Chapter 1: The King
Harry Potter was by no means inflexible. Sweep the floor? Sure, he could do that. No food for a day? No problem. Don't make a sound whenever there are guests? Any day. But this, this was a complete new level in his whole five summers worth of life. Moving staircases? Talking portraits? Dancing brooms? If he didn't know any better, he'd say it was due to m-ma- the M word. Okay, let's go with that. Young Harry looked at the back of the tall dark haired youth in front of him and what he could feel, even at his young age, was the choking display of power. The older boy told him to stay by the shadows until his presence was required. So he waited. And watched.
Tom Marvolo Riddle stood at the middle of the Slytherin common room and felt like a king. The sons and daughters of the Serpent, both younger and older than him, gave him undivided attention. For they know who the real one with power contained. He reveled in their fear and loyalty before deigning them with his voice.
"Rabastan" one word. A blond blue eyed youth stepped forward and knelt before him.
"My lord." Tom smirked. He do so loved this part. He whispered a spell and fired it at the boy. The boy known as Rabastan went down on the ground and started convulsing. He kept clawing at his arms, body, and his legs until they bled. All the others watched. After a minute or so, Tom waved his hand to release the curse, and the body of the boy slumped like a rag doll. He gestured to two fourth years, and they picked the boy up. "Make sure he stays in his room and give an appropriate excuse to the teachers on why he'll be absent. Black, Dolohov, Avery, Yaxley, stay. The rest, leave."
Numerous bodies fled the scene until only four people remained. The four people left knelt on one knee, with their heads bowed. "You know, Rabastan isn't the only who displeased me today. Fortunately for you four, I am feeling generous. Call it a whim on my part, but if you ever-" here his eyes flashed a crimson red "fail me again, the next victim of the Basilisk will be four slytherins" and although the last part was said in parseltongue, the message was fearfully understood.
"Now that that is in order, I would like to introduce you to my pet. Come, Harry Potter" he beckoned with a wave of his hand.
Harry felt intimidated. Here he was, in a strange new place, with weird unfamiliar faces staring back at him as if he was some kind of specimen they wanted to take apart piece by piece. He remembered Aunt Petunia talking to Uncle Vernon before that 'those freaks would come for him sooner or later' while he was busy nicking some food from the fridge. Maybe these were the so-called freaks? They looked different enough.
Tom Riddle meanwhile looked at the boy in contemplation as numerous thoughts fired away, connected, disassembled, and rearranged themselves accordingly in his head. Although the initial plan to brew the potion was a failure, he got himself a new puzzle to solve with the arrival of the boy. The boy himself was not a problem, per se, but his magic was. He could still feel it, even before the split second that he saw him, that the boy was connected to his magical core. It was as if the boy's magic was slithering itself towards his own in what he could only describe as being alive. No other magic, be it wizard, artifact, or creature, gave him this feeling, this gentle thrum between his fingers. Even performing some exceptionally dark arts could only do so much after the initial high. He needed to find out more.
Finding that his companions were looking at the child and waiting for him to continue, Tom nodded in approval. They're learning. "Harry, it seems, is the result of a certain someone's negligence. He will live here in the Slytherin dorms as Black's estranged young cousin." He paused to let the words sink in. "Their appearance is certainly similar enough."
Betelgeuse Black looked at his 'cousin' in contemplation before voicing out a thought. "What shall we do about Headmaster Dippet, my lord?" Surely they are not to hide the brat in the common rooms for the duration of his stay? Knowing Tom's penchant for sinking his claws on his figurative puzzles, he won't be done until he's seriously fucked up the brat's head.
"Write a letter to your family. Forge if you must. But bring me papers on Harry Moreau's documentation. State that he is a recent orphan, a distant cousin of the Blacks, whose parents died in Grindelwald's war in the West. Say that as the patriarch of the House, it is your father's duty to take in your cousin as a ward to the House. Due to the fact that your father and mother are busy traveling, they had no time for poor Harry and so entrusted him to you, the scion and heir of the House of Black. After which, I will escort you to Headmaster Dippet's office to deliver the news."
"Moreau, my lord?" the question came from Yaxley.
"Moreau is a common enough House in the West that it fits our purposes, but obscure enough that it will take some time to find out about our guest's true lineage." Then the dark haired youth addressed the others "As for you three, spread the word that not even a single hair from our guest is to be touched or there will be consequences."
The next day, Harry found himself at a huge dining hall for breakfast between the young dark haired youth and his so-called cousin. He looked at the smiling grand pa at the big table in front whom he met yesterday and gave him a toothy grin. He was then startled by the porridge set before him by his cousin… Bettyluss? Veggy goose? His eyes then went wide at what was to him a huge porridge, with nuts and dried fruit no less! "Is this for me, cousin Beetlejuice?" his voice was set in awe and wonder.
Said boy promptly choked on the sandwich he was eating while the people nearest to them sniggered to themselves. Harry saw the dark haired youth hiding a grin.
The Black heir gave him a haughty stare before replying in a standoffish manner "It's cousin Betelgeuse, Harry. And yes, it is yours" Harry was silent. Misunderstanding his silence as dislike, he asked "Is it not to your liking?"
Young Harry then waved his hand frantically and rushed to explain "NO! I mean, are you sure you want to waste all this for a freak like me?"
His friends stopped eating in shock for what the boy said. Black himself was stupefied at the child's words. It was a good thing that no other heard what the little boy said except for a select few lest the authenticity of his heritage as Black's cousin be questioned.
The dark haired youth, as Harry has taken to calling him in his head (for no one has ever told him his name, much less the boy himself), inquired in a low voice, "Were you starved, harry?"
