We'll still be friends

The Hogwarts express let out a loud whistle followed by puffs of steam as children waved their parents goodbye. Tom was making his way through the crowd to get inside when his ears picked up the sound of a familiar voice.

"Mom, Dad, stop, I'm getting late for the train," Maria whined as her mother hugged her once more followed by her hair ruffled by her father. Tom quickly turned away and boarded the train, plopping himself down in a compartment with an open book. The train let out a warning whistle and began to move forward and out of the station. Tom looked up when he saw the compartment door slide open and saw Maria grinning down at him.

"Hiya Tom," She cheerfully stated as she plopped down in the seat across from him. He nodded his head in response and looked back down at his book and from the corner of his eye saw her pout. The door slid open once more but Tom didn't bother looking up. A short girl entered the compartment and plopped herself down next to Maria. She was wearing a simple long pleated skirt, with a snug white sweater on top, her blouse collar neatly folded above. she crossed her legs, one over the other fixing her skirt with one hand and sticking the other out to Maria.

"Hi my name's May Lavanda, I came here because the other compartments are full," She quietly said as Maria shook her hand. She turned to Tom but put her hand down after taking one look at him.

Maria grinned at her and said, "Hi my name's Maria Rowen and this is my friend Tom Riddle." Maria gestured to Tom who hmm'd at May but didn't look up. Maria kicked Toms shin and returned his annoyed look with a pointed one.

Tom turned to May with a fake smile and gritted out, "Hi." Then picked up his book once more and gave Maria a warning glare before returning to his book. Maria teasingly rolled her eyes and sighed as May rose her eyebrow at the two. The trolley lady rolled by but none of them got anything from her. Tom didn't have the money, Maria would get motion sickness and May wasn't hungry. Maria and May quickly became friends over the course of the train but May didn't get along with Tom. Her gut was screaming at her not to trust him and the way he silently gave her a cold look over his book spoke in numbers. Maria was laughing like crazy at a joke May had made when Tom slammed his book shut and rose. He looked at Maria with a stern look as Maria slowly stopped laughing but was still grinning.

"We need to change into our robes before we get there, come on," Tom gritted out and dragged Maria out of the compartment, throwing a glare towards May over his shoulder. May rose her eyebrow and sighed as the compartment door was slammed shut. The two didn't come back to the compartment but May caught a glimpse of them getting on to a boat. Tom and Maria boarded a boat with a boy with long blonde hair and a girl with a brunette bob cut putting on powder with a small compact. The boy turned around and was about to say something to Tom when he saw Maria sitting behind him. The boy smirked and puffed out his chest with his head held up high.

"Hello Rowen," The boy smugly said as Maria rolled her eyes and begrudgingly followed his actions.

"Hello Malfoy," Maria boredly said as Tom nudged her, silently asking how she knew him.

"This is Abarax Malfoy, Malfoy meets Tom Marvolo Riddle," Maria introduced them to each other as Abarax and Tom shook hands.

" I don't think I've ever heard of the Riddles," Abarax questioned as Tom opened his mouth to answer but Maria cut him off.

"No one asked Malfoy," Maria said as Abarax's face turned from polite to a grim look. He turned back around and faced the front as the girl turned to face them.

"I may have never heard of you but I must say, you are very handsome." The girl flirted while scooting more towards Tom who plastered a smile but was internally gagging.

"Thank you..." Tom trailed off, asking her name. She giggled and winked at Tom who noted it. 'so I'm attractive to girls, that could prove to be useful,' Tom thought with an internal smirk.

"Clara, Clara Frazier," Clara said in a 'husky' tone which made her already squeaky voice sound even worse. Tom nodded and turned to Maria and saw her using sign language with May who was a couple of feet away from their boat. Tom turned back when the boat had docked at the castle. He and his fellow first-years got out of the boats and entered the magnificent school. They saw a tall male with shoulder-length hair and a beard, approach them with his robes swishing behind him. Tom identified him as Dumbledore, the same wizard who had come to the orphanage and told him he was a wizard.

"Hello students, welcome to Hogwarts. Here you will learn how to cast spells, brew potions, tell the future and other things for the next 7 years. When you enter the great hall, you will all be sorted into a house. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house good in its own way." Dumbledore stared with a gentle smile as his eyes twinkled while observing all the students. Tom gave him a wary look and was returned with a knowing smile. Dumbledore opened the doors of the hall and most of the first year's jaws dropped in awe. They trailed after the charms professor as curious eyes followed them. Headmaster Dippet stood up gaining the attention of everyone in the hall.

" Welcome first years to your first year at the school of witchcraft and wizardry, Hogwarts, and we welcome back students from the previous year. Before we begin the feast, the sorting hat will sort the first years into their houses." The headmaster boomed towards the student body. Professor Dumbledore brings out a stool and an old, worn-out hat. He unrolled a scroll and began to call out names. When the student sat down on the stool, Dumbledore would place the hat on their head and it would call out their house.

" Tom Marvolo Riddle." The professor called out, Tom confidently walked up to the stool. The hat was placed on his head and it came to life.

" Hmm where to put you, you have the brains of a Ravenclaw, but your ambition, that is the ambition of a SLYTHERIN." The hat boomed, Tom and Maria's eyes met and in that quick second, Tom read the emotion that her eyes betrayed. The worry and disappointment but also the curiosity and twinkling determination. Tom rose from the stool and strode to the Slytherin table, sitting amongst his new housemates.

" Maria Rowen," Dumbledore called out, said girl walked up to the stool and plopped down.

"Another Rowen, where to put you though. Shall I place you with your brothers or the house your parents were in? No no, you have the kindness of a Hufflepuff but your heart, your heart is telling me otherwise. Better be, GRYFFINDOR." The hat yelled as Maria's lips stretched into a grin. She stood up and confidently walked to her new cheering house. The last few students were sorted and Tom smirked when he saw May's face when she realized she and Maria wouldn't be in the same house. May was sorted into Slytherin and even though she was disappointed that she wasn't with her new friend, she was excited. She sat down a good distance away from Tom, she didn't trust the boy and didn't want anything to do with him. The feast began and the whole time Maria and Tom spoke with their eyes to each other, May pouted at first but was quickly distracted by the others and turned to speak to the first years around her. Though Tom didn't show it, he was worried his first-ever friend would leave him and vice versa. Tom saw Maria mouthing something to him and he spelled it all out in his head as his eyes widened a bit. Maria had mouthed,

" No matter what house we are in, we'll still be friends." Tom thought about the sentence all through the feast and until the prefect led them to their dorms. He contemplated the meaning behind it and what would be the effects of it as he lay in his four-poster bed. Finally, as he was drifting off he let a smile slip through his mask. He had a feeling Maria wasn't gonna leave him anytime soon, and he was going to make sure it stayed that way.