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Thank you for your kind revievs. I'm glad that you are finding this story interesting. I will update soon. Enjoy :)

CHAPTER TWO

Finally the first day of school approached. It was a day when trio of best friends went to Hogwarts for their sixth year.

Hermione was escorted to the platform 9 ¾ by her parents who came this day to The Burrow.

Ron with his younger sister Ginny came with their mother Molly, but this time their father couldn't make it. He was called to the Ministry of Magic with some great urgency.

After saying final goodbyes to her mother Ginny let to sit with her friends from fifth year. Ron, Harry and Hermione found an empty compartment and sat in it.

When Ron and Hermione started bickering about something trivial, Harry found himself deep in thought. He felt very strange with it but he catch himself on one thing. Every time he looked or talked to Hermione, he starts to notice things which he never noticed before.

And it was confusing him greatly.

For example… he saw that, when she smiles her eyes was exploding with pure joy and content… or when she was biting her bottom lip while she was thinking intensive about something… or that he could easily found out what she was feeling simply by looking at her face… how she plays a single strand of her hair when she was fascinated reading new book.

He knew when whenever she was happy or irritated.

He wasn't sure what to think about his new thoughts, so he brought them on his obvious care about one of his best friends safety. But in the truth, he was simply afraid of deeper analysis. Hefelt that if he thought more about it... his conclusions would be quite surprising.

…

Harry shook his head and join to his friends conversation.

…

Minutes remaining to the departure was passing by really fast and eventually with a loud whistle Hogwart Express moved spreading white clouds of stem from the chimney.

Couple minutes later door of their compartment flew open and single boy came in. The Trio looked at him with curiosity because they no one of them saw him never before.

Each one reacted differently to this sudden meeting than the other.

Ron cast him a quick glance. He noticed that new guy was wearing simple muggle clothes. He also had a dark blue backpack with apparently everything he needed to have. Instinctively Ron sensed that their new companion is rather nice person and not another incarnation of Draco-Bloody-Malfoy.

Harry was simply curious. He usually recognized faces of Hogwarts students but this time he had no idea who he was, tough he seemed some kind strangely familiar. He looked like he was in the same age as Harry so should be in one of Hogwarts Houses – Gryffindor, Ravencalw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Should be… that was a right phrase, because Harry was one hundred percent sure, that he never met him before. More of that… in posture and demeanor was something he couldn't put his finger on.

Something familiar.

Something worrying.

Harry nodded his head in small greeting waiting for him to speak.

…

But the most shocked by this new guy was Hermione. When she only heard door opening her full of curiosity eyesight was replaced by shock and disbelief.

His eyes. This blue penetrating gaze. Calm and extremely caution in that same moment. With strange warning but also full of calmness directed to whole trio.

"No!" she argued with herself. "How in a world some strange boy could look at them (even for a second) in that particular way? I simply must be seeing things."

…

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at him with great interest.

"Hello everyone," with a small smile young Tom Riddle welcomed the Trio. "Do you mind if I'll join you?"

Ron quickly nod and wave his hand inviting him in.

"Sure, we've got lots of room. Please come in."

Boy took off his backpack and in one swift move he throw it on the place for luggage. When he sat down he extended his hand to Ron.

"Thanks," he said. "It's really hard to find any free space here. My name is Tom."

"Hi. I'm Ron and this is Hermione and Harry."

Red headed boy shook his hand. Harry and Hermione did that same but with a little bit more of reserve. They couldn't explain it but this boy seemed much more different than them.

Tom leaned against train seat and cast a friendly glance to trio.

"You are all sixth tears?" He asked.

Harry nod and point at his friends.

"Yes, we're all in that same year."

Tom smiled warmly.

"It looks like I'll be also with you."

Surprised Hermione opened her mouth for the first time.

"I don't think I saw you in Hogwarts last year?"

"It's because I wasn't there than," ha stated calmly. "This is my first visit in magic school but because of my age I was added straight to sixth year."

Friends looked at themselves in wonder.

"You weren't in any Magic School before? Never?" Asked Hermione.

Tom shook his head.

"Never ever," he answered. "This year, for the first time I received letter from Hogwarts. Honestly I was simply shocked about this. I haven't got any idea about such thing like Wizards Community. In my letter was info about additional exams which I have to past early this year."

"So you're practically a Muggle?" Asked him Rom.

Tom laughed quietly.

"In the fact you can really say that. I'm deeply bonded with the muggle world and it's little tough for me to get used to rules of this reality."

"Did you try any magic before?"

"Yeah… I've tried some magic on my own account for a couple of years."

"Than, how it is possible that you didn't get Ministry of Magic attention?" Asked Harry.

Young Riddle smiled mysteriously.

"Well… you can say that… my magic is a little bit different of yours. At least that's what it looks like from what I already gathered."

"How this could be different?" Didn't understand Ron.

"I'm sure you will notice this during this school year."

Tom changed the subject and after a moment four teenagers was speaking friendly. Harry, Ron and Hermione was surprised how quickly they were found on the common ground with this boy. It seamed like they knew each other couple of years not minutes.

Their discussion about what is possessing greater magical power: dragon scale, phoenix feather or hair of unicorn, was interrupted by familiar figure of slender blond boy.

