okay i hope the first chapter was okay, sorry if it wasnt.
i dont own any of the characters, they all belong to J K Rowling. I only own the plot. well not really that either. i give credit to I Love Jasper He Is Awesome, for coming up with the plot. :)
Hope this chapter is a bit better, or less confusing, and i dont mind if you say its bad. its my first story...
thanks to all my reviewers, sorry if i didnt reply, if you have any questions you can review again and ill try to answer them... starting the next chapter tonight, should be up in the next week. Thanks for reading. enjoy.
There were muffled voices, whispering from the other side of the steel door. It was either the middle of the night or the blinds had been shut. It was almost pitch black. A dim glow came from a nightlight beside a bed to the right corner of the room.
Voldemort lay there, under the dull blue sheets. Half his doona was sprawled on the cold wooden floor beside him. His one and only doll fell between the doona and sheets, peeking innocently with just half its plastic head. Around five other young children slept soundly except the young girl in the bed across from Voldemort. She was tossing and turning, crying and talking. Longing for someone to come back, saying they were lost.
He listened more intently at the voices next to the door; they got a bit louder as the steel door swung silently open. Not more than a whisper, the door shut again without a sound. Voldemort wondered why they came in; it was as if the nanny was giving them a tour, yet who would be here in the middle of the night.
He fell asleep soon after that as the girl was quiet once more, maybe reassured by the soft murmurs outside. Sleeping soundlessly until a bright light shone through the blinds and woke the six young children. They didn't complain as they had so much energy they were up bright and early anyway.
Voldemort got a better look at the room once his eyes had focused on the small reddish room. It would have been a nice and comforting place to stay, yet the walls were dull and plain, the floor was wood and the windows had bars. Not that there were many windows. Just above where Voldemort had awakened, the ceiling rotted, as if the rain had seeped through. The room must be ancient.
"Okay kids, time to get up, we have a very special visitor today. She may become a new family to one of you, so be on your best behavior." The nanny had appeared from nowhere speaking softly and slowly to the young ones as if not to be heard. As always the children were rowdy, they were jumping on beds and throwing their own dolls, teasing the littlest girl in the room, the one opposite Voldemort. She seemed very fragile, innocent, with a very sad face, she looked younger than Voldemort, by a few years I suppose. She looked at him and they held the gaze for a moment. She seemed to see right through him.
They all changed into their matching outfits, they were the only clothes they had, tunics colored blue and red, crisscrossing on a diagonal, a tie for the boys dangled lifelessly on their necks. Marching down the corridors, like tunnels, dark and gloomy with a few lights, towards the dining hall. Many doors stood, untouched, and covered with dust. It would be a great place to play hide and seek, thought Tom.
They traipsed into the dining hall where three long wooden tables sat in a U shape. Around 40 other kids, all different ages, sat around them, munching greedily on their little bowl of gruel. The nanny headed towards another door, and as usual the little children followed. It was an insignificant door, almost blending with the surrounding wallpaper. It was only noticeable because the wallpaper was peeling off, revealing the crack in the wall.
The room they entered now was thin but stretched. One single table set in the middle. It held around 15 little children. This was their breakfast table. The kids already at the table were curious at what Voldemort was going to do. They followed his every move until he reached the girl.
Was this the chance to be nice so he could have a friend? What Dumbledore promised?
Yes, she stared at him a bit more, waiting to see what he would do, gazing with curiosity written all over that innocent, fragile face. Only then did he notice her features. She had light red hair plaited down the middle of her back, almond-shaped, dark emerald green eyes, with skin the color of ivory.
"Hi! Would you like to be my new friend? You can sit with me for breakfast and we can share secrets!" she said this with a wide grin, missing one of her front teeth. Seeming very excited, she patted the seat beside her, waiting for his reaction.
He crept slowly and cautiously to the seat where he sat and glanced at the girl. She was very pretty, her eyes just too big for her face, and her grin showed all over.
