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Reaching Through Time

Chapter 10: Hogwarts

The first summer with the Malfoy's went by quickly for Harry and Tom. Both boys ended up with extensive wardrobes, which Harry left at the Malfoy's, as well as a great many new belongings. Besides the outings that the family would go on, Tom's time was taken up with lessons on pureblood tradition and history with Mr. Malfoy and pureblood etiquette with Mrs. Malfoy.

For the most part Tom absorbed everything that was taught to him. Abraxas helped a great deal and by the time the gala the Malfoy's were throwing arrived Tom had been ready for anything. Harry had only been around for half the night, but when his bed time rolled around Mrs. Malfoy had escorted the younger boy up to his guest room.

During the gala Tom had gotten the chance to meet many others around his own age.

The group he had met at the gala were now sitting with him in the train compartment on the way to Hogwarts.

Winky Crockett, a second year that Tom had only barely met two days ago, was talking excitedly about trying out for the quidditch team that year. He lost interest in her almost immediately.

Instead Tom's attention was on the other purebloods that were in the compartment along with himself and Abraxas.

Sebastian Lestrange had a quiet intensity around him. He would have seemed like a perfectly poised young man, if not for the wild insanity that Tom would sometimes catch in those dark eyes. He was not someone that Tom would underestimate until he knew more about him. The only reason Tom even considered including the Lestrange boy in his future group was for his name and prestige.

Next to him, and at the other end of the spectrum, was Alf Mulciber. The boy had curly brown hair that curled around his temples. He laughed easily and would talk about anything really. In just the few brief hours that Tom had known him he'd learned that if anyone could gather information rapidly it was Alf Mulciber.

Tom wasn't sure what to think of the next boy among the first years. Mervyn Rowle was large for his age. He had been in attendance at the gala so Tom had gotten the chance to speak with him. The large boy hadn't really said much though. Half the time Tom was sure Rowle was an idiot, but then he would say something that was actually worth paying attention too.

Winky Crockett was saying something to him again and Tom quickly recalled all the things she'd been babbling about.

"I would think I would be sorted into Slytherin." The group had fallen into a discussion about the houses and what each first year was hoping to be sorted into. "I can't imagine being anywhere else."

There were several nods around the compartment and the next person was asked about their thoughts on the houses.

After reading about his own family and the obvious relation to Salazar Slytherin, Tom was sure there was zero chance he would be sorted into any other of the houses. He was a snake through and through.

Tom once again tuned out the conversation around him so he could retreat into his own thoughts.

"You're sulking." Abraxas mumbled from Tom's right side. The blond had a book in hand and was lightly turning the pages. It was a useful tactic to keep the rest of the group from bothering him.

"I do not sulk." Tom replied just as quietly. "One does not sulk when in the presence of others." It was one of the many lessons Mr. Malfoy had taught him.

With a roll of his eyes Abraxas looked at his friend. "You are though. And I know why." He mimed adjusting glasses and ran his fingers over his forehead.

"Harry has nothing to do with it."

Despite all the denials that Tom could make he knew Abraxas was right. He had seen Harry two days ago and already he was missing the boy. After an entire summer of practically living under the same roof, Tom had grown used to the happy atmosphere that followed Harry everywhere.

"You'll see him again come Christmas." When Mrs. Malfoy had made the invitation a little before the gala and Harry had instantly accepted. "School will keep you distracted and busy so you won't miss him too much. Besides, you two can still exchange letters."

As much as Tom wanted to glare at Abraxas he didn't. He couldn't exactly send letters to the future and he couldn't tell Abraxas about that.

In the last couple months Tom had gotten to know the youngest of the Malfoy's and, perhaps partially because of the letter, he had come to trust him to an extent. He wouldn't say they were close friends, but they were definitely on the right path.

Just the thought of friends had Tom thinking of Harry again. A tiny secret smile graced Tom's lips. Little did Abraxas know, Tom would be seeing Harry a lot sooner then Christmas. His thoughts moved from Harry after that to the contents of the books he'd recently finished.

"Ravenclaw!"

