The next few days settled into a routine. Tom's roommates were now silent and subservient. In Charms, Professor Flitwick's delightful lessons earned Tom a steady stream of Study Points. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, he found Professor Quirrell to be a goldmine. The stammering, garlic-scented professor was terrified of confrontation and would award House Points for any question, no matter how pointed, just to make the questioner sit down.
Tom's life became a delicate balancing act. Mornings were often spent in the library with a competitive Hermione, practicing spells. Afternoons were for long walks around the castle with a smitten Daphne, who loved exploring the castle's secrets with him. He had no other friends; the Slytherins despised his blood status, and the other houses despised Slytherin.
One night, after a late astronomy class, Tom cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and set out to explore the castle. His goal was to map the castle for his "Night Tour" achievements, and he had another, more specific destination in mind.
He made his way to the ground floor, near the Hufflepuff common room. Following a scent of delicious food, he found a portrait of a fruit bowl. Tickling the pear, as per a rumor he'd heard, caused it to giggle and transform into a doorknob.
He entered the Hogwarts kitchens. It was a vast, warm room, identical in size to the Great Hall above it, filled with bustling house-elves. One of them, Hobby, popped up and offered to make him anything he desired.
As he waited for his late-night snack, the door opened again. Two identical red-haired heads poked in.
"Well, well," said one.
"What have we here?" said the other.
It was Fred and George Weasley. They were delighted to find a fellow rule-breaker, and a Slytherin at that. They introduced themselves, and Tom, in turn, introduced himself. The twins were the true kings of the castle's secrets, and over a shared meal of stolen pastries, they traded information. They were fascinated by Tom, the first Muggle-born Slytherin in decades, and Tom was fascinated by their encyclopedic knowledge of the castle's hidden passages.
It was an unlikely alliance, born in the kitchens in the dead of night. Tom now had eyes and ears in Gryffindor, and the twins had a new, interesting accomplice for their future mischief.