Lost But Not Forgotten
16 July 1978
Frank woke up much earlier than he normally would when he had a Sunday off. He had tossed and turned throughout the night, unable to sleep properly. The nightmare he'd had, which had had Tom morph into the Dark Lord, had not helped at all. Frank saw the faint light of sunrise through the edges of the curtains on the bedroom window and decided he might as well get out of bed and start his day. He glanced at Alice, who was sleeping peacefully beside him, and carefully got out of bed so as to not wake her. He pulled on a robe and a pair of slippers, put his wand in a pocket, and quietly exited the bedroom.
When Frank reached the first floor of the house, he saw light coming from the living room and put his hand on his wand. He was certain he'd turned off the light in the living room the night before. Once he arrived at the living room, he saw Tom and jumped slightly out of surprise but did not pull out his wand. He was better trained than to pull out his wand immediately upon simply being startled. Tom wasn't doing anything wrong. He was just sitting on a couch reading one of the books he and Alice kept in the bookcase in the room.
Tom looked up from the book he was reading. "Good morning, Auror Longbottom," Tom greeted.
"Morning," Frank replied gruffly. He cleared his throat. "You can call me Frank while we're in the house and it's just the three of us here."
Tom nodded in acknowledgement and returned his gaze back to the book he'd been reading before Frank had entered the room.
"How long have you been awake?" Frank asked.
"Around an hour or so. I don't sleep well," Tom answered quietly.
Frank frowned. That sounded like it was an ongoing problem. "You're an insomniac?"
"I suppose."
"You should get some potions from a healer for that. Sleep's important."
Tom hummed but otherwise didn't respond to that.
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Frank asked.
"No," Tom answered.
"Would you like some?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"Alright. Follow me to the kitchen then." Seeing a look of confusion on Tom's face, Frank added, "I have no issue serving guests in my home, but I want you to keep me company while I cook."
"I understand." Tom closed the book he'd been reading, got up from where he'd been sitting, turned off the living room light, and followed Frank to the kitchen with the book in hand.
Frank motioned for Tom to take a seat at the kitchen table, and once Tom sat down, Frank began to pull out ingredients to make breakfast for the two of them. If Alice wanted breakfast when she woke up later, he'd just make her whatever she wanted then. Chances were high though that she wouldn't want what he was cooking right now. "So what do you think of the book?" Frank asked, gesturing at the book Tom had brought over with him.
"It's interesting," Tom answered. "It's been a while since I've read about wandlore."
As Frank prepared the ingredients, he said, "One thing that becomes apparent when you study wandlore long enough is that a person's wand says quite a bit about them. If you actually know what the different aspects mean, you can get a pretty good sense of how a person is. Also, powerful individuals tend to have rather unique wands. Grindelwald, Dumbledore, and the Dark Lord all have been noted to have unusual wands, for instance."
"What type of wand do you have, Frank?" Tom asked.
Frank smiled and started cooking breakfast. "Oh, please. You'll have to do better than that. How about you tell me what type of wand you have first, Tom?"
"I don't have a wand," Tom said with a sad note in his voice.
Frank paused briefly and then continued cooking. Either something had happened to make it so Tom no longer had his wand or he was a squib. "Did something happen to your wand, or have you never had one?"
"It was stolen from me."
"That's a shame. Did you report the theft? Maybe it'll turn up somewhere," Frank suggested.
Tom shook his head. "No. I didn't have the chance, and it's likely destroyed by now. I'm certain it's not even in Britain. It was stolen while I was in France for a while."
"Have you looked into getting a replacement?"
"I haven't managed to acquire the necessary funds to get one."
Frank pulled out two plates from the cabinet and started to pile breakfast onto both plates. "Is that why the head auror is having you stay here?"
"I don't think so, but I believe he's going to explain everything to you tomorrow so you know the full situation."
"I see." Frank pulled out utensils from the drawer and put them on the plates, and then he carried the plates over to the table. He set the plates down and walked back to the kitchen to pull out two glasses and fill them with juice. He then walked back to the kitchen table, put the glasses down, and took a seat across from Tom. "Don't take offense to what I'm about to say, Tom, but I don't like that he volunteered my home to you without my consent. Depending on the conversation he and I have tomorrow, you may not be staying here much longer."
