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Chapter Text

Thank you for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy!
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Tears splattered against the filthy floorboards as Merope’s slender arm reached in vain for the diamond ring that had been slapped out of her grasp.

Her thin lips twisted in a cry of pain as the heavy boot that covered her father’s foot came down hard on the back of her palm.

She was alone with him, alone and unguarded, in the grubby little shack that they called a house.

“I told you then and I’m telling you now, you wretched girl, I’ll not have any daughter of mine mingling with a muggle!” Marvolo Gaunt spat, “Your brother is in Azkaban! And you, what have you done? Chase the water like your mother and every man you find it in, eh?!”

“N-No……” Merope wept through fluttering eyelids as Marvolo ground the ball of his foot into her hand. A cry of pain escaped her lips before she wailed, “I love him!…….I love him and only him! You can beat me, you can change me, but you won’t change my heart! It will never change……and you’ll never stop me!”

She didn’t even see her father move before a hand suddenly came across her cheek with swift and brutal force, knocking her backwards as Marvolo’s dark laughter echoed through the dingy air.

Stars danced in front of her eyes for a second as her vision went black.

Once the room gradually appeared before her again, she heard Marvolo’s heavy footsteps drawing further and further away as he took a seat on the opposite end of the small room.

“Have you forgotten what you are?…..Or who you are?” He asked as Merope cowered in the corner and put a hand to the stinging wound on her cheek.

She frowned as Marvolo reached for the dirty goblet that sat on the battered wooden table near his chair.

“You’re a whore, Merope. Like your mother…..I s’pose it’s not entirely your fault. No, it’s mine……that little bitch of a siren sang to me and the next thing I knew I was in this bloody cabin with you and your brother. Then she was dead………Waste of my time! What good have you two ever been?” He asked as he took a swallow. Merope’s dark eyes bore into him as he went on, “I am descended from the noble line of Salazar Slytherin himself, but you’re half monster, aren’t you, my awful girl? You love him! Ha!………..You? Half monster, half whore……Whores can’t feel and monsters can’t love…..And who could love you? You’ve never been beautiful…..You’ve never even been smart, Merope, but even I didn’t think you were this stupid.”

Merope’s breath came in sharp gasps as her dark, frightened gaze stayed fixed upon her father while she watched him raise the goblet to his lips for another drink.

“But I do love him, Father…..” She whispered as she drew her filthy knees to the rag that covered her chest and wrapped her arms around them, “I love him so much I’d do anything to be with him.”

Marvolo laughed again as he tilted the goblet back and took a drink once more.

Merope balled her hand into a fist, her blackened nails scraping against the dry flesh of her shin, painful but worthwhile.

Marvolo’s eyes widened as he swallowed over and over but found the mouthful of water still stuck in his throat.

Panic crept up his spine as the water settled to form a film over the entrance to his lungs, that bit of water so easily manipulated by the ugly, stupid, half monster he had always hated to call a daughter.

When he realized what was happening, he looked over at Merope with his eyes bulging and his face discolored from his quickly evaporating supply of air.

Marvolo staggered out of the chair and lunged towards her as he opened his mouth to let a horrible gurgling growl escape.

“I’ll do anything to be with him!” Merope repeated, with wide eyes of her own.

She watched as her father fell at her feet, his fingers grasping in wasted desperation at the tattered hem of her ragged dress.

There was an awful twitch that ran through his system, then another, before he released himself of his mortal coil in one nasty spray of water that shot through his nose to stain the already ruined floor.

As Merope gingerly stood and slowly walked out of the cabin, she didn’t even bother to put out the lamp.

Its flickering light cast an eerie glow on Marvolo Gaunt’s lifeless body as he lay sprawled across his small home, eyes still open to stare ahead blankly in shock.

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Merope shivered in the evening chill as she crept through the dark streets.

The rough cobblestones slapped mercilessly against her bare feet as she slowly made her way towards the edge of the village.

Riddle Manor stood like a watchful guardian as it loomed over Little Hangleton, with only the glow of the moon to light its vigil.

Merope grit her teeth as she pulled her thin shawl around her shoulders more tightly.

Something soft came between the sole of her feet and the grass she stepped on as she left the far end of the last street. Only once she looked down did she realize the stones had cut into her brittle skin. Blood oozed from-

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Merope started suddenly as her dark eyes flew open while a sharp gasp left her throat.

Thunder shook the house as she sat up in her sumptuous bed.

Beside her lay her dear husband, Tom Riddle senior.

For a moment, she stared at him agape as she realized she had relived a nightmarish night from many years ago.

She shuddered and closed her eyes.

No, no more nightmares.

Her life had become a dream.

As she slowly, deftly rose from the bed, her perfumed hair whispered over her shoulders as she reached for her silk robe. She wrapped it quickly around her before she opened the heavy, wooden door and slipped out into the carpeted hallway.

She narrowed her dark eyes as she padded over the long rug while a distinct, rhythmic hissing broke the silence, barely audible from the cracked door at the far end of the hall.

Merope frowned as she glided down the corridor, put her hand on the knob, and opened the door.

Her dark eyes met her son’s as eleven-year-old Tom Riddle junior looked up at her in surprise.

He sat on his bed in his pajamas, seemingly discussing something quite important with the small, green snake who lay coiled on the covers.

“Tom!” Merope chastised in a hushed whisper, “You naughty boy! You should be asleep!”

“This is the only time I have to talk to Atanr.” Tom whispered back, “You know Father’s frightened of snakes.”

“Well, send….Atanr…..on his way, please, and get to bed!” Merope snapped, “We have a busy day tomorrow!

