This is my first HP fiction, so I really can't wait to see hear your feedback on it, good and bad! Thank you so much in advanced for reading, if you decide to do so.

Chapter one – Entering the dragons den.
As Tom Riddle climbed onto the Hogwarts Express a strange feeling of relief over came him, but of course he didn't allow it to show. His face remains perfectly composed, like a statue devoid of emotion. Having being one of the first on the train he relish's the empty corridors, bounding along them, searching for an appropriate compartment. Finding the one at the front of the train to his liking he place's his bag overhead and settles down on the seat closest to the window.
For Riddle the summer at the Orphanage had been a long one. It was, he presumed, because it was his last one there. When the end is close it makes people loose their patience. But Tom Riddle has been patient for far too long. Looking down at his watch the hands point at a quarter to ten, it won't be long now until his 'friends' come to find him. Picking up the book he had extracted from the bag before he placed it on the stand, he opens it slowly in his hands relishing the feeling of the hard backs weight perched on his lap. Knowledge is power, and books are the keepers.
It doesn't take long for him to hear the pitter patter of feet as the train fills up, and in no time the compartment door has been flung open.
"Morning Riddle," Avery nods a small flush rising to his cheeks causing Tom to smirk in his direction. Obviously he feels awkward about being the first to arrive, the first to fall back under Toms strong leadership. They had their summer; it is now time to begin putting their plans into action. After carelessly chucking his hold-all onto the railing over head, he saunters over to the window seat opposite Tom.
"Nice summer?" he asks, feeling the need to fill the silence.
"Not particularly," is Tom's curt reply as he glares up from his book. The silence that follows could almost be called un-nerving.
"Avery! Riddle!" comes a loud voice from the doorway and there stands a rather exuberant looking Lestrange. Both look up at him, Avery with relief and Tom with a deadly glance.
"Good summer?" Avery asks repeating his last question which Tom grimace's at, why on earth does he feel the need to start silly conversations with everyone and anyone?
"Brilliant, went to Europe on holiday with my parents, had to get the boat and everything..." Tom looks up sending one more glare in Avery's direction.
"Sorry to interrupt Lestrange, but I have more important business to attend to," he says with an air of authority. Standing up and grabbing his bag from above his head he answers the question before anybody even has to ask it.
"Head meeting," he leaves sharply before anyone has a chance to congratulate him, scowling at the fact that his friends are so nosey.

The heads department is all the way at the other end up the train, and after a long trek he finally arrives attempting to curb the huge smirk on his face which appeared as all the younger kids swiftly moved out of his way with a look of pure fear plastered on their tiny faces. Hearing a voice from inside he opens the door walking in to see two people sitting opposite each other. The first he recognizes as headmaster Dippet sitting on the armchair, and the second is presumable the new head girl.
"Tom, so nice of you to join us, how is our new head boy today?" Dippet announces smiling at Tom as he sits down on the couch as far away from the girl as possible.
"Fine thank you,"
"I take it you've not met the new head girl, meet Caroline Bottlebum, a Hufflepuff none the less!" Tom peers around nodding curtly in the general direction of the girl. He couldn't care any less about some dumb Hufflepuff girl; he'd have been more interested if it was a Slytherin.
"Well, I just wanted to congratulate you both for earning such prestigious positions at Hogwarts, and remind you that the schedule for prefect meetings and late night corridor patrols have to be made up pronto," standing up with a flourish and heading to the door, "I suggest you begin straight away,"

The rest of the train journey went by in a blur for Tom as the coward of a Head girl sat back and let Tom do all the work, after he told her off abruptly for suggesting that they do the patrols together. Typical female. They always try their luck even when it's obviously he isn't intrested.
Finally it was time to depart and head to Hogwarts, the view by now to Tom, isn't that amazing. But as the castle draws closer he can't help but feel warmth over come him. Hogwarts is home. In Hogwarts he has a place. He marches into the Great Hall swiftly followed by Lestrange, Avery, and Rosier who had obviously been late. The crowd happily part to let them past, the fear of the four mysterious boys plainly written on their sad little faces. The slytherin table is strategically placed at the far right of the room, and Tom sits down with his back facing the wall happy to glare around at all the other houses and watch what is going on. Avery and Rosier sit on either side of him for which he is thankful, already dreading the next year with Lestrange and his stupid, dumb comments. Across from them sit Poppy and Parma, two Slytherin seventh years. Tom grimace's as they bat their eyelids at him like he's a peice of meat.
"Have you heard about the new girl?" Parma smirks looking over the table at the four boys obviously knowing the answer and looking for a reason to gossip.
"New girl?" is Lestrange's smart reply.
"We saw her just as we were coming in, robes blank, obviously waiting to be sorted,"
"She is obviously a sixth or seventh year, although she did look kind of small from where she was standing," Poppy buts in, both girls giggling at her silly little jab, making Tom want to grab his wand and curse them.
"Interesting," is Rosiers reply, and before anyone has a chance to speak in marches the new first years. All looking around at the intimidating face's feeling both nervous and excited. In no time the sorting begins, and the sorting hat starts blurting out house names after house names. Before long all the first years are seated at their new houses, but instead of picking the sorting hat up and putting it away Headmaster Dippet lets it sit on the chair.
"Now children, I'm very pleased to say that we have a new student beginning Hogwarts today," with this the whole school falls silent, "she will be going into her seventh year and I hope you all give her a very warm welcome, without further ado, I give to you Alice Abel," as the doors swing open everyone's eyes open wide in astonishment. Abel? Where has that name been heard before? Staring at the door Tom Riddle knows exactly where that name has been heard before. In saunters a very pretty girl, her blonde hair the colour of sand on a desert beach. Poppy was right, she is small, but the word petite describes her best. Tom watches with narrowed eyes as she walks down the main isle avoiding the curious glares of a couple hundred people. From the far distance he is just able to spot the little patch of red forming above her cheeks, and he scorns her mentally for her clear weakness. Nobody with power and control would show such emotion in front of anybody.

