It's not easy being alone. Harry knew that well. He could feel the cold air of the living room surrounding him, seeping into his bones. With the number of people flooing in, they couldn't run the fire in here, and the warming charm on his clothes had long since worn off. Harry sighed as he rubbed his cold hands, his fingers spinning the ring on his finger. Months ago, he and Theodore had snuck back into the attic-like room and grabbed the silver boxes to store two rocks they had found, and Harry had decided to wear the ring.

He ignores the ticking in his ear.

It had seemed big at first, but when he slipped it on, the ring fit his middle finger perfectly. He spun the band around and around, staring off into space as he lost himself in the action. Father had said the band was made of black titanium, regular titanium that had been coated in something. Harry had asked if he could have it, and since Father didn't know where it came from, he didn't mind after lots of spells had been done on it, of course.

"It's rather…muggle." Marvolo had sneered. Harry shrugged, slipping it on. He enjoyed the details on it, and how it felt when he spun it, so he didn't mind that his father considered it muggle. "Are you sure you don't want something a little more elegant?"

"No, it's okay!" Harry had said with a grin. "I like it, and I found it, so it's my treasure."

His father had just sighed.

Shivering slightly from the cold air, Harry looked outside. It never snowed here, even during winter. Of course, Harry still kept his hopes up. After all, it was only the beginning of winter; there were still plenty more cold months to go. Harry just wanted to see snow before he turned eleven.

Whenever that was.

Tick, tick, tick.

He spun the ring again, abruptly switching directions to change up his hands. He heard a soft click, and then something clattered on the ground, ringing. Harry looked down at his feet, trying to see what had fallen and from where. He looked at his ring, noticing a small square missing from it. Had he broken it? Harry continued looking for the piece that had fallen out.

When his eyes landed on it, he was confused. It wasn't just a piece that had fallen out, but a whole key. Harry stared at the oddly shaped key. It was almost completely straight, the very side of it jutting out by a few centimetres. The top part, the piece that had fallen out of Harry's ring, was short and curved. Harry picked it up.

How in the hell did this key-looking thing fit in his ring? He slowly pushed the tip of the key back into the missing section of his ring, expecting it to not fit. Instead, it slid in easily, slotting in place with a soft click. Harry shook his hand, but the key didn't fall out. He spun the ring in the opposite direction again, and he heard the click. The key rose gently out of the ring. Harry pressed it back down.

"Hadrian." A voice interrupted his thoughts. Harry glanced up, meeting his father's blue eyes with his own. He nodded in greeting. "Why do you look like this?"

"Like what?" Harry questioned, looking down at his clothes. They were what he wore every day.

"So uncouth. Your hair isn't brushed, and neither are your teeth, for that matter. Plus, your shirt is inside out."

"Oh." The child shrugged, looking away. Yeah, that was probably true. "I got myself dressed today because Bleak was busy."

"And you couldn't brush your hair or even your teeth? Couldn't check to see if your shirt was put on correctly?"

"I-"

Tick, tick, tick.

"Are you choosing to be lazy so that you can spend more time with those muggle books of yours? If so, I will-"

"No!" Harry interrupted, shaking his head. "No, no, I swear, I got up early today and everything, and I promise."

"Then what is it?" Marvolo raised an eyebrow. Harry fiddled with his ring, careful not to make the ring fall out.

"Well…"

"Hadrian." His father's voice held a warning, making the boy sigh. He really had to do this, didn't he?

"I don't like looking in the mirror," Harry said, holding his breath. When his father didn't say anything, the words began to tumble out, leaving him feeling raw and underprepared. "It's because of my face. Every time I see a house elf, they point at it, they gasp, they do something and I just- I hate it. I don't want to look at myself. I think about it, and I try like Bleak says, but I can't! So if Bleak doesn't get me dressed, I don't even try to get dressed."

Marvolo said nothing, simply staring at Harry with his cold, empty gaze, his eyes raking over Harry's dishevelled form. With a wave of his wand, his father fixed him up, righting everything he deemed wrong with the child's appearance. Harry just gasped as his shirt was quickly flipped and turned while still staying on his body. He gripped the ring in between his finger and thumb.

"Come along then, Hadrian." His father demanded, swiftly turning around and walking down the freshly clean steps. Harry scurried after him, walking closely behind as they descended. They entered Marvolo's office, the room impeccable as always. Its surfaces were lined with clean artefacts, and his desk was orderly and prepared for him. The only thing off about it was the open liquor bottle in the back of the room, but Harry didn't notice that. He sat down in a chair in front of his father's desk, waiting and watching the man's every move.

