Like father, like son

Chapter 08 - Hogwarts

III

Explaining to Mr. And Mrs. Riddle that their grandson was giving up a place at Eton in order to study in a better, but unknown, school was a difficult task. The couple tried as hard as possible to make their son change his mind and go back in his decision of registering young Tom in this new school. In the end though, after hours and hours talking about the subject, they ended up giving up, believing that this Hogwarts could be a good place for their grandson to study.

The day Tom Jr. and his father left for London, where he would pick up the train to the school, Mary Riddle couldn't help but cry a little as she waved good bye to the boy. Thomas, on the other hand, just wished good luck to his grandson and, with a serious expression on his face, kept watching the two younger Riddles as they went into the car and left Little Hangleton.

When they arrived at London, father and son stayed at the Campbells' house for a day before September 1st finally arrived.

"When does the train leave?" Tom Sr. asked as he and his son walked down the King's Cross station.

"Eleven o'clock."

"Which platform?"

"Nine and Three-Quarters…"

"What? Are you sure this is the right number?" The man looked around. "There is no Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."

"That's what's written here." Tom Sr. looked at the ticket the other was showing him. He felt the boy's hand squeezing his, making it obvious that his son was starting to become nervous. "It's almost eleven o'clock, dad."

"Don't worry." The Muggle smiled down at the boy. "We're going to find it."

The two of them stopped in front of the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. The young wizard's face showed how anxious he was at the time while his father kept looking around in confusion, trying to find the platform where the Hogwarts Express was supposed to be.

"You have to run into the barrier."

"What?" The older Riddle turned around to see a little girl standing right behind them. She had light brown hair that was held by a black ribbon, and her brown eyes sparkled playfully while she smiled at them.

"You have to run and cross it." She pointed at the barrier between Platform Nine and Ten. "You won't hit it."

"Who are…?"

"Emmy! For Mer… God's sake! You can't run away from me like that in the middle of the station!" A red haired woman appeared out of the crowd and held the girl's hand. "We're late, you know that? Come on…" The woman fell into silence when she saw the Riddles.

"They don't know how to get to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," the girl whispered.

"Emmy!" The red haired turned her back to the Riddles and spoke in a low voice to the girl in front of her. "That's because they must be Muggles who shouldn't know about the Platform…. You shouldn't…"

"Actually," Tom Sr. started to speak. "We really need to get to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."

"See?" The girl shrugged.

"Oh, it's his first year?" The woman smiled nervously, pointing at the boy. "I supposed you're a Muggle, sir… So it makes sense that you don't know how to get to the platform." She shook her head. "Anyway, you just need to cross the barrier."

"I already told them that, Eve." The little girl sighed.

"Emmy, please… You don't have to be afraid of hitting it." She smiled. "We're going first, so you can see how it works."

Without waiting for an answer, the woman ran in the barrier's direction, followed by the girl. Father and son watched until the two disappeared right before they hit the solid brick wall in front of them.

"Should we…?" Tom Jr. said, looking at the wall with a confused look on his face.

"I guess there's no other way."

And with that, the man held his son's hand and went in the barrier's direction. The impact that both were expecting never came and, before they could notice, they weren't between Platform Nine and Ten anymore, but standing on a completely different platform filled with people. There were parents waving good bye to their children, kids running to get a place in the train, men and women wearing strange clothes, some children carrying cages with owls and cats, others with toads or rats in their hands…

"We found it," the man said quietly, leading his son to the red locomotive that was stopped at the platform. "This compartment seems to be empty… Come on, I help you with the trunk."

The boy climbed up the train and, with his father's help, pulled his trunk inside. There were five minutes left before the departure when Tom leaned out of the compartment's window.

"Don't forget to write, you know how your grandmother will go mad if she doesn't receive any news from you." The Muggle laughed. "And take care of yourself."

"I will." The boy smiled.

"It seems that you're already leaving," said the man as he saw the other students entering the train and closing its doors.

"I'll miss you, dad." Tom Jr. whispered, squeezing the other's hand.

"Me too, but don't think about that." Mr. Riddle moved away from the locomotive and watched as it slowly started to move. "Have a good trip."