"My name is Lily. I have a sister, Tuney, but mummy and daddy are with her at the hospital visiting my nana. They say she is really sick and Tuney said it's very sad" looking down, loosing the grin that was stretched over her soft pale skin. "Who are you?" she glared at Tom with accusing eyes and a crease between her thin, brown eyebrows, as if he had just called her a mean name.
"My name is Tom, and I don't have any family or friends. I would very much like to be your new friend. I don't have many secrets though..." trailing off as he thought to himself.
"That's okay! Maybe someone will like you enough to take you home. You can have a nice house and your new parents can love you and spoil you to bits! Even then, can we still be friends? I like having a friend! It makes me happy!" Gaining back her wide-set grin and looking very excited at having a new friend to share secrets with.
It was after breakfast, and his secret-exchanging with his new friend, lily, that they were allowed in the play room. It was here where the person coming to adopt a new child was roaming around getting to know the children one by one.
She was short and almost stubby, with a small amount of graying hair sitting on her wrinkling head. She wore a pale pink jacket with silver buttons, a pink ribbon sitting in her limited hair and a long pink skirt that reached her shins. Her shoes were silver with pink beads stretched in one line over the top along the rims. They looked similar ballet shoes.
Tom had joined Lily in a game of go fish as the lady came to join them. She sat in silence as she watched the pair play, hinting both sides every now and then to make it fair.
Lily spoke first softly but defiantly, "I already have a family. They are visiting the hospital with my sister, Tuney. My nana is very sick, and I'm not allowed to visit. But my new friend, Tom is looking for a family, he has no family, and he seems very lonely. Except his new friend, me and if you wanna take him you gotta let him see me and keep his only friend. It would be unfair if you didn't." she spoke clearly, stating what she wanted to happen, not looking at the lady, but concentrating so hard on her game her tongue poked out the left side.
The lady seemed shocked; she didn't know what to say. How could a five year old know what's on her mind? And then give conditions for a boy she met five minutes ago? Perhaps Albus should know about this, thought the lady.
She left them without saying another word and approached a group of four kid, three girls and one boy. Yet somehow, she had already decided. She would take Tom.
It was a while before they were removed from the room. They were taken back to the main hall that was used for special occasions only; when someone was leaving the orphanage. The children all gathered in single file into the seats available to watch the ceremony. It was a big deal to the children as if they were loosing a best friend; someone will.
Once they were all seated, the nanny walked onto the raised platform at the front of the hall. She spoke loud and clear, almost bored; as if she had said this speech many times.
"Today, we will be saying goodbye to a much loved student in this home. As you have already heard, Ms Arabella Figg has been interviewing each of you to find your likes, dislikes and your memories of your families. She has taken a liking to one in particular, one that has been here not so long, and one that had minimal friends and recently joined in with activities. Tom Riddle. I trust you have been told to pack your things?"
She searched with eyes like a hawk, looking up and down each row, looking for the ruffled brown hair. Yet he was not there; nowhere to be seen. The nanny had been aware of the new friendship developing between Miss Lily Evans and Tom Riddle, and searched for Lily; she was not present either.
While the assembly was taking place, Lily had practically forced Tom to sneak out so he wouldn't be taken away. She convinced him that whoever left never came back; that they were given to people who treated them very badly and never feed them. Although Miss Figg is a lovely lady, just seemed very boring while she sat there and let lily do all the talking. Quite rude, lily thought.
They had escaped the single file to creep silently into a large but unnoticeable doorway that stretched to the ceiling. Surrounding it was dull sandy colored wallpaper with faint white specks splattered across the paint. A white skirting followed right the way round the room, stopping only to clear a doorway.
The two now hid in a space between a chest of drawers that stood two feet tall and the wall that separated them from the assembly. It was such an insignificant place that no one thought to look there. They stayed hidden for some time before there was a low growl; emanating from the children's stomachs.
Finally giving up, facing the fact that Tom would be leaving, they slipped quietly towards their bedroom where they hid beneath the covers faking a sickie as if that was why they missed the assembly. Once they were found by the nanny, their disappearance was dismissed as the cause was thought to be the food they were served. So, with a shrug of the shoulder the nanny let them off giving only a warning and a final statement, "he's leaving in the morning."
