Chapter 3
Harry knew from the beginning he couldn’t show off his wealth of magic too soon. He wasn’t going to hold back, but he didn’t want to get caught.
So he waited.
He was four when he did his first bit of magic.
Jake Porter was one of the few other kids who liked Harry there. He never teased him for his nickname being so “girly”- Ms. Massy always put a stop to anyone’s teasing though, she was a much better matron than Ms. Cole had been -he ate with him, and talked with him. Jake was there when Harry had no one else but Ms. Massy.
The orphanage’s heater had broken, leaving them to fend off the cold until they could get it back up. Jake was already sick with a cold, so he was most likely not going to survive for very long if he couldn’t get warmed up.
Harry wasn’t about to let his friend get hurt.
Ms. Massy’s reaction to his magic was so much different than Ms. Cole’s.
“Good job Winne!”, she guided him toward the center of the group. “Can you make it bigger?”
Harry nodded and closed his eyes, pushing the fire out and sending it into the makeshift fire pit Ms. Massy had been trying to light. The other kids gasped and ran for a spot by the fire.
“Thanks, Winnie!”
“It’s real!”
“How’d you do it, Winnie?”
Harry just walked over and pulled Jake towards the fire. The other kid scooted so they could sit together. Jake couched and leaned against his friend. “Thanks, Win.”
The second Harry did something magical, Ms. Massy had been the only one to see it.
Harry loved working in the garden- in his previous life and this one -because little snakes would come up to him and he could talk to them.
Harry had been talking to a snake when Ms. Massy sat down next to him. “What’s she saying Winnie?”, she asked him.
“She wants to have her scales scratched.”, Harry told her. He blinked. “You aren’t scared of me?” He asked her quietly.
Ms. Massy smiled at him. “No sweetie, I’m not scared of you.” She held her hand out to him. “There is something I want to show you.”
Harry followed Ms. Massy down into the basement. “Where are we going?” Harry asked.
Ms. Massy opened up a cupboard. “When I first started working at this orphanage, I was told by the old Marton- a woman named Ms. Cole -about ‘the devil in a boy’s body’,” she said as she pulled out a photo book. She opened it to about the middle of the photobook. “I know it’s not clear, but that’s him. His name was Tom Riddle.”
Harry stared down at the page. “Why are you showing me this?”
Ms. Massy smiled sadly, “When I met you, I thought it was just a coincidence.” She looked down and traced her thumb by Riddle’s face. “But I remember hearing about how he could do some of the most impossible things in the world. One of them was talk to snakes.”
“He could talk to snakes too?”, Harry asked.
“I thought that maybe you were Sirius Black’s son, but I’m starting to think there is so much more to your family tree.” Ms. Massy told him. “And I know that somehow it involves Tom.”
“If Tom is related to me, how would that work?”, Harry looked up at her.
Ms. Massy smiled. “If you are related, he would be your grandfather on your dad’s side.” She pulled down Harry’s file. “We know everything about your mom’s side, but next to nothing on your dad’s side.” She pointed to the information on his birth certificate. “Your name is Hardwin Black, but that could maybe be a false name or the name of the woman who go pregnant with Sirius Black.” She looked at him. “But I know that whatever you’re connected, I want to explore it.”
“Why?”
“Winnie, you’re a good kid. I don’t know was Ms. Cole’s problem with Tom Riddle, but you’re not him. I want you to have a home, to be happy. To be more than just another orphan at Wool’s.” Ms. Massy looked Harry in the eye. “I want to help you find a family.”
Harry’s eyes watered as he hugged Ms. Massy.
Maybe this is Fate trying to make up for everything I’ve gone through.
Harry found a family.
Ms. Massy had reached out to the last remaining Riddle, who had been serving in World War 2 when Tom had killed the Gaunt family.
He took his existence a lot better than Tom’s relatives had.
The man was in his late 60s and had brought his son, a 20-something-year-old, who had no kids of his own.
“We can reach out to see if we should do some testing to see if Tom was somehow related to Harry.”, Ms. Massy told them.
The older man- who introduced himself as Lukas -nodded. “Sounds good.”
The younger man- who was named Daniel - bit his lip. “Even if he’s not somehow related to Tom, I still want to look at maybe taking him in.”
Jake and Harry shared a look of surprise when they heard that from their hiding spot.
They could hear the grin in Ms. Massy’s voice. “Oh, that’s wonderful!”
“Are you sure Daniel? You’re still quite young. Raising a child is a lot of work.”
“I know, but there’s something about him.” Daniel sighed. “I can’t just leave him here.”
The DNA test came back with some even more insane results.
Somehow, Tom was listed as Harry’s biological father.
Even Ms. Massy was shocked by that one.
“So wait, a 60-year-old man just got a barely legal teen pregnant with his child?”, Daniel questioned.
Harry looked up at Ms. Massy. “Where does the Black come from then?”
Ms. Massy shrugged. “Maybe she thought that you were Sirius Black’s?”
“Who the hell bangs her 60-year-old lover and then bangs a mass murder psycho and gets who the father is confused?” Daniel asked, his tone taking a slightly hysterical edge.
Lukas smacked Daniel upside the head. “Calm down.” he hissed. Lukas turned and smiled at Ms. Massy. “So, where do I sign?”
Before Harry knew it, Hardwin Black was gone and Hardwin Riddle was in his place. That night Harry went to bed wishing he could talk to Death.
“Right here, little Master.” Death said as he appeared in his headspace.
“How the fuck is Tom Riddle my father?!”