It was hard turning away from Hera and walking towards his future.
It hurt knowing that she would be alone for most of the year. Tom ignored the fear, ignored the heart wrenching pain that came with breaking away from the only thing that had been stable in his life. Tom walked towards the train, step after step. He was soon encased in the shiny red train.
It was never hard to guess where the older kids sat. At home, it was at the back of the bus, and here it would be the same, so Tom pulled his trunk down the hall of the train until he reached the end. There were three compartments, and seeing as all but one of them were locked, he went into the third.
Tom glanced around the small compartment, questioning why Hogwarts was considered the best school in the land when they had tacky looking seats that would better fit in an opium den then a train for school children. Tom shrugged, and sat down, withholding a grimace as he touched the cheap fake velvet. He was in a little bit of shock at how disgusting the compartment looked. Hera's thirty year old room that had children living in it all year around was cleaner than this. There were brown stains on the seats, and the gold accents on the windows and door were chipped and crumbling.
Grimacing at the stains, Tom waved a hand. The stains lightened, then disappeared entirely. He flicked his other hand at the crumbling paint, and the gaps filled in, making the compartment look close to new. He glanced out the door before running a hand along the velvet seats. He wanted to try one of the harder topics that had been covered in his textbooks, transfiguration of cloth to an animal product. His magic was concentrated in a thin beam, icing over the seat before dissipating, leaving soft brown leather in its place.
Tom released his magic, letting it fill the compartment with the frosty joy that comes with the first snow. He reached into the rucksack that was stuffed full of shrunken books and nicknacks (most of them pressed into his hands by a tearful Hera), and pulled out a well loved book. He then sat back and made himself comfortable.
Tom didn't know how long it had been, but sounds of loud voices and laughter soon came trickling into his ears. The compartment door, which he had forgotten to lock, slammed open. Three teenagers, who all looked around sixteen, entered. The middle one, a tall boy with sharp features, spoke,
"Aw, Dru, look at the thirdie who doesn't know his place!" the boy laughed, "He's so tiny for a third year. You think he can hold a shield?" The boy turned to the blonde next to him, a mean grin on his face, but Tom interrupted before 'Dru' could respond,
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Tom said, not a hint of apology in his tone, "but you are making a racket and I got here first," His voice turned slightly petulant at the end, but to make up for it, he flared his magic, and the compartment got noticeably cooler. The boy who had already spoken laughed,
"You've got spunk, you can stay," There was mirth in his voice, and from the soft chuckle that emerged from the girl next to him, she found the situation amusing as well,
"I'm Druella Rosier," the girl started, her voice soft, "This is my twin brother Evander-"
The other boy interrupted, "It's Evan," and the girl turned to glare at him,
"This is Evander, my brother, and the irritating little arsehole who you already spoke to is my betrothed, Cygnus Black. We are sixth years at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you, my little thirdie friend are in our compartment,"
Tom smirked at the Rosier twins, ignoring the black haired boy who was poking at the new leather seats curisily with his wand,
"I'm Tom Riddle," He drawled, knowing that the impression he made on these three would likely dictate the rest of his school years, "I'm not, in fact, a 'thirdie' I am a first year. And to answer the question that seems to be running through your head, Black, I just transfigured the seats a few minutes ago. The interior looked tacky, and I felt that such a fine establishment as Hogwarts should have a…" his voice faded off, obviously thinking about how to disparage the seats without being obviously rude, " a few nicer touches," is what he decided on. Rosier, the female version, seemed amused by the amount of disdain Tom was sure he was emitting.
The three students sat across from him, Black and Rosier cuddling up against each other. It was clear, to Tom at least, that the male Rosier… Evan, was it? Was uncomfortable with how close his sister was getting to her future husband.
Evan, most likely noticing Tom's knowing smirk, decided it would be a good time to start a conversation. He cleared his throat,
"So, Riddle, what house do you think you will be in?" The boy did look mildly interested, so Tom gave it a little bit of thought.
He was rather chivalrous, and often incredibly determined, but gryffindor didn't really suit him. It seemed like a group of kids who struggled with impulse control, and while Tom was ruthless and often cruel, he did think about what he was going to do before doing them.
Hufflepuff was a maybe. He was loyal to a fault when dealing with friends, and he would work harder than anyone else to get what he wanted, but it seemed like, front the books he had read, that hufflepuff was seen as the overly nice, non-threatening people who were only really there to pad the school and help stop fights. Tom was not a background character.
Ravenclaw was definitely in the running. He was smart, witty, and Tom thought he valued wisdom (although he sometimes ignored it in favor of making people pay for what they had done).
Slytherin matched every trait. He was cunning, without a doubt, ambition was something that he had always had an abundance of, and he matched better with the slytherin loyalty requirements than the hufflepuff. To those he considered 'his', Tom was unwaveringly loyal, and would kill anyone who dared to hurt them.
Tom shook his head, breaking himself out of the circle of thoughts,
"I think slytherin would fit me best," His sharp voice broke the silence, and the smaller of the Rosiers almost squealed in excitement, "I could probably get into ravenclaw if I tried hard enough-" He was cut off by Druella,
"You should come to slytherin. It's the best house ever! We are there, and I'm sure you would be able to make so many amazing friends if you join us," Her voice was gradually getting higher, and the taller of the twins was scootching farther and farther away from his sister.
"I think I would like that." Simple, to the point, but made his intentions clear. Tom would be going into slytherin.
Hi! It's been a while, and I have been updating more/ informing people of what is going on better on ao3 ( /works/26953570/chapters/65784007) is the first chapter. I am going to put up all the chapters that I have written up on here. I am attempting to get back into writing again because it helped a lot wiht my mental health. I hope you all are enjoying the story!
