Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and anything recognizable belongs to J K Rowling.
Chapter 5: Getting settled in…
Alexis looked up at the dreary grey building, it looked plain and worn down. She gently pushed open the rusted front gate and walked inside. She looked around and then headed towards the big, brown wooden doors. She knocked on the door a few times before a young girl, who only looked a few years older than her, opened it. The girl had dark brown hair and was short and petite. She looked at Alexis questioningly.
"How may I help you?" the girl asked plainly.
"I would like to stay here please…" Alexis blurted out.
"And why would you want to do that?" she sneered.
Alexis immediately felt a wave of dislike towards the other girl wash over her. But before she could answer, a plump, middle-aged woman stepped into her sight. The woman looked kind and welcoming but also tired and frazzled.
"Now, who are you dearie?" the woman asked kindly.
"Alexis Westwood, ma'am." She answered respectfully. She really hoped she would be allowed to stay here because if she wasn't then all her plans would fall apart and history would repeat itself.
"How may we help you?" the woman asked but there was a knowing look on her face.
"My parents passed away…" Alexis' voice trembled as she spoke. "They died during a bombing" she said, as this was the excuse that Death had told her she could use since there was a muggle war going on. Tears started falling out of her eyes as the full extent of what she was doing hit her after saying it out aloud. She tried to stop the tears by telling herself that she could meet her family once she completed her mission in the past, but it was no use as the tears kept falling endlessly.
"I am sorry for your loss dear. My name is Ms Cole and I am the matron of this orphanage. You can stay here. I see that you have already brought along your belongings. Emily here will show you to your room." The woman said with a sympathetic smile on her face. She ushered Alexis, who had some control of herself by now, into the grey building.
The inside of the building wasn't much better than the outside. The walls were painted white but most of the paint had started cracking. The floors had grey tiles that were spotlessly clean but gave the entire place a dull and dreary look that made Alexis want to turn around and get as far away from the orphanage as she could. She could see children a few years younger than her playing and running around, causing them to get reprimands from Ms Cole. The smiles on some of their faces reassured Alexis.
She was so busy looking at her new place of residence that she walked right into someone. She looked up quickly to apologise before she saw the disgusted sneer on the person's face. It was a boy who looked to be around her age, he was at least a head taller than her and much too skinny to be considered healthy. Alexis supposed that this was because of the dismal dining provided at the orphanage but pushed it to the back of her mind and glared at the teenage boy.
If she had seen the panicked look that crossed Emily's face, she would have gotten an idea of exactly who she was glaring at. The boy glared back at her before roughly shoving past Alexis. Alexis continued watching his retreating back before she was pulled out of her stupor by Emily's condescending voice.
"Hurry along now! I don't have all day!" Emily said as she tugged harshly on Alexis' arm. Alex nodded her head not wanting to make an enemy on her first day itself, though she doubted that she would ever get along with the older girl.
"This is the dining hall and that door to the right leads to the kitchen. The back garden is that way." The older girl said as she pointed to the left. Alexis looked around the dining hall. It wasn't anything extraordinary. It was a medium sized room with a long table running down the middle and a metal counter to the right of the table, next to the kitchen door.
Emily quickly turned around and quickened her pace probably wanting to finish her job as soon as possible. Alexis walked quickly to keep up with the older girl. Emily walked towards a set of wooden stairs that looked like they would collapse at the slightest touch. She walked up the stairs with Alex following her. She pitied herself even more after looking at her living conditions for the next few years. Even though Alex never lived in a huge mansion or lavish palace, she had lived most of her life in a comfortable home with loving parents who catered to her every need. Alex wondered whether this was all really worth it. 'Am I really going to be able to change him? If I fail then all of this would be for nought…'
She was brought out of her musings when she heard the click of a door opening. They had reached the room that she would be staying in. Alex looked at her room. It had a bed to one corner and a small wardrobe opposite it. Under the sole window of the room was a small writing table that lacked a chair. The mattress was thin and hard and didn't look like it would provide much comfort. It was covered with a thin blanket that promised no warmth during the harsh winters of England. It was definitely not a comfortable room but Alex decided that she would be able to make do with it.
"Hope you enjoy your new quarters!" Emily said with false cheeriness before walking away .
