A/N: To make it clear from the beginning, I am not picking up this story again. It is remaining abandoned completely, unless someone decides they would like to take inspiration from it and make a similar story of their own.

This is just a slight edit to the first chapter I had already written, fixing it up with my improved writing ability. A longer winded and pointlessly detailed explanation will be given at the bottom of this page, as well as some notes on what I planned to do with the story when I first started it years ago.

Harry stroked the brush across his painting, adding another streak of green to one of the tree tops. Landscapes were always his favourite thing to paint. They had a distinct beauty to them unique to their specific location, yet were still open to his own interpretation.

This particular painting was of the garden a few blocks away, where he had gone on a field trip a few days ago. The scene wasn't particularly spectacular but it was calming.

The door to the small room opened behind him and Harry turned from his half completed piece to see Tom walk into the room. His hands were clasped behind his back, seemingly in an attempt to hide something, not that Harry had to take too many guesses as to exactly what that something was.

"You really should stop that you know. It's a bad habit." The other boy shrugged in response, opening the trunk at the end of his bed and depositing the items he had stolen into it.

"None of it is important, and they do the same to us, so why shouldn't I?" Unwilling to start any kind of argument at the moment Harry simply sighed and turned back to his painting.

"Do you plan on actually completing this one?" Tom sounded curious, though Harry doubted it was little more than a tease.

"Maybe. Mrs. Cole said if I do she'll hang it up in the lobby." Tom snorted but didn't say any more. He doubted that witch of a caretaker would do any such thing but there was no sense in shattering his friend's hopes, naive as they may be.

His friendship with Harry was rather complicated. They had been left at the orphanage only two months apart and had similar appearances. For a long while they had been under the impression they were brothers. In fact they had only accepted the reality of it little over a year previous.

In the end, they had decided, the difference between brotherhood and friendship didn't amount to much. Some less arguments over who was the elder brother, but that was about it.

What truly made their friendship complicated however, is their wild differences. While Tom had a silver tongue that he used to his full advantage and was rather vengeful, Harry favored a more honest, and occasionally downright blunt, approach to things.

He never planned things out or thought about most thing at length. If something came up Harry dealt with it then and there, or at least as soon as he possibly could. Otherwise he just let things go.

Tom didn't. Whether that was because he was incapable of it or just preferred it that way, he just couldn't find it in himself to forgive or forget. Unlike Harry, who had no capacity for true hatred, he was fully capable of delving into the dark.

A knock on the door interrupted Tom's thoughts. Expecting Mrs Cole, the primary caretaker of the orphanage, to walk through the door he fixed it with a glare preemptively.

Unexpectedly, it was a man that walked through the door. The man was old, not elderly but decidedly past middle aged. He appeared kindly enough, though obviously someone deserving of high esteem.

Both boys were immediately on guard. They were rarely bothered in their room. It was for that reason they considered it to be their sanctuary. For an intruder to invade that space so casually was good reason to make them wary.

Harry was the first to speak, asking the most apparent question.

"Who are you?" The man's lips spread into a small smile. It was, perhaps, the most condescending expression Tom had ever been privileged to.

"You may call me Dumbledore. I'm a professor. The two of you must be Harry and Tom." Met with no argument, Dumbledore continued. "Do you know why I'm here?"

Harry tried to think of any reason why a professor would come to see them in particular. It had happened a few times in the past and they happened to be some of his least favorite memories.

"I have no doubt that both of you have noticed how strange things seem to happen to you two frequently, more often than not intentionally. Can you explain that to me?" He didn't seem to expect a response, yet his eyes still gleamed with a curious sort of hope.

A hope that was quickly shattered by Tom. "No, and I don't see the need for a professor to come and ask us about it."

Dumbledore focussed on him. "The reason is quite simple, I am no ordinary professor. You see, I'm a wizard, and you two will be as well soon enough."

The claim was answered with silence, though if the boys' expressions were anything to go by this was due more in part to disbelief than amazement.

