I Was Good But Then I Quit Chapter 10: Wool's Orphanage, a harry potter fanfic

Abraxas apologies, Harry does mind his manners, gets told he needs to see the headmaster during dinner.

Tom ponders some things that regular fourteen year old boys might ponder and that confuses him, yaknow... being normal, so he's just gonna ignore everything to do with that.

Harry finds out he's going to the same orphanage as Tom and is less than pleased, go figure.

Harry's POV

Monday comes around at a very, very slow roll that Harry can practically feel the years in the seconds in the morning. It's only Monday of the second week of school and it's already dragging along.

Harry can figure out why pretty quickly; today he ought to expect an apology from Drac- Abraxas and then he'd have to mind his manners during meal time.

Is it odd he actually missed Draco? He can see both Draco and Lucius within Abraxas and it's rather eerie.

Sort of like when he spotted the Prewett twins Taylor and Tyler- one of which had to be the father of Molly and her brothers, he wasn't sure who yet- reminded him so much of Fred and George.

Sometimes Harry would stop in the middle of doing something because the traits of others reminded him of his friends from his last life.

Friends who may not exist in this lifetime.

Or perhaps they would, and they would end up with better lives.

Such as changing things around for Tom and his followers.

If he gave Orion a better outlook on life, then perhaps Sirius would have a better life?

Then what of his father? Fleamont has already graduated from Hogwarts and was currently married to Euphemia, though he hasn't heard any news of pregnancy in the rumor mill and probably wouldn't for a good long while, too. If he calculated right, James Potter was a baby his grandparents had late in life, though wizard aging was odd.

Harry shook himself from his thoughts and headed down to eat breakfast. He was a bit late and breakfast was nearly over, but he couldn't avoid Abraxas forever.

Just as he was about to sit down, he was stopped by the pale blond.

"Peverell, I would like to apologize for my behavior, I was… I was out of line." Abraxas grit out reluctantly.

Harry swore he saw steam coming from Abraxas' ears from how pissed off he seemed.

Speaking of steaming ears- Harry noted to collect some original Tom and Jerry and other such Hanna-Barbera cartoons to watch. He was stuck in the 1940s, so technology wasn't going to be caught up on any time soon. Not that magic and technology meshed well, but he still liked watching television. He was going to make sure he didn't buy any of the more... racist cartoons, as well since that was still rather prevalent in Hanna-Barbera at this point in time.

Plus he could invest in companies he knew would be up and coming. Transferring galleons to muggle money was easy enough to and once he brushed up on Goblin etiquette, he could invest and be one of the richest wizards in the next few years.

Plus he'd need money so he didn't live like a vagabond like he had in his last life. It really had been a mistake to not transfer his galleons into muggle money before the last of the Goblins had died out.

"You're fine, Malfoy. I forgive you. How about we restart as though we just first met?" Harry suggested. If he wanted to get close to Tom he would have to deal with Tom's followers as well.

"That… works out fine." Abraxas muttered out.

"Alright, hello, I'm Hieronymus Silas Peverell, but you can call me Harry, it's nice to meet you." Harry offered a shallow smile and his hand for a shake.

"Hello Peve- Harry, I am Abraxas Nicolais Malfoy, a pleasure to meet you." Abraxas stated with clear reluctance as he shook Harry's hand. Harry simply grinned and nodded.

"A pleasure to meet you too. I'm going to eat now. I hope from now on we can be friends." Harry pulled his hand back and sat down, ignoring the uncomfortable look Abraxas had.

"Yes… friends ." Abraxas grumbled out as he headed off towards his first class.

Harry decided on a breakfast pastry or two before heading to his own class and made note to be perfectly polite while eating and made as little of a mess as possible.

Classes were slow, and yet again during Transfiguration, Dumbledore had called out to Harry.

"Mister Peverell, would you mind staying after class?" Dumbledore asked in his usual genial and grandfatherly tone that made sharp chills run up and down Harry's spine.

How he hated that man.

"Of course!" Harry smiled widely before continuing working on writing about what they were learning, which happened to be transfiguring a Guinea Fowl into a Guinea Pig and back again. Tom, a few of his followers, and Harry himself had already accomplished the spell and now had to write an essay. Harry got the feeling he and Tom would finish the class' curriculum early, much like Hermione had done for a few of her classes.

The writing took forever, the waiting took forever, and Harry was certain he could hear a clock in his brain ticking the seconds so slowly he felt he was aging as the seconds ticked by.

