(DISCLAIMER: All characters and the whole Harry Potter franchise - except for Jeremiah Hallysworn, Mallory Evans, Alice Urie [plus a few other more characters I haven't decided to get into the story yet] - belong to none other than J. K. Rowling)

Alice Urie was surprised at how she had gotten so much attention once she set foot on the train leading to her new school. To be honest, she had never expected that her presence was going to be noticed at all by her new schoolmates. They kept asking her who she was, where she came from, but she didn't answer. She refused to. She remained silent and quiet. She never spoke a word on that train ride. She only had to pass the occasional smile and nod at the people who would pass the compartment where she stayed. It was empty, only her being the one to stay in it.

She preferred isolation - most of the time, that is - and since her parents  were out of the house most of the time, she learned to work alone. While having the advantage of wanting to work alone in isolation, she now dealt having a disadvantage at being a bit of an introvert. Her parents always encouraged her to find friends but she simply shakes her head in disagreement and the argument ends there.

She knew she would pass the stage of actually needing friends in her early teens, but she went through. Having to be homeschooled by her parents who were former students of her new school as well, she became an intelligent and a fruitful minded person. Her comprehension was beyond anyone would have ever seen. Her ability to think fast was to be envied by a lot of scholars and even an athlete.

But it seems as though that meant nothing to Alice. She kept very much to herself and read books or did some hefty researching herself.

She never needed any help from her parents, but that didn't stop them from needing hers. Her parents were researchers in the Wizarding World, a field very much neglected by most people but brilliant nonetheless.

Alice promised to herself that she would be the most brilliant, if not, one of the most brilliant researchers. Her name would be looked upon with awe and wonder, inspiring little minds like her own to be just as successful.

But Alice could only dream so much. She never would like attention the way she dreamed of it. That would've been nice, yes, but Alice never wanted to be a celebrity.

It had been around an hour since she had entered the compartment, that another figure passed by. She didn't mind, though, she was completely engulfed in the wonders of her book about shape shifters, both of light and dark essence. But her attention was waved off when the door actually opened to reveal the figure that just passed.

Eyes staring in a cold manner down at her, she felt a little tinge of intimidation before it wavered off into the void. She scanned him down with a blank face from his robes to his unarguably flawless face. He was undoubtedly a Slytherin, evident in his scarf as well with its green shades proudly shining.

Alice merely nodded with a hint of a small smile, just as what she had done with the others before, and went back down to read her book. She didn't have any time to continue reading the sentence when the boy that had entered the compartment she was staying spoke up.

"You must be Alice Urie, the new sixth year."

That got Alice to look up from her book once more and face the boy. He was gazing at her and waiting for her to respond. Alice knew he wanted her to answer verbally, but feeling a bit nonchalant, she nodded though she did not return her attention to the book.

The boy seemed a bit irritated at her decision to not speak but did not show it. Alice knew this because he immediately started to talk again.

"I'm Tom Riddle, Slytherin prefect and a sixth year."

He spoke in a manner in which he did not have any pauses and the words seemed to flow like water through his lips.

"After the train ride, you go to see where the carriages are. You may or may not see something pulling it but it'll still move. This will lead you to the castle's gates and you will enter with the students going in there. Once you enter it, follow the line going to the great hall and there you will be sorted to your house."

Alice was well impressed at the way the boy seemed to be able continue talking without any pauses or breaks. It sounded like it was all well rehearsed, it probably was, but you never know.

Alice nodded once more and went down to her book again. She knew everything that was to happen to her today. Her mother and father explained it all to her the day they received a letter telling that their daughter got accepted in Hogwarts. So in reality, all she did was admire the way the boy just spoke to her.

"Any questions, Urie?" The boy spoke calmly yet with the hint of irritation Alice sensed moments ago.

The girl kept her attention to the book this time and shook her head 'no'.

And with that, Alice felt the sensation of having something in her head.

'Block it' she thought quickly before the sensations of something trying to get in her head were countered by her very own Occulomency non-verbal spell.

It was a spell taught in her family's generations and generations of wizards. It was useful especially now that people have the newfound ability to ravage through someone's head. It was something to keep their secrets from spreading, seeming as though their researching line had reached very nasty information. Or just family secrets no one told anybody.

Alice looked up from her book to see the boy stunned and glaring at her. She spoke in her velvety voice, much like her mother's.

"I do not appreciate people trying to get in my head the first day I meet them, Tom Riddle, thank you very much."

Alice went back down to reading her book as she felt the boy's glare intensify. She chewed on the side of her cheek and sighed.

The boy left without another word.

"Slytherins..." She muttered to herself.

+-+-+-+-+-+

As one would expect her to be sorted in, Alice drowned in the cheers of the Ravenclaw house as she sat down next to a girl.

The girl almost immediately spoke up.

"Hello, I'm Mallory Evans. I'm a sixth year as well." The girl said politely and in a kind tone.