Tom cast his mother a menacing scowl as if he did not appreciate her direction very much.

“You can talk to snakes too.” Tom said after he opened his window and let Atanr slip out into the night.

“I can, yes.” Merope nodded as she confirmed something they both knew.

“And you can make water move……you can make it do what you want……Like I can.” Tom observed.

“That’s right.” Merope said with a soft smile.

“And you can sing.” Tom added, “……People do what you want when you sing to them, don’t they, Mother?”

“A gift you’ve also discovered we share, Tom.” Merope said with a nervous smile, “Don’t be coy, please? It’s time for bed.”

“I don’t understand why Father can’t do anything.” Tom scowled.

“Your Father can do plenty of things.” Merope said with a grin of feigned reassurance, “Just not the same things we can…..we’re different you and I, Tom.”

“Will I meet others who can do the things we can at Hogwarts?” Tom asked, “Can other people sing and talk to snakes?”

He blinked at Merope as she nodded, “…….Perhaps. I’m certain you’ll make many friends at school, dear.”

“I heard there was a lake at Hogwarts.” Tom said, “I heard a boy talking about it when we bought the school supplies last week…..in Diagon Alley. They call it ‘the Black Lake’.”

The colour drained from Merope’s face.

“I want to see it………Tell me, Mother, does water whisper to you too?” Tom asked.

“You know to never go into water, Tom.” Merope sniffed, her tone short; her smile gone, “Now, lay down and go to sleep. You have a long journey tomorrow.”

Tom frowned after her as she closed the door to his room rather suddenly.

As he laid down and slept, it was as if his mother’s memories influenced his that night.

In his sleep, he could see it clear as day, the sun glinting off that beautiful beach……

He had been little more than a babe but he toddled forward, forward, faster and faster, as quick as he could go to the foaming mystery of the lapping tide……..

He grimaced in his sleep as his mother’s high-pitched scream of unbridled terror rang through his ears.

His feet touched the water and something reached out, but Merope snatched him away.

Tom flinched in his sleep.

Tom Riddle junior had little idea about what lay in store for him at Hogwarts, but he had several good notions of what he hoped to get out of his magical education.

Answers, of course, but power.

One day, Tom Riddle junior would become the most powerful wizard in the world and his mother would never have to scream like that again.

Chapter Text

Thank you for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Merope frowned as she drove the small, muggle car along the craggy road that led to the closest bit of coastline near Little Hangleton.

Her mind lingered on her son’s frown, the image burned into her mind after dropping him off at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters earlier that day.

“We’re almost there, my love.” She said with a soft smile.

Beside her sat Tom Riddle senior, staring dead ahead, his mouth agape, his pupils dilated in a blank stare.

As Merope glanced in her rear view mirror, she began to hum a pleasant melody.

The sweet rhythm of that gentle music seemed to hold more than just a happy tune as Tom Riddle’s seniors eyes were slowly covered by a reptilian, scaly film of milky white.

By the time Merope parked the car in front of the desolate beach, Tom Riddle sat blind and unmoving in the car.

The sight seemed undisturbing to Merope though as she leaned over, kissed his cheek, and said, “I’ll be back in a moment, love.”

As she stepped out of the car, Tom Riddle senior gave no response.

Merope frowned as she looked out at the ocean.

The sunlight splashed against the rolling tide with such great beauty that any artist would have gladly spent the day trying to capture the image.

Yet Merope paid no attention to the natural splendor of her surroundings.

Instead, she slipped off her shoes and began to walk towards the water.

Her bare feet padded against the sand, shells crunching under her toes as she came closer and closer to the shoreline.

She stopped just before the tide touched her toes.

Although she did not enter the water, she still closed her eyes and sighed at the feeling of the wet sand under her feet.

The relaxing moment passed quickly as she opened her eyes and scowled.

In front of her, dotted throughout the sea, women bobbed in the water, visible from the waist up.

From their beautiful faces to their perfect, bare breasts, although they were only visible from the waist up, they hardly seemed real.

Flawless skin, long, shimmering hair, bright glowing eyes complimented by elegant shoulders…..all the physical endowments Merope had not been fortunate enough to ever possess.

“I-I’ve come to ask something.” Merope frowned as she addressed the blonde woman who waited just a short distance from her.

The waves crashed but the women seemed to move with the rolling ocean, not against it.

“You may never come back.” The blonde woman spoke, her voice a sharp, chastising hiss.

“I-I know that.” Merope frowned, “I-I just wanted to ask you, please, leave my boy alone…..H-He’s only curious, he’s just a child and-“

“-Abomination is abomination.” The blonde replied in another sharp rage, “What you have done is-“

“-I fell in love!” Merope cried as hot tears of desperate frustration welled in her eyes, “Is that such a terrible thing?”

“Sirens cannot love.” The woman scowled.

“Well, I’m only half-siren!” Merope cried “My mother didn't kill my father at my birth either, not like the rest of you did for your daughters!”

“That is why your face is ugly and your body is withered.” The blonde woman said with a condescending smile.

“Then why is my voice the strongest?” Merope asked with her eyes narrowed.

All of the women returned her question with jealous scowls.

“Half-siren……” The blonde woman scoffed as she sneered, her perfect white teeth glinting off the water’s reflection, “You are either siren or not……there can be no halves.”

Merope closed her eyes for a split second to blink new tears down her cheeks as she cried out, “Please, don’t hurt my Tom! PLEASE! I’ll-“

When she opened her eyes once more, she found herself alone again on the seashore.

As she trudged back to the car, she was nearly inconsolable.

