Part 1
[June 1933]
Severus found himself walking back towards the very same park bench where he had first met the boy the very next day, at 6 am in the morning. He wasn’t sure why he was doing so, but he continued onward all the same.
After the boy had left the day before, Severus had been left sitting on the bench, thinking about his strange encounter with the boy. Tom Riddle, he said his name was, Severus corrected.
He was quite befuddled with this Tom.
He had hoped that learning the child’s name might shed some light on this odd feeling of his, yet Severus remained as perplexed as he was before.
He had first thought that there was a chance that they had met in the time that he had come from. Thus the familiar feeling. But learning the boy’s name had ruled out that possibility.
‘Tom Riddle’ certainly wasn’t a wizarding name, at least to Severus’s knowledge. He was quite confident in the extent of his knowledge. Lucius had been quite adamant on Severus learning Pure-Blood topics and committing them to memory.
Unless the boy was a muggleborn, but that would still rule out the possibility. Severus hadn’t associated with any muggleborns during his adult life, nor during his time at Hogwarts.
There weren’t any adults at Hogwarts who were muggleborn as far as he could remember. And he rarely even brushed shoulders back at Hogwarts, let alone talk, with any other muggleborns besides Lily Evans.
He refused to refer to her as a Potter, despite the backstabbing monster that she was. At the very least Potter was open about how he felt about Severus, and to some extent, Severus appreciated that.
He was always one on being open about how you felt about others. Given there was no danger in doing so, of course. Such was his spy work, where he had to constantly hide his feelings from others. Though never his opinions. He always voiced them loud and clear.
In any case, Severus was almost certain that he had never met this Tom before, in this time period or not. Thus he was no closer to finding out why he felt the necessity to help out the child.
Severus had been brought out of his pondering by the first sign of human life outside of himself and the kid.
He was still in a bit of a daze as he watched the muggle woman walking past him. Then he snapped himself out of it and stood up, briefly brushed invisible dust off his still transfigured clothing, and strode over to the muggle.
“Excuse me,” Severus called after the muggle. Better be polite for now, Severus thought as he walked up to her. No reason to rile this muggle up, especially since I need information.
He watched as the muggle woman turned and startled backwards, nearly dropping the basket she was holding.
He gazed at her for a moment, trying not to appear repulsed. Severus was unsure why exactly the woman was blushing. Did he look odd in the muggle clothing? If so, he wouldn't be surprised. Severus put that thought aside.
”I was just wondering if you might be able to tell me where we might be?” Severus followed up with an attempt at a…friendly?.. tone.
That word was certainly foreign to Severus. It was a bit of a challenge for him, considering he mostly snapped at students — when they deserved it , as well as his natural, deep baritone voice.
The woman blushed even harder.
Why is she doing that?
“Ah, um, well,” the woman stuttered, seeming to stumble for words. Severus had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. She was an adult woman, for Merlin’s sake. A twenty year old should be able to form proper sentences.
But Severus for once kept his thoughts to himself, and merely raised an eyebrow. He was all for being open about your feelings, yes, but he would likely never meet this muggle again, so no harm in some leeway.
The woman blushed even harder, if that was possible.
She continued to stutter for a little, (his presence couldn’t be that intimidating could it?) before finally answering Severus.
“We’re in Little Hangleton, Mr…?” She trailed off, and looked up at him, seeming to wait for an answer.
Severus paid no mind to the obvious question. His mind was whirling under his calm and aloof facade. Little Hangleton… the place was drawing a blank in Severus’ mind.
Certainly isn’t anywhere near Scotland, never mind Hogwarts. It might be in England, but one can never be too sure. Severus stood there, trying to figure out what to do with this information, while the woman just stood there awkwardly.
Severus had nearly forgotten about the muggle in front of him. He briefly said a word of acknowledgement to the muggle before turning on his heel and striding off, leaving the muggle standing and staring after him.
Shame that he wasn’t in his teaching robes.
Severus merely strolled for a while, thinking about what exactly are the next steps he should take.
He would've liked to apparate directly to the Leaky Cauldron, provided that it existed now, yet there was a major problem with that. He didn't know exactly how far away he was from there.
Apparation can't happen over long distances, as every magical being knows, due to the fact that it increases the chances of splinching by quite a substantial amount. Thus why no witch or wizard dared to attempt to apparate overseas, instead paying for an international floo at the ministry.
Morgana forbid him to go and mix with the ministry now. He was an unlicensed and unapproved time traveler, and who knows what trouble he might get into if he just walked up to the counter and purchased a ticket for the international floo.
Severus sighed.
