A/N: I don't own any of the characters excepting Autumn and any other characters, which are not found in the Harry Potter books. This Fan Fiction is based before the books when Tom Riddle went to school. This writing is purely fictional. I hope you enjoy. And, for confused people this from the 5th through the 6th years, and why he goes the way he did.

Groaning, I held my head up with my hand, "Riley, was that really necessary?"

"Yes, you were talking in your sleep," I sighed and rolled over covering my head with a pillow.

"That's grand, what was it about this time?" I said sarcastically.

Riley sighed it out, "you in the bookshop a while ago on with something about talking to snakes."

"Great…." I muttered and rubbed my aching head, "what time is it?"

"A little after dawn," Riley shrugged and stretched her short tawny hair already brushed and her circle framed glasses made her eyes look confused or dreamy.

Grumbling, I dragged myself out of the warm bed the freezing stone floor quickly made me screech in surprise waking up the rest of the girls in the dorm. Mary, Lucy, and Julia all gave me death stares as they saw me doing a waltz like dance trying to keep my feet off the floor as much as I possibly could. I felt for my locket at my neck I relaxed, as I felt it pulsing.

Grabbing the very first robes out of the chest, I quickly stripped out of my pale white night gown and put on my dark black Hogwarts robes and got on my comfortable black boots with the pointy fronts. I grabbed my Prefect badge off of the nightstand and slipped it into my pocket. Stretching, I neatly made my bed and hurried into the hall and went into the common room. Blue and Bronze colored chairs and couches came into view as I slipped the badge out of my pocket and stared at it. I hadn't become used to it exactly. I was still shocked I was a prefect, so as I pinned it to my robes on the right side of my chest I felt somewhat giddy.

Sighing, I quickly decided to do my rounds for the morning in the castle as was the Headmaster's orders. I liked the time alone too, and I knew nobody would be up, but the other Prefect. I didn't know his name yet; all I knew was that he came from Slytherin. I usually hated Slyherins they reminded me of unpleasant business, which should've settled.

I yawned and opened the door to the corridors outside. Torches lit them bright enough that I could see the corridors. Nearly Headless Nick floated neck to me as I made my descent down one of the stairs to check from the First floor up.

"Good Day, Nick!" I said cheerily enough though I was trying to think.

"Ah, good day is it?" Nick sighed and kept his ghost of a form stay right by me, "well, I guess it is, but I came to deliver a message."

I stared at him curiously almost falling off the stairs I on as my foot went straight through a step. Gasping as the weightlessness took me, I quickly pulled my foot out of the empty space, before grumpily looking at Nic and asking, "What is that question, if I have the pleasure to ask?"

"Well, it is from the prefect of Slyherin that he seeks, to have a word with you." I looked at Nick stunned before toppling head over heels onto the landing as I tripped on my own robes. I went black for a while. I didn't know how long though, but I heard muffled footsteps on the ground a bit later.

I must've tumbled pretty hard as I heard a thunk as my head hit the hard stone from the memories I had before the fall, and I felt extremely sore all over. An iron taste filled my mouth; I realized I had bit my lip so hard it cut and now blood was trickling into my mouth.

"Nick, who's this out at this time of the morning?" a voice that I immediately knew resonated in my head. I felt shocked as a thin finger turned my head upwards and I quickly shut my eyes.

"The girl you wished to see," Nick said boredly, "she went head over heels on the stairs, and this is what happened."

"I see," I felt his finger trace my cheekbone gently and I felt a small tingle race through my face and he must've felt it too as he suddenly took his finger off of me.

When I felt the weird tingle, I refrained from jerking away from this girl, this weird and strangely familiar girl. I heard the scrape of metal on rock and I noticed her small silver locket like necklace it had an eagle on it with bronze and blue highlights on the back. She was strangely beautiful though, when she opened her eyes, I noticed they were like honey.

"Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" she stared at me her eyes trying to focus clearing.

"I'm Tom. Tom Riddle." I saw her surprised look as I said the words. Then I realized whom this pretty face belonged to. Her name is Autumn, I remembered her from the small shop of alchemy I had went to.

"And, my name is, Autumn." She gave me a weak smile as I stood up and helped her up gently. I saw her wince as half way stood and yelped before we sort of had a crash collision. At least I was still standing, or things could've gotten much worse. I heard her groan in pain as she held her ankle up weakly, and she was leaning against my chest. I was frozen inside, but also almost angry for her to do this, and the only thing refraining me from pushing her away was the pain I saw in her face. She looked up at me pleadingly.

"Tom, can you get me to the Hospital Wing?" she looked at me helplessly, "my ankle is broken I think."

I barely comprehended what she was asking, all I could think about was that she, out of all people I had met was leaning against my chest, in the middle of the corridor at dawn with a ghost watching. When in the first place all I wanted to ask her is where the girl where the girls bathroom was. Odd question, but still I wanted to know.

"Tom, please," she begged as she was trying harder not to lean on my chest. I finally got my head to snap out of the trance I was in and decided to help her, just to maybe get the information I wanted out of her.

"Yes, of course," I said quickly helping her off my chest, which caused and audible gasp of pain and quickly helped her to the side of me. I slung her frail arm across my shoulders and helped her down the stairs and too the Hospital wing. Our progress was rather slow for my taste, as we did a hop full step hop half step and repeat. As we managed to get on the first floor I finally asked my question, "Where's the girl's bathroom?"

I felt her stare at me oddly as she replied with a question of her own, "why?"

"Because, I got in trouble and I'm supposed to clean them," I lied smoothly, letting the words roll off my tongue.

"Right, and I'm a free house elf," she said sarcastically making her point clear.

I sighed and replied, "then you're a pretty house elf."

My heart froze as I realized at what I just said and I quickly stuttered out, "sorry, that wasn't supposed to come out like that."

I knew she was smirking as we rounded the corner on our left to hospital wing, and I was doing everything so that she wouldn't see the bright red color on my cheeks.