The day had come at last. Hermione had created something of a calendar with a piece of paper and pencil, marking down the days until the first of September, the day when her and Tom would escape from the orphanage and the clutches of Mrs. Cole to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

She was so excited that she had hardly slept the night prior.

It was probably one of the best days of their young lives. Exempt from the usual chores of the day, Mrs. Cole left them to their own devices for most of the morning as they gathered their few belongings along with their school supplies into the suitcase that they had each been given.

They left Wool's Orphanage behind without so much as a glance backward, making their way across London to the Kings Cross Train Station.

It was a quarter past ten when they arrived, trudging off the bus with their luggage in tow. The train station was packed with muggles as it always was no matter the year. Making their way through the crowd, Hermione dug out her Hogwarts letter, pulling her ticket out of the envelope.

"It says we need to head to Platform 9¾," she read aloud.

Tom's face scrunched up in confusion. "I may not know much about train stations, but I know enough to know for a fact that there is no such thing as Platform 9¾."

She merely shrugged, showing him the ticket with the platform number on it. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she had to force down the urge to tell him exactly where it was and how to get through it. Of course, she couldn't tell him because she wasn't meant to know herself. Playing dumb was a lot harder than it seemed.

With not much else to go on, they headed towards platforms nine and ten. Much to their surprise, and in particular hers, there was a ticket booth sitting next to the very spot where she knew the barrier to be. Upon first glance the booth appeared to be boarded up and empty, but upon closer observation, she spotted a man inside that looked very much like a wizard.

Such a sight came as a relief to her as she had feared that they would have to wait around until a magical family came along and showed them how to get through. That was what happened the first time she had come here with her parents. If only this ticket booth had been around at that time. It would have made things a whole lot easier.

She briefly wondered why they had gotten rid of it, but cast it off to the side as she figured it wasn't all that important. She was just thankful to have it here and now.

"Excuse me, sir, but could you tell us how we might find Platform 9¾?" she marched up to the booth.

The man nodded his head. Climbing out of the booth, he pointed towards the wall beside him.

"All you have to do is run straight at this here wall, best do it with your eyes closed if you're nervous," the man explained.

Tom stared at the wall and then over at the man, bewildered at what he had just heard. "That has got to be one of the most stupid things I've ever heard."

She couldn't blame him for thinking that, as she had originally had the same reaction. It seemed totally barbaric that they expected a bunch of children to run straight into a brick wall, and even more so for those with muggle parents who were none the wiser to magic.

"I don't suppose there's any other way to access the platform?"

The man just shook his head.

The two of them took a few steps back, mentally preparing themselves to go through with this. Tom insisted that she go first, just to see if it actually worked. Had she not been sure that it would, she might have yelled at him for using her as a test subject.

With a deep breath, she picked up her suitcase, gripping it tightly as she sprinted at the wall, pulling her eyes closed seconds before she felt herself go through. For the briefest of moments, she felt as though she was floating in mid air, kind of like she had felt when she travelled back in time, only it didn't last nearly as long and it didn't make her feel like vomiting.

She opened her eyes as soon as she knew that she was safely on the other side. A smile tugged at her lips as she took in the sight of the shiny red steam engine, smoke from the engine hanging in the air enveloping the crowd of witches and wizards as they scrambled around the train.

Soon she would be going home to Hogwarts.

Stepping away from the barrier, she didn't have to wait long as Tom came running through a moment later, his eyes wide and his face as pale as a bedsheet.

"I can't believe that actually worked."

She stifled a giggle, to which he gave her a halfhearted glare.

The two of them made their way through the crowd, trying not to get jostled too much as they searched for an empty compartment. As if by instinct, Hermione headed towards the back of the train where she had always sat with Harry and Ron, but then she stopped as she remembered that there were no Harry and Ron waiting for her.

They didn't even exist yet and wouldn't for another forty-some years…

She quickly shook all such thoughts from her mind and forced herself to focus on the present, something that she had done on many occasions since her arrival. I'm not alone, she silently reassured herself. Tom is my friend now and I need to focus on helping him.

Wishing to avoid the memories that came with that particular compartment, Hermione quickly made a beeline towards the first empty compartment she could find, two compartments away from the one she usually sat in. Together they managed to load their suitcases inside, strapping them onto the shelves before sitting down next to each other.

With a good twenty minutes to waste before the train took off, Hermione and Tom pulled out a big book titled 'Hogwarts: A History' and began to read. They had spent most of their free time back at the orphanage reading all their school books in preparation. Hermione had already read all the books before, but still she re-read them to keep up appearances. They even practiced a few simple spells together in secret, which was a lot of fun.

Had she been told that she would one day find herself not only befriending Tom Riddle, but also thoroughly enjoying his company, she probably wouldn't have believed it. It was funny how these things worked.

Then, the train began to move. There was an uproar of noise as the whistle blew and everyone flocked to the windows to wave farewell to those they left behind in the station. Well, everyone except Tom and Hermione, that is. They didn't see the need to, seeing as they didn't have anyone to leave behind. Nobody would miss them while they were gone during the school year, nor would they miss anybody. They were just too happy to be leaving.