Although there was still that chance that this Little Hangleton area that he was in was in England. That would greatly reduce the chances of splinching. Severus was an adult wizard and quite experienced in apparation after all, so apparating within England was no trouble for him.
“This is quite the predicament,” Severus mused a loud. A few muggles turned to look at him briefly but promptly turned back and ignored him. Severus didn't notice.
Little Hangleton… he thought over the name again as he walked. It does sound like a relatively ‘English’ name. There was of course a much larger chance of him being in a completely different country, yet he was rather tempted to try in spite of that risk.
He was quite intent on finding out more information about the time that he was stuck in, as well as possibly resolve his financial situation. And going to Diagon Alley would likely help him out in that endeavor.
After much deliberation, Severus decided to attempt to apparate to where the Leaky Cauldron should be. If did end up splinching himself, well, he was sure going to enjoy being an amputee for the rest of his life — provided he didn't bleed to death first.
There were more muggles present on the streets now and going about their day, and watching that damned television device. He figured it was only detrimental to the human race. See what it did to his father! Though there was alcohol as well, which was why Severus refrained from drinking alcohol. He needed his wits around him after all.
He found a secluded alleyway and made sure to check around for anyone or anything that could be watching him. Especially something that wasn't supposed to be seeing any magic. After a few checks, Severus was satisfied, and he was ready.
Severus closed his eyes and quickly turned on his heel. There was a muffled crack, and he was gone.
___________
The next moment he appeared in a familiar location. The tight pull at his navel and choking squeeze was always unpleasant.
He took a few moments to center himself. It certainly felt like he had traveled quite a distance. That information could be useful.
Severus looked down at himself. He was whole.
He breathed a silent sigh of relief. It worked, thankfully, which meant that he was still in England, and in a broader perspective still in the United Kingdom.
Not that he could travel either to Hogwarts or to Spinner's End in Cokeworth. That was purely unreasonable. He didn’t exist yet after all.
Severus pushed the useless wondering aside and narrowed his eyes as he scanned the area around him. At the very least this establishment is still here.
In all honesty, he was somewhat relieved to see that the iconic location had remained largely the same. Aside from the barman and fewer tables, nothing else was much different. Then I can find some lodgings here, if the inns are available, Severus mused.
He quickly nodded to the barman in acknowledgement and exited through the backdoor. He came up to the brick wall and did the sequence of taps required.
The wall slid open, and Severus' eyes widened minutely as he was met with a different, yet oddly similar, sight from what he was used to.
The streets of Diagon Alley were still as winded as always, but strangely cleaner and much less worn.
That much should be obvious, Severus thought sarcastically to himself as he stepped through the opening in the wall.
There were fewer shops in the Alley, as far as he could see. Though a few recognisable shops were still present—or had existed he supposed. Ollivanders, for example. Still with that purple cushion and singular wand display, though noticeably more pristine.
There were a few unrecognizable shops as well. Severus peered into them as he strolled through the alley. One he took note of was a café that he had never seen before, as the food there verily looked quite appetizing.
Next was a polished looking odds and ends shop, miles more presentable than Borgin’s and Burke's. He wondered for a moment why it had to close down.
Then there were a few others which Severus couldn't quite tell what they were just from looking through a window, but he didn’t bother entering any of them to find out.
Severus continued on, trying his best not to look around like a wizard who was just introduced into magical society. He certainly wasn't going to act like a bumbling fool.
He only stopped when he came across an apothecary. There was a rather curious sign plastered across the shop window. He read the sign:
‘Looking for brewers! No qualifications required. Just show your expertise to the owner and you may just be walking away with 40 Galleons a month! Apply now with the shop owner inside!’
Severus’ eyebrows shot up. 40 Galleons in a month, just for brewing? This was surely advantageous for him. They didn't even require any qualifications!
Sure he had a measly potions master II certificate, but that was not something to be proud of in Severus’ book. Plus he certainly didn’t have it on him now, so it was pretty much a useless title at the moment— more than it already was with his ‘job’ in the future.
Severus was fairly confident in his potion making abilities, and considered himself to be one of the best. He would have gone for a potion master I rank if it weren’t for Dumbledore ‘offering’ him a job.
Even the Dark Lord had pushed Severus to submit a research paper and apply for it. And Severus felt as though that should amount to some form of confirmation of his skills.
Severus contemplated for a bit, before placing his hand over the door handle.
Well, he thought as he pushed the door open. This job application should be a breeze.
__________
Severus was indeed right about that. He really only had to show the owner, Mr Alfred Ashurn, one potion before he got the job. Another name Severus didn’t recognize, but he didn’t particularly mind.
Ashurn had been quite impressed by Severus’ display of expertise in potion making, especially the modified recipe that he had used.