"Oh no, sir. It's just that my aunt and uncle didn't believe in giving a lot of food to a waste of space like me is productive."
The silence after that was deafening.
After breakfast, the Slytherins had Herbology first thing in the morning along with the Hufflepuffs. The Hufflepuff girls were crowding around Harry, cooing and giggling, while Black himself was putting on the charm as the boy's 'saviour,' which Avery noted with disdain and envy.
"So your family saved him from Grindelwald? Tell us more" Heliope Clearwater gushed. The other girls listened in.
Motivated by his captive audience, Black then spurned lies as far high as Hogwarts itself before being interrupted by Professor Becken's arrival.
"Ah, Mr Black. I have just been informed by Headmaster Dippet about your young charge" Harry looked upon the teacher when he felt his eyes on him. "Although I applaud you for taking on such a serious responsibility at such a young age, I must remind you that the greenery is no place for children. However I have taken into consideration your duties to young Harry; therefore I must ask you to carefully govern him since the greenery, or any part of Hogwarts for that matter, is dangerous to a young wizard who has no control over his magic yet. I trust you can relieve me of my concerns here?"
"Uh, yes Professor!"
Riddle then smoothly interjected, "Professor Becken, you have absolutely no worries to think about. My friends and I are willing to help Betelgeuse keep track of Harry. We are deeply saddened by what happened to Harry and have made it our mission to help him integrate in his new environment, and will do our utmost to protect him, be it from others or himself."
The Professor looked pleased when he heard that Riddle was also watching out for the child. "Wonderful! Now we can begin our lesson for today, which is the Bumbling Sprigleaf. Mr. Black, can you please conjure up a chair for Mr. Harry here." He then continued his lecture on the magical properties, harvesting methods, dangers and uses of the said plant.
Meanwhile, Harry himself was bored. They, namely: Black, Avery, and Yaxley were seated at the back drowsing off, while Dolohov and the dark haired person he now knew was named Riddle, was seated at the front listening (or pretending to listen, as was the case with Tom Riddle) to the lecture. Harry himself was seated at the back, at the farthest corner in his conjured up seat. He saw that the greenery was almost stuffed with weird plants of different shapes and sizes. He was considering what his favourite one of out the bunch was (he was deliberating on whether the star shaped big red shiny shrub was prettier than the glistening thin blue speckled plant or if he wanted to find another one to compare to) when he heard a pitiful cry at the back.
Forgetting his promise to his 'cousin' to stay put, he ran off to find the voice in need of saving. A few minutes later, after going a bit deeper in the greenery, he finally reached where the voice came from. When he found the source of the cry, young Harry was astonished to find a small snake trapped in the mouth of a purple claw shaped plant.
"Help me…"
Harry went nearer to the snake and asked it "How can I help?"
The snake was startled at first, then inquired "Child, you can understand me?"
"Yes", he promptly responded. On closer look, he noticed that the snake was a beautiful silver scaled creature with a coating as shiny as a new coin; and with the prettiest bright yellow eyes he's seen "How can I help you?" He asked again.
The snake deliberated on whether or not the youngling was serious for a moment before he decided. "You see that yellow bud between the head and the stem of the plant? You tickle it so it will release me"
Harry tickled the plant, and true to the snake's word, the plant released the snake which slithered away upon being freed. The young child continued to watch at the retreating back of the snake until it disappeared. He then remembered his promise and hurriedly went back lest he was missed. He didn't want the nice people to be angry at him. They were nicer than the Dursley's ever were to him.
Harry had just taken his seat when the Professor ended his lecture. "Now class, now that we have discussed about the properties of the Bumbling Sprigleaf, I expect you all to proficiently handle the plants tomorrow. On further note, I expect a thirteen foot essay to be submitted a week from now on the different plants that have similar properties to the Bumbling Sprigleaf; describe it, give its uses, as well as the proper care and handling of these plants." A collected groan was heard from the class. It was at this point where Black and Avery were woken up by a barely awake Yaxley.
The three, together with Harry went out to the next class. Unbeknownst to the young boy, a pair of yellow eyes followed him as he went back.
By the end of the day, Harry was tired but happy. He had discovered magic. He saw brooms that fly, sticks that people use to change objects into different shapes, and during supper, he even saw candles float! After supper, he was told by Beet—Black that before he slept, Riddle would like to ask him some questions.
Black, together with three others including Harry, knocked on the door to the prefect's private chambers. Before the third knock, the door opened, and with it the sudden gush of maleficent aura slithered to their skin. Captivating them, like a gentle caress. The young Slytherins as well as the young boy fell to their knees in a display of open submission and want.
Footsteps were heard coming near before dragonhide boots made themselves known to the still writhing boys. The power radiated from the dark haired youth slithered like a serpent. "Oh, how quaint." They could feel the amused smirk.
"M-my lord…?" Yaxley said. Suddenly, the rapid burst of power retracted to the black haired boy in question and the room ceased to spring alive and returned to its normal state. They breathed a sigh in relief.
Tom Riddle conjured up a throne and promptly sat on it. He looked at his lackeys one by one, and he must have seen what he was looking for, for he made a pleased hum. "Harry, my pet come here." He hissed.
The child awkwardly stood and went to Tom. "Y-yes?"
The brown eyed youth signaled the others to leave before addressing the child, "how was your day, littlest Potter?"
At this, Harry gave off a childlike grin and began to recount his tales of the day, barring the moment in Herbology with the snake. Meanwhile, the illegitimate lord of Gaunt listened.
A/N: Finished this just in time. I quite like the way I portrayed Riddle here, in a display of power and authority. Did you like the story? If you did, a review would really make my day.