Tom Riddle hated everyone at Hogwarts. He hated all the insipid Gryffindors who were always making too much noise, the pretentious Ravenclaws, the useless Hufflepuffs, and the mindless Slytherins. But there was one girl at Hogwarts that Tom Riddle hated with a passion greater than he hated his muggle father or his weak mother – and unluckily for him, this girl happened to not only be a Slytherin but also be the Head Girl to his Head Boy in their seventh year.

Vera Sinclair was absolutely insufferable. She had spent their previous six years laughing at Tom and making every possible joke she could in his direction. And now she was sitting across from him in the prefect's compartment of the Hogwarts train on their ride to school and smiling that sickly sweet little smile of hers – the same one she had used to charm other boys into doing her homework or throwing a party for her to attend.

"Nice seeing you again Tom. How was your summer?" She smirked as he pursed his lips, "Oh right, the orphanage. Well, you should be thrilled to know that I had a wonderful summer. My parents gave me a few thousand galleons and let me go off adventuring in Italy."

He smiled stiffly, "Wonderful Sinclair. Now, shouldn't we discuss something important? Like our duties this year?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Naturally, you won't expect much from me. You do think I am stupid after all, though I did beat you at OWLs. I'll show up to meetings and patrols – but of course you wouldn't expect me to obey the rules myself."

"Being Head Girl is about setting an example."

"And you do set such a good example being Head Boy. A antisocial, withdrawn psychopath who spends all his time in the library researching magic and sucks up to the teachers and is always spewing his horrid views on blood purity. We do need more of those at Hogwarts. I wish I could be as good of a role model as you are," she said sarcastically.

Tom fumed, but knew he couldn't do anything. Vera was the queen of the school. People practically worshipped her - they moved out of her way in the halls, did everything she asked, looked at her with reverence, and spoke about her often. Vera Sinclair was everything everyone else (including Tom, as much as he hated to admit it) wanted to be – rich, alluring, smart, and capable. And she was not just a regular pureblood – she came from a very elite group of extremely ancient pureblood families who practically ruled the wizarding world, their ranks full of Ministers of Magic, authors, business owners, and media moguls.

So Tom sat through the part of the train ride where he and Vera had to instruct all of the other prefects. Once the other prefects were gone, he stood and walked off without another word to her. He vaguely wondered which compartment full of admirers she would retreat to, which seventh year boys she would decide to grace with her presence on their first day of school. As soon as he reached the compartment of his followers, he pushed all thoughts of insolent little Vera Sinclair, who clearly could not keep her mouth shut for two seconds and had no idea what was good for her, out of his head and focused on his plans for the upcoming year instead.

"And Vera was on the corner kissing some boy, like she didn't want anyone to see, so I..." Of course Regulus was talking about Vera right when Tom walked in. Just his luck.

"Hey Riddle, can you tell him to shut up? He's been gossiping about Sinclair for the last half hour. If I wanted to hear the ramblings of an insanely jealous teenage girl I would get a girlfriend, not put up with you, Black," Avery drawled.

"Shut up. No one cares about Sinclair's new toy," Tom interjected before proceeding to ignore them and their petty little argument about that irritating girl.

Regulus chuckles, "Avery, you're just angry because Vera's got a 'new toy' and it isn't you."

"I don't want to be Vera's fucking toy anyway. That would be pathetic, listening to her just for a little bit of attention."

"Says the person who fetched books from the library for her last year."

"Says the person who did her potions essays for the last year," Avery mocks.

"Says the person who offered to do them but got turned down," Black responds with a smirk, "And this is coming from the person who actually went on a date with her last year, so how about you consider shutting up Avery?"

Tom rolled his eyes at them as he picked up a book. Stupid boys falling for Sinclair's little trap as usual. It seemed like if she just smiled at someone they would do anything she said. But not him. Never him. Tom was too smart for that. He had known Vera for seven years, and he knew she was an absolute devil.

Avery chuckled, "She hasn't even said a word to you yet, has she?"

Black glared at him, "So what? It isn't as if she..."

"She said hello to me as she got on the train," Avery commented smugly.

"Would you two both just shut up?" Tom commanded.

Black said, "I will when he realizes that Vera doesn't even..."

"For Merlin's sake! If you two are so obsessed with her, go and bother her with your incessant conversation. She's in the prefects compartment."

