Riddle's Riddles
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Chapter 4: So you're... different
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"There have been incidents with the other children. Nasty things."
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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The hot days of the summer went by quickly, leaving everyone at the orphanage unhappy with the fact that the vacation was coming to an end. Harry, Ron and Hermione were even more worried by the fact that they haven't received any message from the Wizarding world yet and the only person that seemed to be happy with the approaching of the new school year was Tom Riddle.
"I don't know how he can be so happy," a blond haired girl muttered and looked around the small library of the orphanage.
"You know that he's mad, Amelia." the boy that was sitting next to her answered, looking at the teenager who was sitting at the other corner of the room and happened to be the main subject of their conversation. "He's always been like that."
"Since when did you know him?"
"Since he was eleven… when he was admitted into that 'special' school of his. If you want to know my opinion, it's a school for mad people."
"Erik! Don't talk like that!" the girl whispered, looking around nervously. "Or at least don't say it so loudly. He might hear you!"
"I'm just saying what I think." He shrugged.
They stopped talking and looked at the library's door where the new girl was standing. The three new kids had attracted attention when they arrived at the orphanage… Maybe it was because they were always together or the strange way they behaved. The girl, for instance, rarely talked to anybody that wasn't one of her friends, and was always inside her room or in the library when she wasn't in the company of the two boys.
"What do you think about her?" Amelia asked, pointing to the girl. "What's her name again? It's really odd…"
"Her name is Hermione and I think she's weird too." Erik laughed. "She and her friends could get together with Riddle and share their weirdness." He stopped talking for a while before whispering to her. "Hey, Amelia, I've been thinking about this for a while now… Would you like to get a look at Riddle's room? So that we'll know what he does in there? I mean, he spends most of the time in his room."
"No! That's crazy, Erik!" Amelia shrieked. "Did you forget what you told me about what happened to Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop? !"
"You don't understand… He changed after he went to that weird school," the boy explained, looking at Tom, who was sitting a few tables away from them. "The weird things stopped happening so often. It looks as if he's been controlling himself…."
"You talk like it's him who controls these things that happen." Amelia whispered as she started to wrap a strand of her blond hair around her finger. "And, Erik, I don't think invading Riddle's room a good idea… Actually, no, I'm sure it isn't a good idea."
"Mia! I wouldn't drag you into something dangerous, you know that." Erik smiled. "You don't have to worry. He won't even know we were in there… We're just going to find out what he even does in there."
"Alright… What do you have in mind?"
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Hermione entered the library and let her gaze fall upon Tom Riddle, who was sitting in a solitary corner of the room with a book in his hands and his attention glued to his reading. The witch looked around, noticing the two teenagers that were now staring at her and Tom, and then approached a bookshelf, looking at the books on it and trying them.
"What do you think about her? What's her name again? It's really odd…"
"Her name is Hermione and I think she's weird too."
The girl sighed and walked away from the couple who was talking about her, going to another bookshelf. This one that was closer to Riddle but at least it was away from the other teenagers. Hermione stared at the books but lost interest in them after a few minutes, when she noticed that no book in there would be interesting enough to make her stop worrying about the fact that she and her friends were still isolated from the Wizarding world in the middle of the 1940s. She turned around and watched the young man that was near her.
For her, it was impossible to imagine that this boy would one day become the most feared wizard of history. He looked like a normal boy… Okay, maybe not so normal. Tom seemed to be too quiet and too serious for a seventeen years old teenager but still… He only looked like a grumpy and solitary teenager, not a soon-to-be murderer.
"Could you stop staring at me, please?" Riddle's deep voice took her off of her thoughts.
The wizard had his eyes fixed on her, waiting for an answer.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Hermione said and felt herself blushing. "I didn't mean to disturb you…"
"Are you searching for any particular book?"
"Actually, no. I'm just taking a look at the shelves," she said, looking at the book that he was holding. "The Picture of Dorian Gray… Is it good?"
"It's… interesting."
"I've never read it."
Riddle smiled softly to her before going back to his book, ignoring her completely. Hermione watched him for a moment and then turned around to look at the bookshelf again. But before she could find a book, Martha, Mrs. Cole's assistant, came into the library.
"Ms. Granger? Mrs. Cole wants you in her office."
The witch nodded and followed the young woman, not noticing how Riddle's attention was caught by what the orphanage worker had said. When she arrived at the matron's office, Hermione saw that Harry and Ron were there too, along with Mrs. Cole and an unknown man with auburn hair and beard who was wearing some colorful clothes.