Many parents found it difficult to say goodbye to their children when they boarded the Hogwarts Express, but Merope felt as if she had sent her precious baby boy to his own death.

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After receiving a letter from a very distraught mother, Professor Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts, cast a powerful enchantment around the Black Lake that prevented young Tom from accessing any part of the water.

A kind act of mercy that Tom quickly caught on to and silently begrudged his teacher for all the same.

Regardless, Tom Riddle junior had no issues making a life for himself at his new school.

Although he was still a child, he singled himself out amongst his peers and played the parts well that were required for success.

To his teachers, he was the most studious, kind, thoughtful, and helpful pupil they had ever encountered.

Tom addressed his superiors with respect and politeness, volunteered his time to assist with setting up for classes, and even helped with marking some assignments once he had been at the castle for some time.

In fact, by the time he reached his sixth year at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle received the incredible honour of being proclaimed Head Boy an entire term early.

Dumbledore had seemed to doubt that idea, but the other professors had lobbied for it so passionately that he had decided to reluctantly allow it.

By then, Tom Riddle had already gained a startling following.

His persuasive nature was almost as shocking as his impossibly good looks.

From his tall, chiseled physique to the high cheekbones that made his dark eyes seem somehow darker, his short, brown curls sat atop his head as the perfect compliment.

Tom was notorious for making girls run into walls by simply gracing them unexpectedly with a sideways glance as they passed by.

Boys either were his friends or feared him.

Very few dared stand against Tom as an enemy, an accomplishment that he for some reason, prided himself on more than most.

Regardless of his admirers, as a proud Slytherin, Tom’s inner circle was comprised of those in his house.

While Tom had spent the last years researching all he could about his family, the history of magic, and how he may best use the world to his advantage, his ultimate goal continued to be discovering the secrets to his mother’s heritage.

“Have you made any progress on disabling Dumbledore’s charm around the Black Lake?” Mulciber, one of Tom’s most loyal friends, asked him one day as the two boys studied in the library.

“I shall.” Tom replied as his black eyes scanned over yet another page.

While other students wasted their time in idle conversation during the break between classes, Tom and his closest friends remained focused on their mission.

“What do you think about the new student?” Mulciber asked, eager to gain the most of his powerful friend’s respect that he possibly could.

“What new student?” Tom asked as he glanced up from his book, “It’s nearly October.”

“There’s a new student that’s coming on Monday.” Mulciber practically purred, overflowing with joy to be the first to inform Tom of a happening at the castle, “Starting as a fifth year, too. I heard Snape say this is the first time this has happened in almost three hundred years.”

Tom squinted as if a bright light had been shone in his face, “…….And they’re making an exception to our traditions just like that?”

“Oh, it gets worse.” Mulciber said very seriously.

He looked over in time to silently gloat at the way Tom’s eyes widened as he revealed, “I heard the new student’s mother was muggleborn.”

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Far from Hogwarts, Harriet Potter, a young and unnecessarily underprivileged girl, smiled to herself as she folded her two sets of clothes on the small bed she called her own in a cupboard under the stairs.

Living with her aunt and uncle would have been perhsaps a little easier if she had had at least a few memories of her late parents to enjoy, but life had never been particularly easy for Harriet.

Without so much as a suitcase to lay her clothes in, she placed them neatly on the corner of the bed before she flopped down on top of the covers and looked up at the small room’s ceiling.

Her green eyes blinked behind her glasses as her messy, dark hair fanned wildly across the lumpy pillow.

Harriet didn’t really mind what Hogwarts would be like or who she would meet there, she was just happy she had finally caught one of those letters that her aunt and uncle had kept hidden from her for years.

As she rolled over and closed her eyes to sleep, she was equally grateful for the kindness of the man who returned her reply by visiting her aunt and uncle’s house directly, Professor Albus Dumbledore.

Chapter Text

Thank you for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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After a long and bewildering journey, Harriet Potter followed Hogwarts’ gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, who had also become her new friend.

Together, they walked up the hillside to a grand castle, the likes of which she had never seen before.

Hagrid turned around and smiled at the wide-eyed look of awe he found on her face as she gawked at everything in sight.

“Sorry abou’ this.” Hagrid said with a remorseful sadness, “Firs’ years usually see it all lit up at night when they row across the Black Lake in boats.”

“That’s alright.” Harriet said with a grateful smile as she looked up at the castle, “I think it’s brilliant!”

“Maybe Professor Dumbledore may let ya take a ride in one later.” Hagrid went on, “Just so ya can get the full experience of it all.”

“I think that’s what I’m most nervous about.” Harriet confessed with a laugh, “I’m already years behind everyone else.”

“Don’ ya think on that.” Hagrid said as they continued up the steps that led to the castle, “Don’ ya think on it for one minute, eh? I knew your Mum and Dad. You’ll be just as good as they were once you’ve had a bit o’ training.”

“Hagrid……” Harriet asked abruptly as she stopped, “What are those?……..Who is that?”

Bordering the highest point of the nearest hillside stood four imposing figures, shrouded in black cloaks.

Their faces were covered with silver, engraved masks.

Raised in a muggle household, Harriet had practically no knowledge of the magical world, but she narrowed her eyes in brave defiance of what or who seemed to leer at her ominously.

Hagrid was not as quick as Harriet.

By the time he stopped and turned around, the four cloaked figures had vanished.

Hagrid threw Harriet a curious look.

“They were just there!” She insisted as she pointed towards the hillside, “Four people, I think……in long, black robes and silver masks.”

Hagrid blanched as the colour drained from his weathered face.

“I expect those’d be Riddle’s friends, then, if ya saw who I think ya saw.” He said to Harriet, “Best to stay clear of ‘im, no good can come of that.”