The two boys glared at each other for a second before Avery stood and headed for the door. Black shot up, trying to get in front of Avery by shoving him. Tom rolled his eyes and began reading again. Seconds later, the compartment door slammed open again. Tom looked up and saw the devil herself.

"Mind if I sit here? Apparently you're 'friends' are looking for me, and I'd prefer not seeing either of them," Vera said, not waiting for an answer before she walked in.

"Well, they'll just come back here when..." Tom fumed as Vera locked the door and shut the curtains with a flick of her wand. She sat down on the bench in front of the window and stared off into the distance as if Tom didn't even exist.

"Haven't you got some boys to go and copy summer work off of?" He sneers.

"I can do my own goddamned homework if I want to," When she saw Tom raise an eyebrow, she smirked and said, "I've already got a few Ravenclaws working on my essays."

He tries to blackmail her, "Sinclair, you know academic dishonesty is frowned upon. Imagine if Dippet heard that you didn't write your own essays."

She smiles bitterly, "Dippet isn't exactly fond of people who launch curses at first-year mudbloods either."

Tom narrows his eyes at her. Did she just threaten him? She just turns away, resting her head on the window sill instead. A few seconds later, he hears the doorknob giggle. She doesn't react, but just to spite her he uses magic to unlock the door. Regulus and Avery burst in, yelling at each other for a few more seconds before they each realize that Vera is sitting there.

Regulus grins, "Hey Vera! How was your summer?"

Avery shoves past him to try to sit next to Vera. Instead, she moves her legs over elegantly, making space for Regulus to sit next to her. She smiles as she says, "It was fine. Quite boring really."

Avery chuckles, "Yeah, Italy and France and America and who knows what other countries. Those all sound quite boring."

She smirks, "I know. You wouldn't believe how many things are closed in all of those places at 2 A.M. Couldn't even get a decent croissant in Paris."

"Well, I imagine Paris doesn't have many witches stopping by for coffee and shopping at 2 A.M," Regulus interjects, thinking he's being clever.

She continues acting as if it's completely normal to go out at 2 A.M., "That's simply ridiculous. It's Paris. I want to live somewhere where I can go out in the middle of the night if I want to and everything will be open."

"They should make such a place, because the amazing Vera Sinclair should get everything she wants." Regulus says with a smirk.

She nods before saying, "Quite right. How was your summer Avery?"

Avery perks up as soon as she says his name, softening his eyes as they pass from Regulus to Vera. He smirks as he begins to answer. Tom stands, glaring at Vera. He had actual business to get down to, and now she was distracting his followers and preventing him from getting anything done. Plus he had to hear that sickly sweet voice of hers and see that fake smile and witness her tricking his two best followers into falling for her little act.

"No need to get up Riddle," She said, smirking at him as she stood, "I have some work to do anyway."

Avery and Black both frown as she walks out. Tom slams the compartment door on her and then turns back to them, starting the discussion about their plans for the new school year.

Vera pays nearly no attention to Tom while she guides the Slytherin first years on their tour of Hogwarts after the Sorting Ceremony and feast. She yells out information about each location to them, starting at the Astronomy Tower, the location of their Astronomy classes. She works her way slowly down the floors, not giving Tom a chance to comment as she goes over everything. Most of the first years look up at Vera in awe, amazed by this older woman who seems to know everything and who makes jokes every few minutes and who acts as if she's queen of the school. A few first years occasionally look back at Tom curiously, wondering who the sulking boy.

When they finally reach the Slytherin common room, Vera leans down so that she's at eye level with the first years.

"Now, don't tell anyone from the rest of the houses this, but you all are very special," She says, sounding as if she's telling a story, "You want to know why?"

She waits for the little first years to nod before she smirks, "It's because you all are in Slytherin. Slytherin is the best house. Only the most pure of blood can be in this house. Even though the Ravenclaws may think they're smart, we're really much smarter than them, because we've got something to go along with our brilliant minds – we've got cunning. And even though the Gryffindors may think they're brave, we're really much more determined. Those Gryffindors just stand for everything they're told is right. But us Slytherins, we've got our own minds, and we make our own choices. Don't believe it if someone tells you this house is bad – they just can't think for themselves. Is that clear?"

All of the little first years nod again.

