Chapter 3 Notes:
TW: vague allusions to grooming
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The train stopped at the Hogsmeade station and Tom readied himself, letting the viper slip beneath the folds of his crisply ironed robe while he made sure he looked presentable, before he stepped off the wagon. Nobody turned a single head towards him and he preferred it so, going along with the crowd as the first years were called to the boats. As he did his eyes started to mist over and he sighed to himself, sitting straight and still in the boat while he produced no reaction in contrast with the excited gasps of the children around him. He didn't quite remember his first time looking at the castle, but it was just one castle and at the end of the day, he would be seeing it constantly for the following seven years… part of him was deeply disappointed as they disembarked, as the arcane magic of the school welcoming its son no longer felt like coming home. It felt more as if it tried welcoming a child who didn't exist anymore.
Swallowing his wandering thoughts he walked at the back of the line as they were guided to stand outside the Great Hall's doors much like tradition entailed, and his eyes started clearing up again slowly. Around him the other students had taken to converse between each other, starting to make acquaintance with potential friends, and he stood as still as a statue, only furthering emphasising his eery similatity to a corpse.
"Come along, in an ordered line please!" a voice he could not place called, and they moved again.
The floating stars and candles above their heads twinkled in patterns, and he heard little gasps and excited whispers, before they stopped near the end of the room, before a stool and a hat, and a man that Tom had just conveniently started seeing clearly.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore… his mortal enemy, his nemesis, the bastard that had orchestrated his downfall.
Dressed in an awfully bright set of blue robes that might as well be a personal attack on everybody's eyes, and with his hair still vibrant red, a short beard that barely touched his chest. On top of his twisted nose rested his half moon glasses, and his small blue eyes scanned the new arrivals with fake warmth, until they settled on Tom. He stopped blinking and let his dead stare shine through as he slowly tilted his head a few degrees left, letting him in and carefully emptying his head just a second before he felt the intrusion… and he would indeed find nothing even though there were no shields, only a desolated wasteland. They held the connection for a second before Dumbledore moved on, and he couldn't help but feel smug satisfaction at the slight downturn of his brow.
"Welcome, new students, to Hogwarts. You will now be sorted into a house, which will be your family in the school until seventh year… the Sorting Hat will be placed onto your head and it will look into your heart, telling which qualities you have. When I call your name, step forwards"
Dumbledore then pulled a scroll from his pockets and opened it, clearing his throat as the first years shuffled in contained excitement or nerves.
"Avery, Emlyn!"
Tom looked at the boy that had been of his first followers for a moment, and then kept staring ahead at the same spot as the next few names were called -Alphard and Orion Black, Carrow, Clemence. But it was only after the next name that he prepared.
"Everard, Philibert!"
Tom discreetely moved his hand into his robes and pulled out his locket to let it rest proudly in sight over his heart. The hat yelled "Gryffindor!" and Dumbledore frowned slightly at the scroll.
"Gaunt…" and he paused, lost as to how to read arabic.
Tom moved forwards before murmurs grew too loud, although they increased either way as they saw his locket.
"Marzan" he said smoothly, in the innocent voice of a harmless eleven year old. "Marzan Gaunt"
He sat down and glanced at the hall full of conversation, soon obscured by the brim of the old hat.
'Hmm… this head is peculiar… I see nothing in you, son of Slytherin. Wherever should you be sent?'
'That answer is easy' he answered, and unintentionally revealed a fact about himself as his inner voice did not match the softness of his childhood but the deeper tones of a grown man.
Tom could sense the surprise coming from the hat when it answered. 'Well, I suppose there really wouldn't be a difference at the end…'
"SLYTHERIN!"
Tom stepped down as his robes adopted the emerald green of his house and he calmly walked to his side of the hall, while the Slytherins clapped tastefully. He received cautious and curious glances, a stark difference with the disdain he had gotten the first time around. Both Avery, Carrow and the Black cousins offered him a congratulatory handshake, and then an older student with dark brown hair and intense eyes also shook his hand.
