A Change of Heart
1 A Heart of Gold
Disclaimer: These things get boring after a while. It's not mine, never was, but Niobe is.
AN: Yeah, it's slightly AU. But you do have to wonder why Tom hated muggles so much at Hogwarts if he was brought up in a muggle orphanage. I mean, Harry didn't hate them in general, did he? Just the Dursleys… And Tom must have been to school, surely.
Tom Marvolo Riddle glanced nervously around the playground. At five years old, his self-confidence wasn't exactly honed to perfection.
"Hello," a quiet voice murmured near his ear. "What's your name?"
Tom turned shyly to face a girl even smaller than him. Her hair was as glossy black as his own, but she lowered her silver-grey eyes when he tried to make eye-contact. "I'm Tom. Who're you?"
"Niobe."
When Tom returned to school the next day he understood perfectly why he was not to speak to 'those filthy muggles'. He knew perfectly well that if he spoke to them again he would be breaking a taboo deeper than the blood running through his body. It didn't matter that he wasn't sure what a taboo was; he must never speak to any muggles.
"Niobe!" yelled Tom. "Want to play tag?"
The friendship between Tom and Niobe flourished for six years. They competed for top of the class. Niobe lent Tom muggle books. They chatted in the playground. Tom told Niobe jokes. They visited the local library together. Niobe introduced Tom to her parents. They played chess. Tom took Niobe shopping, but he never told his mother about her.
Niobe's birthday was in mid-July and Tom was sure that he should buy her something special. He hadn't the slightest idea of what to get an eleven-year-old girl, but he decided to visit Diagon Alley and browse the shops while buying supplies for his first year at Hogwarts.
His mother wasn't going with him, thank goodness. She would have thrown a double fit if she had found out that Tom was buying a present for a muggle!
Tom used the dreaded Floo Powder to get to Diagon Alley. He stepped out of the fireplace…
… and almost walked into Niobe.
"Niobe!"
She whipped round. "Tom!"
They stared at each other for a moment, then both spoke at once. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm a wizard-" began Tom, and stopped.
"-a witch! Isn't it wonderful?" smiled Niobe excitedly. "And I'm going to Hogwarts, and I can't wait!"
"So am I," grinned Tom. Niobe always cheered him up. "Come with me, and we can get our stuff."
Several shops later, Tom left Niobe to choose an animal for Hogwarts. His hurried description of the wizarding world had satisfied her perfectly, and he was certain she would fit in easily, even if she was muggle-born.
A little later, Tom rejoined Niobe and her new owl and they ate ice cream together at Florian Fortescue's.
Tom fumbled for words. "Er… Happy Birthday…" he mumbled, pushing a small box across the table.
Niobe's eyes lit up when she opened it. "Oh, Tom! Thankyou! They're beautiful!"
The earrings were indeed beautiful and Niobe had yet to discover that they changed colour when she wanted them to. Tom had almost emptied his Gringotts vault for her, and she was glad that she was happy. However, there was one thing left to say.
"Niobe, I think I love you."