Chapter Text
The first time Tom Marvolo Riddle had met the most beloved ghost in Hogwarts, he wasn’t all that impressed. Sure, a corporeal ghost was definitely interesting, but in such a large new magical (magical!) world? A spectre was an insignificant aspect in the big picture.
Even if said ghost, named Harry he’d come to unwillingly learn, would follow him around almost everywhere he went, he tried his best to ignore it but, whether he liked it or not, he was forced to begrudgingly tolerate its presence.
Since his first year, Harry had always been a walking (floating?) spectacle, either doing flashy tricks that drove the crowd or made Tom look a fool (meaning; nice and friendly, kind even), which did not help his reputation one bit. Well, it did help making him look approachable, the exact opposite of what he wanted.
Now, don’t get him wrong, having a friendly persona was definitely what he strived for as Head Boy of Slytherin but looking approachable was certainly not. Tom would be pleased for a chance to maintain his perfect, dependable upperclassman persona except for the fact that he'd have to find some stupid pet toad that a first year had lost or help in any other equally as incessant request every single day, lest his aforementioned persona suffer a huge blow. He didn't know how he, for even how much he was talented, was able to handle it all. It would drive any sane man mad! (Not that he was very sane in the first place - Harry would say.) It has gotten to the point that he can’t even do anything without Harry and/or dozens of people staring at his every move. This was the one single most frustrating thing he’s ever encountered since his - unquestionably not a diary - journal’s disappearance. His plans has been thwarted so persistently that he's devoted almost his entire school career trying to find some way to have some time on his own for once!
He’s gone through about every book relating to the supernatural that he could get his hands on (meaning; threatened out of Abraxas and the likes), constantly trying to find a way to somehow detach this- the floating menace and banish it away from him forever! Tom spends all of his time away from the regular curriculum in the Hogwarts library, rarely taking breaks in his research, all while Harry would drift around him in his swirling colourful form, adding little comments that grated his nerves to no end.
“You know Tom,” Harry started, pawing at Tom's face as the other paged through a thick tome “if you were able to drag your nose out of a book for once, with a face like that, you could be a real heart-throb!" He giggled to himself at this, the annoying swine. "Girls - and guys - would swoon all over you!” His cold fingers reached up to play with the younger’s soft brown hair.
Tom would’ve responded with a grunt if he were a lesser man but as it stands, he stayed silent, barely disturbed from his reading, though he shifted slightly to turn a page.
“Aw c’mon, not even a reply? I thought the almighty Slytherin King would honour his longest-standing best friend with at least a few words of his infamous wisdom.” Harry’s verdant eyes sparkled with mirth, deft fingers poked, prodded until Tom shook the hands away from his face. A Hufflepuff first year at another table to his right tried to muffle her laughter but quickly quietened when he flickered his eyes to her and her group of merry friends.
“We are not friends, let alone ‘best friends’.” His burgundy eyes turned back to the spirit, his mouth twisted into a scowl, making his distaste very obvious. However, the insufferable idiot trudged on, seemingly having not heard his earlier statement, spitting inane questions and absurd hypotheticals every few seconds. One after the other.
“I, personally, think you would still be loved even if you were a worm-” Harry gestured around- coming close to hitting the other 'accidentally' multiple times.
Tom had never wanted to throttle a ghost so badly. He settled with a silencio instead and released a bone deep sigh in relief as the chatter faded away.
Why did his only friend have to be him? Tom sulked to himself.