Thomas Marvolo Riddle sat on his old, rotting mattress, staring at the wall. He was hungry, bored, and annoyed. Why was he stuck here, in an orphanage? He is special. Different. He deserves better. Tom fidgeted slightly as he glanced at the small clock on the wall. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Happy Birthday. He whispered the countdown to midnight. He was officially 8. He wished for something of his own. A friend. Who was special too. And all his. Who would worship Tom. Love him. And in return, Tom would adore and love him too.
Harry sat in his cupboard, clutching his knee’s tight to his chest. He listened as he heard the Dursleys in the kitchen countdown to midnight. Happy New Year. Harry squeezed his eyes shut hard and wished for someone to love him. Someone who would accept him and want him around.
Harry felt his head smash against a piece of wood. He cracked his eyes open and looked around. It was a small room with 2 old wooden single beds on opposite walls. A young boy sat on one of the beds, his eyes wide open and his mouth gaping.
Tom gasped as a small figure curled up on themselves on the floor of his room. The person just appeared there! Was this his new friend? He MUST be special too because he just appeared out of nowhere!
“Hello, what's your name?” Tom asked gently in the softest voice he had ever used.
“Fweak” The boy whispered so quietly that Tom almost missed it. He was angry. Who told HIS boy that!
“Do you get called anything else?” Tom asked again, gently.
“Hawwy” The boy whispered. Harry. Harry. Harry. Tom now loved the name, Harry. It suits HIS boy perfectly.
“A last name?” Tom asked. The boy shook his head. Tom frowned.
“Hadrian Thomas Riddle, that's your new name” Tom demanded instantly.
The boy smiled hesitantly.
“I get a new name? Hadwian Thomas Riddle! I love it!” The boy exclaimed.
Tom left his room to go get Martha. She would be kinder than Mrs. Cole. He offered to share his room too. Not too long later, Tom was sitting in his bed staring not at the wall, but at the bundle of blankets on the opposite bed that now contained HIS boy. Tom smiled slightly. He would do anything for his boy.
Tom and Harry were always together. After 3 years of friendship, you would never see one of them by themselves. On Tom’s tenth birthday, he noticed something about Harry. He always adored Harry and would do anything for him, but now he was most definitely going more and more out of his way to make Harry smile. He would stare at Harry more frequently and for longer until he realized he was doing it. Harry was so innocent and childish. That was when Tom realized that he didn’t love Harry. He was IN love with Harry.
Professor Dumbledore came to give both Hadrian and Thomas their letters to Hogwarts. Albus was surprised to know that 2 wizards were both at the orphanage. He listened to Mrs. Cole talk about how Tom was a ‘demon’ and ‘evil’. Albus sighed. He knocked on room number 26 and carefully opened the door. He smiled at the 2 children who were sitting on the floor. One had tidy brown hair and was taller and the smaller one had fluffy, messy black hair and bright green eyes. They both looked like angels. The smaller of the two smiled at Albus and waved excitedly.
“Hello! I’m Harry! It’s my birthday today! I got a teddy! Look!” The smaller rambled excitedly. He picked up a small adorable teddy bear that had a purple ribbon tied around its head.
“Tom gave it to me! I called it Captain!” The boy said talkatively. Albus smiled at the younger. The elder, -Tom- subtly scooted in front of harry, shielding him, protectively.
“Good morning Sir, I am Thomas and that is Hadrian. Can we help you?” The taller asked, in a stuffy, fake-polite voice.
“I am Albus Dumbledore, and you both are wizards!” Albus said, trying to hype them up. The younger’s mouth dropped and the elder gasped.
“Wizard? I told you we are magic!” The younger wizard -Harry- whispered loudly. Albus discreetly coughed, drawing the attention back to him.
“Now, here are your letters, and I assume that you both will go to Diagon alley together? Great, now, all the information is in there. Send an owl if you have questions!” Albus said as he walked out the door. He shut it gently and heard excited talking through the door. Albus smiled to himself. Children are truly a delight. He hoped the younger gets put into Gryffindor, but he seemed like a true Hufflepuff. The elder gave Slytherin energy or Ravenclaw. Contrary to popular belief, Albus doesn’t judge the students based on their houses and is just happy to welcome them to Hogwarts and the wizarding world.
Tom took Harry to Diagon and they brought all their equipment together. They packed their trunks and waited impatiently for the month to finish before Hogwarts starts. Tom and Harry stuck together now, more than ever before as they got sorted into Slytherin together. Tom was the best in every class while Harry was the most likable. Tom hated all the leers sent to Harry by the elder students. Luckily for them, Harry was oblivious. Didn’t they realize that Harry was his? At the end of their first year, Tom was made king in the Slytherin common room hierarchy. Harry was all the teacher's and students' favourite because he was kind to all. Those in all houses, all blood types, genders, and ages. He would partner up with anyone and everyone in all classes. Even the Gryffindors adored Harry. In their 6th year, Tom and Harry were officially a couple. Tom was delighted to know that all his feeling about Harry were mutual with Harry’s feeling about him. Tom gave Harry his Gaunt Heirship ring as a promise ring. Albus loved watching and supporting this gorgeous relationship between Hogwarts' best student and the kindest student. In a 7th-year NEWT transfiguration class, Tom was sitting next to harry as usual. Harry stood up and instantly felt dizzy.