He saw his son waving him good bye and did the same. When Tom's arm disappeared from the window, the man lowered his and stared at the bright red train as it moved away from the platform.

"He'll be alright." The man turned around, seeing the same red haired woman who had helped them to get to the platform. "They all are going to be alright… Oh, I didn't even introduce myself, I'm Evelyn Shaw."

"Tom Riddle." He shook the woman's hand and smiled. "Are you a… er… witch?"

"Yes." She smiled.

"And, your daughter, is it her first…?"

"She's not my daughter."

"I beg you pardon?"

"She's my goddaughter," Evelyn explained. "Her mother was my friend and, when she passed away, I looked after Emmy, as her father disappeared…"

Tom stared at the woman for a moment, not knowing what he was supposed to say.

"You're a Muggle." The man frowned a little as he heard noted the tone and the name. "And what about your son's mother? Is she a Muggle too?"

"She was a witch," Riddle explained, feeling uncomfortable. He hated talking about Merope. "But she died when Tom was born."

"Oh, I'm sorry… Well, it's good to see a Muggle father raising his wizard son. Emmy didn't have the same luck, as you can see."

"Her father was a Muggle?"

"Yes, but he disappeared as soon as he discovered her mother was a witch."

Tom felt even more uncomfortable; after all, what that girl's father did was the same thing he had done to Merope years ago.

"You asked if this is Emmy's first year, well, yes, it is," said Evelyn. "But I know there's nothing to worry about, Hogwarts is a safe place."

"Did you study there?"

"Yes." She tugged her sleeve's fabric to take a look at her watch. "Merlin! Look at the time… I have to go, Mr. Riddle. It was a pleasure to meet you and I would love to talk more, but I really have to go, you know, I have some work to do and… Well, good bye!"

III

Tom Riddle watched the scenery pass by the window while he tried to imagine how Hogwarts would be like. The students, from what he saw, were totally different from what he knew; this could only mean that this school would be completely different from his old school.

"What did you expect? It's a school of magic," he whispered to himself.

"Do you always talk to yourself?"

The boy raised his eyes and saw the same girl from the platform standing by the door of the compartment. She stared at him with a curious look on her face, a smile was plastered on her lips.

"Do you have any problem with that?" the boy hissed.

"No, I do it as well sometimes." She shrugged. "By the way, may I sit here?"

He nodded and watched as she sat in front of him. "I'm Emily Derwen, but you can call me Emmy, and you are…?"

"Tom Riddle."

"That man on the platform… Was he your father?"

"Obviously."

"Hm…"

"That woman, was she your mother?"

"No, my godmother," Emmy answered. "My mom passed away when I was little."

"Ah, I'm sorry." The boy blushed. "Hm… My mother's also dead."

"I'm so sorry." She gave him a sad smile. "But, let's talk about other things! Which house do you think you'll be in?"

"I… don't know," Tom whispered. "I guess I'll fit in Ravenclaw the most."

"My godmother was in Ravenclaw."

"What about you? Which house do you think you'll be in?"

"I don't know, maybe Ravenclaw." She smiled. "How did you discover you were a wizard?"

"Er… A teacher from Hogwarts went to my house and explained everything about magic to me."

"Yes, but I'm sure you could make magic before he visited you, right?" Emmy asked. "Every wizarding child shows traces of magic… I used to make things move when I was irritated."

"Me too," Tom whispered. "But I could control those things."

The girl stared at him for a while, before smiling again. When they were about to start talking again, a woman appeared at the door, pushing a cart filled with sweets. She smiled at them. "Excuse me, would you like to eat something, my dears?"

III

To see the castle of Hogwarts for the first time was an unforgettable experience for Tom Riddle. The way the old building stood so imposingly above the dark lake they were crossing by boat made the boy even more anxious to enter it.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Emmy whispered, smiling like a Cheshire cat as she looked at the castle.

"Yes."

"They say there's a Giant Squid in the lake," the girl said, pointing at the dark water, and laughed when she saw the boy's eyes widen. "But, don't worry, it doesn't harm the students."