“Riddle?” Harriet asked with a scowl of concentration as they continued their trek.

“Tom Riddle.” Hagrid nodded, “The school loves ‘im, but Dumbledore thinks otherwise and any enemy of Dumbledore’s is no friend of mine.”

Harriet thought about what he had said as they finally made their way into the castle.

They had barely stepped foot inside the stone walls before Hagrid started violently and exclaimed, “Oh, yer trunk! And owl! I forgot ‘em in the boathouse! Wait here, yeah? It’ll just take me a minute!”

Harriet blinked as Hagrid rushed past her, clambered out of the castle, and stomped back down to retrieve her luggage.

She silently carried the guilt of not reminding Hagrid about her things when they had first come up but she had been so distracted by the sight of Hogwarts that her luggage had been the last thing on her mind.

Left on her own in a strange place full of wonder, Harriet aimlessly paced around the landing and admired the decorations she found on the ancient walls.

Mysterious tapestries, elegant paintings, a trophy case………

She became so engrossed by reading the inscription under a very old piece of armor that she didn’t notice the tall, dark figure that swept across the upper landing to gaze down at her.

“You must be the new student.” A smooth voice suddenly rang out.

Harriet nearly leapt into the air as she jolted and turned around.

At the top of the steps stood a boy.

His dark eyes studied her closely as his long, black school robes hung idly at his sides, a green and white striped tie around his neck, as visible as his Head Boy pin.

“Y-Yes.” Harriet stammered, “My name is Harriet Potter……I am the new student, yes.”

Harriet had never been allowed to have crushes or sweethearts and she considered herself a girl that was not easily swayed, but as the boy slowly came down the steps towards her, the elegance in his stride caught her attention almost as much as his high cheekbones and dark, short curls.

“Well, Harriet Potter,” The boy said with a friendly smile of false charm, “Allow me to introduce myself and welcome you to Hogwarts. My name is Tom Riddle……….and I am Head Boy.”

“Tom Riddle?” Harriet asked as her eyes widened behind her glasses.

“Yes……” Tom said slowly, “Have you already heard of me?”

An arrogant smirk curled his lips.

“A bit.” Harriet nodded.

Tom’s dark eyes flickered over her.

The new student was as pathetic as he had expected.

Thin and rather waify, she wore clothes that looked like they belonged to a boy twice her size.

Her long, dark hair hung in messy strands and there seemed to be some sort of substance across the nose of her glasses, which Tom eventually recognized as tape.

He went on with a smile, “I’m certain Professor Dumbledore’s looking for you…..Why not let me escort you to him now?”

“Oh, thanks! That’s alright though, I’ll just wait for Hagrid.” Harriet nodded, “He’ll look for me when he gets back.”

He sneered at her in the same way a cat sneers at a mouse.

“It’s not every day that a new student comes to us entering as a fifth year.” He commented as he walked down a few more stairs to draw closer.

“No, I should have come ages ago, or so I was told.” Harriet nodded, “My aunt and uncle kept hiding my letters, but Dumbledore didn’t know……I was finally able to-“

“-Do you know why they’ve made the exception?” Tom asked, “For you?”

The anger rose in his voice as he reached the bottom of the stairs and stalked towards Harriet.

“Well, I expect it’s because I survived.” She said.

Tom narrowed his eyes as she brushed her messy, dark tresses aside and showed him the lightning-bolt shaped scar on her forehead.

“My parents were killed by a dark wizard when I was a baby……With the Killing Curse, whatever that is…….I survived, but no one knows why. Apparently, that’s odd.” She frowned.

Tom’s black eyes had practically become slits.

His skepticism aligned with his shock as he marveled at what he had been told.

No one ever told him “no”.

No one ever survived the Killing Curse either, as he understood.

Perhaps Hogwarts’ new muggleborn student wasn’t as pitiful as she seemed.

Before he could speak again, Hagrid burst back through the door with Harriet’s things.

A devious smile curled Tom’s lips as he finally found the right opportunity.

“Hagrid!” He beamed, “You look terribly busy, would you mind if I took Harriet to see Professor Dumbledore?”

Harriet watched the fear pass across Hagrid’s face before he cleared his throat and nodded, “Er…….o’ course. Harriet, ya just stick with Dumbledore, eh? He’ll help ya on the right track.”

Harriet had the very uncomfortable feeling that Hagrid would have liked to have protested, but for some reason, he dared not defy Tom just then.

“Take my hand.” Tom offered Harriet.

When she hesitated, he put on his warmest, best smile as his dark eyes glimmered while he reassured her with a lie, “Go on, Harriet Potter, I mean you no harm.”

Against her better judgement, Harriet bravely took Tom Riddle’s hand and let him lead her up the stairs.

If she had realized how important that moment would be in the years to come, she may have paused longer to capture it in her mind.

Chapter Text

Thank you for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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A very short while later, Harriet followed Tom through the enchanting entrance of Professor Dumbledore’s mysterious office.

Her mouth fell open in fascination as she marveled at the many portraits and multitude of shiny, interesting things that decorated the room and lay scattered about.

“Professor Dumbledore.” Tom greeted the elderly wizard behind the large desk on the platform in the center of the room, “I’ve just spoken with Hagrid……our new student has arrived.”

Harriet recognized Professor Dumbledore from the brief and unpleasant visit he had paid the Dursleys scarcely a week ago.

“Hello, sir.” She nodded as Dumbledore rose from his seat.