"What is it, Father?" Harry finally asked when the man hadn't said anything.

"Hadrian, you are getting older, and I think it is time you learn some of the things that other pureblood children are taught."

"Really? You mean it?" Harry asked, green eyes wide with joyous shock. Marvolo nodded.

"I do mean it. Nothing too tough, and definitely nothing magical, but there are plenty of things you should, and will, learn before going off to that dreadful school."

Harry flinched. Right. Father didn't like Hogwarts. Maybe…

Tick, tick, tick.

"Dad? Why don't you like Hogwarts?"

Marvolo stared at him, and Harry stared back. Harry squirmed slightly under his gaze, but he didn't look away. Father didn't like when he didn't make eye contact with him.

"Because of the man who runs it, Hadrian. He is a wicked man, you see. He likes to peek into the minds of children."

"What?! Like he reads their minds?" Harry asked with a gasp. Marvolo nodded, folding his hands over his mouth.

"Oh yes, Hadrian. And it's very bad for a child's developing mind. You should only start learning Occlumency when you've reached magical maturity, as you need Legilimency to aptly learn it. Using it before is very dangerous. It can make people…insane."

Harry gasped, eyes wide in shock.

"Yes, It's a very bad thing, Hadrian. That is why I am…worried about you going there. That old man may just read your mind."

Father was worried about him. Harry repeated these words to himself, his cheeks growing pink. Father cared. Father really, truly cared!

"I didn't know that," Harry said, not knowing what else to say.

"Well, now you do, Hadrian. Shall we teach you something else, then?" Harry nods enthusiastically.

Marvolo pulled out a drawer at his desk, pulling out an old brown wand. Besides the small amount of dust on it, it looked well-kept and clean. Harry stared, eyes wide.

"Am I getting a wand?" Harry almost cheered.

"Absolutely not."

Harry did not cheer.

"But, you may practise with this one."

"Practise magic?"

"No."

Father really needed to stop getting his hopes up.

"What will I have it for then?" Harry asked, trying not to pout. He wasn't a little kid anymore; he didn't need to get upset because Father said the word 'no'.

"You will be learning how to hold it, how to draw it, and basic pronunciation."

"Draw?" Harry asked, confused. Like, on paper?

"Watch me," the man commanded. He pulled up his sleeve, revealing a small leather armband. Suddenly, his wand popped out of the band and shot straight between his fingers.

"Woah!"

Tick, tick, tick.

"Yes, very…woah. Now, that comes later. First, we must learn to hold the wand. Now, take it in your hands like this."

Harry took the wand from his father's hand, feeling the warm wood against his hand. Father held his own, which he had summoned, showing Harry the proper way to hold it.

"Do you write with that hand, Hadrian?" Father asks. Harry shakes his head.

"No, I don't. Why?"

"You're holding it quite well for someone that doesn't write with it. One moment." Marvolo grabbed a piece of paper off his desk, passing it and a quill over to Harry. "Try writing with it."

"Oh, okay." Harry puts the practise wand down, writing a quick 'My name is Hadrian Riddle' with it. He switched to his dominant hand at his father's command, copying the sentence.

They looked exactly the same.

"I didn't know I could do that," Harry says with a grin. Marvolo nodded.

Once Harry had figured out the correct way to hold the wand in both of his hands, his Father slipped off the armband, handing it to him and helping him slip it on. Harry felt his chest warm as his Father assisted in adjusting the leather to the size of his forearm.

"Woah…"

"Now, place the base of the wand against your wand holder." Harry did so and watched as the wand slipped into the leather, yet it didn't show. Instead, it disappeared inside, and he couldn't feel anything except the armband. Kind of like his ring! "Very good. Now, pull it out."

"How?"

"With your magic."

"How do I do that?" Harry asked again. Tom sighed, making Harry's ears turn red in embarrassment. He didn't like that he didn't know this. It made him feel stupid compared to his father's skill.

"Push your magic through the band." At Harry's still-confused look, the man continued. "Imagine tensing your arm like you want to hit something."

Harry took a deep breath, tensing his arm. With a jolt, the wand shot out of the holder and hit the wall.

"It's a start. Let's try it again."

Harry nodded, picking up the wand from the floor. He smiled to himself as he slipped it back into the holder. Father seemed happy.