Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way. Anything you may not recognize, however, is mine.
This chapter is, as of yet, unedited, so please don't comment with grammar and spelling in mind. Enjoy!
P.S. The author and book which is mentioned towards the end of this chapter, are completely made up and only in the story to promote character expansion.
Love Hurts - Chapter One, The Snake and His Bird
We've all read the story of Harry Potter and how he saved the wizarding world time and time again from Tom Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort. But just as is always the case, there are two sides to every story. Tom Riddle wasn't always evil. Sure, he was never what most would call "normal", but with the life he had, you really can't blame him. But J. K. Rowling told his story all wrong. While he did start off as the oddball orphan, he wasn't nearly evil enough to become the feared villain Rowling portrayed him as without a "shove over the edge" per se. Albus told Harry over and over that the one thing that would defeat Voldemort was his inability to love, but what if he could, and did, love? Some people say that it is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all, but is that really true? This is the true story of how the lonely and broken young boy became the most feared wizard of all time.
September 1st, a normal, fall day to most of the world, was the first step to the young children settling into the Hogwarts Express for the long journey ahead. Among those children were two completely different souls. One would be remembered for all of time, and the other forgotten after a brief, but important nonetheless, life. Tom Marvolo Riddle, not even remotely extraordinary at the young age of eleven, fought hard to contain the excitement swelling within him at the sight of the marvelous train in front of him. While he may have an overwhelming urge to grin and jump for joy, on the outside he merely grimaced at the amount of children around him. Not exactly what you would call a "social butterfly", he trudged towards the train and made his way to the nearest empty cabin he could find. Setting his trunk on the shelf above the seats, he sat on the bench and began to read his History of Magic textbook once more. He wanted to become the best wizard of all time, and the only way to accomplish that would be to know everything. Before he could become too engrossed in his book, however, a commotion was heard in the hallway of the train. Looking up briefly, Tom's eyes met a pair of warm, brown eyes. The young girl to which the eyes belonged looked to be about his age with light brown hair, almost blonde. Tom didn't notice this however, as he was still staring into the deep brown eyes. For someone so young, this girl had eyes of someone who had seen the horrors of the world. In that brief moment in which his eyes connected with the strangers', he knew something had changed. While too young to really understand what had changed, Tom did know that he would find out. But before he could even blink, the brown eyed girl had passed by his cabin with the small group of friends she was with. Turning back to his book, Tom did his best to shake the feeling that those eyes gave him; it wouldn't do to get distracted from his goals, especially by a girl.
The Sorting Ceremony was a grand affair, enough food to fill even the hungriest of children, and the added excitement of new friends and a whole new family. Only two in the group of children were not excited about the upcoming sorting. Both for completely different reasons. Tom couldn't fathom the idea of not having a choice in his placement. He was better than this, he deserved at least the option to veto whatever the sorting hat decided. He was definitely brave, loyal, intelligent, and cunning, but he only wanted to be in Slytherin. If the hat even tried to place him in Hufflepuff, he might have to appeal to the headmaster. The young girl just a few feet in front of the dark haired boy was having similar thoughts. She didn't want to be forced into Gryffindor. All three of her older brothers had been sorted into that unforgiving house, and she refused to become the newest addition to the house of the brave. It wasn't that she dislike the Gryffindor house, just that she disliked her brothers. If she could somehow manage to escape them during the rest of their time in this school, then her life would be so much easier. Maybe I will be placed in Slytherin, or Ravenclaw. Either of those two sounds almost perfect to me.
"Grey, Vivian!" The deputy headmaster called out. The small girl with the deep brown eyes took a large breath in, then walked forward to her doom. Sitting upon the rickety stool, Viv closed her eyes and released her breath. The large hat was placed onto her head, effectively covering her still closed eyes and muffling the whispers of the rest of the student body. Hmm, another Grey, have we? Well, where to put you now. Brave, just like your brothers, but intelligent beyond compare as well. Strange, but there is this feeling, like you need to be placed in… "RAVENCLAW!"
Opening her expressive brown eyes, the young girl couldn't contain her gleeful grin. Chancing a glance at the Gryffindor table, she immediately found the familiar silhouettes of her older brothers. Their icy glares immediately put a damper on her bright mood, but she was safe, for now. Glancing back to her new family, her eyes once again met the pair of dark blue eyes she had seen on the train. His eyes held a knowledge she couldn't fathom, a darkness she knew all too well, and a light she only wished she could see. His eyes were the windows to a dark abyss that wasn't as scary as it could be, and all she wanted to do was to keep looking, but the cheering of the Ravenclaw table soon brought her out of her thoughts and back to the present. Taking a seat next to a blonde haired girl, who she later found out was in her second year, she began the path to her new life.
