Chapter Four

The four houses

Tom read through his books over and over again for the remainder of the holidays. He wanted to learn as much as possible. It didn't strike the other orphans as unusual that he was constantly reading: he always was, even during the holidays. Whereas they saw school as tedious, Tom enjoyed it. He loved learning and never complained about school. He had decided to call the snake Nepenthe. The word meant remedy from grief. The snake was the first real friend he had ever had and talking to him relieved his grief, so the name was suitable. The only place he was able to hide him was in his trunk. He had been worried at first in case there wasn't enough air in there, but he was able to make a small hole in the top to let air in and it didn't affect the magical properties of the trunk. He couldn't leave the trunk unlocked and open unless he wanted to openly display that he was a wizard. Each day he wrote in his diary, ticking off another day until September the first. The other children were still giving him a wide berth after the snake incident and this relieved Tom greatly. He valued his solitude.

On the morning of September the first, Tom woke up with his insides squirming. He glanced at the clock. Half past five. He groaned and tried to get back to sleep, knowing that he wouldn't be able to. The other orphans had got wind of his acceptance to a private school and had all taken turns to say good bye and good riddance. Many (including the orphanage staff) had told him to stay during holiday time. Tom would if he could; he had no desire to return ever but he knew he had to for the summer holidays.

He eventually got up and got dressed. He talked in a low voice to Nepenthe for a few hours until his dorm mates stirred. He went down to breakfast and before leaving was pulled aside by Lister, telling him that if he let his grades slip or broke anything or anything of the sort, when he was sent back to the orphanage, he would regret the day he was born. Tom was tempted to say that he already did, but decided this it wasn't worth a going away beating. Lister had called for a carriage to take him to King's Cross station. He arrived at the station an about half past nine. Once there, Tom walked up to the barrier between platform nine and ten that he had been told about.

"Just run straight through the barrier between the two platforms," professor Mondain had told him. "Make sure that no muggles see you. Beyond the barrier is platform nine and three quarters. You can catch the Hogwarts express from there. The train leaves at eleven o'clock on the dot, so don't be late."

Well, either I'm off to school or these muggles are about to see something very funny, Tom thought. He made a quick check to make sure that no one was watching him then closed his eyes and took off towards the barrier at a run. The impact he was expecting never came, so he opened his eyes. He saw that he was on a largely empty platform, with a big red steam train on the platform. He looked up and saw the sign for platform nine and three quarters. He carried his trunk into one of the empty compartments (easy as most of them were empty) and sat down with a book. He had bought an old copy of Hogwarts: A History and was immersed in it.

As ten o'clock, then half past ten rolled by, the platform and the train was beginning to fill up. Tom looked out of the compartment window and watched all the proud parents waving their children goodbye. He spotted families waving to their children, kissing them goodbye or looking at lists to ensure that they had everything. Feeling depressed, he returned to his book and was left alone with his thoughts. Soon, with the hiss of steam being released from a valve, the Hogwarts Express started up and the train began to pull away from the station.

Immersed in his book, he barley noticed when the compartment door opened. He looked up to see three people standing in the doorway. One had black hair and cold looking blue eyes. The other two, judging by their similarities, were brother and sister. They were both pale, with blond hair, which almost looked silver. They all were dressed in expensive looking robes. The girl and the black haired boy looked like they might be his age, but the other blond boy looked slightly older. Possibly a second or third year, Tom mused. He felt himself tense instinctively. Living in an orphanage for nearly eleven years had taught him to be cautious, almost to the point of paranoia. This way he was able to make an excellent assessment of people. There was something about them that he immediately didn't trust. The posh clothes, the arrogant looks on their faces was the same one might make after stepping in something unpleasant.

"Name?" the blond boy snapped. So much for small talk.

"Tom Riddle," Tom replied.

The three made an expression like they were about to vomit just from talking to him. They turned on their heels and left, slamming the compartment door, leaving Tom very confused and trying to work out what had just happened.

