Disclaimer: Please make sure you have read the winning round one entry BEFORE reading this chapter.

Tom was back in the library the next day, hoping for a little peace and quiet. The Slytherin common room had been so noisy. Most of the students were loudly celebrating Slytherin winning the quidditch cup over Gryffindor, an event which hadn’t occurred for nearly fifty years, and the party never seemed to end. Students were drinking butterbeer and loudly reliving each and every play of the game blow by blow, all of this interspersed by cheers and whistles. Tom could care less about quidditch, he only craved a quiet place to read his book.

Unfortunately for Tom, he had only been in the library for a few minutes before his thoughts were rudely interrupted by that same preposterous tittering sound he had first encountered the day before. He groaned inwardly, then slammed his book together loudly, hoping to startle the ridiculous creature who stood so boldly before him once again. It figured, no such luck as the girl stood her ground once again, not even flinching at the loud sound of the book being banged shut.

“You really aren’t much of a gentleman, are you?”, Myrtle preened. Tom couldn’t help but notice that she had her chubby fingers clutched tightly around a muggle magazine, a glossy tome which featured a strikingly beautiful brunette on the cover.

“Isn’t she pretty?”, Myrtle giggled, noticing Tom’s glance light on the magazine for just that one second. It was obvious that Myrtle wanted to emulate this beautiful woman, but her feeble attempts at imitation had failed miserably. She was a complete and utter mess. “That’s Vivian Leigh. She’s going to play the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. I can’t wait till that movie comes out, it’s going to be the most spectacular film that Hollywood has ever produced.”

Tom thought to himself how he would love nothing more than to see the Ravenclaw intruder gone with the wind permanently. My, she had an unhealthy interest in muggle things. She was probably muggleborn herself, he shuddered with revulsion. “I could care less,” Tom replied blithely, barely glancing at the creature.

For once there was no answer, as several minutes passed with no witty retort from Myrtle. Just as Tom thought that she was finally about to leave and he would have silence at last, Myrtle suddenly cocked her head to one side and stared at him unabashedly, edging even closer to him all the while. He would have laughed out loud if he hadn’t been so angry, she looked so utterly ridiculous.

“What is wrong with you?”, Tom hissed at her, sheer loathing etched all over his face. “You’re the weirdest girl I’ve ever seen!”

“What?”, Myrtle recoiled, clearly startled by Tom’s reaction. “Why, I was just noticing that you look a little bit like Clark Gable. It’s funny I didn’t see the resemblance before, I’m usually pretty good at that kind of thing.” As she said the name a dreamy expression lit her face and stars appeared in her eyes, visible even through the thick lenses of her glasses.

“Clark who?”, Tom retorted scornfully. “No, don’t even bother explaining, for I truly don’t care.”

“Clark Gable would never treat a lady the way you do, nor would Bogie, for that matter. They’re real gentlemen, both of them, totally unlike yourself,” Myrtle blinked at Tom.

At the mention of the word Bogie, Tom remembered what Myrtle had confessed to him yesterday about her boggart, and imagined a basilisk striking her down with its gaze. What pleasure that would give him, to hear her cackle silenced forever. “Good, then go after them and leave me alone!”, Tom muttered angrily.

“If only I could,” Myrtle sighed. “I would give anything to be near either one of them.” She paused, a worried expression suddenly crossing her face and making her appearance even more unattractive to Tom. “Do you know what Olive Hornby said to me today?”, she queried nervously.

“How many times do I have to tell you to shut up!,” Tom snarled. She was really getting on his nerves now. He clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging into his palms, wanting so badly to reach for his wand and obliviate her. It wouldn’t matter, no one would ever find out or care. Did she not ever get the message that her company was not wanted? For a Ravenclaw, this girl was pretty dense. How on earth did Ravenclaw ever get a reputation for being so smart when they had someone as thick as this in their house?

Tom’s eyes widened as Myrtle responded to his request that she shut up by spontaneously plopping herself down in the chair right next to him, muggle magazine and all. She really was dense, if anything she was getting even bolder now. “Oh yes, you are a true gentleman, you are,” she quipped. “By the way, I know what it is, that thing you’re looking for. I can get it for you, you know. I can help you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper now as she looked directly into Tom’s eyes, completely unafraid to meet his cold, steely gaze.

“What on earth are you going on about?”, Tom asked. There was something about the way those words had been spoken that couldn’t help but make him feel intrigued, almost mesmerized in spite of the fact that the most pathetic girl he had ever seen was saying them.

“Oh, I know all about the secret thing you’re searching for,” Myrtle sang out, standing up and beginning to dance around the table in a clumsy, almost maniacal way. “You’re looking for a way to cheat death, aren’t you, Tom? Well, I know all about that!” She puffed her chest out, looking for a moment like a foolish, bloated rooster.

The words hung in the air between them, the way she had said them, as if they were nothing. Tom couldn’t possibly let her see his mounting excitement, how could she possibly have known what he was looking for, as he had told no one. His thoughts were a secret to all but himself and he trusted absolutely no one. This girl was strange, there could be no doubt about that as he put the book under his arm and stood up, facing her directly for the first time since the two had met the other day and looking at her, really looking at her as if it was the first time he had really seen her, which in a way it was. She couldn't possibly know anything about cheating death, could she?

"Well, what do you think, Tom?", Myrtle whined, her voice bringing him back to reality once again.

“I think you and I should go for a little walk”, Tom said, suddenly making a quick decision as he took the repugnant girl by the arm and began to lead her towards the door of the library. Tom wanted to hear more about this thing Myrtle was teasing him with, and he wasn’t about to let her go now.