Disclaimer: I do not own HP or SM.

Mere Memory

Chapter Three

House Guest

After crying and telling Tom how grateful he wasn't gone, Serena released Tom and sat back. "Well, since you're staying here," she said, "I'll need to come up with a story for my parents."

"You don't have to keep me here," Tom said at once.

"No, I can't let you go off on your own!" Serena exclaimed. "It's my fault you nearly died. I shouldn't have been so careless!"

"You weren't," said Tom.

"Stay here with me," Serena said, holding Tom's hands in hers. Tom felt a strange sensation in his stomach. "You can bunk with my brother—or—you can use the guest bedroom. You can take a bath and I'll lend you some of my Dad's clothes."

"Serena, are you sure?"

"He was going to donate some old clothes anyway," Serena said, "he might not even notice they're missing. You're probably dying for a bath after fifty years, aren't you?"

"A bath, yeah," Tom mumbled. The last bath he took was in the prefect's bathroom. The tub could fit over a dozen people. The taps poured different foamed water. How he wished he was still at Hogwarts. It was the place of his dreams.

"I'll make you something to eat too," Serena said and then suddenly remembered she wasn't that good a cook. "Oh, wait, we can order in! What would you like? A pizza? Chinese? I guess since it's been fifty years since you've been home you'd rather have fish and chips?" Serena giggled.

"I can't recall ever having pizza," Tom said thoughtfully. Pizza wasn't really on the menu at Hogwarts or even at the orphanage. Tom ate like a king at Hogwarts but at the orphanage—well—he ate like an orphan.

"Okay, pizza," Serena said brightly. "What would you like on it?"

"Er, I-I don't know," said Tom. "Whatever you like, I suppose."

Serena helped Tom to his feet and walked him out of the room. "I'll just run your bath for you. You'll feel much better."

"That would be welcome."

"I'll put some pajamas on the guest bed for you," she said.

"Pajamas?"

"You wouldn't want to sleep in that, would you?" Serena questioned.

"Well, no," he mumbled, looking at his singed Zoot suit.

"We can get you clothes tomorrow," Serena said, "tonight I think what you need is a warm bath, a meal and some rest."

Tom nodded mutely. She was right. He would wait until tomorrow to go outside. He wasn't really tired however. He had so many questions for Serena. How did she get him out of that book? Just how powerful was she?

They entered the bathroom. Serena let go of tom to turn on the bathwater and Tom leaned against a wall to look around. He looked himself at the mirror. He really did look awful and haggard. After his bath he might be able to get his thoughts in order. He was finally out of that book. He felt more alive than he had in fifty years. There was even a difference when Ginny Weasley had given him enough energy to leave the book. That crystal must've been very powerful. He wished he had one himself.

"Where are your parents?" he asked, looking away from his reflection. "And your brother?"

"My parents are still at work," Serena replied, checking to see if the water was warm enough. "And Sammy's sleeping over with a friend."

"When will your parents be back?"

"Another hour or so," Serena replied.

Once the bath was full, Serena turned the water off and took out a nice fluffy towel and washcloth from under the sink and placed it on the counter. "Take as long as you need. If you need anything, just holler."

"Thank you, Serena," said Tom.

Serena smiled and shut the door as she left the bathroom. Tom sighed and looked at his reflection. "You've looked better, Riddle."

Tom pulled off his clothes, grabbed the washcloth and stepped inside the tub. Because he was so tall, it was a tight fit inside the small tub. It was like those tubs back in the orphanage. The orphanage was the worst place on Earth. He could never call it home. Hogwarts was his only home. It was the only place where he could find out who he was.

Tom leaned back to rest his head. He had to bend his knees a little. How long was he going to stay with these Muggles? Of course he knew Serena wasn't exactly a Muggle but she wasn't a witch either. He didn't know many witches that owned powerful crystals like that. Tom lathered soap on his washcloth. He needed a plan. He needed to find out as much about Serena as possible.


"Serena, how long do you plan to keep Tom here?" Luna asked as Serena put fresh sheets on the bed. Goodness knows how long the old sheets had been on the guest bed.

"I don't know," said Serena, "I guess until he can find his own place. I almost got him killed. I have to take care of him and the boy's an orphan."

Serena smoothed the sheets and fluffed the pillow. "It's just temporary, Luna. Don't worry."

"There's something strange about him," said Luna.

"Well, Luna, there's nothing normal about being in a book for fifty years," Serena muttered. "He's afraid; I would be if I was in his place. You always sense strange things. Tom's harmless."

