Hello there, I've got a few chapters stockpiled so that's the reason for the immediate update. Hope you enjoy and feedback is adored!
Snowflakes splattered themselves against the smudged glass that Tom gloomily gazed out of, attempting to ignore the chill of the melted snow on his clothes and his empty stomach. He had been denied dinner, again, this time it wasn't even his fault. He'd been thinking up forms of revenge while the older kids continued to mock him when the older bullies suddenly sped away and went running to the caretakers about having a demon companion. Word got to the over religious Miss Cole and to bed he went. His room was locked and bolted and would only be opened come the following morning when school began once more, he'd learned this from experience.
Yet Tom didn't hate his solitary confinement, in actuality the four walls were more of a comfort to him than any material possession, person or sustenance could ever be. He wasn't allowed out often, so Tom entertained himself by reading stolen books from the older children and observing the passing adults on the street who looked like nothing more than insects from his tiny window. Either way, Tom took pleasure from his own company, unlike other young children who would cry for attention. At least Miss Cole didn't force him to attend church anymore. A minute shudder shook his bony shoulders, not because of his damp clothes, but in remembrance. They were the evil ones, not him.
A dark splotch moving quickly across the white scenery stole his attention. It was a person in a heavy looking cloak, Tom attempted to peer at the mystery man's face but only saw distorted features. Unsettled, he drew back from the window, pensively tapping his fingers against the glass. It must have been the man's frantic walking pace. A flash of colour drew his eyes back to the window and goosebumps broke out across his skin.
The figure had stopped dead and all Tom could see was a flash of green. The chilling moment passed as soon as it started, the hood was pulled further down the man's face as he continued his brisk pace towards the orphanage doors. Tom continued to stare at the white snow where the man had stood for a long moment, an uneasy feeling creeping along his skin when realising that he couldn't discern any emotion from the man in the remembered interaction which made the usually astute child frown in mild annoyance.
Tom huffed as he fell back onto his bed, jolting his bruised elbow in the process. A sharp hiss escaped through gritted teeth. Seething at his own stupidity, he slowly laid back on the bed, clutching his bare elbow in a nail digging grip. The groan of the metal frame seemed to mimic his perturbed mood. What could a man like that be doing at an orphanage? Tom doubted he was a beggar, but he didn't dress like the type of person who would be able to provide for a child.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps could be heard on the stairs making Tom spring to a standing position. Brushing down his clothing, he nervously waited for the footfalls to undoubtedly cease at his door, there would be no other reason for anyone to take a trip to the 2nd floor. The sharp sound of the lock being unlatched brought a small sense of hope to the dark haired child, hope that he wouldn't go hungry this time. The feeling was snuffed out by the cold gaze and intimidating demeanour of Miss Cole.
"Come on boy, someone's here to adopt and he insisted on all the children being present, even the nasty evil ones like you."
Tom glowered, feeling a rolling sea of hate as Miss Cole sniffed disdainfully and turned to walk back the way she came, not bothering to wait for Tom. If he didn't follow, the better in her mind. Bitterly, he swallowed the scathing words and obediently followed, keeping his gaze on the floor, for he knew it was less likely he'd be reprimanded. After all, he didn't want to miss the possibility of being adopted, even if it might be by that strange man. A hesitant, giddy feeling began to unfold in his chest. Usually he was kept in his room when parents came by, like a dirty secret Tom thought resentfully, so it was surprising that Miss Cole had a change of heart concerning the matter, especially considering he'd been 'bad' earlier.
When they reached the bottom floor Tom carefully glanced around the room, the children were lined up in orderly disarray, excited babbling falling from their mouths as they shared in the excitement of potentially finding a home. Miss Cole graced one last sour look at the evil boy by her side, then strode into her office where the gentlemen was waiting. Why on earth did she bring Tom down in the first place?
Left abandoned, Tom attempted to blend into the faded wooden walls near the stairs rather than join the other children. He didn't want any altercations that could ruin his potential adoption. So, for once, Tom stayed silent with his head down. Usually he'd be the last person to avert his eyes from those he saw as beneath him but he had a heavy feeling that this would be his last opportunity to be taken to a home.
Alas, the one time he kept to himself, trouble seemed to find him. Tom exhaled in irritation as he caught sight of those who enjoyed to torment him make their way over. The older children never learned, he stole from them all the time in an attempt to deter them yet it just seemed to incense them more. He never acted first, everything he did or took was out of simple retaliation. He couldn't do much considering he was weaker, being half the age as the just turned teenagers, so he had to keep it long distance. So for that reason they were often in trouble, courtesy of Tom, and they still found time to push him around.
"Hey Tommy, what are doing down here, adoption is for normal children." Donald sneered as he crowded Tom against the wall. Tom simply stared back with a bored expression, used to the taunting. He was the only one that he bothered to learn the name of, considering he was the worst of the group of bullies.
"Hey freak aren't you going to say something!" Spat another, the one with the large front teeth, Tom recognised dully. He kind of zoned out as they got more rowdy with his continued silence, his mind wandered to the strange man. That is until he was grabbed roughly by the elbow, white hot pain shot up his arm and he couldn't hold in the yelp. The bullies grinned wickedly in unison.