His rich, velvet robes draped gracefully at his sides as he peered at his visitors over his half-moon spectacles, his long white beard moving slightly as he spoke, “Ah, Harriet! I’m glad to see you made it safely…….Although there is a bit of disappointment that you won’t receive a traditional sorting, I’ll let Professor McGonagall know to come right away. She handles The Sorting Hat the best you see.”

“Sorting?” Harriet asked.

“Every student is sorted into one of Hogwarts’ four houses.” Tom explained, glad to interject and show off his superior knowledge as Professor Dumbledore nodded at him, “There’s Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Students are usually sorted during the Sorting Hat Ceremony when they arrive as first years.”

“Oh, I see.” Harriet nodded.

“-Though may I say that a student may be sorted at any time, which is quite useful on occasions like this.” Professor Dumbledore added.

Silence fell for a moment as Dumbledore took a quill, quickly scribbled a message, and sent the scrap of parchment fluttering through the air, across the room, and out of his office to summon Professor McGonagall.

“I’m in Slytherin.” Tom proudly boasted to Harriet, not bothering to care that she had not asked about his placement.

Harriet gave him a brief nod, unsure of what to say.

Was one house better than the other?

Should she congratulate Tom on being in Slytherin or offer her sympathies?

“You may go, Tom.” Dumbledore nodded, a harsh interruption to the awkward silence that fell.

Harriet had only known Tom Riddle for a few moments but she could tell by the way his jaw clenched he was not pleased at being dismissed.

“I beg your pardon, Professor….” Tom said with the most proper frown he could manage, “But may I stay? I have a while until my next class begins and I’m afraid our new student may get lost if she wanders about the castle alone.”

Harriet’s eyes widened.

She had been hoping Tom Riddle would accept Dumbledore’s command and take his leave.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at Tom for a long moment as he paused to think.

Harriet wondered at the thoughts that may have run through his mind until he eventually gave Tom a hesitant nod, “Very well, Tom.” Dumbledore glanced over as a tall, elegant woman came striding through his office door, her pointed black hat as intriguing as her trailing, green robes, “Here’s Professor McGonagall now. We’ll get Harriet sorted and then you may escort her to her house, yes?”

Tom nodded as Harriet blinked.

While Professor McGonagall introduced herself to Harriet, Tom watched closely.

Dumbledore may have been headmaster, but Tom held Hogwarts in the palm of his hand.

A witch capable of surviving the Killing Curse was exactly the kind of student that may be an attribute to Slytherin.

…….Or a weapon against it in another, lesser house.

Professor McGonagall opened a single cabinet along one of the walls in Dumbledore’s office, retrieved a wooden stool, placed it in front of Harriet and nodded, “Miss Potter, if you’ll have a seat.”

Harriet glanced at Tom and Dumbledore before she slowy sat down on the stool.

“We’ll have this over and settled in a moment.” Professor McGonagall sniffed as she climbed a tall, wooden ladder and retrieved a very old and odd-looking, tattered hat.

Harriet watched closely as McGonagall brought the hat over and plopped it on her head.

Tom couldn’t have been persuaded to look away then for all the money in Gringotts.

Harriet gasped as the brim of the hat wriggled.

From atop her head, The Sorting Hat spoke, “Ah…….not quite time for a new year yet……No, these must be special circumstances, yes, special circumstances indee……and so old! Sixteen next summer, eh? Let me see what’s here….”

Harriet threw a worried glance at Dumbledore but the tranquility on his aged face gave her the courage to remain calm.

“Hmmm……” The Sorting Hat mused, “Plenty of bravery and kindness, Gryffindor may be the right spot.”

Tom narrowed his eyes in disagreement.

The full scope of his talents remained a mystery even to his teachers.

If Tom was caught, his expulsion would be guaranteed, regardless, he dared to use a bit of nonverbal magic that was only cast with the mind to sway The Sorting Hat’s judgement to match his own, superior opinion.

“But ambition!” The Hat practically chirped as it leapt excitedly on Harriet’s head, the brim slipping down her face, “And cunning! Much cunning, yes, much of it. Very well……Better be……Slytherin!”

Harriet’s stomach lurched as her mouth fell open.

A satisfied smirk twisted Tom’s handsome face as he silently congratulated himself on slipping past even Dumbledore’s detection with his wily trick.

“How peculiar.” Professor McGonagall frowned, “Miss Potter, I must say, I’m quite surprised. Both your mother and father were Gryffindors. I was looking forward to having you with us.”

The disappointment on her face made Harriet almost feel ashamed.

“I-“ Harriet stated to say but Tom interrupted once again.

“-A student’s sorting is often surprising, Professor McGonagall.” Professor Dumbledore nodded, “Go on, then, Tom……if you would please, show Harriet to the Slytherin common room. I’ll send a house elf to prepare her dormitory. We may have to place her in the spare room for now, I’m not certain there’s an empty bed.”

“Of course, Professor Dumbledore.” Tom nodded with a bow that seemed almost too formal. He turned to Harriet and offered her his arm with a wolfish grin, “If you’ll allow me, Miss Potter,” He spoke, “It would be my honour to welcome you to the noble house of Slytherin.”

Harriet frowned as she reached out and took Tom’s bent arm, once again accepting an invitation from the boy she had hoped to avoid.

Although she knew practically nothing about the Hogwarts houses or what it meant to be in any one of them, she had been least hoping to be placed in Slytherin.

Chapter Text

Thank you for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
—————————————————————

Tom chivalrously escorted Harriet all the way down the winding dungeon steps.

A frown marred her fair face as she held onto his arm while they journeyed through the dark underbelly of the castle.

Tom wore a subtle smile as they walked, seemingly at home in that grim, lonely place but Harriet shivered in the drifting chill.

