A few years had passed by since he was first introduced to the aspect of being a wizard, and a real wizard at that. It wasn't fictional but it sure felt like it. Living at Wool's orphanage was dreadful, and once he was exposed to the wizarding world, it completely flopped his whole worldview; he never quite understood why he couldn't just go to school all the time. It was definitely better than being stuck with the other children.

He had always regarded the orphanage as the home he did not pick; he would've just chosen to be adopted by a wizard or witch, if he had the chance to. Muggles were similar to him, yes, but he had always hated them. To him, the lot of them were stupid, idiotic, and he often wondered how he had lived 11 years of his life, suffering silently while accepting the fact that he would've lived 7 more years there.

Now, he did not hate it like he was being hurt there. He wasn't, but more of it felt like it. He felt he belonged better at Hogwarts. It was his home; his real, real home. After laying eyes on the place, he had immediately tried to talk his teachers into extending his stay so he wouldn't return. Halloween had already arrived, and he was not going to bother dressing in some dumb costume. It was simply not worth his time.

Most of his gang already left to spend time at some halloween party, but it didn't bother him. Tom loved being alone. The quieter it was, the easier it was for him to absorb more knowledge. After giving a few half-hearted goodbyes to his Slytherins, he ventured down to the nearly full Great Hall. He could hear excited mutterings from the students around him. Other students, dressed in costumes, from other houses also stayed nearby, but he had successfully warded them off by losing them in the hallway.

He stared out of the hallway, observing how blissful autumn was at Hogwarts. He never bothered to genuinely look at it during his time at the orphanage; he never cared enough to do so. Tom noticed someone approaching him, but he didn't care; he knew it was you.