"Perhaps," Luna nodded. "Are you going to tell the scouts about him?"

"Not yet," Serena replied, "Darien's' gone to America and remember what happened last time when I was hanging out with a boy besides Darien? Everyone thought I was nuts. They won't let me keep Tom here."

"Well, do be careful, Serena," said Luna as she bounded from the dresser off to take a catnap in Serena's room.

Serena finished making the bed and she went to her parents' room to collect some of her father's old clothes. He was going to donate them but he kept forgetting too. Now he wouldn't have to worry about them because they would be n Tom's possession for the time being. After placing the pajamas on the bed and other clothes in the dresser, she turned to find a wet Tom Riddle standing in the doorway wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist.

"Oh, Tom," Serena mumbled. "How was your bath? Do you feel any better?"

"Much better, thank you," Tom replied, running his hand through his thick wet black hair.

"Good," Serena whispered.

This wasn't the first time there was a wet half naked man in her house. Not too long ago Seiya had taken a shower and when he walked out, Chibi Chibi attempted to pull off the towel in front of the other girls. This time there was no Chibi Chibi. It was just Serena, Tom and the smell of soap.

He really does look like Darien, Serena thought without blinking.

Why is she looking at me that way? Tom wondered but he couldn't take her eyes off her either.

"Well, I, I guess I will go and order that pizza then," Serena stated.

"Brilliant," he stepped further into he room and Serena's long hair brushed over his bare chest as they passed each other. Tom turned around to watch her turn around the corner. Now that he was out of the book, he could feel things he never thought he could. It was going to take some getting used to.


Serena went to the kitchen and ordered the pizza. Then she searched their collection for videos. Maybe Tom would enjoy watching a non-silent full-colored movie. She knew she would if she were from the forties. It was strange having a boy at the house. What was she going to tell her parents when they came home? Would her Dad recognize Tom's pajamas?

"What are you doing?" Tom asked as he entered the room.

Startled, Serena gasped as she turned around. "Tom! Oh, I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he replied.

Tom looked a little silly wearing her father's blue and green striped pajamas. Perhaps if she knew they hadn't once belonged to him she could find that they looked rather good on Tom.

"I just ordered the pizza," she replied, "it should be here in twenty minutes. I thought you'd like to watch a movie with me while we wait."

"A movie?" Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I don't know if you've seen any before," Serena replied, holding up the tapes. "But it's like a story…on a recording…like the radio, but only with pictures." She nodded to her television in the room.

"Oh, yes, we sometimes listened to the radio at the orphanage," said Tom, "but I preferred books."

"You like reading?" Serena asked.

"Yes."

"You sound like my friend Ami," Serena smiled, "she's a real bookworm."

"Hmm."

"There might be something on the forties here if I look hard enough," said Serena, turning back to their collection.

"Actually, Serena," said Tom, "could we save that for another time?"

"You don't want to watch a movie?"

"I'd rather just, sit and talk for a while," Tom said, trying to give a sheepish grin. "I've got so many questions I want to ask you."

"Oh, of course," Serena said, "yes, let's talk. Have a seat—would you like some hot cocoa or something before the pizza gets here?"

"No thanks," he replied, "I'll just wait." He sat down on the sofa and Serena sat next to him.

"What did you want to ask me?" Serena inquired with a smile.

"Can you tell me more about—what was it you said?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Being a superhero?"

"Oh," Serena's smile waned. "I see, yes, well, it's a long story, Tom."

"I don't think it would bore me," Tom insisted.

Serena sighed. "Well, I suppose it starts a thousand years ago. I don't think you ever heard of the legend of the Moon Kingdom?"

Tom paused. He remembered hearing about different types of legends. Perhaps his favorite was the Chamber of Secrets and he proved that it was more than just a legend. But for the life of him he couldn't remember anything about a kingdom on the moon, in Hogwarts or any of the mythology books he used to read while living at the orphanage. Growing up he knew something was special about him, something magical so he would read stories of wizards and dragons and things.

"I don't think so," Tom answered, "sorry."

"It's all right," Serena smiled, "a lot of people don't know the legend. I didn't even know about it until—well—I learned who I really was. You see, I lived in the Moon Kingdom a thousand years ago."

"You did?" Tom questioned, looking her over. "But you don't look over a thousand years old."

Serena laughed and laid her hand on his knee. "No, silly. I'm not a thousand years old. You see, there was a battle between the Moon Kingdom and the Dark Kingdom of the Negaverse."

"Negaverse?"

