Waking to the sound of claws on glass, Tom opened his eyes and looked to the small, foggy window across the room. A fierce storm was raging outside, accompanied by a desperate looking owl. After watching it battle against the wind for a few minutes, Riddle rose from his bed and paced across the room to unlatched the window which the bird instantly collapsed through. Tom studied the package attached to the owls leg as it lay eerily still on the floor, it bore the Hogwarts crest and was thicker then usual. Turning back to the bleak morning he smiled to himself, the thickness of the letter indicated he had been made head boy. It was an unsurprising, yet pleasing end to his summer. Feeling the wind and rain spear his skin he stared back into the wind and felt a slight sense of relief, throughout the summer he had been hounded by Miss Kitty Welling to the extent he was almost regretting his business transaction, yet his payment from Borgin and Burke had been generous and if he had to cope with eager love letters from an injudicious child, he would. Hogwarts would provide him with the safe haven he craved, as Kitty would be at Beauxbatons. Closing the window, Tom turned back to his room. It was the last week he would ever have to spend trapped by these four walls; he would come of age in less then a month of starting the new school year. The orphanage had not been a cruel home, yet neither was it nourishing. The possibility for friendship or even a human connection between Riddle and the rest of the household had been stamped out despite being born and raised by the institution. Aware of the speculative fear of him that had spread among the children and staff, he was pleased to see that this summer no one had approached him, he simply used the house as a place to sleep and store belongings before he could leave to go home.
He couldn't wait to go home.
Hogwarts was home.
"Tom! Mr Riddle! Sir!" Tom turned from the carriage he was about to enter and waited for the younger boy to catch up to him. A tall, lean boy with uneven skin and white blonde hair fought down the Hogwarts Express corridor to his side.
"Yes Lucius? What do you want? I hope you don't expect to be using me as a substitute father figure again this year. Last year was pathetic, but held some entertainment for me, this year however, it will be tiresome and I care not how you will cope without my protection." A mean grin cut through Riddle's features as he saw the pain and embarrassment he caused the young Malfoy. Lucius was now a second year, having arrived at Hogwarts last year with a disgraced family name due to the indiscretions of his father, Romulus Malfoy, had been victim to indescribable cruelty from the Slytherin house he had the misfortune of being placed in. Tom had expressed his distaste in men being judged by their fathers in an equally cruel fashion toward the instigators of Lucius's suffering which had in turn earned him a servant-like follower within Lucius.
Malfoy regained his speech and managed to cough out through flushed cheeks "I got you a book" and thrust a black, leather bound diary with gold detailing toward Tom.
Looking upon the book, Riddles eyes flickered with shadows of desire; he had been meaning to document his achievements.
Snatching the book from Malfoy, Tom nodded at the boy. When he did not move, Riddle bluntly stated "I've taken your gift, now leave me, you are no use to me and have no purpose in my company", with this Malfoy scampered away down the train corridor, allowing Tom to continue into the Head's carriage. Sitting down in the seat nearest to him, he continued to study his new acquisition, flipping it over he found his name engraved into the bottom corner closest to the spine of the book. Cringing slightly at the sight he looked up to find who he assumed the new Head Girl to be, sitting directly opposite him. She had dark strawberry coloured hair and a fairly thickset jaw that took away from her rather kind eyes.
"Amelia Bones, Ravenclaw", the girl finally spat out. Tom smiled at this, Bones seemed to take it as positive reinforcement and relaxed in her seat, Riddle however was smiling at how easily she bowed to pressure. A blank stare was all that was needed to make her feel uncomfortable.
The rest of the journey passed in silence, Amelia continuously stealing glances at her handsome co-caption certain that there was a spark between them when he smiled at her shyly. Tom on the other hand was finding Amelia increasingly repellent, distracting himself by thinking of plans for the year, which he would be immortalising in print from now on.
Rounding a bend, the first glimpses of Hogwarts were seen. This year was going to define the futures of many.