Five minutes later, the door opened again to reveal a much older student, wearing a silver prefect badge.

"Are you OK?" the boy asked. "We've been told that the Malfoy's and someone else are trying to intimidate the muggle born kids."

"I'm fine," Tom said. "They just looked at me like I was filth then left."

"Good. Give us a shout if they try anything," the prefect told him before leaving.

Tom settled back down to his book, but found that he couldn't concentrate on it anymore. He had always been self sufficient. He had had to look after himself because no one back at the orphanage could care less what happened to him. If they came back to pick on him, he wasn't going to run crying like a little girl to the older students, hoping they would sort it out. He would do what he had always done: look after himself. He pulled out the book on curses and began to look through it. None of these were dangerous, but they would surprise the three who were here earlier, especially if they thought he was an inexperienced muggle born. Only problem is that he WAS inexperienced. He tried out some of the hexes on the door, but although he could see he could perform the spell, it was meant to be used on a person, not wood. Therefore he couldn't see how effective it would be. Still, it was more surprise than damage that he was after.

About four hours later, after the food trolley had passed, the trio returned. Tom had only tasted chocolate once before, at last years Christmas party. Several important people had come and to keep up appearances, Lister had allowed each orphan a small piece of chocolate each. He had bought several chocolate frogs and was staring in fascination at the cards that came with them.

"Never seen a wizard photo before, muggle," the blond boy sneered. "Filth like you should be thrown in the rubbish bin as soon as it is born."

The others laughed at what he said. Tom, who was slightly taller than all of them, drew himself up to his full height and looked the blond boy in the eye.

"I belong here," he stated calmly. He was not going to back down lo some schoolyard bully. "I have the same right to be here as you do."

"Are you comparing yourself to me, filth?" the boy snarled. "Locomotor mortis."

A jet of light flew out of his wand and hit Tom in the legs. He felt them snap to attention and then they stopped obeying him. He could no longer move them. He nearly collapsed, but managed to stop himself just in time. He took advantage of the other boy's lack of attention towards him, as he was gloating to his friends.

"Furnunculus," he shouted. The other boy span around, but it has too late. He curse hit him in the face and huge boils began to grow on his nose.

"HOW DARE YOU!" he shrieked. He aimed his wand again…then suddenly it wasn't in his hand any more. The door was open and two older boys were standing there. They both had their wands trained on the angry boy.

"Is there a problem here?" the prefect who was in earlier asked.

"No problem," his the blond boy. "Just making new friends."

They left and the older students performed the counter curse for the leg locker.

"Nice to see someone stand up to a Malfoy," the prefect said. "Watch your back around him in the future. A Malfoy can hold a grudge for a very long time."

With that they left, leaving Tom with his books. Tom returned his wand to the holster on his belt that he had bought in Diagon alley. He felt strange. He had never intentionally performed magic on anyone. Shrugging, he returned to his copy of Hogwarts: A History.

At about six o'clock, a voice could be heard, stating that they would soon be arriving at Hogsmeade station. Tom quickly got changed into his robes and waited. At six-thirty, the train screeched to a halt at the Station, and the students timidly filed off the train. Tom left his luggage on the train like everybody else, tugged the hood of his cloak over his head, and followed the other students down the steps, his pointed hat clutched in his hand. He was glad of his cloak, as it was raining heavily and the wind was picking up. The platform was noisy and crowded, but Tom was able to make his way across it. A tall man, with a weather beaten face and dark hair was standing at the other end of the platform.

"First years, this way!" he cried. "First years, over here." Tom was one of the first to find him, mainly because he was so tall that he could see over everyone else's heads. "Are you a first year? Good. Just stay by me, don't let anyone shove you away. First years, over here!"

Gradually, Tom was surrounded by about forty boys and girls, all shivering in the pouring rain. The man marched them away from the crowd toward the edge of a lake, where ten boats were tied to the dock. Tom got into the same boat as the man. Unfortunately he was joined by the same two first years that were in his cabin earlier. Although they were shooting daggers at him, they weren't saying anything with an adult so close to them.

