Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. But the idea of the story is mine own.

Chapter 2

Meeting

"The meeting of two personalites is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed."~Carl Jung

Chapter 2. Meeting

She felt small wet drops on her face. Harry began to realize she was no longer at King's Point Cross. It was too cold with harsh winds blowing across her face. She slowly opened her eyes. She looked around, confused and dazed. She expected to see the tall trees of the Forbidden Forest or the welcoming walls of Hogwarts. Instead, tall, dark buildings blanketed by snow surrounded her. It was night and only the faint glow of the lamp post provided light. Her hands went into the fold of her robe for her wand but it was empty.

"Where am I?"

She slowly rose up, gathering her robes closer to her body. As she began to walk, her feet became tangled with excess fabric. On the ground, she took a closer look at the too-big robes that a moment ago had fitted her perfectly. She pushed up her sleeves, to finally reveal her hands. They were small, chubby with short fingers. It wasn't a hand of a teenager, an eighteen-year-old. It was a hand of a child.

Harry walked over to a nearby store and peered into the glass for a reflection. Instead of a boy peering back, she saw a girl with tangled wild long hair framing a pale face. She was short, barely over four feet tall and looked scrawny. But the lack of baby fat sharpened her face, accentuating her eyes, the slight curve of a delicate nose and full lips. Harry touched her face. Years after being put under a charm to look like a boy, the female reflected at the glass seemed foreign and out of place. Her hand went to neck and she found the necklace still there. As her fingers stroked along the details of the fleur de lis, she felt the familiar warmth of her mother's magic.

Her eyes wondered to the corner of store's window and caught a sight of a newspaper.

December 30, 1937 London

She was back in time. She sat down confused, against the building. It was dangerous to go to the past. Her own existence could affect the future. Sweet Merlin, what if she made some mistake and caused a catastrophe. But Dumbledore wouldn't have been foolish, surely? Harry recounted her last conversation with him.

"Harry, the day your mother made the choice, she did something that changed the past and the future. Her decision opened a realm of magic hitherto unknown and unprecedented. You are the key to Voldemort and Tom Riddle, with your destiny closely joined together with his. Have you ever wonder if he understood love, who he could have been? He may not be Lord Voldemort, and might never have murdered at all."

So her mother's choice in allowing Harry to become chosen one open a realm of magic unknown and unprecedented. And somehow, she became a key to Voldemort. But Dumbledore also mentioned Tom Riddle. Yet, the moment he became Lord Voldemort, he had gotten rid of his past, everything connected to the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle. Was she meant to play a role in his childhood? Is this why she was stuck in a young girl's body? And most importantly, how would her existence change the timeline? The questions in her head slowly started to run in circles in her head. Harry groaned and slapped her forehead.

Damn it! Where's Hermione when you needed her?

Well, the most important thing was she was in London on December 31, 1937. Which meant Tom Riddle lived during this time period. Quickly, she went back to her lessons with Professor Dumbledore, on the history of Lord Voldemort.

Let's see. Tom Riddle was in London in an orphanage. How old is he right now? Come on, Harry, you can remember.

Harry frowned. Tom Riddle was born on New Year's Eve which is December 31st. And what was the name of the orphanage. She recalled the tall, black looming gate with the name "Wool's Orphanage". Now how could she find the orphanage?

The sound of bells were then heard ringing through the city. Big Ben's bells rang seven times. Harry smiled to herself. Seven the magical number, imbued with power. She decided to take it as an good omen. Better that then become like Sybill Trelawney and decide everything was the sign of death and horror. Well, it was no use asking questions with no concrete answers. She was ready to stand up when she felt someone trip over her. She turned to look at the unfortunate person who had fallen to the ground. In the dim light, she saw a pair of dark eyes. Her eyes followed down along the lines of an aquiline nose, then to the black hairs, without a strand out of place despite the snow falling down. It was a face she had seen a numerous time, a face that had been engraved into her mind. It was the face of Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr.

Tom Riddle quickly walked out of the orphanage. He needed somewhere to flee, a safe haven to get away from this place. Today, he had seen that spineless, pathetic, wimpy boy get adopted. He had spend years with that boy in the same room and contain his rage and fury every time the boy had cried, wet his bed and spent time cuddling with a pet rabbit named Fluffy. Who on earth will name any pet Fluffy? He felt his own pet slowly squeeze his arm to calm himself down. He smiled at her sign of comfort and softly hissed to her. Nagini, I'm fine.

