at the cauldron, grabbed Aconite, stripped it off its toxic leaves and dropped it into the cauldron as he switched the topic "Did you have a delightful date?"
"A tutoring session. And yes, it was very pleasant until..." - your voice lowered "You know." - you watched him move the ingredients as if they were precious.
"I've heard the mudblood will recover" - he replied, this time reaching for dittany herb
"Yes, fortunately. The incident is considered very serious though, it happened just outside the school and she was a first year."
"Nobody knows what caused it." - he dropped the herb into the cauldron and admired the smoky result.
"And yet. There are suspicions."
He stopped what he was doing and coldly looked into your eyes "From you only. It means nothing."
You were very suspicious of him even if you hadn't seen him actually do it. Since you've come from the future, you already know most of what he's done. You knew he was an heir of Salazar and he opened the chamber of secrets to terrorize the muggle-born students. But was it his doing? The timelines did not add up. Neither the way the girl was found, there were no pipes in Hogsmeade for the basilisk to crawl into. Unless he found another, more resourceful way.
And did he already find out about his true heritage? In order to find out your answers, you knew you had to pretend as if you didn't know anything about him at all.
"So... you've never really said much about yourself."
"Is there a reason to?" - he didn't lift his eyes from the cauldron
"Well I'm just trying to get to know the person I'm working with." - you fake smiled at him but he did not see it as he didn't divert his eyes from the potion in progress "What's your bloodline?"
He wanted to grab the Valerian herb but he paused and gazed at you with a very suspicious glare "Why? Peculiar question to choose."
"Like I said, I'm just trying to make conversation" - you kept pretending "Besides..." - you recalled some of his previous words and wanted to use them against him "You did mention you were going to be more welcoming with me."
After a pause, he bluntly replied "I'm half-blood."
"And your parents - what are they like?"
Riddle appeared irritated before he uttered, still working with the cauldron "I'm an orphan if you must know."
"Why do you hate muggle-borns so much?"
"Why are you tossing so many questions? It's infuriating."
"I apologize but-- I thought you were a man of your word." - you held back a smirk
"You're trying to guilt me?" - he plainly said "I'm afraid that won't work. Keep out of my private life unless I say otherwise."
Even after the potion, it was difficult to get close to him. He's been shut down inside for the whole of his life, no wonder it was hard for him to open up.
Unfortunately, Sirius, who was one of the students seated at the back of the room, had been listening in. He approached the pair of you only after he heard half of it. thinking that Tom was disrespecting you.
"Is Mr. Diary bothering you?" - Sirius leaned his palms against the front of your table.
"Wh-- oh" - your eyes jumped between Tom's fresh sneer and Sirius's concerned gaze "No..."
Sirius noticed Riddle's scoffing "Is there something you want to say?"
Tom suddenly smirked, appearing incredibly petty "You're a joke."
Bitterness swept across Sirius's face "You might want to take that back."
"I apologize, I was merely speaking truth. I've witnessed insects more petrifying than you."
Sirius didn't like the grin resting on Tom's lips "I bet that smile wouldn't last in a wizarding duel."
"Is that a challenge?" - Riddle calmly asked "Do you really wish for an embarrassing defeat. And where may be your friends now? I thought pets stick together"
"Well where are your parents now?" - Sirius grinned "Oh right" - he chortled, mockingly
Hearing this shot the grin right off Tom's lips and a frown creeped over instead. A sincere, wrathful stare lingered towards Sirius. However, he kept his composure.
The feud made you feel uncomfortable, it felt like if you were to intervene you'd get shut out by both of them at this point.
"Same place where you will end up" - Tom answered calmly "I assure you that."
Feeling even more growing tension, you glanced at Sirius
"Please go, I will speak to you later." - you gently smiled at him to show at least some sort of comfort.
Sirius nodded, scowled at Tom and left.
Watching him go, Tom muttered "Mindless pest."
"Not as mindless as your friends." - you told him "That boy Avery was cheating. And you knew. Your little club members tried to use the same defeating trick on me as they did to Severus."
"I'm not responsible for that." - Tom looked back at the cauldron "And you really shouldn't be capable of conjuring such energy for the incendio spell."
"He taught me well."
"Right." - he didn't really believe it.
When searching for the last ingredient for the potion on the table, you instantly tried to grab it at the same time as Tom. Due to poor timing, your hand ended up laying on top of his and it looked like a very awkward hand grab again.
"Sorry" - slightly flustered, you removed your hand off his. He didn't respond this time, he just glared at you for a few seconds then moved on to finish the potion.
Once everyone were finished and Slughorn inspected all of the potions, he crowned a tie between the one you and Tom brewed and the one that was done by Severus and Lily. Both of your pairs earned a praise for the strongest babbling beverages.
Tom was used to the constant praise. However, he was still bitter at the fact that it was a tie. He wanted to be the best.
And you felt like he did deserve this approval from the professor. Without regarding his interest in the dark arts - Tom was actually a brilliant and dedicated student.