When the boats finally stopped, the students climbed out of them and followed the janitor, a man named Apollyon Pringle, to a tiny room inside the castle where they waited for a teacher.

"Good afternoon! Please, I need your attention." Tom smiled when he saw the same wizard who had taken him and his father to Diagon Alley, Albus Dumbledore, in front of the students. "The feast will start in a few minutes, but before you're allowed to sit down and eat, you'll be sorted to your house. The sorting is a very important part of any student's life inside Hogwarts. Once you're sorted, your house will become your family within this castle… Please, wait a minute here, I'll be right back for you."

As soon as the teacher left, the students started to talk to each other in whispers. Tom heard a boy behind him saying that the sorting test was a duel with an older student, while another girl said it was a simple test with some questions about basic magic.

"Do you know what this test is?" the boy whispered to Emily.

"No," the girl answered, wrinkling her nose. "But I bet it's nothing too horrible."

"Attention, first years!" Professor Dumbledore had come back. "Please, stand in line and follow me."

If Riddle had thought that the exterior of the castle was amazing, he couldn't find a word to describe its interior. His mouth fell open as he stared at the ceiling that seemed to be nonexistent, as he could see the dark sky filled with shiny stars above. Another thing that caught the boy's attention was the candles that filled and floated around the Great Hall. Tom could see that the students at each table were wearing a uniform with different colors. One table had cloaks with green collars; another with blue; another one had yellow and the other had red collars.

Dumbledore was now standing in front of a table filled with adults; the teachers, next to a stool, and he was holding an old hat. He put the hat on the stool and walked away. Most of the first years jumped and gasped as the hat started to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the
HogwartsSorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in
Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set
Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in
Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient
Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old
Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in
Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

When the hat fell into silence, Professor Dumbledore approached the stool once again, holding a piece of parchment in front of him, and started to call the students up.

"Black, Alphard."

A tall boy with dark hair, grey eyes and a serious face went up to the stool, where he sat down and put the pointed hat on his head.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat screamed and the boy, who was now smiling, got up and went to the table where the students were wearing uniforms with green details.

Abraxas Malfoy, a blond and pale boy, went to Slytherin, followed by Alphard Avery, a curly haired boy who wouldn't stop grinning while walking to his house's table. On the other hand, Septimus Weasley went to the Gryffindor's table with a happy smile on his face, while Penelope Lynch run to Ravenclaw's table, giggling.

"Riddle, Tom."

Tom took a deep breath before going up to the stool and sitting there. When the hat covered his eyes, the boy felt his face blushing, imagining how stupid he must have looked to the other students.

"Easy…" The boy almost jumped when he heard a deep voice inside his head speaking. "SLYTHERIN!"

Slytherin? But Slytherin was the house of the pure-bred wizards, and he wasn't a pureblood! Something must have gone wrong…

Before he could think about anything else, Dumbledore was already calling another name and he was getting up and going to the table where the students were wearing uniforms with green and silver details. As soon as he sat down next the others first years, the Slytherins shot him a cold glance, analyzing him carefully.

"Derwen, Emily."

Tom watched as the girl who had traveled with him put the Hat on.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

He smiled as he watched Emmy run to the table next to his and sit down next to a girl with curly red hair. Turning to look at his new housemates, the boy noticed that all of them were already busy talking to each other about their families.

"My dad works at the Ministry," the blond boy, Abraxas, said with pride. "He said that, in the future, I'll work there too… By the way, Alphard Black, right? My dad knows yours."

"Yeah, I've already heard about the Malfoys," a boy with dark hair and grey eyes spoke.

"I also heard a lot about the Blacks." Abraxas laughed and pointed at Tom and two other boys. "And who are you?"

"Alphard Avery," said a boy with dark curly hair.

"Canopus Lestrange."

"Tom Riddle."

Everyone fell into silence and stared at him. Tom felt his face blushing and, before he could ask what was going on, Malfoy and Black started to laugh.

"Riddle?" Avery grimaced and laughed. "Alright…"

III

"This is your dormitory," the Slytherin prefect said, and he pointed at their beds. "Your things are already here. I don't want to see any of you out of bed right on the first day, do you understand me?"