"I suppose you are Ms. Granger." The man smiled kindly at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Albus Dumbledore. Mrs. Cole, could we talk privately, please?"
The matron nodded and left the room. During that time, the girl couldn't stop staring at the professor. It was strange to look at him now… He was younger and, of course, alive! She had never thought she would be so grateful to see Dumbledore's bright blue eyes and gentle smile once again.
"Very well. I believe that you three are wizards, am I right?" The trio nodded in approval. "So, you must know about Hogwarts?"
"Yes, sir," Harry answered.
"Good… Because you had been admitted in the school." The teacher smiled. "I want to explain how everything works but first I want to know something… Where are you from?"
"We… lived in France, professor," said Hermione, making up a new story for them. "But we never went to Beauxbatons. We were homeschooled."
"And how did you end up here in England?"
"Grindelwald," she said, noticing how Dumbledore's expression turned serious as he heard the dark wizard's name. "His followers attacked our families. You see, I'm Muggleborn and I had always lived near Harry and Ron, so we have always been friends… When I discovered I was a witch, their parents started teaching me along with them." The girl cursed herself for inventing such a horrible story, but continued nonetheless. "One day, some of Grindelwald's followers appeared at our houses… They weren't happy with the fact that Harry and Ron's parents liked Muggles and…"
"It's alright, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore interrupted her. "It's a common story nowadays, unfortunately… I suppose that after that you decided to come to England, but why?"
"Our families are English, actually. And we've heard that Grindelwald is not so strong here…"
The wizard watched them for a while, before sighing and digging his hand inside his coat pocket.
"This is your acceptance letter," he said as he handed them three Hogwarts letters. "The list of everything you'll needis in the letter, and you'll be able to find everything in Diagon Alley here in London," the professor said. "I don't think you know where it is…"
"We know… Ouch!" Ron started to talk, but stopped after having his foot stepped by Hermione. "We don't know, sir."
"Don't worry about that. Luckily, we have another boy in this orphanage who is a wizard and studies at Hogwarts," Dumbledore explained. "Mr. Riddle… I believe you already know him. I asked him to take you to the Diagon Alley." The man stopped talking and looked at the strange pocket watch in his hands. "Merlin, I have to go! As I said, everything you need to know is in the letter, but you can ask Mr. Riddle about anything you want to know."
The wizard smiled before exiting the room. The trio heard him speaking with Mrs. Cole before Martha appeared at the door.
"He's odd, isn't he?" The woman asked and laughed quietly. "But he seems to be really smart… The last time I saw him it was when Tom was eleven years old."
"Yes, he can be a little bit…" Harry stopped, thinking about a word that could describe Dumbledore. "Different."
Martha smiled and left them alone. After that, the three of them opened their letters and started reading it. They were the practically identical to the ones from the future. The only differences were that Dumbledore's name occupied the space for the deputy headmaster's name while Armando Dippet's was in the headmaster's place.
"Do we really need to go to the Diagon Alley with Riddle?" Ron asked, grimacing. "I don't wanna go with him, and I bet he doesn't want to go with us too."
"But it would be strange if we went alone," Hermione explained, folding her letter and putting it in her skirt's pocket. "We aren't supposed to know anything about London…" She suddenly stopped talking when Tom Riddle appeared at the door with an obviously irritated expression on his face.
"So you too are…" he started to speak but stopped when a group of kids passed running behind him. "Different." The trio nodded. "Well, I'm going to Diagon Alley today… If you want me to show you where it is, it's better to get ready to leave in… fifteen minutes."
And saying that the young man walked away, leaving the three teenagers alone.
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A/N: So... in this chapter I wanted to show how I imagine that the other kids at the orphanage saw Tom [a.k.a the creepy boy that has no friends]. Have you guys ever read The Portrait of Dorian Gray? I finished it a few months ago... and I don't know why this book makes me remember of Tom.
Oh, also... I've done a drawing of a scene of this chapter, but it's pretty weird... http : / fc06 . deviantart . net / fs50 / f / 2009 / 279 / e / 6 / Scene_01_by_Arileli . jpg [ok, this drawing is REALLY weird! I have to draw it again some day ): ]
Thanks everyone for the reviews on the last chapter :D You don't know how happy I am when I enter in the morning and see all the reviews that you left *_*
Beta read by Shadow6116.
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Hope you enjoyed it.
Reviews are highly appreciated :D
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Ari.