"Welcome to Slytherin, Gaunt. I'm Harlan Lestrange, house prefect"
"Thank you, a pleasure to make your acquaintance"
Lestrange gave him a look of approval and turned back to the sorting, but the other first years decided they didn't truly care about it all that much.
"Gaunt, huh? I thought Morfin Gaunt was the last, I never heard of him having any children!" Alphard Black commented as he observed him with interest, and when his cousin elbowed his ribs he cleared his throat "Where are my manners—? Alphard Black. This is my cousin Orion" and he pointed further down the table "My sister Walburga and cousin Lucretia are also in our house, in third year"
If Tom remembered well, Alphard and Walburga had one more brother that would join them next year, Cygnus. Although they were cousins they weren't exactly too alike, with Alphard and Walburga having a warmer complexion and curly black hair, wereas Orion and Lucretia had pale white skin and hair straight as a pin, with a few natural highlights. However they did all have the signature silver eyes of the Black house.
"I have heard many things about the illustrious house of Black" Tom answered perfectly politely. "And yes, indeed my uncle was the last Gaunt until recently. My mother was his sister, and she had run away… my uncle graciously accepted to add me to our family tree despite the shame she brought to our name"
Alphard blushed slightly in embarrassment at having touched a sensitive topic, just as the newly sorted Tiernan Lestrange sat next to the Black cousins. He looked much like his elder brother, although his features were softer. His brown hair was brushed neatly away from his face.
"So you're a bastard?" he asked, tactless as Tom remembered "Who even is your father?"
"I will never know. She's dead" he answered lightly, blinking innocently.
Orion coughed as a short tense silence extended over their section of the table. In the background, Mordecai Lovegood was sent to Ravenclaw, and the hat barely brushed Abraxas Malfoy's blond curls before he was sent to their table. With the elegant stride distinctive of the Malfoy heir that only Tom was ever able to match, he occupied the last free spot of their corner, at Tom's right hand as he always was. In the future his descendants had been nothing short of cowardly, lesser sons of his name, and Tom found he was pleased to have him near as he had been one of the few men he could truly trust.
"Malfoy" Lestrange greeted with familiarity.
"Tiernan. Alphard, Orion" Abraxas answered in turn, his marked french accent a high contrast, receiving short nods of acknowledgment before he turned his pale green eyes towards Tom. "Gaunt, was it?"
"Correct. You must be the Malfoy heir"
For a split second his eyes squinted, pale eyelashes nearly brushing his cheekbones, before he offered a courteous smile, perfectly rehearsed to be the balance in between coldness and approval. As observed before, he was the only other first year that had mastered such art.
"You may call me Abraxas. We are housemates from now on, after all"
"Then I insist you call me Marzan"
With that, he had a spot secured in their circle, and Tom was pleased inwardly as they looked up back towards the sorting, clapping calmly each time a new Slytherin was sorted.
While yes, these were still children, Tom knew exactly where their strengths and potential laid, and he knew exactly how to exploit it to the fullest. In his past life it had taken him long years of hard work to be acknowledged by his peers, his tainted blood being a permanent wall set between them that he could not tear down. Skipping that arduous path was a joyous moment, as dramatic as it may sound… Malfoy's approval greately dipped the balance in his favour. These pureblood children had grown knowing each other, and in between all the prominent families the Malfoys were the crème de la crème; Abraxas was seen as their natural leader with his perfect dominance of etiquette and mannerisms, and his mature understanding of the high society. It was well known that his father, Hyperion Malfoy, had sent him to France ever since he was a toddler to stay with the French side of their family, and he had received a strict but impressive education there, with private tutors of the highest caliber. In fact, the young Malfoy heir had returned to Great Britain not two months ago. (Tom could vaguely remember Abraxas' disdain over Hogwarts' declining quality, lamenting not having attended Beauxbatons instead).