Gradually everyone quietened down and while most of the students returned to their seats, some got up and started walking around.

One such student, a second year dressed in Gryffindor robes, caught sight of them and poked her head in. Hermione thought that there was something familiar about the girl, as if she knew her from somewhere, but couldn't put her finger on where exactly.

"Hello there, you must be first years," the girl greeted them with a smile. "I saw you come in earlier and noticed that you were all alone. Would you mind if I joined you?"

Tom briefly acknowledged her with a shrug before returning his focus to the book they were reading.

Taking that as a sign, the girl sat down across from them, straightening out the folds of her skirt as she did so. No one spoke for the first few minutes, as each seemed to be waiting for the other to start.

In the end, it was Hermione who broke the silence, realizing that Tom wasn't about to do so anytime soon. "I'm Hermione Granger and this is my friend, Tom Riddle," she introduced, holding her hand out towards the girl.

"It's nice to meet you Hermione and Tom," she eagerly took the hand and shook it. "I'm Minerva McGonagall."

Hermione felt her whole body go rigid with shock. She could hardly believe her ears. The girl sitting before them was none other than her future Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonagall! She felt half like shrieking in delight and half like crying. She had expected that McGonagall might be around during this time, but she hadn't expected her to be so young and… a student…

"Are you alright? Did I say something to offend you?" Minerva asked, a worried expression across her face.

"No, no, not at all," she quickly shook her head. "I'm sorry, I-I'm just not used to older girls being nice to me."

It wasn't the greatest excuse, but it was the only one she could come up with on the spur of the moment.

"I understand what you mean. Some of the sixth and seventh years aren't the nicest. The head girl, Walburga Black, is particularly nasty. Thinks she's the queen of the world or something."

Hermione gulped. She knew all too well just how nasty Walburga Black could be, having been at the forefront of one of her portrait's screaming sessions. How someone like Sirius had come from someone like Walburga was beyond her comprehension. She was going to have to be awfully careful this year and try to avoid her. There was no doubt in her mind that Walburga would show no mercy in punishing those who happened to be in her way.

"So, are you two looking forward to Hogwarts?" Minerva asked, quickly abandoning the previous topic. "I was a bit nervous when I first arrived, but everyone in my house is really nice and made me feel right at home."

Hermione was about to open her mouth to answer, when she heard the compartment door slide open. Standing there was the same boy they had met at Twilfit and Tattings. It was Abaxas Malfoy.

"There you two are!" he came in and sat down next to them without even asking if he could. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Here we are," Tom spoke up for the first time since they had boarded the train.

"You know this boy?"

Only then did Abraxas notice the girl sitting across from them. "What do you think you're doing?" he sneered at her, eyeing the color of her robes. "Are you trying to recruit all the first years for Gryffindor or something?"

"I take it you're hoping to be sorted elsewhere."

The pale-haired boy puffed out his chest. "Of course, I intend to be sorted into the best house of them all. My whole family has been sorted into Slytherin for generations."

Hermione was sorely tempted to punch Abraxas in the nose just like she had his grandson. Clearly the apple didn't fall far from the tree when it came to the Malfoy's. Abraxas was just as full of himself as both his son and grandson would be.

"I reckon my friends here want the same," Abraxas added.

Minerva rolled her eyes at the boy's antics. "It's not for you to decide for them."

They both turned their full attention towards the two of them, and though they didn't say it outright, Hermione could tell that they wanted to know their house preference.

Hermione had thought long and hard on which house she thought she might be sorted into. Obviously, she loved being a Gryffindor, but somehow she didn't know if she wanted to be one this time around. It wouldn't be the same without Harry and Ron and would bring far too many memories. No, it would be better for her to be sorted into a different house.

"I was thinking that Slytherin might be a good fit for me," Tom claimed. "I quite like snakes."

When moments passed and she failed to make a reply, Tom turned to her as well, staring at her with an odd look in his eye. It wasn't a look she had ever seen on him before, so she was unable to discern what it meant.

"None of the houses seem bad from what I read about them, but I was thinking it might be nice to be in either Ravenclaw or Slytherin."

Her answer clearly pleased both of the boys. Minerva, on the other hand, did not seem pleased at all. If anything, she looked rather put out.

"You see, some people are capable of recognizing greatness when they see it."

"Well then, I guess it's safe to say that you're all a bunch of lost causes," Minerva leapt from her seat, her nostrils flared as she stalked out of the compartment.

Hermione felt as though someone had stabbed her through the heart. Now more than ever she wanted to punch Malfoy. He had just caused the woman who would grow up to become her role model to hate her! She wanted to run out after McGonagall and explain to her that she really didn't want to be in Slytherin and that she didn't agree with Malfoy at all, but at the same time, she also didn't want to leave Tom alone with Malfoy. Who knows how much that pompous prat might influence him if she gave him half a chance.

Leaning over, she whispered in Tom's ear, "We don't have to put up with him if you don't want to."

Tom shook his head. "He's less annoying than the girl. I'd rather sit with him than with her."

She was surprised by that to say the least. After their previous encounter in Diagon Alley, she had been under the impression that they didn't like each other. Apparently she was mistaken.

She let out a sigh. Boys could be so difficult to understand sometimes.