Despite Tom's assurances however, Hermione missed him just as she threw her overweight trunk into the back of the family car. She rang up the doorbell next door as she had done only a few times in the past several years but there was no answer. Clearly, they had already gone.
Or rather, as she thought to herself nastily, he had done something to his parents again. She knew that Tom was capable of controlling them if he wished and many times she contemplated informing the authorities whether muggle or magical… but then who would have believed her? Where could she even find the proof for that sort of thing?
King's Cross station was having a perfectly normal day. The electrified trains parked neatly at their respective numbered platforms, the hurrying mobs of passengers overcrowding the passageways, the tiny slightly protruding ticket booth windows, the sandwich and coffee shops with their bustling lines…
It was a clever set-up. The low drone from the station could be quite deafening with loudspeaker announcements rising above the din of masses… She suddenly felt someone tap her shoulder from behind.
"Tom! Don't startle me like that!"
But she was glad that he had made the time to find her. At the very least, she wouldn't be entirely alone on her first day.
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Tom acknowledged with a cheeky grin. "My mother was called in to the hospital early so my father had to drive her and so they took me to King's Cross three hours early…"
It was a good, believable lie, Hermione had to admit. What struck her was Tom being so casual in saying it and how he felt not even the slightest remorse for lying about even the smallest things.
Her parents of course, still remembered the disturbing incident from years prior, but they had never thought of Tom as a had influence even if Hermione was of that opinion. After that mishap, she too readily kept secrets from them that concerned magic. Including that of Tom's behaviour.
"Ah… the famed enchanted barrier," Tom exclaimed as he spotted the plain brick wall separating Platforms Nine and Ten.
They had to pull Hermione's parents in after them who mysteriously couldn't see it. Instead of just passing through the barrier as the books had instructed, Tom paused just before he entered ahead of Hermione and his parents and withdrew his wand.
Tapping each brick and muttering to himself, (Hermione thought she heard something about differences from the Leaky Cauldron), "Within the radius of the brick wall", Tom whispered to her, "-muggles are hit with a muggle-repellent charm."
"The muggle REPELLING charm, you mean," she replied, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes, anyways what I haven't figured out is how it is enchanted to exclude the family members of witches and wizards," he said nodding to Hermione's parents who were following them.
After a moment had passed, he finally leaned in and passed through and she followed right afterwards.
They were early, the magical platform was nearly deserted. But it was as if they had stepped back a century in time as she surveyed the grand, majestic clocks (which contrasted with the dial hung on the wall outside that showcased very succinctly the time in flat numerals), tall black gas-lit lamps, and a last-century scarlet lion of a locomotive roaring and whistling smoke in the wind.
What gave it all away were the numerous trolleys with pets, owls and cats. She might get a owl next year if she could persuade her parents to buy her one but they didn't want a noisy bird in their home. Apart from that however, it could have just been like any other non-magical boarding school.
As they made their way to board the train, Tom stayed in the compartment as Hermione went to the platform again to say her final goodbyes as the platform began to fill up with more students as the time to departure neared. Tom took the opportunity to lock the compartment door as he changed and Hermione returned also having changed into their uniforms in the train restroom.
Tom checked his watch impatiently nearly every ten seconds. Hermione began rereading Magical Drafts and Potions to steady her nerves as the train finally lurched into sudden movement. She leapt to the train window and waved but she was too late as she was unable to find her parents in the crowd again. Perhaps they were still waving or had they already left for the non-magical platform?
As they rolled out into the countryside, Tom finally spoke as she looked up at him and put away the book.
"So… house?"
"Gryffindor," she said immediately in return. "Although…"
"Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad," Tom finished for her grinning. Then he merely hummed and said nothing in return.
"And, yourself?"
"Hermione, you know I can talk to snakes." From her reading, she also knew that it was a rare ability that Salazar Slytherin himself reputedly possessed.
"Okay, what's the most interesting spell you've read up on and tried?"
Hermione went first. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to show him anyways. Even if he didn't know the spell, he surely would eventually.
"Alohomora!" Their train compartment door sprang open which Tom had locked momentarily before as instructed. He applauded and seemed delighted while his eyes glinted strangely.