"Is everybody in a boat?" the man called over the din. "All right, off we go!" The boats magically broke free of the dock and sailed across the lake. Rain kept splashing into Tom's eyes, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Tom had never been in a boat before, and it was wonderful. Tom thought he saw an enormous squid dart under the boat, but he might have imagined it.

Tom was the only one who really liked the ride. Most people looked pale and green, and those who did not were leaning over the side of their boats. Tom tried not to watch, but he did notice that the girl from the train was amongst the sickest. He had noticed when he got off the train that her brother's pasty face had been rid of boils, and Tom guessed he had found an older student who knew the counter curse.

Once they had made it back on solid ground, the man led them through a thicket of trees, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry finally came into view. It was a towering castle with numerous turrets. Above the large oak doors was a burnished copper shield bearing the Hogwarts coat of arms. Tom read the words of the school motto on the shield, "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus," and could not stifle a laugh. He knew enough Latin to realize that this meant "Never tickle a sleeping dragon."

Finally, the students dashed up the stone steps into the entry hall, sopping wet and freezing. The entry hall was beautiful inside, more attractive than any other room Tom had ever seen. The house flags hung on the walls, and their way was lit by glimmering torches. A professor with long auburn hair and half moon spectacles stood before them.

"Thank you Ogg, that will be all. Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor Dumbledore, and I am to be your Transfiguration teacher," the professor began. "You are about to be sorted into your school Houses. There are four Houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each has a noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. You will be placed in your House based on your character and talents, but trust me, none of the teachers here are about to play favorites. Just because I happen to be head of Gryffindor House does not mean that I will give a Slytherin a poor grade on an outstanding piece of work." A few people sighed with relief, and Professor Dumbledore gave them a reassuring smile.

"Well, without further ado, let's get you lot Sorted." With that, he threw open a set of double doors and the first years scurried inside. Tom found himself in an enormous chamber whose beauty far surpassed that of the entrance hall. There were four long tables, two along each of the longest walls, draped in dyed linen. One table was red, one blue, one green, and one yellow. At the very head of the room was a table with a violet cloth. There were four large stained glass windows (one design for each House) along one of the walls, and the rest of the walls were hung with tapestries. Tom's eyes shot up to the ceiling, which was enchanted to look like the sky outside. Right now it was turbulent and stormy, with the occasional flash of lightning.

As they entered, hundreds of heads turned their way, and Tom suddenly felt very small. He had not known that they had to be Sorted in front of the entire school. Professor Dumbledore swept in, carrying a stool and a patched, frayed wizard's hat. He set the stool down in the middle of the room with the hat on top of it, then stood aside. After a few seconds, and completely without warning, the hat began to sing.

"I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,
First sewn in days of yore.
I have lived right here for many years,
Ten centuries or more.
My masters were a clever bunch
With powers of renown.
They built this place with magic and
Their names are quite well known.
Sir Gryffindor, the brave and bold,
Young Hufflepuff, the kind,
Bright Ravenclaw, of books and words,
Slytherin, the shrewd of mind.
They sought their students far and wide,
Searching without rest,
But each had his or her notion
Of which children were the best.
Gryffindor loved those of spunk,
Adventurous and daring.
Hufflepuff preferred the ones
Who were patient, sweet, and caring.
Ravenclaw was fond of those
Whose brains were sharp and clear.
Slytherin sought those of wit
Who held ambition dear.
When they were getting on in years,
The founders had a fear.
When they all were dead and gone,
Who would choose students here?
That is where this Hat comes in.
They chose me as the one
Who would select the best for them
Out of the mighty throng.
So put me on, don't be afraid.
I've never yet been wrong.
Hear what I've said upon your head
And go where you belong!"

There was an uproarious applause, and Tom felt relief wash over him. He only had to put on a hat, that was not too embarrassing. Professor Dumbledore raised his hands for silence.

