Inception: Rise of the Heir
Tom Riddle disappeared for 10 years. Where did he travel and what did he do during his absence? This is my feeble attempt at a Tom Riddle backstory, right before he rejoined the world officially as Lord Voldemort.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for my o/c's.
Tom sat downstairs at a table opposite the staircase looking up towards the large clock which sat above the bar, tapping his fingers impatiently on the table. Gathering the small amount of his belongings had taken no time at all and he had left his room earlier than he should have, in hopes Lyra would have followed suit. But that hadn't been the case, instead of being early she was now late. He sighed as he picked up the small book she had given him, flipping through the pages once more.
"How typical of a woman, late as usual...Perhaps the potion didn't work?"
He shook his head and tried to read an excerpt from the book, but found himself too anxious and irritated with her to concentrate.
"The potion had to have worked. She's doing this on purpose. She was clearly not happy with the new terms of our agreement and this is her way of getting her point across."
He looked away from the staircase and rubbed his lip absentmindedly, thinking about all the magic waiting for him in New Orleans. Over the past month he had continued to narrow his list of places to go and decided that of all of the destinations listed, most of what he could discover laid within the confines of the old city.
A small creak from the wooden and winding staircase caught his attention as he quickly looked over to find Lyra, neatly dressed and resplendent, making her way over towards him.
Her face was rosy and pale, as it had been when they first met and she no longer looked tired and scarred from her trials. "The potion seems to have worked." He thought as he stood up and rose to meet her as she closed the distance between them.
She looked down towards the book he had been reading and raised her eyebrow at him. He quickly closed the text and placed it inside his suitcase, speaking softly before she could open her mouth.
"You look well."
"Yes." She said awkwardly as she smoothed the fabric of her dress.
"I take it that the potion worked?" He eyed her curiously as he reached for the suitcase on the small table.
"It appears to have...for now. Only time can tell I suppose..."
He nodded as she looked towards the clock and turned to leave, motioning for him to follow.
"Come Tom, we need to leave and make it to the train quickly, or we'll have to wait hours for the next one!"
"Train?" He asked warily as he followed her through the inns lobby and out into the daylight.
"Of course" Lyra said impatiently as she started to walk down the block, pushing through the crowds of people that lined the street. "How else would we get to New Orleans? It's too far to apparate."
"I haven't seen or heard a train the entire time we've been here. Where-"
She interrupted him once more as she quickly turned a corner and hastened her pace. "You wouldn't have heard a train here, because there aren't any. We need to go to the Salem Department of Wizarding Transportation, from there we can catch a portkey that will take us to the train we need."
"The train we need? How many trains are there?" He said as he quickened his pace, trying to keep up with her while he attempted to avoid bumping into the crowds of witches and wizards walking past them in the opposite direction.
Lyra slowed her speed as she came to a stop in front of a large white building, made of white marble and held up by rows of large stone columns. She turned her head to look at him as she started to make her way up the procession of long alabaster steps that led to its entrance.
"A few." She said vaguely as she lifted her foot to continue upwards.
"A few?" Tom said as he followed her up the steps, irritated by her ambiguous answer.
"Parts of this country are too far away from one another to simply just apparate. So we use portkeys to take us to these various train stations to be able to get around. There's one train that'll take you west, to the farthest reaches of the country, there's another that we'll be taking to head south, towards New Orleans and there's a few more that'll take you either north or to the midwest. It's especially useful for those students who attend Ilvermorny who live across the continent."
"I see.." Tom said softly as he followed behind her, entering the building through giant ornate golden doors.
Once inside, he stopped momentarily, staring in astonishment at the busy scene in front of him. Witches and wizards were lined up in front of large golden doors, walking through in groups and suddenly disappearing behind them. The walls were made from decadent swirls of white and black marble that matched the floors, with a ceiling covered in floating candles that seemed to stretch on endlessly. A small gaggle of girls in school robes passed him as they looked at him and giggled, whispering among themselves.
"Since Ilvermorny is in Massachusetts, all students arrive here and use a special portkey that takes them to the train for school." Lyra watched the girls as she pointed to a large elaborate door, on top of which sat an emblazoned plaque decorated with the school's seal.