"Can you prove it?" Not a moment after asking, Tom's chest burst into flames. Harry, who was actually closer to the chest than Tom, hastily jerked away from it.

Tom, on the other hand, was merely struck with a moment of shock. Once it passed he calmly stood and retrieved the items stored inside.

"Thievery is not tolerated at Hogwarts Tom. There you will be taught not only how to use magic, but how to control it." Dumbledore stood then, pulled two files from under his coat, handed them to the boys, and left.

OoOoO

"Tom?"

"What is it?"

"What do you think it will be like? Hogwarts, I mean." A moment of silence followed the question.

"I don't know, but it can't be worse than here." Harry hummed quietly in agreement.

For once, both boys slept peacefully.

OoOoO

"Ah - thirteen and one half inch, yew wood, with a phoenix feather core. A very powerful wand, I have no doubt you will do great things with it." The kindly young wandmaker pulled out his own wand, waving it over Tom's while whispering.

A plume of blue smoke rose from the wand resting atop the counter, shaping itself into a short line of symbols unfamiliar to the boys.

The symbols were clearly anything but unfamiliar to Ollivander however, who held a momentary expression of surprise before blowing the smoke away.

"Curious, very curious. Your wand has a Merlin Capacity of seventy-three percent. It is one of the highest I have ever seen." Both boys standing on the other side of the counter gave him a questioning look.

"What is a Merlin Capacity?" Ollivander's brow rose as he handed over Tom's wand.

"You haven't heard of it before? Forgive me if I sound a tad incredulous, usually even muggle-born students have this explained to them by their guides before entering this shop." All three spared a glance out the window to the rather impatient man waiting outside who couldn't seem to go more than a few seconds without checking his watch.

"The ministry really should do a better job on this sort of thing. I suppose it's up to me to educate you two then.

In the wizarding world we used what is commonly referred to as the Merlin Scale to measure magical power - 0 being a muggle and 100 being Merlin. A Merlin Capacity is a unit of measurement that refers to the absolute limit a person or object has on the Merlin Scale. In the case of a wand, a Merlin Capacity determines the amount of magical energy that the wand can utilize. To my knowledge, no one has ever reached over eighty-three before." Tom adopted a speculative look while Harry frowned, then voiced his concern.

"Does that mean we'll have the same magical power forever?" Ollivander shook his head and chuckled softly.

"Not at all. Your Merlin Scale rating grows until you turn seventeen, when your magical core becomes fully developed. A large portion of your growth is natural, but part of it does come from how much a witch or wizard pushes themselves. Most your age would currently have a Merlin Scale rating of anywhere from twenty-five to thirty."

"And how do we discover our Merlin Scale rating?"

"Most pureblood families test their children shortly before entering Hogwarts. However, the spell is quite simple. You should be able to cast it very easily if you look it up in the library at Hogwarts."

"Thank you for the lesson, sir." Tom barely remembered to force out the last word, unused to giving such respect to anyone in his speech.

"It was my pleasure. Now, shall we pair you with a wand of your own?" Ollivander gave a pointed look to Harry, who adopted quite a serious expression and gave a curt nod.

Little over an hour later Harry found himself quite happily paired with a wand thirteen inches long, made of elder wood and phoenix feather core. The reaction the wand had with him was unlike anything he had ever experienced. A powerful wind had swept through the shop, throwing many things about and even causing the three people inside to stumble.

Ollivander was grinning like a madman as he waved his wand over it. "Elder wood is very rarely used in wands, and even more rarely chooses a master. Many wand makers refuse to use it due to superstitions of its dangers. In truth it is nothing more than temperamental and picky, somewhat like a child." Harry frowned. The way he said that sounded a bit accusational.

"Of course once mastered, elder wood proves to be more powerful than any other wood. As a student of wandlore I hold firm in the belief that no wand is superior to another, but the results elder wood produces cannot be argued with." Blue smoke once again rose into the air, and Ollivander quirked his eyebrows as he read it.

"A Merlin Capacity of one hundred percent? Curious." Harry shared a glance with Tom, who looked a bit envious.

