Chapter Six: Home
February , 1939
That September, Hermione had turned eighteen and was now of legal age to leave the orphanage that she and Tom stayed at. It was both a curse and a blessing. Finding a place to stay with the money she had would be nearly impossible, but being of age also allowed Hermione to do something else. She could take Tom away from the orphanage as well.
It had been Hermione's intention to allow Tom to grow up in a loving environment away from the whispers and whimpers of the other orphans. Hermione earnestly hoped that this slight difference could change the time line. Dumbledore did always suggest that the darkness within Tom lied in his unfortunate upbringing as an abandoned child.
Hands slipped around Hermione's shoulders from behind, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Hey, bookworm," Eli greeted with a grin that showed off his perfect teeth. As dentists, Hermione's parents would have wholly approved of this match, that is, if they even remembered she was their daughter.
She quickly kissed him on the cheek and laced her fingers through his. "You're late, as always."
The Ravenclaw boy faked surprise. "Me? Late? Never! I'll have you know, I ran all the way here from the Quidditch pitch. Usually team captains are the last to leave but I told them that a beautiful girl was waiting for me in the library and that if I didn't leave that instant some chap would come along and steal her away."
"Mhm." Hermione smirked and replied, "Some chap?"
"That's right. Some chap."
The two of them made their way to the Great Hall. Being in the same house gave them the benefit of sitting together at meals. Throughout dinner, Hermione stole glances at Eli who was talking animatedly to the Quidditch team members who sat around them at the table. Not sneaky enough, Hermione's gaze was caught by Eli. He smiled and held her hand in his. It wasn't possessive. It was simply comforting.
He was always so perfect. A majority of the Hogwarts females would agree. The Head Boy was polite, handsome, funny, smart, and athletic. As Hermione admired the boy who held her hand, she began to think.
She wondered what he would do after Hogwarts. Would he go on to play Quidditch professionally? His intelligence would be wasted on a sports career, Hermione decided. The Ministry could always use someone as talented as he.
Perhaps, like Harry and Ron wanted, Eli Thomas could become an Auror, someone who had to be quick physically and intellectually. His popularity would probably rise even higher. Women would throw themselves at him. Maybe, one of them might even be the girl he married in Hermione's time line.
Hermione believed in the time theory that there were multiple time lines. She never worried about disappearing, for her time line would continue to exist even if she were to change the one she found herself in. The changes that Hermione hoped to make would be for her own gain. Even if it couldn't change what happened in her time line, Hermione needed to know that she tried her best to save lives that could have been saved this time around.
If she stopped Voldemort, Harry could grow up with both of his parents. Muggle-borns could live without fear of persecution. The classmates that they've lost over the years would still be with them. Cedric. Fred. Even Lavender. Perhaps, Hermione could live long enough to see herself discover her magic and board the Hogwarts Express for the first time, knowing that she would live happier days, hoping that she would still become friends with Harry and Ron.
If she stopped Voldemort, no one would have to go through what she'd seen.
July, 1939
"Welcome to Flourish and Blotts. Can I help you find anything?"
The tall woman smiled at the bookshop worker. "Yes, Her-Hermine," the customer started, failing to read the name tag, "I'm looking for a book for my daughter's birthday. She's very into Divination."
Hermione forced a grin and held her arm out to indicate the direction of the latest books on the ridiculous Hogwarts subject. "You'll find a great selection down the aisle furthest to the right. I would suggest 'Cassandra's Dreams' which is a new anthology of premonitions by seers through the ages."
"Ahh, that sounds perfect. Thank you, dear," the woman cooed before walking off to retrieve the book. Hermione sighed, wishing she had suggested a book on a more sensible topic. Hermione returned to the counter where the woman would meet her to purchase the book.
"I'm glad you were able to find it. That'll be 2 galleons and 5 sickles, please."
The customer handed her 3 galleons. Hermione opened the register, pulled out the correct amount of change and handed it back. With some dark blue wrapping paper, Hermione carefully folded creases, taped, and added a silver bow to the gift. Satisfied, Hermione returned the wrapped book with a smile.
"I hope your daughter enjoys this book."
The woman was positively giddy at the perfection of the gift's crisp edges and decoration. "Oh, I know she will. Thank you, Hermine."
With a forced smile, Hermione waved and replied, "Please come again." She waited until the customer was out of sight before she dropped her faux smile.
"Idiot-woman."
"Tom," Hermione said sharply. "Watch what you say."
The boy was sitting cross-legged on the floor behind the counter. He was concentrating hard on a second-year textbook in his lap, preparing himself for the upcoming year. His left elbow was propped on his leg and his hand ruffled his hair as he tried to memorize a spell for Dumbledore's Transfiguration class. With his other hand, he made the wand motions with a Muggle pencil.