"We're also the ones with all the ambition. We wish to achieve great things. And we will, because, as evidenced by our being sorted into Slytherin, we are great wizards and witches. We are the house of greatness – great ambition, great determination, and great power." Her smirk grows as she says, "And there's also one other thing about Slytherin that's special this year."

The first years wait in suspense as she stands up fully, a charming smile on her face.

"I, Vera Sinclair, am Head Girl. And Tom Riddle," She gestures to him as she says his name, "is Head Boy. So the next time someone tells you that there's no one good in Slytherin, remind them that the two best students at Hogwarts are in your house. The password for the common room is Viper. Goodnight."

The students walk in to the now visible common room (several bricks moved to show the room when she said the password), still enchanted by her words. She remembers her own feelings when she entered Slytherin, knowing it was what her parents wanted from her but also feeling embarrassed by the fact that every other student she had met on the train had called her new house evil. She hoped she had ended any doubts within the first years about their new home.

Vera glances at Tom. His face is still like stone, that same disapproving look in his eyes that he had when she first walked in to the prefects compartment on the train. She doesn't much care – Tom Riddle is exactly the kind of staunch, academic-focused person that would disapprove of her and her parties, boyfriends, and adventures. She'd won over the other prefects, assuring them that she was not just a pretty party girl, and her behavior had been looked upon as almost something to aspire to for the last three years. Even those who didn't want to participate knew that Hogwarts would not be the same without her. But he'd always been the one who would skip the parties in the common room (most organized by her) and tell her to go to bed if he caught her out with a boy on a night she wasn't schedule to patrol and threaten to report her when she had others do her classwork.

He could at least admit that she was fit for her position as Head Girl. They'd been competing to be at the top of their class since the first day at Hogwarts. They'd both been prefects since fifth year. He'd "saved" the school from the monster last year, but she'd saved a group of curious first years from the forbidden forest, a bunch of rouge Quidditch players from the Whomping Willow, and some drunk fourth years from the Giant Squid. And that was just last year. She deserved to be Head Girl; but that disapproving look in his eyes showed that he thought exactly the opposite.

She doesn't say anything to him as she turns and walks through the common room. Tom Riddle can think whatever he wants to think about her. At least she's actually having some fun.

Tom glares at Vera as she walks away. Her hand stitched robes, made of imported silk and Italian wool, flash behind her, the last thing he sees before the wall of the common room shuts. She was such an insolent brat, flaunting her money in front of him. And she's so very arrogant, thinking she even deserves to be Head Girl. She's spent all of her years at Hogwarts acting on every silly idea she could imagine, not doing actual work or learning anything at all. He, on the other hand, has already made advancements in magic half of these stupid professors can't even imagine – especially Dumbledore.

Vera is so very silly. Thinking it's important to have fun. They weren't in school to have fun, they were in school to learn. He sincerely hoped he would beat her for top of their class. It would just be an embarrassment if he didn't beat someone like her, what with her Quidditch boys and firewhiskey and reckless endangerment. She had so many distractions that it was amazing that she hadn't failed out yet. But he supposed that was due to the fact that she never actually had to do her own work.

When she'd glanced up at him before leaving, he'd recognized that look in her eyes. She always looked at him like that. Like he was inferior, because she was the only one in school who'd figured out he was a half-blood and raised by muggles, and she loved it. She loved making jokes about. She loved suggesting it in front of other people to scare him into thinking she'd tell them. She loved talking about things she knew he would have no clue about because of his filthy childhood in a muggle orphanage, or his sad little upbringing, as she so derogatorily called it.

He stares at the spot she was standing in and thinks, Vera Sinclair is absolutely insufferable.

He walks off to find some Gryffindor first year to torture.

A/N: I have decided to post this because I have a much better grip on the storyline for this story than I do for my other one. Also, I think it will make it easier to avoid writers block if I write multiple things at one time. If you like this chapter, don't worry, a new one is in progress and will be up in about a week. Also, if you really like this chapter, please go to my profile and check out my other Tom Riddle story, which will be updated in 1-3 days. In addition, I will be posting the first chapter of an Oliver Wood/OC story soon.

By the way, the title is an allusion! I'm really curious as to if people can figure out what it's an allusion too, as I had to do some research to get it. There was a few alternate titles in my head, but I decided to try this one first.

Please review if you have any questions/comments/constructive criticism/kind words! Thank you for reading :)