17th of July 1938, Wool's Orphanage.

Wool's Orphanage was a peculiar place, filled with peculiar children. There was Amy Jones, the crazy girl who'd cut your hair if it was longer than hers; Billy Stubbins the bully who was secretly a neat freak; Dennis Fort, the boy who'd throw rocks at any animal in his vicinity; and Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle was the stony faced boy with no emotions whatsoever. Tom Riddle was the menace that'd curse you to break your leg if you bothered him. Tom Riddle was the boy who'd hiss at snakes and convince them to slither into your bed at midnight.

So, when Margeret Eyre (who preferred to go by Maggie) joined the orphanage, there had to be something wrong with her... Right?

.+*"*+.

The first time it had happened was when Aunt Edda had had rude visitors. Their son pulled Maggie's pigtails. The boy dropped Aunt Edda's best china and spilled tea all over Aunt Edda's best rug. Eventhough his parents had insisted he was a sensible boy and could be trusted with the china. The boy said it was Maggie's fault. But she was on the other side of the room, nursing her own cup of tea; how could she have done anything?

The second time was when John Field had made fun of her. His sneers had turned to sniffles when he floated up towards the roof. The dean had called Aunt Edda with the school telephone and complained. Aunt Edda agreed with him and from then on kept a strict eye, or two when she could spare them, on Maggie.

The third and final time before the orphanage was again at school. She had been talking to Eliza during class, which, fair enough, hadn't been a good idea. But only Maggie had to stand in the corner. Eliza was lightly scolded while Maggie's cheeks were scarlet with shame. The next day, Mr. Smith slipped on ice, sprained his ankle, and didn't teach the class. The accident was simple enough and plausible, if it hadn't been summer. If Aunt Edda hadn't walked her to school and watch her glare at the ground as the ice was spreading.

Aunt Edda had enough and dumped her at the orphanage; that was the last they ever saw of each other.

.+*"*+.

The orphanage was dull and dirty, in a way Maggie could only imagine the sewers. It was dinner time and had called down all the children to come and meet her; the newest to join their miserable orphanage. She was nudged forward by a stout woman and, gathering all the courage she could muster, began.

"My name is Maggie. I'm eleven and my Aunt put me here." Maggie scowled.

The children laughed (in a bad sort of way) and proceeded to literally inhale their food.

Biting her cheek Maggie sat at the end of the table, next to a eerily handsome as he was a quiet boy.

"Hello, I'm Maggie Eyre." she said, trying to break the awkward silence.

"I know." He grunted.

"What's your name?"

"Tom Riddle."

"Why are you here?"

"My familys dead,"

"Well I'm here because I can do magic!"

"I didn't ask," He muttered.

Maggie prattled on "I made a boy fly to the roof and my teacher slip on ice when he was mean to me!"

Tom gave her a cool look. "I don't care. Plus you're not the only one I can do magic too. I can talk to snakes and I made Billy Stubbins' rabbit hang himself on the rafters after he was mean to me," He looked haughty.

"The rabbit was mean to you?"

Scowling, Tom responded "Of course not, silly! Billy Stubbins was mean. He's a bully."

"Well, I think we should become friends. Because we both have magic."

"I don't like people and silly girls who think rabbits can bully people much less." Tom said, and left.

.+*"*+.

"Here's your room dearie," Mrs. Cole said "I'm sorry I have to give you this one but all the other girls have already doubled up and it was the only one left."

"What's so bad about this room?"

"It's next to Tom Riddle's."

"What's so bad about Tom Riddle?"

"People who talk to him have bad, bad things happen to them,"

.+*"*+.

The orphanage walls were cheap, and therefore thin. Tom snorted when he heard Mrs. Cole warning Maggie about him. True, most people who'd talked to him had bad things happen to them, but that was only because they had either teased him or bullied him. You couldn't blame him could you?

.+*"*+.

Suprisingly over a short spann of time (seven days) Tom Riddle would begrudgingly admitt have formed a friendship with Maggie. If you tried hard enough he'd even go on to say they were Best Friends. But then again they were eachother's only friends. They'd sit in Tom's room talking about what they'd do when they'd grow up and read the books that Tom had 'found'; something that Maggie never quite believed (for a good reason). There reading was decent at most, so they had to read simple books like 'How Bob lost his Corn Cob' and 'Mary Anne and the Ram'. Maggie wanted to read about magic and fairies and dragons. Tom did his best but no child in the orphanage (or Mrs. Cole) owned such a book he could borrow.

After around a month things went back to normal. Maggie was no longer the new child. (A boy named Billy Jackson had joined the Orphanage and had fight with Billy number two (as he was now called instead of Billy Stubbins). Whoever won could get their 'stolen' name back. The loser would be Billy number two instead of just Billy.) Nothing exciting had happened, no fall down the stairs, no dead rat found in the pantry (the rat poison was all gone), no visitor, no nothing. They were bored. But lucky for them, their lives would take unexpected turns soon.