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Harry took a deep breath, wringing his hands restlessly. In this lifetime, Harry had no magical education backing him up so finding a job in the Wizarding world will be difficult without the necessary O.W.L's and N.E.W.T.s.
He skimmed through the Daily Prophet, searching through the employment advertisements. Harry skimmed past the job posting of wanted bar tenders in Knockturn alley and Ministy of Magic dragon-feeders, focusing on the black and gold ad on an employment position in the Gringott's Wizarding Bank.
"Are you seeking a challenging career involving travel, adventure, and substantial, danger-related treasure bonuses? Then consider a position with Gringotts Wizarding Bank, who are currently recruiting Curse-Breakers for thrilling opportunities abroad."
Harry recalled Bill Weasley once complaining how greedy the goblins would be when paying Curse-Breakers, especially new employees who they viewed as inexperienced children who leeched from the Gringotts Bank after graduating Hogwarts. The profession was said to be very serious and extremely dangerous, something Harry Potter was very well used to.
"Might as well try applying..." Harry muttered faintly to himself.
His current plan was to adopt Tom Riddle but Harry Potter was stuck in the past with no job, money or possessions except for the blasted Hallows that got him into this mess in the first place.
Harry climbed up a set of white stairs leads up to a set of burnished bronze doors and entered the Gringotts Wizarding Bank. It was an imposing, tall building with high ceilings similar to Hogwarts but without the aura of warmth and welcome.
The goblins sat stiff and proper in their high, polished desks, bluntly ignoring their surroundings; including their very own customers. Harry sighed, knowing that their was no love lost between the two races and the goblins were rarely, if ever polite to Wizards and Witches.
He approached the front desk where an elderly goblin sat with grey, thinning hair and deep-set, cold yet clever eyes. The goblin stared down at Harry from the high desk, observing him past his hooked nose.
"You only come to the front desk if you're seeking employment," the bearded goblin said, his voice cold and indifferent.
Harry, so very used to dealing with unfriendly folk, kindly gazed at him while positively beaming which only made the goblin further narrow his eyes in distrust.
"Ah, yes! Well, I'm happy that I came to the right spot."
"You will call me Mr. Rangrok, wand-bearer." The goblin called Rangrok drawled.
"Of course, Mr. Rangrok." He said politely, his face an mask of sincerity. The old goblin locked gazes with Harry before returning back to his business-like stance.
"Do you have prior experience dealing with dragons?" Rangrok firmly asked.
'I've flown on a dragon's back once after robbing a Gringott's bank', Harry had a sudden urge to say.
"No, Mr. Rangrok. I have come to apply for the position of a Curse-Breaker."
"We are only hiring part-time." The goblin remarked crudely.
Harry nodded and without further a due, provided the goblin with his forgery Hogwarts grade transcripts. As expected from the capability of the elder wand, Mr. Rangrok was easily fooled by the false O.W.L and N.E.W.T results that Harry had enchanted.
For the first time since he's possessed the elder wand, Harry silently thanked the prowess of the most powerful magical wand in the history of Wizard-kind. Without the fabled Hallow, Harry would not have been able to cast such a strong enchantment that easily fooled a high Gringott's official.
"When can you start, Mr. Gaunt?" the goblin said, reading the black inked name on the corner of the transcript.
"As soon as possible," Harry said, Mr. Rangrok gazed down at him, pleased with the new addition's eagerness to work.
"Your wages will be 23 galleons weekly. The more gold you bring into Gringott's, the higher your wage will increase."
He acknowledged the amount, calculating his monthly allowance in his head. Goblins really were stingy and to be able to support a growing child, Harry would have to get another part-time job.
Regardless of the low wage, Harry left Gringott's in high spirits. His next step was to search for a suitable home to raise a seven-year old, preferably a cottage in a well-oriented Wizarding neighbourhood.
Even though Tom blatantly stated he did not want to live with him, Harry was very certain that over time, he would be able to easily persuade the child to become apart of his family.
Harry abruptly felt a cold shudder down his back and he stared listlessly at the grey sky mixed with white and frowned. A storm was coming.
