A/n: Hey! The idea came to me while I was reading Kit Cloudkicker's "The World Without Voldemort." Don't ask me why since they (my fic and hers) are two different things, but it did. This is simply a story of Voldemort's time at Hogwarts, told to the best of my ability.
Chapter 1Tom Marvolo Riddle looked out of his window of his bedroom at the orphanage he lived at. He didn't know how he felt: nervous, scared, nothing, or a combination of. In a matter of hours, he would be on the train to Platform 9 and ¾ at Kings Cross station to go start his schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had heard nothing, but he couldn't wait to get started. This was going to be a very interesting experience, he was sure.
Tom just sighed, staring out of the window, watching the sun go down. The sun was on the brink of the horizon, and sky was full of beautiful colors of pinks, reds, and purples. He was waiting until the lady who ran the orphanage to come up and tell him to go to bed. He knew she would come up and tell him that any minute now. It was only a matter of minutes.
"Tom?" The Lady said. "Time for bed. You have a busy day tomorrow."
"Yes, I know." Tom said. "I will go to bed. Goodnight. Are you going to drive me to the train station tomorrow?"
"I can't," she said, kindly. "I can't leave the orphanage. I will call a taxi, and I will give you money, and you will get there that way."
"Alright." Tom said. He should've seen this coming. Another taxi. It was a never-ending cycle. No one cared about him. He was just another orphan in another orphanage. He wasn't even going to get adopted either. Not that he wanted to be adopted. Tom didn't have parents, and he had learned to live with that, and besides… Even if he wanted to be adopted, it was out of the question. He was too old. Adults wanted children who couldn't think for themselves, who didn't know any better, who were too young to know to know the difference.
Tom wasn't like that.
Tom had learned a long time to think for himself. He was said to have a bad temper, and also said to be a strange boy, although the lady at the orphanage always said he was a handsome boy. He didn't understand that, but he took her word for it.
Tom listened as the lady's footsteps disappeared. She would not come back up until morning to wake him up. Tom turned the lamp on low, and took out his Hogwarts letter and read it again:
Dear Mr. Riddle,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore,
Deputy Headmaster
Tom sighed. He had read all his books back to front since he had bought them. (Which wasn't easy, let me tell you.) Everything he had read had fascinated him. The Wizarding world would be so interesting to learn about. (The books really didn't tell you much.) Maybe he could meet someone that could tell him more about the Wizarding world first-hand, and not some third hand accounts from some books. (Since the books were just information about different subjects such as Defense Against the Dark Arts (which was interesting) and Potions, and things like that, and not the Wizarding world itself.)
When Tom went to Diagon Alley, which was the Wizarding place where you bought all your Wizarding things, most of them wore regular clothes (or muggle clothes, Tom assumed, was the Wizarding word for non-magical. He had heard many wizards and witches use it.)
Tom just lay there, thinking, until drowsiness caught him and he drifted off to sleep.
In the morning, he was awoken bright and early. He got dressed, and went downstairs to wait.
"I've already called a taxi, Tom," said the Lady. "It will be here soon, and will take you to Kings' Cross Station."
Tom nodded, without saying a word. He would be glad when he could get out of this place. He hated this orphanage.
The Lady handed him some money. "This should be enough to get you there. Want anything to eat before you leave?"
Tom nodded again, without saying a word. The Lady left and came back with toast, bacon, and sausage in a bag. "There you go." She said.
"Thank you." Tom said.
The Lady only smiled
A car honked outside as he was eating. That must be it. Tom thought. He grabbed his trunk and dragged it outside. The taxi driver helped him lift it into the trunk, and he took his food and his ticket into the backseat. He finished eating on the way to Kings' Cross Station.
When he got there, the taxi driver simply asked for his money (which Tom willingly gave him) and then got his trunk out of the trunk and then dragged it away.
Tom looked down at the ticket. It said the Hogwarts Express left from Platform 9 ¾. 9 ¾, was that right? It couldn't be? Impossible… Platform 9… Platform 10… Nothing in between. Tom just stood there, staring at the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10, wondering what he was going to do. He glanced at the clock. It said the time was 20 'till. What am I going to do? Tom thought.
"Excuse me, young man," said a voice. Tom turned around to see who the voice belonged to. "If you would excuse me, there are other people that need to get to the Hogwarts Express." The person who spoke was a man, tall, with blond hair, and grey eye, things reciprocated in his son, who obviously, was the boy standing next to him, as they looked a lot alike.
"Excuse me, sir, I'm sorry," Tom said politely, "But, how, pray tell, do you get to the Hogwarts Express?"
"Watch and see." The man said smugly.
Tom stood aside and did so. Before his very eyes, both the Father and his son ran through the barrier and disappeared. Tom's eyes bulged. How…he thought. Maybe, if I do what they did, I'll find the Hogwarts Express. It wasn't much, but it was something. They had run straight into the wall between Platform's 9 and 10 and then had seemed to go right through… Tom took his trunk and the ran straight towards the wall, waiting for a collision that never came. When he opened his eyes, he was on the other side of the wall! And there was the Hogwarts Express! That man was more helpful than he knows, Tom thought, as he walked toward the purple steam engine.
"You figured it out," said a familiar voice. Tom turned and was face-to-face with the smug man and his son from earlier.
"Yes," Tom said. "I just did what you did, and found myself on the other side."
"Are you a muggleborn?" Asked the man. He had an expression on his face that clearly said whatever a "muggleborn" was; it wasn't something he approved of.