"I will read off your name," he shouted over the din, "and you will sit on the stool and put on the Sorting Hat. When the Hat calls out your House, you will go to your appropriate table. Abert, Rupert!"

A small boy with mousy hair staggered forward, shivering from head to toe. The Hat completely covered his face.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" it screamed. The yellow table erupted with cheers, and several Hufflepuffs rose to pat Rupert on the back. Tom realized they must be going in alphabetical order, and his heart sank. He would have to wait forever.

"Bates, Murray!" A girl with golden hair and freckles glided forward and sat down on the stool, placidly placing the Hat on her head. It had barely grazed her head when it loudly proclaimed her a Ravenclaw. She smiled slightly and went over to her new table, where she was greeted warmly.

"Borealis, Aurora" became the first Slytherin, followed by "Darrs, Martin" who was made a Ravenclaw. Tom vaguely caught the name "Dent, Arthur" became the first new Gryffindor before he tuned his attention away from the sorting. It would be ages before it was his turn. As he let his mind wander, he took a look around the four tables, remembering what the hat had said. He didn't want to end up in Hufflepuff, the student looked as competitive as snails and quite weedy. Despite what he had heard, the Gryffindors looked like a bunch of troublemakers. He felt that he was certainly smart enough for Ravenclaw, before turning to look at the Slytherin table. He was certainly powerful enough for them; he had cursed that pale boy (who he noticed in Slytherin) in a heartbeat. He had some ambition, but most of all he wanted to prove that he was no longer the playground punch bag. He wanted to show the world just how powerful he was…

The sorting of "Lestrange, David" into Slytherin brought his mind back to the sorting. He saw that he was the brown haired boy on the train with the Malfoys. There was "Lewis, Mark" sent to the Gryffindor table, then "Malfoy, Bathory." The blond girl he had met on the train strode up to the stool and put the hat on her head. It was barely there for two seconds before the hat screamed "SLYTHERIN." Tom watched her walk to the green table and been applauded by her new house mates, including her brother.

The hat seemed to like Slytherin, Tom mused as "Mallory, Larkin", "Moon, Duncan" and "Nott, Norman" were all sent to Slytherin. But then again, he had let his mind wander for about twenty people. "Pritchard, John" was made a Hufflepuff and "Quinn, James" was made a Gryffindor. Then came the name he was waiting for.

"Riddle, Tom!"

Tom walked right up to the stool, his back straight and his head held high. He could feel the eyes of every person in the hall, following him, wondering where this boy would go. Slowly, Tom lowered himself onto the seat, and he placed the Sorting Hat upon his head. It fell over his eyes, and Tom gripped the edge of the stool very hard.

"Finally," he thought to himself.

"Impatient, are you?" said a tiny voice in his ear. "Mmm hmm. Let's see here. Wow, what a mind! You have quite an intellect in here, Tom." Tom smiled. "You would certainly do well in Ravenclaw with a brain like that. Brave, too. You have many talents, more than even you could imagine." The Hat paused. "Hufflepuff, as you probably know, is out of the question. At such a young age, you have already learned not to trust. Gryffindor wouldn't work for you either," the Hat said shortly. "They'd both reject you. You're too different. It's Ravenclaw or Slytherin, Tom Riddle. Now where shall you go?"

"Aren't you the one who should be telling me, not the other way around?" Tom thought back at the hat. The hat quaked with laughter.

"Ah, how nice it is to see someone remind me of my job, not begging me to put them in their preferred house. This is a challenge, and I do so love a challenge. To Ravenclaw or to Slytherin, that is the question."

"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of going to Slytherin, or rise against it in Ravenclaw…" Tom finished.