But when he had seen the couple walk through the doors of the orphanage, a slight form of hope had appeared in his chest. Surely, with his skills, he should be granted with a wish. A wish of having parents, a mother, And finally two people who appeared, looked worthy to adopt him. The women had been dressed simply but the quality of the clothes displayed the wealth. She was poised and calm, with a look of intelligence in her eyes. Tom had become speechless at the woman as she stepped into the room. This was a woman who was fit to be known as his mother. When she smiled, he wanted to smile back. However, her smile was meant for the other occupant of the room, Billy Stubbs. He vaguely heard Mrs. Cole buttering on compliments on Billy. Just look at him. Isn't he a darling? Very pleasant boy who cause no trouble at all. Such an angel. He wanted to call out on her lies and beg, plead for the lady to take him instead. But all he saw was the woman's mouth move, "What a wonderful boy. Just the one we're looking for. Right dear?" He turned to look at the man, smiling and nodding. Then he saw the woman lead the boy by the hand, bringing him closer to her, embracing him.

As Billy ran downstairs to spend more time with his new parents, Tom tried to control the pain inside of him.

How dare they overlook him? He was better than Billy in every possible way. Everything Billy lacked, he had it. He's been at the orphanage from his birth, been here the longest. But he was still the one left remaining in this personal circle of hell.

He heard the cage rattle under the bed of Billy. He lifted it up, only to be faced with the bunny. Fluffy, looking so content while chewing on a rabbit, seemed to be mocking Tom of happiness and love that he seemed to never receive. Anger once again grew inside of him. Disgusted, he kicked the cage and walked over to his bed. But as he laid there, he could Billy's laughter echoing from downstairs. At the sound of laughter, Tom stopped his control on his anger. He lifted his hand and focused on the rabbit. Slowly, he heard the metal giving away, opening the cage. He slowly raised his hand and watched the rabbit floating in the air. He immersed himself in the feeling of having control. He slowly began to shift his hand as he watched the rabbit in his mercy. Concentrating, he lifted the rabbit higher and higher to the rafters. His hands motioned for the piece of rope lying in the corner. As the rope twisted itself in a noose, he slowly brought the rabbit closer to the rope. After all, without sadness, one could not experience happiness. Billy should feel what it meant to lose something precious.

After the action was done, Tom left the room, outside the orphanage, past the gate.

As Tom walked through the city, he regretted leaving in a rush. He only had a thin fabric of grey cloth, the hand-me-down uniform, providing warmth. He apologetically whispered an apology to Nagini. She only snuggled closely to him for his body heat. He looked at the snow falling down and watched as each steps left behind a footprint on the ground. Tom promised himself that he was going to leave a permanent mark behind, where he will be known and respected. No one will dare ignore him. The bells of Ben ringing awoke him from his thoughts. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. As he counted each time the bell rang throughout the city, he failed to notice a figure draped in a black cloak in front of him. Tom Riddle promptly tripped.

Furious, he looked up to see what had tripped him. Angry dark eyes stared into green.

It was a small girl swathed in some sort of black robe. Her hair was unruly, in wild curls around her. But her eyes shone and were such a vivid color of green. His observation of her was interrupted by Nagini's angry movements. He quickly jumped up and took Nagini out.

I'm ssorry, Nagini. There wass a young girl and I tripped over her. Are you okay?

Just a little bruissed Masster. I don't appreciate the cold weather. May we please return? But, may I also deal with the foolish girl?

Tom nodded. Nagini could be malevolent if she needed to be. Although small for now, barely over a feet long, her fangs could scare away most annoyances. He smiled at the though of the girl being terrified by Nagini. He watched as Nagini slither up his arm to face the girl. The girl stared as the snake slithered up Tom's arm to stare at her. The snake showed it's sharp fangs, a behavior meant for intimidation. He waited for her to scurry away. But to his surprise, the girl bowed and hissed back, "I apologize for my behavior. I meant no harm, little one."

The snake startled, moved back closer to Tom, surprised. Tom hissed, "Another speaker? I didn't know another exist. What's your name? Where are you from? How can you speak to snakes?"

The girl ignored his questions and focused her hands on the snake. She whispered, "Caleficio".

He felt the heat spread over Nagini, making her hiss with pleasure. Then she looked at him and closed her eyes again. He saw her mouth whisper the same word and he was surrounded by warmth, a pleasant surprise from the harsh cold weather. He looked at her with curiosity and wonder. This girl had similar special abilities that he had. Tom closed his eyes and tried to probe into his mind, only to be met with a strong barrier. He tried harder, pushing harder against the walls surrounding her mind. But the walls didn't budge. He retracted and scrutinize her, someone who was just like him.

He asked,"Who are you?"

The girl seemed to ponder before giving her answer.

"A friend"

Author Note:

Chapter 2 is done. Yay!

Hope you enjoyed. Also thank you to everyone who has reviewed. They were very much appreciated.

Til next chapter,

cgrocks