Blinded By The Past, Ignored In The Future
Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE: Tom's Story
Response To Reviews:
Miss Mina Murray: Remus as the father figure is the main idea. He's going to try and get Tom to trust people and stop believing that everyone is going to let him down in one way or another. Ideas are also welcome.
deathsoul-shinigami: As I just told Mss Mina Murray Remus is a very important character for the future chapters. He may even be the one to defend him from the narrow-mindedness that the rest of the Order has toward Tom. Sev (my friend) also said to tell you that I got the tea idea from him because that's all he prefers to drink.
DeadlyFate: Did you have fun catching up? It must have took some time.
Emma Ackroyd: I know the pain of a slow computer. It sucks. I really, really, really, really, really need you to get the computer fixed!!!!
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Previous Chapter: "Well actually we sort of made fun of each other and stuck with the names," explained Remus, closing the book. "No if I'm correct it's your turn to tell me something."
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Tom sighed. "But I don't have to many things to tell."
"I'm sure you do," Remus said. "You just have to think about them. Now go get anything you have to show." Reluctantly Tom made his way to his room and searched through his trunk for an envelope in which he kept all of his pictures. He found them quick enough and retuned to Remus.
"If I tell you quite a few things about me, will you tell me how you became a werewolf?" Tom asked, looking though his own pictures to see if he had what he was looking for.
"Will you tell me how you knew I was one?" challenged Remus. Tom nodded. "Then you have a deal. Can I ask you questions or would you rather tell me what you want?"
"You can ask away," Tom replied, getting comfortable on the couch.
Remus set his scrapbook aside and started by, "Dumbledore informed my that you grew up an orphan." Again Tom only nodded. "To what extent? I mean being without parents can mean a few different things."
Remus saw anger flash in Tom's eyes and his facial expression hardened. His eyes reduced to slits and he looked at the ground rather than at Remus." I lived in the orphanage since I was a few days old, sir. My mum lived only long enough to name me. Marvolo after my grandfather and Tom after my father." Tom spat the word as if it were foul.
Taking a deep breath, he continued, "When I was around seven I had been first contacted by my Uncle, the late Dark Lord Grindelwald. He told me of things that I shouldn't have known like my ancestry. It made me become interested in my family because the Orphanage Headmaster told me that both my parents were dead and I had no other family."
"When I was nine I decided that enough was enough. I broke into the Orphanage's File System and searched around. It didn't take long before I found what I had been looking for." Tom broke off and he coughed to regain control of his voice. "It was the first time I had ever seen what my mother looked like. The picture of her that they kept from me that is. I still have it if you wanna see it." Remus accepted the small, old photograph and was especially careful with it.
The most remarkable thing about the young woman in the photograph was that her long, black hair shinned a bluish color in the sunlight. Her almond shaped eyes were the exact same as Tom's except they held a bright fire within them that he didn't think capable of a woman so young. He flipped the photo over and saw, in fancy cursive writing was the name Rosanna Riverfall-Riddle.
"She had a beautiful name," Remus said to give Tom some comfort, handing the picture over to him.
Tom nodded, biting his lip, then continued. "I found out from the files how I got my name and why she died."
"And why was that?"
"Complications during birth, but it was my father's fault too. He left her when she told him she was a witch. He had no idea she was pregnant. I believe she went into depression, though that's something the files wouldn't say."
Remus nodded, seeing where his explanation was going. "So you were angered by your father?"
Tom smiled to himself. "Well one could say that death didn't suit him." Remus raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing about it.
"What about friends? I'm sure you must have had some."
"No," lied Tom. "I didn't have to many close friends."
"But you did have some?"
"Yeah."
"Well who were they?"
"I doesn't matter," Tom whispered but Remus could hear him perfectly. "It's not like anyone would care."
"Keeping certain things bottled up isn't healthy," Remus found himself say. The realization of what Albus's reason to keep Tom here hit him sharp. He was trying to get both of them to become close, talk through their losses together. Deciding to play it by the Headmaster's rules he said, "I lost all three of my friends to this war. Peter became a traitor, Sirius was killed last year, and James was killed a while ago.
Tom looked at Remus, brows furrowed. "What does that have to do with anything?" Remus shrugged. "I'm not telling you anything else. You'll probably run off and tell Dumbledore."
"No, I won't," Remus insisted. "The Headmaster didn't even ask me to get to know you. I'm doing this on my own."
"Then I'll give you a hard time," Tom sneered.
"So you're going to try and be difficult for the person who feeds you? That's not to wise especially when I could stop letting you eat dinner."
"Is it wise to taunt me with that when I could say that I may stop making you my tea?"
The smile on Remus's face disappeared. "Well you don't have to go that far, Tom," he said in a hurt voice.
Tom tried to glare at him but failed miserably. Remus laughed at him sour expression and put a hand on his shoulder. The werewolf felt Tom flinch at the gentle touch and the boy looked away when he tried to catch his eye.
"Tom?" Remus tried to get his attention but Tom wouldn't meet his eyes. Remus's hand dropped to his side when Tom scooted away. "What is it?"
Finally Tom looked up and smiled. "It's nothing, sir. It's just that I'm not feeling well. I think I'll go to sleep now."