"I know it sounds strange. They were evil people from another kingdom of space and they tried to take over everything. They destroyed my home but Queen Serenity, the Queen of the Moon, saved us with the Moon Crystal."

"Isn't that what you used to save me when the book caught on fire?"

Serena nodded. "Yes, my mother sent me and the children of the moon to Earth, in this time. I forgot all about it until I met my cat Luna. The Negaverse came back, you see so we had to stop them again."

"So you got your memories of the Moon Kingdom back?" Tom asked.

"That's right," Serena smiled, "but I'd rather just be a normal teenager."

"How come?" Tom questioned. "Don't you like having all this power?"

Serena thought it was an odd question. She was quite taken back. She sighed and shook her head. "There's still a lot you don't know about me, Tom. The fate of the universe relies on me and the other sailor scouts. We're the only ones powerful enough to protect it. Still, it's a big responsibility."

"I think that's brilliant, though," said Tom.

"Yes, it is good fighting for what I believe in," Serena admitted, "and I've got my friends back. Yet sometimes, I wished the Moon Princess would've been someone else. You know, someone that wanted to be a princess, wouldn't mind having all that power and responsibility."

"I guess I could understand," said Tom.

"But through our battles and everything, I understand that this is my destiny," Serena stated, "so I learned to accept it. We all have a destiny."

"Yeah," Tom agreed, "we do. Can you tell me more about the sailor scouts? I find this really interesting."

"Well, I'm glad you do," Serena grinned, "because I thought it was all weird the first tiem I heard it."

Serena stood up and tapped her chin, thinking back. "Let's see, I was first fighting as Sailor Moon on my own. I didn't know what I was doing half the time…"

Tom listened intently as Serena told him her story. It wasn't just interesting, but fascinating. He loved watching how she talked, how she would talk excitedly at some parts and what she did with her body language. He couldn't believe his luck. He ended up finding perhaps the most powerful person in the whole universe. He'd do anything to have some of that power. It was hard for him to believe that Serena didn't want the power at first.

While she was talking about fighting the aliens Alan and Ann, they were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"Oh, that must be the pizza!" Serena exclaimed, rushing to the door. "Konichiwa!"

"Konichiwa!" said the delivery boy.

She gave the delivery boy the money and he gave her the pizza. Tom got up.

"Can I help?" he asked.

"Oh, sure," Serena said, shutting the door with her free hand. "Can you take this pizza to the table while I get plates and drinks?"

"Absolutely," he said, taking the pizza box from her. The box was warm and he could smell the melting cheese and various foods within the box. It has been fifty years since he could really use his sense of smell, or his sense of touch. It felt so weird and wonderful that it was almost scary. He put the box on the table and opened it to see the masterpiece of cheese, pepperoni and sausage. He'd never seen something so delicious and yet so simple.

"It looks nice, doesn't it?" Serena asked him, setting a plate down for him.

"Yes," Tom replied.

But the way it looked could not compare to how it tasted. Maybe it was because pizza was just so good or maybe it was because he hadn't eaten in fifty years. He lived most of his life eating with a knife and fork and now he was eating something with his bare hands, with cheese dripping down his fingers. He was licking his fingertips. He had never done that before.

Serena was watching him. It was so nice to see him enjoy his first meal after fifty years. They talked a bit more about the Moon Kingdom and things. Serena almost felt like she was on a date with Darien. It was easy not to feel lonely without Darien now that Tom was here to keep her company.

They demolished the pizza. Tom must've eaten half of it. His soda was nothing like he had ever tasted. Perhaps the last thing he remembered drinking was pumpkin juice at Hogwarts. His tongue tingled with every sip.

"That was delicious," Tom stated, dabbing his mouth with his napkin.

"I'm glad you liked it," Serena grinned, picking up his empty plate with hers taking it to the sink to wash. "Feels good having a full stomach after fifty years, doesn't it?"

"It does," Tom said, getting to his feet. "Do you need any help with that?"

"No, silly, you're my guest!" Serena exclaimed, wiping the plates clean and putting them in the dish drainer.

"Thank you for letting me stay here," said Tom.

"Oh, Tom, I couldn't let you live on your own," Serena whispered, returning to the table and tossing away the empty pizza box.

"When will your parents get here?" he asked.

"They should be here soon," Serena replied, sitting back down.

"What are you going to tell them?" he questioned.

Serena shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly. I guess tell them you're a family friend or something."

Tom picked up his soda to take a drink. Serena put her hands behind her head and reclined in her chair.

"My daughter from the future told my parents she was our cousin," she stated.