"Cleaver and cunning, lad. Salazar himself would recognise your potential. You have a great thirst to prove yourself, my boy. It is obvious that the house for you is SLYTHERIN!" The hat had shouted the last word out loud. Tom pulled the Hat off his eyes. The entire hall was still watching him as he shakily rose, placed the Hat on the stool, and ambled over to the green table. As he approached, he got the impression that the other Slytherins were less than pleased with the hats choice. Oh well, he was stuck with them and they were stuck with him, he thought. Might as well make the most of it. He sat down at the end of the table, but received only a smattering of applause and none of the handshakes the others had gotten from their table. Tom was used to cold receptions, but was unprepared for this one. He missed the rest of the sorting as the was keeping a close eye on his new house mates.

The blond boy from the train had his wand out and although it was aimed at Tom, he seemed to be searching for a reason not to curse him there and then. It was his sister who stopped him.

"The teachers will see you, Nero," she said. "Do it when there are no witnesses."

The boy relented but looked at Tom dangerously.

"You're lucky, next time you won't be," he scowled. "No one insults a Malfoy and gets away with it." Tom said nothing.

Once the Sorting was done, the golden plates and goblets were magically filled. Tom stared at the feast. He had never been offered so much food before in his life. A whole weeks worth of pitiful rations at the orphanage wouldn't have equalled the food that was now before him. He promptly began to eat faster than any of the others, as though worried someone would take it all away. The other Slytherins stared at him like they had never seen a human being before. Tom couldn't help himself. The sisters at the orphanage had very strict attitudes towards sins and their answer for gluttony was to give no more food than was absolutely necessary. He could hear the Malfoy boy saying loudly that one couldn't expect proper table manners from muggle filth, but he didn't care. He had always, from his earliest memory, had a pain in his stomach, ranging from mild hunger to near starvation. For the first time in his life he knew what it was like to be full.

As the meal was finished, start of term notices were read out. All too soon, Professor Dippet was ordering all the students to bed. Tom noticed that the prefect leading them up the stairs was also blond. How many Malfoys do we have in this place he wondered. As he got up to follow, he was stopped by one of the new first year boys.

"I'm Norman Nott," he stated, watching Tom closely.

"Pleased to meet you Norman," Tom said, extending his hand. "I'm Tom Riddle."

"You don't recognise my name," Norman sneered, refusing Tom's outstretched hand. "Nero was right, you're nothing but a foul mudblood, aren't you?"

Tom didn't know what a mudblood was but he knew an insult when he heard one.

"Insult me again, Nott and I'll send you to the hospital wing," Tom said coldly, before hurrying to catch up with the rest of the Slytherins. The group was standing outside a bare wall when he caught them up. He only just caught the password ("Dragon's teeth") before the wall opened up, revealing a hidden passage way. A cold stone common room was at the other end of the passage. The blond prefect called all the first years to him. He stood near the fire, so that he could see them all in the flickering light. Tom could see himself standing there one day, with power and respect from the rest of his house.

"My name is Seth Malfoy," he said coldly. "So unless anyone here is a mudblood, you know what that means. You have been sorted into the best house in Hogwarts and therefore you will conduct yourself appropriately. Any fights or problems stay here in the common room. It is acceptable to be in the company of a Ravenclaw but not with the other houses. If I hear anything bad about anyone standing here now you will incur my…displeasure. Now scram. Boys dorms are upstairs on the left, girls on the right." With that he turned and strode away.

When Tom got up to his dorm there were four others there. He decided that it might be easier just to ignore them and go about his own business, especially since the room went very quiet when he entered. He put his trunk at the bottom of his bed and began to get ready for bed. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned round. He briefly saw something flying towards his face before seeing stars. When his vision came back he was surrounded by his room mates.

"A mudblood in Slytherin, how perverse," sneered one.

"Listen very carefully," Nott growled. "Now that you're here there is nothing anyone can do. But you will have no allies in Slytherin. If you have no recognised family here, you don't exist. Slytherin is for Purebloods and you will never belong here."

With a final kick, they left him and went to get themselves ready for bed. Tom crawled into bed after he stopped his lip from bleeding. What a good way to make a good impression, he thought before drifting into an uneasy sleep.