Tom observed the auburn man before him, confused. A small amount of worry was there, wondering where his sister was and if she were alright. But mostly, he was curious. No one had ever visited him. He wondered, briefly, if the man were here to adopt - he had to admit to a small amount of excitement - before he began to fear that he and his sister would be separated. But he quickly calmed himself, instead convincing himself that the man was some sort of doctor here to take him and his sister to an asylum. He wouldn't put it past the orphanage to do so.

The two exchanged pleasantries, the man - Albus Dumbledore - asking different things about, further cementing the idea that he was about to go to an asylum. But then, the man said that fateful line.

"You're a wizard, Tom." And Tom knew instantly, that all of the weird things about his sister and himself had logical reasoning. He knew that they would be taken to a better world, where they wouldn't be ridiculed for the odd things around them. He knew that they would be safer.

But he let none of this show on his face as he spoke to the man before him. He had always been very good at manipulating others and now was no different. He got the strange man to show him his powers, Tom feeling a cool sense of satisfaction, watching the flames and knowing that soon, he would be able to exact revenge on all of those that had ever dared to hurt him and his sister. He was shook from his thoughts by the man's questions.

"Why are you not more surprised, Tom? Most young children I come to are frightened and disbelieving of their magical abilities." The man continued smiling, though Tom could easily spot the deceit behind his falsely kind eyes.

"I've always been different. I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt if I want to…I can speak to snakes too. They find me, they whisper to me." Albus stared at him for a little while, a slightly horrified face crossing his features before it disappeared to be replaced by a forced smile. The man changed the topic of conversation to school - a castle, really - where Tom would be attending come this coming September. Yet, throughout the conversation, Tom realized the man never once mentioned his sister. Taking it no longer, Tom interrupted the man.

"And what of my sister?" The man blinked in utter confusion.

"You have a sister?" Tom stood angrily, advancing on the older, taller, and much more powerful man.

"Yes, my sister." He sneered. "Hermione Jean Riddle! She may be the nicer of us, but she performs magic, just as I do!" Albus blinked once more before he stood. Tom took a hesitant step back, wondering if, perhaps, he should have been calmer on the subject of his sister. Albus only smiled.

"Why don't you take me to your sister." Tom gave a stiff nod and quickly walked out the door. He paused outside the orphanage before he walked forward, letting his instincts direct him to his sister.

Hermione was buried in her book, absorbing the words. That morning, she learned that her brother was in trouble and, as such, was not allowed to leave the orphanage today. It had happened before and, like usual, Hermione had left early in the morning, before the sun was up, to wait outside the library until it opened. She had learned the hard way that, without the protection of her twin, the other children weren't afraid to hurt the weak, little 'freak'.

As she was, Hermione had completely drained out her surroundings and hadn't noticed the two figures approaching her. She startled violently when a hand landed on her shoulder - a hand that didn't belong to her brother - and she looked up at the auburn haired man with wide eyes. She gave a small whimper as her eyes locked onto the man.

Albus was slightly startled to find the girl so frightened of him. Frozen in his shock, he didn't let go of the girl's shoulder until the young boy behind him ripped the small child away from him. Tom pulled the girl behind him, where his arm rested on her back. Her thin and bruised arms encircled Tom's waist and she peered around her brother's arm at the strange man before them. Albus, still surprised, slowly stood, keeping his eyes on the children at all times. They watched him like hawks.

"Hello, Miss Riddle. My name is-" Her soft voice interrupted him.

"Albus Dumbledore." He blinked in shock and began to wonder if perhaps he had met the girl before. Yet, he didn't recognize the pale face framed with frizzy corkscrew curls, nearly covering the molten amber eyes that were staring at her feet. His eyes narrowed at the girls head - she gave a whimper and retreated behind her brother until the only thing seen were her arms. Albus shifted his gaze to Tom.

"Have I met the two of you before?" It was becoming a quick suspicion of his. The girl had known his name and Tom had been unsurprised at being told that he was a wizard. Tom answered for them.

"No, sir. As you have already told me, many witches and wizards are gifted with strange abilities, which you said explains my - and Hermione's - ability to speak with snakes. My sister has been gifted with the ability to know exactly what others are thinking. I myself have been, as I've already told you, been gifted with extraordinary power and the ability to command creatures. You yourself have already commented on this." Albus nodded, a smile spreading across his features, though the twins were quick to see the lies behind it. Hermione squeezed her brother slightly.

"I see. I apologize for my rudeness." Tom hesitated before giving a slight nod. Albus clapped his hands. "Well! I will see the two of you in a week to take you to Diagon Alley, to gather your supplies of course." Tom nodded once, and turned as the man walked around them, making sure to keep his frightened sister behind him and away from Albus at all times. Albus looked back once, giving the twins an odd look, before turning and exiting quickly out the door. The two stayed in their positions for a moment longer before they relaxed. Quietly, the two walked to a small nook between shelves and squeezed in next to each other so that they were hidden from anyone passing by.

"Tom, do we believe him?" Tom nodded, his arm resting over his sister's narrow shoulders.

"You didn't see any lies, did you?" Hermione shook her head. "That's what I thought." Seeing the doubt in his sister's eyes, he gave a warm smile - a smile he only showed when he and Hermione were alone. "Doesn't mean I trust him, just means I believe we are indeed magical. If nothing else, it is only logical." Hermione looked up with big eyes before smiling and nodding. She yawned and curled into her brothers side, quickly falling asleep. Tom smiled and leaned back, following his sister into sleep. The librarian had closed up long ago - not realizing, of course, that the Riddle's were still there - and Mrs. Cole would never realize that they hadn't come back.

~One Week Time Skip~

Tom and Hermione, both dressed in handed down clothes, walked with their shoulders pressed tightly to each other as they followed the man before them. They discreetly looked around them in wonder, staring at stores with brooms, or shops full of toads and owls, or shops with strange concoctions and odd plants and objects. The two hurried along behind Albus though, careful to not get lost in this strange world.

They soon left the crowded streets to enter into a small shop, somehow completely silent. The tall shelves were covered in thin boxes. Albus turned to smile at them.

"This is Ollivander's Wand Shop. This is, obviously, where you will get your wand. Mr. Ollivander will be here in a moment. In the mean time, I need to step out for a little while to do a few errands. If you finish before I get back, please wait here." The twins nodded and Albus quickly left. The twins had barely relaxed before an old man appeared, smiling with an odd look in his eyes. Hermione moved closer to Tom and he quickly put an arm around her, his head tilted up, looking the old man in the eye with an expressionless face. Ollivander chuckled before he stepped around his desk.

"Hello, no need to be frightened. I'm here to service you of course." He gave a chuckle, as if a joke had been spoken, and gave a mock bow. Hermione and Tom glanced at each other. He gave his hands one clap, making the two nervous children jump slightly. "Now, who should we do first? You?" He pointed to Tom. "Or you?" He pointed to Hermione. "Hmm…no, I'll do the both of you at the same time." He turned and began shuffling between shelves, occasionally pulling out boxes.

"How do we go about choosing our wands?" Tom was surprised to hear Hermione speak unprovoked. While in school she had no problem speaking out, she rarely spoke in company outside of school unless directly spoken to. But Ollivander ignored this small miracle and began babbling.

"I rarely fit two people at once for wands, unless, of course, they are twins. I find it rather difficult to fit twins separately. It is…unexplainable, but that's how it is. Alright, let's start." Tom and Hermione glanced at each other one last time before the old man came forth, arms overflowing with rectangular boxes.

~Two Hour Time Skip~

Albus had returned before leaving again, realizing it would be quite a while before the twins were finished. Hermione and Tom were growing weary of not being able to find a wand that suited them. Ollivander, on the other hand, was quite excited at the challenge the two children provided him.

"I wonder…" He paused and walked swiftly between the shelves. There was a pause before he called out for the two children to follow. With a glance at each other, the Riddle's walked swiftly after the old man. They followed only for a few seconds before they came upon a door which Ollivander swiftly opened and rushed the two inside.

The room was round and incredibly tall, with a single rolling ladder. The shelves, which were many, extended up to the ceiling. Each shelf housed pure white and black boxes. The shelves were neat. The room was in stark contrast to the rest of the shop. Ollivander began mumbling to himself as he climbed a shelf and began quickly scanning the boxes before he pulled two down, one black and one white. Carefully, he walked back over to the twins and set the boxes on the small table in the center of the room. He motioned them forward. Not wanting to upset the man, the two walked as one until they stood on the opposing side of the table. He pulled out the wand from the white box and handed it to Hermione. Next, he pulled out the longer wand from the black box and handed it to Tom.

He stepped back once he let go, allowing the whirlwind of magic that picked up as soon as he let go of Tom's wand. The twins couldn't make a sound as the magic grew thicker and thicker until, suddenly, it stopped. Hermione gasped in breath as her knees gave out, Tom barely having time to catch her as he leaned heavily against the small table. Ollivander continued to keep his distance, although his face was split by a grin.

Slowly, Tom regained his breath and stood back up, still holding tightly onto his little sister. He looked at the old man as his sister also regained her bearings, assessing the man and trying to find out what exactly had just occurred to him and his sister. Sensing the boy's curiosity, Ollivander summoned three chairs and sat, motioning for them to do so as well. Doing as the man said, they sat and awaited his explanation. They didn't have to wait long.

"This room is full of twin wands, all made from same cores and woods from the same tree. It's something I do differently from the other wand makers. The others wouldn't dare make so many twins." He snorted, looking off into the distance. He ignored the confused stares he was receiving from the two children. "Sure, they have no trouble creating brother wands." He mumbled a few choice words then, grumbling about the idiocies of others.

"Sir, may you tell us about our wands?" Hermione's voice was hesitant and Tom once more marveled at her willingness to speak. Ollivander looked back at the twins, as if only just then realizing that they were there.

"Oh, yes, yes. Well, Miss Riddle, 10¾ vine wood with a thin yew covering of dragon heartstring and phoenix feather. And you-" Tom interrupted this time.

"That doesn't sound right. Why is the wand include so many ingredients? Before, the other wands only had one wood and only one center."

"AH! Very good, very good! You're right, of course, these two wands are special in particular. Your wand, Mr. Riddle, is 13½ yew wand with a vine casing of dragon heartstring and phoenix feather. The opposite of your sister." He smiled at the confused look on their faces. "When a wand has two cores, one core - the dominant - is secured by the wood to stay straight. The second core is then wrapped around the dominant core. The double casings reveal more about the witch or wizard it is owned by. I suggest, looking out how…revealing your wands seemed to be of you two, that you get a book on wand making. I have one out front, if you would like." Hermione rapidly nodded her head, her eyes alight with excitement. Tom smiled and grabbed Hermione's hand as they followed Ollivander out of the room and back to the front of the shop.

Albus was out front, waiting for them. Tom's face immediately blanked and he pulled Hermione closer to him and glared at the man. Albus only smiled, paying Ollivander, and ushering the Riddle's out of the door.

"I have your books already, the same with your robes." Tom wondered where the man had found out their measurements but decided to ignore that detail. "I will see you two September 1st, at the castle. I will send someone to gather the two of you." They nodded, grabbing their trunks engraved with their names and dragging them after the man, whom was walking at a brisk pace.

~Three Day Time Skip~

Tom walked back into his room at the orphanage, a plate with food in hand. He closed the door gently behind him and dropped to his knees. A small hand shot out from under the bed and dragged the tray back under with it. Tom smiled and crawled under the bed where his sister lay, books stacked neatly next to her and a candle lit in front of her. She began munching on some bacon while Tom picked out a book for them to read.

His pale hand ghosted over the book on wands and, with a decisive smirk, he pulled the book down. He grabbed a sausage as his sister opened the book. They began to pour over the meaning of their wands.

~Hogwarts~

Albus sat behind his desk in his classroom, musing over his encounters with the Riddle twins. Something was wrong with them, especially the boy. He didn't trust them. His eyes narrowed. That wasn't entirely true. They were almost like…opposites. That's what Ollivander had told him. The boy was dark and the girl was light, that is what he saw in their auras. Something had to be done about them, especially the boy. He had an idea, but it was dangerous. Something could go wrong. But risks must be taken, especially if this letter he received from his future self had any importance.

A/N: Alright, so I hope this chapter was a little more interesting. I'm actually really getting into this story. Anyways, I'm sorry that I don't have a lot of dialogue, I just like this more. Don't worry, next chapter I'll have a ton more inner thoughts next chapter.

Does everyone like the chapter lengths? Are they too long?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters.