Some of you may not agree with my characterization of Tom. That's fine. However, there is a huge difference between a thirteen/fourteen year old, and a sixteen year old in terms of emotional maturity and the capacity for cruelty. In my opinion, Tom is at a crossroads, and while at 16, he may be a hardened killer, right now hes still an abused child seeking a reason for emotional attachment.

Chapter 2: Tom

When Professor Dumbledore approached, Tom immediately stiffened his spine and turned cold. Despite introducing Tom to this world of magic, the professor made it very clear that he disliked Tom and did not trust him, and yet he often held Tom back after class, or called for him during a weekend to scold him on homework Tom had done correctly. The Slytherin couldn't understand why. Was he not good enough for this world? What was wrong with him?

"Ahh Mr. Riddle. Good. You have about an hour to pack. It's been requested that you return home to the orphanage for winter break. I am unsure as to the reason, but no matter. Have a good break." The professor told him sharply, before walking away. Angry at being forced to return to the orphanage, Tom returned to his dorms and packed his bags with the minimum he would need for the holidays. He did not want anything getting taken from him at the orphanage by the older kids or an angry matron. When he boarded the train, he got sideways looks from Abraxus Malfoy and the rest of his friends, but the angry and crestfallen look on his face was enough to deter them from asking any questions about his sudden return to the muggle world.

The train ride felt too short, as usual, and Tom reluctantly collected his trunk. He had no familiar. It wouldn't be able to stay at the orphanage. His friends hugged him goodbye, and Abraxus gave him a portkey, as was their custom. Should anything too bad happen, Tom was to take the portkey to the Malfoys. As Tom emerged on the other side of platform 9 ¾, he saw Mrs. Cole waiting in their designated meeting place. Beside her was a man. He looked to be about thirty, and had jet black hair and green eyes. He was also looking right at the platform entrance. Reluctantly, he approached, shaking with nerves. Had this muggle seen him emerge from the platform wall?

"Ah, good, Tom." Mrs. Cole said with a smile. "Mr. Peverell, this is Tom Riddle, your new ward. Tom, this is Hadrian Peverell. He's taken custody of you. I'm sure you'll be very happy with him." She shook hands with Mr. Peverell and walked away briskly. Tom reeled at her abruptness, but realized the threat of war made her anxious to go back to shelter. Harry looked at his new ward.

"Hello Mr. Riddle. I'm Hadrian, and you are my ward, as Mrs. Cole just informed you. You may refer to me as you please, as long as it's not disrespectful. When we get home, we can talk about some rules we can both agree on, before we address school. How does that sound?"

Tom nodded, stunned. Once kids hit about ten, they don't get adopted. Why had this man chosen him? And what about Hogwarts. If this man was a muggle . . . He watched in shock as the man took his trunk and shrunk it, before taking his hand. "We'll be Apparating. Have you done this before?"

"No sir." He said softly. His body relaxed. Not a muggle, but a wizard.

"Very well. Lets be off." He led Tom back onto the Platform 9 ¾, before turning in place. Tom felt like he was being pulled through a tube, before they were suddenly in a large, airy foyer.

"Welcome to Peverell Manor." Hadrian said, seeing a bit of himself in Tom Riddle. Dumbledore was a fool to fear the darkness of an abused child to the point of alienation and further abuse.

"Wow." The Slytherin breathed, before turning to his new guardian. This manor was incredible. His guardian had to be at least a half blood, most likely a pureblood.

Harry resized his trunk and called out for Ceesey. "Please take Master Riddle's trunk to his room, and bring some refreshments to the den. We'll be having a long discussion, and I'm sure Tom is hungry. Thank you."

The house elf nodded and popped away.

"Sir?" Tom asked in bewilderment. Everything was changing and he couldn't seem to understand why. Why had this man taken him in? What did he want? What was going to happen to him?

Hadrian took a hold of Tom's shoulder and led him into the den, seating him on a very comfortable couch, and taking a seat across from him. "Ask away."

Tom took a moment to collect himself. "Why am I here?" He asked first.

Hadrian smiled at him. "I know what it's like to not have a family. I was orphaned at a very young age, and grew up with unfriendly relatives. I asked the Goblins to look into an orphan for me to take in, perhaps make my heir. They found several orphans, most much younger than you, but I chose you. You're here, Tom, because I want you to be my son."

Tom kept back the tears by sheer will. "Sir?" That statement alone almost tore down the walls Tom had spent years building.

"This winter break is for us to get to know each other better. After that, if you want, I want to blood adopt you. Otherwise, we'll come to an arrangement about how you would like to stay here. You're here to stay, no matter your decision."

Tom nodded. "Okay, let's say I believe you, for now. You said something about rules, and school."