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Tom moaned restlessly from the tapping sun-light against his face, he blinked a few times before shutting his eyes. The memories from the night before hit him like a storm and Riddle quickly sat up, causing a long black coat to slip off his body and onto the cold wooden floor.
He stared at the fallen coat in surprise before frowning. So that man wasn't a dream.
Gingerly, Tom retrieved the expensive clothing and cradled it against his chest. It was warm, comfortable and startlingly soothing.
"Harry..." he murmured the man's name, half-expecting him to come. Tom sat still in his bed for a few minutes before growing grim and dismayed. Of course the man lied to him. No one wanted Tom, not even his mother. He was, after all, just an penniless orphan.
Furiously angry at being deceived, Tom jumped to his feet without any sign of soreness, weakness or discomfort. That suspicious man had fully heal him, not a single scratch nor bruise marked his smooth skin.
But the question was, how? It was impossible to completely heal a person overnight unless...
His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill voice calling his name.
"Tom!" He heard the matron, Mrs. Cole cry out. "Tom, why aren't you downstairs for breakfast?" she snapped, huffing up her chest like a peacock.
He didn't respond, instead choosing to shove past her and head down to the dining room. The matron was long used to Tom's dismissive behaviour so she often let it side, muttering under her breath while trailing behind him.
The dining room was filled with young children, dressed in grey drabs as they sat crowded in small wooden chairs. Tom hurried past all of them and sat stiffly in his usual table, glaring at the young children who quickly scurried away with their trays to find another place to eat. It was a common rule amongst the orphans that no one was allowed to sit with Tom unless they wished to choke on their meal from an invisible hand.
Feeling absolute, Tom sat in his private, empty table and glowered furiously at the three boys who sat further down in the cafeteria. Riddle's dark eyes made eye contact with Dennis and he grinned when he saw those eyes shining with fear.
'Yes...' Riddle thought to himself, 'Be scared of me... I will get my revenge and it will be far from gentle.'
Breakfast was a plain bowl of porridge, tasteless and bland like the orphanage itself but Tom couldn't bring himself to care. He was going to get vengeance on the bullies and it was going to be sweet like sugar. After the meal was done, Tom set his plan in motion and easily wormed his way into the crowd, trailing behind Dennis, his first victim.
The orphans were quickly given chores to do and Tom was able to switch duties with another girl so he and Dennis both shared the same chores. Sneakily, Riddle with his pail filled with water, stalked Dennis Bishop before confronting him near the kitchens.
"Hello Dennis," Tom said cooly, watching as Dennis turned around, taken back by Tom's sudden appearance out of nowhere.
"What d'you want freak?" he spat, cracking his knuckles to appear threatening.
Tom merely grinned, watching the boy in predatory precision. With a hidden force, Riddle concentrated his power and energy at Dennis's knee and didn't cease his unwavering attention until he heard a loud crack and the boy's pained howl.
"What're you doing to me?" he cried, tears brimming in his eyes while cradling his broken leg.
"Revenge..." Tom said easily, casually pouring water onto the marbled floor.
Dennis's loud wails quickly brought a nearby maid's attention, she immediately rushed over to the blubbering boys side and began to soothe him.
"What's wrong, what's wrong?" she asked him repeatedly.
Dennis didn't answer, instead he pointed a single finger at Tom and howled louder.
The young girl glared at Riddle and snapped, "What did you do?"
"Nothing ma'am..." Tom said innocently, an angelic mask placed perfectly on his face. "Dennis slipped on the wet surface while cleaning... I tried to help him but he kept on pushing me away..."
The blonde girl did not respond, continuing to try and calm the hysterical boy down.
"What's going on?" An ear-splitting cry echoed. Mrs. Tanner, a sharp-edged woman with a nefarious glare and tawny hair pulled back in a tight bun stomped over. She didn't need to ask for an explanation, one single glance at Tom and she already come into a conclusion.
"It's you again, you little beast!" She hissed, "You always do this, don't you? You vermin know very well Wool's orphanage cannot afford expensive medical treatments and yet you continue these vile antics of yours."
"I don't know what you mean..." Tom began naively before being interrupted.
"Don't you dare act innocent, boy! I know you've caused this, don't you dare say you played no part."
Riddle bit his bottom lip from snapping back at the woman.
"Ma'am, It wasn't Tom, it was the spilled water..." intervened the blonde maidservant, cradling Dennis closer to her chest.
"Quiet, you foolish girl. When Jack Rawtling broke his fingers, Tom was there. When Kelly Gratchen fell off the stairs, guess who was standing on the top steps? No one but our dear, little Tom Riddle. Billy Stubb's rabbit was found hanging from the rafters, minutes after getting in an argument with Tom. This boy plays the innocent bystander but not today, I will not have it!" Mrs. Tanner roared, grabbing ahold of Tom's thin arm.
The strict woman dragged Tom down the hallway, past hallow, curious faces of children and worried glances from fellow adults, yet none intervened because everyone knew never to interfere with and her vile temper. They reached the backyard exit and with a quick opening shove of the door, Mrs. Tanner harshly pushed Tom into the open cold.
"You will stay here Tom until you repent for your sins. May god grant your corrupt soul mercy!" she spat, crossing herself in prayer before shutting the door closed with a loud thud.
Tom stood there, hatred bubbling from the pit of his stomach and spreading like wildfire. The air was like a frozen lace on his skin, delicate and cold. The sunlight began to fade and the wintry air swirled around Tom, taking every lick of warmth it could. He wrapped his arms tighter around himself, pulling his thin sweater closer to his chest and tucking his chin downward into his pullover.
The cold air made Tom grow bitter as he stumbled in the thick snow, hissing in pain when he fell upon a sharp rock. Hatred climbed up under his skin and pumped fury into his veins.
"One day I will kill them all," he promised bitterly to himself.
He sat still in the snow, shaking and frozen. Salty, warm tears fell from his eyes and Tom wiped them away fiercely. Crying was for weaklings and Tom was never a weakling.
He gathered his magic power and used it to warm his body as the day went on. Hours passed and soon the sun fell from the sky and the world went dark; it was a moonless night.
Even though Tom was resilient, piece by piece, his walls came tumbling down. The bitter frost that prickled painfully against Tom's soft flesh was suddenly all too much to bear and Tom slammed into the door. The sobs punched through, ripping through his muscles, bones, and guts. Riddle pressed his forehead against the grimy door outside the orphanage and screamed.
"Let me in!" He cried, tears freezing on his wind-burnt cheeks. "Let me in, please, please, let me in!"
There was no answer, but the sound of the whistling winter air as if jeering at his misfortune. Images of sparkling emerald eyes and dark tousled hair raced through his mind.
"Harry, Harry, Harry..." He repeated, like a prayer verse.
The snowstorm continued to pick up, swirling around him like a tornado.
"Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry..." Tom called, sobs raking his frail body.
'He's not going to come, you idiot.' A sinister voice spoke inside him. 'No one wants you.'
"No one wants me," Riddle repeated, hallowed and dead.
"Thats not true."
Tom turned and stared dumbstruck at the tall figure that approached and knelt down, arms wide and lovely red lips formed into a smile. The enchanting green eyes met his and Tom thought he looked divine. Riddle made no movement to embrace Harry; who waited patiently until the man couldn't anymore and pulled the orphan into his snug embrace.
Losing all self control, Tom sobbed into his chest unceasingly, hands clutching at his coat. Harry held him in silence, rocking him slowly as Tom's tears soaked his chest. Blinking lashes heavy with tears, Tom stared up at the gentle face before he collapsed again, his howls of misery worsening. The pain must have come in waves, minutes of sobbing broken apart by short pauses for recovering breaths.
Harry unbuttoned his long coat and wrapped Tom around his body, filling his shivering, small frame with heat. With remarkable gentleness, Riddle was lifted from the ground and held securely at his saviour's chest.
"Let's go home," Harry said.
Tom Riddle didn't respond instead burying his face in the crook of Harry's shoulder.
Home sounded like a beautiful place.
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