Tom had gone a step up, and he needed to improve said position from then on. Gaining Malfoy's basic respect earned him peace of mind knowing no children would attempt to curse him behind his back, but he needed to do better than that, he needed to actually be part of their group, make himself indispensable before he could start climbing.
Audrey Zabini closed the sorting ceremony by joining their house, the headmaster stood up to give his welcoming speech, and right after the tables filled with food at last. Tom waited until the others had taken some of the food before he served himself, silently acknowledging his status, and then very slowly ate the small slice of meat pie on his plate. Not because of any social rule, funnily enough, but because he still hadn't become used to eating again. Most days it felt like chewing on ash and dirt, tasteless and unenjoyable.
"What magic do you know?" Lestrange asked first, after a while of somewhat comfortable silence, pointing at Tom briefly with his fork. "Any favourite subject?"
Their eyes turned to him and he didn't make a single shift of being uncomfortable or nervous.
"My mother was barely more than a squib, the only magic she could ever teach me was to brew potions and I greatly enjoy it. However, I have begun expanding my knowledge with some books my uncle kindly let me borrow. I could not choose a definite favourite yet, but perhaps I would say Defence Against the Dark Arts sounds intriguing"
They nodded along, finding his standard answer just fine.
"My father said once that Morfin Gaunt was a good duellist" Orion commented "Perhaps you will be too"
Oh, Tom definitely was, he had been unrivalled by most other wizards in the world. Unfortunately he could not make use of too much of his power less the obscurial resurfaced, and it was best to keep that side of him under wraps.
"I would hope so" he answered instead "What are your favourite classes?"
"Alphard is excellent in transfiguration, although I'm partial to charms myself" Orion said proudly.
"I will have to stick to duelling" Tiernan grinned, and indeed he had once been one of his most powerful followers. "I can't rival Abraxas' gift though"
The french wizard chuckled softly.
"I much rather not instigate a fight less I must"
Tom remembered this too, now that he was interacting with his old classmates. Abraxas was indeed the brightest of them, and back then he could be the only one of their generation that might've matched Tom's power but he had always preferred not to raise his wand for whatever reason, his counsel and advice being of much higher value. He recalled having seen him in a duel exactly twice, once during a performance in sixth year in which he quickly disarmed his opponent, and the second time when the Order attacked in the midst of a Death Eater initiation; he had seen Abraxas take in five of their members all at once, and perhaps if it hadn't been for his interference the Order might've defeated them much sooner.
"That is a rather admirable quality. I cannot say I have been as patient in the past"
"Thank you, Marzan. Your ability in potions is nothing to scoff at either… if I may be bold however, is it true that your family inherited the gift of parseltongue?"
The other three boys perked up and some of the nearby students also turned their heads at overhearing the question, interested in the answer. Tom couldn't blame them, it was such a rare ability that had never been seen outside of the Slytherin family… well, at least not in Great Britain, as he knew for a fact that other descendants from his Persian ancestors would have the same advantage, however if that was the case he never had the time to properly investigate or track any of them.
«It is true» he answered in a hiss, despite knowing they wouldn't understand it, and soft gasps came from students all over the table as they leaned over food trays and friends to try and see him. Even in the nearby Ravenclaw table others turned with wide eyes and some of the professors started trying to see as well despite not having heard anything. «My, isn't this a fun reaction?»
«Yes, master» came the slightly slurred answer from within his collar as the viper poked his head out.
'He's a parselmouth!' he heard said a few times over as the students started to tell their friends who had not been paying attention, and he politely ignored such disrespect for the time being.
"I learnt to speak parseltongue before I did english" he explained smoothly with an innocent smile. "My mother was not quite as proud of our heritage, but my uncle would rather not speak english, and I too prefer to communicate in parseltongue at home"
"Fascinating!" Abraxas seemed oddly delighted, and he even dared reach to touch the viper's head with a finger, who peacefully let him caress its head. "What's this beauty's name?"
Excellent question, he had no idea. But he couldn't exactly say that, so he said the first thing that came to mind.