Dumbledore had caught wind of Tom's incident at the orphanage, and even though Tom hadn't used magic, Dumbledore didn't want to risk the temptation. He asked Tom to leave his wand with him at Hogwarts until he returned for his second year. Knowing Tom's reputation from the future, she did not fight Dumbledore's decision.
However, this frustrated Tom to no end. He was looking forward to practicing his wandwork with his own wand that summer. His wand was something special, Ollivander had told him so. Tom was on Dumbledore's radar, and he didn't like it.
"You could've stayed home." Hermione sighed. "You would've been perfectly safe."
"I would have been perfectly bored," Tom quickly replied. Tom gripped the book harder. It was not his, but knowing someone who worked in a bookstore made it easier to look at books all day without having to purchase anything.
Hermione placed her hands on her hips. "We made a deal. You can only stay if you're nice and quiet. It wasn't easy getting the owners to allow their new employee to bring her 'little brother' to work every day." She curled her fingers into air quotes around her title for Tom when they're in public.
To be technical, Hermione was Tom's guardian. After graduating from Hogwarts, she and Tom returned to the orphanage where Hermione declared she would be leaving and taking Tom with her. Mrs. Cole did not hesitate to prepare the paperwork. It was poorly concealed that her happiness in getting rid of the odd boy outweighed the fear of having her job revoked for allowing an 18-year-old girl to adopt an orphan.
"Come live with me."
Tom stared at the bushy-haired witch with skeptical eyes. He was sitting in the library, working on a Potions essay when Hermione came running in, flustered and looking for someone. For him.
Her request was sudden and asked in a single, rushed breath, and Tom took a while to reply.
"What?"
Hermione took a deep, calming breath. "After Hogwarts, I plan to leave the orphanage and move into a flat in the magical world," she started. The witch paused to think about her next words. "I haven't known you for very long, but I think I know you well enough to know that you don't want to return to that place either.
I know what it's like to be... different. It's tiring and frustrating to have to hide who you are around everyone else. Muggles are lovely and all, but there are a lot more restrictions we have to consider around them. There are too many chances to be tempted to use our magic."
Tom turned back to his Potions book and pretended to ignore Hermione. She leaned against the bookshelf and continued more softly this time.
"We're the same, you know. You and I are alike in our curiosity. We want to know things. No, we need to know things. You won't be satisfied with being in the Muggle world, not anymore."
The boy considered the offer. "How long?" he asked hesitantly.
Hermione gave Tom a warm smile. "As long as you'd like."
"What about Mrs. Cole? And the orphanage?"
"I've already filled out the paperwork. If you agree, I'll only have to present her with the papers and you'll be able to come stay with me."
Tom weighed his options. He could stay in the orphanage, the only place he's known for 11 years, or he could go with a stranger to a strange place. It didn't make sense to him. Why did she want him to come with her?
But how often would this chance come along?
Hermione could see that he was tempted, but she could also see confusion. "I'll give you time to think about it, Tom."
Hermione had a plan, or so she told herself.
After informing Dumbledore of her decision to adopt Tom, Hermione was able to manipulate the Transfiguration professor into helping locate and pay for an apartment for Hermione and Tom, under the pretense that he would be able to keep track of him. During a Slug Club party, Hermione was able to charm the owner of Flourish and Blotts into giving her a job. With her love of books, it really was perfect.
"Help me re-shelve these books," Hermione said. Tom didn't understand why Hermione didn't just use magic to restock the shelves. It would have been faster and much easier. As if she had read his mind, Hermione answered, "Sometimes it's better to learn how to do things without magic."
Tom sulked, but took the books.
It was nearly 7 when the shop closed for the day. Hermione locked up, as always, while Tom waited by the door. She turned to him and smiled, "Let's go home."
The walk from Flourish and Blotts was short. Tom and Hermione lived in a humble flat on the second story, above a bakery.
The walls were an eggshell white, and the furniture was quite minimal. The main part of the flat was a combined living and dining room, as well as a kitchen area. There was a small dining table with two chairs for Tom and Hermione to sit and eat meals at. Off of the main room, there were two small bedrooms and a bathroom.
"What would you like for dinner, Tom?"
"Whatever," Tom replied from the couch before picking up his place in a book.
Hermione sighed. She was used to this. The pair had been living together for almost a month now. Every night Hermione would ask the same question and Tom would give the same response.
"Surprise it is, then."
Half an hour passed and the two were sitting at the table, eating their dinner as quietly as they always have been. Before Hermione could say something, an owl tapped on the window. Tom got up to retrieve the mail from the bird and gave him a small treat from a bowl they kept on the windowsill.
"Who's it for, Tom?"