"Oh? What's wrong Tommy? Did I hurt you?" Donald asked sweetly as he squeezed the bruised flesh mercilessly. Tom felt winded from the pain, his composure cracked and his eyes betrayed his fear. All he wanted was to get away. The air between the pair suddenly dropped and Donalds fingers began to turn blue. Shocked by the cold he tried to pull away, bringing Tom more affliction, but his hand had frozen to the flesh he was clutching. Tom was breathing quickly, his mind was fuzzy from the pain and he was panicking, he didn't want to be touched, he didn't want-
A weight fell onto his shoulder as he heard a male voice near his ear.
"Hey, calm down, it's okay, it's alright, you're safe, just breath." The words were a long and steady murmur bringing with them a sense of calm, his primal panic began to fade with every reassurance. His vision was was no longer unfocused but all he could make out was darkness, he then realised he was face to face with a cloak. Looking upwards he saw eyes as green as the grassy meadows in summertime which he recognised from his brief glimpse from the window, the colour was muted however by obnoxious round glasses. Adorning his features was a weary but gentle smile which Tom didn't know how to process. He simply stared, transfixed.
"What's going on here!" Miss Cole bellowed across the room, stomping after the gentleman who had dashed from her office with little warning. The children froze their noisy antics, only just noticing the cloaked male among them. Seeing the man crouched down next to the little devil, she thought she'd do a service of giving him a warning. Before she could utter a word however, Donald burst into tears, as did the other boys, running to hide behind the sour woman.
Tom broke eye contact with the man, who was still hovering close by, once the wailing began. Tom couldn't stop the rolling of his eyes at their fake tears and poor attempt at manipulating the matron. Lucky for them Miss Cole always blamed him, because their attempts would have been useless considering a potato had more maternal instinct than her. Glancing back at the mysterious male, he realised from the furrowed brows that the same couldn't be said for the man in front of him.
"They're faking you know." He muttered, wanting the man to know he wasn't some mean bully, he wasn't like them. Even if he had somehow hurt them this time, it was their own fault. Understanding flashed across his face, and a small smile was sent his way. Relieved, he knew, for the sake of the other kids but Tom still struggled to comprehend such a gentle expression being aimed his way, no one had really looked at him like that before. Strangers perhaps, but the children didn't bother with the freak and neither did the adults. They were too distant to care, yet he was not. He was a strange man, but not in a bad way. Tom hesitantly lifted his lips to smile back.
"Stay away from that one Sir, there are other children much more deserving of a good home. That one has bad blood." Miss Cole spat with contempt as the pre teens laughed silently behind her. Said child shrunk under her glare, he felt so unfairly belittled. His deep-seated hate for the horrid matron made itself known through gritted teeth and a dark stare unsettling to see on a child. The man wouldn't consider him now, he'd be just like all the other parents, believing an adult over a child.
Taking in the dark haired child's tense shoulders and how truly wrong the situation was, righteous anger once again tickled through the cloaked man's blood, reminiscent of how he ended up in the orphanage, which he was never supposed to enter, in the first place. He stood up with an indistinct agility, his messy black hair subtly bouncing in his journey, and turned stiffly towards the hefty woman and the grinning teens.
"Be that as it may, I think I'll be adopting this young man please mam." He said with a charming smile that was a little too sharp. The bully's mouths dropped as did Tom's. Not one to be intimidated Miss Cole went to give him a piece of her mind but the glint in his eyes hardened. Uncertain how to respond to the mildly threatening look, Miss Cole gave into his wishes, at least she wouldn't have to deal with the hellspawn now. Sniffing scornfully, she turned and strode with fake confidence towards her office.
"Go pack your things and wait for me near the door, okay?" He spoke quietly. Tom grabbed him by the sleeve before he could turn away, trying to get his words together when he was reeling from what was currently happening and trying not to get swept away with it out of the fear of being disappointed.
"But, but it can take up to weeks for things to be-" The man just smiled that gentle smile and lightly patted his shoulder, subsequently aborting the rest of his sentence due to his surprise at the physical contact, before following the matron into the office to work his magic.
Tom was left momentarily speechless. The soft click of the office door caused a bewildered smile to light up is childish face. He proceeded to rush up the stairs to do as told, ignoring the other upset and angry children. As if he cared, he was elated. Throwing open the door to his lifelong prison, he shoved his many stolen possessions, having barely anything that was actually his, onto his bed and wrapped the bedsheet around them. Done in minutes, Tom didn't even pause to throw on a warmer layer of clothing or bid goodbye to the room he'd spent his miserable childhood in and bounded down the stairs, his bundle of things thumping in a syncopated rhythm with his footsteps.
Hitting the bottom step, Tom saw the man waiting for him against the main entrance. Not giving a second thought as to how the man was done so quickly, he attempted to stifle his eagerness as he walked quickly to stand beside him. When green eyes met his, he smiled shyly, it was bright enough that the male's eyes widened minutely in surprise. This child looked completely different from the one sullen and bitter he'd come to know through memories. He couldn't help but return his smile, his heart warmed with a hope for the future and for Tom Riddle.
"Ready to go to your new home?" He asked indulgently as he picked up Tom's things. He nodded enthusiastically in response but was suddenly struck with a thought that left him uncertain to what their dynamic would be.
"Mister, what should I call you?" The question was asked tentatively and the utterance made the man pause.
"How about just Harry for now." Harry smiled tightly down at the boy who was gazing pensively at the door frame. His heart felt heavy because he knew that Tom would no doubt begin to consider him as a potential paternal figure but he wasn't ready for that, If he ever would be. Still, Harry would try. He'd give him the childhood that neither of them had.
"Come on Tom." Harry urged, and they both stepped passed the threshold into what Harry hoped would be a future brighter than their dark pasts.