"I understand."
Frank and Tom ate breakfast in awkward silence. Once they finished eating, Frank asked, "If you weren't able to stay here, what would you do?"
Tom answered, "What I've been doing the past two weeks."
"Which is?"
"Making exchanges with vampires."
Frank's eyes widened. "What?" he asked incredulously.
Tom shrugged. "Vampires really like my blood, and I'm able to use it to my advantage. It's mutually beneficial."
"That's incredibly dangerous. What if they don't stop? You could die."
Tom smiled like he knew something Frank didn't, which didn't make Frank feel any better. "I intentionally pick vampires who are unlikely to overpower me for these transactions, and should a vampire lose their restraint, I can fight them off. I have enough experience that I can tell when a vampire needs to stop, and I can make them do so," Tom said.
"But you don't even have a wand!" Frank exclaimed.
"I'm skilled in wandless magic."
This revelation surprised, calmed, and worried Frank all at once for different reasons. It was unusual for a wizard to be capable of wandless magic, let alone skilled enough to feel comfortable taking on vampires with it. Frank certainly didn't need to worry for Tom if he could defend himself against vampires, but this also meant that Tom's presence in his home was more dangerous than he'd believed, for it meant that Tom didn't need a wand to be a threat.
"Frank, is everything alright? I heard you yell," Alice called from a distance. Frank knew she was at the staircase based on where her voice was coming from.
"Shit," Frank muttered. He hadn't wanted to wake her, but it was too late now. "Yes, Alice. Nothing to worry about," Frank responded.
Alice entered the kitchen wearing a long robe and slippers, and her hair was as messy as a bird's nest. She scrunched up her nose. "It stinks in here," she complained.
Frank cast an air-freshening charm. "Sorry, dear. I made breakfast and was having a conversation with Tom. Do you want me to make you anything?"
"Tea and toast?" Alice asked. "I can't really handle anything else right now."
"Of course. Come take a seat, and I'll get that ready for you." Frank took his and Tom's plates back to the kitchen and placed them in the sink. He washed his hands and then began the process of making tea and toast for his wife.
"Were you two discussing wandlore?" Alice asked from her seat next to Tom. Frank glanced at Alice and saw her looking at the book Tom had with him.
"A bit," Tom said.
"And other things," Frank added.
"What kind of wand do you have, Tom?" Alice asked.
"I don't have a wand. It was stolen," Tom said.
Frank saw Alice frown out of the corner of his eye. "What kind of wand did you have before then?" she pushed.
"Yew and phoenix feather."
"Curious," Frank muttered.
"Ollivander said the same thing when I got my wand," Tom replied, looking at Frank. "He also went into a bit of the wandlore about it, which sparked my interest in the subject."
"It's unusual for sure," Frank admitted.
"What else did you two talk about?" Alice asked. She didn't share the same level of interest in wandlore as Frank.
"What he'd been up to in the past two weeks with vampires," Frank grumbled.
"And as I explained to Frank, I can do wandless magic and defend myself if anything ever got out of hand," Tom added, irritation evident in his tone.
Alice sighed. "Oh, Frank. If Tom's able to defend himself and both he and whatever vampire he's with are in agreement about what they're doing, what's the problem?"
"He's been putting himself at a lot of risk just to have someplace to stay," Frank answered. "It seems to me the vampire would get more from the situation than he would. That's not fair."
Alice snorted. "Honey, I found Tom with a vampire yesterday, and while I'd had my concerns at first, I understand now that he gets more from it than you'd think."
Frank stared at Alice blankly, uncomprehending.
"It arouses him," Alice said. "He had an erection," she added gleefully.
Tom abruptly got out of his chair, grabbed the book, and quickly walked out of the room, face pinkening all the while.
"Oh," Frank said. There was really nothing he could say to that. He'd never heard of a wizard having that sort of reaction to a vampire's bite before. Frank brought over a cup of tea and a small plate with toast prepared just the way Alice liked to the table and took the seat he'd occupied previously. "Was it really necessary to say all of that? I think you frightened him away or managed to severely piss him off."