Tom pulled the string, detaching the envelopes from one another. "There's one for each of us."
He handed Hermione the letter addressed to her and began to open his own. Tom's letter was the standard list of supplies for the upcoming school year. The bookstore received the list for all Hogwarts students back in June, so Hermione already had Tom's books ready for his second year. The rest, Tom would have to get before school began.
Hermione folded the letter and slipped it into the pocket of her cardigan. Her disposition had turned a bit sour, as evident by the stabbing of the peas on her plate.
Tom pushed his own peas around the plate. He'd wait until Hermione was in a better mood to ask her for money for supplies. Unfortunately, the time never came. Hermione rose, threw her dish into the sink and stormed off into her room.
Stunned, Tom stayed seated until he finished the food on his plate, then he went to his room quietly. As he lied in bed, he tried to ignore the quiet sniffling of the woman next door.
The next day, her eyes were puffy and she looked quite miserable. Her hair, pulled back into a low ponytail, frizzed as if she hadn't bothered trying to tame it this morning.
The two walked in silence to the bookstore. Before entering, Hermione slapped her face between her hands and slapped on a smile.
"Hermione," Tom said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"I'm meeting a friend today, so I'll be back later."
"Ahh, okay," Hermione muttered distractedly. "I guess I'll see you later, then."
Hermione slipped through the door without a glance at Tom. Her thoughts were clearly on something else. There was no friend, and if Hermione had been paying attention, that would have been obvious to her.
Tom wandered Diagon Alley without notice. No one questioned why he was alone. He didn't have anything he needed. Hogwarts provided him with most of the things on his school list. Pity gifts, Tom thought.
Hermione made enough to support both of them, but there were things Tom wanted. When he lived in the orphanage, he took what he wanted. The other orphans could never prove it, but Mrs. Cole still suspected.
He stopped right outside of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. In the display window, there were school robes, black ones with the Hogwarts logo, and others lined with the individual house colors. The shop was busy with first years getting their robes with their parents.
Perfect.
Tom slipped in and touched some robes as he pretended to browse. He waited, watching to see which parents looked comfortable. These were his targets.
Madam Malkin was helping several students with their robe fittings, too busy to notice anything wrong. The boy checked out different robes as he slowly inched towards socializing parents. He didn't "accidentally" bump into them like amateurs did. No, Tom slipped the pouch of coins out of the tall wizard's pocket without tipping the man off, and pocketed it.
He was heading for the door when a platinum blonde boy backed into the aisle in front of him.
"Watch it," Tom barked. The other boy, a clear cut example of a pure, and incestuous, bloodline of wizardry, froze. Tom may not have had a lot of money, but he held himself like any pureblood, and his presence was unforgiving.
The blonde boy straightened himself up and held out his hand. "The name's Abraxas. Abraxas Malfoy. You're Tom Riddle." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah," Tom replied. He had to get out of the shop before the wizard noticed his missing galleons. "Move, I have other things to do today."
"Yeah, uh, sorry," the Malfoy boy stuttered. He stepped back and allowed Tom to leave the shop silently. In seconds, Tom was swept up in the flow of Diagon Alley traffic. It wasn't until Tom arrived in front of an ice cream parlor that he realized he'd been followed. "What is there to gain by following me?"
Abraxas straightened his back. "I hear you're the smartest boy of our year. Even smarter than those Ravenclaw boys."
Tom understood what Malfoy was getting at but didn't let on that he knew."So?"
"So, I wanted to extend a hand of friendship," Abraxas started. "If you're as brilliant as the professors claim, I think you should join my group. You'll find that it'll be a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Tom turned up his nose at the brat. "What can you do for me?"
"Power," Abraxas offered confidently. "My friends and I are the heirs of the most influential wizarding families. We'd like to invest in you. Intelligence and skills can only get you so far. We've seen you around Hogwarts. You don't talk to many people. Join us and you'll always have a place to sit among friends. Return the favor when you find fame."
"No thanks." Tom walked away from the blonde who didn't move to follow.
"If you change your mind, find us on the train," Malfoy shouted.
Hermione looked up when the bell to the bookstore rang, but she was in the middle of helping another customer. Tom sulked in and headed for the section on Arithmancy. For hours, he sat cross-legged with a tome in his lap and ignored the customers who struggled to get through the aisle around him.
The Malfoy boy wanted to use him. It was an interesting feeling. Tom should have been offended, but he wasn't.
This was an opportunity. He would use Malfoy to get what he wanted. He would use his money. He would use his family. He would use his friends.
"Tom, are you ready to go home?"
Hermione's voice brought Tom out of his thoughts. He looked up to see that the shop was empty and Hermione had already gotten her bag. She smiled at him, and waited as he put away the tome. Together they left on the short walk home.
Home.