He was questioning Severus extremely persistently at the beginning, but almost immediately after Severus had glared at him, he kept much quieter.
Ashurn was clearly shocked, to say the least, when Severus had completed the strengthening solution. He had looked at Severus, amazed, then hired him immediately, on the spot. He had even offered Severus a pay raise, but Severus declined, much to both of their surprises.
More so on Severus’ part.
Yet he reasoned that if he were to be working in this place for the remainder of his time during this era then he should at the very least ask the owner to use that money to upgrade the lab, as well as the shop itself.
It wasn’t terrible, but he was certainly used to better working conditions. Plus it would largely benefit both the quality of the potions he could make as well as the sales just from appeal alone. So there was that too.
Ashurn hadn’t seemed too difficult to deal with on a day to day basis. Outside of the first few moments of his demonstration of course. Though Severus guessed that that particular segment was part of a usual job application. Not that he had ever applied for one the usual way.
Besides that he felt as though Ashurn was quite a likable wizard, even by Severus’ standards. Compliant, decently knowledgeable, occasionally sarcastic—that Severus could appreciate— and provided his salary. Still, it was another surprise altogether.
I am getting quite a few surprises in this one moment, aren’t I, Severus mused.
He had walked out of the small shop, feeling rather accomplished. Alright, one problem down, many more to go.
He had a few extra Galleons in his pocket , thanks to the shop owner. “Think of it as a down payment,” Ashurn had said. Severus didn’t argue and took the cash with a single note of thanks.
He thus decided to go to the café he had seen earlier. He was feeling rather famished. So he made his way back to where he remembered the café to be, and entered.
_________
It is a quaint little area, Severus observed after walking out from the place. He, somewhat begrudgingly, admitted that he did see the appeal of the comfortable atmosphere in the restaurant. He couldn't really call it a café anymore, after seeing the extremely diverse selections of food there.
The food had also lived up to Severus' expectations. It was rather delightful to taste, also seeing as though he hadn't eaten in a while made it all the more appealing to him.
He resolved to return to the restaurant the next time he was in need of something to eat.
After his satisfactory meal, Severus returned to the Leaky Cauldron with the intent of booking a room there to use as his lodgings.
Much to his relief, there had existed an inn back then as well, so he booked a room with the bartender and promptly and swiftly climbed up the stairs to see this new room of his.
He hadn't expected much, mainly due to the fact that the cost for a fortnight was a measly 5 sickles. It wasn't even a tenth of his new salary! But as soon as he opened the creaking door, he realized just how much he had underestimated the living conditions.
The room at the inn was sparse, only having one closet as well as a worn mattress and bedside table. Severus made a face, repulsed by the unsanitary nature of the room. He had grown up in a dirty enough area, and he would rather not live through that experience again, thank you very much.
No matter, Severus assured himself, it shall only be temporary. He closed the door behind him and took out his wand. He immediately cast several wards and detection spells around any entry points in the room, purely from habit.
He remembered setting up wards around his bed and belongings back at Hogwarts every night. They were tough to learn, after all, yet they were extremely useful in keeping unwanted intrusions out. Especially with Potter and Black still attempting to prank him ‘stealthily’.
He had to somewhat applaud them. Severus to this day still hadn’t figured out how they kept managing to break into the Slytherin common room. It was as if they had an invisibility device.
Though that was clearly an unauthorized possession if they did, and Dumbledore couldn’t possibly let people break the school rules, even if they were his ‘Golden Boys’.
Although, Severus thought, scowling as he did various cleaning spells all over the inn room, that headmaster did let those four imbeciles almost get away with murder. That should have warranted a trial, even if it were supposed to be a ‘joke’. Being a Gryffindor shouldn’t have let them off the hook. And he, the victim, was the one threatened! How ridiculous is that?
“Blasted Gryffindors, preaching about justice and equality,” Severus mumbled to himself, feeling annoyed at the very thought.
At the very least the Dark Lord actually treated people equally, in a sense. He always heard both sides of the story before deciding on something. Unlike a certain Headmaster who claimed to be fair.
Severus scoffed. Really, he thought as he cast a few final ‘scourgify’s around the room, ironic how Dumbledore and them all claim to be light, but have all of these deep rooted manipulations and prejudice.
Severus finally lowered his wand. He swept his gaze across the room, examining his handiwork. The room was much cleaner, a vast improvement, but still looked quite dingy and run down. At least it was livable now.
He did not have many, or any, items to store yet, so he didn’t need the closet nor the bedside table. He strode over to the bed and made to sit down. The bed frame creaked as he lowered himself down.
Severus winced. That would definitely take some getting used to.
