Quite the Opposite

Summary: Side-fic to Obliviate. Harry drags the boys and Luna to meet Tom, much to the horror of Snape and Sirius.

Harry waited impatiently at the bottom of the steps leading up the the Entrance Hall. Beside him, Neville watched Harry fidget in amusement, twining his new pet snake - Supposedly given to him to bring out the Slytherin in him - around his fingers.

"I thought Slytherins were supposed to be punctual." Harry grumbled, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Neville chuckled at the raven-haired boys impatience. "They'll be here. We were early."

Harry gave a little huff and sat down on one of the steps, chin in his hands. "But I want to go now."

A group of students passed them, on their way down to Hogsmeade. A few of them waving to Harry and Neville as they walked by.

"Oi Harry!" Seamus called as he and Dean raced down the steps, "Pick up game of Quidditch tomorrow?"

Harry perked up, lifting his head to nod eagerly at the two Gryffindors. "What time?" He called back as the two boys kept going down the road, turning to yell back,

"'Bout four? Make sure Zabini's there, I want him on my team!" Seamus shouted back with a grin, before he and Dean darted off down the road.

Neville shook his head. "It's hard to believe that Gryffindors are actually fighting to have a Slytherin on their Quidditch team."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I don't think so."

"That is because you are annoyingly optimistic." Drawled Draco from behind, causing Harry to leap to his feet and turn.

"You're late!" Harry accused, crossing his arms in annoyance.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I know. We ran into Severus."

Harry grinned, "Oh? Did you invite him?"

Blaise chuckled, "We can't invite a teacher Harry, that's just weird."

"Why not?" Pouted Harry, he turned uncrossing his arms to link his hands behind his head. "I don't think it's weird."

"Yes, but that's you." Theo smirked. "You right Luna?"

"Yes, thank you." Luna replied in her usual detached way.

They set out toward Hogsmeade.

"What time are we meant to meet him?" Blaise asked, grabbing at Neville's wrist to check the time on his watch.

"We've got twenty minutes." Harry replied, smirking when Neville's snake began hissing indignantly at Blaise for disrupting it's resting place.

"How come it likes you better than me?" Blaise grumbled at Neville.

Harry laughed, "Possibly because you bought the her for Neville."

Blaise grumbled a little more, before falling silent. Theo was asking Luna how Chomper was and how she managed to convince Dumbledore to let her bring the little Dragon to Hogwarts. Harry listened in amusement as Theo struggled to keep up with the blonde Ravenclaw until they reached the little village.

"I want to go into Honeyducks." Draco demanded.

Blaise snorted, "He's out of chocolate."

"Shut up, Blaise, you were complaining about needing to restock your Pumpkin Pasties."

"So, you were all-" Harry tuned out Blaise and Draco's bickering as they entered the sweet shop, smiling - everyone was much friendlier now - at the other Hogwarts students they passed.

They left the shop significantly poorer and began the walk over to the Three Broomsticks.

"Harry!" An exuberant voice shouted cheerfully.

Harry blinked, and turned his head to spot the owner of the familiar voice. And there he was. A young boy of about ten was waving to them by the door of the warm pub, face flushed with cold, dark eyes bright with delight as he practically jumped up and down to get their attention.

"Tom!" Harry shouted back, racing ahead of the others to greet the child.

Tom Riddle bounded toward Harry and threw his arms around Harry's middle. "I did it, see! Just like you said I would!"

Harry laughed, "You did. How are you? Where have you been staying?"

"I'm great! Magic is so cool, isn't it? Now that that bad shadow is gone, I can do it all by myself! When I got back to normal I was in this horrible place, it was really scary, but I picked up that wand he used to make me use and I ran outside, but I tripped over and this huge bus turned up! I was so surprised, and he asked me where I wanted to go so I said I wanted to go someplace to sleep and he took me to this place called the Leaky Cauldron!" Tom paused and took a big breath, "So then I owled you, and here we are. Oh, who are you?" Tom's attention was abruptly caught by Luna and the four boys.

Luna stepped forward to greet the small child, Theo hurriedly following her with a confused yet wary look Tom's way. "My name is Luna and I'm ever so happy to meet you."

"Hullo Luna, you have really pretty earrings, are they real? Oh, are they kept alive by magic?"