Tom choked on his soda and slammed it on the table. Fizzy drink went all over the place and he pressed his napkin to his mouth.

"Tom!" Serena cried. "Are you all right?"

"D-daughter?" he wheezed.

"Oh, yes, I haven't told you about that, have I?" Serena asked glumly. "Sorry. You see, after fighting those aliens, we got a new enemy. Nemesis. They were actually from the future."

Serena groaned and shook her head. "This is where it gets complicated. You see, I become queen and our enemies from the future traveled back in time to stop us. My daughter, Reenie, took the silver crystal and escaped to this time. Nemesis went after her."

"And she found your family?" he said hoarsely.

"Yeah, she lost the crystal in the future, you see, so she came to this time looking for it," Serena explained. "She was convinced that I had it so she somehow found out where I lived and told my family she was our cousin. She had some kind of potion that caused people to believe whatever she tells them."

"A potion?" Tom inquired, "Is your daughter a witch?"

"Well, she acts like one sometimes," Serena frowned. "But she's from the future so she must've learned these things over there. Well, my parents obviously believed her because she gave them that potion. She even had fake pictures and I have no idea how she got them."

"A potion that causes someone to believe whatever you say," Tom mumbled.

"Yes, maybe those wizards knew about it," Serena stated.

"What?"

"The ones who put you in that book," Serena reminded him.

"Right," Tom nodded, "they knew a lot of things." Tom sighed. He couldn't think of a potion with those effects before. Perhaps the closest would be the Confusing Concoction or a Forgetfulness Potion.

"I wish Reenie told me how to make that potion," Serena said, "My father might not like having a teenage boy staying at our house."

Tom wished he had his wand. He could use the Imperious Curse on the family to make them have him stay. He tried thinking for the ingredients for the Forgetfulness Potion and the Confusing Concoction, but didn't the Confusing Concoction need to be stewed for a couple of days?

"Maybe I can tell them you're a foreign exchange student," Serena said thoughtfully. "And I forgot to tell them I signed up at the end of the school year."

"I like that idea," Tom agreed, "I wish I had some of my old things to prove it though."

"I think your charming accent will be proof enough, Tom," Serena grinned.

Tom laughed. "Yes, I suppose it is."

They talked a while longer and then the door opened. Mrs. Tsukino walked in struggling with paper bags.

"You need help, Mom?"

"Thank you, Serena," she said breathlessly.

Tom and Serena took the bags from Mrs. Tsukinos arms.

"Let me get that from you, madam," said Tom, taking the bag and placing it on the counter.

"Oh, that's very kind of you," Mrs. Tsukino smiled and then gasped. "Oh!"

"Mom," Serena began before her mother pitched a fit. "This is Tom Rid—"

"Ridder," Tom finished, "Tom Ridder. A pleasure."

Tom took Mrs. Tsukino by the hand and kissed it. Mrs. Tsukino smiled, a bit taken.

"Oh, my, what brings you here?" she asked. "I didn't know Serena was dating anyone."

Serena laughed. "No, Tom is a foreign exchange student. He's from England, if you can't tell from his accent."

"Serena, I didn't know you signed up for this," Mrs. Tsukino stated. "School just let out."

"I know," Serena said, "I've been meaning to tell you—I guess it just slipped my mind. I get extra credit for letting a student from another country stay here and you know I could use it."

"Yes, that's true," Mrs. Tsukino said.

"We got to pick which country too," Serena said quickly. "I wanted help on my English, so I picked England—and plus I love their accents!"

Tom smiled. "Thank you, Serena."

"I'm sorry I forgot to tell you," Serena said, "but can he stay?"

"Well, if it will help your grade then I don't see why not," Mrs. Tsukino stated, unloading the bags. "If you're hungry, Tom, I can make dinner."

"Thank you," said Tom, "but I'm not hungry right now."

"Yeah, we just had a pizza," Serena explained.

"Pizza!" Mrs. Tsukino exclaimed.

"Well, Tom's never had a pizza before," Serena stated.

"Really?"

Tom nodded and feeling a yawn coming on, he put his hand to his mouth. "Excuse me. I must be tired from my trip."

"Maybe you ought to go to bed," Serena said, "I can talk to my father."

"Are you sure?" Tom asked. "He may want to meet me first."

"Kenji should be home in thirty minutes if you want to wait."

"I'll wait," said Tom.

"We can watch TV," Serena said, taking Tom's hand. "Come with me."

"All right."

