===Beginnings===

Tom was out walking, he did so quiet often once the school year began. He was often surrounded by those he felt were idiots. On this occasion he had been walking after a particularly loud first-year had been home sick. And Tom, being the Slytherin prefect in charge of the younger children the task fell to him.

Many were at first surprised by Tom's steadfast care of the younger students. However, he looked after them with a quiet steadiness many of them needed after first coming to Hogwarts. Tom himself remembered the first time he had entered Hogwarts large doors and waited to be sorted.

Tom was rounding the bend listening to the Squid in the lake blow bubbles to him when he saw the sky appear to open up. He ran towards the disturbance, with the birds and other animals in the Forbidden forest's rim begin to rouse and clamour. He stood in front of the place he thought to have been below the opening. He looked around and heard a low groan, he looked closer and caught sight of a man crumpled in the bushes.

Tom walked closer while drawing out his wand. He didn't know this person and if they weren't supposed to be their, they would be brought to the headmaster. And it wouldn't hurt if he got another award for it. Imagine 'Awarded for the Guarding of Hogwarts Grounds from unwanted Invasion'. The thought brought a smile to the stoic sixteen year old face.

He edged closed to the fallen male and called out fair warning,

"Hello, you are trespassing on private property. If you have not been invited here I will have to escort you off the property." Tom again began closing in when he got no answer.

"This is your last warning, identify yourself and I will not kick you out. What is your problem?" He gained the final few feet and looked down on the other man, and he seemed to be near unconscious. Tom kneeled down, being mindful not to get his uniform dirty, and patted the man on the cheek. When that got no response Tom got up and hesitated.

'Do I bring him into the school up to the infirmary or to the Headmaster's office?' Opting to get the man looked after first Tom held out his wand and muttered,

"Mobilicorpus. There that should do it. Now let's get a closer look at our intruder now shall we?" Tom craned his neck so that he saw more easily over his shoulder. He started a quick scan from his feet up.

The man had on a pair of running shoes, a pair of slightly too small jeans (they fitted his legs like a second skin!) a simple solid coloured t-shirt, a single silver chain necklace, and his face put him to be about twenty-one. But the most interesting feature on the male was his hair. It was too long to be conservative but still was able to stick up in the most mussed way Tom had ever seen.

Both boys traveled across the school's well manicured green lawn, and came closer to the imposing old wooden doors. Tom pushed open the one door with little effort, and strode up the grand staircase. He looked back every once in a while to be sure the unconscious man was still floating silently behind him. Tom climbed several flights of stairs and again came upon a set of doors.

Tom opened these and walked in looking about and spoke,

"Madam Pomfrey? I have an injured person who needs your help." As soon as the word injured had passed his lips Tom saw the infirmary matron bustle out from behind a screen.

"So sorry dear, now let me see the poor thing," Pomfrey clucked like the mother hen she was, "Oh my, now Tom Riddle you tell me where you found this poor dear. He looks like he's been beaten from the inside out! Let me get to him, Deletrius!" Madam Pomfrey's wand spat out a shimmery blue light and hit the floating body.

Tom stepped back from the matron and sat at one of the many uncomfortable chairs in the infirmary. Watching the two young women Pomfrey called for from behind the screen at the back of the room.

"Now you go and get me some Wound Cleaning Potion, and you go get me some Calming Potion. I have no idea how the boy will react to being in a strange place. Now, Mr. Riddle, how did it come about that you found this young man outside with such a battered appearance?"

"Well now, Madam Pomfrey, as you well know I usually go out for a walk after dealing with the first years in my care. I was just going about my business when I found this man on the ground and not moving. I decided to bring him here to be cared for by you, because of you considerable knowledge in healing." Tom said all this with an easy demeanour, phased not in the least by the interrogation. He did however think to himself,

'Why didn't I tell the dumb woman that I had seen a rip in the sky appear, and think it was from a Time Turner? I guess my instincts are telling me not to, and I rarely ignore them. I guess your secret is safe with me, stranger.' Tom glanced towards the bed the other male was lying on and saw that the Wound Cleaning Potion one of the girls, Jessica, had brought and had applied during their brief chat. The Potion had already begun to work and close many of the shallow cuts on his face and arms.

"Ah, this person is actually quiet handsome! I can't believe I didn't notice that sooner… Although that marking on his left cheek looks like he got a lot too close to a killing curse. When he wakes up we have to inform the Headmaster about him and get his information." Madam Pomfrey bustled back out and left Tom alone with the strange man.

'I wonder what colour his eyes are, wait. I can't have just thought that, I only take interest in other people when they can give me something I want. Maybe I could use him.' Tom got up and crossed over to the short bed. He leaned over and brought out his wand.