Dumbledore’s office and the upper corridors of Hogwarts had seemed so warm and comforting.

Surely that hat had made a mistake.

This couldn’t possibly be where she belonged, could it?………..The dungeons?

Tom eventually came to a stop outside a wall with what looked like a large snake, or some sort of scaled animal, draped over an archway.

Harriet watched in quiet fascination as he opened his mouth and spoke some sort of hissing…….phrase?

Or was that a song?

The large mass of scales moved at his command, whatever it was, and Harriet blinked as a door suddenly appeared before them.

“What was that?” She asked out of curiosity.

“Oh, that’s just how the passage opens to let Slytherin students into our house common room.” Tom told her with a prideful smile, “It’s much more clever than the other houses’ entrances.”

“No, I meant what was that you said?” She asked, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that language before.”

Tom raised his chin and squared his shoulders as he swelled dangerously with pride.

Harriet’s humble question had unintentionally flattered him.

“Every Slytherin student is required to give the password to enter their dormitory.” Tom preened, “I merely spoke it in Parseltongue. Do you know what that is?”

“No.” Harriet blinked.

“It’s the language of snakes…….all scaled creatures, really. Dialects are a bit different, but I’m the only one at Hogwarts who can speak any of it.” Tom boasted.

“Why is that?” Harriet asked.

Tom thought she never would.

“Because I am a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin himself.” He proudly revealed.

It annoyed him that Harriet didn’t seem more impressed by that fact.

“………Salazar Slytherin was one of the four founders of Hogwarts.” Tom huffed after a moment, once his boastful smile fell into a disappointed frown.

“Oh.” Harriet nodded, “I see. Sorry, I don’t know much about Hogwarts. My aunt and uncle kept me away from the wizarding world until a week ago…..when Professor Dumbledore finally found us.”

“I hope you’re a quick study, Harriet Potter.” Tom sneered, “You’ll have to be, for all the catching up you need to do.”

“That’s what I’ve been told.” Harriet shrugged as she followed Tom along the-

She would have continued speaking if fascination hadn’t taken her voice.

Her green eyes widened as Tom led her to her first glimpse of the Slytherin common room.

Dark and rich, from the heavy, black leather sofas to the floor to ceiling windows that somehow showed no daylight at all, Harriet couldn’t help but pause to enjoy the decadence of her new surroundings.

Green, black, and gray seemed to be the only colours in the room as her eyes traveled down to the ancient stones in the floor then all the way to the top of the ceiling.

Harriet happened to notice that different kinds of fish swam past the green windows and she quickly asked Tom, “Are we next to some kind of aquarium?”

“No.” He scowled, “These windows let us peer into the underside of the Black Lake.”

“Are students allowed to swim in it?” She frowned.

“Yes.” Tom snapped, his jealousy showing through his ruse, “But I don’t.”

“Why not?” She immediatley inquired.

Tom narrowed his dark eyes at her.

“I...haven’t found the right reason to, yet.” He smirked cryptically.

“Are you not much of a water person?” Harriet asked.

Tom grit his teeth as he contemplated exactly how much of a water person he already was and desperately wanted to be.

“Why don’t I show you to your dormitory?” He asked to change the subject.

“Where is everyone?” Harriet blinked as she followed him through the common room.

“In class, I expect,” Tom answered.

“Then why aren’t you?” She retorted.

“Head Boy and Head Girl are allowed time to walk the halls and look for any rule breakers.” Tom sniffed, “And I’m terribly sorry, but I don’t think we have any open beds on the girls’ side.”

“Whwee will I sleep, then?” Harriet asked.

“You’ll have to take the singular room….the spare room.” Tom said as he threw her a glance.

“Alright.” Harriet replied, “As long as it’s not that horrible cupboard under the stairs, I won’t mind.”

"What cupboard under the stairs?” Tom asked.

“That was where I slept at my aunt and uncle’s.” Harriet nodded, “In the cupboard under the stairs.”

“You’ve never had a proper room?” Tom asked as his dark eyes widened.

“It was a proper room, I suppose.” She shrugged, “There was enough space to lie down, but that was about it.”

Tom kept his eyes on Harriet as he led her down a small passageway between the girls and the boys’ dormitories.

He stopped at a small, cast iron door at the very end of the hallway.

“I expect Dumbledore will work this out soon enough and have you in with a group of other Slytherin girls.” Tom nodded as he pulled out his wand.

He touched the door’s lock with the white tip of his wand but took it away as soon as the lock sparked.

Harriet watched the door swing open.

“Until then,” Tom nodded, “You’ll just have to make yourself at home here.”

He watched as Harriet stepped past him and into the dark, windowless room.

A small, canopy bed stood in the corner.

An empty trunk waited at the foot of that lonely respite.

“Sorry,” Tom asked as he interrupted Harriet’s gloomy march around her new room, “Have you brought any of your own things to liven the space?”

“No.” Harriet said as she shook her head, “I haven’t brought-“

While he stood in the doorway, Tom spoke a phrase she had never heard before.

A burst of light shot from the tip of his wand.

Harriet gasped as the walls, floor, bed, trunk, and stones in the room shifted, moved, and transformed.

Once it had all settled, a bright smile illuminated her fair face.

The room was comfortable and inviting then, with a small fireplace across from the bed, a large window to look out into the Black Lake, Slytherin decorations scattered here and there on the wall, and the bed……

The bed was large enough then to easily fit a couple.

Harriet had never slept in a bed that big before.

“Wow!” She gasped at Tom, “That was brilliant!”

