He knew it was going to happen from his first day at Hogwarts and now it was official, not only did he have the badge but he was sitting in the prefect's carriage. He was now in charge of his inferiors. He could tell seventh years what to do. Of course he would have to hold to social-specifically Slytherin-convention. It was for that reason that he was to leave the carriage after receiving instructions and go sit in the empty Slytherin carriage until further instruction. While he did not like being ordered about he could risk losing face in his house at this point, not when he gaining power was so pivotal to his future plans.
And so he sat, and he waited, and he read until an owl started tapping at the door to be let in. When he let the bird in it dropped a letter on his lap and flew back out. The letter just told him that in order for him to have anyone listen to him as a prefect he had to complete the same dare that Slytherin prefects have had to do for years.
"A dare? Really, how childish can they be? I thought this was the respectable house." he muttered under his breathe as he continued reading.
This proves that our prefects are willing to do anything for their house. Until this challenge is completed you will be like an animal under the Slytherin Royalty and none of your prefect's privileges will be respected. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, it is tradition. We will be watching you. Your dare begins when the next girl walks into your compartment. You must have her kiss you, willingly. Use your cunning and resourcefulness to prove that you truly have the ambition required. The House recognizes that professors are out of bounds as are any women who are not students or any students in third year or less.
'So I must wait to find my fate. Please allow her to be a Slytherin or possibly a Ravenclaw, I would even take a Hufflepuff over a Gryffindor.' he thought until he was interrupted by the door opening. He held his breathe before breathing out in disgust as the person at the door asked, "Anything from the trolley, dear?"
"No." snapped Tom, the worry of his situation beginning to break through his mask of perfect behavior.
The rest of the train ride was spent with him clutching the armrest as well as clenching his teeth every time he heard footsteps outside the door. Until finally the footsteps stopped outside his door. The door opened to reveal a young girl with very bushy hair. He let out the breathe he had been holding, yes she was a Gryffindor but there is no way she was anything older than a second year.
"Have you seen a toad? A boy named Charlus has lost one." she saide the bossy undertone in her voice grating on Tom's nerves reminding him that he held no power.
"No. I haven't. What year are you in anyway?"
"I'm a fourth year." she said giving him a puzzling glance before leaving the compartment and continuing her questioning.
"I am doomed. A Gryffindor. I need to woo a Gryffindor. I can do it, I can participate in ridiculous rituals to gain power, I attend Slughorn's parties do I not?"
He spent the rest of the ride trying to figure out how he was going to make this Gryffindor want to kiss him when he didn't even know her name.
He was one of the last into the common room as no one would tell him the password but when he finally arrived in the common room everyone over fifth year fell silent. He later gathered that he was the first prefect to get a Gryffindor in as long as anyone could remember. If he could accomplish this he would be more than a prefect, he would be a prince among the snakes. He would have undisputed power. He could make this work for him.
He gathered a group of fourth years to find out everything they can about the girl, especially her name.
Her name was Hermione Granger. She was a...a... muggleborn. Her parents were dentists. She loved reading and could often be found in the library. Her favourite food was a creme puff.
He had all he needed, he just constantly needed to remind himself that it was just a kiss. He had thought for a moment that she could just become a victim of Salazar's plan, but he needed his prefect's powers to make that plan a reality. He also didn't know what would happen if the girl of the dare mysteriously died or was turned to stone. It wasn't even like he could kiss her to wake her up, she had to kiss him.
And so he met her outside. She was practising summoning charms, she was surprisingly proficient at it. He was impressed she was to that level already considering the school year had just begun and that normally wasn't taught until after Halloween. She was having trouble however at summoning objects through other objects, specifically water. She was trying to summon something out of a well by the forest.
It is easy to summon an object that is close or if there are no barriers between you and the object but naturally it becomes more difficult the more barriers you have between yourself and the object. For instance if you try to summon something from across the castle where there are walls in the way it is harder than summoning it across a classroom. Most difficult however is when the object is immersed. That was obviously what this Hermione was struggling with. It wasn't curriculum, it might be covered as added material for NEWTS, but no fourth year would need to know it.
It was the same thing he had done.
He figured the fastest way to heart was skill not romance. He decided the best way to get to know her was to impress her right off the bat.
"Accio." he said with the hint of a smile on his face as a golden ball shot out of the well and into his hand.
She turned on him, anger on her face. That was not what he was expecting. He was expecting her to be impressed with his skill not angry that he was better than her.
"I am afraid I don't see how you showing off is of any benefit to me," she said in a clipped tone, "It really doesn't make a difference to me if you can summon an unknown object through water because I currently can't and you doing it for me does not teach me how to do it."
That certainly backfired on him, though she was right and he would have probably reacted the same way, though of course he would have never had trouble in the first place.
"I apologize," that was certainly the best policy here. He needed to stay in her good books,"Hermione is it? I have heard rumours of your brilliance and merely wanted to grab your attention so I could help you. I am deeply sorry for offending you."
"Don't try sucking up to me, Riddle. I know how you are. I've seen you around Slughorn. I don't know what you want from me but you aren't getting it."
This girl was good, it was definitely going to be a challenge which made it almost worth it. He picked his next words carefully.
"You caught me, I was sucking up to you. The truth is I just wanted an excuse to get to know you. You are brilliant but you won't join Slughorn's club. You are beautiful but you don't seem to see it. You seem like the perfect girl and you are an enigma. I really just want to know you. If I was trying to get something else out of you I might have brought crystallized pineapple. I really do want to help though, I know how much trouble I had with accio through water."
There. He complimented her, supposedly explained his reasoning, and gave himself a chance to know her. This was bound to work.
"I don't need your help, or your fake flattery. I knew something was up from the moment one of your cronies asked me my favourite food. Snakes like you don't talk to mudbloods like me about our desires and interests. Again, I don't know what you want with a Gryffindor mudblood like me but you aren't getting it." The annoyance in her voice was obvious as she started walking away. It was time for desperate measures. He wasn't going to let one bloody mudblood spoil his plans.
He grabbed her arm, "Wait. no. Don't call yourself that. That is a disgusting word. I grew up in an orphanage full of muggles. I don't know my family. For all I know I am muggleborn too. And I don't care what house you are in, I just care that, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I think you might be my soul mate. You are the only person here who is smarter than me, you are the only person who could challenge me to be a better wizard but beyond that a better person," he was practically gagging on his own words. As if he could ever be a mudblood when he was descended from Salazar Slytherin himself or as if his soul mate could ever be as disgusting as the girl in front of him. Who even needed a soul mate, love was a made up concept that made people weak. Plus who would want to 'be a better person' when you could have power?
All of a sudden she kissed him. That cock and bull couldn't have worked that well, could it have? Even he wasn't expecting a kiss at that stage he suspected that might just make her warm up to him and it would take a lot more time to get her to kiss him.
"I told you, I knew something was up and I figured it out. I know all about that stupid little dare of yours. Now it is done and you can leave me alone. Please do leave me alone, I have a spell to practice."
With that she left leaving him in the closest to shock he would ever be. That girl was better than he thought, he would have to keep her in mind later. He might even spare her from the basilisk.
"Oh, and just so you are aware, I am going to tell everyone or at least the gossips in my dorm that you said I was smarter than you."
Maybe he would feed her to the basilisk instead.