Hadrian nodded and set out a piece of parchment. On it was written:

Home Contract:

1) Curfew

2) Chores

3) School behavior

4) Grades

5) Expression of anger or violence, including profanity

6) Conflict resolution

7) Black and Dark Magic

"These are the topics I wish to address with you. We will both agree on the terms of a home contract, and you will abide by them, or there will be consequences. These will include spankings, groundings, and taking time away from pleasurable activities, as well as increased chores or unpleasant tasks. I will also consider docking your allowance for a week, or limiting your reading material to what is necessary for homework. I will never abuse you. I will never withhold food from you, and I will never degrade you. Is this all okay?"

Tom looked up, unable to stop the tears from falling this time. "I don't understand."

Harry drew the teen into his arms and let him cry. "You don't, but you will."

About a half hour later, Tom looked up and dried his face. "Sorry." He muttered. His embarrassment let him close himself off again. Harry didn't push.

"There's no need to be sorry." Harry said with a smile. "It's okay to show emotion to your family, and close friends. They won't use it against you." He paused. "Strangers, however, don't always need to know what's going on in your head. Being smart doesn't mean being emotionally unavailable. Now, let's get on with that contract."

Tom nodded. "Is eleven a good curfew?" He tested.

Harry chuckled. "Tom, you're thirteen, almost fourteen. How about nine on weekdays, and eleven on weekends, when you're with someone I trust to take care of you. Fair?"

Tom nodded. "Yes, sir." He inwardly smiled. He'd never admit it, but it felt good to have someone care about what he was doing and who he was with.

"As for chores, I would like you to keep your room clean, clean up after any pets you may get, clear the table of your dishes when you eat, and clear up after yourself if you do something. If you take it out, put it away."

Tom nodded again. "Will I get an straight allowance, sir, or will it be dependent on something?"

"Your allowance will be directly proportional to the chores you do. If all your chores are done, you may have three galleons a week. I will subtract from this amount for chores undone. Is that acceptable?"

Tom's eyes widened. "Yes, sir. Thank you!" It was a generous allowance, especially for an orphan who'd never had a sickle to his name before.

"As for school, I will be informed about every detention you receive. Should you behave, you will be allowed privileges, such as a visit somewhere you'd like to go, or a sleepover with a friend. Poor reports will result in the revocation of said privileges, and after too many, groundings. Fair?"

Tom hesitated. Here was his chance to test the limits of his new guardian's willingness to listen. "There's this teacher, Professor Dumbledore. He dislikes me and I don't know why. Sometimes he takes points from other students, but gives me detentions. Other times, he calls me in and scolds me about homework, even when I've done it right."

Harry drew him back into a hug. "Thank you for telling me. If you record these instances, I will look them over to determine what are fair detentions. I will also deal with the teacher, if need be."

Tom relaxed and drew out of the hug. "Thank you. Other than that, you're more fair than some parents my friends have." This was like nothing he's ever imagined. There had to be a catch.

"Now, grades. I expect good ones. At the end of the semester, I will pay five galleons an O, three an EE, one an A, and fine one for a P, three a D, and five a T. Should you fail any classes, you will be grounded, and privileges taken until you study enough to go to the ministry and retake the exam. Fair?"

Tom nodded again. "I've never failed a class, and even the teacher who dislikes me doesn't sabotage my work because I turned him in when he did it the first time. He said he'd made a mistake."

"Good. We'll see how your midterm grades turn out. I should be getting them in a week or so. Next on the list, expressions of anger will be done politely. There will be no tantrums. You will be spanked for said tantrums. Profanity will result in your mouth being washed out with soap. Alright? Conflict resolution will be done calmly and rationally. You will not yell or demand to get your way. Otherwise, you may find yourself with a sore bum and grounded. Deal?"

Tom winced but nodded. It was fair, even if he didn't like it. "Yes, sir." He said dejectedly. Sometimes he just couldn't control his temper. He didn't know why.

"Finally, Black Magic. It will not happen. Period. Each visit, you and I will have a look at your wand. Anything Black will result in a severe punishment. I'm not sure what yet, only that it won't be happening. We will also be looking at your core, and I will teach you how to discern between black and dark magic. I will teach you "dark" magic in a responsible fashion after you've proven to me that you can handle it. Until then, unless you have a very good excuse, you will not be using it. Clear?"

Tom reluctantly nodded. It was disappointing. Abraxus and Orion had promised to show him what their parents taught them.

"I understand the lure, which is why I don't want you learning it yet. You're too young to resist it, and it can cause insanity when the young are exposed to it. I'm not doing this to hurt you, Tom." Hadrian said calmly, obviously seeing the disappointment.

Tom sighed. "It's not like I use it much anyway." He muttered."I'll deal with it."

