ANOTHER HARRY POTTER THING! This one's the better out of the two.
Disclaimer:
© JK Rowling
Drabble
'My Reflection'
At first, one would not think that Harry Potter and Tom Marvolo Riddle would be the same. But, if you gave it some thought, they actually were. And yet how simple the reasons may sound, they actually are… similar.
Harry Potter and Tom Riddle were orphans. Harry losing his parents was obviously caused by Tom, but that's not the point. The two of them were raised without friends and were alone – Tom was in an orphanage and Harry was at the disgusting Dursleys. They did not feel their parents' love, only fake love (at the orphanage) or no love (from the Dursleys.) Both of them were both two very alone, very neglected, under-loved boys.
Because they were alone, they found solace at Hogwarts – their only home. Because they had no friends or had something that they could actually fit in at, Hogwarts was their home. The two of them wanted to stay at Hogwarts more than anything. This was where they actually felt like they belonged! But, unfortunately, they had to go home at some point.
You can also take their parents into account. For both of them, their mothers were… subjected to torments and taunts, one more than the other. Tom's mother was just utterly abused by her brother and father, so much so that she couldn't even do magic in their presence. She was terrified of them! The other mother, Lily Evans, was made fun of for being a 'freak.' Her sister, being jealous that she had no magical powers what-so-ever, called Lily a 'freak', thus making Lily feel bad. Lucky for her, a young Severus Snape came to her rescue.
However, the only thing that told the two apart was… love. But, there wasn't very much of it in Harry's case. Sure, his mother had put a protective spell on him and his parents loved him, but that was as much love that Harry would get in his life besides his friends and teachers at Hogwarts. At home, his Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin could care less about him. To them, Harry was just a slave. A freakish slave that they could make fun of or throw all of their chores onto. They didn't care about Harry's well-being or protection and probably won't care if Voldemort himself came waltzing up on the doorstep and killed Harry Potter when he answered the door. That's how inconsiderate they were. Of course Dudley softened up a bit in the end, and Aunt Petunia attempted to say something nice to Harry, but Vernon Dursley was the same as ever.
There was also the case of the Pensive. When Harry Potter and the rather famous Albus Dumbledore explored Riddle's past, Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Dumbledore was a little shocked, if not confused, at this. But, if you take into account their almost parallel pasts, it was completely understandable given the circumstances.
You see, Harry knew something that Dumbledore had only been given a taste of – loneliness. Both Harry and Tom knew it so much that it hurt. For a time, before Hogwarts, loneliness was their one and only friend – they had no one else.
So, when the two of them finally had to fight each other, it was almost like fighting their… reflection.