"How much do the wands cost, and is there anything else you would recommend?" The question caused the man to snap his head up, murmuring something about research as he handed Harry his wand.

"Ten galleons per wand, and I would recommend you both buy wand holsters. As first year students you will not need them but it is best to prepare for the future. If you have any interest in it I would also advise you to purchase a book on the basics of wandlore. Even if you never plan on making a career out of the subject it is useful knowledge to have."

OoOoO

Stepping into the compartment of the train, Tom smirked. Mere minutes ago he made his first connection in the wizarding world. Abraxas Malfoy, so easy to manipulate. Many of the purebloods seemed to be just the same, arrogant yet mentally weak.

He gave a sidelong glance to Harry, who was stowing their trunks away. His friend was someone he could trust implicitly, but was not suited towards...influencing others. Still, he had his talents, just as Tom had his.

Both were rather sure of the Houses they would be going into, Tom into Slytherin and Harry into Ravenclaw. They both had ambitions and sought knowledge of course, but Tom was more cunning and Harry more wise.

Not that Tom would ever admit that out loud. Harry wasn't the type that would hold it against him, but his pride was a sensitive beast. One of the reasons he supposed Harry was the wiser of them.

Regardless, they sat across from each other and waited for the train to start moving in comfortable silence. Tom watched other students on the platform, making plans to build a group of followers.

The idea was ambitious, to be sure, but that is what made him a true Slytherin after all. While others would be content to have some amount of friends and make a career, he wanted more. Up until now he never had a way to control his life, never had any power. He would be a fool to pass up the opportunity magic gave him.

Harry, meanwhile, was reading a book about the magic behind animated paintings and photos. It seemed the charms necessary wouldn't be taught until third year, but he was willing to work ahead. In fact, those level of charms were only a little ways off from his current level. He and Tom had been practising and learning everything about magic they could since their trip to Diagon Alley.

As it turned out, their wands were optional. Using them was definitely much easier, and spells were more powerful, but they limited them. There were very few spells the ministry allowed to be used by underaged wizards outside of school, and most of them they had mastered in a week.

Buying extra books was definitely the right choice. The fund for muggle born students was rather generous, providing more than strictly necessary for basic school supplies. It was the Potter Trust Fund, if he remembered correctly. If he ran into anyone from that family at Hogwarts, he would need to thank them.

Then again, that might give far too friendly an impression than Harry wanted, which was exactly what he wanted to avoid. If there was one thing Harry had learned throughout his years in muggle schools, it was that friendly personalities were always the first targets of bullies.

The train began moving, and the door to their compartment opened.

"Oh, hello. I didn't expect anyone to be in here." Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. While technically polite, such redundant statements tended to aggravate him.

"Clearly." Tom scowled at him, which Harry ignored.

"Don't be so rude, Harry." Tom turned to the girl. "Would you like us to leave?" Harry raised his eyebrow. Despite whatever he might say, Tom wouldn't actually go through the effort of leaving the compartment. In fact he was more likely to bully the girl into leaving.

"Oh no! I'm sorry if I bothered you, but you see...all the other compartments are full. Would you mind if I sat here?" Harry almost spoke up before he caught sight of Tom's glare. So instead he bit his tongue and allowed his friend to do the talking.

"Of course not. I'm Tom by the way, Tom Riddle. And who would you be?" The girl smiled and shook Tom's outstretched hand.

"I'm Luna Lovegood, thank you." Tom nodded and closed the compartment door as she walked inside. Before she could do anything Harry stood and took hold of her trunk, lifting and putting it away.

"Thank you…" Tom smirked at him as he sat down.

"His name is Harry. Please don't take offense if he doesn't say much. He's not very sociable, but a good person nonetheless." Luna smiled politely, apparently at a lack of anything to say.

The rest of the ride passed in relative peace. Harry reading his book, Luna and Tom alternating between conversing and doing reading of their own. At one point though the conversation took an odd turn that managed to gain Harry's interest.