Alice laughed. "He'll be fine. He's going to have to be able to handle me poking fun at him at times." She began to eat her light breakfast.
Frank sighed. "I noticed that Tom was wearing the same clothes he was wearing last night. Does he have any other clothes?"
"I don't think he does. He didn't have any luggage or bags with him."
"I'll take him shopping for some clothes today. I'll keep the receipts to make sure we get reimbursed." There was no way Frank was going to let Alice take Tom shopping. She'd end up turning it into an all-day event and buy too much clothing that was also too expensive. While she didn't care much for shopping normally, he knew the situation would be different with Tom. He wasn't blind. He could tell that Tom was exceptionally handsome. Alice would treat him like a doll if given the opportunity.
"I'll go visit my sister then. It's been a while since we've been able to catch up." Alice finished the last bits of her breakfast.
"You do that." Frank kissed Alice and put away the dishes, and then they went upstairs to get ready for the day.
Tom had already looked put together when Frank had encountered him in the living room earlier, so Frank knew Tom would be ready whenever he was. Once Frank was ready to leave, he looked for Tom. Not finding him in the living room, Frank correctly assumed Tom was in the guest bedroom, avoiding him and Alice.
Frank knocked on the door. "Hey, Tom, we'll be going to the shops today to get you some clothes. I'm ready to leave. Are you? Alice won't be joining us."
Tom opened the door. "Thank you, but you don't have to do that."
Frank stepped away from the door. "Someone has to, and don't worry. I'm going to be making sure Moody reimburses me, so it's no hardship or anything for me to do this."
Tom nodded in assent and walked out of the room.
"We'll be apparating, so just grab a hold of my arm, and keep a firm grip," Frank instructed. "Take a deep breath too."
Tom did as he was told, and less than a minute later, Frank and Tom were in front of a shop. An hour later, Tom had enough clothes he could cycle through over a two-week period for a reasonable price. Afterwards, Frank took Tom to buy a wand though they didn't go to Ollivanders Wand Shop because Mr. Ollivander refused to sell secondary wands on principle, which Frank very well knew. Instead, they went to a different, more obscure wand shop, one that focused on selling secondary wands.
When the two got back to the house, Tom went to put away his new clothes. Meanwhile, Frank went to his room and changed his own clothes and then went outside to tend to the garden for a while before he cleaned up the house.
The rest of the day went by quietly. Tom didn't appear to have much to say and seemed content to spend all day reading books in the living room, and Frank wasn't inclined to get to know more about him than he'd already learned. He didn't want to form such an attachment that Moody would be able to manipulate the situation to his advantage more than he already had
Alice was home in time for dinner, and she provided most of the conversation while they ate though Frank filled her in on what he and Tom had done during the day. Tom kept silent throughout the meal.
Tom retreated to the guest bedroom after dinner while Frank and Alice went to their own bedroom. As soon as Frank's head hit the pillow that night, he fell straight asleep.
17 July 1978
Frank woke up feeling better rested than the previous day though his mood soured while he was getting ready for work when he remembered that he'd have to have a firm conversation with Moody. He made note of where he had put the receipts from the day before and decided to leave them at home for now.
Alice was still asleep when Frank left for work since she was off today, and Tom was reading in the living room once more. Tom had actually prepared breakfast for Frank this morning and placed the food under a stasis charm before Frank had woken up, which allowed Frank to leave home earlier than usual for the Ministry.
Very few aurors had arrived by the time Frank did, and no one paid him any attention when he went to the head auror's office. Frank knocked on the door and heard Moody gruffly say, "Enter."
Frank opened the door and greeted, "Good morning, Head Auror Moody."
Moody looked up and motioned with his hand for Frank to close the door. Frank did so and then took a seat across from the head auror.
For a moment the two just stared at each other in silence. Just as Frank was about to speak, Moody asked, "How are things going with my son, Alastor?"
Frank sighed. That was always the first question the head auror had for him whenever they spoke. "He's doing just fine as always. He's a solidly good auror to work with. We caught a Death Eater just last week, in case you didn't hear of that."
The head auror nodded, obviously pleased. "Excellent."