Finally the bell for lunch rang and the groups of Slytherins and Gryffindors all packed up their items and began to head out.

Harry made note that Tom seemed to be lagging behind. He left the classroom, yes, but Harry could still make out his perfectly coiffed hair amongst the other students walking by.

"How can I help you, Professor?" Harry asked mildly as he slowly put away his quills and papers.

"I just wanted to make sure you were settling in, my boy." Dumbledore hummed out as he patted Harry's shoulder.

Harry very lightly flinched, feeling disgusted at the old man's touch.

He knew Dumbledore had no such proclivities such as interests in young boys, but Harry still felt disgusted by his touch, even if it was a pat on his shoulder and over his clothes.

This man ruined his life.

This man ruined Tom Riddle's life.

This man ruined all the lives Voldemort had ruined and it disgusted Harry.

"I'm doing fine. Everyone in Slytherin is super helpful. In fact, I've had Tom Riddle help me out quite a bit-"

"You ought to be careful of that boy." Dumbledore was quick to cut Harry off, and Harry's calm expression became confused, though internally he was pissed.

"Why do you say that, sir?" Harry asked with a tilt of his head while he stood up and not so subtly brushed Dumbledore's hand from his shoulder. He wasn't sure why he lied about Tom helping him, but part of him wanted to see Dumbledore's reaction to him mentioning Riddle.

"You should be careful of Riddle, he's not a good boy to be hanging around, Hieronymus." Dumbledore glanced down at Harry, making sure to hold eye contact.

Silvery blue eyes met startling green eyes and Harry quickly rebuffed the brush against his mind.

"Please call me Harry, and I will be careful sir, is that all?" Harry's tone became clipped as he looked towards the door, wanting to head to lunch- actually to smoke a cigarette- and be done with this conversation.

"Headmaster Dippet wanted to talk to you during dinner. The password is Everchanging Ink when you get to the Gargoyle. Should I have someone escort you?"

"Oh no sir, I'll be fine, thank you. I'll be going now." Harry gripped his bag so tightly his knuckles turned white as he practically barreled his way out of the classroom. What he hadn't expected was to see Tom there waiting for him.

Tom's POV

Tom finally was moving forward with his plans to get closer to Hieronymus.

It could be said that Hieronymus had passed Tom's test with flying colors.

First was the spell he used to raise Abraxas into the air, then just the sheer feeling of Hieronymus' power when he unleashed his magic.

Tom wanted to see more of Hieronymus' magic and he couldn't do that if he and Hieronymus had no rapport with each other.

So after Abraxas apologized, Tom would talk with Hieronymus and hope to become acquaintances at least.

Tom knew that Hieronymus knew what kind of person he was. So perhaps the shorter boy would see it as manipulation, but perhaps over time, if Hieronymus permitted it, Tom could prove that he was sincere in his efforts to get to know Hieronymus.

The morning was slow, the first two classes were slow, and once again in Transfiguration, Dumbledore singled Hieronymus out.

Tom silently cursed as Dumbledore pretty much ruined his plans to talk with Hieronymus.

Instead of heading straight to lunch, Tom lingered outside of the classroom and used a bit of magic to enhance his hearing.

"I'm doing fine. Everyone in Slytherin is super helpful. In fact, I've had Tom Riddle help me out quite a bit-" Tom made note that Hieronymus had lied here, and made sure he'd ask why later.

"You ought to be careful of that boy."

Tom's features scrunched together, anger boiling beneath the surface of his skin.

Dumbledore always had it out for him, ever since that visit to Wool's Orphanage after Tom had turned eleven.

The old man had burned his clothes- he did fix it after, but he still burned his wardrobe that contained every piece of clothing he owned, which wasn't much- and treated him like some awful creature.

Like a demon .

The old man never asked why Tom took those things. He never asked why Tom was hurting the other children.

Tom very much lived by, "do unto others as you want done unto you."

Those children stole his food and the meager scraps of childish comfort he could find in the orphanage. So he stole their food, he stole their comfort items.

Those children hurt him with their fists and their feet so he returned the favor.

Tom never started these things, but he sure as hell finished them.

In the orphanage he learned that only the strong are left alone. Only the strong are at the top. If you wanted something; you took it. If you didn't like something, you did something about it.

To be quiet and to be meek was practically a death sentence in the orphanage, so Tom learned not to be quiet or meek.

He reigned his terror thoughtfully and ended up in a room by himself because everyone else ended up hurt if they remained in the same room as him.

Then Tom got to Hogwarts where he learned he was special, he had magic .