The rest of the train ride had gone quickly and soon enough all the first years found themselves standing in a line inside the great hall. Tom marveled at the beautiful ceiling with its reflection of the sky; it was the greatest feat of magic he had yet to see.

Now Tom was waiting in line with the rest of the first years waiting his turn to be sorted. There was a pause after the Droope girl hurried over to the table clad in blue. The silence made Tom look over to where Professor Dumbledore was looking at the list in his hands.

"Gaunt, Tom."

The old man's voice was tight and his eyes were narrowed as he looked straight at Tom.

Tom couldn't help but smile pleasantly right back. It must have been a rather shocking surprise for the bearded wizard; to see Tom's name had been changed from the muggle 'Riddle' name to such an old and pure name like 'Gaunt'.

Whispers filled the hall, but Tom simply lifted his head up and strode confidently up to the stool. The only eyes that disturbed him in the sea of gazes were the blue ones that were so close to him now.

"Well! It's been awhile since I sorted one of your talent."

The voice suddenly in his ears as the hat descended and obscured his sight made Tom jolt. He knew the hat could talk, he'd heard it call out several house sorts already, but he hadn't expected it to speak to him like this.

"Magic is all about surprises, heir of the Snake Lord."

There was a gentle fondness in those words that left Tom feeling curious.

"Curiosity is a good trait for Ravenclaws. It goes so well with the thirst for knowledge within you."

No. Ravenclaw was not for him. As much as Tom loved learning new things he knew it wouldn't be where he would grow the most.

"Quite right. Hmm...but I see a strong protectiveness in your mind. You have a fierce loyalty for those you deem worthy. You're a hard worker as well. Hufflepuff would make you strong."

That made Tom sneer a bit. Him? A Hufflepuff? He might as well eat his wand.

The hat couldn't help but chuckle at that thought coming from the young boy. "Alright, alright! No more games. I was only teasing. It is so rare I get to peak into a mind like yours. It's all there, inside your head. There is only one house that will help you on your path to greatness."

Tom expected the hat to proclaim his house, but it whispered one last thing to him. "Be wary. There is one that will do everything he can to stop you and the other from becoming the Lords you are destined to be."

"Slytherin!"

The hat was yanked from Tom's head before he had a chance to ask what the hat meant. The sudden light disoriented Tom and it took him a moment to realize the pounding in his ears was really loud clapping.

He quickly stood up and went over to the Slytherin table where he was congratulated politely by the few upper students he had met during the summer.

The first year line dwindled quickly and soon Abraxas took his seat to the right of Tom. "Yours took the longest." The Malfoy told Tom once the feast had started.

Tom didn't acknowledge Abraxas' words at first; he was too busy admiring the food selection. He figured if he hadn't been with the Malfoy's all summer so much food would have left him in shock.

"Did the hat want to sort you somewhere else?"

"Not really." Tom responded as he filled his plate with everything that took his fancy. "I think it was just fooling around."

"Never heard of the sorting hat doing that." Mulciber piped up from the other side of the table.

"Been sorted lots 'ave ya'?" It took Tom a moment to put a name to the face of the older student that had spoken up. The accent was heavy and definitely not one Tom could place right away.

Abraxas was able to fill in the blanks for Tom thankfully. "Well? Have you ever heard of the hat having conversations then Yaxley?"

Erwan Yaxley. Now that the name had been revealed Tom recalled the list of important families that Mr. Malfoy had insisted he memorize. Erwan Yaxley was a 6th year and from a family of Highland Scotts. The Yaxley family was distantly related to the Malfoy's through the Black lineage.

Yaxley sniffed a bit and then let out a small huff. It must have only dawned on him that he had interrupted the conversation of first years when he himself was a prefect in his 6th year.

"Had a conversation with me din' it." He told the first years with all seriousness. "Wanted ta sort me inta Ravenclaw. Told the ol hat I wouldna be in anything but Slytherin." Yaxley smiled proudly at that before turning away from the younger students to show he had clearly dropped the subject.

The conversation waned a bit as the students became determined to enjoy their food. Tom had relaxed considerably as he enjoyed the slice of roast he had taken for himself. He was halfway done with his plate when a shiver went through him.

Tom would never claim to be sensitive, not in the way that Harry was, but he knew what it felt like to have someone watching him. His survival instincts were too honed to ignore any warning signs. So when he felt that cold shudder he instantly looked around to find the source.

His own eyes met with the sharp blue of Professor Dumbledore's and Tom found he couldn't look away. After a moment of feeling trapped the older wizard looked away to answer something one of the other professors had asked.

Tom let out a breath of relief and decided he would never meet that man's gaze again.

Only one person had noticed the cold interaction between Tom and the head of the Gryffindor house. Abraxas hadn't liked how Professor Dumbledore had been staring at his friend. He determined he would need to send a letter to his father as quickly as possible.

At the end of the feast Headmaster Dippet stood, a warm and large smile spread across his face. "Such wonderful food for our first night back. I hope your bellies are plenty full and that all of you sleep well. For tomorrow will be the start of your lessons for the year and it's always best to start off such journeys with fresh minds."

He waved a hand and the empty dessert plates emptied. "Follow your prefects now and have a good night."

The scrape of benches being pushed back and students talking with each other filled the hall. Tom glanced back at the head table, but quickly looked away when the searching eyes of Dumbledore almost met his own.

There wasn't much Tom could do about Professor Dumbledore, so he focused on the things he did have control over. Like getting down to his new dorm and getting some rest.

"I do not like him." Ophion hissed into Tom's ear under the chatter of the other students."He is like a cat stalking its prey."

With all the other students around him Tom could only smirk ever so slightly. Only Abraxas, out of everyone in the school, knew of his parseltounge ability. Under the helpful advice of Mr. Malfoy, Tom had elected to keep that talent secret until absolutely necessary.

It was a very good thing Ophion was a simple garter snake and could hide in the collar of his shirt.

If Tom couldn't have Harry with him, then at least he would have Ophion to keep him fairly calm and sane; if only because he enjoyed the black snakes offers to bite whomever Tom was displeased with.

The dark haired boy didn't get a chance to explore the school until three days into the start of his first year. The first years didn't really have classes on the 7th floor so finding an excuse to go up there had been difficult. The best he could come up with was sneaking away during lunch and having Ophion keeping an eye out for a certain blue eyed professor that had a strange habit of showing up wherever Tom ended up going.

Even with the two clues that he had gotten from his and Harry's first letters, Tom still had no idea what he was looking for. He had yet to inquire about a Barnabas, Tom knew for sure none of the Professors were named Barnabas, but he at least had a few people he could ask if he needed to.

The first thing he needed to do was scout where he could on the 7th floor and learn the layout.

"I smell someone coming." Ophion warned his young companion quickly when half of the lunch hour had passed.

Worried that the person in question was Dumbledore, Tom quickly changed his direction and strode quickly for the one room he was certain of.

"Tom Riddle."

With the use of his old last name Tom was sure the person that his snake had smelled was in fact the blue eyed wizard that frightened his dearest friend.

"Respectfully Professor," Tom had to remind himself to at least appear respectful and cordial. "My name is Tom Gaunt now."

Even though Dumbledore smiled and nodded, Tom could tell the gesture was fake.

"What are you doing wandering around up here Tom?" Dumbledore asked lightly. He was still smiling, but Tom knew that the man was trying to catch him in a lie.

"Finding my way around the school. Professor Mulberry said his office was on the 7th floor so I wanted to find it in case I ever had questions about Charms." It was close enough to the truth that Tom had little fear of Dumbledore figuring out if he was telling the truth or not.

Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes stared into Tom sharply. There were no signs of the boy telling a fib.

"Be that as it may, you shouldn't be skipping meals my boy."

Internally Tom bristled at being called 'my boy' by the older wizard. It felt wrong and the words felt like claws trying to scrape through his mind. All he could do though was nod to appease the transfiguration professor.