Harry laughed at the similarity of his and Tom's first questions to Luna as Neville moved to introduce himself and the three Slytherins to Tom.

"Hey, lets go inside! I want some butterbeer, its really nice!" Tom grabbed hold of whoever was nearest him - a bewildered and spluttering Draco - and began to drag them into the pub.

Severus Snape and Sirius Black hurriedly made their way to the Three Broomsticks, bickering all the way.

"I can't believe you let them go!" Sirius was shouting, his voice nearing on hysteria.

Severus glared at the road before him, restraining the urge to hex the man. "Well if you had of told me-!"

"I sent you three owls! I thought you would have had the sense to at least open them!"

"I'll have you know-"

"They could be in danger! Oh Merlin, he's killed them, they'll be dead and its all your fault!"

"Oh shut up Black, if you'll notice there are no alarms ringing or any sound of distress in the village, everyone is fine." Severus sneered, quickening his pace all the same as worry settled like a boulder in his stomach. A particularly heavy boulder.

"That's because he's kidnapped them, he stunned them and bound them and apparated away-"

"All six of them?"

"Yes!" Sirius barked, "Because you let them go! I can't believe this, ohhhh, I've failed again! I'm such a bad Godfather!"

"As much as I agree with that statement, Black, would you shut up. They will be fine."

The two men turned sharply, just in time to see Draco dart out of the Three Broomsticks, a wild grin on his face. Blaise and Neville followed quickly, both laughing uproariously as Theo exited the pub, a bewildered look on his face - reminiscent of the one he wore when realising he had got himself a pink Dark Mark tattoo - as a young boy clung onto his back. Harry and Luna trailed out after him, Harry leaning on Luna, clutching his side as he laughed.

Both Severus and Sirius stopped abruptly, staring at the scene.

"Is..." Sirius stopped, a frown pulling his brows together as they watched, his face an expression of utter confusion.

He tried again, "Whose the kid?"

Severus stared, the cogs in his brain working furiously as he strained to hear what the boys were saying.

"...Brilliant Tom!" Harry was laughing. "You'll get into Hogwarts in no time!"

Severus blinked. It couldn't be. It just couldn't, could it?

"I think..." He swallowed, obsidian eyes darting over to his companion quickly as he gathered his composure and began again. "I told you there was nothing to worry about." He snapped huffily.

Sirius turned his bemused look on Severus. "What do you mean, whose that kid, and what about Riddle?"

"The kid is Riddle you moron!" Severus rolled his eyes, turning on his heel and starting back to Hogwarts.

"Huh? It can't be, Riddle's like, old. Isn't he? Severus? Oi! Don't walk away from me, what are we going to do?" Sirius raced after the other man, complaining incessantly all the while.

"I am going to go back to my potions you so rudely interrupted me from and you are going to disappear back under that rock you live under."

"Well then that would imply that you live under a rock too, since we are roommates." Sirius retorted indignantly, seemingly forgetting about the danger his charges were supposedly in at Severus's calm - snarky, sarcastic, insulting - demeanour.

Severus shuddered and whirled around on the man, "Never, ever, say that in public again!" He hissed angrily.

Sirius smirked. "What? You afraid someone might learn that you're sharing a house with me?"

Severus rolled his eyes, "Oh, go chase a rabbit or something." He turned and began staking off toward Hogwarts again.

"Rabbit? Why would I... Oh that's really funny, just absolutely hilarious. Really, I'm laughing on the inside." Sirius scowled, still stomping after the man.

"Would you just go away? Go make sure the child Riddle isn't tearing apart your precious godson." Severus snapped, truly at his wits end.

Sirius straightened in alarm, "What? What do you mean, where-? You're having me on again aren't you!" Sirius accused after he had cast his eyes back toward the children who were following them at a distance, completely engrossed in what they were talking about.

When Severus didn't answer, Sirius pouted. "Fine then, I will go hang out with the boys, I'll corrupt them to my ways." Then before Severus could protest the blue eyed man had turned into Padfoot and was bounding back up toward the boys and Luna.

Severus just stared as even little Tom Riddle began to devote their attention to the mischievous dog. "This will not end well." He sighed. "Damn."

So here it is, the meeting with little Tom. Ok, so there wasn't much interaction with Tom, but I like it how it is :P

Thanks again for reading!

CJxo