He also learned that the power play within the orphanage was absolutely nothing like the power play in Hogwarts.

So for his first year he was mostly alone and picked on, but each and every single student that picked on him ended up far worse than he did.

The first to pick up on it was Abraxas who set about making Tom's life hell until Tom cornered him and he gained his first follower.

Soon after followed Dolohov, then Black, and slowly the others until he had his own group.

He listened to them as a leader should, and their gripes with muggleborns.

Apparently due to the muggleborns, the magical traditions were slowly being weeded out.

They celebrated Christmas instead of Yule. Halloween instead of Samhain. Easter instead of the Spring Equinox, and so on.

They didn't actually hate muggleborns, they just wanted their traditions back.

Abraxas explained it like a guest in a house, but instead of that guest minding their manners, they began to change the way things ran in that house until the old house no longer resembled its original state and the guest became a permanent resident.

Abraxas explained it in a way Tom could understand, and he could get behind what they were saying.

Who was he to demand things change in a place where he had not grown up?

And so the Knights of Walpurgis was born, where they studied old traditions, rituals, and darker magic that had been banned due to muggleborns. They each had plans to get jobs within the Ministry to return the magical world back to how it used to be, back to the traditions.

Yet for some reason Dumbledore had it out for him. Tom just wanted a sense of belonging somewhere and he found it in Hogwarts. Yet some old man was treating him, a mere fourteen year old, like some awful criminal.

"Why do you say that, sir?"

"You should be careful of Riddle, he's not a good boy to be hanging around, Hieronymus."

Tom nearly scoffed, but kept quiet. Tom might not be wholly good, but he was not evil, nor did he desire to lead anyone down a bad path. He wanted to take the potential he saw in others and make it better. In fact, since he began his group, the jinxes and hexes aimed at muggleborns from Slytherin house had declined considerably.

"Please call me Harry, and I will be careful sir, is that all?"

Tom perked a bit as he noted Hieronymus' clipped tone. Did Hieronymus not believe Dumbledore? Or did he already suspect the old man of not being nearly as nice as he portrayed?

If so… then having Hieronymus on his side would be even better. As much as he tried to point out how awful Dumbledore could be, not a lot of students tended to agree. Some Slytherins excused it as him having bias towards his own house, like every teacher did- minus Binns.

"Headmaster Dippet wanted to talk to you during dinner. The password is Everchanging Ink when you get to the Gargoyle. Should I have someone escort you?"

"Oh no sir, I'll be fine, thank you. I'll be going now."

Tom's brows arched as he heard that bit. Perhaps he could escort Hieronymus and figure out what it is that Dippet wanted with him? He'd have to ask later.

Finally Hieronymus left the classroom in a bit of a hurry, but Tom was quick to stop him.

"Did Abraxas apologize?" Tom asked softly as Hieronymus nodded.

"Yes, he did. Thank you for having him apologize. He and I decided to start completely over, so hopefully he and I can be friends now." Hieronymus' offered a smile, but Tom could see the insincerity behind it. Perhaps the two of them were truly alike, as Tom firsted surmised.

"Friendship? I was hoping that you and I could also aim to be friends, if you would not mind." Tom asked in a hopeful tone and quietly cursed. He was hopeful, but he didn't exactly want to show that he was hopeful.

"I… suppose that can work. I'll introduce myself, then. Hello, I'm Hieronymus Silas Peverell, but please call me Harry." Hieronymus stopped and offered a slender hand towards Tom.

"I'm Tom Riddle, feel free to call me Tom." Tom accepted the handshake and noted how soft Hieron- Harry's hand was. He almost- almost- didn't want to let go.

Despite the softness, though, he noted some bumps and saw a few scars here and there on Hieron- Harry's hands that lead up to his wrists and probably his arms.

Tom was curious, but he did not ask.

"Well, nice to meet you Tom. Is there something you wanted from me?" Harry shifted his gaze from Tom towards the hallway that lead to the direction of the Great Hall.

Tom actually took a moment to look- admire- Harry over.

Pale skin, bright green eyes that Tom was stuck between being wary of and liking, long lashes, plump lips, dark brown hair- that was nearly black- that seemed to have a mind of its own. It couldn't exactly be considered messy, but more like it was effortlessly stylish. Tom bet that all Harry did each morning was run his hand through his hair and left it as it was, unlike him who had to spend a good ten to fifteen minutes making sure his hair was perfect.