What a nice person, Alice thought. She thought about how having to try out and finally have someone to be an acquaintance feels like, even though it was practically unnecessary for her.

Alice smiled at her, "Urie, Alice."

Mallory smiled at her and the feast began, but not before Headmaster Dippet started talking a welcome speech to the newcomers and also to the new addition to the sixth years. Again, Alice went on the act of ignorance on the stares she received and she began to devour food of only a small amounts.

Everything had been going fine until Alice felt something nagging her. She felt like she was being watched. She avoided having sudden movements as she continued finishing the food off her plate. By the way the feeling of someone's gaze upon her merely tells her who it might possibly be and Alice was smarter than that. She knew exactly who it is.

"Alice, you might not have any business with a certain Slytherin now, do you?" Mallory asked her from her side. She glanced at the boy staring at the back of her newfound friend. It was so intense that if by law, that would be a spell, Alice's physical form would be reduced to almost nothingness.

Alice glanced to her friend who was still looking behind her at the other house's table.

"If you mean someone by the name 'Tom Riddle', then no. He simply informed of the mechanics of getting here. In which, by the way, I needed no help at all even prior to when he told me."

Alice took a short but lazy glance at what her friend was looking at before standing up. She had been exhausted ever since the train ride. It bore her to death and seemingly having to find something to do other than read her book about shape shifters was not an easy task.

"If you don't mind, Mallory, I'd like to go to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Care to join me?" Alice asked her friend who just finished devouring here meal as well. What she really meant was, 'Can you show me the way there?' but she figured that the message came across just the same.

Mallory agreed to show Alice the way to the Common Room, even though she didn't actually ask, and also gave her tips and hints on the use of landmarks. Alice kept silent as much as possible. She never liked using her own throat and voice to speak much. Almost the majority of the walk there, she was just listening to what Mallory had to say about Hogwarts ever since she was a first year here.

Mallory explained how the entrance to the Common Room was having to answer a riddle the eagle at the door conjured up.

"I can fly when you're having fun.

I can drag when you're having none."

Mallory knew the answer right away, but she decided her dark haired friend to respond.

Alice only had to search the top layers of her knowledge. She had been reading too much fiction books that contained overwhelming poetry.

To this, she answered in her calm and velvety voice, "Time."

The eagle granted them access and Alice looked to Mallory. She praised her new classmate and Alice just whispered a thanks with a small smile.

It turned out that Mallory was one of the girls Alice was to share a room with. She was beyond glad when she found this out. It would be better to know someone at times like this. Times are crucial for Alice when she is at a place where she didn't have anyone she was comfortable with. She was just about relieved when Mallory had started to talk to her.

It was nice to have someone available for assistance at the moment, but Alice knew she would barely need any help from her friend. Just a bit of company, yes, but never help in her work.

"Alice," Mallory called out to her friend. Her voice was painted with suspicion, confusion, and concern, Alice observed. She had the hobby of breaking down people's signs of showing a certain emotion. As a child, she never got out much, but being provided with the luxury of a Muggle television, she developed the findings of body language and what they subject to.

Alice came to her friend with a kind but questioning face and wondered what would ever make her friend seem to feel all those emotions right at this time.

"It's about Riddle," Mallory started. Alice urged her to continue.

"I recommend for you not to be in any way involved with him." Alice knew where this was going and knew for a fact that she would never dream of having to interact with the boy herself. He seemed too arrogant and behind that is a confidence in everything he says or does.

A speech or instruction that seemed well rehearsed, Alice thought back to the encounter on the train. He was intimidating, that wasn't a hidden fact, yes, but Alice was somehow not affected.

Alice nodded and smiled a small one to her friend. "It is my wish for you to know that I wouldn't even dream of it."

Mallory sighed in relief. She wouldn't want her new friend to succumb to the victimizing charms of the mysterious Slytherin boy.

"Alright, let's get ready for bed. Tomorrow is your first ever day in Hogwarts, we don't want that to start with you sleeping in now, don't we?" Mallory let out a small laugh which in turn made Alice spare a faint giggle, her cheeks wanting to overwhelm her eyes in the process. Together, they went into their rooms as the earliest comers to the common room and this room.

Alice slept peacefully and soundly that night. Well, not before having to let the memories of what happened that day flash in her mind.

The Riddle boy had wanted to see something in her head. But what could he possibly want? Alice thought about it and just murmured that she'll have the answer by tomorrow morning, as she always does.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

First fanfic, yaaaay. And it had to be of Tom Riddle because why not?

I wanted to dedicate this to my friend who actually made me see that Tom indeed had a side of something worth admiring in the whole Harry Potter series.

Hey, in case that girl would be reading this, well I wanna tell ya that I miss ya, Nicky!

Anyway. Hoped you liked it!

All the love, tuffhufflepuff 😀😀 xx