Sitting alone in a silent compartment of the Hogwarts Express as it hurried its way to its next destination was a boy of similar age to Veronica. Tom Marvolo Riddle. His skin was deathly pale and the hollows in his cheeks had since grown gaunter with the months away from Hogwarts and living on tasteless slop they served in the Orphanage. He still remained as handsome as ever, retraining his good looks as his neatly parted dark raven hair seemed to extenuate his strong cheek bones. His grey eyes were cold and unnerving as they were magnetized to the pages of the book he was reading. It was a simple book, telling the differences in verbal and non-verbal incantations.

It neither bothered or occurred to Tom that the other compartments were already taken by his fellow peers who seemed to have flocked together with one and other, laughing and talking in excitement about their summer time adventures outside of Hogwarts. In fact, he relished any time he had on his own. Since leaving the orphanage that morning, he could finally relax. It irritated him that he could constantly hear the constant murmurs of the children laughing and playing with one and other in the different rooms or even in the Orphanage court yard. At one point he felt the urge to hex every single one of them just so he could show them the meaning of laughter. Ah yes, the image that was imprinted in his mind at the thought of causing malevolent pain to the vulnerable children was something deemed hilarious by his standard.

He would have remained undisturbed for the rest of the train journey if there hadn't been a sharp knock at his compartment door which was followed by it sliding open.

"My Lord," Dolohov spoke as he saw Tom peer up from his book with an uninterested gleam in his eyes, he didn't even try to hide the disdain in his face from being interrupted.

Dolohov hastily closed the compartment door behind him as he gained a seat opposite his leader. Tom had resumed reading his book, almost disregarding that Dolohov was awaiting some order from him.

"My Lord?" Dolohov spoke once more, almost uncertain whether he was sure Tom had actually registered he had actually joined him.

Slowly Tom withdrew from the book at a leisurely pace. Closing it and placing it inside his robes, he then laced his fingers together as he finally gave Dolohov eye contact. "You're alone." He seemed annoyed that only one of his followers had decided to check in with him on their first day of term.

"Yes, Avery and Lestrange are taking note of the new Mudbloods that have yet to be sorted and the rest…" Dolohov paused in thought, shifting uneasily under the penetrating gaze of Tom before finishing with "I haven't seen them yet- but I'm sure they'll want to speak with you once we're in the Common Room."

"How very convenient, I supposed some followers are not as loyal as others." Tom laughed bitterly. "And Avery and Lestrange, Did I ask them to make a not of the Mudbloods?" He asked, icy tones dripping in his tone along with his usual cruel mannerisms. Dolohov who had no idea how to respond instinctively hung his head in shame.

"N-No."

"And didn't you try and stop them?" Tom asked once more.

Once again Dolohov stammered feeling now he was now to pay for the foolishness of others. The urge to plead with his leader and beg for him to see it differently was definitely an option but he held his tongue for he knew Tom loathed weakness and had said so many times before in their meetings together.

Tom suddenly rose from his seat, towering over Dolohov who awaited his punishment. "Very well Dolohov. You are free to go, tell Avery and Lestrange that I shall want to speak to them before we arrive at the castle."

Dolohov's head suddenly snapped up and took in the order that Tom had fed him with little effort. Shock and bewilderment stretched across his face before he gave a swift bow with his head and exited the compartment.

Tom awaited a moment, collecting his thoughts as he re-pinned his Prefects Badge to his robes. He could no longer put of his duties any more, he'd have to face Veronica Bennett eventually.

"Al right Ronnie? Had a good summer?" A voice uncomfortably close to the shell of Veronica's ear spoke. Without so much as spinning around to face the owner of the voice, she could already picture the face of one arrogant, Flint Donahue.

Flint was neither a member of the Slytherin house nor a Pureblood but still had the delusion of assuming he had some sort of chance with Veronica. It would have been amusing if he hadn't been incessant and she had lost count of the times she had told him to leave her alone. She wasn't being arrogant when she turned him down but it was more so a matter of fact, Slytherins from Pureblood families were only ever meant to marry with other Purebloods.

