InsaneJournal

RP: Home, Sweet Home
Characters: Tom Riddle and Lily Luna
Time/Date: 22 October 2023
Location: Common commons, Hogwarts
Warnings/Rating: PG
Summary: Tom mingles with his new fellow students.
Status: Complete


Tom settled himself at one of the small round tables in what he'd been told was called the common commons and pulled out one of the books he'd been assigned to read in order to catch up with eighty years of magical education. The room was empty for the moment but he hoped that wouldn't last. He was intrigued to see what the students were like now and whether any of them would be of any use to him.

He'd been brought back to Hogwarts only a couple of hours ago and settled into the Sixth Year dorm in Slytherin. None of his fellow dorm mates had been there but the empty bed that was to be his was obvious enough. He sorted himself out there and then decided to come here instead of staying in the Slytherin common room. He might as well make a statement, especially after days of dealing with the Ministry.

Not that that hadn't had its moments of interest. He'd gotten more than a few hints of what he'd done when he'd gotten older and he was secretly both delighted and annoyed - delighted that he'd nearly achieved his aims, annoyed that he'd been denied by a boy. He'd vowed to find a few history books and find out where he'd made his mistake. He didn't like admitting that he could make mistakes but he also wasn't a fool. He could learn and he would learn.

Other than those hints, the whole after had been tedious. He'd been forced to play the baffled innocent school boy as he as questioned. He'd even managed to affect surprise and horror at what he had done, going so far as he ask frantic questions as to what had happened to make him into such a... monster. The expressions on the faces of the Wizengamot members had been priceless. A few of the more gullible had even had a tear or two in their eyes at his horror. The less gullible eyed him with suspicion.

He hadn't been able to sit in on their deliberations but he had been informed of the end result. It was both good... and bad. The good was being permitted to return to Hogwarts. The chance of him being shipped off to Azkaban had been high after all. Hogwarts was a definite improvement and he was delighted by the opportunities he now had. The bad however was bad. Dumbledore was to be given some sort of official title and he knew it was because of him. No doubt he would be summoned by the man sometime over the weekend. Worse still, Dumbledore had returned from a few years after he had come back from. He knew about Fifth Year and he suspected Tom was responsible. It was not going to be easy to evade Dumbledore's watchful eye but he knew he could do it. Hadn't he done it many times right here in this school?

Tom pushed those thoughts aside for now. He could brood over Dumbledore later. For now, he wanted to establish his public persona once again. The good boy, the bright student, the goody-goody prefect (though he was no longer a prefect now). After all, he was the young innocent boy who could be redeemed. Maybe he should play at being amenable to being redeemed? It would be tedious but it might also provide its entertaining moments.