An enormous gilded board hung from the high ceiling, spanning across the width of the hall, covered in destinations, boarding times and door numbers to the side of them. He watched as a group of witches and wizards passed them dragging various assortments of luggage and parcels as they made their way down the great halls, pointing at the board before they joined the queues in front of their desired destinations.
"We've made it just in time!" Lyra said excitedly as she grabbed his arm suddenly, pointing to the ornate board floating over their heads. "Gate Four is heading to New Orleans in five minutes, hurry Tom! We need to get in line!"
He felt a heat rise in his cheeks as she quickly let go of his arm and made her way towards the door, looking back to ensure he followed. The line was short, besides the both of them there were only two other wizards waiting, both patiently reading a newspaper to pass the time.
"Once the door opens, we'll be able to take the portkey to the train station and we'll be on our way." She whispered to him softly as she fixed a stray curl of hair behind her ear.
They stood there for a few more moments in silence as Lyra looked up towards a large clock atop the door and switched her small purse to her other arm. She spoke softly to him, her head still focused on the door behind him.
"I saw you were reading the book I gave you earlier...has it been helpful?"
The question caught him off guard as he let out an inaudible sigh, he should have known she would have tried to make small talk with him at some point. "It's been...useful."
He watched her shoulders drop a little at his unenthusiastic answer and felt a strange emotion tug at him.
"The book helped you at least when it came to identifying the horned serpent…"
After a moment of silence he decided to add to his previous answer. "I'd never heard of some of the creatures mentioned in the book before. I'm sure knowing about them now will give me an advantage if I should ever find myself caught off guard again..."
He watched as she turned around and nodded her head, giving him an encouraging smile.
"I'm glad-"
"Thank you." He interrupted softly as he looked away, trying to focus on anything else around him but her.
Lyra nodded as she turned around quickly, not wanting him to see the red flush rising up her cheeks.
"Why do I feel so strange?" she thought as she stared straight ahead trying to rid herself of the feeling. She opened her mouth to reply, unsure of what to say. "I -"
She trailed off, fumbling with words inside her head and looked up quickly, relieved for the reprieve, as the golden door before them swung open. The two wizards in front of them folded their newspapers and walked through the doors as she motioned for Tom to follow her.
"Let's hurry through, quickly now!" she said excitedly as entered through the door, Tom looked up curiously at the door frame as he followed.
The room they entered through was dark and narrow, dimly illuminated and the only thing he could make out was a small brass cup shaped like a fleur de lys lying on the floor. A man emerged from the shadows, dressed in a quaint uniform as he spoke firmly, shutting the door behind him. "If this is everyone, please place your hands on the portkey please."
Lyra leaned over to Tom as she whispered in his ear. "He works for the Department of Wizarding Transportation, they're designated witches and wizards that are hired to travel with us to make sure no one steals the port key and that it's returned properly. It's a terrible job really…could you imagine having to travel by port key multiple times a day? I'm not sure if my stomach could handle it..."
Tom stared around the black tiled room, grateful for the lack of light as he felt his cheeks turn red. Lyra was so close he could feel her breath on his neck as she whispered into his ear. He quickly reached over to grab the port key, trying to dismiss the feeling.
The man in uniform walked over to them and grabbed the small brass cup as well, starting to count. "Leaving for the train in THREE….."
Tom prepared himself for the pull of the port key. He had never been fond of the feeling.
"TWO…"
He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, he could feel Lyra's warm hand against his, both pressed firmly to the cup. He felt his cheeks flush again.
ONE!"
The world faded around him as he felt a nauseous tugging at his belly, his environment spinning wildly around him. In only a few moments the quick pull of the portkey had finally ceased and he felt the solid ground under his feet once more.
He opened his eyes, trying to steady his balance, as he felt Lyras hand quickly leave the cup and followed suit, watching her smooth her dress out and fix her hair. They had arrived in a stone cobbled alley and he watched as the portkey holder tipped his hat to them and grabbed the cup, quickly disappearing.
"I always forget how much I hate travelling by portkey" said Lyra as she looked away from where the man had been.