Draco Malfoy and his two bodyguards Crabe and Goyle, enter their compartment with the smirks of superiority on their lips.

Malfoy simply ignored Tom who was sitting near the door and focused on the three friends. This trio was his favorite subject of insulting and taunting during their Hogwarts Years.

"Well… well.. well…" He said viciously. "What do we have here? Potty, Muddy and Weasel. So once again you're planning to honor us by your pathetic presence? How nice?"

Ron redden visibly and tried hard to keep his cool.

"Malfoy. What an unpleasant surprise," he spit. "I'm wondering from which hole you have crawled back. Maybe from the dirt toad pit? I think such place quite fits you."

Draco cast him a venomous glance, but his all attention direct to sitting Hermione.

"Granger?" He faked his surprise. "How's your health lately? Good? Okay, so enjoy it for now. Because The Dark Master is in his full power this days and I hope that he will quickly clean the world from all those pathetic mudbloods like you."

Agitated girl tried to said something but Harry was faster. He jumped from his seat and with pale of fury face hissed thru his clamped lips.

"Apologize her Malfoy or else you will regret this."

Draco laughed with malice.

"You're serious Potter? Because I don't think that brainless ape can do anything. Lok what I learned during the holidays."

Before anyone reacted he took out his wand and pointed it directly to Harry.

"Transmutus apeus"

Green lightning bolted from the tip of his wand and…

Words died in the Malfoy's throat when he was looking in shock at something what seemed to be impossible. Best friends trio also couldn't believe that this is happening.

Everyone was watching in awe at Malfoy's charm which was levitating in place after encountering very unusual barrier.

Charm in the form of ball of green light was twirling in the air two inches from Tom Riddle's hand, which he placed on the path of Malfoy's curse protecting Harry from getting hurt.

Surprised Draco blinked his eyelids for this freak event and for the firs time he concentrate on the fourth passenger of this compartment.

"Wha… what the hell is going on?"

Tom looked at him coldly.

"Simple restraining spell. Is it so hard to understand?"

"B… but… without a wand?" He sputtered heavily.

"Lot's of things can be done in that way."

Eyes of the blond Slytherin flashed with anger.

"Who the hell are you?"

Tom looked at him with disdain.

"I'm someone who really hate the world – mudblood," he answered warningly. "You see… my mother parents was also full-blooded muggles. So with your slimy pun you insulted not only Hermione but also my mother. And such offence can't let be passed."

Tom noted with satisfaction uncertainty on his opponent face and quickly said a counter course.

"Returno magico."

Levitating charm stirred suddenly and than hit in the full force directly to Malfoy. He had no chance to protect himself from this sudden attack.

Tom with Harry, Ron and Hermione burst with laughter, when on the spot when blonde Slytherin was before they saw a chimpanzee with Malfoy clothes on it. With Tom unusual intervention curse directed to Harry went back to it's creator.

Chimp shrieked and rushed out from the compartment. Just after were Crab and Goyle making stupid faces to each other.

Hermione was laughing so hard that tears came from her eyes. Harry and Ron also almost ended on the floor.

"Did you saw his face?"

"I can't believe it…"

"Malfoy The Chimp"

"Yeah… The Chimp Champ…"

"Did you noticed that the monkey was all blonde?"

"How'd you do this?"

This last question was asked by Hermione to amused Tom. After a moment when they all calm down a little bit, he answered lightly.

"This restraining spell? Let's just say it came form the necessity. It's quite useful with lots of similar situations."

"So you are an off-wander, am I right?" She asked him her voice little tensed.

He nod.

"Yes. You are right."

"It is quite advanced magic."

"Supposedly, but I was always learning such only."

"Really? Why is that?"

"I always thought, that magic without a wand requires more of exercises and auto controlling. In my opinion… hard work from the start pays off very well."

Hermione was simply speechless for a moment. That was how she always looked at learning magic. That's why she was spending so much of her free time taking lots of new courses and learning new stuff.

"It's very wise statement," she said amazed.

"Thanks. I'm glad that you like it."

She noticed a playful shine in his eye.

"So how long Malfoy will be under this curse?" Asked Ron.

Tom shrugged.

"The same amount of time it supposed to last on Harry. So better for him, that she was only trying to show off. If not… well… Slytherin would gain a new colleague.

"How do you know that Malfoy is in Slytherin?"

"When I was getting on the train I've heard him talking with one of his friends."

"Oh… when it comes to Hogwarts Houses," said Ron. "o which one you'd like to belong?"

Tom pretended that he was thinking about it.

"I never really thought about it before," he stated. "As the matter of fact wherever I would be… it will be all right. Except… maybe Slytherin, after what I did to their blond pupil."

"You've got that right man," Ron snickered.

"And you are in which house?" Tom asked.

"Gryffindor, of course!" Hermione stated proudly. "It's the best house in whole Hogwarts."

Harry and Ron nodded their heads in agreement.

"So who knows," Tom smiled. "Maybe I will be lucky?"

"I would be quite cool Tom," said Harry. "Really cool."

Four teenagers kept talking while Hogwarts Express was approaching their School.

To be continued...