"Now, sir, we need to discuss the situation you've placed my wife and I in with this Tom fellow," Frank said, getting straight to the point. "I don't appreciate you making Alice feel like she had to bring this man into our home and not allowing her the opportunity to consult with me first when it's our house. We're also going to need payment for this blatant overtime duty and compensation for any expenses he's incurred. I also want to hear why Alice and I should even allow this unknown man to live in our home and how long this is expected to go on. If the reasoning seems fair to me, and we're paid appropriately, then this may continue, but otherwise, you'll need to find other arrangements for Tom."
Moody said, "I apologize for not having consulted with you in addition to your wife, but there weren't really any other options available at the moment. It was quite late at night when his presence came to my attention, and I needed to ensure he'd be somewhere safe. What I'm about to tell you I've also told your wife. I asked her to not say anything this weekend but promised her I would share the information with you today. It's important that you only discuss the information I'm about to tell you with myself, your wife, and Tom himself and no one else. Absolutely no one else can know. Do you understand?"
Frank guessed he was not going to like what he was about to be told but also knew that whatever he was about to be told would be important. "Yes."
The head auror elaborated, "Your houseguest, Tom, is fully named Tom Marvolo Riddle. He disappeared during the final task of the Triwizard Tournament held at Beauxbatons Academy in France in 1945 when he was 18 years old. He was presumed to be dead. Due to some sort of experimental magic he conducted, he was actually transported from then to now. He's only been in our time for about two weeks.
"Back when he was a student, it was common practice for students to be brought to the Department of Mysteries to hear prophesies that applied to them during their third year at Hogwarts. Few students actually had any prophesies, but he had two, the more notable one indicating he would defeat the Dark Lord. News spread, and everyone assumed he was destined to defeat Grindelwald. Even some of Grindelwald's followers believed the prophecy, to the extent that one who'd been in Azkaban, named Donna Abbott, escaped and attempted to kill him and a classmate of his. To save himself and his classmate, Walburga Black, he ultimately ended up killing Donna Abbott. He did this at the age of 15. I saw future auror potential in him when I arrived at the crime scene, so I've kept my eye on him ever since.
"Now, as you're aware, Grindelwald was not defeated by Tom Riddle but rather by Albus Dumbledore. Grindelwald was defeated after Riddle's disappearance. This leaves the question open as to who the Dark Lord referenced in the prophesy is supposed to be. If it isn't Grindelwald, who is it? I suspect it's You-Know-Who. We'll have to get an unspeakable to assist us in finding the prophesy in order to confirm or deny this, and I have one in mind already, but there is a strong chance that You-Know-Who is who he is destined to defeat. If that is the case, we have to tread carefully so as to retain the element of surprise. It is unlikely that You-Know-Who is aware of Riddle's presence. He is likely unaware of his very existence or that of the prophesy.
"The plan right now is for Riddle to become an auror trainee, and he'll be going by a fake name. I'm going to ask him to use a glamor as well to disguise his appearance. Even if it turns out he isn't destined to defeat You-Know-Who, the young man is brilliant and magically talented. He got Outstandings in every subject he took NEWTs for, was Hogwarts' champion in a Triwizard Tournament, and did something to move himself through time. He'll be an asset to the aurors and the fight against the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters. I'm certain of it. Having him be an auror trainee will also allow him to earn an income and get training that can assist him in fighting You-Know-Who should he actually be prophesied to defeat him.
"As for your concern about expenses, which I hadn't been able to discuss with your wife nor Riddle, my intention is for Riddle to pay for his own items and pay you a reasonable amount in rent while he stays with you. The paperwork for him to begin working as an auror trainee will be finalized by the end of the week, and he'll be starting work as an auror trainee next week. The pay he starts to get should be more than sufficient to allow him to pay his way. I do not expect you or your wife to babysit him or be on guard duty or anything of the sort. He's an adult and quite capable of handling himself. He just needs a safe place to live. Outside of work, if you don't want to interact with him, so be it. If after he's been working for a couple months you and your wife decide you no longer want him to live with you and he's able to get a place of his own, that's fine too. I'm just looking for him to have the opportunity to adjust to the new time period when he clearly is starting with nothing. No one, let alone someone who may possibly be the Chosen One, should have to whore themselves out to vampires only to barely scrape by."