"Come along. We still have some time to get some tarts." Tom forced a small smile as the professor chuckled warmly as if they were sharing some sort of joke between them.

Tom would need a new plan to explore the 7th floor. Something that would keep the batty old man from bothering him.

Luckily Tom came upon the chance not a day later when he had actual questions about his charms homework. He didn't run into Professor Dumbledore, but he did meet the Arithmancy professor who was leaving her classroom. The two got to talking and when Tom showed an interest in the class he was invited to join the woman for tea.

When Dumbledore caught Tom the next Saturday heading up for the 7th floor he was able to confirm that he was meeting Professor Nester. Tom couldn't help the smile when Dumbledore escorted him to the Arithmancy Professor's office only for her to say yes, they had planned to have tea.

It was through Professor Nester that Tom was able to learn some interesting things about the school and the other professors. Apparently the Slytherin alumni didn't much like Professor Dumbledore.

She was also the one that showed Tom the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. When Tom spoke with the portrait in private he wouldn't stop talking about walking in a circle three times while wishing on stars.

Tom was starting to feel a little desperate by Wednesday. He'd explored all of the 7th floor and had yet to find a room that would be perfect for a secret meeting with Harry. His friend would be showing up Saturday at 10am, sometime after breakfast, and Tom didn't want to take the chance of meeting the boy either in the Slytherin dorms or where Dumbledore could walk in on them.

He was storming around the 7th floor when he noticed something odd about the floor.

Most of the time the cobblestones were about the same size and square in shape, but there was one across from Barnabas' portrait that was circular.

The 11 year old had a quick mind and paced through the circle three times to see if anything would happen. When nothing did he stopped to glare at the circular stone in the floor.

The letters had been very specific about 'needing' to find a safe place. Barnabas wouldn't stop talking about making wishes.

With a deep breath Tom walked through the circular stone three times, each time wishing for a place he and Harry could meet safely and would not be found by anyone.

At his third pass Tom was startled to find a door in the wall that had not previously been there.

Magic was amazing, but Tom had read in quite a few books how it could be dangerous if you didn't know its purpose. But he'd also read, in Hogwarts a History, that the magic within the school had been designed to keep the students safe.

With that in mind Tom pressed down on the door's latch and pushed. He didn't need more than a moment of time to grin at what he found.

The room beyond the door was perfect.

For the rest of the week Tom followed the schedule he had created along with his school schedule. Dumbledore would still pop up once in awhile, but Tom had no reason to lie to him.

Finally the second Saturday of the year dawned. Being the morning person he was, Tom was up and down to breakfast at about 7am. He figured he'd go to the library for a couple hours before Harry arrived to get some studying in.

"You're too studious Tom." Abraxas said around a yawn. He was pushing his eggs around on his plate and not actually paying attention while he ate. "School's only been going on for a couple weeks and you've already befriended a bunch of professors and gotten most of your homework and reading down for the term."

The blond grumbled for awhile after that about how his parents were now expecting him to do just as well as Tom.

"Harry did try to warn you." Abraxas only moaned again before finally eating the food he'd been idly poking at. Tom was mostly done eating and was now reading out of one of his text books. He still had time to go to the room he had found.

Ever so slightly Tom rotated his right arm and felt the press of Harry's wand in the second holster he had. His own wand was attached to the holster on his left arm. He didn't want to take the risk of running out of time to get back down to his dorms to grab the second wand.

"I'll be in the library to find a few books. Then I'll probably find a quiet room somewhere to study and practice." Tom told Abraxas as he stood up. If anyone came looking for Tom they would probably as the Malfoy boy where he had gone.

Abraxas only groaned and waved a hand to acknowledge that he had hard his friend.

Tom, being the studious student he was portraying himself to be, reminded Abraxas he still had a report for potions to write. That just earned Tom a glare, but at least he'd assured Abraxas would be busy doing something as well.

The last couple hours that Tom needed to kill were spent in the Library, grabbing any books that would be of use for him and Harry. Most were on magical theory and anything that was even remotely related to time magic.