Alexis shook her head as she watched the rude, older girl walk away. No wonder Lord Voldemort hated muggles. She would too if all of them behaved the way Emily did. She shut the door before sitting on her bed. This was it…she had reached the past. Now she had to plan her actions carefully before carrying them out. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes; it would cost her too much. A few tears escaped her eyes as she thought about the world that she had left behind, the one with her family but also the one with a war that resulted in numerous deaths…she wondered when lunch was, she had completely forgot to ask Emily about the meal timings though she felt it was the other girl's responsibility to tell her. Her stomach ached with hunger but as far as she knew there was still some time left before lunch would be served.
She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, hoping to sort out her thoughts. She really had no clue how to start this entire mission. She didn't even know what Tom Riddle looked like for Merlin's sake!
Death had told her that all that was needed to save Tom Riddle was friendship but surely someone would have tried to be his friend? It wasn't possible for a person to have not even one friend in their entire lifetime, Alexis thought to herself. She imagined it would be miserable to go through life on her own with no one at her side. Alex actually pitied Tom Riddle, even Voldemort for that matter.
As she thought about her next step she really wished she could use her magic. She wouldn't be able to use magic as long as she was in the orphanage. It would be easily detected and she would have ministry officials behind her, faster than she could say Merlin. Everything would be so much easier if she could use magic outside school. As she thought about it, she realized that she could make her room much more comfortable if she was allowed the use of her wand. She quickly pushed the idea away before she got tempted to actually try it. 'If only I could use magic…' she thought to herself before closing her eyes and falling into a much needed sleep. As Alexis slept, someone looked at her with a smile on his face, quietly chuckling to himself before deciding to communicate with the sleeping girl through her dreams. Death's eyes twinkled before he quickly looked into Alex's mind.
Meanwhile someone else was drowning in his own thoughts. This someone was the boy Alexis had previously bumped into. That boy was currently sitting in the back garden much farther from the other children, under a shady tree that almost blocked all view of him. He rested his pale face in the palm of his hand as he tried to push away the despair that threatened to overcome him. Yes, Tom Riddle really did hate the orphanage and every one of its other occupants. He couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts away from the presence of these 'filthy muggles'. Their mere presence brought a sneer to his face. He waited for the day that he would come of age and would finally be able to leave this wretched place. He remembered the girl he had bumped into earlier in the day. He remembered the way she had glared. Well, he would soon put the muggle in her place.
No one crossed him and he made sure to keep it that way. This new girl would just have to learn it the hard way. Tom smirked to himself as he thought about how easy it was for him to scare people into submission. He had the entire orphanage terrified of him; this included the workers and Ms Cole. They had learnt not to anger him lest something bad happens to the one who ignited his anger. Tom heard a voice. It was more of a hiss than anything really. He smirked before looking for the owner of the voice. He found the small garden snake slithering towards him from behind a rock nearby.
Tom had discovered his unusual ability to talk to snakes long before he got his first Hogwart's letter. It had definitely helped him establish control over the children of the orphanage. The first time they saw Tom talking to snakes at the tender age of four, they had mocked him thinking that he was trying to imitate the snake. They had laughed at him before evilly killing the snake in front of the small boy's eyes. That was when his burning hate for muggles really sparked. The way they killed his first companion without any remorse disgusted him to the very bone and it still did…little did he know that he would be doing the same to thousands of people years into the future.
Tom looked at the small green garden snake before picking it up. The snakes in and around the orphanage came often to converse with Tom. Even though he never admitted it, Tom was glad for their company.
"Friend, are those horrid creatures troubling you?" the snake hissed dangerously while looking at the children playing some distance away.
"They wouldn't dare to." Tom said with a smirk and a little bit of arrogance. "But I trust that I can call upon your services when I need them?" he said though it was more of a question, looking at the small snake for confirmation although he was sure that none of the snakes would hesitate to help him. They would be more than happy to wreak havoc.
"Of course!" the snake hissed, sounding slightly affronted that Tom would even ask such a question.
"Very well, I hope to converse with you later but for now I have to leave." Tom hissed as he heard the bell for lunch ring. He received a tiny nod from the snake. Tom placed the tiny snake on the ground before walking towards the orphanage building. He looked up at its grey walls and really couldn't help but wish that he was back at Hogwarts.
Alexis heard a distinct ringing sound. She wondered whether she was dreaming it. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open before she remembered the dream that she had had. Death had come to her. Was it real or was it just a figment of her imagination?
'Alexis found herself standing face to face with Death in the same white room where she had first met the old goat.
He appeared out of nowhere, almost startling her out of her wits. Alex looked at Death waiting for him to say something. The two of them just stared at each other before she lost her patience.
"Are you going to say something or just wait till I grow as old as you?" she asked impatiently.