When the prefect left the room, leaving the first years alone, Tom sat down on his bed, running his hand through the green blankets that were above it, remembering, for some unknown reason, the first night he had back at the Riddles house.

"Hey, Riddle." The boy raised his eyes to see Malfoy staring at him. "What are you? A half-blood?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Are there any wizards or witches in your family?" Avery spoke really slowly, as if he was talking to a toddler.

"I… I don't know." Tom answered.

"It's a Muggleborn!" Canopus Lestrange widened his eyes as he spoke. "The Hat must have made a mistake! Slytherin isn't a place for Muggleborns!"

"I noticed the Sorting Hat sorted him too quickly," said Abraxas. "It must have misplaced him…"

"Or maybe it simply didn't have anywhere else to put him." Lestrange laughed.

"If that was the case, why didn't he go to Hufflepuff? Isn't that where the rest of the students go?" Alphard tried to restrain himself from laughing, but didn't quite manage.

Tom frowned as he stared at the group of boys, before turning away from them and starting to busy himself with his things, trying to tell himself that, no, Hogwarts wouldn't be just be a magical version of his former school.

III

A/N: Ah, you never forget your first day at Hogwarts! Too bad for Tommy that those Slytherins are ruining it for him... but I bet he already loved the school just by looking at it for the first time, just how we fell in love with it when we first read about it :3

1- Emily (Emmy) Derwin: when I first wrote LFLS, I almost stopped the story right in this chapter, when Tom goes to Hogwarts, because I knew that, from know on, I would have to put OCs in the story and... I'm kind of afraid of creating OCs D: anyway, Emmy's character was in my head since I first thought about the story, even though she changed a lot since that time. Her name was inspired by the artist Emmy Cicierega {I guess that everyone who acess deviantART knows her, right? well, if you don't, take a look at her stuff, they're great!}... Aside from loving her art, I think her name is extremely cute :3 so I wanted to make a character that had that name {in my OC'S case, it's her nickname, but okay...}. Emily is, like Tom, a Half-blood, but, different from him, she was raised inside the wizarding world... so... yeah, this'll be important for the story later :3

2- The Sorting Hat's song: I know... the Sorting Hat creates a new song each year, but... I'm really not good at writing songs like he is, and I love the song from the first book :3 So, here it is.

Now, I've already asked this in Riddle's Riddles, but I'll ask it again here: in June, my family and I {and maybe a friend of mine} may be traveling to Ireland, England and Scotland, and, well, as I don't really know much about these coutries, I would like to know: do you guys know which places it would be interesting for us to visit? My mother asked me to make a list of places so we can organize the trip and I'm all "but I don't know! If I could, I would go everywhere!"... so, yeps, weird request, but it's because I don't know so much about these places and I would like to know where it would be nice to go (:

EDIT: thank you, Megii of Mysteri OusStranger , for pointing out that most of the characters I put in there were in the wrong year D: I simply couldn't leave it like that... Dorea Black {and probably Charlus Potter} was born in 1920, so she would have been 18 by 1938 {Tom was born in December of 1926, he turns 11 in 1937 and goes to Hogwarts in 1938, is that right?}, Cygnus was born in 1929, so he would be 9 by 1938, Minerva was born in October of 1925, so she would be 12 in that scene... So, I put other characters in their places: Alphard Black {which was born between 1925 and 1929}, Septimus Weasley {whose birth date isn't mentioned}, Avery Sr {whom I called Alphard... I know, the same name as the Black kid, but I've been calling him Alphard for so long, I can't pick another name D: } and Lestrange Sr {whom I called Canopus... these last two appeared in HBP, on Slughorn's memory}... and Abraxas, whose birth date I also didn't find. {and know I'll be all worried because those timeline mistakes will be at Riddle's D: and I can't change it at RR, as some characters are important to the story [Minerva, Charlus and Dorea] }

Well, that's it.. Thanks everyone who left a review on last chapter *-* you don't know how happy I get when I read what you guys write :D and thanks, Shadow6116, for beta reading the chapter :3

Ari.