She Saved Me | Tom Riddle

Classes Begin

As they arrived to the Slytherin common room, most students veered off to their separate dormitories while a few lingered in the main area. Tom stood off to the side as Mia and Liam finished talking to Ava for the night. She then went back to Tom as he waited for the prefect to show him to his room.

"Having your own room will be nice I think," Ava started as she pulled her hair over her shoulder to run a hand through it. "I'm actually a little jealous."

Tom raised an eyebrow, "you would prefer being isolated than being with your friends?"

Ava paused. "Technically they're not all my friends." She crossed her arms, "and I wouldn't say it's isolation."

"Really? Let's see how far away I'm placed, at the comfort of the students." There was clear disdain in Tom's voice when he spoke.

Ava didn't have a chance to respond as the prefects approached them. They were quick to introduce themselves before dismissing Ava and taking Tom to his private room. He barely had a chance to receive her 'goodnight' as they whisked him away. He decided to just go along with them since he'll see Ava the next day anyways. He was pleasantly surprised to see his room was only down the hall from the boys dorms. They placed him closer than expected.

Once they told him the password to his room, they left to finish their duties for the night. Tom took a moment to study the room. It was small, but bigger than what was truly needed. It was as dark as the rest of the dungeons and decorated in green. There was a full bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and wardrobe. There was more than enough in the room for him considering he wouldn't spend much time there. Even more surprising was the attached quaint bathroom to his left.

After taking it all in, Tom went to his trunk that was sitting at the end of the bed. There wasn't much for him to unpack considering he didn't have much to his name. It took only a few minutes to set out his books and other various items. Knowing it was late, he grabbed a random book to read before he attempted to sleep. But that wouldn't be until much later.

...

Early the next morning, Tom was taking his time getting dressed. He was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom studying his uniform. Everything was on and in place except for the robes. He had taken extra care in putting it on and leaving his appearance in pristine condition. Perhaps that would help him give a good first impression.

As he straightened the green striped tie, Tom thought over all the differences. The ties weren't changed much from the 40s and the school robes were still the same billowing black. The most noticeable difference between his old uniform and the new one was the change from grey to black. The grey uniforms were very fitting for the 40s when Tom thought back to it. Plain and dull just like the era. Because of this, Tom immediately took to the new uniforms made with crisp black.

Overall, the uniforms of this time were much more appealing in Tom's opinion. It was more comfortable without the added blazer underneath the robes. He also, though he wouldn't admit it out loud, enjoyed the addition of House colors to the hood of the robe. Students from each house were more distinct that way.

Tom gave one last check over the vest and trousers before grabbing his robe and slipping it on. He made sure to secure his wand as he left his room to wait in the common room. He realized it was still quite early for most students to be awake, but that worked just fine for him. Once he reached the main area with the fireplace and couches, Tom went over to the window to look out at the black lake.