Harry smiled and tugged Ceesey's tray of snacks toward them. "Good, lets eat. Then we can get you settled, and you can inform me of your likes and dislikes. You have both a birthday and Christmas coming up. We'll need to do some shopping."

As his new guardian settled behind a desk to do some paperwork, the house elf, Ceesey, led Tom to his new room.

"This be Master Riddle's room." The house elf squeaked. "It be almost done. Master Peverell be taking Master Riddle for clothes and toys and such first, and Ceesey be putting them in room before room be done. Master Peverell is other room in the hall, Master's room. If Master Riddle be wanting something, Master Riddle's elf be Vooby. Elf is not to clean room or messes Master Riddle makes, but to help Master Riddle with food and laundry and fetching things."

Tom nodded, and decided to emulate his new guardian and thanked the elf. His new room was amazing. As he entered, he noticed that the room itself was a suite. An Heir's suite, to be exact. It had a small sitting room, a breakfast nook in a window, a huge closet, an office, and a separate bedroom, with fireplaces in each room. The walls were a dark forest green, with small accents in silver and gold. The furniture was a dark brown; all in all, the room looked like the middle of a forest. It was perfect.

As he approached the closet, he opened it to find that while not full, it had more clothes than the ones he had brought. He selected a pair of black slacks and a warm grey sweater, which automatically sized themselves to his frame when he put them on. One time tailoring charms, awesome. He entered the office to find his few school books sitting on a bookshelf, and his school homework was on the desk. With nothing else to do, Tom sat down to do it, and finished in record time. Now he had nothing to do.

Just as Tom was about to call Vooby the house elf for directions to the library, there was a knock on the door, before his new guardian poked his head in. "All settled?" He asked with a grin.

Tom nodded his head furiously. "It's amazing! Thank you, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir, Tom. You may call me Hadrian, or later, if you wish, some form of 'dad'. Now, I believe we have a few things we need to get you? Clothes, some things to do, books?"

"You don't have to." Tom said in a rush, not wanting to seem greedy. If he was greedy, he'd be sent back.

Hadrian smiles. "Come along. We'll pick some books from the library, then I'll take you to The Dreaming Shawl for some clothes, and we'll find a pet. After the new year, we'll see what you still need."

Nodding, Tom followed Harry to the library, only to stop in shock at the door. The library was massive. The room itself was at least three stories, and house elves were working quickly and sorting books. Large piles were created and taken away, and a sorting system was still being put in place. "When I took control of my titles five months ago, I told the house elves to deal with the libraries. There was a massive library in each manor, and while many of the books were original, there was also a lot of overlap. As this is my main residence, the first copy of every book will be in this library, and other copies of the books will be formed into new libraries in the other family manors. There was also a lot of neglect, and many books need to be restored, and information updated. There's about fifty years between any book being added to the library, so new books are purchased and added. This is Nonly's domain. He's the head library elf, and he's in charge of the massive project. For now, the only section done is the family journals and grimoires. It's still very large. When it's done, I imagine the library will be larger than any other library in Europe, due to the age of the families involved. We'll also stop by Gringotts and have an inheritance test done for you soon. You may have magical relatives who left something to you. For now, what topics are you most interested in?"

Tom thought for a moment. "I like potions and transfiguration. Professor Slughorn encourages me in potions, but Professor Dumbledore won't help me in transfiguration."

Hadrian smiled. "Well then, how about a few grimoires from the Peverell's. They were masters of transfiguration. You may show that teacher some spells yet. You're welcome to come back anytime you wish and add some of the books to your bookshelves in your room. Just make sure you check them out with one of Nonly's elves, and make sure they're not dark or black magic. We're still finding them mixed in with the other topics. Eventually I'll get them all into a section of their own, where they'll be safe from unsuspecting eyes."

When Tom nodded, Hadrian led him over to the least busy section, where he showed Tom a few personal journals that looked hundreds of years old. "Will these do for starters?" He asked dryly.

When Tom nodded in awe, Hadrian called out for Vooby. "Take these and put them in Master Riddle's room. We'll be out late, so please make sure there's a banked fire in the bedroom for warmth."

As the house elf popped away, Tom finally had enough. "Why?" He cried out.

Immediately, Hadrian drew him over to a small couch placed for reading in the library. "Why what?"

"Why are you so kind to me?" Tom asked angrily. Anger was the only emotion he understood in his own head right now. Everything else was too confusing.

"Because I've learned to pay it forward. When I was younger, someone was kind to me. His family made me a part of theirs, even though they had very little. The family taught me to pay it forward. To show others the same kindness. I see myself in you, Tom. One day, I may even be able to call you my son. Until then, I intend for you to have a proper childhood, with someone who loves you and cares for you. You deserve to be loved, Tom."

