Disclaimer: The usual, I don't own any of the characters or anything to do with Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K Rowling. The only person I own is Isolde.
Authors Note: This story is a work in progress that has been swimming around in my head for over a year. Since I'm stuck on my other stories, I decide to write this story out to make room for ideas for my other fan fictions.
I just edited this since i screwed up with Tom and Isolde's ages.
CHAPTER ONE – The Beginning
Winter 1931
Bleak. That was one word to describe not only the weather but the atmosphere surrounding the South London orphanage. It hadn't snowed in over two weeks and all that was left in the courtyard was slush that a few of the orphans had taken to playing in.
One young orphan, five year old Tom Riddle sat at the window of his room, watching the other children playing. Even at such a young age he found what they were doing childish and preferred to read the tattered hand-me down books he had borrowed from one of the classrooms.
Yes, Tom was different from the other orphans, something they all noticed upon meeting him. He was quiet and withdrawn, never smiling and only spoke when spoken to. Strange things had a tendency to happen around him and as time passed he was able to control them. It was like magic.
"Thomas." The little boy winced at the sound of his full name, before turning to meet the gaze of the Head Matron, Mrs Cole.
"Yes, Mrs Cole." He said quietly.
"Why don't you put on your coat and gloves, and join the other children in the courtyard?" she suggested with a smile. She really worried about the boy and constantly tried to encourage him to join in with the other orphans games. However he always declined, preferring to steer clear of them, just as they preferred to avoid him.
"No thank you." He replied quietly, turning back to his book.
Mrs Cole sighed and walked over to him "What are you reading?" she asked him gently.
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." He answered in the same toneless voice.
Mrs Cole was surprised. That was a book usually reserved for the older children in the orphanage. It wasn't something recommended for someone Tom's age.
"Surely there is another one that might be more appropriate for someone your age." The older woman suggested.
The young boy looked at her through his cold, ice blue eyes. "I am finding this one to my liking." He told her, before returning to his reading.
Once again sighing, Mrs Cole decided to just leave the boy alone and left the room, just as the front bell rang alerting her that there was someone at the front door waiting to visit.
Marking his place, Tom stood up and quietly followed Mrs Cole. For some reason, for the first time in his life he was curious as to see who was visiting the orphanage on this cold, bleak day. Usually he didn't care, but something was urging the young boy to follow the matron.
Hiding at the top of the stair, he crouched down and watched as Mrs Cole opened the front door, emitting an older man carrying a small trunk and an older woman dragging a small girl behind her.
From his position, Tom couldn't hear them properly, just a murmur of voices. The older man dumped the trunk on the floor and left, leaving the older woman and the little girl, who looked like she was crying softly.
"We want nothing to do with this devil child." The older woman shouted. "We only kept her because it was our sons wish. However we are too old to take care of her."
With that said, she shoved the little girl and a small bag at Mrs. Cole and left.
"Grandmother." The little girl called tearfully. Tom's heart skipped for a moment. He had never heard a more beautiful sound then the little girl's voice.
Mrs Cole looked a little distressed and knelt down to speak quietly with the little girl, before standing up and walking into the office, leaving the girl alone.
Tom couldn't help himself; he wanted to meet the little girl before the other children warned her not to come near him. Normally he didn't care, but he didn't want this little girl to be scared of him. Quietly, he stood up and began to descend the stairs.
He reached the bottom of the stairs and got a better look at her. She was smaller than him and dressed in a faded grey coat with black stockings and black Mary-Janes. He couldn't see her face as she had her head bowed and her wavy chocolate coloured locks covered it. She was crying softly.
Standing there, Tom watched her. Seeing a newly arrived orphan crying was not a new sight for him, but he felt his heart tightened. He didn't want her to cry and he didn't know why he cared.
Suddenly the little girl looked up, straight at Tom who froze. She was very pretty with pale skin and big brown eyes that reminded him of hot chocolate that Mrs Cole sometimes gave the children. Her nose was small and slightly red from the cold and crying.
"Hello." Tom said quietly, not wanting to scare her. He really didn't want this little angel to be scared of him. For the first time in his life, Tom wanted a friend and he wanted it to be this little girl.
She sniffled. "Hello." She replied quietly, her voice shaking.
"What's your name?"