"That would indeed take an extremely long time my dear…" Death said with a small chuckle.
Alex looked at him, waiting for him to continue. She wanted to know why he was here and patience was definitely not one of her strong points.
"I have decided to grant your request. It's the least that I can do after placing such a heavy burden on your shoulders." Death said with an apologetic half smile.
"What request?" Alex asked. She had no idea what he was talking about. Did she even make any requests earlier that slipped her mind? She thought to herself.
"Your request to use magic…" Death said, answering her unasked question. "You will be able to use your magic without being detected by the Ministry of Magic or anybody else for that matter."
"But how are you going to make that possible?" Alexis asked, looking curiously at Death.
"There are many things that I can make possible my dear. I did bring you back in time after all. But I do not have much time left here. Better be off. Do take care of yourself Alexis." Death said with a warm smile. Before Alexis could say another word, Death was gone and she heard a ringing sound fill her ears…'
Now that she thought it over, Alexis was almost sure that it was real and not just a meaningless dream. She decided to try some magic later and test it out. It was risky but it was a risk that she just had to take. For now, she opened her door and saw most of the children walking towards the dining hall. It was time for lunch and Alexis couldn't wait to eat, her stomach rumbled just at the thought of food. Time travel was definitely draining.
She walked into the dining hall and fell into line with the rest of the children. She received some curious glances from some of the other children though there were some that looked like they couldn't care less about her presence. Alex was thankful that nobody was trying to talk to her. The last thing she needed at the moment was meaningless conversation while she was trying to formulate her plan to find out who Tom Riddle was.
Alexis finally reached the counter ten minutes later. She was handed a tray with a bowl of soup, boiled potatoes and a slice of bread. The meal didn't look very appetising but Alexis was so hungry that she could anything that was given to her. She thanked the woman who had given her the tray. The woman nodded in welcome before turning towards the girl behind Alex.
Alex searched for a place to sit. Most of the seats were full. She noticed something odd; there were a handful of seats around the boy that she had bumped into earlier that were empty. Nobody even walked towards those seats and she saw some people standing even though there were clearly at least four empty seats near the boy. Alex's heart went out to him for some reason. She decided to sit in the seat opposite him.
As she pulled the chair back to sit down, the boy looked up at her before looking back at his food. He was actually trying to hide a wicked smile that escaped Alex's notice.
Before Alex could open her mouth she felt someone roughly tug her up and pull her to a corner. She saw Emily looking panicked and slightly annoyed.
"What are you doing?" Emily hissed, anger lacing her every word.
"Sitting down to eat my food…" Alex whispered back.
"You shouldn't be sitting next to him. He is dangerous, that boy." Emily said, some of her worry seeping through.
"Dangerous? He looks completely harmless to me." Alexis said feeling confused. What had this boy done that had Emily so worried?
"Sitting next to Tom Riddle is just an invitation for trouble. It is my responsibility unfortunately to inform you of this. Now it would be better if you sat elsewhere." Emily said quickly, looking around to see if Riddle was looking at them.
Riddle smiled wickedly as he saw one of the other girls come and pull the new girl off her seat. Probably to warn her about him, it looked like putting this girl in her place wouldn't be very difficult since others were doing it for him already. He decided that with the assistance of his snakes, he would be able to scare the girl into submission, maybe even scar her for life just like he had many years ago in regards to those two children in the cave by the beach.
Meanwhile Alexis felt like jumping for joy, blissfully unaware of Riddle's plans for her. Her happiness was short-lived though as she remembered the way she had glared at him. She had already made a bad impression she realized with dread.
Alexis decided she had no other choice but to try and talk to him and apologise about what had happened earlier.
She walked back to her seat, ignoring Emily's sputters of anger behind her. As she sat down once again, she could see a small hint of surprise in the boy's, 'no Riddle's eyes' she corrected herself. His surprise was quickly masked and he stared at her coldly. Alexis knew at that moment that talking to him was going to be an extremely daunting challenge but she had faith in herself. After all how hard could it be to talk to a boy, that to one her own age? The fact that he could grow up into one of the most feared dark wizards of all time kept nagging at the back of her mind.
A/N: I am extremely sorry for keeping all of you waiting for such a long time. I hope you enjoyed this chapter though! It's the longest chapter yet. I want to thank everyone who is following this story as well as those of you who have marked it as a favourite. I would love to hear from you, so please review! I will address any questions or suggestions that any of you have in the author's note in the next chapter.