DISCLAIMER: Sadly I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters. I do own Alice, Annie, Ben and Tyler.

Tom Riddle

1. ARRIVAL

The station was crowded with Hogwarts students, readying themselves for departure of another year, with me right in the middle of it, getting dragged around by Annie Bluesquire, my best friend. She was presently trying to catch a good compartment, near Tom Riddle, for reasons I'll never understand. We were all in the same house, Slytherin, and she was practically stalking him. To tell the truth I had never really bothered with boys… all except one. His name was Tyler Porte, a Ravenclaw student and my other best friend. Annie managed to grab a compartment right across from the infamous Riddle. I sighed as I plopped down next to Annie and Tyler sat across from us with Ben Bluesquire, Annie's twin brother.

"Ever considered being a model, Alice?" Ben asked.

"Excuse me?" I looked at him. "I am shocked and appalled that you would even suggest that Bennie!"

"You would look great in a porno…"

I stood abruptly, about to slap the kasniggits out of Ben, when the door ripped open and a young first year rushed in, pale and scared to death, followed by none other than Tom Riddle. His wand was out and pointed at the poor kid. I nearly died. The man was completely gorgeous, why had I failed to notice this before? Why was I noticing now of all times?

"How dare you, you little-" Tom began.

Oh yeah, that's why. His personality.

"Tom!" I stood in the way of Tom's wand, pushing it down with my finger. "Leave the kid be."

"Don't tell me what to do." Tom growled. "The mudblood insulted me!"

"Don't," I slapped him hard across the face. "Use that word in my presence."

A chorus of gasps and a "Alice!" from Annie sounded in the compartment. A shocked Tom put a hand to his face and turned to glare at me, as if seeing me for the first time. His eyes flashed dangerously, which struck fear in my heart, but I held my ground. I noticed his little group of followers had another boy with them in between them looking at me helplessly. Apparently he had not made it in time. I pushed by Tom and glared at his cronies.

"Unhand him, now."

I felt a hand encircle my waist and a wand to my throat. "And what makes you think we should do that love?" Tom's voice whispered in my ear.

"Get your hands off of me Riddle."

"Gentleman," Slughorn boomed. "Ah! And Miss de Wittier! What is the meaning of this?"

"I was escorting these two first years to a compartment when Mr. Riddle had informed me that I had carelessly dropped my wand." I smiled at Slughorn who eyed Tom's arm around my waist. "He caught me when I tripped over the compartment door step to get it. I'm quite a clutz, as you know."

Everything that was coming out of my mouth was a complete and utter lie… except that last bit. I am a clutz, and he knew it. If you were at Hogwarts last year, you know why the potions room was put in a dungeon, so the likes of me won't destroy the rest of the castle that everyone sees.

"And his wand, Miss de Wittier?"

I looked at Tom's wand as if for the first time realizing that it was there. "Oh. He must have had it in his hand."

"Well Tom and his friends have someplace they need to be, right boys?"

"Yes professor." They agreed in unison.

"Well Tom!" I smiled widely at him and slapped him on the back. "Thanks for my wand back, now I shall continue to takes these two rabbits to a compartment. Good day professor!"

Quickly I grabbed the two boys and began to walk off down the train. Each looked terrified, but I was just as terrified as either. I was going to get it tonight, Tom would see to that. Me and my big mouth, why could it not just stay shut? I found an empty compartment and took the two inside. They looked as pale as vampires, and I found myself taking pity on them. They did not know any better.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

They nodded but I could tell they were startled from their encounter. I stopped the trolley woman and bought the kids candy. Their eyes lit up at the chocolate frogs and the fizzers, as well as the dancing sugar fairies. They were definitely muggle born. Poor kids. After they had settled down comfortably I started to talk.

"You have to be careful here. Hogwarts is a great place, but the students are not always so great." I began.

"That guy, and his friends…" one started.

"That was Tom Riddle, a Slytherin prefect. You picked the wrong person to insult."

"But I didn't insult him! At least not on purpose…"

I looked at them for a moment. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Like magic?"

I nodded.

"Yeah!" they roared eagerly.

I grinned. "Now, no one else has this kind of magic, so you can't tell anyone, okay?" I was going out on a limb here. "If you do I swear I'll bury you alive with goat dung and hot coals that will never die so you burn slowly." I said ominously.

Their eyes were wide as they shook their heads real fast as if I'd do it to them right then and there. I stood in the middle of the compartment and flicked my wand to close off the windows to the sunlight until it was completely dark. I began slowly, letting the magic seep into my hands, which began to glow with the power, and I began to dance.

Immediately images in the form of pixie-looking-dust began to form to look like real scenes: a sea filled with fish and under sea life, mountains with flowers and trees springing to life, a snarling bear roared and a deer ran away as the bear bean to chase it, and I even conjured Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck who attacked a fuming teapot with a frying pan, since they were muggles, and their laughter and joy soon filled the compartment, fueling my dancing. Finally I stopped, and they looked at me in awe.

"Remember our little secret." I grinned and left the compartment.

They would forget by tomorrow, they would only wake and remember being really happy, that's how my gift worked. Only my "one true love", as my mother had put it, would remember and would remember it great detail. I loved to perform, but no one ever remembered it, that was also my curse, but they would know by the happiness they experienced the next morning that they had seen me perform.

I walked down the hall to my compartment only to be hit with a ton of questions. I grinned and began to talk animatedly, and they knew immediately I had preformed. The rest of the train ride lasted so, until we neared Hogsmead.