Tom looked at him with a confused express from a moment and the realized what "muggle" meant, and then realized what the man was asking. "No." Tom said, simply.
"Where are you parents?" He asked.
"I don't have any?" Tom said simply.
"Father, we should be going. The train will leave soon." It was the boy. He had finally spoken.
"Of course."
Tom put his trunk in the proper compartment and then he and his boy left his father to find a compartment to set in. "Were you lying to my father?" The boy asked.
"No," Tom said. He hadn't been. "I'm sure I'm not from what I've heard from the people at the orphanage."
"Orphanage?" Asked the boy, as he and Tom sat down in an empty compartment across from each other.
"Yes, I live in a muggle orphanage." Tom admitted.
"Oh." The boy said.
"I've heard from the people at the orphanage that my mother left me there raving that my father had abandoned her because she was a witch and she couldn't live without him." Tom said. "They thought she was crazy. Until, of course, I got my Hogwarts letter."
The boy smiled. "Such a shame. Muggles are awful, you'll see."
"They are, if they're anything like the people I've grown up with." Tom agreed.
"They're all the same." The boy said.
It was Tom's turn to smile.
"We haven't been properly introduced," said the boy. "My name is Adrongenus. Adrongenus Malfoy." He held out his hand from Tom's.
"Tom. Tom Riddle." His name felt so dumb next to Adrongenus's.
"Nice to meet you." He said. "Oh, and btw, I wouldn't mention that you weren't pureblood to too many people if I were you. Especially if you get into Slytherin. Some people aren't too found of non-purebloods. You aren't a mudblood, but you aren't pureblood either, but just keep quiet about it. Strictly speaking, I'm really not supposed to be talking to you, but you don't seem that bad."
Tom nodded. "I understand. Your Father…"
"Yes, my father." Adrongenus said. "I hope I'm in Slytherin. That's one of the houses here at Hogwarts. You'll understand soon enough."
"I know all about the houses." Tom said, insulted. "I've read Hogwarts: A History."
"Really?" Adrongenus said. "Wonderful."
They got off the train behind and then heard a voice call, "First Years! First Years this way!" Tom and Androngenus followed the sound of the voice to see a man of average height standing there. Once all the first years were gathered around there, he led to the lake, and they got into the boats (4 to each) and went across the lake, traditional voyage for first years.
When they got there, the man led them to the doors, and opened them. There to meet them, was a tall, old man, with a long white beard, and half-moon spectacles. "First years, this is Professor Dumbledore."
"Thank you," said the man whom they had just met. "I will take them from here."
He nodded and went around Professor Dumbledore. Professor Dumbledore than turned around and led them to a small chamber off of the Entrance Hall, which itself was huge. "Hello, students. I am Professor Dumbledore and welcome to Hogwarts." Professor Dumbledore said. "The start-of-term feast will begin short, but before you can your seats in the Great Hall with the rest of your classmates, you must be sorted into your houses, which are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family. You will eat together, have class together, sleep together in your house dormitory, and spend any free time you have in your house common room. Triumphs and other such good deeds will gain your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose your house points. I'm sure you each will be a wonderful credit to your house. The sorting ceremony will take place in a few moments. I will get you when we are ready for you." He then left them alone in the chamber. They talked amongst themselves until he returned. Everyone wondering how exactly they were going to decide what house they were going to be in. "We are ready for you. Follow me." They then followed him and he led them into the Great Hall. In front of them was a 3-legged stool and an old hat that sat on top of it. Professor Dumbledore then held out a long parchment. "When I call your name, you will place the hat on your head and sit on the stool and wait to be sorted." He cleared his throat and began to call names.
Tom stood there anxiously, waiting for Professor Dumbledore to call his name so he could be sorted. It seemed to take forever before Dumbledore called out, "Riddle, Tom!"
Tom walked forward as the whole Hall watched him in anticipation. Then heard the hat speaking to him in his year, yes, speaking to him. "Well, hm, let's see now… Cunning, ambitious, and I also see a thirst to prove yourself. And a very good mind too, I see. But, where to put you? Hm… You could do well in Ravenclaw, but still… Yes, no doubt. SLYTHERIN!"
The Slytherin table cheered as Tom walked over and joined them. There was before "Malfoy, Adrongenus!" was called. The hat sat on his head for 2 seconds before it called out, "SLYTHERIN!" Adrongenus joined him at the Slytherin table.
"I got worried when it didn't yell out Slytherin right away." Adrongenus whispered to Tom. "That's what the hat did to my father."
"The hat thought about putting my in Ravenclaw but decided in the end that there was no doubt it was Ravenclaw." Tom said. "I'm glad. I've liked Slytherin best from what I've read about it."
"Slytherin's definitely the best house of all." Adrongenus agreed.
After dinner, a prefect led them their dormitory, told them their password, and led them inside. He gave them a few ground rules, told them where their dormitory was, and then went to his own dormitory.
Tom and Adrongenus went into their dormitory along with their fellow dorm mates. Tom stared up at the ceiling for a while as he thought, These next few years are going to be great, before sleep overtook him.
A/n: Yes, I know it's OOC for a Malfoy to be friendly with someone who isn't a pureblood, but you'll see why later, if I ever get the next chapter out. There's so many unanswered questions about Voldemort, and I don't know what to do or where to start, so… Don't expect a chapter anytime soon, but I will get one out eventually, I promise. Oh, and I need some names for future characters that become part of Tom's group, so if you could give me some names, that would be great.