"Are you sure you remembered everything?" Delaney's mother asked for the fifteenth time that morning.
"YES, mum, I already checked and double checked my trunk this morning." she replied, stepping out of reach of the handkerchief her mother was trying to scrub her face with.
"I know, but you say that every year and every year you end up forgetting something" the persistent woman countered, making another attempt at getting a hold of her daughter's face.
"Mum, I have everything." Delaney stated, yet again side stepping the handkerchief.
"Are you sure? Your toothbrush? Your broom? Those socks I bought you on Wednesday?" her mother questioned after finally grabbing her chin, "and would you stay still, you have an ink smudge on your cheek."
"MUM. I have everything." The frustrated teen shouted, wrenching out of her mother's grip.
"Eleanor, please, give it a rest. If she forgot anything we can just owl it to her. And for Merlin's sake, Delaney, how did you manage to get ink all over your face, you only just rolled out of bed an hour ago." Her father's eyes twinkled with amusement as he watched the continuing struggle.
"I don't know! It just happens. I don't even remember using a quill this morning." she pouted.
He took his large gold pocket watch out and gave it a quick glance. "It's almost eleven, the train will be leaving soon. Where on earth are your friends?"
"Bailey is probably up at the front of the train with the other prefects and Nicole is most likely tucked away in a corner reading." she replied, scanning the crowd for either of them.
"Do give them our love and tell them we're sorry we missed them on the platform," her mother said, turning to her daughter.
"And stay out of trouble, the lot of you," Delaney glanced up just in time to see her dad wink. He knew the three friends got up to mischief. He also knew that it was never anything too serious or malicious and that they were smart enough to not get caught, so he didn't particularly mind any of it. Her mother swooped in for one last hug before she boarded the train.
"Have a good semester, kiddo." her father said, extending his hand. She shook it with an obnoxious amount of formality, but could only hold back her grin for so long before throwing her arms around her father's neck and hugged him.
"Bye Mum, bye Da, I'll write when I'm all settled!" she called over her shoulder while bounding toward the train, jumping on board just as the wheels lurched forward. She walked towards the back of the train and peered through windows looking for Nicole. Bailey would be a while before joining them, so Delaney knew there was no use in looking for her. She had only made it past three compartments when she felt a hand grab her wrist and spin her around.
"And where do you think you're going?" an amused voice drawled.
"Hogwarts," she mockingly answered the tall boy now standing before her.
He narrowed his eyes at the girl as she attempted to feign innocence. "Clearly. But I think we're going to have to make a brief detour before we get there," he smirked. He then raised his eyebrows and cocked his head towards the loo at the end of the train.
"Hopefully not too brief," she countered with a grin.
He quickly glanced over his shoulder and grabbed her hand, practically dragging her along with him. She managed to catch a glimpse of Nicole sitting in one of the compartments on the way back and tried to make a mental note of where to find her once she was less preoccupied.
They reached the bathroom and the tall boy playfully shoved her inside, looking over his shoulder once more to make sure the coast was clear before joining her. Delaney wrapped her arms around his neck and stood up on her toes to press her lips to his mouth. His hands found her waist and slid down, quickly squeezing her arse before continuing on to the backs of her thighs, which he lifted up, helping to bridge the large gap between their heights. She wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her fingers up into his auburn locks, messing up his once neatly styled hair.
He deepened the kiss and slid his tongue into her mouth, causing a moan to escape from her throat. Setting her on the sink counter, he began to slide his hands up her skirt, where he found the hem of her knickers and slowly began to slide them down.
"Not on the train," she mumbled, stopping his hand with her own and pressing her mouth against his again. She could feel the frown of his lips against her own. He sighed and kissed the nape of her neck.
"After the sorting ceremony?" his deep brown eyes questioned her green ones and she nodded before responding "After the sorting ceremony."
He helped her down off the counter and poked his head out the door, making sure the corridor was empty. "I'll see you later, then," he said as he stepped out of the loo, shutting the door behind him.
Delaney sighed and turned towards the mirror. Her hair would definitely need to be re-tamed and her face was still flushed. She spent a few minutes running her fingers through her honey blonde hair in an attempt to brush it out. Once her hair was managed and the pink tinge had receded from her pale cheeks she straightened her clothes before opening the door and stepping out.
Trying to remember which compartment she had seen Nicole in, she made her way down the train. Suddenly the door to the compartment in front of her opened and a tall figure rushed out almost knocking her over. The figure caught her waist and steadied her.
"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you there," Tom Riddle's pearly white teeth flashed into an uncertain smile as his deep blue eyes studied Delaney. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she stated bluntly as she pulled away from him. Something about his eyes set her on edge. They always had. It was like he was trying to look past her eyes and into her mind. Like he was trying to read her as though she were nothing more than a book.
"I'd better get going, I'm supposed to be patrolling the corridors," he said, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Oh, right, you're a prefect." She replied, motioning towards the shiny badge pinned to his chest.
He nodded and gave her one more cautious smile before turning and hurrying down the corridor. Watching him go, she noted his tall frame, broad shoulders, and lithe build, all crowned with that thick, dark, perfectly parted crown of hair. He was quite attractive, really, but something about him had always seemed off to Delaney, though she seemed to be the only one to ever get that vibe from him.
She shook her head and continued on down the train until she finally reached her friend's compartment.