Still sniffling, she answered. "Isolde." Wiping her nose on the sleeve of her jacket, she turned her gaze back to him. "What's your name?"
"Tom. Tom Riddle."
"Do you live here?"
Tom nodded. "Yes, I have lived here my whole life."
Isolde just nodded, as Tom slowly took small steps to get closer to her. "How old are you?" she asked, surveying the little boy in front of her.
"I just turned five. You?"
"Four."
She was younger than him. He felt a sudden need to protect her. This was strange. Tom Riddle didn't care about anyone but himself.
There was a comfortable silence between them that was broken as Mrs Cole came out of her office. "Well Isolde, we have a room for you. I hope you like it. You will be sharing with some of the other little girls. You should make friends in no time." She said. "Oh. Tom, what are you doing down here?"
Tom didn't answer; he just looked at Isolde who was watching him. She was different from the other children, he could tell right away.
"Tom, perhaps you would like to help Isolde get settled in." Mrs Cole said gently. Tom just nodded, as the matron turned her attention to the small trunk Isolde's grandparents had left. "This is your trunk Isolde?"
Isolde shook her head, her wavy locks flicking back and forth. "No, it was my Mummy's. She left it for me after she died."
Mrs Cole squatted down and looked it. "Hmm, there doesn't seem to be a padlock." She muttered under the breath.
"Papa said it will open when I turn seventeen."
Mrs Cole stood up and shook her head. "Of course it will." She mumbled, before clearing her throat. "We will put it in a safe spot then until that day."
Isolde nodded, as Mrs Cole bent down again to pick up the bag Isolde's grandmother had left thrown there, riffling through it for a minute. "We have your birth certificate. That is an added bonus." She smiled and turned to both children. "Come, let's get Isolde settled in."
Taking Isolde's hand, she went to lead the little girl up there stairs. Almost immediately, Isolde reached out and grabbed Tom's hand tightly, dragging him along. Mrs Cole was surprised that the little boy who shunned human contact made no attempts to detangle himself from the girl. In fact, it appeared he gripped her hand tightly, following along without any argument.
Tom silently groaned when he saw Mrs Cole had placed Isolde in a room with Helen and Emma. At the ages of four and six, they already had the making of becoming gossips, a term he had picked up from Mr Johns, one of the teachers.
"Helen and Emma are playing with the other children outside." Mrs Cole told Isolde, who was standing beside Tom, still gripping his hand like it was a lifeline. "Perhaps after you have unpacked, you would like me to introduce you to them."
Isolde didn't answer; she just peered around the room, looking sad. Mrs Cole sighed, before turning to Tom. "Take care of her Tom." She told the little boy, who merely nodded, before she left, after casting one last look at the young pair.
Tom turned to Isolde. "Would you like to see my room?" he asked her.
Isolde nodded and Tom led her down the hall to where his private room was situated. "You have your own room?" Isolde asked in awe. "Why?"
Tom shrugged and sat down on his bed. "Nobody wants to share with me."
Isolde came to join him. "Why not?"
"They don't like me. I'm different." He told her.
With a smile Isolde replied. "I like you."
For the first time in his life, Tom smiled a real genuine smile.
Isolde yawned and lay back against the pillows. "I'm tired. It's time for a nap." She said closing her eyes.
Tom stood up and crossed his arms. "I'm told old for a nap." He told her.
Isolde opened her eyes and smiled. "My grandfather has naps all the time and he's old."
Not able to come up with any other argument, Tom agreed and lay down on the bed beside Isolde, deciding a nap couldn't hurt.
When Mrs Cole came looking for the sometime later, she smiled at the sight of the two children cuddled up together. Perhaps there was some hope for the little boy she was so worried about.
A/N: So what did you think? This is my first time writing a TR/OFC story. Just for future reference, Tom is going be a bit out of character at some points in the story.
Also, for future chapters I'm going to need some info about the London bombings and any little facts people have about London during the 30's and 40's. It would be much appreciated.
So please, please review, because it really inspires me to write more.
Also, I am looking for a beta for not only this story but two of my others. One, Harry Potter SS/HG and the other an NCIS Kate/Tony story. Just someone to check out that it makes sense and to push me along if I take too long to update.
Cheers,
tate4eva