"This is Rai" Well, it wasn't a terrible name, all things considered. «Rai, this is Abraxas Malfoy»
The snake made a little happy hiss sound at being properly named, and Tom had to admit he was growing a little attached to the small reptile. In his past life he had the company of Nagini, but she had lost a considerable amount of her own free will after she became a horrocrux, becoming little more than a puppet.
"Is it your familiar?" Alphard asked in awe, leaning forwards to look at Rai better.
"He is" he agreed again, only half lying. He hadn't performed any ritual bonding with Rai, but he had preemptively placed a good few protective spells knowing he might be the target for any possible bullying or Dumbledore levels of trouble. "I saw him in the menagerie when I did my school shopping, he's still very young and he was all alone"
The commotion slowly died down, although some of the other first years still kept an ear on the conversation as the group talked. It was… pleasant, and he was surprised with himself to find he was enjoying it. Ever since he woke up he had felt numb and indifferent to the world around him, everything was familiar and known, but this— well, this was something new.
Once dinner ended, Harlan Lestrange gathered the first years and guided them to the dungeons, leading them to a blank wall with two columns lit with flame at the top; when the password was said the stone floor against the wall shifted and raised into twin snakes that curled and twisted around each other to form an archway into their common room. The inside was exactly as he remembered, with tasteful furniture spread around and a fireplace to keep warm in the cold of the dungeons. From the ceiling hung a huge chandelier that casted a soft eery lighting, and one of the walls of the room was only enchanted crystal that peered into the dark waters of the lake. Opposite to the entrance, there was a corridor that led into the dormitories, left for the girls and right for the boys— this year they had only six girls, and the other ten new Slytherins were boys.
Tom knew exactly who he would be rooming with, and he was proven right when he was grouped with Lestrange, the two Black cousins, and Malfoy. All five of them were pleased with such outcome and they ventured into the room that would see them grow for the following seven years…
Altough he knew the other houses to have the exact same rooming arrangements, he also knew for a fact that Slytherin had the best dormitories. Gryffindors slept in a room that barely left them any space with their clutter, and Ravenclaws had space that they tended to fill quickly… Hufflepuffs he knew to have dormitories with a sub level above to maximise space, a rather brilliant choice he had to admit. Slytherins however, had luxury: five full size beds spread across the circular room, with their luggage neatly placed atop a chest at the end of their bed that was there to organise their belongings, matched with a nightstand and a shelf for each of them. The centre of the room was clear empty space with a round rug covering the cold stone flooring, and the space was lit by floating lights that firmly kept in place as to maximise the lighting while not making it overly bright. The walls were stone behind each headboard, but in between the space separating each 'section' there were clear crystal windows that joined at the top, where the ceiling was a glass dome which would allow natural daylight to come in, filtered through the waters of the lake. At the left from the entrance and in a space where another bed would've fit, there was a door that led to their bathroom, which he knew to be divided in five as well.
All of them were quite fine with the bed the house elves randomly chose, and so they started to settle in. Tiernan's bed was the isolated one in between both doors, an advantage for when Tom knew he'd crash exhausted every night in posterior years after quidditch practice. Orion was at the right side of the door and next to him Alphard, inseparable as they were and then again probably the only place they could be that wouldn't drive Tom mad later. He was set next to Alphard, right parallel to the door, where he felt he had the best angle of the glass ceiling and the spot where sunlight would hit first. Last was Abraxas, next to the bathroom, which convenienced everybody because he would make less noise when he woke at ungodly hours to start his morning routine.
They bid each other goodnight little by little until only he remained awake in the darkness of the floating lights that had dimmed, and he set the last of his books on his shelf, glancing for a moment to Rai's enclosure, proudly placed atop the nightstand, and he allowed himself to smile softly. And although he had hardly felt the need to sleep in all this time, he yawned and laid down on the soft mattress, his eyes closing on their own and his mind drifing into slumber before he could see the lights go out on their own.
