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June 1939
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Harry and Tom's return to Wool's Orphanage also signals a return to other, older behaviours.
Ten months away at Hogwarts had changed many things. Not only are he and Tom different, but the orphanage is different, too. It only takes a few minutes of standing in the entrance hall for Harry to realize that Tom is going to have to reassert himself as the one in charge.
Mrs. Cole does not seem to thrilled to see them. She directs them back to their old room and tells them to be ready for supper shortly.
Harry and Tom step back into their room. Tom crackles his knuckles, flexing his fingers out.
"Didn't miss this place," Tom says. "Everyone here is so boring."
Harry makes a soft noise of agreement as he tucks his trunk up against the foot of his bed. Their room as a strange smell to it. Harry wonders if Mrs. Cole had let other orphans use their room while they'd been away. Tom won't like that, so Harry hopes it's not the case.
"I suppose we'll have to stay here for a while before we go anywhere," Tom continues. "Just to see how things are."
"Sure," Harry says. "We'll see how things are."
Harry walks over to their cupboard and opens it up. There's a scatter of plain stones resting along the bottom. There's also a glass orb sitting on top of an old shirt. Harry touches the orb with his finger. He already misses Hogwarts. The familiarity of Wool's feels stifling now that he's seen what else the world has to offer. Tom probably feels the same way.
Looking over, Harry sees that Tom has already unlocked his trunk and pulled out some of his things. His journal is deposited on the single wooden desk that they share. Tom's gaze lingers on the cover for a moment before he swoops back over to this trunk to retrieve more things. Quill, inkwell, and a few books join the journal.
"We should be able to sell our old texts back to the secondhand shops," Tom says.
The sudden change of topic confuses Harry, who has to think for a moment on what Tom means. September is so far away—Harry can't help but wonder how Tom's already able to think so pragmatically about their future when Harry's still reeling from returning to their old room here at Wool's.
"Yes," Harry says, after a pause. "That works."
"I don't particularly want to spend all summer running errands again," Tom adds. "But I suppose we ought to do something with our time other than study. If only we could use magic." He scowls over at his trunk, where Harry knows his wand is tucked away.
"If only," Harry echoes.
"Nathaniel mentioned the older Gryffindors run a betting pool for the Quidditch matches," Tom adds. "So there's a chance to multiply what we make."
Harry has to take another moment to think through what that means. "Will that work even if I'm on the team?"
"It will work because you will be on the team," Tom says, scoffing. "Harry, people underestimate us because they think we're Muggleborns. So we have to use that to our advantage."
"I'm sure they know not to underestimate you, Tom," says Harry. "You're the smartest in our whole year."
Though he's only staring out the window, Tom's eyes narrow slightly. "Maybe they won't underestimate me academically, but they still seem to think that they can get away with things."
Harry knows that Tom is talking about the tripping incident again, so he doesn't respond. Harry remembers Billy Stubbs' rabbit hanging from the rafters all those years ago. And Billy hadn't even done anything in particular—Tom had just wanted Billy out of the way so that Harry could take his place. So although their first year at Hogwarts had been relatively tame, Harry doesn't doubt Tom's capacity for aggression still exists.
They head down to dinner shortly after. Harry allows himself to forget about Tom's comment; they have all summer to think about better, more exciting things.
A quick glance at the table shows that not only are there new children at Wool's, but some of the old ones are gone as well. The new ones eye Tom and Harry with interest.
Mrs. Cole goes through the tedium of introductions before they start to eat. The food at Wool's is terrible and bland compared to what Harry and Tom had gotten used to at Hogwarts, but Harry manages to clear his plate anyways.
Tom shoves his portion around, expression placid.
"Come on, Tom," says Harry. "Sooner you're done, sooner we can go back to our room."
Tom shrugs indifferently, but resumes scooping his food into his mouth.
However, after dinner they don't return to their room right away. Tom heads straight for the drawing room, where some of the others have gathered around with their playthings. Billy Stubbs looks up from where he's sat in the corner with a handful of plastic toy soldiers, and Tom waves mockingly at him. Stubbs flinches, but remains where he is, shoulders squared.