"Riddle, Tom!" Making his way up to the stool, Tom walked confidently and purposefully. He was going to get what he wanted, no matter what. Sitting himself on the stool, the hat was lowered onto his head. Suppressing a grimace at the disgusting, old hat, he sat still and waited. Ah, I've waited a long time for you. Yes, one of a kind, but there is something good within you too. Where to put you. You are brave, that is for sure, intelligent beyond compare, and loyal to those you trust, but I believe you belong in "SLYTHERIN!" Standing up and striding confidently towards his fellow Slytherin's, Tom placed a large smirk on his face. This was only the start of something big, of that he was sure. Feeling the uncomfortable stare of Professor Dumbledore, Tom only smirked wider, showing the overly cautious professor that he was not afraid. Oh yes, this was definitely the start of the rest of Tom's long life.
(Three months later, December 13th) The First Meeting
The school grounds were covered in a thick layer of cold, biting snow. The Great Lake held a thin layer of ice, perfect for ice skating. But the child making his way to the water's edge wasn't thinking about ice skating, he was thinking about the last book he had read; Life And All It's Secrets, by Gregory Hall. The elderly wizard had written everything he had learned over the years about life. He told his readers of myths that would help you live longer, facts of growing older, and of spells to make it easier on yourself. Even though Tom was only eleven, almost twelve, he wanted to know everything there was about immortality. According to everything he'd learned, it was impossible, but how could it be impossible if nothing was impossible? The young child was quiet as he made his way closer to the lake, sitting in the snow, and staring across the frozen water. He probably would have stayed in this position for most of the afternoon if he hadn't heard a quiet sniffle coming from above him.
Most of the student body had left earlier that day for Winter Break, but sitting in the tree above him was the young girl with the warm brown eyes. Even though he had never spoken with her, or even been near enough to see her clearly, he had always remembered those deep, expressive brown eyes. Clearing his throat slightly, the young girl jolted in surprise. Clearly she hadn't been paying too much attention to her surroundings, but he couldn't blame her, he was usually the same way.
"Hello," Tom said. He figured being polite would be the best route.
"Hi," She replied, her voice breathless and shaky.
"Are you alright?" The girl looked pale and she had obvious tear tracks running down her face. Tom, feeling the slightest bit of curiosity, watched as the girl lowered her eyes to the ground, and let a few more tears fall.
"No, my friend, Clarissa, went home for winter break, and now I don't have anyone to talk to. She was my only friend." The sad tone in the young girls voice almost made Tom sad as well, but after years of practice, he shoved down the unwanted feelings and put on his perfected mask of indifference. The girl, obviously distraught over losing a friend for a few weeks, was not the type of person Tom chose to fraternize with. His so called "friends" were usually big, bad, less intelligent than a bag of rocks. He associated with the kind of people that would drop anything to do whatever he asked, and he liked it. Unfortunately, he could not find it in himself to walk away from this small girl. So, ultimately deciding to become this girl's friend for the rest of winter break, Tom stood up and made his way to the tree. Reaching up with his right hand, he put on a smile and introduced himself.
"My name is Tom Riddle, first year, Slytherin. And you?" The girl gave one last sniffle, her eyes widening slightly, before she grinned and accepted his handshake.
"I'm Vivian Grey, but everyone calls me Viv. I'm a first year, Ravenclaw."
"Well Vivian, it seems as if we are friends, at least for now." Tom and Vivian smiled at each other, one was slightly more forced than the other. For the rest of the winter break, Vivian and Tom were inseparable. Tom eventually came to appreciate Vivian's friendship, and even began to trust her more than he had ever trusted someone before. She grew on him, whether he wanted her to or not, and she changed him, mostly for the better. He was the same with her, though. She felt safe with him. She didn't worry about tomorrow, or what was to come from her family. All she thought about was her next adventure with the mysterious boy she called a friend. When winter break came to an end and Clarissa had returned, Vivian and Tom did their best to see each other at least twice a week. Sometimes they would meet to study, and other times they would go exploring. By the end of their first year at Hogwarts, Viv and Tom had found the Room of Requirement and could almost always be found inside the marvelous room. Though the two children had gotten closer as time went on, both still had secrets, which neither was ready to share.
Please read! This story does not contain a happy ever after, so if that is what you are looking to read, you may not want to read any farther. While Vivian is obviously not part of the original Harry Potter series in any way, I am going to keep this story as close to the original plot as possible. That means that Tom killing his parents, unleashing the Basilisk, and becoming a muggle-born hating, immortality seeking wizard will all still happen. The only difference will be the reasons why those events happen. This is my version of Tom Riddle's story, and should not be copied and/or stolen in any way. Please comment and tell me how you liked it (or hated it). If you have any questions, please PM me.
On a side note, the way I am writing this story isn't going to go day by day of Tom and Viv's lives. It will be of major events in their relationship and the original plot from J. K. Rowling. Occasionally there may be filler chapters, but those will be few and far between.