"Nargles?" Luna seemed startled at his sudden interruption.

"Yes. Their existence is only a theory at the moment, but they're thought to be responsible for the disappearance of unimportant objects. Things like the second sock in your drawer or the shoelace on an old boot." An amused smile graced Harry's lips.

Glancing at Tom, his smile morphed into a mischievous grin. "If these nargles are simple thieves then I may have found the proof to their existence - perhaps they are all brown haired boys named Tom." The glare said boy fixed on Harry was frigid enough to freeze the sun.

"The only crime I am guilty of is retaliation-"

"Through theft."

"And if you insist on calling it thievery I may as well call what you did to Jonathan bullying." The smile on Harry's face lessened.

Luna looked between the two boys, unsure of whether or not she should interject. The conversation had quickly turned from teasing to argumentative, and now both the boys appeared to be upset.

"I'm sure you both had your reasons for whatever you did." Reminded of an outsider's presence, Tom collected himself.

"At the orphanage the other children don't like us much, so they steal our things. I steal their things in response, until our items are returned. I'm not sure how much reason he had behind hospitalizing Jonathan though." Luna went wide-eyed and turned her gaze over to Harry.

"What I did was a bit much. I had already given him multiple warnings though, and he should have known not to ruin my painting." Luna edged away from the raven-haired boy slightly, just enough to be noticeable.

Realizing that his friend was too inept to properly defend himself, Tom heaved a small sigh before explaining it himself.

"There's really no cause for so much alarm, Harry's description is rather blunt. Jonathan is a frequent pest that finds amusement in bothering us however he can. One of his favorite games used to be practicing his throwing aim by tossing rocks at Harry. He got quite good at it too, before Harry pushed him from a two story window." Luna let out a gasp.

"Oh calm down. Harry didn't do it intentionally, they were in the middle of a fight and he was just trying to shove him to the ground. Jonathan really was stupid to bother Harry though. He's well known for his lack of restraint in these matters." That seemed to calm her down some, as the relaxing of her muscles was painfully obvious. She needed to learn how to be more subtle.

The train began slowing down, and they all looked out the window to see them approaching their stop. Thankfully they had the foresight to change into their school robes earlier, so there was no need to rush now.

Out on the platform the older students walked off from the first years, who gathered around an elderly man.

"This way first years, into the boats!" He called out to them. His voice was surprisingly loud for his age.

Once everyone was loaded inside the boats they went off towards the castle. As they approached Harry had to admit to himself that the view was impressive, though not enough to warrant a gasp of amazement as it had from his fellow first years. He would have to come out on the lake some time to paint it.

The boats came to a stop by some stone docks in an alcove of the castle, where the elderly man led them up a flight of stairs to a large pair of doors.

"Wait here children, while I see if headmaster Dippet has finished his speech." The man disappeared through the doors, leaving the children to converse among themselves.

Many of the students already knew each other, or at least each other's families. Apparently politics and socialization were important even at their age.

It quickly became apparent what the subtle lines between the different groups were, who was important and who wasn't. Surprisingly, nearly everyone fit into some group.

Harry and Tom shared a look, the latter a frustrated one.

"Riddle, get over here." Tom and Harry looked over to see a well groomed blonde boy calling Tom over to his group.

Without hesitation Tom joined them, leaving Harry bored and alone. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long, as only a few minutes later the elderly man came back through the doors.

"Alright, line up. Single file. When inside be quiet and stand still. This is an important occasion and we can't have you acting like children." There was a chorus of nods. The man gave them all a suspicious look before nodding and leading them inside.

A stool sat in front of the table where all the teachers sat, and an old black hat waited on it.

"Now let the sorting begin." There was some small applause among the students as the elderly man called the first student up to the stool.

Harry largely ignored where everyone else was sorted, only noting that Luna was placed in Ravenclaw. When it came to the Rs, and he was called, Harry made his way to the stool. The hat was placed on top of his head, and immediately he felt a presence inside his mind. It was nothing forceful, feeling more like he had simply discovered another part of his own mind rather than been connected to another one.

