Hidden
On September 1942, the school year at Hogwarts had begun, and everyone was asleep. Everyone except for Tom Riddle. He had grown during the summer despite still residing at Wool’s Orphanage and having to fight for food. World War II had exploded in the British Isles, and multiple deaths were reported every day ever since it started. Tom had wondered whether he would be next. The Orphanage was in the centre of London, the epicentre of the War. It had been unsettling to live there during the summer. Particularly when a bomb dropped too close to home. So when September rolled around, Tom was more than relieved. He would be safe and away from death. He had asked Cantankerus Nott to lend him some obscure books from his family library, and the mousy boy had been more than happy to oblige. War was a scary time, and Tom wanted to do anything to avoid dying on muggle ground.
So, Riddle was elated when he received his Hogwarts letter with a Prefect badge. Being a Prefect came with extra responsibility and advantages, such as access to the library's Restricted section. And Tom took his role seriously. It was later at night, and he was patrolling the corridors of Hogwarts to ensure that no students were breaking curfew. Despite being safe, Hogwarts was still a place that could be under attack. Grindelwald was roaming free in England and was steadily gaining popularity within the Wizarding community. So, it was a given that every student at Hogwarts should be safe and safe on the school grounds and tucked away in their dorms at night. Tom marched calmly in the hallways of Hogwarts, listening closely for anything that would be out of place. Children, especially first and second years, tended to be quite homesick the first couple of weeks back at school.
At that moment, Tom heard a sniffle coming from a broom closet. It wasn’t uncommon for children to hide in hopes of not being caught. But Riddle knew all too well that hiding was a means to an end. Danger could not get to you if one remained hidden. It was self-preservation. Not wanting to frighten the child further but still having to abide by his duties, Tom carefully approached the door and opened it. Inside was a small child in baggy clothes, most definitely too young to be of Hogwarts age. The child looked to be around eight or nine. His eyes were closed, hidden by black and round glasses. He was softly rocking himself soothingly. Tom was never one to be caring or friendly, but he could pretend. Strangely, the child reminded him of how he used to feel at the Orphanage. So, the Prefect bent down to be on the child’s level.
"Hello, what are you doing in there?" He asked the dark-haired child softly.
It was pitiful how the boy nearly jumped at his voice. It was as if the child was expecting to be hit. The boy didn’t even look up to meet his eye. He continuously spoke his head, mumbling apologies over and over again. Tom frowned at the sight. Something wasn’t right. The Prefect looked around, he was alone. So he tried to calm the child again.
"What is your name?" Tom asked sweetly.
The boy sniffled. But it seemed to soothe him. Bright green eyes filled with tears looked up to meet his warm brown ones. The child was scarred; he had a scar. It slashed across his forehead through his eyebrow and stopped just above his left eye. The boy seemed to study him as if afraid Tom would strike him dead.
"I’m Harry," the boy whispered.
Riddle nodded with a smile. The boy was scared. He was looking around the broom closet with wide eyes as if he was trying to comprehend where he was.
"All right Harry. What are you doing hiding in a broom closet?" The Prefect questioned.
Harry shrugged, but Tom saw him wince in pain and shudder a breath. The boy was hurt. That much was obvious. Tears welled up in his green eyes again, and he rushed to answer.
"My aunt and uncle locked me up in my cupboard because I did a freaky thing, and they said I could die inside it. But I didn’t want to die, so I wished really hard to be somewhere safe, and now I’m here, and I don’t know where is here," Harry said hurriedly.
Tom gulped almost visibly at the boy’s words. Harry had apparated within Hogwarts. And the boy didn’t know. He held out his hand to the shaken boy. The latter watched it suspiciously.
"What was the freaky thing that you did, Harry?" Riddle asked.
The boy shrugged again and sighed.
"I just spoke to a pretty snake while I was working in the garden. And then Aunt Petunia screamed that I was doing freaky things," the young boy answered.
Tom’s breath hitched in his throat for a moment. That boy was a parselmouth. It was a very brief second, but Riddle was elated. He wasn’t alone anymore. He beamed at the little child. And for the first time, Harry gave him a shy smile in return.
"I can speak to snakes too, Harry. Do you know what that means?" The teenager asked almost in awe.
He heard a small gasp coming from the child, and when he looked down, Harry was watching him with wonder in his eyes. It looked like the boy was worshiping him. And Tom had never felt this good in his life. It was addicting. Tom believed that the tiny boy was a precious thing. He didn’t deserve what had happened to him. Harry seemed to recompose himself slightly but the stars in his green eyes were still very apparent.
"It means that you are a Wizard. Like me. You can do magic," Tom concluded.
Harry looked skeptical for a moment. But the furrow in his brows softened as he looked around the space he was in.
"Is that why I’m here? So you can save me and teach me magic?" The boy asked, sounding almost hopeful. "Also, what’s your name?"
It made Tom smile even wider. The teenager had never wanted to be someone’s hero. And ever since he met Professor Dumbledore at the Orphanage, the man had made it his mission to ensure Tom could never be seen as such. Professor Dumbledore was constantly on his tail, waiting for Tom to make a mistake. So, for Harry to regard him as his saviour was something he never expected.
"My name is Tom Riddle. I am a Prefect at Hogwarts. Will you come with me?" The brown-haired teenager said gently.
Harry nodded eagerly and held out his hand for Tom to take. It took too long for the Prefect to react, making the young child retract his hand and look at his feet in shame. Tom stood up slowly and held his hand out to Harry. The boy took it with a wide smile. They silently walked hand in hand down the dark corridor. The child kept looking around the castle in awe. He seemed fascinated with the moving portraits and the ghosts moving around Hogwarts. If Tom had been a more sensible person, he would have gone to Headmaster Dippet’s office to report what had happened. But the teenager was not sensible. Which was why he was leading Harry toward the Slytherin dormitories. As they reached the wall to the Slytherin common room, Tom pulled Harry closer and whispered the password. As the door appeared, he could hear Harry gasp in amazement. His green eyes were scanning everything. Only a few people were awake in the common room. It was almost instantaneous. The girls cooed at the child. Harry seemed embarrassed as he tried to hide behind Tom as best as he could.
"Abraxas!" Tom barked.
A blonde-haired teenager wearing silky pyjamas looked up from his book startled. Malfoy’s light blue eyes focused on the child behind Tom in confusion.
"Could you please fetch me some clothes that will fit a small boy?" Riddle asked sweetly.
Abraxas nodded and walked out of the common room to do as he was told. The Prefect crouched down beside the child and smiled at him. It looked like the boy was shaking so, Tom brought his hands to his small shoulders and squeezed.
"How old are you Harry?" The brown-haired teenager asked.
Whispers broke out in the dorms. And the boy looked around uncertainly. Then Harry brought up in hands, ten fingers displayed in front of him. The boy was ten years old. The room was suddenly filled with coos from the girls and knowing laughs from the guys. Tom knew that Harry had them wrapped around his fingers in an instant. Harry gave him a bantam smirk when he dropped his hands to his sides. ‘Oh, that little boy is a Slytherin in the making,’ the brown-haired teenager thought. He stood up slowly and assessed everyone in the room. They were all staring at Harry.
"Harry is our newest Slytherin and shall be treated as such. In no way, will you talk about his existence outside these walls." Tom ordered.
Just as Riddle finished his sentence, Abraxas came back with his hands full of clothes for the boy. The Slytherin students all acquiesced and smiled at the boy with genuine wonder and excitement. It was left unsaid but everyone knew. Harry was under the protection of Tom Riddle and the child was to be treated as a prince.