It's been One month since The Battle is over. Voldemort is dead. Life is slowly getting back its flow. Hogwarts was busy in repairing the damage. Initial phase of mourning for the martyrs was gradually fading. After all life must go on. Professor McGonagall had officially taken charge as Hogwarts new headmistress. Although she didn't seem quite happy about that. The exams had been postponed as the last year had been no proper education there and it needs time modify the new syllabus. Amidst of all reconstruction the he stood alone. For Harry Potter couldn't understand what is there left for him. The dark lord is vanquished, the death eaters are either killed or sent to Azkaban. And harry had immediate offers of joining ministry. But he found strangely vacant. For seventeen years he had fought to survive, but when he finally won he had lost the purpose. He was free to take up any path. He even didn't need his N.E.W.T to join any job. But Harry was not sure if he wants any. Till now whenever he thought for a career he thought about becoming an Auror. But it seems with no dark force haunting anymore the very reason of being Auror had been lost. Harry was really clueless.
It was the summer and for the first time harry is spending summer in Hogwarts. For none will stop him to. He was the savior after all. Weasleys wanted him and to spend summer with them. But he wanted to spend some times in Hogwarts alone. The place that he considered first home for him. Ronand Mione wanted to stay but harry almost forced them to leave. Hermione also had to bring her parents from Australia and reinstall their memories. So they should have gone. So after Hogwarts express left it was only him that left as a student. Professor McGonagall didn't object his decision but she expressed her concern. She knew for what Harry had gone through it was justified to be temporarily disoriented. She also offered Harry to join as new DADA professor and stay at Hogwarts. The only offer that mildly interested Harry. But he was not still sure if that's what he really wants.
The time in Hogwarts was passing slowly as except the ghosts there was hardly anyone to interact. Except Headmistress other teachers have also left for enjoying vacation, a real peaceful one after ages. Hagrid too had left with Grawp to explore their kinds. Trips to libraries were not seeming interesting to Harry anymore. Moreover McGonagall also had left for ministry meeting. So Harry's boredom was killing him. If he wouldn't do something now probably he will not survive till his eighteenth birthday. And then only he remembered the place that turns most useful to his need. Why didn't he thought this before?
As harry enters the Room of Requirement he found no trace of the destruction that Crabbe's fiendfyre caused. The room seemed quite cozy and small now. All harry noticed the vanishing cabinet standing on the corner.
"Hopefully This will answer my questions. As harry opens the cabinet it seems bigger than previous times. Curiosity got better of harry as he settled inside the cabinet. And then his hand touched a bottle. And the golden substance inside is known to him well.
"Felix Fellicis! It will surely show me the right path as it did previously." No sooner Harry drinks from the bottle the cabinet starts vibrating frantically. And as Harry searched for his wand to open the locked cabinet door his head hits on cabinet wall and consciousness leaves them, With a jerk the vanishing cabinet vanishes with the boy.
Tom was returning from King's Cross with a sour mood. What the hell that moron Dumbledore holds against him? Headmaster Dippet was genuinely considering his request of letting him stay on summer. And Tom was sure he won't turn him down this time especially after topping in every subject with record marks and winning house cup for three consecutive years if not that Dumbledore manipulated him and forced Tom to return to his orphanage. Tom swears one day Dumbledore will pay price for forcing him to stay in muggle London amidst the blitz, the destruction, the death. And he is not even allowed to use magic to help himself. Its so easy preaching rules sitting in the safety of wizarding world. And letting the topper boy rot in muggle world. One day Tom will snatch the land away from Dumbledore's feet, one day the wizarding world will be his, Its his promise.
However returning to the orphanage he loathes was not only reason for his bitterness. He is on the verge of starting fourth year in Hogwarts. Still he had found no information about any wizarding family named Riddles. All his research has come to a dead end. Now he is forced to admit that father side of his family are obviously muggles. He cringed to the thought. He always believed his father side had been magical because had his mother been witch she wouldn't succumb to the weakness named death. Does that mean he was a muggle-born? He felt disgusted as the thought crossed his mind. True that no purebloods dare to call him mudblood anymore as they did in his first year. Everyone that did got their lesson. Tom was quite quick about that. Sure after bringing Slytherins the house cup he had garnered their confidence in him. But that was not enough. He needed them to obey him .Yes he was one of most popular student in school . No third year students till date did took almost all subjects (except muggle studies ofcourse) together and topped in each. Professor Slughorn now uses his example to even older students. School prefects too hesitate before approaching him. Only that Dumbledore and some of his pet students of Gryffindore like those Weasley or Longbottoms seem have problem with him. But all these teachers and students who admire him will not help him in his path of ambition as the purebloods would do. And to make them follow him he needs a respectable magical inheritage . And now with no hope from father's side he had to explore his mother side with just help of his middle name – Marvolo.
Tom must have been quite lost in his future plan that he hadn't noticed the human body he just stumbled upon. But if he is not losing his sight then there was no such obstacle moment before. After managing not to fall on face he looked the reason of his misbalance. The body is of a child and surely alive. Tom wouldn't have given a damn in other times. Ever since The London Blitz had started he had known of ruins and bodies. For his good fortune he for most of the time was in Hogwarts's safety but the few unfortunate days he was in orphanage he was forced to parade at night with the sound of siren. He had seen the houses destroyed, lives lost, children orphaned. The distress of muggles didn't bother him (for the whole muggle civilization can be damned he won't bait an eye) as much as his own state of helplessness and vulnerability. But something about this child forced him to kneel down and observe.
Tom gently turns the body to face him. The boy will not more than ten anyway. His skinny bruised body telling he is underfed for a long while. So pale was his skin that it seems the boy hadn't seen sunlight for ages. The cloths he was wearing was almost twice his size and ofcourse secondhand. The shorts he is wearing serving purpose of a trouser. His head is full of messy raven hairs whose bangs are hiding half of forehead. This type of hairstyle was known to Tom. Tom traced the bangs to check any sign of head injury there. His fingers touched an unusual scar. Frowning Tom examined the lightening bold shaped scar. It looks like mark of a curse
"Wait, this boy is a wizard." – That explains why he suddenly appeared from nowhere in middle of street and he was the first to notice. That also explains why Tom didn't ignore him and proceeded on his way. The magical vibe comes from the child forced him to stop. He pressed his thumb on the scar. A mild sensation spread through his body as green eyes wide opened. Tom's breath hitched on his chest on sight of those emeralds that reminds of his slytherin robes. But the boy's gaze remained unfocused. His hand weakly searched for something and Tom noticed the broken spectacle beside him. So the child wears glasses. Too bad such green eyes hold weak eyesight, thought Tom. But the child closed his eyes again. He might be too weak to be awake properly. Surely some terrible accident had happened with him. Tom scoops the light body and walks towards orphanage. Surely he was not going to leave such an interesting boy without further study.