Tom grinned as he nodded, “You’re welcome, Harriet Potter……Perhaps, if Dumbledore agrees, I may act as your tutor? I have plenty of time……It would be an honour to help Slytherin house’s new student.”

“Sure.” Harriet nodded, “Yeah, that’d be great, thanks, Tom!”

As Tom nodded at Harriet and took his leave, he did not bother reporting to class or walking around the castle to catch rulebreakers.

Instead, he went straight to his own dormitory, sat down on his bed, and poured a bit of water from the pitcher on the small nightstand into a waiting cup.

Tom opened his mouth and began to sing, a quiet song of perfect harmony and absolute purpose.

The water slowly rose from the glass, molecule by molecule, until a floating sphere of wet enchantment hung in the air.

Tom continued his song until he saw Harriet in the water as she walked around her new room.

Hagrid had brought her trunk and luggage by then.

Tom continued singing as he watched for a while, eyeing her while she made herself at home.

His mother had taught him well.

He kept his voice even and smooth, his song unwavering perfection as he held that magical bond with the water to use it as a mirror.

Although his dark eyes widened and his pulse raced, his song remained fluid and elegant, even as he watched Harriet strip herself down to her bra and panties to change into her school uniform.

Although he was not yet sure how exactly Harriet could be best used for his gain, from her impressive past, to the alluring glimmer of the green eyes hidden behind her glasses and the sharpness of her pert nipples, Tom Riddle’s interest had been piqued.

Chapter Text

Thank you for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
—————————————————————

Perhaps it was her sudden arrival in fifth year or her separate, often coveted room, but despite Harriet’s outgoing tendencies, she had a very difficult time making friends during her first week at Hogwarts.

Slytherin girls sneered at her.

Groups of firmly cemented cliques walked past her with judgemental giggles, finding something comical about her circumstances, appearance, or both.

Regardless, Tom Riddle had shown her great kindness.

Every day, once classes finished, he patiently tutored Slytherin’s newest student until dinner and even for an hour after that, all with Dumbledore’s generous permission.

Tom’s charms still failed to compensate for the rejection Harriet faced by seemingly every other Hogwarts student.

As she washed her hands in the fourth floor lavatory’s sink one afternoon, she wondered if she hadn’t made a mistake by leaving the Dursleys.

At least people talked to her there, even if it was only to shout orders.

“Sorry, I think you may have dropped this.”

Harriet glanced behind herself and blinked at the girl who had spoken.

She looked to be about Harriet’s age, with her thick, brown hair spilling in waves over her Gryffindor robes and deep, thoughtful, brown eyes.

In the girl’s hand, she held a picture of a woman and a man laughing as they danced in front of a fountain.

Harriet quickly cleaned the last of the soap from her hands before she dried them on her robes and took the picture from the girl.

“Thanks.” She smiled, “It must have fallen out of my pocket. Hagrid gave it to me a week ago, those are my parents, you see.” She nodded as she showed the girl the picture.

The girl smiled politely and nodded, “Are you the new student everyone’s been talking about?”

“Yeah.” Harriet nodded, “I’m Harriet Potter.”

“I’m Hermione Granger.” The girl replied, “Pleased to meet you.”

The girl, Hermione, put a hand forward, which Harriet gladly shook.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you in class.” Harriet shrugged, “But I’m still getting used to it all, so I’m sorry if I have and don’t remember.”

“That’s alright!” Hermione laughed, “I can’t imagine starting as a fifth year. You must be completely overwhelmed.”

“I am.” Harriet admitted with a laugh, “A bit, at least. I was put into Slytherin, but I feel like there must have been some mistake…….It doesn’t seem to be where I belong at all.”

“…….Why don’t you come and sit at Gryffindor’s table tonight?” Hermione asked after a pause, “You could meet the others.”

“The others?” Harriet asked.

“Well,” Hermione shrugged, “My friends, a boy named Ron, a girl named Luna, another boy named Neville…..Have you met many people yet?”

“Just one boy, really.” Harriet nodded, “Tom Riddle.”

Hermione’s eyes widened, “Oh……so that’s why you haven’t met anyone else.”

“Why would that stop me from meeting anyone else?” Harriet asked.

“…….Just come and sit at Gryffindor’s side tonight.” Hermione cryptically nodded.

As Harriet nodded in return while Hermione walked past her and left the bathroom, Harriet was more confused than she had been in a long time, but she was blissfully happy.

Hermione had seemed kind enough.

Harriet smiled to herself as she thought that she may make some friends at Hogwarts after all.

—————————————————————

Late that afternoon, Tom’s dark eyes narrowed as he read the lines scrawled in hand-written ink on the ancient, leather book he had managed to find deep in the cavernous shelves of the library’s restricted section.

The book was bound with some sort of scaley leather that shimmered all colors of the rainbow in the light.

As Tom moved the book this way and that to read the old, inked words, it almost appeared as if the book swam in the air.

“And once a man is dragged to the depths, in the siren’s embrace, he finds his own death. It is his cruel fate that yields another life and by morning, there is not one siren but two, as his seed is corrupted by the monster to bring about another’s end.”

A pin drop could easily be heard as Tom read on in the thunderous silence.

“The purest treasure may be offered instead of a life, but all forms of things man holds dear may be consumed by the monsters of the sea. And no dear thing can be cherished enough.”

Tom scowled at the lines of what appeared to be some sort of poem or song had been hastily written underneath the passage.

He sneered in disgust as he closed the book and walked out of the restricted section with it in his grasp.

Tom Riddle spent very little time idle and absent-minded, every hour of his day served a purpose.

He had already spent too long lingering in the library that afternoon.

He needed to check in on the new student.

