For a muggle-born it had to be said that Jessica Milton knew a lot about magic. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she'd read Hogwarts: a History after she got her letter.
Who knows?
There was one thing she was sure of and that was she was going to succeed in magic, in whatever house she was placed in, and in whatever she did. By whatever means necessary. Putting it lightly she was ambitious.
First thing to succeed in however was finding a compartment on the Hogwarts Express and being a first year that no-one knows and treats like dirt because of that fact, well that makes it hard.
Her dark blue eyes scanned the transparent doors the tiny specks of bronze imbedded in deep sapphire lit up when she found a compartment with only one person seated within, a young boy. He was obviously a first year like her, his black hair was neatly combed however his clothes were a little ragged around the edges. His eyes weren't visible to her as his head was turned to face the window.
'Well now or never,' Jessica mentally motivated herself.
"Hello there, can I share your compartment? I'm afr-"
"Of course you may," he replied.
His head slowly turned and his dark eyes connected with hers. She gulped. There was something different about him. Something off. Jessica pushed the thought to the back of her mind, she was just being paranoid; she had always been a bit distrusting of people, just paranoia that was it.
"Something troubling you?" He sent Jessica a questioning look.
"Oh no! Nothing," she mustered her fakest smile.
"What's your name?" He returned the smile but again there was that offness again…
"Jessica…Jessica Milton," she muttered
Jessica mentally kicked herself she never lost her cool never stumbled she was confident. His gaze however it sent shivers down her spine.
"You are?" she asked.
"Tom," he replied, "Tom Riddle."