"This way Tom." Lyra said as she quickly led out of the alleyway and into the open station, which reminded him very much of Kings Cross.
As he observed his surroundings he realized from the strange signs and lack of magical displays they were at a large muggle train station and he felt his stomach drop slightly.
"What's wrong?" Lyra said as she watched a strange look come over Tom's face.
"Will we be travelling with…" He forgot the terminology she had used and slowly waved his arms, pointing to the group of people surrounding them
She looked at him, a confused look on her face until she finally realized what he had meant. "Oh! ...With No-maj's? Absolutely not."
Lyra watched as his eyebrows relaxed and his face softened. "Well, theoretically we could if you wanted to wait a week on the train to get there... but no we'll be taking one of our own trains today….this way Tom."
She pointed towards a deserted phone booth at the end of the platform. As they approached it Tom quickly opened the door and stood aside so she could enter before him. She eyed him curiously as she walked in. "Thank you…"
Lyra turned to look at him and pointed her hand towards the door. "And close that behind you after you've entered, if you wouldn't mind."
Looking at the small space, he grimaced as he walked into the phonebooth, knowing the space between them would be non-existent. As he walked through, he mentally braced himself for the discomfort he expected to experience but was pleasantly surprised after shutting the door. Moving aside comfortably, he realized it must have had an extension charm placed upon it, because the interior had turned out to be quite spacious.
"I figured I'd let you do this, " Lyra said as she looked towards the phone. "...since it's your first time and all."
Tom walked over to the phone and paused as he went to pick it up, looking at her for instructions.
"Just pick it up and dial the number eighteen. That's all."
He looked back towards the phone, picking it up gently and used the rotary dial carefully, pressing his finger in the hole labeled "1" , waiting for it to quickly spin back before repeating the same motion with the number marked "8".
Hanging up the phone slowly, he started to feel the phonebooth spin, watching the world outside the booth twist and blur until it suddenly stopped.
He watched as Lyra made her way to the door and quickly pulled it open, revealing a train platform that looked completely different from the one they had been on only moments before.
"Welcome to Gum Hill Station." She said as she made her way down the platform. A large blue train sat parked in the station as Tom watched witches and wizards pulled wagons of luggage past them, filled with owl cages and floating parcels as they made their way onto different cars.
"Stay here Tom, I'll be right back." Lyra said as she turned around quickly to walk away.
"Where are you…." He asked but trailed off, she was already off, he sat there wondering why she was in such a hurry. He could no longer see her, her black cloaked figure had disappeared into the crowds of people amassed on the platform.
Lyra picked up her pace towards a small booth in the center of the platform, hoping the curtain was not closed, signaling that the train had been sold out of tickets. She breathed a sigh of relief as she approached the window, still open and handing out tickets and waited patiently in line behind a small group of witches.
"I hope they still have private cabins." She thought to herself as she approached the window. The potion she had taken had not yet been consumed or proved effective enough to feel secure sleeping in the economy wagon amongst strangers, nor had she even entertained the idea of travelling in such a fashion. She preferred her solitude.
She stepped up to the small window and smiled at the young witch behind the glass, who adjusted her glasses and spoke loudly.
"How can I help you ma'am?"
"I'd like two tickets to New Orleans please and two seperate private cabins."
"We only have one private cabin left ma'am." The witch said to her as she re-adjusted her small pointed glasses once more.
Lyra groaned as she realized she was going to have to share a cabin with Tom.
"That'll be fine, thank you I'll take it." She opened her purse quickly and placed a few dragots under the glass to pay for the rooms as she watched as the witch behind the glass snap her fingers and a small house elf appeared in a strange uniform.
Lyra shook her hands dismissively as she looked towards the witch once more. "No, that's quite alright, we don't have much luggage, we'll be fine showing ourselves to the cabin."
The witch shrugged and pushed the tickets through the hole in the bottom of the glass towards her, "Very well then, you'll be in Car Five, Cabin Two...Next!"
Lyra stepped away as she watched the cabin and car numbers scrawl themselves in a neat script across their tickets and pushed through the crowd to find Tom. It had taken a moment, but she saw his dark figure leaning up against the stonewall of the platform and quickly made her way over to him. He turned his head as he caught sight of her, watching her walk towards him and quickly stood up straight when he realized she saw him.