Alice Abel stops the moment she reaches the front of the Great Hall, attempting to block out the feeling of hundreds of eyes drilling holes in the back of her head. She fails miserably of course. If only her grandparents had given her the choice all those years ago, then she would be comfortable in Hogwarts, not standing here in seventh year waiting to be sorted.
"Hello Alice dear, very lovely to meet you finally," Dippet grins from a few steps up and Alice smiles back grudgingly, "your father was a very brilliant wizard," he finishes, causing Alice to peer around the room hoping nobody can hear their embarrassing exchange. Which of course everyone can.
"Thank you sir,"
"Now if you just place the hat on your head poppet, you'll be sorted in no time," this time her smile is more genuine, mainly at the thought of being sorted and being able to blend in if that is ever possible. Picking up the hat she places it slowly on her head, allowing it to fall down to just above her nose.
"An Abel I see," the hat begins, causing Alice to roll her eyes. Does everyone have to know the story behind her cursed second name?
"Your father was a Ravenclaw, and a very good one at that. You could be great in that house. But Slytherin, now that's somewhere you could excel in, you have drive and purpose. Although, I see that you have a careless streak that would fit much better in Gryffindor,"
The silence seems to drag on forever.
"I have made my decision, GRYFINDOR!" Placing the hat back down on the bench she turns around for a moment allowing Dippet to mark her robes with the Gryffindor colours, and them swiftly makes her way over to the Gryffindor table. On her way over she feels everyone's eyes on her, but one gaze seems more intense than the others. Raising her head and scanning the far corner her eyes catch those of a Slytherin glaring at her. It doesn't take her long to throw a narrow eyed smirk in his direction before settling down in the space provided for her.

"Hello, Alice right? I'm Samantha," explains an even voice from her right, and she turns to see a brunette staring at her.
"Yeh Alice, it's nice to meet you Samantha,"
"Just call me Sam," she smiles, "I'm in seventh year as well so it looks like we'll be friends,"
"It seems so," Alice grins, thanking god that she got put into a house where their was actually one nice person wanting to be her friend. Feeling a very strange sensation coming from in front of her she turns her head back around to see another girl staring at her with a very excited look on her face.
"Hi, I'm Ruby it's such a pleasure to meet you Abel!" the girl almost shouts bobbing up and down on her seat in excitement. Causing her bleach blonde curls to bounce on her shoulders.
"It's Alice,"
"Alice sorry, oh it's just so lovely to have a new member of the house never mind a seventh year,"

The minute the girl sat down all around the hall chatter and gossip began. All about Abel of course. Tom Riddle sat in silence slowly picking at the food in front of him, and occasionally glancing at the new girls back as she chats to a couple of Gryffindor girls. He was right about her of course, he could tell from the moment she walked in that her emotions control her, that's why she was put in Gryffindor. Otherwise she would have been a brilliant asset to the Slytherins. But Slytherins are better of without a little girl who wears her hearts on her sleeve.
"You never said she was good-looking," Rosier began, directing his statement to Poppy and Parma across the table.
"Yeh, did you see those legs!" agrees Avery a small smile playing on his features as he glances over at her. Parma and Poppy decide to ignore the boys and instead direct their answer at Tom.
"You don't think she's good-looking do you Riddle?" Parma purrs. He takes a few seconds to answer, letting out a long sigh.
"Not bad for a half-blood Gryffindor,"
"I recognise the name Abel, but I can't for the live of me remember how," Lestrange buts in skewering his mind for any clues that might jolt his memory.
"Her parents where killed just over seven years ago by a Dark Lord. The worst attack in Wizarding history," Tom answers staring down at his soup bowl, the annoyance clear on his face. Not interested in hearing any further chatter about an unimportant new presence to the school, he stands up abruptly without saying a word and heads out of the Great Hall.