“Tom… I don’t feel too good…” Harry mumbled as he fell to the ground. Tom stood up instantly as did the surrounding students. Tom grabbed Harry’s hand. As Harry started fading away.
“HARRY!” Tom yelled, his perfect mask of indifference finally cracking away in public. Tom screamed and cried for the rest of the day, not caring about anything or anyone except Harry.
Harry gasped as he landed in the middle of the great hall. He looked around quickly to see everyone staring at him. Harry’s eyes flickered to the professor's table and spotted Dumbledore gaping at him.
“Harry Potter?” Dumbledore gasped. “My dear boy! Where have you been! You went missing 10 years ago!” Harry frowned.
“Harry Potter?” He asked, confused. A dark-haired, lanky adult who was sitting in Professor Slughorns' seat sneered.
“What an idiot! Doesn’t even know his name!” Harry frowned again.
“My name is Hadrian Thomas Riddle, And who are you? Why are you in Professor Slughorn’s seat?” Harry asked, politely. Albus gaped again.
“Harry? Harry Riddle? What's the last thing you remember?” Dumbledore insisted quickly.
“Um… I was in transfiguration and I felt dizzy and fell, Tom caught me and I appeared here! Speaking of, where is Tommy-Bear?” Harry asked quickly.
Albus jumped up and quickly ushered Harry into his office.
“My dear boy! It's 1998! You have time traveled!” Dumbledore exclaimed.
“What? No, I… What? Where’s Dippet? And my Tom?” Harry asked, quickly getting hysterical.
“Harry, I am the headmaster after Dippet retired,” Albus explained calmly, eating a lemon drop.
“What! Wheres Tom? I need him!” Harry gasped out, tears filling his eyes.
“He is alive, right? Please? Right?” Harry mumbled quietly. Albus filled Harry in with a summary of the last 50 years in 2 hours. He sent Harry back to the Slytherin common rooms afterward and sighed. Tom had never been the same after Hadrian disappeared. He didn’t speak for a year. He was so cold and cut off from the world. Albus had tried to find Hadrian for many years. Albus mussed quickly that Harry Potter must have had a spurt of accidental magic that sent him to Tom in the orphanage. Albus smiled. Tom was a perfect student who never discriminated when Hadrian was there. After Harry left, well, Tom was Voldemort. Albus pondered that Harry could help save Voldemort.
Harry curled up on his bed crying. Suddenly, the door swung open and a blonde aristocratic figure walked out.
“Braxus?” Harry sniffed. The blonde scowled.
“Potter, come with me. I have an emergency port key that will take you to the Dark Lord. Come! Now!” The blonde grouched. Harry smiled slightly. At least one thing was the same. Malfoys are all arrogant.
Voldemort sat on his throne. He thought back to all the accomplishments and milestones he had hit in his life. He had done everything he had ever dreamed of doing. All but his sweet Harry. His innocent and oblivious boy. Voldemort thought back to his 5th year. When he made his first Horcrux. Hadrian. He didn’t tell Harry. It was supposed to connect the together. Mind, body, and soul. Hadrian was so happy after. Voldemort remembered the first time Harry spoke parseltounge. Suddenly a lithe figure appeared on the carpet in front of him. Voldemort was startled and didn’t have enough time to pull up his glamors. He looked like Tom Riddle from his days at Hogwarts. Voldemort sneered as the person climbed up delicately to their feet. Before launching themself at Voldemort. Voldemort drew his wand and pressed it to their neck, expecting the assassin to try to maim him. He froze as a familiar voice spoke, muffled from his face in Voldemort's robe.
“Tom! I missed you so much! Tom…” The voice moaned. Voldemort shook himself quickly before tilting the person's head back to see their face. Could it be? Voldemort gasped as he saw those emerald eyes swelling with tears.
“Harry? My Harry?” Voldemort whispered passionately. Voldemort scooped the petite boy up quickly and clutched him close to his chest. Harry gave out a muffled sob.
“Tom? I missed you. I love you so much!” Harry whispered so quietly. Voldemort still hugged him tighter.
“Where have you been Hadrian? What happened?” Voldemort demanded. Harry sobbed once more.
“I landed in the great hall after what felt like a second after fainting in transfiguration. Dumbledore was there and took me to the headmaster's office and explained that I had time traveled 50 years into the future. Did you know that my real name is Harry Potter? Crazy right? I was apparently abused as a child and had a burst of accidental magic sending me to Wool’s in 1930!” Harry rambled. Voldemort smiled as he remembered how Harry would talk non-stop. He frowned slightly when he heard that he was Harry Potter.
“Potter? Are you going to be taking that name instead?” Voldemort snapped harshly. Harry flicked his head towards Voldemort.
“No? Of course not! My name is Hadrian Thomas Riddle no matter who I once was” Harry muttered, holding his head high. Voldemort let out a loud sigh, pretending to be exasperated, but really he was feeling quite insecure about Harry taking his Potter last name. Voldemort could not believe how much he had missed his Harry. He could feel the warmth of his own soul in Harry too. This was perfect.