"And now it's my turn: for the counter-spell, Colloportus!"
And just at that precise moment, Neville Longbottom attempted to poke his head into the compartment. The door slammed shut and magically locked itself as his face slammed hard onto glass.
"Oof," he squealed.
He was the most defeated-looking boy that Tom had ever seen as he reluctantly released the spell and allowed him entry.
"How can we help you?" he asked tersely as Hermione stood out of concern to question if he was alright.
"Fine, thank you," the chubby boy replied, but then reversed himself. "That is… I mean I've lost my toad, so I just wondered if… I've been checking every compartment to try and find him!"
"So you want our help," Tom asked again.
"We'll help you look for your toad."
Tom considered a moment. "I mean, we could do this in a magical way or…" and he help us his nose in distaste, "we could comb the entire train looking for a toad and make utter fools of ourselves-" he was cut off as Hermione elbowed him.
"What do you mean do it in a magical way?"
"It's up to you," he stated. "I'll show you a piece of magic that will allow you to quite instantly find your toad if you're willing to cooperate."
As Hermione looked on somewhat trepidatiously, Neville agreed as Tom instructed him to think about and picture Trevor in his mind.
"Don't close your eyes like that. I need to see your open eyes."
"Tom-" Hermione warned.
"It's not like that," he snapped back. "It's not like what you think. This is a new method that I've read up on."
Seconds passed to a minute as Tom fixed a stare at Neville who gradually shrank back in the seat in fear. Neville squirmed, discomfort showing in his features until Hermione stood between them.
"That's enough of that!"
Tom nodded as he stood still, seemingly transfixed upon something as he stared up at the ceiling lights. "Yes, I have what I need."
"Follow me." He left the compartment abruptly followed reluctantly by Hermione but not Neville who still sat with his eyes now glued shut clutching himself and trembling slightly.
"What did you do-" she tried to ask before she was cut off.
"Accio Trevor," Tom flicked his wand and then after a moment's pause from the opposite direction flew Neville's toad. Tom turned around just in time to catch the slimy amphibian before it could hit him in the face. Tom passed the toad to Hermione as he didn't want to hold it for a moment's longer than necessary.
"Here, give it back to him. That's his reward."
Neville took his toad and left their compartment in a hurry.
Hermione confronted Tom, fury etched in her features and her eyes flashing dangerously. "If you did something against the rules just now or used some kind of dangerous magic-"
"Sit down Hermione," Tom threw up his arms to signify his innocence. "Firstly, I gave him the choice and I warned him it might be slightly uncomfortable."
"I simply needed to see Trevor before I could perform the summoning charm just now. Otherwise that spell would be capable of summoning any treasure or valuable in the world from someone's pocket without the caster having any knowledge or having directly seen- In addition, I wasn't sure if it would work on toads, but I figured since flobberworms-"
"Have you performed that piece of magic before?" Hermione crossed her arms.
"A few times, against muggles," Tom replied defensively, "they consented as well."
"I don't believe you."
"I never used it to my advantage," Tom hissed back, "if you want to report on me, then prove it!"
"You didn't only see Trevor in Neville's eyes just now, did you?"
Tom smirked but replied, "Neville sort of panicked and his mind gave up a lot of interesting information that I wasn't even looking for. But it was an accident since we both aren't very experienced in this sort of magic."
Hermione sat in silence, half of her wanted to leave and find another compartment immediately but the other half told her she wouldn't be able to make friends if she didn't already have at least one person to vouch for her. At the very least, she should wait until they entered Hogwarts and after the Sorting to meet new housemates. Students passed their compartment every once in a while, some of them even sprinting past. Some spared them a glance but none seemed interested in them. Their only other visitor was a kindly trolley witch who asked them if they wanted any sweets, but since neither of them had a sweet tooth they both ate their packed lunches in companionable silence.
"Aren't you going to try and meet the other students on the train?"
Tom just shrugged his shoulders. "Like you, I prefer to wait until after the Sorting to see who would be in my house."
It took her a moment to work out that she had not voiced her thoughts aloud, but how had Tom Riddle read her mind again?