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Tom woke up before dawn, his body still not quite understanding if it was alive or dead, and decided to make the most of it by silently getting ready for the day. Abraxas was already up and brushing each golden curl in his head to perfection in front of the mirror, and he gave him a nod of acknowledgment as Tom slipped inside his cubicle to shower. Once he was clean and dressed in his uniform he brushed his hair back in a soft swoop but decided against using product to keep it that way, preferring how it looked naturally. Rai still slept by the time he was done, so he was sure to not wake him as he put him around his shoulders, and after picking up his bag he and Abraxas walked out of their bedroom side by side.
The Great Hall was mostly empty at such hour, with only a handful of older students and a few professors up, so they sat comfortably in front of each other. The tables weren't even full yet, but a few trays materialised after they sat down, and they had a cup of tea as the sun slowly started creeping in— Tom drank the warm blend slowly, and sadly couldn't say if he remembered which one this was. Darjeeling? Or perhaps Earl Grey, it was a very classical choice.
An hour or so later they were finally joined by their roomates, just as the food started to be sent up. Tom had to say… he had always hated the food served in Hogwarts. While he was grateful for it and it certainly was warm, it was utterly tasteless and charged with grease or sugar, having absolutely no diversity at all. He had grown eating barely what was enough to sustain him and he had been disappointed as a child to find no big improvement in those feasts, and when he travelled the world as a grown man and tried other cuisines he felt robbed of what he could've had all those years. Even Morfin's cooking, deplorable as it was, would be preferred. Swallowing down his inner sulking he served himself a bowl of assorted fruits and another cup of tea, and altough he could not truly taste it yet he could say it was certainly better that the alternative of buttery eggs or bacon.
Harlan delivered their schedules once most students had started to arrive, and Tom checked it to find their first class of the day was charms. Not a bad start, it was an easy class and then they would have a couple hours of herbology and potions right after.
The charms classroom was fresh to his memory as he had all but forgotten it, decorated with heavy purple curtains drawn shut and a huge round rug with an intricate sun motif that lit the room perfectly and that he knew the professor to have enchanted it herself. Judging by the fact later no rug would occupy the same space, she must have taken it with her when she transferred to work in Durmstrang in the fifties. The desks were arranged close to the walls leaving empty space in the centre, and there she stood atop her masterpiece, professor Salman. She was still a young woman then, dressed in violet and mauve robes that had a certain innocent and soft look, with a golden belt under her chest that allowed the skirts to flow down gracefully until they brushed the floor. Her long ornate sleeves were also embroidered in gold, perfectly matching her blond hair that was braided in an intricate low bun, and she sported a traditional witch hat of wide brim that matched her colours. While she used glasses high on her nose, made of a golden thin frame that twisted in ornate details, Tom had the impression she used them for reasons entirely unrelated to vision problems, just a hunch he'd always had.
"Good morning, and welcome to Hogwarts" she said smoothly, glancing over the students once they had settled in and the doors were shut. Along with the Slytherin group was the Hufflepuffs, who had the least amount of students that year with a sad number of nine. "I will be your charms professor, hopefully through the duration of your entire school career here. My name is Stella Salman, and as you know I am the head of Hufflepuff house. Before we properly start our lesson, I would like to tell you about my methods and the system I use…"
Tom would've liked to say he remembered all of this perfectly, but he wasn't foolishly arrogant enough to declare he could recall his school years beyond the important parts, and so he took notes diligently so that he may organise his schedule better once he had gathered information from the other professors.
He could not say that there was anything relatively relevant in that class beyond theory, nor later in herbology with professor Beery. Potions— well, potions was a slightly different story and only on the account that Slughorn was terribly interested on him thanks to his family name, much as he was in anybody even remotely important. Even now the man was old, Tom wouldn't be surprised if he had been in Dumbledore's generation, and he was all too insistent in spending private time with his favourite students… Tom couldn't remember ever hearing anything alarming from his classmates but they were children of prestigious houses. He, on the other hand, hadn't been, but he was powerful and clever enough to turn the stakes around and manipulate the old bastard to his own means. He still couldn't believe he had later cried out to be a victim, but oh well… it was in the past. Or future, whatever.