Remus grabbed his hand as Tom went to leave and said, "You don't have to be afraid to be truthful with me. It's not like I'll laugh or tell the rest of the Order what goes on around here."
Tom's brows furrowed in anger. "I said I was tired," he hissed, yanking his hand away from Remus's grip. "If you can't even trust me enough to believe that then tell the Order I'd rather go to Azkaban. Oh but wait…that wouldn't look good for that muggle loving fool, would it? Him sending a poor mental boy to Azkaban!"
"You're not metal!" Remus snapped, for the first time truly betraying that he was angry.
"How would you know!" yelled Tom. His bottom lip trembled and a small sob escaped him. Remus's facial expression softened and he guided Tom back to the couch, wrapping both arms around the delicate teen.
How long it took for Tom to realize that he had broken down and allowed Remus to see exactly how he felt since he had awoken in the Hospital Wing that fateful night, Remus couldn't tell. Tom hadn't moved at all. He seemed afraid to face the werewolf after showing weakness and his fear of the near future.
Though it was true Tom would indeed become Lord Voldemort Remus couldn't help but feel empathy toward the Slytherin. He reminded him so much of Severus Snape. There was a certain connection between all Slytherin that James, Sirius, and Pettigrew had been blinded to but yet Remus it found on accident.
Remus recalled the way Severus acted as a child. He always walked about in the shadows, constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure that the no one was following him. Often he spoke in riddles and sneered if you had no idea what he was talking about. Remus and his short friendship had devastated the Marauders enough to get Sirius to eventually go overboard with anger and jealousy, telling him how to follow Remus into the tunnel under the Willow.
A sudden motion brought his thoughts back to the present. He looked down and saw that Tom had gotten comfortable. Remus shifted so he could see the boy and watched as Tom tried to fall asleep. Only a bit afraid of the consequences Remus cautiously wiped the tears away from Tom's cheeks and saw a small smile spread across his face. Before the night was over Remus found that he was smiling fondly at the young Dark Lord, such as a close uncle.
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The entire month of September and October had passed and it was now approaching the twentieth of December, marking the day that the holidays officially started. By now Remus and Tom had set up a daily routine (the only exceptional day was the full moon in which, under the influence of the Wolfsbane Potion, Moony would spend the night watching Tom tidy up his room or lay about in pure boredom). Dumbledore was scheduled to come and visit today, like he had once a week, and Remus, along with his young shadow, Tom, were making something for their favorite meal, Lunch.
"Is it done yet?" Tom whined.
"How should I know?" retorted Remus. "You're the one who's making it."
"Oh yeah," Tom said to himself, checking to make sure that the muffins in the over weren't burning. When that task was done he began to assist his adult friend with making some tea. While they both made a different pitcher of the drink Tom voiced his thoughts, "I didn't think men were supposed to cook."
"Just think of it as an added plus to your personality," Remus said while measuring out the exact amount of sugar.
"Oh goodie," mumbled Tom sarcastically, beginning to mix the tea together.
"What on earth are you two doing now?" a laughing voice from the doorway.
"Tonks!" Remus said in fake alarm, noticing the woman with bright pink, spiked hair. "What gives you the right to barge in on us?"
"Would you feel better if I went back out and knocked?" asked the young woman. Remus raised an eyebrow and Tom looked up from his work to greet her.
"Hello, ma'am," Tom said politely, nodding in respect.
"Don't give me that!" Tonks said in a fake stern tone. She was the only other Order member that Tom ever acted like himself around but he still felt obligated to be as respectful to her as he could. She fully entered the kitchen and sat down in a chair.
"Anything I can do?" she offered.
"NO!" both werewolf and child exclaimed in unison.
"What I mean is that we have everything under control, Tonks," Remus said, clearing his throat. Tonks smiled at them, knowing that they were afraid she would damage something if she tried to help. "Isn't Professor Dumbledore coming?" Remus asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," said Tonks. "He'll be here soon. I was just bored because the Ministry let me go home early so I decided to come and see my favorite nephew." Of course she was referring to Tom and even though he wasn't really what the nickname suggested Tonks treated him as if he was.
"So I had no influence on this visit?" Remus asked.
"Sorry. Nope," Tonks said matter-of-factly as Tom took a seat next to her. "Give me a hug!" she commanded Tom who was helpless to resist as she pulled him close. He laughed and she eventually let him go but not a second before he almost turned blue from the lack of oxygen.
He looked at the ground as the smell of blueberry muffins filled his nostrils and the two Order members began to talk freely. Through all of the facades that Tom daily put up, trying to pretend that he had no memories of his two friends plagued him the most. He was reminded of them every time he turned around, every time he saw Remus watching him, and even every time that Tonks paid a surprise visit. Perhaps one day, Tom though, I will forget it all and finally be able to stay here in peace.
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A/N: I hope you all don't mind that I brought another parent figure into Tom's life but I have no idea if there will be any romance between the two adults. It depends on all of you. Personally I couldn't care less. And who here thinks that Remus should get a hold of Tom's diary to discover what Hermione did? Oh don't worry people. Hermione will make a come back very soon.
~Marauder3Moony~
