A.N.: Well, this is my first fan-fiction that I have ever written, or posted out on this site. Forgive me if I mess up a whole page by posting the authors note in the front, or by making one of the most hated characters in Harry Potter the main character. Or maybe, I'll write some thing that doesn't suit you very well. Hmm... What can I say? I'm a noobie. (Plus, I haven't read all the books, so forgive me if I write something entirely untrue.) But, if my mom liked it, then you certainly will.

Enjoy!

As the Hogwarts Express neared King's Cross Station, a girl picked up her bag and stared as the massive locomotive came to a stop. Her blonde hair flew wildly as a sudden gust of wind hit her; she flipped it back after it had calmed. Climbing aboard, she was surprised to find most of the compartments full. Sighing deeply, she walked down the the narrow corridor while glancing through the compartment windows. She stopped as she found one that was empty. At least she thought it was, but when she walked in, she realized that there was a boy sitting near the window. She decided to throw her bag onto the rack and sit down on the velvet cushion across from him. He glared at her.

" Leave now. I would like to be alone." he spat, as though he expected her to do so. She smirked at him.

" May I remind you that there are no other empty compartments. I'd also like to mention that I'm not very talkative, especially after someone talks so rudely with me." She retorted, glaring back at him.

When his gray eyes met her blue ones, he blinked with surprise. Was he actually intimidated? By a girl? They stared at each other for a moment, and for a split second he thought he saw her blushing. But as soon as he was about to say something, the train started, and the girl became preoccupied with catching her quite pinguid bag. She put it back on the rack, and then sat back down and stared out the fogged-up window.

After a long fifteen minutes of silence, the strange boy brushed his black hair away, and asked, "So… What's your name?" He looked at her with sudden interest.

"Artemis Becklaire." She answered, staring back at him. "And yours?"

"Tom Riddle…" He spat, frowning. She giggled.

"You appear to hate that name. Why?"

"So many people are named Tom. I want a unique name like yours… To be special."

"Why don't you change it?"

"I can?"

"Why, yes. My brother's name was Murphy, and he changed it to Aries."

Tom was suddenly very excited. "What do you think it should be?"

"I'm not sure. I'll try and think up one for you, how about that?" she said, smiling.

"Please. I'm not very fond of making up names for people… I'm better at scaring people and making them do things for me." He said, smiling evilly.

Artemis cocked her eyebrow. Something about Tom was very unnerving. Maybe it was his eyes… Or how he seemed… evil. She could see that he was trying to hide it but… He was evil.

Absorbed in her own thoughts, Artemis barely felt Tom tapping her shoulder. "We're here." He said as he opened the compartment door. Grabbing her bag, which had once again fallen off the rack, she followed him out of the train. Stepping out onto the platform, she saw a huge, black lake before her. Tom stood with a blank expression. "Who are they?" He said his voice shaking.

She looked at where he was pointing. There were about a dozen merfolk in the water, staring back with their slit-like eyes. "Merfolk." She said, trying to calm him. "They hardly ever come out of the water."

He nodded slowly, and looked away.

"Children! Over here!" said a loud voice. The two of them looked to their left to see a tall man, with a short gray beard and black hair. Some of the girls giggled, whispering about how handsome he was. "May I have your attention, please? Ahem. My name is Professor Dippet, head master of Hogwarts. Now, if you would please board these boats, and we will be off!" he said excitedly, straightening his jacket and smiling broadly.

Tom and Artemis picked the very first one, and ended up sitting next to Professor Dippet. After all the other students boarded the boats, they floated off, pushed by a mysterious force. "Is this magic Professor?" asked Artemis.

"Yes, indeed it is. We use it for almost everything here at Hogwarts. Almost." He answered, nodding. Artemis smiled back, wondering what they used magic for.

When they were half-way across the lake, Tom felt a tug on his robe. He whipped his head around, but he didn't he anything that could have caused it. "What's wrong?" Artemis asked, staring at him.

"N-n-nothing… just my imagination." He said quickly, trying to mask his fear.

"Ok….." she said as she slowly looked away.

That's when Tom felt a sharp jerk. He yelped as he realized that he was being pulled off the boat and into the black water. He closed his eyes, hoping that someone would grab his arm to stop his fall, but no one did. He feltthe biteof cold across his skin, his robes becoming heavier, and a hand on his shoulder. He opened his mouth to scream, but he only managed to get a mouthfull of salty lake water. He opened his eyes, and saw reeds, millions of them, surrounding him. He felt something wrap around his ankle, but he was to scared to look down. Once again he closed his eyes.

And then, he passed out.

A.N.2: Please review! I love to hear what people think about my stories!