Hate.

Tom Riddle. He hated the name. It was too plain; unsuitable for someone like him. He was a genius, he was strong. Why should he be the one with such a plain name?

He lived on it.

The only thing he liked about his name was his second name- Marvolo. It was unique and nobody else had it. So whenever the caretakers made him introduce himself to some stupid new orphan at the orphanage, he always emphasized it. "Tom Marvolo Riddle. Nice to meet you."

It was the only thing he knew.


Love.

Harry Potter. He loved his name- Potter, for the family he never knew. Harry, the name Sirius told him Lily had picked out. Harry Potter, the son of Lily and James.

He lived on it.

What he liked best about his name was his second name- James. It reminded him of his father. James Potter, he liked saying. James Potter, my dad. Whenever he met one of his parents' old school friends or professors or their children, he'd always say it with emphasis. "I'm Harry James Potter."

It was what made his life happy.


Once upon a time, there was Tom Riddle, a handsome toddler that grew bitter without any love or care shown to him at the lonely orphanage, and Harry Potter, a beautiful baby whose talent was trampled at a young age.

Tom Riddle became the prodigious Head Boy of Hogwarts. He was the first to split his soul more than once. He was the most powerful Dark Lord that had ever been heard of in Europe, and his fall from grace went all the way down to Hell.

Harry Potter was the Boy-Who-Lived. He was the first to survive the Killing Curse. He was the youngest person in European history to have brought down a Dark Lord. He rose like a phoenix from the ashes he was left in to spreading his fiery wings as he influenced people all over the United Kingdom.

There was only a happy ending for one.


OMAKE

"What would have been if they switched places?" Albus Dumbledore wondered aloud yet again. "Harry has managed to turn out well though his living conditions had been less than loving, though Tom's had always been colder and even more restricting in magic."

"Perhaps they would have both become Dark Lords," Merlin laughed at Albus. The two got along quite well, considering how far apart their lives had been, though they did look quite similar. "After all Tom was quite disagreeable in the beginning. I don't think he and the Dursleys would have meshed."

"It is quite possible," Rowena Ravenclaw jumped in. She and Merlin were quite close, both having brilliant minds. "Though if they had been switched through magic, such as a more advanced Time-turner, I would suppose with Lily and James' personalities he would have managed through the orphanage. If he had found out about the swap, he might even have tried to rescue Tom."

"I doubt," Salazar Slytherin sneered, "that Harry Potter would still have been in in Godric's House. After all, growing up in such living conditions would certainly twist his brain to become smarter. After all he would need the brains to survive."

"Don't be rude, Salazar!" Helga Hufflepuff admonished. "With the Potter genes especially I think that he would still do well with Godric."

The banter continued between the three founders, Albus, and Merlin, and eventually they stopped, laughing.

Down on Earth, the Sorting Hat sneezed.

"Damn me!" it cursed. "If only I hadn't decided to seal my soul in this stupid hat. I would be able to go into the afterlife and speak with my old friends! Helga, Rowena, Salazar! I hope you aren't having fun without me!" Inside the Hat's mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Salazar whispered, "I told you this was a stupid idea."


Word count: 646

If you don't already know, 'Omake' is Japanese for extra. It's used in anime as a comedic little oneshot. :)

I felt like making a comparison between Tom and Harry. They're really similar, as JKR wrote in the books, with the way their lives went, but the way they became was what really changed things. I think that if they had grown up in each others' situations (like exactly the same as the other's) then Harry would become just a little more hating and he would have gotten into Slytherin and more politics stuff. Tom would probably be bitter up until he found out his special-ness, but he would still go to Slytherin and become an evil cruel bastard.

The last bit is just that bit of musing that I made a little more humorous with the last bit about Godric stuck in his Sorting Hat.