Tom Marvolo Riddle was going into his seventh and final year at
Hogwarts. He sat alone in the train compartment on the Hogwarts
Express. For, though he was an intelligent and handsome young man,
nobody really liked him. You see, Tom wasn't exactly the nicest kid in
all of Slytherin. Tom enjoyed bullying the other kids. He never got in
trouble for it, however, because he was also a suck-up to the teachers,
and most of all, the headmaster, Professor Dippet.
Tom was absorbed in his thoughts when there was a knock at his compartment door, and then the door opened to reveal Tom's crush of six years; Courtney McRaven. She was an average looking girl, not extremely beautiful, but yet, not ugly either. She had flat brown hair, aqua green eyes and a small nose. Freckles were spread thinly over her face. Although she wasn't pretty, she was very sweet to everybody; Tom liked her for that.
Courtney came in, saw Tom, smiled brightly at him, and asked, "Is it OK if me and my friends sit in here? Nobody else will let us." Tom looked at her for a moment, and then nodded his head in response.
"Thank you so much! We won't be too bothersome, I promise." Then turning towards the two girls behind her, Courtney beckoned them in. The girls took their seats and talked quietly about their summers for most of the trip. Occasionally, they would ask Tom some questions, but for the most part, kept to themselves.
When the train began to slow down, the girls left to go change into their robes. Tom, who had changed right when he had gotten onto the train, stayed put, thinking about the year to come.
That evening, after the feast, Tom led the first years to the Slytherin Common Room. He explained briefly about where the dormitories were and then he turned and went to wards his own dormitory, where he changed into his pyjamas and promptly fell asleep.
That night, Tom dreamt about his father and grandparent's death that summer. Tom had been the one responsible; he had been the one who performed the curse them...and intentionally. He had killed them with the Avada Kedavra curse.
Tom awoke the next morning completely refreshed. He got dressed and then headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Upon arriving, he sat down and was passed his schedule. He glanced down at it, not really caring. Transfiguration with Professor Dumbledore first, he thought, great.
Tom hated Dumbledore. Dumbledore had been on his case since he had gotten Rubeus Hagrid expelled. He finished his breakfast and headed towards the Transfiguration classroom.
When he got there, he was that Courtney was already there, as was everybody else. Tom went to the back of the room and sat down at an empty desk.
"Riddle! Why do you insist on sitting in back? According to the other teachers, you always sit in the front. Do you not like me, or what? Look, here, I reserved a seat for you in front." Tom looked at the auburn-haired teacher in disgust. "Fine then." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement.
Dumbledore called role and then started the class, his tall frame wondering up and down the aisles, teaching kids how to do the different Transfigurations.
After Transfiguration, Tom had Potions. Tom didn't really like Potions, even though the Potion's Master was his favorite teacher. Potions wasn't Tom's strong point...but he got high points in there anyway...mostly from sucking-up.
Tom went in and sat down in the front row. His teacher, Professor Brookes, walked in right as the bell rang. Brookes was the head of Slytherin house, which was why Tom liked her.
Brookes was of average height, and she was rather thin. Her hair was a brown so dark it was almost black, and she wore it chopped unevenly at the base of her ears. Her eyes were a cold and hard blue-green. She wore spectacles that she kept on by a rather large and pointy nose.
As Brookes walked in, she bade her favorite students "Hello" then went to the front of the dungeon-classroom. Pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill, she called out role, her voice an almost mannish deep. As soon as she was done with role call, she started her class.
"This year in my class, you will be learning the practice of making potions that will reserve your strength. There are about forty different potions, and you all will be learning each and every one of them." She spent the rest of the class period naming and telling about each of the forty potions.
After Potions, there was lunch. Tom went and sat by himself, reading a book about Dark Lords and what they had done to become known. Right in the middle of a paragraph, Courtney came and asked if it was OK if she sat by him. Nodding, he quickly closed his book and hid the title of it from her.
"What were you reading? You looked very interested. Sorry if I interrupted you." Courtney said, trying to make conversation.
"Oh...it was just a book about well-known wizards." Not a complete lie, he thought.
"Oh. Tom? I am wondering...why do you sit by yourself all the time? Why don't you try to make some friends?" Curiosity was evident in her voice.
"I don't need friends. 'Sides, nobody likes me anyway. Everybody just thinks that I am the 'smart freaky kid with no life' they are probably right." Tom refused to meet Courtney's eyes as he spoke. When at last he did, he was surprised to find a kind of sorrow there.
"I don't think that. I have never thought that. I think you are a really nice and sweet kid." Blushing slightly, Courtney leaned towards him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then blushing furiously, she turned to leave, but Tom caught her arm.
"Courtney...thanks for caring." He, too, was blushing, but only slightly. Courtney smiled in response then left, leaving Tom with his feelings.
Tom was still thinking about Courtney when it was time to go to his next class; History of Magic. Tom sighed as he headed towards the classroom.
Professor Binns was the teacher of History of Magic. Binns was an extremely old fellow, so old that some students wondered why he was not yet dead. Binns took no excitement in teaching, he droned on and on about the different magics in history.
During History of Magic, Tom again thought about Courtney. He wondered, also, about her question, and his answer. Why didn't he try to make friends? The answer came to him almost immediately. He was scared.
Him, Tom Riddle, scared. Scared of what? Scared of not being accepted, or to be made fun of. Tom mentally laughed to himself. How babyish it seemed to be scared of making friends. Just plain down babyish.
History of Magic was the last class of the day. The bell was going to ring soon so Tom gathered his stuff together a couple minutes before it did so, an idea forming in his mind.
