Autor's note: Hello everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR;)This is another short chapter for you. Next one will be posted tommorow. One more thing... I'm very sorry but I don't speek "hagridish" :) I can't write it so in my story Hagrid speeks like any normal person. SS

Once again sorry for any grammar mistakes which may be found in the text.Polish :) Be gentle :)

Thank youfor your reviews. You are simply the best :)

For disclamer, piaring and summary -- check Prologue :D TXH

CHAPTER THREE

When the train arrived to Hogwarts Station all students left their compartments leavings their trunks behind. They knew that house elves will transfer them to their dorms.

To Harry, Ron, Hermione and Tom was coming huge bearded man. First year students was quickly walking out of his way. When he stops in front of friends he smiled widely.

"Harry! It's good to see you again. Ron! Hermione! It's great to see you all!"

Trio huged him.

"Hello Hagrid. We've missed you a lot."

"And of course I missed you too."

Hermione pointed Tom who was standing little behind.

"Hagrid, meet Tom. This is his first time in Hogwarts, but he will be I our year."

Forrest keeper shake boys hand and looked at him closely.

"Damn boy! You remind me of someone. Do we ever meet before?"

"I'm afraid not," Tom smiled. "I'm sure I would definitely remember it."

Rebus burst in laugh.

"Sure you would. Sorry for that. Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Thank you Hagrid. I'm happy to bee here too."

Half giant turned around and talk to surrounding him crowd.

"Attention first years! You are coming with me to boats. Rest of you take carriages and drive to the castle. The feast is waiting."

Drive on the horseless carriages was quite fast and soon everyone was in the Great Hall. Then professor McGonagall brought the Sorting Hat and a sorting ceremony has begun.

Every time when Sorting Hat shouted name of Hogwart House from another students head there was lots of cheering and clapping from students.

"Ravenclaw," Hat shouted and students welcomed their new colleague.

Exhilarated boy quickly took his seat at Ravenclaw table. He was the last one from this year first years but to students surprise old transfiguration professor didn't took Sorting Hat from it's place yet.

Three friends looked at themselves in understanding. They already knew what will happen next.

Murmur of whispers floated thru the Great Hall, but died suddenly when The Headmaster of Hogwarts – Albus Dumbledore rise from his seat.

Harry looked questiongly at Hermione and she repaid him with that same. They both noticed strange seriousness at Headmasters face.

"Although all first years was sorted there is one more person left for this privilege," he said slowly. "Come in boy."

From one of side doors Tom entered The Great Hall. Friends saw him immediately and waved at him cheerfully.

Suddenly local color changed into strange tension.

Hermione with disbelief gazed at sitting behind their table Hogwarts Professors. Their faces was full of concern and insecurities.

"What the hell is going on here?" She thought. "Why all teachers are looking at this boy like he would curse them right now?"

"It must be something about Tom," Harry's mind was trying to understand such odd behavior. "But why? What is happening?"

He forced himself to listen what Dumbledore was talking about.

"Your new colleague will be assign to sixth year, because lately he had his sixteenth birthday. He did not attended to any other Magic and Wizardry School but... like you'll soon notice... he is talented and very gifted young wizard."

Tom stand quietly and looked at intrigued faces of Hogwarts students. When he met hateful gaze of Draco Malfoy he smirked a little. When his look stopped on at Gryffindor table his eyes flash with something unreadable but soon he got all his attention back to Dumbledore.

Headmaster pointed him a lonely chair in the middle of Great Hall.

Tom sat down and McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on his head.

Harry felt like the time slowed down because Magical hat was dead silent for a couple of long minutes.

Suddenly something unbelievable happened.

Sorting Hat floated from the boy's head, flew straight to the hands of surprised headmistress and shouted really loud.

"AUTONOMOUS!!!"

Tom shook his head with slight grin and not caring about stunned looks of Hogwarts students stood up and turned to teachers table.

Whispers erupted behind his back.

"Autonomous?"

"How this is possible?"

"Who is he?"

"I can't believe it!"

"Hey! Look at professors faces..."

Puzzled Harry lean slightly to his best friends ear.

"What means – AUTONOMOUS?"

Hermione shook her head with disbelief.

"Autonomous means, that he posses same amount of skills from each Hogwarts Houses. That's why Sorting Hat couldn't decide to put him in one. It's incredibly rare event. According to "Hogwarts: A History" last time it happened over two hundred years ago. Person with skills of all four houses has amazing potential and also can gain gigantic magic power."

"What will happen now?" Asked Ron.

"Most probably professors allow him to choose house by himself. At least it was like that before."

Once again they concentrated their looks on Dumbledore.

"The Sorting Hat couldn't make a choice, so like an old tradition tells it is up to you my boy to decide a member of which house you want to be. Choose now: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor or Slytherin?"

Tom was silent only for a minute and after that he bowed a little.

"I choose Gryffindor, Headmaster."

Collective puff came from professors table. Shock shown on their faces was apparent.

Dumbledore nodded.

"You have choose your house... GRYFFINDOR!!!"

His last word he shouted loudly in his imitation of Sorting Hat voice. Cheers coming from Gryffindor table was deafening.

Tom sat at Gryffindor table. With strange coincidence he was sitting just opposite Harry and Hermione.

Although every Griffons was incredibly curious about their new mate they have to surpass it a little because Dumbledore starts his every year speech.

"Like any other year I need to remind you all about our main rules. Dark forest is strictly forbidden for everyone, without any exceptions. Also wandering at school halls after curfew will be punished by reducing house points and detention. Also with increasing activity of You-Know-Who and Deatheaters it is forbidden leaving school grounds without informing head of your house or prefects," warm smile appeared on his lips. "That will be all. It's time for your long waited feast. Tuck in!"

When he clapped his hands plates fills up with various kinds of food. Everyone started eat.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, Tom!" Harry was the first one who spoke.

"Exactly," Hermione agreed. "It's the best house in whole school."

Boy nodded slowly.

"Thanks. I'm sure it will be great."

Ron bit a piece of chicken.

"What happened with this sorting? First time in my life I saw something like that. How this is possible?"

"Beats me," he said. "Something must started it?"

Harry looked at him curiously.

"Right. But it's not everything."

"What do you have in mind?"

The Boy Who Lived was quiet for a moment.

"You can say I'm crazy, but..."

"What?" Asked intrigued Ron.

"Professors reaction on your arrival Tom was something really strange."

Hermione blinked.

"And I thought that I was imagining things but I saw that too. They seemed seriously disturbed."

"Even Dumbledore was concerned."

"Exactly."

Tom nodded with consideration.

"You are not mistaken," he said calmly. "I'm sure that professors are seriously troubled."

The trio watched him intensely.

"But why?" Harry asked. "What did you do to make them that uncomfortable?"

Tom didn't answer right away. He looked at Harry with caution wandering about something. In the end it looked like he decided about something very important.

He looked straight into Harry's eyes.

"It must have something to do with the fact whomy father is."

For a couple agonizing second there was no tiniest voice at Gryffindor table. It was Hermione who first broke it.

"With your father?" She asked carefully. "Than who is your father?You've never told us what's your family name?"

Boy smiled sadly, his eyes never leaving Harry Potter's face.

He sighed and when he finally spoke his voice was cold as a steel.

"My name is Riddle. Thomas Augustus Riddle."

Silence which fall after his words at the Gryffindor table was absolute.

to be contiuned...