Harry lingers quietly at Tom's side, wondering what Tom plans to do. After a moment, Tom walks to the center of the room, turning a slow circle, surveying his territory. A few of the orphans who know them watch curiously. Harry supposes that, after so long, their memories of Tom's fabled temper must have faded away. But Harry hasn't forgotten, and so he's wary as Tom turns to look at him.
"Let's go back to our room," Tom says, just loud enough to be heard across the room. Then he walks out without a second glance, and Harry has no choice but to follow him.
Tom says nothing as he shuts the door of their room with a sharp bang. He goes over to the desk and kicks it stubbornly, visibly fuming.
Harry watches this go on for some time, and then he says, "Do you want to read something together?"
"No," Tom says. "I don't."
So Harry goes to sit on his bed instead, still keeping a watchful eye on Tom.
Tom continues to kick at the desk, his darkening eyes fixed upon the opposite wall. Then he says, voice full of venom, "I hate this place."
"We can still go to Diagon Alley," Harry offers placatingly. "And to the Weasley's."
"It's not the same," Tom says, and Harry now thinks he knows the problem.
At Hogwarts, Tom is important. He is the best student in their year, the one with the highest marks, the favourite pupil of many of their teachers. At Hogwarts, Tom is notable and revered, and at Wool's he is not.
At Wool's, he is feared and shunned.
"I know," Harry says, sympathetic. He walks over to Tom, stopping less than a foot away.
"This is Dumbledore's fault," Tom adds. "We should have stayed at Hogwarts."
"We should have," Harry repeats.
Tom exhales, whipping his head to stare at Harry. "Next year, perhaps. I'll have to work harder at befriending Professor Slughorn. If the other professors like us, and if Professor Slughorn pushes for it, then Dumbledore will have no choice but to agree."
"That might work." Harry bobs his head, eager to encourage Tom out of his bad mood.
Reaching out with his left hand, Tom touches Harry's arm briefly, as though to steady himself. Then he walks over to his bed, settling down onto it. Harry moves to sit next to him.
"Less than three months to go," Tom says, as though the words are a mantra. His eyes have gone distant again.
Harry slowly tilts over so that his arm is pressed against Tom's. "We'll be alright," he promises. It hurts him to see Tom upset. Harry doesn't mind being here, though he does miss Hogwarts, but he can tell Tom truly hates it here at Wool's. He wishes he could do something about it.
"We'll just have to find things to do with our time until we can go back." Tom exhales again, his gaze turning sharp, and Harry starts to have a bad feeling in his gut, the same feeling he'd gotten when Septimus had told Tom about the Slytherins.
"Sure," Harry says. He places his hand on top of Tom's in an attempt to calm him.
Tom flips his hand over, entwining their fingers together. "Someday we'll look back on this as a distant memory," Tom says confidently. "We'll be powerful, and then they'll see. They'll have to see."
.
July 1939
.
Summer takes a bad turn in July. Tom's restlessness only continues to worsen, and though Harry tries his best to moderate Tom's bad moods, it doesn't always work.
Tom's gone back to sneering and snapping at people, like a feral cat that snarled if you got too close. The other orphans of Wool's soon find themselves reacquainted with the cold, near-tyrannical boy who had ruled their orphanage with a heavy hand.
Only Harry is safe from Tom's temper, and this fact makes Harry feel extraordinarily guilty.
To top things off, Harry's nightmares have returned. They'd all but vanished during his time at Hogwarts, but somehow in the dingy atmosphere of Wool's they've returned in full force. Though the premise of his nightmares remain the same (always the cupboard, always the fire, always Tom), Harry now sometimes dreams of flashing green lights.
Tom is angry about the return of the nightmares, though he's made very clear that he's not angry at Harry. They've started to share a bed despite the humid weather, because it's easier for Tom to wake him and comfort him if they're lumped together.
Harry feels bad about disturbing Tom's sleep so much, but Tom is insistent about it, and Harry has never been good at saying no to Tom. And though it continues for weeks, Tom doesn't even blame Harry, not one bit. Tom has merely added the nightmares to his list of problems to blame Dumbledore for.