The Malfoy library had been immensely useful for Tom and Harry, but there were a few books here that Tom hadn't seen yet. He couldn't wait for when he would finally have permission to get into the restricted section; Tom was sure there were books there that would have exactly what he needed.

Unfortunately, any information on time travel he found was linked to dark magic and the contents of Hogwart's library seemed to be focused on light magic and a few on the grey magic that separated the two extremes.

It left Tom wanting more. He understood the differences between the three types of magic, thanks to the book his letter had recommended, and he knew that Light and Dark magic were not inherently good or evil. It was how they were used.

Some light spells could easily kill people while several dark spells were extremely useful for healing. It was ridiculous to Tom how people could be separated into the three areas, but the book had explained how magic cores worked better with one of the three types.

The book had also included a ritual that would allow anyone with a magic core to find out what kind of magic they worked best with. Tom himself had a core that was connected with dark magic. They had found Harry was strongly connected with light magic. Out of curiosity they'd checked Abraxas as well and had found he was firmly placed in the middle of both types so his core was grey in nature.

That didn't mean Harry couldn't use dark magic or Tom couldn't use light magic. They just had to work harder with their opposites. The book had been very clear about how a witch or wizard would become exponentially stronger if they could learn to work with the opposite of their natural alignment.

Those were Tom's thoughts as he studied for a couple hours in the library before moving on to the 7th floor so he could get the room ready. He'd made sure to put all the books and his notes in his bottomless back.

"Mr. Riddle, where are you going?"

Tom had to fight not to groan in frustration when he heard the annoying voice of Professor Dumbledore spoke up behind him. Tom had only just left the library.

"Hello Professor." He pasted on a respectful smile. "I'm just going to find a quiet room to study and practice in. I want to make sure proficient in the spells I've learned so far." He so wanted to correct the ridiculous old man about his name, but he wanted to avoid any more attention from Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded and rubbed at beard. "Very good of you Tom. I wish all my students would work as hard as you do."

It was blatant flattery so Tom did the one thing he knew any other student would do; he smiled. It was a good thing he was suspicious and paranoid by nature, otherwise he might have fallen for Dumbledore's obvious manipulation.

"Where are you headed?"

It was too much to hope that Dumbledore would drop the subject and just let Tom go. "Professor Mulberry's office. I wanted to talk to him about the theory behind the spells he assigned to us this week."

Dumbledore was walking next to him as Tom made his way for the stairs at a leisurely pace. He'd left himself almost an hour to get up to the room he had found, but if Dumbledore escorted him all the way then Tom would be forced to talk to Professor Mulberry for awhile.

Thankfully Dumbledore left him at the before Tom made it up to the 7th floor, but not before chatting with Tom over the transfiguration spell they had been working on during class.

Perhaps Tom should plan to visit Dumbledore during the week sometime to build up some sort of trust. If he was able to convince the manipulative man that he was just very interested in his education then perhaps Dumbledore wouldn't be so suspicious.

It was something Tom would need to think about for later. For now he hurried to the circle on the floor and paced through it three times.

Once the door was there, and Ophion had confirmed no one was around to see him, Tom went inside.

It was as Tom had left it. There were mirrors lining the walls, various desks and tables with tools, books, and ingredients stacked up on them. There was even a blackboard to one side for Tom to write on if he wished.

To one side of the room was a door that led to another smaller room that had a fireplace and some comfortable couches where he and Harry could relax after practicing.

While he waited for Harry to appear, and worrying about whether or not the boy could because of all the wards around Hogwarts, Tom prepared the room. He made a list of spells he and Harry would work on onto the blackboard, set the books out on tables, and set out his notes for Harry to review if he needed.

Right at 10 o'clock Harry appeared in front of Tom. He looked a little out of breath, but the boy was smiling brightly.

"Tom!"

Tom soon had his arms full of a happy and laughing small boy. His wild black hair got into Tom's face, but he didn't care. All he cared about was holding Harry close and convincing himself that this was real and not just a very good dream.

"Are you alright?" Tom asked after a few minutes of the two of them just holding each other. The two weeks of separation had been hard on both of them. The older boy was at least safe at Hogwarts, but Harry still had to deal with his neglectful family.