Ashamed at his outburst, Tom ducked his head, and was thus surprised when he was lifted like a child into Hadrian's arms. "It's alright to not understand. One day, I hope you will, and until then, I will just have to teach you to understand."

He set Tom down in front of the floo a few doors away, and called for Ranry. "Tom, this is my personal elf, Ranry. Ranry, this is my ward, Master Riddle. Would you please fetch cloaks for the both of us, and my money pouch and Tom's wand? We'll be out late, so please inform Ceesey to hold dinner for us."

The elf nodded and came back with the requested items. Hadrian swung the cloak around Tom's shoulders, and fastened it around his neck, before fastening his own. "Good." He handed Tom his wand. "We'll need a holster for this, but for now, you may place it in your pocket. Now lets go."

"Where shall I floo to . . . Hadrian?" Tom said hesitantly.

"We will be going to Greron Square. It's a bit nicer than Diagon Alley, and there's more variety."

Greron Square was amazing. Hadrian took Tom to the clothing store first, where he tried on a ton of fabrics and styles. The total was enough to make Tom wince, especially considering the fabrics involved, like acromantula silk, but Hadrian handed his key over without a fuss or a wince. Over 600 galleons spent on Tom's clothes alone. When Tom tried to protest, Hadrian merely smiled and added another item to the register. Tom got the hint. He would not be complaining, or Hadrian would simply be spending more on him. He didn't understand why, but Hadrian was in charge. They also bought some newer books from a bookstore for Tom to read, and a wand holster and dragonhide boots at another stop.

Then he was led to an offshoot of the square. "This is Jaggamlid Avenue, a street which is more focused on Potions and Magical Creatures. Because of this, I do not want you to come here alone. It can be dangerous, and sometime shady people look for human potions ingredients. We'll be stopping two places. The first is The Dragon's Breath. It specializes in the exotic, and I have business there. Then we'll stop at the Sleeping Owl for an owl for you and I. Your owl will not need to be your familiar, but I wish to write to you when you're back at school." Wistfulness ran through Harry. He missed Hedwig.

Tom nodded his understanding as they entered the first store. Snake tanks lined one wall, and lizards another. Eggs that were clearly rare were displayed on the third, with cages of rare creatures in the middle. Although he hated seeing all those rare creatures locked up, Tom went straight to the snakes, seeking out the one that looked like a python, with fangs. It was a slivery white, with accents of deep green, gold, and black. It was gorgeous. Hadrian came up behind him.

"A Mulsaxa. They're very rare. Their fangs hold three types of venom, a paralysis, a fast kill, and a slow agonizing death. They're considered one of the most intelligent snakes to exist."

*"Stupid human!"* The snake hissed. Tom tried not to react. Professor Dumbledore didn't like Tom speaking with serpents. He told him it was a dark gift, and Tom shouldn't do evil things. *"I am THE most intelligent snake to exist, and I will pass my knowledge to my hatchlings when they emerge. Thank Gaia that the stupid owner has not noticed my children, or he would sell them for potions!"*

Hadrian gave a small chuckle. "They're also very proud. *"Silly snake. Basilisks are also intelligent, and you will not have to suffer your hatchlings dying. I will take you home with me."*

Tom gave a gasp and looked at Hadrian in shock. *"You can speak to snakes! Like me!"*

*"Yes, child. I speak to snakes. Now, lets shut down this store. My presence here is two fold."*

As the store owner approached, Hadrian took a small scroll from his pocket. "Kian Berry?"

"Yes?" The man looked disgruntled.

"I have here from Gringotts a notice of foreclosure and immediate seizure of all property, effective immediately. It seems you have failed to pay the Peverell estate rent for the last ten years. Your debt is over three million galleons."

"The Peverell family is extinct," blustered the man. "Gringotts can't claim anything without an heir to give it to!"

Hadrian smirked, and Tom suddenly realized that his new guardian was dangerous. "On the contrary, I am Lord Hadrian Cyrus Peverell, and I will be taking control of this store and its contents. You have ten minutes to grab any personal belongings. I will check that they are not store property before you leave."

Tom watched in amazement as Hadrian disposed of the awful man and locked down the store. Then he opened the cage with the Mulsaxa, and Hadrian lifted her up and placed her on Tom's shoulders.

*"Protect my hatchling for now."* He hissed intently. *"I will protect yours, when they are born, and one of them will be my hatchling's familiar."* With that, Harry called Todry, who brought a contingent of elves and began taking the animals and eggs away. Tom reeled at being called Hadrian's hatchling. He hadn't even known him for a day. How could he lay such claim on him?

They left, and thankfully, an uneventful trip later had a beautiful Black Great Horned Owl Tom named Icarus, and a beautiful barn owl named Soleil for Harry.

Ok! And . . . WITH EMOTION . . . I hope