Potions went well, he showed his excellent performance and mastery, definitely above what was expected for his young age, and Slughorn tried to invite him to his little club, conveniently ignoring the very important Malfoy, Lestrange and Black heirs around him (that came to no surprise, Slughorn must've already learned, and rather harshly at that, that the true members of high society looked down on him and saw it as a waste of time).
"No thank you" he had said rather bluntly, staring at him directly without blinking "I rather dislike social gatherings"
And then he spun on his heel without giving him the chance to answer. Tiernan had found the interaction funny enough to laugh once they were out of earshot, but Alphard had mentioned that his choice to reject Slughorn's invitation was probably for the best, since he was a rather odd man.
"No professor should have private meetings with his students" Abraxas said right after with a huff. "My family heavily disapproves of headmaster Dippet's choice to keep him employed"
"My mother says that the board would like to replace some members of staff" Orion nodded along "But finding replacements thay fit the standards is nigh impossible in the current political climate"
"Dumbledore, most likely" Abraxas sighed.
Wouldn't that be great? To have the man gone from his sight? Unfortunately the old coot was intelligent, he had already made plenty of powerful friends that held him in high esteem, not to mention the impressionable young students he slowly turned to his cause. Dumbledore had the gall to reprimand him for decades on his unsavoury methods, but the things Tom -Voldemort, back then- did seemed like harmless child's play compared to the skeletons the stupid old goat hid in his closet. Tom had always prided himself on being better— at least he didn't lie about his goals and aspirations, he didn't pretend to be something he was not, and he didn't make empty promises to his followers. If he had, he would've never gotten as far as he did.
That conversation was filed to the back of his mind and he didn't think about it again for quite a while.
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Days and weeks passed peacefully without anything to report. Tom found himself never being completely alone, as he always had one of his roomates around. Friends, he guessed he could call them, even though he wasn't sure that's what they were. They certainly didn't detest him, and even called him by first name basis, giving him the same privileges in turn. The rest of his housemates also seemed to have a good impression of him, as without effort he had placed right next to Abraxas as top of their year, and his charisma made the other children naturally navigate towards him.
Surprisingly, he could say he was even liking his school days this time around.
But all good times come to an end sooner or later, and he was reminded of his future by none other than the old goat himself… so far Dumbledore had mostly ignored his existence and that suited him fine; their transfiguration class was shared with Gryffindor, who the professor had no shame about showing favouritism towards, and Tom had purposefully kept his head down for his own mental peace. He did know that he had eyes on him, but he paid it no mind for the most part, not until Tuesday November 8th 1938, when a grossly enthusiastic Dumbledore announced they would have a small test to see their progress.
"Now, when I call your name, step to the front and choose your favourite spell that we have learnt to demonstrate!" Dumbledore declared to the grinning Gryffindors and stone faced Slytherins that stood quietly on their half of the classroom. The desks had peen pushed to the walls to give them more space. "First, how about miss Gosling?"
A nervous girl with short hair decorated with a ribbon stepped forwards and cleared her throat, looking at the rat in front of her.
"Ducklifors!" she said, pointing with her wand, and the rat twisted to become an ugly mix of a duck and a rat.
The Slytherins looked at each other in amusement, altough only Leah Parkinson laughed under her breath.
"Excellent work, my dear" Dumbledore said, giving Parkinson a warning look, and he clapped for Gosling, just like the other Gryffindors that were now glaring at them. "You've come a long way, in no time we will have a great witch between us! Two points for Gryffindor. Now, mr. Nott, if you will?"
Thaddeus Nott stepped forwards without looking at the embarrassed girl that ran back to her friends, and moved his wand in a clear motion.
"Duro"
The rat-duck hybrid turned to stone and Dumbledore nodded as the Slytherins clapped at their classmate, as always with more decorum than the opposite house.