"I just wish to get to know you better. You seem intelligent and do well in classes so far, and though my friends are smart, I feel you might be smarter and would like to perhaps exchange notes or do homework together. It would be nice to talk to someone who is at the same level I am." Tom offered as both he and Harry began to walk towards the Great Hall.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine. I usually do my homework in my bed or an abandoned classroom, but I can join you and your friends. Where do you guys do your homework?" Harry seemed interested as he began shuffling around in his pockets for something. Tom watched with mild curiosity.

"The library or the common room, depending on the homework. I will let my friends know that you will be joining us. I am glad you agreed. I do hope you can act a bit more according to the Slytherin rules, though." Tom watched as Harry pulled out a red carton of cigarettes and lifted his lip into a slight sneer.

"No promises." Harry shrugged and just as they got to the Great Hall, Harry turned to head outside, leaving Tom to head to lunch by himself.

The idea of Harry smoking a cigarette did something odd to Tom and he wanted to bury the feeling deep inside and never address it again.

Should he find someone smoking attractive? No, cigarettes were awful, and Tom was a bit surprised that he had never realized that Harry smoked. He never smelled like tobacco and Hierony-Harry never stunk of cigarettes. Perhaps he had used magic to keep the smell off of him? Tom wouldn't put it past Harry.

He could see it, Harry standing there, a thin stick between his plump lips sucking in ai- Tom immediately shook his head, tried to ignore the warmth at the tips of his ears and headed in to eat lunch. This was a thought process he'd have to go over while writing in his journal later, for now he was going to do what most people did to cope; completely and utterly ignore the problem.

Harry's POV

Harry was shocked, to say the least, that Tom actually approached him and just straight up asked for friendship.

'I'm not sure about this.'

It would benefit you in the long run, Master. If you and he are friends, you can infiltrate his group and lead them away from the path Dumbledore wants to set them on.

'Are you sure, though? I mean, this is Tom Riddle we're talking about. He might be fourteen, but he's extremely- no, scarily- intelligent.'

He is still fourteen, Master. He has big ideas, and was shaped by the environment he grew up in, perhaps you can lead him on the path he wants to be on, instead of the path Dumbledore sorted out for him.

'I… I guess you're right. I still don't trust him.'

I am not asking you to trust him, I am asking you to have him trust you .

Harry resisted the urge to say something that was definitely rude and instead nodded.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine. I usually do my homework in my bed or an abandoned classroom, but I can join you and your friends. Where do you guys do your homework?" Harry replied as he began to shuffle around in his pockets for his cigarettes. He really needed one right now. If he didn't have at least three a day, his temper became completely awful. He also didn't really care if Tom knew he smoked or not.

If Death himself couldn't get Harry to quit, there was no way in hell Tom could make him quit.

At one point Harry ran out of cigarettes and money in his last life so he went around collecting cigarette butts to get the last bit of tobacco out of them and rolled his own cigarettes and also made a few copies via magic of said cigarettes.

At this point his smoking was less of a habit and more of a lifestyle. A disgusting one, but it was either cigarettes or other vices and cigarettes were the least mind altering substance Harry could get his hands on, plus they were sold everywhere.

As Harry found his carton of cigarettes, he noticed how Tom sneered and resisted the urge to grin. Perhaps Tom would catch him smoking at one point and Harry could blow a big fat cloud of smoke into the other boy's face. The idea was particularly amusing to Harry because he could just imagine how annoyed and disgusted Tom would be by it.

"No promises." Harry shrugged and headed towards the nearest exit. He needed a cigarette and perhaps for lunch he'd sneak a treacle tart or two before finishing his classes for the day.

Dinner finally came about and Harry was admittedly a bit nervous about what Headmaster Dippet had wanted from him.

Perhaps it was due to the duel with Abraxas? But as far as Harry knew, no one in Slytherin would tattle. They kept to themselves and if you got caught, that was on you, but no one in Slytherin would tell on a fellow Slytherin. Where Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws would group up and watch each other's backs, Gryffindors were friendly, but kept to themselves while Slytherins were the lone wolves who rarely branched out of their own house.

Maybe Harry could change that by getting more information on the Sorting Hat. He already knew everyone had every trait of each house, it just depended on which trait was strongest, but maybe if he did further research about how the Sorting Hat sorted people, he could stop this viciousness between houses.

Sure winning the house cup was nice, but having an entirely united school would be even better.

Harry sighed.

'I got my work cut out for me.'

You really need not bother with all this extra business, you know.

'Yeah, but I want to make the wizarding world better and make it so Magic doesn't abandon us.'