Veronica recoiled when she felt his chest pressing against her back as she struggled to keep some of the timid looking first years from congregating and blocking the narrow passage way of the train. Every now and then she would become frustrated and end up smacking some of them with her wand.

"What do you want Flint?" She asked in a bored tone. She still hadn't bothered to look round at him for if she had, she would have seen that he was baring a big toothy grin.

"You." He joked as he tried to spin her round to look at him.

"Ha. Ha." She said sarcastically as she yanked her arm out of his clutch. "Ow you little basta-" She suddenly began to rub her bottom in a soothing way. Looking down the passage way she noticed one of the first years had began sneering at her as they ran away, holding a rather large disorientated pet rat in their hands.

Flint suddenly started chuckling wildly as he finally met Veronica's glaring eyes. "I guess you could say they're a pain in the arse eh Ron?"

"If you don't leave now you're going to wake up with pus filled boils covering every inch of your body." She seethed as she turned her back on him once more (although she could quite plainly see his reflection in the glass in front of her).

"Always thinking about me naked aren't you?" He crooned as he lent up against the glass, a cool smile tugging at his lips as he looked her up and down. He seemed to have noticed she had changed since the previous year. Her hair was longer and lighter; although her height stayed the same, small and dainty, she had lost weight and gained a tiny hourglass waist from what he could see beneath her robes. But her eyes, her eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle.

Veronica wanted nothing more to curse him repeatedly till it somehow sunk into his brain that she would never be interested in him and that he was purely a nuisance to her but she would never run the risk of losing her Prefect privileges over something minuscule.

It was at that moment Veronica saw that Tom Riddle had finally emerged from hiding. Striding down the narrow passage way, ignoring the lusting looks he was receiving from a group of fourth year Slytherin girls.

"Where have you been?" Veronica barked loudly, startling a second year Hufflepuff girl who had dropped her Herbology book in shock.

Tom stopped just a little way apart from her and Flint. His eyes automatically fixed upon Flint with a look of loathing ignoring Veronica completely.

"Shouldn't you be running along now Mudblood?"

Flint bolted up away from his leaning stance. Anger flashed in his pale green eyes as he narrowed them at Tom. He automatically clenched his fist in case he needed to hit Tom repeatedly in the face.

Tom withdrew his wand and pointed it straight at Flint's chest, a menacing look emanating his handsome face.

"What you gonna' do Riddle? Curse me? I'm sure everyone would love to see what the great Tom Riddle is really like." Flint glowered. "Such a role model this Prefect is eh?" Flint sneered.

"Tom put the wand down." Veronica ordered but he didn't listen to her, instead he held a firmer grip on the handle. Seeing that this had no effect on Tom she turned to Flint whose eyes had turned into slits of rage "Back off Flint." She warned.

Flint looked down at Veronica who now held a stern expression. Sighing, he exhaled a distorted breath and stalked away feeling defeated mumbling something incoherent under his breath. Tom slowly lowered his wand cautiously but still continued to burn his gaze into the back of Flint's head.

"Slughorn's been asking for you." Veronica spoke quietly.

Tom, who had been expecting her to preach to him about showing a good example to their peers was a little stunned by her sudden nonchalant tone. "And?" He asked with a raise of his dark eyebrow.

"And..." She began as they both started to patrol together knowing the train only had one more destination left, Hogsmeade. "...I'm not going to keep lying for you. I told him you had gone to keep an eye at the opposite side of the train. But this is it Tom. I already spent a year covering for you; I'm not doing it any more. I could lose my Prefect badge because of you."

Tom gave her a sceptical look, his jaw clenched and his eyes burning into her flesh. He couldn't stand it when anyone dared to speak to him like he was just a common person better yet, when someone didn't speak to him with the respect he so rightly deserved. Veronica however was not bothered nor threatened by his glares.

"Don't then. I've already told you I don't need your help." He snapped.

Letting out an agitated sigh she then finally looked over at him; her sapphire eyes tracing the contours of his extremely handsome face. "Fine, I won't in future." She barked back in the same tone. "But just remember, if it wasn't for me doing that, you'd have probably been kicked out of this school by now."

And then they continued their Prefect duties in silence until they were finally able to part ways once they reached the Thestral drawn carriages.