"You're expecting Ravenclaw I see. Slytherin may suit you, as might Gryffindor. Perhaps Hufflepuff may provide what you need most, however. Hmmm..." there was a pause, and then -

"Ravenclaw!"

Polite clapping came from the hall. Harry stood and went to sit with his new house-mates. The rest of the sorting wasn't something he paid attention to, except for Tom getting sorted into Slytherin and Luna into Ravenclaw.

The blonde, for reasons beyond him, quickly took a seat by his side despite his scowl. Although he doubted his scowl made a difference since it didn't look all that mean. The feast lasted for about half an hour, longer than Harry was comfortable with.

After the Prefects explained how getting into the common room worked (which was a flawed system in Harry's opinion, anyone even slightly clever could get through, and it would just be ignorant to assume there was nobody clever outside of their house), he immediately went to the dorm room.

Inside were six four poster beds with bronze colored wood and dark blue sheets and curtains. On the top of each of the bed's corners were stone ravens. Faintly glowing blue runes were carved along the beds' trim.

Harry wondered what they did, but placed the query into the back of his mind for later. With some amount of satisfaction he claimed a bed in the corner and placed silencing charms around it. Those specific charms would be taught near the end of second year.

Somewhat childishly Harry jumped onto the bed, landing on his back and sinking into the covers with a sigh. He pulled the curtains closed and pushed his trunk under the bed.

Deciding he was done for the day Harry burrowed himself into the blankets, not bothering to change out of his clothes.

A/N: I suppose I'll get right to it and just say that the reason I made these edits is because I was bored. When I was trying to think of something to do I thought I might as well take a look at some of my old writing. The problem with that is I don't actually have any of it at this point, and my old fanfiction account was the only place I knew I could find some.

It was pleasantly surprising to read the first chapter of this and realize it wasn't absolute rubbish. There were a few things that bothered me though, and so I decided to improve what was already here just for the heck of it and, while I was at it, go ahead and replace the old version.

Now for the notes on what I had planned. To be honest the whole reason I abandoned this story in the first place was because I couldn't think of any conflict for it, or at least no minor conflicts to carry the story until the characters matured and brought about the central conflict themselves.

I did plenty of worldbuilding, which I now realise at this point is actually something I enjoy more than actually writing out a story. But none of that really matters to you.

The story, roughly, was supposed to show the gradual deterioration of Tom and Harry's friendship over the years. Eventually Harry would learn of Tom's darker side and a new, different prophecy would be given that destined the two of them to spell out each other's fall, or together change the wizarding world for the better.

Tom, due to Harry's friendship, would have been less vindictive and hateful than in canon. As I spelled out quite clearly in the first chapter he, as a child that has always felt powerless, just wanted power. A perverse power the shape the world as he pleases, but still just power. As the years went on he would have had a repressed guilt growing within him which ultimately leads him to do more good than he ever did bad.

Harry, due to his experiences growing up in the orphanage and having Tom as a friend, was obviously different from canon. Faced with bullying similar to the abuse of the Dursleys might have made him just as non-confrontational and afraid of being alone as in canon were it not for Tom. Tom's influence was meant to give him some confidence and replace his fear of rejection with anger at the injustices of the world.

Dumbledore was going to be a fairly important influence for both boys. Tom would have found the man grating, further fueling his terrible actions if only to spite the man. Harry would have found the man to be wise and try to change himself to follow in Dumbledore's image, only to find as he matured that Dumbledore himself is not perfect, and end up deciding to just be himself.

As for Luna, she's one of my favorite characters. In this story it was supposed to be shown that she is the real Luna's grandmother and namesake. Oh, and how could I have forgotten (can you tell I'm writing this after having already made the rest of the A/N?), since Harry needed a last name but his parentage was unknown the orphanage decided to give him Tom's last name. It doesn't make much sense and I should have come up with a better reason, but whatever.

And that's everything. Thanks to anyone that read any part of this, and cheers to a new year. I hope the future is kind to you.