Tom was feeling pretty nervous as he made his way to the Slytherin table. He'd been really quiet and kept to himself on the train, but now that he was Sorted he figured it was as good a time as any to start making new friends. Although the whole thing was more than a bit intimidating; his dad had never bothered to tell him about Hogwarts (or about much of anything else for that matter) and his older brother hadn't been allowed to attend, so he had no idea where anything was or what to expect.

Still, he seemed not to be as nervous as the kid who was sorted before him (Oliver), who was staring silently down at the ancient-looking wooden table. Tom sat down next to him, glanced nervously around at the older and much more intimidating-looking students, and then quietly said, "Hey, I'm Tom."