He looked out the small window out to the muggle street. He was surprised at how late it had already gotten, judging by the red and almost purple tone of the sky. He must have spent far longer at the apothecary than he had initially thought.
He pondered for a moment on whether he should change back his clothing, but decided against it. The dress shirt as well as the pants appeared to be suitable to rest in.
Severus took off the trench coat that he was still wearing and laid it over the headboard of the bed. Severus lay down on the mattress, slightly uncomfortable with its stiffness.
He closed his eyes, and attempted to fall asleep. Yet he couldn’t. His mind was racing with thoughts, and he didn’t exactly want to use occlumency to block them and empty his mind. Some of his best pondering came from when he was in bed after all.
Severus thought over his progress. He had solved his financial issue, which was excellent for him. He had also secured lodgings, another thing he had completed on his agenda.
He hadn’t figured out what exactly had happened to him, which caused this whole situation to occur. But it was just the first day after all, and he presumably had four whole years to find information. So Severus wasn’t extremely worried about that concurrently.
Then there was the boy.
Severus still did not know what to make of him. He had never not felt annoyed by a child’s presence, yet this kid, a crying and insecure mess, had moved Severus to help him? Unprecedented, was what it was.
Tom Riddle …
He thought over the entire exchange that he had with this child. It was a rather lengthy conversation. He realized that it was likely the longest that he had ever stayed within proximity, let alone have a conversation, with a child of his own free will. Again, absurd.
Severus thought over the conversation once more. He watched Riddle more closely as he replayed his memories. He narrowed his eyes at Riddle’s constant defensive stance.
How had he not noticed it at all during the entire exchange? He was probably too focused on keeping his temper— and comforting the child, surprisingly.
Severus was still curious about Riddle’s father. What had the kid called him that he was so afraid to use in front of Severus? It was most curious to Severus, as well as baffling.
Most of the children he knew were proud to call their fathers, well, Father. Other than himself of course, Severus corrected. And that was an understatement in his case.
Then there was the fact that he had appeared terrified when he laughed. Was he taught that laughing was unacceptable?
It was hardly appropriate for a young child to not laugh or have fun during their childhood. Even Severus knew that. At the very least he had smiled when he was still on good terms with Evans — despite the manipulations.
Then again this was the fool that had taught young Riddle that asking questions was wrong. Merlin, that is ridiculous. Severus was still incredulous at that piece of information.
In many ways this Tom Riddle reminded him quite a bit of himself before Hogwarts and Evans. That could be why he felt that sense of familiarity with the boy. And the strange need to reach out to the kid.
Severus found himself wondering about Riddle’s wellbeing. It was certainly odd for him to be doing so. But Severus found that he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about it without applying occlumency. And, oddly enough, he found that he didn’t feel the need to do so.
Thus he spent quite a bit of time lying across the stiff mattress, thinking about this phenomenon that had occurred to him. Which inevitably turned back into musing about Riddle’s condition.
Severus sighed.
He had quite the adventure today, as some might say. Thus he had quite a lot on his mind, mostly Riddle, though he didn't quite want to admit that. He thought about going for a run to clear his mind, but he hardly had the energy for that at the moment.
Maybe a stroll then, Severus mused. Yes, that could work.
He decided to go back to Little Hangleton, and stroll around the park that he was in before. Not to meet the boy, no, but just to clear his mind. Although it wouldn’t be the worst if he happened to bump into the boy once again.
And so, there he was, at 6 in the morning, walking that very same route that he was just the day before. He kept telling himself that, no, he did not want to meet the child again, and was just taking a stroll.
So he continued on.
Soon he was approaching the park bench where the exchange had happened. Severus narrowed his eyes at the small figure huddled on the bench. He felt the odd tug at his chest again and briskly strode over to examine the huddling figure.
Severus looked down.
He smirked at the sight of the boy sleeping soundly on the bench. And that smirk turned into the furrowing of his eyebrows when he noticed the way the boy’s hands were covering his head protectively.
Ah, and there’s that tug again.
Severus pursed his lips. He considered something for a moment. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the sleeping child. Then he pinched his nose bridge and sighed.
He quickly glanced around to see if any muggles were watching, before swiftly drawing his wand and conjuring a blanket. He kept his wand safely and placed the blanket over Riddle.
He must be cold, out in the open like this.It’s only natural that I do this, Severus justified in his head as the sat down next to the sleeping figure of the child.
He leaned back and closed his eyes.
Well, he thought as he felt his breathing grow calmer. This has been a…busy two days. Severus let out a breath. Might as well rest for a moment and wait for the kid to wake up. He felt his consciousness leaving him slowly.
Tomorrow will be another interesting day.
To be continued