Well, good luck to you, then.

'Put in a good word for me with her, would you?'

Harry stopped in front of the Headmaster's office, somewhat nervous. He had noted that Tom wanted to talk to him, but Harry had waved him off in favor of getting this whole thing over with.

"Everchanging Ink." Harry whispered out to the Gargoyle and watched as it began to move. Slowly, or as slowly as he could manage, Harry made his way up the steps and inside of the Headmaster's room.

The last time he'd been in there it had been too quick for him to really look around, but this time he seemed to actually have the time to look around.

Unlike Dumbledore's office, this place was far more organized. Magical trinkets and items were all sorted according to whatever system Dippet was using, but all Harry knew was that it looked clean and almost geometrical with how everything was organized. Sharp corners, clean lines, and namely organized.

"Ah! Harry, please come in." Dippet offered a wide smile, motioning towards the seat across from his desk.

"You called for me, Headmaster?" Harry asked as he sat down in the plushy chair and relaxed a bit.

"Yes, the Ministry and I were speaking about where you would go during the summer, and the holiday if you decided you didn't want to stay at Hogwarts. There's a muggle orphanage we could send you to, which has no connection to Grindelwald, so it would be safe for you to stay there under a different name." Dippet explained and Harry felt his throat tighten.

Orphanage.

Muggle orphanage.

Most likely Wool's Orphanage .

"That works, though I think I'll be staying here during the holiday break, sir." Harry offered a shallow smile as his thoughts raced.

'They're sending me to Wool's. I'll probably be stuck with Tom… this could be bad.'

It could also be good, Master. Tom will feel that you have experienced what he experienced, and it would undoubtedly bring you two closer.

'Still, there's a war going on with the muggles and they're sending Tom and I into the middle of it while we're dealing with our own wizarding war, it's ridiculous.'

It is better than being homeless for the summer.

'You make a wonderful point.'

"What is the name of the orphanage, if you don't mind my asking?" Harry questioned as he glanced worriedly at Dippet.

"It's called Wool's Orphanage, one of our other students actually goes there during the summer. You may actually know him seeing as you have the same house and classes as him. When the taxi for Tom Riddle arrives, you will get on the same Taxi as him." Dippet further explained and Harry did everything in his power not to groan.

"What of the war, though?" Harry was unsure of how anyone in their right mind would send children- literal, actual children- knowingly into the middle of the muggle war.

"There is a nearby shelter, you should be fine, plus you are allowed to use magic to save your life. I have been told that the orphanage is quite good and takes very good care of their wards." Dippet didn't seem to notice the rage on Harry's face.

Of course Dumbledore would be behind something like this.

Of course Dumbledore would say such a shitty place was good.

Perhaps that's what he did when he had dropped Harry off at the Dursley's.

No matter how many times Harry complained, he was always sent back to that hell.

"Alright, thank you, may I go to dinner now?" Harry asked, schooling his expression into a more happy one.

"Of course my boy, sorry for keeping you. I'll be heading down to eat as well, so I'll be right after you." Harry simply nodded and left the office in a hurry. For the first time in a while he completely skipped dinner while avoiding everyone to go smoke an entire pack of cigarettes.

He was going to make Dumbledore's life hell.

First things first was Tom, of course, but secondly, he was going to destroy Grindelwald so Dumbledore would never get the chance.

Yes, Harry was going to kill Dumbledore's ex-lover and he was going to let everyone know about Grindelwald and Dumbledore's past.

A/N; Yeah, three POV switches here, sorry about all that, it felt better writing it this way. Anyway, hope you enjoyed~

also idk if i went over the heights of the boyos, so I'm just gonna do that now. Do note they're gonna grow, they're only fourteen rn.

Harry; 5'3" (he'll end up at 5'7½" when fully grown)

Tom; 5'7" (he'll end up at 6' when fully grown)

Avery; 5'5" (he'll end up at 5'9½" when fully grown)

Black; 5'5" (he'll end up at 5'10¼" when fully grown)

Dolohov; 5'9" (he'll end up at 6'2" when fully grown)

Lestrange; 5'6" (he'll be 5'10⅓" when fully grown)

Malfoy; 5'7" (he'll end up 5'11" when fully grown)

Mulciber; 5'7" (he'll end up 6'½" when fully grown)

Also yeah, everyone has diff growth rates, and YES Harry is still short. Hieronymus hasn't had a good diet from running since he was like... 8 years old, and while Harry has a better diet now, he's still stuck being short.