"You mean to say that the Dark Lord's mum just died off? She quit living?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Well yeah, that's what I said." Harry responded.

"But why? None of this" Ron gestured at the bloody battlefield and corpses, "would have happened if she had given her son half a chance."

"Ron, her son reminded her of losing her husband, a husband that hadn't really fallen in love with her, a husband that wasn't in his right mind." Hermione said quietly.

Several years have passed since that frosty day that Tom Riddle was born. He is five years old now; he lives in the orphanage with other children. Young Tom has a stringy, wiry arms and legs, his hair is thin and dark, his eyes are black and unreadable, and, like any other five year old boy, short. He detests living in the orphanage and he hates the other children that reside there also. The only thing that seems to make young Tom happy is thinking about his father, and how life would have been with him and his mother, he is completely oblivious that his biological father despises him and his kind. Also, he doesn't understand that his mother gave up on Tom, shortly after his birth, because he reminded her of her loss, something that never really had belonged to her, her husband. Someone once said ignorance is bliss, and for Tom it was true.

The season is fall, it had rained many times during the month, but this day was different. The air was crisp and clear, and leaves of all colors had fallen off their trees and clothed the ground. Today was October Thirty-First, Halloween…

KLING-KLONG! KLING-KLONG! KLONG-KLING! KLONG-KLING! The deep sounding bell awoke the young boys and girls who resided in the orphanage. The young boys in Tom Riddle's room were speaking excitedly.

"Are you excited for Halloween?"

"How much candy do you think we'll get this year?"

"My favorites are the taffies."

"I like the caramel."

"The lollipops are my favorite."

Tom got up slowly and took off his pajamas, getting ready for the day. "Tom aren't you excited? It's Halloween!" Piped little Bradley, who had curly brown hair and dark eyes, he was littler than all the other boys and more annoying.

"Sort of," Tom answered. "It's just that I never get as much candy as anyone else."

"What are you talking about? Everyone gets the same. Sister Ruth says that every year." Said Colin, he was taller than Tom, and only said this because he got more than everyone, because he took the other boys' candy.

Tom didn't say anything, but raised his eyebrow. He was one of Colin's favorite victims.

"Get up! Get dressed! Chores than breakfast! Hurry up children!" It was the nurse. She was getting more senile and cranky every day. None of the boys liked her, in fact nobody liked her.

"All right, ma'am." The boys said in unison.

Tom liked doing his chores more than anything else during the day, it was the only time that he had to himself to think and daydream. It wasn't the cleaning that he liked, but the time he had alone that he enjoyed. Today he was in charge of sweeping the boys' section.

The activities that happened during the day took place in different areas of the orphanage. The kitchen and eating area were on the first floor, along with the greeting hall and living quarters for the nurse and sisters. The second story was where the boys and girls lived; the boys lived on the left side, girls were on the right side. There was an attic and a basement for storage (or so the children thought), but none of the children were allowed in there. They had chapel every Friday morning, but few of the children could actually understand God would leave them in an orphanage, so most believed that God didn't love them.

As Tom was sweeping, he thought of his father, who (in Tom's mind) was tall and handsome with dark hair and eyes like himself, and smiled a lot. He thought of his mother as a beautiful woman with blonde-red hair and blue eyes, with a sweet disposition.

"One day, Dad is gonna come by here and say, 'Tom, it's time my boy. We're off.' And I'm going to be done with this place, forever." Tom whispered dreamily. He started dancing with the broom he had.

Tom continued, "Then I'll ask Dad where we're going, he'll say in his low sweet voice, 'Home, Tom.' I'll be expecting to go home in a car or taxi, but there will be an airplane in the middle of the street, and Dad will hop in and give me a helmet that fits just right…"

Tom often did this. It was the only thing he took joy in. He wasn't good at sports, the food wasn't tasty, he had no friends and he didn't want any either. So he stuck to dreaming, and reading, that he was also good at.

"Still mooning over your parents, Riddle?" Colin said behind Tom.

"Leave me alone, Colin." Tom said quietly.

"Ooh, leave me alone Colin." Colin mimicked. "Live in the now, your parents are never coming back. They're dead, or happy without you."

"Shut up, Colin." Tom was getting angry.

"You actually believe that your parents are coming back for you, Riddle? That's dumb." Colin tantalized.

"Shut up! Just shut up or I'll-" Tom was interrupted.

"Or you'll what?" Colin taunted.

Tom's eyes flashed a crimson color for a moment, he was quiet, but there was a smirk on his face.

"What the- What are you doing? Get me down, Riddle!" Colin was in the air, upside-down.

"Take it back, Colin." Tom's voice was raspy, but had joy in it.

After several seconds of silence, Colin collided with the wall. His head hit hard, and there was a loud thud, as his body fell to the ground.

"You should have taken it back, Colin." Tom said over Colin's body, as Colin lay shaking.

"Ss-Ss-Sorry Tom, I'll never do it again." Colin stuttered, tears falling down his face.

Tom turned briskly, taking the broom with him. He put the broom away quietly, and ran back to where Colin was. Tom put Colin in his bed, he dampened his forehead with a sponge, and left him shaking under the sheets.

Instead of going to breakfast, Tom walked quickly to the nurse's office. He rapped the door hard with his knuckles several times, and the nurse came out.

"What do you want, Tom? I'm busy." She said.

"It's Colin. I think he has a fever." Tom said cunningly.

"Where is he?"

"He's in his bed. He isn't feeling well." Tom lied.

The nurse quickly walked up the stairs to the boys' room, to see Colin shivering and shaking.

"You're warm, Colin. It'd be best if you didn't participate in Halloween tonight." The nurse reasoned.

Colin groaned loudly, but didn't argue with the nurse, because he could see Tom smirking in the shadows by the door to the boys' room.