Title: Pen Pal

Author: Nekoanima

Summery: What if Harry had a pen pal as a child another boy who was all alone. Harry makes friends with the young Tom Riddle as their letters bounce through time to the one they needed the most.

DISCLAIMER!: I own nothing or Harry never would have ended up with Ginny.

Hi Tom,

I really cant say much about it here I don't know if I could call it home. I mean I live here but my aunt and uncle don't want me here. I'm a burden to them, that's what they tell me. My aunt says my mother was a whore, whatever that is, and my uncle says that my father was a lay about and a drunk. I wish I could tell him he's a liar but I never knew them so I don't know maybe it could be true.

During the day I do my chores I do all the housework so my relatives don't have to my uncle says that I'm supposed to be pulling my weight. Funny he says this when I don't think he could pull his weight if he tried. My uncle is a very big man. He scares me sometimes when the bad things happen he yells and turns purple in the face sometimes he'll just hit me and throw me in my cupboard without food. But its only for a few days so its not bad. I know I'm a burden to them but they still keep me even though my uncle threatens sometimes to send me to an orphanage. If he ever does I'll make sure to end up with you. You're my first friend Tom.

The bad things make the other kids scared of you? That's okay as long as they don't hurt you. Dudley makes everyone scared of me they all think I'm either crazy, a bad kid, or a freak. And the ones that aren't scared of me are scared of Dudley hurting them. Dudley and his friends like to play Harry Hunting. I don't like that game at all.

I'm sorry about your friend Tom, no snakes come into my relatives' yard but I don't know why, I've never seen any in the park either. It makes me sad I like them but I've only met one he was nice he was the class pet he was black and red and white. The teacher called him Stripes but she got rid of him. Until you said you could hear them too I thought it was just my imagination. Stripes liked to sing. It kind of made me feel special when I could hear him sing but nobody else could. I think Stripes knew more about science than the teacher did cause his songs were sometimes about her lessons.

As for knowing what it feels like to have a family… I don't mind it they are very strict with me and I know they don't like me but they keep me so that must count for something. So I try to make their lives easier. I don't know though sometimes I look at Dudley and wonder why he doesn't have to work like I do, but I guess its because he's actually their son and I'm not.

I have to go now.

Love,

Harry

Tom read Harry's letter and felt anger coarse through him at how she was treated. What was worse was she seemed to be okay with how she was treated. His friend thought she deserved to be treated so horribly. He could imagine her with her sweet smile simply taking a beating from a huge man because she thought it was okay.

"Tom darling what's wrong?"

"Her uncle hits her and she gets sent to a cupboard with no food for days. And she acts like nothing is wrong with it."

"Oh sweetie." Tom always found Martha odd he hated people in general but she always used such endearing terms on him even though he had clearly never shown any liking to her.

"Sometimes things like that happen and they go on so long that the ones they are happening to think its ok and that nothing's wrong with it because it became normal for them."

"No. I wont accept that she's like me I wont let her be hurt."

"Tom we cant do anything about it but I think you just being her friend is better for her than anything else because then when she realizes that whats happening is wrong she knows there is someone out there who cares."

"She needs me to care?" the brown eyed boy looked confused at how his caring could affect his friend at all.

"Yes because just because she sounds fine with it in her letter doesn't mean she is in fact it probably hurts her a lot. You said she was just like you Tom would you tell anyone if you were hurting."

"No you wouldn't you would try to solve it yourself. But I think the biggest problem with Harry's situation is they are her family and she's so young that she can't solve it herself."

"She makes things happen too. She can protect herself. "

"Your such a good boy Tom. I think if you keep writing to her Harry will keep being brave."