—————————————————————

To Tom’s further irritation, he found Harriet Potter high on in the air on her broomstick as Oliver Wood shouted directions at her from below.

Tom waited on the edge of the Quidditch field like a menacing phantom for Harriet to eventually finish her practice, land, and bid Oliver good afternoon before she finally approached him.

Despite his mounting rage, he took the opportunity to gaze at Harriet’s rounded bottom every time she flew by him.

He saw no point to wasting a good view.

“Acting as a traitor against your own house again, I see.” Tom snapped.

“Slytherin already has a seeker!” Harriet laughed, “McGonagall offered me the place after the Gryffindor seeker left Hogwarts to see to his parents and I’ve taken it……..To be honest, I don’t see it as being a traitor. I think the hat put me in the wrong house.”

Tom grit his teeth as Harriet unwittingly teetered closer and closer to uncovering his devious intervention.

“What’s that book you’re holding?” She asked as she nodded at the scale-covered item in Tom’s embrace.

“Research.” He spat.

“To get into the Black Lake?” Harriet asked, “Look, Tom, don’t think I’m ungrateful for all the help, that’s not true. I do appreciate the lessons you’ve given me, but I just don’t feel at home in Slytherin. Listen….would you be less angry if I lent you my Dad’s cloak to get past the lake’s barrier?”

“What would I want with your Dad’s old cloak?” Tom haughtily hissed.

“It makes you invisible.” Harriet shrugged, “Someone sent it to me yesterday, I don’t know who. Maybe it would help you?”

Tom’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

“YOUR FATHER OWNED THE INVISIBILITY CLOAK?” He rasped hoarsely, his throat dry from shock.

“………I suppose, it’s that’s what it is.” Harriet shrugged, “There wasn’t a name on the note it came with though, it just said “This was your Dad’s, use it well.’”

A smile warmed Tom’s handsome face.

He knew he had kept Harriet close to him for some reason.

“I’ll gladly borrow your father’s cloak for an evening.” Tom said with his overly sweet smile, “In fact, I’ll even look the other way about you playing for Gryffindor.”

“And you’ll still tutor me?” Harriet asked.

“Of course.” Tom smiled.

As Harriet nodded and walked away, Tom’s teeth slid over each other as the tantalizing promise of power nearly made him salivate.

Once he made it into the Black Lake and negotiated his way into obtaining control over the oceans, he wouldn’t be helping Harriet or anyone else.

Once he ruled the world, others would be begging to help him.

Chapter Text

Thank you for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
—————————————————————

A week before her first round of Hogwarts exams, Harriet stood on the grassy edge of the slope near the Black Lake.

The autumn sun set was setting quickly but sweat glistened on her forehead despite the seasonal chill in the air.

Panting for breath, she raised her wand to point again at a log that sat some meters away, waiting patiently.

“Reducto!” Harriet gasped as she flourished her wrist.

When a single red spark erupted from the tip of her wand only to end there, she grunted in frustration.

Busy with her work, she hadn’t noticed that Tom approached her from behind.

Just as she was ready to throw her wand into the nearby lake, a smooth voice suddenly whispered in her ear, “You’ve got to mean it, Harriet………Remember what we practiced…….You have to see it in your mind……Feel it……..”

Her green eyes widened behind her glasses as she watched Tom’s hand grasp her wrist while his other pressed against her back, just under her shoulder blade.

He was there before she had even noticed.

“I didn’t hear you coming.” She chuckled as Tom gently corrected her posture.

“Your performance on these exams will be a reflection on me just as much as you.” He growled, “You can do this, Harriet Potter……Not everyone can grasp four years worth of learning in such a short time…….Not everyone survives the Killing Curse either…..You’re different……..You’re special.”

While Tom had spoken, his hand had slipped down to Harriet’s lower back just as his fingers around her wrist had loosened to trace along her arm.

Determined to not let Tom notice the soft blush on her cheeks, Harriet kept herself firm.

“Now, Harriet…….mean it…..” Tom hissed in a willful command.

He let go with a surprising amount of force.

It shocked Harriet how much she had unconsciously leaned on him as she took a hurried, awkward step to balance herself.

“NOW!” Tom roared behind her.

His angry order made her angry.

“REDUCTO!” Harriet shouted.

As she swung her wrist in one controlled motion, she envisioned the log blasting into a thousand pieces.

Mean it.

Mean it…….

Mean it…….

Tom Riddle gave good advice.

A full, raging blast of red magic erupted from the tip of her wand, surged forward, and smashed into the log.

Tom’s joyful laughter rang out as the log burst into shards of wood, sending Harriet gasping and smiling.

“Well done, Harriet Potter.” He grinned and nodded as she looked over, “…. What an excellent student you make.”

“Actually, I think you’re a better teacher than I am a student.” She laughed, “I’d have never come this far without you, Tom.”

“Perhaps not.” He shrugged arrogantly, “Lucky I happened to be passing through just now…..You and I weren’t supposed to have a session tonight.”

“Yeah…..” Harriet agreed, then she frowned as she asked, “What were you doing out here anyway? It’ll be time for dinner soon.”

“I have to see Hagrid about something, as Head Boy. It’s for Professor Dumbledore.” Tom smoothly lied, knowing Harriet naively wouldn’t question him.

“Oh, right.” She nodded, “Well, anyway, thanks for the help!”

The last narrow ray of orange sunlight threatened to vanish from the earth forever as they gazed at each other for a long moment.

Tom fought off a shiver of irritation as he thought about how much he wanted to step towards Harriet.

Harriet was left in a hopeful lurch, anxiously anticipating what he may do.

Would he be kind enough to place his hand on her waist again?

No, