A Chance in Time
Disclaimer in first chapter.
AN: the Elder Wand is not destroyed. Harry has possession of that. I've decided that the last Horcrux in Harry has not been destroyed – it will explain a few things about Harry's behaviour later on in the chapters. Plus, please take into account that Harry left a few months after the Final Battle. The story is becoming more AU and there are several spoilers for the last three books so watch out.
Chapter 2: New Beginnings
It was forty-seven minutes past midnight when Harry finally put Tom down onto the neighbouring seat beside him, in the Kitchens, and stood up.
A list of things scampered into his mind reminding him of the ruined plan that he had set before coming to the orphanage.
I have a new plan now, thought Harry, a plan that first involves getting Tom out of here as unobtrusively as possible.
And how the hell was he going to do that? He couldn't just waltz into Ms Cole's – the orphanage owner – and demand that Tom is under his care now, could he? There had to be something that he could do so that no one would miss the eight year-old boy should he go missing.
When he goes missing, Harry thought with determination. Oh, yes, Harry was very settled on to do this now. Especially now that he discovered that he was too much of a Gryffindor to kill a child. Too noble. Too righteous. Sometimes he wished he was a Slytherin...
But you are, aren't you? Reminded a voice in his head, who for some reason sounded a lot like Snape.
Harry urged the voice down. Heart beating a little too fast for his taste: he had been having panic attacks for the past few months now ever since the battle ended and even worse when arrived in 1934; ever since he found himself thinking about the consequences of his travel to the past, of the unusual and dark powers that he had inherited from Voldermort, of his friends left behind, both dead and alive, of the possibility of never returning –
For a second he struggled to slow down his breathing, sweat forming on his forehead and the palms of his hands, and knowing that Tom was still staring at him from his seat panicked him further. He flushed with embarrassment. Luckily for him, Tom didn't say a word. Harry could only imagine what he looked like too him: rain-sodden, wild hair tamed somewhat as it plastered onto his forehead, trembling, breathing like he was on the verge of hyperventilating...
And for Merlin's sake, standing over a child while they slept? Any normal child would have been scared. They would have screamed and raved. Not Tom, though, he just looked at him with expectation and a quiet eagerness.
But Tom's not a normal child, is he?
Squaring his shoulders, Harry took deep breaths and turned to Tom, eyes careful and unintimidating. He had to get in control of this.
"Tom," he began, "I-I have to...speak to Ms Cole. Where is she?"
Tom looked up at him in confusion and Harry could only assume that he sounded really stupid.
"Yes, I know it's the middle of the night, well...it's morning now, but," Harry looked at Tom imploringly, "but don't you want to leave now?" he added.
He knew that he got through to him when Tom's eyes widened excitedly.
"Yes," he whispered, dark eyes piercing. "I want to leave now, Sebastian."
Tom squinted up at Sebastian in the darkness of the Kitchens and tried to focus through the pounding in his skull.
"Won't she get angry?" Tom asked slowly. "If you wake her up now, won't she be angry? You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to have meetings and do paperwork and...lots of things."
Sebastian didn't even blink.
"Leave that to me," he said and Tom found himself trusting him. Believing him.
"She's up stairs, her room is to the left near the attic door...Sebastian?"
"Yes, Tom?"
"How do I know?"
Sebastian stopped craning his neck trying to look past the door. "Know what?"
Tom sighed as if the question was simple enough. "How do I know that you are who you say you are? How do I know? Are you really my brother?"
Sebastian ran his hand through his thick, messy hair and sighed roughly. He moved towards him, one step then two and then kneeled in front of Tom's huddled form.
Those brilliant green eyes stared back at him and for a while Sebastian didn't say anything. Tom listened to the clock hanging next to the door and likened its pace to the thud of Sebastian's heart when had laid his head on his chest earlier on.
"I will tell you something that may explain a few things about you – things that made no sense at first, things that probably got you into trouble," Sebastian said slowly – and carefully.
Tom pulled his blanket tighter around himself. "Something about me?" Something that has made me alone and miserable yet powerful and in control. He knew what Sebastian was going to say, he was talking about –
"Magic, Tom," Sebastian's eyes grew more intense. "It exists. And you have it. You see, Tom, you are a Wizard."
Tom gulped and leaned forward excitedly. He never usually showed how he felt to people. He was always a freak. No one cared about the freak so no one ever asked about the freaks feelings.
"I'm a Wizard too, Tom, just like you," Sebastian smiled fondly cutting him off his thoughts, Sebastian was starring off into space now, "magic is amazing, Tom, we have our own World, our own Schools and Government. Everything, Tom, we have it."
Tom gulped again. "And I belong in this World, too?" He sincerely hoped that he hadn't sounded so, wistful like a girl.
"Yes," Sebastian, leaned forward, and placed both hands on his arms just below his shoulders. "Yes, we belong in this World. But you asked if we are truly brothers?"
Tom nodded expectantly.
"Then I will tell you. It's a long story, but...you and I are from a line of Wizards that many fear. We have an ability, something that marks us different from other wizards..."
Tom moved to the edge of his seat, as much as the hands would let him. "What is it?"
Here Sebastian stopped. "We can speak to snakes. It's...a language. And no one else can speak it."
Tom shook his head. There were many incidents when he was found hissing at snakes in the garden...but, was that a language? A language not even other freaks like him can speak?
"Tell me more," Tom begged. "Do the other freaks fear us?"
Sebastian stopped dead still. "Freaks?"
"Yeah; like us. You and I and every other person that can do magic. Freaks. Abnormal –"
"Tom." Sebastian said angrily. "Where did you hear this? Who said this to you?" His grip on Tom's shoulder became tighter and Tom squirmed.
"You're hurting me."
Sebastian froze and quickly let go off him like he was on fire and stumbled a few steps away from him.
Tom and Sebastian stared at each other; one had a look of wonder and the other a look of utter sadness.
"I'm –I'm sorry. Tom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean –" Sebastian buried his face in his hands and rubbed it tiredly.
"Why are you so sad?" Tom asked.
Sebastian snorted derisively "I'm not sad. Just tired."
Tom watched the panic in Sebastian's eyes slowly fade and really looked at him while the elder started to pace the kitchen floor. There wasn't much room there but Sebastian didn't seem to mind.
He was short. That was the first thing that ran in Tom's mind. How old was he? Sixteen or seventeen, maybe? Or maybe he was like Tom: looking a few years younger than he actually is. Food malnutrition would do that to you, he thought bitterly.
Did Sebastian grow up in an orphanage, too? He had to remember to ask that to him later. How similar were they?
Tom rubbed his eyes and took in his appearance some more. Black hair, as dark as his own, pale skin, as pale as his own. But where Tom was thin and bony, Sebastian was broad-shouldered and more filled out. Tom titled his head sideways, maybe that's what he would look like when he was older. Like his brother.
Suddenly, Sebastian turned towards him and Tom jumped slightly.
"Stay here, Tom," he said.
Pacing slowly, Harry thought carefully about the situation at hand. He couldn't kidnap Tom; there would be people all over it. He wanted it to be as quiet and normal as possible.
But –
He turned to Tom, berating himself mentally when he realised how sudden his movements were when Tom jumped in his seat.
"Stay here, Tom," Harry closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "I know you're not feeling well right now, Tom, but please, just hang in there for me, alright?"
When Tom nodded, Harry turned around and strode down the corridor to where he knew the offices where.
He had some forging to do.
He had decided – Tom Riddle wasn't going to exist much longer in the Muggle world. Oh sure, he was born there with a birth certificate, but after that, as of last night, Tom Riddle was taken in by his brother, Sebastian White.
An inconspicuous name for a time-meddler, Harry thought ruefully, remembering the name he had been using for the past month in the new time-plane, yes, vague enough.
How would his friends feel if they saw him now: with a fake name, pretending to be a descent of Salazar Slytherin himself just so that he can impersonate Tom Riddle's non-existent brother? Just so that he can change the future? He could imagine Ron's blank face, the face he had developed ever since his brother died; and Hermione's tears of frustration and sadness.
He hoped to Merlin he wasn't making a mistake.
He shook his head to dislodge any unpleasant thoughts that could possibly make him change his mind again. No, it's settled, Harry thought, I'm going through with this.
With that he went to begin the second part of the plan.
The office wasn't hard to find. Located near the entrance of the house, it gave the matrons clear view of the garden and anyone coming through the front door: an excellent vantage for spying on the children. The door was locked but he had magic for that.
He held the new and unusual wand in his hand. It was second hand, but that wasn't going to deter him. The Elder Wand was in his bags at the rented house in Hogsmead, along with his other belongings, whilst his precious wand that he had ever since his first year of Hogwarts was destroyed in the few days before the Final Battle.
There was no way he was going to use the Elder Wand; he had felt dirty the moment he touched it. It sent shivers of disgust through his body when he realised how many Wizards and Witches died trying to posses it. Nevertheless, he still wondered why he took the wand with him in the first place. Regardless: he had no choice but to steal a wand from a passing witch. It was longer and thinner than his old one was and didn't work as wonderfully, but it still did the job.
After a confident and quiet Alohomora, Harry strode into the office and located shelves of books and manuals, and to his right a whole cabinet dedicated to the children living at the orphanage both past and present.
Using a Lumos, Harry set out to find Tom's folder and his eyes widened comically when he did: the sheer size of his records...
Probably worse than mine at Hogwarts, Harry though, smiling thinly. He flicked through the papers and found multiple things that Tom was accused on: childish things and...things that couldn't be explained. Well, Harry thought, I was prepared for that, Dumbledore told him enough things about Tom's behaviour at the orphanage that really there was no way he should be surprised.
His mind went back to what Tom said earlier. He had called himself a "freak". The same way Harry did when he had lived with the Dursley's as a child; when he knew nothing about Witchcraft and the word "magic" was banned from the house with severe consequences. And how did he react? By shouting a fevered young boy...
Unclenching his jaw, Harry began rifling through the cabinets and folder after folder until he found a stack of forms one would use for the start of an adoption. Close enough, he thought. He was not going to be his father but Harry was going to be the closest thing to a relative Tom would ever have.
Sitting down at the table, Harry filled in the forms as best as possible, pretending to have signed it months ago and hesitated slightly when he had to make up a date of birth and a different fake address. He made out to be the same age as before, only seventeen, before he crossed it out and wrote twenty-four. He didn't want the authorities to think he was unable to raise an eight year-old child. Even though you can't, Snape's cynical voice told him and Harry nodded in agreement.
"What else am I supposed to do, Snape? I have no choice," Harry whispered to himself. He signed a few more papers and using past papers that Ms Cole has signed through, forged her signature, too and a bunch of other authorities involved.
That done, Harry left the papers on the desk in a big brown envelope and made his way to where Tom told him Ms Cole slept.
Wand in grasp, Harry climbed up the stairs and tried to remember the correct wand movement for Obliviate.
Tom sat patiently downstairs in the Kitchens. Soon he will be saying goodbye to the orphanage. He looked around and made a list of all the things he would not miss: the poor clothes, the disgusting food, the tiny little bedroom, that bully Billy Samuels and his sidekick Frankie McKinnin...but more importantly; he would not miss being alone, being afraid, hating everyday more and more, hating people every day of his life, the stupid way people either pity him or hate him.
Not that they pitied him for long after he got revenge...Oh, yes, he definitely got his own back on several children. Tom sighed, well that was one thing he was going to miss, scaring the other children to the point of nightmare.
Nevertheless, he knew he'd like it where he and Sebastian were going – it didn't matter where, as long as it wasn't here. As long as he had a home.
But...was he going to be safe with Sebastian? He had heard him whispering to himself earlier. He had heard. Sebastian said he wasn't going to kill him, right? Did he want to kill Tom and then changed his mind? If that was the story then he was safe, right?
But what if he changed his mind back?
Tom's thoughts stopped suddenly when he heard light footsteps coming down the stairs and in came Sebastian with a small, grey, battered backpack in his hand.
He stepped towards Tom and gestured towards the bag. Tom didn't even blush when he realised that all his belongings fit into one measly little thing.
"It has all your belongings in them. Have I missed anything out? Is there anything else you would like to bring with you?"
Thoughts ran through Tom's mind. He could back out now if he wanted to. He can scream for help and...
And be trapped here forever.
"No," Tom said, without looking into his bag. "That's everything." He extended his hand towards Sebastian's. "I'm ready now, Sebastian. I'm ready to leave."
Slowly, Sebastian reached out and took his hand.
AN: Don't worry, Harry will remain seventeen in the story, he just wanted to make sure his/ Tom's records wouldn't be chased up when they realised how young he was. Let me know if it gets confusing with whole name switching from Sebastian to Harry and back again. I want to set it so that Harry considers Sebastian as a character he has to play, because there's there no way in hell he would sympathise with Tom otherwise. It's not healthy, but Harry's changed as you'll see in the next chapters.