"Ennervate," Tom quietly spoke and stepped back, which seemed to be a good move when the older man shot up in bed once conscience. Tom quickly looked around to make sure no one was around. The other by this point had begun to ask a few stumbling questions.

"Where, where am I? What are you doing here? Why do I hurt so fucking much! Goddamn it, Scimgeour I swear to God, if you tricked me I will put you in enough pain you'll wish you're dead!" The man finally yelled to this Scrimgeaour person.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your screaming match with your invisible friend but, to answer those questions you have to be quite." Once he had said that Tom waited for the man to comply,

"Good. Now, you are in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's infirmary. I am Tom Marvolo Riddle, sixth year Slytherin prefect. And you hurt so 'fucking much' as you put it, because you fell at least fifteen feet from out of nowhere. Now you will answer a few of my questions, understand?" Tom hissed out the last sentence in a way that his pet Nagini would have been proud of.

Tom waited for the other to nod his head and take a deep calming breath before he began. But before he could, what he had said seemed to sink in to the man in front of him. The other leaped up and crouched on the other side of the single bed. Tom ignored that and began his questioning,

"What are you doing on Hogwarts grounds, you obviously aren't a student. How old are you, and have you been invited here by a member of staff? And what is your name, because I don't want to frisk you for some ID. Since I answered your questions it would only be polite for you to answer mine." Tom waited a few moments and raised a sardonic eyebrow when he got no response.

"I'm… um, my name is Adder, I have been looking at Hogwarts as the school I wish to apprentice in for my DADA mastery. I don't know why you want to know it but, I'm 19 this past. Is that all, because I'm dead tired and want to go back to sleep. Why have you been asking me questions anyways? Shouldn't the Headmaster be the one to greet guests?" Harry spoke with no forethought, he had gone over his cover for months and it was like a second life he had lived by this time.

Harry, now known as Adder, slowly crawled across his bedspread closer and closer towards Tom. He was sinuous and reeking of suppressed power, danger and violence. Tom found he himself had leaned slightly away from the other male.

'Why am I drawn towards him but my instincts are telling me to get the hell away from him? I'm going to go with my instincts on this there are just too many questions.' Tom stood accompanied by the scrap of the chair's legs against the infirmary's flag stone floor.

"Well as I can see you need your rest, let me then take my leave of you. Have a good day." Tom turned on his heel and strode towards the large doors separating the infirmary and the noisy hallway beyond. Tom passed through and the sound enveloped him, drowning out his own thoughts. He walked past a couple second years bullying a first year he was so absorbed in his own thoughts.

-Xxx

Adder ran a hand through his mussed hair, musing on how he would get out of this one. He first looked around to catch hold of his bearings. As he noticed his change of clothes Madam Promfrey came back around from the screen as she had before. She was much younger now; Adder would say nearly fifty years or so. That must have meant that the Ministry had finally gotten something right.

"Hello dear, how are you feeling? Is there anything that was missed when I gave you the Healing Potion? I guess not, now turn your head so I can see that nasty gash." Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue like a hen and dabbed at his temple. She didn't give Adder a moment to jump into the one way conversation; instead she made up for his lack of participation.

"Excuse me, who are you? And where is the Headmaster? I need to talk to him about why I'm here. Can you please get him, or I can go to him." Adder hoped to get on her good side with his politeness. He also needed to get away from the familiar mother figure.

"You are not getting out of here for a while, you need to take a few more potions and I need to check your general health. I'll go and fire-call the Headmaster and Albus. I'm sure that you'll like them." She bustled over to the fireplace and picked up a pinch of floo-powder. It sparkled briefly before it exploded in the flames, turning them green.

Madam Promfrey kneeled down and stuck her head into the flames.

"Albus, be a dear and get the Headmaster and come down to the infirmary. I have a special case that needs your attention. Thank you." She pulled her head back out with a little effort and a sucking sound. She turned back around to Adder and promised he would be greeted in a few moments.

He waited in the bed with the medi-witch hovering around him. She had little else to do because, as he saw earlier, he was the only patient in the room.

"Ah, here they are, Albus! Here is the young man I was speaking of. I'll be in my office if you need ne Headmaster." She left leaving a silence in her wake. Adder sat up straight and looked both older men squarely in the eyes.

"The reason I am here is to kill a student here, and there is nothing you can do about it. I don't expect your help, but it is needed you leave this matter to me. There is no room for negotiation, and it is a matter of upmost ministry secrecy. That is all I have to say on this matter." Adder recited the quick speech he had to of memorized. Staring down Headmaster Dippet and not sparing a glance towards Dumbledore.

"Wh-what? You have no reason! I will not allow this. Albus, what do you think?" Dippet sputtered and ranted. Abus calmly looked back at Adder and simple said,

"I understand, but I think you yourself don't fully grasp the size of the situation. I hope to see where this leads."