Walking through Hogwarts was Tom's favorite pastime. The place was filled with the feeling of magic. If you stopped for a minute and listened you could almost feel the magic buzzing through the school. Hogwarts was his favorite place in the world and he was so happy to be back after the summer he had with all the filthy muggles in the orphanage. He had known he was special for as long as he could remember. He had been superior to others, both older and younger, since he started feeling his magic. Even though at the time he didn't know that's what he was feeling.

He had been walking around the halls for the past twenty minutes looking for students out of bed after curfew. He had found a couple of fourth years trying to go to second base in one of the supply closets on the fifth floor but otherwise nothing exciting. Exciting may not be the word for it. He actually thought most of the prefect duties were boring and beneath him. But at least it gave him some power over the other students and put him in a good position for his future. He was always very proud that he was picked, though there definitely wasn't a better option.

'Of course Dumbledore probably disliked that Slughorn picked me,' He thought angrily to himself. He didn't like that he always thought about the stupid transfiguration professor, the only one who seemed not to fall for his tricks. 'It's like no matter how nice I act around him, how helpful I am to the school, he always distrusts me.'

Dumbledore had been the one to approach him when he was at the orphanage. Telling him that he was special. That the things everything else thought made him weird were supposed to be happening. That he was part of a hidden community were his power and charms were admired and sought after. The eccentric professor who dressed a little differently from everyone else was the first person Tom was excited to have met. The one that was going to get him out of the hell he called home.

And he did! Dumbledore had given him an excuse to leave the orphanage for most of the year. Gave him a place at a school that had good clothes, food, and people like him. Yet, Dumbledore never trusted him. After Dumbledore had found the box of things he had hid in his room containing the other children's objects he never looked at him with the twinkle he gave others.

Suddenly, Tom stopped walking. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice it at first. There had just been a shift in the magic. It was hard to pin down for wizards not as in tune with the magic found around the world. It felt like magic that didn't belong or something that he hadn't felt before.

There at the end of the hallway seemed to be where the different magic was centered. The hallway was barely lit and Tom never walked into a situation brazenly. He carefully took out his wand and walked slowly down the hallway. As he got closer he noticed there was a girl laying on the floor.

The girl didn't look threatening. Actually, she looked like she was sleeping in the middle of the hallway. Upon closer inspection, that didn't look right. She had cuts and bruises all over her body. She had obviously been in some kind of attack.

Tom lowered his wand but never put it away. He wasn't on guard anymore but he also wasn't stupid. He knelt next to the brown haired girl. She looked kind of angelic in sleep. She was wearing a raggedy strange outfit, was extremely pale, and now that he was closer he noticed she was more cut up than he originally thought. 'Now who could you be?' He wondered trying to figure out what to do. She was a mystery and Tom did not like mystery's he though darkly.

He didn't have to think long because as he was kneeling on the floor her eyes started to flutter open. The disorientated girl looked up at him. Even through the confusion Tom noticed a sharp calculating look in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Tom questioned. He watched her eyes open marginally in fear. 'She had nothing to be afraid of... yet." he thought darkly. Tom wasn't planning on hurting the girl but as she didn't answer his question he was more suspicious of her. 'Why did she appear right in the hallway I was patrolling? Who is she and where did she come from?'

Tom watched the girls eyes flutter shut and stopped his line of paranoid thinking. It wasn't like this would be the way anyone would stop him of his plans. Not that anyone but his followers knew what they were.

"I guess I'll bring you to Dippet. Can't have anyone thinking I'm the kind of person who would leave a stupid defenseless girl alone in the hallway," Tom muttered to himself under his breath. He grabbed his wand and spelled her to float behind him and made his way to the headmasters office.

Headmaster Dippet's quarters was closed for entry when Tom arrived. The gargoyle guarding the door stood tall and proud in his concrete tasks.

"Semper Excipite," Tom spoke clearly. The gargoyle, liking the password Dippet chose, slowly turned showing a staircase leading up to the office and attached suite that the headmasters of Hogwarts inhabited.

Climbing the stairs was a quick task Tom accomplished before knocking on the door leading to the office. After a few quick moments the door opened a smidge to show an older male peeping out. Upon seeing Tom the headmaster quickly moved aside letting Tom in.

When entering the room Tom hid his amusement of the headmaster opening the door in his blue striped pajamas.

"Tom, my boy, what brings you here at such an hour?" Dippet asked not yet spotting the girl.

"Headmaster, while roaming the halls during my prefect duties I found this girl lying in the hallway." It was then that Professor Dippet finally turned around to see the floating girl.

"Merlin Tom!" He exclaimed. "You didn't think to bring her to the hospital win? My, why is she covered in bruises?" The same question Tom had asked himself.

Tom, schooling his face to show a mask of uncertainty, responded, "I thought of bringing her there right away. I started walking there I swear but with Grindelwald starting to make himself more known I had to be more careful."

"What do you mean, boy?"

"Well after reading Hogwarts: A History I know that people can't apporate into Hogwards. But that's what she did sir. One minute the hallway was spare and the next there she was. And I don't believe she is a classmate of mine." Tom responded very much portraying concern a student might face in this situation.

"Well, I'll call Dumbledore and Slughorn to meet us all down in the hospital wing. We won't be finding anything out if she is too hurt to tell us anything. Plus, are we supposed to be scared of a student?" Dippet laughed to himself not quite knowing who he was talking to.

With that the two of them started to head to the hospital wing with the mystery girl still trailing behind them.

Hi everyone! I hope that you are liking the story so far! I hope to be updating frequently since I find myself with more free time during the quarentine. If you like the story please leave a like and review, it would mean a lot. I would love to know what everyone thinks.

Have a good weekend! ~ JuneBreeze

Semper Excipite = Always Welcome in Latin