Frank sat in his seat dumbfounded and took a few minutes to process the information the head auror had just shared with him. It was a lot to take in. He now understood why Alice hadn't really fought Moody about letting Tom stay with them. When she had said Moody had made it sound important, Frank hadn't thought the situation was anything like this. Begrudgingly, he had to admit to himself that Moody's intentions were in the right place and that his plan was well-thought. Moody knew he could trust him and Alice with Tom's secrets and his physical well-being. This situation was actually Moody's way of showing how much he respected and trusted them. Frank was glad that he'd been able to express his concerns without flying off the handle in rage the way he'd wanted to Saturday night. Alice had been right to tell him to stay calm and hear what the head auror had to say.
"I can agree to let Tom stay with us if Alice is on board with it," Frank said. "I'll ask her tonight."
"Glad to hear it."
Frank hesitated briefly before asking, "Has Alice put in a leave request yet?"
"No. What does she need to go on leave for? I can get you the paperwork for her to fill out."
"She's pregnant."
"Really? I couldn't tell. It hasn't affected her work performance so far. Is it high risk?"
"According to the healer, everything is going smoothly, but this line of work is dangerous, and it's already caused her to miscarry once before."
Moody sighed. "Frank, I understand your concern, but if she doesn't have any health complications or concerns herself, there isn't much I can do. She could request to be temporarily removed from field work entirely and just handle office work throughout her pregnancy, even without it being high risk, as an accommodation for her condition. However, I think you and I both know she's not likely to do so. But since she is an adult of sound mind, that's her decision to make. You know this."
Frank clenched his fists with frustration and looked away from the head auror. He hated that the man was right about this. Alice loved her job, especially being in the field, and she wouldn't want to give it up for any period of time. She'd only give it up if she was forced to, which meant it'd only happen if her health was in such a poor state that she couldn't do the work. He loved how determined she could be but not in situations like this.
"Is there anything else you'd like to discuss, Longbottom?" the head auror asked.
Frank shook his head. "No. That's all."
"In that case, have a good day at work, and good job on catching that Death Eater."
"Thank you, sir," Frank said. He got out of his seat and left the office.
The rest of the day passed by normally. The only noteworthy occurrence was when he saw Lucius Malfoy make an appearance in the Auror Office because it meant the man was most likely bailing out someone or trying to obtain information he had no business knowing. Frank had his suspicions, but he couldn't find anything conclusive that'd allow him to question the man or check his left arm.
When Frank got home from work that evening, he found Alice and Tom in the kitchen preparing dinner.
"How was work?" Alice asked.
Frank sat down in his normal spot. "It was fine. I saw Lucius Malfoy though." Frank saw Tom pause briefly before he continued with what he was doing.
"What was he there for?" Alice asked.
"Don't know. Probably the usual," Frank answered. "I also spoke with Moody. I understand the situation. I'm fine with Tom staying with us for now. Tom, I got some information from Moody that you need to be aware of."
Tom looked up. "What sort of information?"
"Moody said you'll be starting work as an auror trainee next week. The paperwork will be done by the end of the week. He expects you to pay your way with the wages you'll earn. Alice and I will discuss what amount is fair for rent and then let you know, and you'll be responsible for paying for your own items. We'll figure out something when it comes to shared expenses. Moody also said that you'll need a fake name and that you'll need to wear a glamor," Frank said.
"That seems reasonable," Tom replied.
"A glamor? Wearing a glamor seems excessive," Alice protested.
Tom disagreed, saying, "No, it makes sense. Many people who knew me back when I was at Hogwarts are likely still alive and may recognize me by either face or name, especially people who spent any real length of time around me."
"Like who?" Alice asked. She finished with the cooking and put dinner onto plates for the three of them.
"Myrtle Warren, Albus Dumbledore, Alphard Black, Walburga Black, and Abraxas Malfoy, for instance, would all definitely recognize me. While I think it'd be okay for some of them to know I'm here, not all of them should," Tom answered, taking a seat at the table with his food.