He was going to tell Courtney his feelings towards her. It had taken him a lot of thought and a few minutes planning, but Tom knew he needed to tell her that...and everything else about himself. About murdering his father and grandparents. About getting Hagrid expelled, and about his heritage. He had decided that he owed her that much for her attitude towards him. He planned on doing it at dinner that night.
Tom was absorbed in his thoughts when there was a knock at his compartment door, and then the door opened to reveal Tom's crush of six years; Courtney McRaven. She was an average looking girl, not extremely beautiful, but yet, not ugly either. She had flat brown hair, aqua green eyes and a small nose. Freckles were spread thinly over her face. Although she wasn't pretty, she was very sweet to everybody; Tom liked her for that.
Courtney came in, saw Tom, smiled brightly at him, and asked, "Is it OK if me and my friends sit in here? Nobody else will let us." Tom looked at her for a moment, and then nodded his head in response.
"Thank you so much! We won't be too bothersome, I promise." Then turning towards the two girls behind her, Courtney beckoned them in. The girls took their seats and talked quietly about their summers for most of the trip. Occasionally, they would ask Tom some questions, but for the most part, kept to themselves.
When the train began to slow down, the girls left to go change into their robes. Tom, who had changed right when he had gotten onto the train, stayed put, thinking about the year to come.
That evening, after the feast, Tom led the first years to the Slytherin Common Room. He explained briefly about where the dormitories were and then he turned and went to wards his own dormitory, where he changed into his pyjamas and promptly fell asleep.
That night, Tom dreamt about his father and grandparent's death that summer. Tom had been the one responsible; he had been the one who performed the curse them...and intentionally. He had killed them with the Avada Kedavra curse.
Tom awoke the next morning completely refreshed. He got dressed and then headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Upon arriving, he sat down and was passed his schedule. He glanced down at it, not really caring. Transfiguration with Professor Dumbledore first, he thought, great.
Tom hated Dumbledore. Dumbledore had been on his case since he had gotten Rubeus Hagrid expelled. He finished his breakfast and headed towards the Transfiguration classroom.
When he got there, he was that Courtney was already there, as was everybody else. Tom went to the back of the room and sat down at an empty desk.
"Riddle! Why do you insist on sitting in back? According to the other teachers, you always sit in the front. Do you not like me, or what? Look, here, I reserved a seat for you in front." Tom looked at the auburn-haired teacher in disgust. "Fine then." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement.
Dumbledore called role and then started the class, his tall frame wondering up and down the aisles, teaching kids how to do the different Transfigurations.
After Transfiguration, Tom had Potions. Tom didn't really like Potions, even though the Potion's Master was his favorite teacher. Potions wasn't Tom's strong point...but he got high points in there anyway...mostly from sucking-up.
Tom went in and sat down in the front row. His teacher, Professor Brookes, walked in right as the bell rang. Brookes was the head of Slytherin house, which was why Tom liked her.
Brookes was of average height, and she was rather thin. Her hair was a brown so dark it was almost black, and she wore it chopped unevenly at the base of her ears. Her eyes were a cold and hard blue-green. She wore spectacles that she kept on by a rather large and pointy nose.
As Brookes walked in, she bade her favorite students "Hello" then went to the front of the dungeon-classroom. Pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill, she called out role, her voice an almost mannish deep. As soon as she was done with role call, she started her class.
"This year in my class, you will be learning the practice of making potions that will reserve your strength. There are about forty different potions, and you all will be learning each and every one of them." She spent the rest of the class period naming and telling about each of the forty potions.
After Potions, there was lunch. Tom went and sat by himself, reading a book about Dark Lords and what they had done to become known. Right in the middle of a paragraph, Courtney came and asked if it was OK if she sat by him. Nodding, he quickly closed his book and hid the title of it from her.
"What were you reading? You looked very interested. Sorry if I interrupted you." Courtney said, trying to make conversation.
"Oh...it was just a book about well-known wizards." Not a complete lie, he thought.
"Oh. Tom? I am wondering...why do you sit by yourself all the time? Why don't you try to make some friends?" Curiosity was evident in her voice.
"I don't need friends. 'Sides, nobody likes me anyway. Everybody just thinks that I am the 'smart freaky kid with no life' they are probably right." Tom refused to meet Courtney's eyes as he spoke. When at last he did, he was surprised to find a kind of sorrow there.
"I don't think that. I have never thought that. I think you are a really nice and sweet kid." Blushing slightly, Courtney leaned towards him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then blushing furiously, she turned to leave, but Tom caught her arm.
"Courtney...thanks for caring." He, too, was blushing, but only slightly. Courtney smiled in response then left, leaving Tom with his feelings.
Tom was still thinking about Courtney when it was time to go to his next class; History of Magic. Tom sighed as he headed towards the classroom.
Professor Binns was the teacher of History of Magic. Binns was an extremely old fellow, so old that some students wondered why he was not yet dead. Binns took no excitement in teaching, he droned on and on about the different magics in history.
During History of Magic, Tom again thought about Courtney. He wondered, also, about her question, and his answer. Why didn't he try to make friends? The answer came to him almost immediately. He was scared.
Him, Tom Riddle, scared. Scared of what? Scared of not being accepted, or to be made fun of. Tom mentally laughed to himself. How babyish it seemed to be scared of making friends. Just plain down babyish.
History of Magic was the last class of the day. The bell was going to ring soon so Tom gathered his stuff together a couple minutes before it did so, an idea forming in his mind.
He was going to tell Courtney his feelings towards her. It had taken him a lot of thought and a few minutes planning, but Tom knew he needed to tell her that...and everything else about himself. About murdering his father and grandparents. About getting Hagrid expelled, and about his heritage. He had decided that he owed her that much for her attitude towards him. He planned on doing it at dinner that night.