Lily and Tom both slept restless that night, dreaming of the stay they had together. Lily would get a phone call from her parents tomorrow and she would be told when she could go home. She was also very upset that she ignored her dinner and slept with her back to the majority of the room.
Tom on the other hand was refusing to pack that night, as the thought of leaving behind his one and only friend was distressing. What would Dumbledore want him to do? Tom vaguely remembered Dumbledore speaking to a snake-like figure, telling him that someone was to adopt him and he must follow. It was absurd that a snake-like figure would be adopted, let alone being talked too by such a great wizard. Tom just thought it a nightmare, and ignored it.
The next day came after hours of sleepless darkness. For both lily and tom, today was on the top of the worst days ever; they would both lose a new best friend.
Once again, they had been awakened by the artificial lighting coming from the so called windows. Tom suspected they were underground as they had to travel up many stairs to get to the outdoors; as well as the artificial lights in the windows. But he said nothing of it, as the others must be aware but don't really care.
Tom wanted to remain snuggled with his doll and hidden under his blankets, but the covers were pulled off him after awhile, once the room had gone a deafening silence. Standing above him, was the wrinkling stubby lady, and the nanny; both with frowns and glaring eyes.
"Today is the day you leave us Tom. The papers are signed and Ms Figg has organized a room and travel for you when you go to your new home. From there on you do as your told and don't speak unless you're spoken too. Got it?" The nanny said, matter-of-factly, trying to look happy for him, but turning the slim lips into a snarl-like smile. It was a horrible sight.
Grudgingly, Tom rose, changed from his grey-blue shirt and black boxers into his new suit that had been chosen for him. It smelled like mothballs. With a light blue tie, and a navy blue blazer matched to a pair of black pants and shiny black shoes, Tom looked as if he was headed for a funeral; even the face looked as if it was mourning, mourning the loss of a new friend.
He waited for lily to say something to him, something comforting, like 'make sure you call' or 'we'll keep in touch', but no she just ignored him, as if he had insulted her. Tom didn't like leaving without saying goodbye, so he stood behind her for a while, until she had said nothing; "bye lily. I'll miss you. Please don't be mad at me, I still wanna be your fr—"
He had been cut off by lily scoffing. He still wanted to be her friend? Ha! She laughed once. As if that's gonna happen. After staying her for about a week, she had no one to talk too, and now the one person she could converse naturally with, was ditching her. She wanted to cry.
A look of puppy dog eyes made Tom look away; he didn't want to see his newest friend upset. It made him feel guilty, as if it was his entire fault. Yet it was all that horrible stubby Figgie; as if she knew what Tom was like! She hadn't said a word to either of them, let alone a conversation. She was hopeless, and why did Dumbledore choose her? Out of all people that could be loveable and caring, it had to be her.
After that sad last encounter with Lily, Tom trudged back to the main hall where his ancient suitcase waited for him beside the stubby wrinkly ms figg. The nanny pretended to hug him, yet she had leaned in closer to say something only Tom would be able to hear. "Don't do any of that funny business"
She leaned away, looking as if she had said nothing, and with a drop of water, a 'sad' goodbye took place. It was all an act. Just to show the visitor that the place was not as bad as people on the streets had been saying.
Tom took the statement confusingly. What funny business? He had been perfectly normal as far as he was aware. Maybe it was finally talking to lily? Having someone to talk to? Oh well, he thought, she'll get over it soon enough. Maybe I'll be back here soon enough if I can just let more of this 'funny business' happen.
And with that, Ms Figg took his hand and led him out the big arched steel door. He tried not to look back that one last time, but just the thought of what lily said earlier, he turned and saw no one, except a wisp of silver. It looked something like a ghost; with a faint metallic blue outlining its features. It played over and over in his mind until he could think of one that could fit that description. Tom figured it out while he was travelling in the car, staring out at the hills and trees that passed swiftly. The thought was encouraging, but the look on the ghosts face seemed curious; as if what Tom was going to do from here on in would determine the lives of everyone. I suppose it would.