"Good work, mr. Nott, one point for Slytherin. Septimus?"
Some of them glared at Dumbledore for the blatant injustice of receiving less points for a better performance, but so far nobody spoke up. Weasley replaced Nott in the middle of the classroom and proceeded to transform a new rat into a matchbox in a decent enough performance.
"Excellent, excellent! Two points"
The class continued more or less the same with their house silently stewing in their anger. Abraxas was the only Slytherin that won two points with his perfect execution of the lapifors spell that transformed a box into a rabbit, but most only won one point despite their success, or none at all. By contrast, every single Gryffindor won at least one point, and some didn't even manage to complete their assignments due to nerves.
Tom was the last to be called.
"Well done, Ignatius" the bastard was saying to Ignatius Prewett. "Now, our last student! Mr. Gaunt, please step forwards"
And then, with the audacity only he could ever have, he marked the grading in his parchment and looked up. "Do you have a middle name, my boy?"
Tom slowly lifted his lifeless eyes to meet his.
"Why?" he asked directly, giving him a chance to not fuck up.
"I hope you don't mind me wondering" he said in his classic placating tone "in case your classmates could have an easier time"
From his peripheral vision he could tell Alphard and Tiernan were tensed up, and some of the others had even let their mouths fall slightly open at the blatant disrespect. Tom hadn't truly been stressed at any moment since he returned, but something about that small interaction set him off, reminding him of the hell on earth that son of a whore had inflicted on him since the moment they first met.
"Incendio" he said in a flat voice, and all the objects -save the animals- lined up for him to choose erupted in flames without him pulling out his wand, causing the other children to gasp and step back at the sight of an advanced spell done wandlessly at that.
For a moment he simply glared ahead, dead still and making sure he didn't look away through the fire and smoke, and then he turned on his heel and stormed out of the classroom, the doors flinging open by themselves as a swirl of black and red moved at his feet, leaving cracks on the stone with his cold fury. But this time he did not march back to the dungeons, instead he continued to the grand staircase and turned to the path of the headmaster's office, windows groaning with strain as he walked by and paintings shaking in the walls. Ghosts moved out of his way with wide eyes and portraits scrambled out of their frames, students that were in between classes throwing themselves out of his path to avoid touching the obscurial's presence.
"Move!" he barked once he was in front of the gargoyle, which rather wisely decided to open the stairwell without protest.
When the door of the headmaster's office opened with a bang, Dippet looked up startled, along with professors Slughorn and Merrythought, who likewise were shocked by the sight of the furious young man.
"Mr. Gaunt, are you alright? What is this all about?"
Right at that moment they heard hurried steps.
"Marzan!" he heard voices, and not five seconds later his four friends were running into the headsmaster's office as well, stopping in their tracks at the sight of the three professors.
"Marzan, professor Dumbledore—"
Orion didn't have time to say anything before said man was also stepping inside, instantly receiving a glare from Tom.
"My apologies, professor Dippet" he apologised, pretending to be embarrassed "there was an altercation in my class not five minutes ago, and Mr. Gaunt stormed out of the classroom with no explanation"
All eyes turned to him and Orion opened his mouth to say something but Abraxas shook his head discreetly to let him know it was a terrible idea. Tom, on the other hand, was ready to bring hell.
"I came here to ask you keep your professors in line for their unprofessional conduct" he hissed in a steady tone infused with his real voice, the one that was closer to that of an adult. He first glared at Slughorn. "First and foremost, the head of my house asked me to spend time with him privately— have you no decorum in this school? You allow your professors to use their students for their family names and prestige? Professor Slughorn is in charge of me and the entirety of Slytherin, his behaviour is concerning and especially so given I am only eleven years old"
With each word he spoke Slughorn became paler and paler while the other professors were rendered speechless, Dumbledore's facade slipping as his jaw tightened slightly knowing one of his good friends and puppets was in possible danger. But he was not done.
