Poppy's Boys
A Harry Potter Fanfic
Tom Riddle
She had just started as an apprentice in the Hogwart's infirmary when she first met Tom Riddle. Such an odd boy. All seemed to fall to his charm, even Poppy in the beginning, but then she realized exactly how broken this seemingly perfect child was. His first visit had been a few weeks after the school year had started, just for a check up, like all muggleborns have. Madam Beatrice was allowing Poppy to perform this one, as she didn't suspect anything to go wrong, and there had been a small outbreak of the dragon pox and she was busy tending to those children.
When Tom entered the room, he had a slightly nervous look on his face till he realized he must of looked frightened and schooled his features immediately. Poppy had thought nothing odd about it. It had been his first magical medical exam so he wouldn't have known what to expect.
She held out a gown as he approached her. "You can change behind the curtain. Normal robes can disrupt magically scans."
He nodded before biting his lip and asking, "What if you find something wrong with the child? Do you have to tell?"
Poppy blinked. "Well, if I have sufficient evidence of, let's say, abuse, I certainly would have to. Or if you were sick, I'd certainly have to. Why?"
Tom just shrugged his shoulders, his eyes distant, almost as if he were lost in thought. He focused back on Poppy. "What would they do if they found out that a student was being abused?"
Poppy had a feeling of dread in her stomach. "Mr. Riddle, are you being abused?
Tom slightly jumped as he heard the question, before masking his emotions, though Poppy could see the nervousness in his eyes. "No, of course not. I was just.. curious." What had started out as a sharp retort faded into hesitant statement.
"Well, they'd certainly be removed from the home and placed with the closest relative, or, if no relative were available, they'd be placed in an orphanage or with a family that was interested in adopting."
"Oh.." Tom stood lost in thought til Poppy quietly reminded him that he needed to get changed into the gown so they could start the examination. As he was changing, Poppy decided to have a second look in Tom's file. It was then that she finally paid attention to the home address of Tom. Poppy felt the dread slowly grow in her stomach as she read that Tom had been living in an orphanage since he was born. She'd heard horrible things about muggle orphanages, though she couldn't be sure if that was pureblood propaganda or truth. She tried to reassure herself as she remembered that Professor Dumbledore surely wouldn't of allowed the boy to stay in an environment that was dangerous for the youth. None of the staff would.
As Tom exited the dressing area she motioned for him to sit on the table. She started with the basic tests that checked vitals, weight, height, etc. She felt her heart sink as she noted that he was well underweight, as well as having several untreated broken bones, that had probably only healed fairly well because of Tom's magic. Tom must've noticed the look on her face and guessed what she had found.
"Madam Pomfrey, it isn't what you think. The older boys at the orphanage are just a bit rough, and we tend to get into fights."
Poppy tightened her lips. "I'm still going to have to inform Madam Beatrice and your Head of House. It is their decision as to what will happen now."
Poppy's eyes softened as she noticed Tom had dropped his mask and looked like the frightened first year he was. "I'm certain everything will be fine. Now, I'm going to give you some potions to correct some of the breaks in the bones and help you gain some weight. I can assure you they taste absolutely disgusting, but they'll certainly help."
A bemused smile appeared on her face, "Maybe then you'll gain some height!" Tom voiced his protest that he wasn't short and she let out an amused laugh. She only hoped that everything would turn out okay for Tom.
After the Second War
Poppy felt sad as she remembered the young, abused boy. They had determined that Tom was to remain in the orphanage, despite her protests. She had continued to supply him with potions until he turned dark and cold and refused her help. They made him feel weak.
As Poppy set in the hospital wing and overlooked the battlefield, she couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if they had saved Tom from the abuse he faced at the orphanage.
A/N: Some of you may remark that Tom seems completely out of character, but you may want to remember that he's only 11 years old. Even Voldemort wasn't always evil.
There will be 3 (Maybe 4, but I haven't decided yet. Tom, Snape, and Harry are the definite ones, and I'm contemplating Remus or Sirius. The Remus one would be AU, or just stretching JK Rowling's version.)
Love, Elymi.