They sat in the living room and Serena tried finding a program that Tom might be interested in. Tom thought it was the weirdest thing. He never saw it before. Serena stopped on the music channel. He heard music he never heard before.

"These are music videos," Serena explained. "Music has changed a lot, hasn't it?"

"Not what I'm used to," said Tom, "what's this called?"

"Rock," Serena said, "and pop, and there's heavy metal too. Tomorrow I'll show you around, maybe stop in the library to see what's changed."

"I'd like that," said Tom.

The door opened and Mr. Tsukino walked in the house.

"Hi Dad, there's someone here I want you to meet," Serena said.

Mr. Tsukino looked over his daughter and found a young man standing next to her in his old pajamas.

"What the?"

"This is Tom," Serena said quickly, "He's a forieng exchange student from England."

"Exchange student?" Mr. Tsukino questioned.

"Yes sir," said Tom, "I arrived just this afternoon."

"Serena will get extra credit for having him stay here," Mrs. Tsukino said brightly. "Isn't that nice?"

"But—a boy?"

"There were no girls coming," Serena lied, "and I really wanted someone from England to stay."

"How come we're just now hearing about this?" Mr. Tsukino demanded.

"I was going to tell you guys," Serena said, "I just forgot. I didn't realize Tom would be arriving today."

"I see," said Mr. Tsukino, "where will he be sleeping? In Sammy's room?"

"No, the guest bedroom," Serena replied.

"Do you need new sheets?" Mrs. Tsukino asked. "I can get them."

"It's all right, Mom," Serena stated. "I've already got them."

Mr. Tsukino studied Tom's pajamas. "Didn't I own a pair of pajamas just like those?"

"I think so," said Mrs. Tsukino.

"It was really lovely to meet you," said Tom, "but I should be going to bed."

"Are you sure you don't want a bit of dinner, Tom?" Mrs. Tsukino asked.

"I'm sure," said Tom, "goodnight."

He turned up the stairs and Serena looked back at her parents. She smiled sheepishly.

"So, what do you think of Tom?" she asked.

"He seems pretty nice," said Mrs. Tsukino.

"I didn't like him," Mr. Tsukino said gruffly.

"He's only a guest Dad," Serena said, "I'm not going to start dating him or anything."

Serena walked up the stairs after Tom to leave her parents to discuss the situation. She knocked on Tom's door and he let her in.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Tom sighed, "I'm not sure if your dad likes me much.

"I think my mom will get him to reason," Serena said.

"That's good," he said, going over to sit on his new bed.

"Tom, why did you tell my mom that your last name was Ridder?" she asked.

"The wizards must be after me," he explained, "so I had to give a false surname. I don't want them to find me."

"But my parents wouldn't tell them where you are."

"I know," said Tom, "but if I'm going to this school I should have some kind of codename. I can't let your parents know my real name either if we tell the school something different."

"That makes sense," Serena said, "you're really worried, aren't you?"

She came and sat next to him. Tom nodded.

"Did they hurt you?"

"Of course they did," Tom said gravely. "In ways you can't even imagine."

Serena frowned and put her arms around him. "Well, you're safe now. I'll make sure no one hurts you."

"Thanks, Serena," he said, "for everything. You really have been too much."

"It's the least I could do," Serena insisted. "Get some rest, Tom. If you need anything, my room is two doors to your left, okay?"

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Tom."

"Goodnight, Serena."

He was surprised that Serena kissed him goodnight on the forehead. Even Serena was surprised she had even done it. She knew that being brought up in an orphanage, he didn't have someone kiss him goodnight. She smiled, turned off the light and left his room.

Tom lay down and breathed in the freshness of his sheets. He was glad to be out of that book and being able to use all his senses, really use them but he didn't like the idea of living with Muggles again. But he was really good at posing. He did it all the time in Hogwarts. No one would've guessed he was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. And now, no one would know what he was planning. He would use his being a pathetic little orphan to his full advantage if that would get him what he wanted.

Tom's mind went over what Serena told him about the Moon Kingdom and the Sailor Scouts. There had to be more to the story and he had to know it all. There was something very fascinating about Serena. He was glad that Serena's boyfriend was all the way in America. It would be so easy now to gain her trust. She was so nice to him. Something about her just wanted him to know all there was about her and be with her whenever possible. He wouldn't mind becoming her boyfriend. He couldn't believe he was thinking this. It was power he cared the most about, not some silly girl's affection.

Tom sighed and eventually fell asleep. It felt good to sleep in a real bed after fifty years. It felt good to finally get to do a lot of things.

TO BE CONTINUED