"And now, he dared try to humiliate me publicly in front of my classmates" he turned his head to glare at Dumbledore, unashamedly pointing at him with his finger. "My name is Marzan, it is simple and easy to pronounce, so much so that even Abraxas Malfoy, who is French, can say it without issue. I am not obligated to give him a middle name -which I do not have!- if he's not willing to learn to pronounce my given name, a name I have not given him permission to use. We are not friends, he is my professor and he should never attempt to act as if we're comrades"
Dumbledore gaped like a fish, opening and closing his mouth with no sound coming from him as he was rendered utterly speechless. Tom felt a twist of satisfaction at seeing him like that.
"Mr. Gaunt—"
"I refuse to step back into his classroom until he has promised to never attempt such thing again" he interrupted Dippet, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his chin defiantly. "And I demand a public apology both for his purposeful targeting, and for the blatant favouritism I just presenced"
In between all that mess, professor Merrythought caught the last line.
"Favouritism, you say?"
"If I may" Abraxas stepped to stand next to Tom, speaking in a slightly more polite tone. "Our transfiguration class today was a small test to review our progress, where we would be given individual time to perform a spell we learnt so far. Professor Dumbledore gave at least one point to each Gryffindor student even if they did not complete the spell properly, and only gave a single point for eight of us Slytherins. From our house, only I won two points, even though we all completed the assignment… however, Marzan performed an incendio spell when professor Dumbledore asked him said inappropriate question, and after he left the classroom to come here, the professor deducted ten points from our house"
Professor Merrythought frowned deeply at that explanation and Tom had to physically bite his tongue to not say anything more. Of course he immediately deduced all the points they won, that was the exact type of thing he knew him to do.
"Is that correct, Mr.'s Black, Mr. Lestrange?"
All three of them straightened their backs and nodded stiffly.
"Yes, professor. From us three, only Alphard won a point with a vera verto spell" Tiernan answered quietly.
What followed was a very tense extended silence as professor Merrythought looked disapprovingly at Dumbledore, who was as red as his hair, and in which Slughorn was still attempting to keep a neutral expression despite being as white as candlewax. The headmaster looked deeply troubled, but after a while he composed himself and stood up.
"These are severe accusations to make, and be reassured that we will look into them immediately. I apologise in advance, Mr. Gaunt, although you will certainly receive an apology from professor Dumbledore in due time. Please return to your common room, this matter will require all staff to meet with the board as soon as possible, and we will contact your tutor"
Tom figured Morfin wouldn't care, but he was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the scene he had put on, and he slowly nodded.
"Thank you, professor Dippet"
Abraxas nudged him softly and to his surprise intertwined their arms together as they made their exit from the headmaster's studio, the door clicking shut silently behind them.
Ah, it had felt so good to score the first point.
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* I always found the sorting hat singing to be ridiculous, even if the original books are meant for children. Also I simply do not know how to write songs.
* Rai means protector, which I thought was adorable.
* Some professors I have taken directly from canon but we do not have a full spread of who would've taught in Hogwarts when Tom was a student. Therefore, I have made up certain characters to fill in the blanks, as well as with classmates who were only ever given last names.
* Again, never liked Slughorn and his behaviour towards students. While I have not written it to be directly predatory, it can also be interpreted that way if you wish. Either way, it's very creepy. Canon compliant Hogwarts staff overlooking favouritism and inappropriate behaviour from professors? Not on my watch! In a real life school that would be a huge red flag.
*I did make the -possibly wrong- math of the years Tom was at Hogwarts, and looked up the exact calendar for that year. September first was a Thursday, fun fact! I also have dates of birth for certain students (such as all the Black children) but canon is there to be dissected as I need, so I will ignore all said information since this world revolves around Tom. The dates don't vary too wildly, either way.
Tom: "I am an old man and nothing can surprise me"
Also Tom: shocked he has friends, acting like a child without even realising.
This has been such a blast to write, I'm definitely having the time of my life with this!
Also, since it is a fun little detail, I will keep a tally;
Tom I
Dumbles 0
Hope you liked the update!