For a moment Harry hesitated before nodding. The frown and narrowing of Tom's eyes had Harry sighing and shuffling his feet around. "The Dursleys are mad at me, but it's not my fault I'm smarter than Dudley!"

'Ah.' Tom thought as he sighed deeply and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Harry's relatives were being difficult because the younger boy was upstaging his cousin.

"The school wants to move me up a couple grades, but that would make me a year ahead of Dudley."

"They shouldn't have kept you from school in the first place." It was an old argument that Tom and Harry would have. The Dursleys had held Harry back with the excuse that he would be 'too little' to properly learn anything.

Harry shrugged and reached up to fiddle with his hair. "Madam LeRue is agreeing with the school. I don't think the Dursleys like being told to let me advance."

"Smart woman." Even though he had never met the social worker, Tom liked her. He liked how Harry described her strict and professional manner. "Did you have breakfast?"

The only thing the room did not have was food. So if Harry was hungry Tom would need to get some of the food he'd stored in his bag for Harry. It was all pre-packaged stuff, but it was food.

Thankfully Harry nodded and even reached into the bag he'd brought himself to pull out an apple. "The Dursleys went out today so I grabbed some food for lunch." The younger boy was still in the habit of grabbing food whenever he could just in case he didn't have access later.

It was a good habit to have, in Tom's opinion, and it had saved the two a few times before they had moved in with the Malfoy's.

"What are we doing today?" Harry asked quickly and excitedly. He had read through the books he'd taken home. Doing the spells without his wand had been extremely difficult, but he had enjoyed making things float around his room once he'd gotten the hang of the Leviosa spell.

With a smile Tom pointed over at the blackboard. "I made a list." he then removed Harry's wand and handed it to him.

Harry's eyes lit up and he took his wand back quickly. Ladon lifted his head from Harry's wrist and reached out to flick his tongue over the wood handle. Taking the wand in his hand was almost as wonderful a feeling as seeing Tom again.

The two began working on the spells Tom had learned in the two weeks since school started. They only stopped for lunch, and to read cuddled up on the couch, before getting back to it. While Harry worked with his wand, Tom elected to practice without his. It brought their ability levels closer together.

Neither boy could stop smiling until it was finally time for Harry to head back to the Dursley's. To keep people from being suspicious of what Tom was doing, Harry would only visit on Saturday's which left Tom to be social on Sunday's.

"I miss Abraxas." Harry said sadly when the evening finally caught up to them. He wasn't perfect with the spells Tom had taught to him, but he had a copy of Tom's notes to take with him back to the Dursley's.

Tom sucked in his breath and looked at the sad expression on Harry's face. Jealousy reared up for a moment and all Tom could feel was the need to keep everyone away from Harry. The small boy was his and he was loathe to share him. But over the summer Harry had grown close to the young Malfoy and Tom knew if he tried to deny that friendship it would hurt Harry.

"Maybe...maybe I'll talk to Abraxas later." Tom said slowly. They wouldn't have to necessarily admit that Harry was time traveling. They could say they had found a way to sneak Harry into the school every Saturday. It was well known the school was full of secret tunnels and passageways.

It was something to consider for later though. Two weeks was not enough time to have found a secret passage out of the school.

The offer to tell Abraxas had Harry smiling brightly and the small boy was hugging Tom again. "You don't have too. I know you still don't fully trust him."

Even though there was no sadness or other negative emotions in those words, Tom knew Harry was still sad. One of them had to be careful though.

Tom ran his fingers through Harry's hair as he sighed. He'd figure out something.

For the last few minutes the two were together, they said nothing and only held each other. They had to wait for Ophion and Ladon to get back from their explorations before Harry could go back to his time. The younger boy's wand was back on Tom's arm and there things were all packed away in their bags.

"Be safe. I'll see you next week." Tom told Harry as the smaller boy picked up Ladon as the small snake hissed up at him.

"I will! Love you Tom!"

And then Harry was gone with a smile and a small wave.