"Where did you go?"
She lifted up her hand as she waved the tickets in front of him. "I needed to purchase our tickets."
The train blew its horn as she turned around, starting to count the train cars until she had marked the fifth and looked around towards him once more.
"This way Tom. We don't want to miss the train."
They both made their way through the dwindling crowd until they had reached their car. Tom stood to the side and held his hand out for her politely, helping her into the car.
"I managed to get us the last private cabin on the train…" Lyra said calmly as she looked at the cabin numbers as she passed.
"How long did you say the train ride would be?" Tom asked as he looked in one of the cabins, scowling as he observed the small space.
Lyra hesitated as she came to a stop in front of the second to last cabin and waved her wand at the glass doors as they slowly slid apart. "I didn't."
She motioned her arm for him to step inside first and he glared at her momentarily before he obliged. Following him inside, she closed the glass doors and took a look sighed as she placed her purse down on one of the two cushioned benches that faced each other.
"It'll be a day before we arrive in New Orleans, we're still quite far away."
Tom turned towards her sharply, his expression unreadable as she looked away, pushing the curtains back from the windows.
"I tried to get us two separate cabins, but they were completely sold out. It was either this-" She waved her hand around the small cabin. "Or a small seat amongst fifty strangers. Carefully considering our options, I chose this."
"Where does one sleep?" He asked as he looked around the small space, it reminded him very much of the Hogwarts Express. Back then he never minded the small space, he was usually alone and the train ride had taken no longer than a few hours. But this was different, he had never slept in such close quarters with another, it made him uncomfortable to think about it.
"Lectus Prodio!" Lyra said as she waved her hand delicately in the air and stepped back as both benches on either side of the cabin turned into big fluffy beds. Tom watched her as she waved her hands once more and the beds disappeared.
"I'm not the biggest fan of this either, but it's only for a little while." She said as she sat down in one of the seats next the window, leaning back into it gently.
"It's been such a long day, I hope this is worth it…" she thought to herself as she stared out the window.
The train groaned and lurched underneath them as the horn blew once more, signaling its exit from the station. Tom placed his suitcase carefully in the overhead rack above the bench and sat down across from her, watching her face stare out the window, her expression unreadable, as she twirled her wand between her fingers.
He followed her gaze out the window as he said gently. "You're right...besides it's probably better for us to stay together anyway, just in case-"
Lyra closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Just in case the potion didn't work."
Tom fell silent as he continued to stare out the window, unsure of what to say. He watched as the train pulled out of the station, the smoke from the trains stack blowing against the window in the wind as he settled into his seat. The ride was already proving to be a long one.
Whew. It's been a buy week, I've revisited Chapters 1-3 and rewrote them...slightly. None of the major plot points have changed at all, I just tweaked my writing a bit to reflect my writing style a bit more. But anyway, on to New Orleans! :) I hope you enjoyed the chapter, this one took a bit to write but it definitely was super fun to write, here's a couple fun little facts!
I chose the number 18 for the phone booth password because Louisiana was the 18th state to join the United States. Gum Hill is actually a real place in Virginia and has had multiple legends surrounding it about bigfoot. (I wanted to pick a place that had magical folklore as a pickup spot for the train.)
JK Rowling, to my knowledge, has never specified how American witches and wizards get to and from places in the country and because the United States is so vast, to me it only makes sense they would use a series of portkeys and trains to get from places like New York to California, or in Tom and Lyra's case Massachusetts to New Orleans. I kind of based it off amtrak a bit! (There is a direct train that does run from Virginia to New Orleans in real life.)
New Spells :
Lectus Prodio : a spell to make beds appear, based off Latin.
Replies to comments:
KiraCalico- Yes he got exactly what he wanted and I can't wait to write the Chapters about New Orleans. They're going to be there for awhile, so it's going to be fun!
**Special Thanks to everyone who reviews, it really means a lot to me! For those of you who don't feel comfortable commenting please follow or favorite the story! More to com soon!