To pass the time, Harry and Tom have been working on their summer homework, but Tom's been growing bored with the material, and Harry can tell that the only reason why Tom hasn't already finished is because he's trying to make it last longer.
Septimus and Annalise both write weekly, and sometimes they send old copies of the Prophet with them, but it's not enough. The tension in Wool's remains heavy—the warning before the storm. Though no one has actually been hurt yet, sooner or later things with Tom will escalate, and Harry wants to stop it before it happens.
"We should go to Diagon Alley," Harry says.
Tom is on his bed, flat on his back as he hovers a marble absently in the air with his left hand. They'd figured out that magic only registered with the Ministry if you were using your wand, and Tom had used this knowledge to his advantage, namely to terrorize the other children when it suited him.
"We could," Tom says. "It'd be nicer if it wasn't only shops there. I wonder why there's no public library, like at Hogwarts."
"There's still the bookstores," Harry says lightly. "And I'm sure there must be other places we haven't gone into yet that we can explore. We could even ask to borrow the Floo at the Leaky Cauldron, like Septimus suggested, and see if there are libraries in other wizarding areas."
"Hmm." Tom sits up, looking interested. "That does sound like a possibility."
So that weekend they go to Diagon Alley. Tom even gets to use his wand to tap the brick at the entrance. Once they are in the alley proper, the familiar sights of wands and owls and wizards robes are like a balm on Harry's heart. Here, at last, is the place where he and Tom belong.
For a while, Harry allows himself to lose himself in the warm feeling of magic in the air. His wand, carefully strapped into the holster at his side, thrums whenever he accidentally brushes his hand against it.
Tom struts around, dragging them from place to place. They spend a good deal of time in Flourish and Blotts, at least until the shop owner starts to eye them curiously, after which they quickly make themselves scarce. It wouldn't do to be questioned about where their parents are.
They go to Obscurus Books next, which is a book publisher rather than a proper bookstore, but there is a small section of books available for public perusal in the front room. Most of the books are scholarly in nature, and well above his and Tom's current capabilities to boot, but Tom seems to find them interesting anyways. He looks over the titles and scans the summaries on the backs of the covers.
Harry follows just behind Tom's elbow while Tom continues to browse. Eventually, they make their way back outside.
"Let's go visit Miss Hannah's shop," Harry says.
Tom agrees, so they make their way back over to the North Side of Diagon Alley, where Nettle's shop sits. Hannah is in the midst of tailoring a bright orange set of dress robes on a mannequin as Harry and Tom enter the shop.
"Hello," Harry says.
She looks up, startled. There are ribbons and pieces of fabric draped over her right shoulder, all of which tumble onto the floor as she turns towards. "Hello!" she says automatically. Then she registers who they are and a smile breaks out across her face. "Hello again!"
"Hello," says Tom. "We've come by to visit."
"It's nice to see you both," says Hannah. "How was your first year at Hogwarts?"
"It was amazing," Harry says.
"That's good to hear." Hannah retrieves her wand, sweeping up the fallen materials with a wave of magic. The items redeposit themselves onto her shoulder. "Don't mind the mess! I've just gotten this very particular customer who wants 'orange robes, long but not too long, orange but not too orange', and they've been driving me up the wall."
With another gesture of her wand, two stools appear from behind the counter, flipping over and landing onto the floor a few paces away.
"Have a seat, you can tell me all about it while I work on this."
Harry tugs Tom over to the stools. "Hogwarts is the best," Harry begins. "We've learned so many things already. And there are ghosts in the castle, and the Great Hall is huge."
Clambering onto a seat, Harry proceeds to go over the school year, with Tom only occasionally interjecting to add a point here and there. He finishes off with the end-of-year marks, making sure to talk up how Tom was the best.
"You should both be very proud of yourselves," Hannah says. There are now bits of string tangled all over her head. "That's very excellent for your first year, and I'm sure you'll only continue to do better in the future."
"Thank you," says Tom.