"Well, there's certainly no risk with Alphard Black," Frank said, receiving a plate from Alice. "The man died from some mysterious incurable illness just last year. It was in the papers. He'd wasted away, and no one could figure out exactly why nor how to cure him. He was quarantined for quite a while out of fear of possible spread of the infection. No one else has caught it as far as I'm aware."
A stricken expression crossed Tom's face. "Did he have a family? A spouse or kids?" Tom asked.
Frank replied, "No. He was a lifelong bachelor and estranged from most of the Black family. There were rumors he didn't exactly fancy women or that he had a thing for muggles, but I wouldn't know either way. He left everything he had to one of his nephews, Sirius Black, in his will. I take it you two were close?"
Tom nodded. "For a while until his family put a stop to us having contact. They didn't approve of our relationship."
Alice joined them at the table with her dinner in hand. "Your relationship?" she asked.
Tom didn't respond and just looked away.
Realization dawned in Alice's eyes. "I knew it! Frank, I told you Alphard liked men. He just stuck with muggles or really discreet wizards. I'm so sorry, Tom. If it makes you feel better, Alphard seemed pretty happy until he got sick. He wasn't nearly as serious as the rest of the Black family. I think he lived a good life for the most part. His nephew Sirius has spoken highly of him though Sirius is estranged from the Black family too."
Tom asked, "What do you know about Walburga Black?"
Frank and Alice looked at each other before Frank answered, "She's married to Orion Black and has two sons, Sirius and Regulus. She cut Alphard and Sirius out of the family. She's a staunch pureblood supremacist and supports the Dark Lord though she's not a Death Eater herself. There's some speculation that Walburga and Orion support the Dark Lord to such an extent that Regulus might become a Death Eater if he isn't already one."
Tom frowned. "I knew she had some blood purist beliefs when we went to Hogwarts together, but they didn't seem very strong at the time, more like something she just picked up on from others. And she was not a fan of Grindelwald, especially since one of his followers nearly killed her. I wonder what changed. I stopped having contact with her once I stopped having contact with Alphard. Most of my contact with her had been because of my relationship with Alphard."
"What kind of connection did you have with Abraxas Malfoy?" Alice asked, looking eager for gossip.
Tom hesitated before answering, "We were friends and unofficially dated for a while. I don't really want to talk about it. It didn't end well. I was worse off for it and regret having ever gotten involved with him. All I really want to know about him is if he's miserable or dead."
"I'm not sure if he's miserable though he is a grouchy bastard, so he might be. Unfortunately, he's still alive and quite an active politician. There are suspicions that he's a Death Eater and that he had a hand in getting the first muggleborn Minister of Magic ousted from his position, but nothing has ever been proven. He's pretty terrible, and his son, Lucius, seems to be just as bad," Frank said.
"Do either of you know anything about Myrtle Warren?" Tom asked.
"Never heard of her," Frank replied. "Alice?"
Alice shook her head. "I've never heard of her either."
Tom said, "I'll have to look into that then to see what happened to her. She would've been the most affected by my disappearance. She was a good friend. What has Dumbledore been up to?"
"He's the headmaster of Hogwarts right now and involved with a lot of different things. He's highly respected and accomplished, to make it simple. He's strongly opposed to the Dark Lord, and there are rumors that the Dark Lord actually is afraid of him, which would be reasonable seeing as how he took down the last dark lord," Frank answered.
Each of the three proceeded to reheat their food, which had gotten cold during the conversation. They finished the rest of dinner in silence in order to actually eat their food. Afterwards, they parted ways with Tom retreating to the guest bedroom and Frank and Alice going upstairs to their bedroom.
Once in their room, Alice asked, "Do you think we should tell Dumbledore about Tom?"
"What for?" Frank asked back.
"They knew each other before, and Tom is supposed to defeat You-Know-Who. Dumbledore could help."
"We don't know for sure that Tom's prophesied to defeat the Dark Lord, so maybe we should revisit this after seeing what the prophesy has to say. We should check with Moody too. I know he and Dumbledore irritate each other because both of them want to be in charge, but he may have some reasons as to why we should or shouldn't share the information with Dumbledore at that point."
The couple got ready for bed and went to sleep not long after.