"Who won the House Cup, by the way?" asks Hannah.
"Ravenclaw," says Harry. "Because they won the Quidditch cup, too. So they had the most points."
"Oh, well." Hannah shrugs. "Maybe next year, then? Gryffindor pride!"
"Harry's going to play Seeker on the house team," Tom says. "So we'll be winning for sure."
"You've got brooms?" asks Hannah, squinting.
"Some classmates of ours are loaning me one," Harry tells her. He still feels bad about the broomstick, but Annalise is determined to act as though nothing is amiss, and Adelaide is strangely just as adamant as Septimus is that Harry practice flying.
"That's nice of them." With a final flourish of her wand, Hannah takes a step back from the mannequin. The orange robes are now a darker, less vibrant shade that could probably be better described as brown, and there are large, frilly yellow bows attached along all of the hems. Harry thinks it looks rather ugly, but he has the feeling Miss Hannah already knows this.
"Sorry for not writing during the year," Harry adds. "We don't have an owl or anything, and we don't have the money to rent the school ones."
"Oh, I don't mind. I wasn't really expecting anything!"
Harry watches as the robes slide off of the mannequin, folding themselves neatly in the air before they sail over to the counter, settling down into a cardboard box.
"We should be heading back soon," Tom says. "It's getting late, and we shouldn't be missing supper."
"Of course, of course," says Hannah. The box on the counter gets a sheet of tissue paper added to it, and then the entire thing seals itself shut. "How's your summer been going so far, though? Not too much homework?"
"Not too much," Harry echoes. "But it's a bit hard to do things since we don't live in a wizarding home."
"That's very true." Hannah walks over to the counter, pulling a roll of labels out from behind the counter. She peels a sticker out and slaps it onto the package. "Do you have any friends you can spend the summer with? Ones with lenient parents or guardians, I would hope."
"Some," Tom says. "We've made some plans."
"Good!" Hannah gestures at the package with her wand, which levitates into the air, moving through a doorway just behind her and disappearing into a back room.
"Well," Harry says, slipping off of his stool. "I guess we should go back to Wool's."
"It was nice to see you both," Hannah says cheerfully. "If I don't see you again, I hope you have a fantastic second year."
He and Tom depart. On the walk back, Tom has a thoughtful look on his face. He's chewing absently on his lower lip, his gaze far off.
"What are you thinking about?" asks Harry.
"I wonder if it would be possible to stay with someone else over the summer," says Tom. "Even just for a while. Septimus says he has lots of siblings, so his house must have a lot of empty rooms."
Staying with Septimus would be fun, Harry thinks. They could read more about Quidditch and do their homework together. And Tom would be more content in a magical household, where he could practice things without fear of getting into trouble with the Ministry.
"I like that idea," Harry says. "We can see what Septimus thinks when we go to see him this summer."
Tom nods. "The Greengrasses are likely not a possibility, but now that others have started to hang around our group at school, I don't suppose it will be hard to arrange for some other visits after our second year is completed."
"Do you think Annalise and Adelaide's parents will let them visit the Weasleys?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Tom says. "I think it will depend how well their marks were received. Their brother won't get his OWL marks until the end of summer, so the pressure is all on them to perform."
Harry doesn't like the sound of that. "I hope their parents aren't too hard on them." Though Annalise's letters haven't given any cause for alarm, he knows that she'd been extremely worried about going home for the summer.
"Adelaide seemed to think they'd be able to handle it."
They arrive at Wool's. Tom pauses on the pavement just outside the gate, brows pulled together. Their afternoon of respite is over. They are back to being two orphans in a sea of many.
"Two more months to go," says Harry.
Tom exhales. "Two more months."
The two of them step through the gate together.
A/N:
thank you everyone for reviewing, it really means a lot that you all like the story so much. had fun writing this chapter; i think this one plus the prologue sets the tone for what i imagine for the rest of this arc quite nicely.
still in the middle of slowly hammering out the details for this while i work on my other WIPs, soooo updates will be a little more spaced out for now i think. once i have a better idea the updates will be faster.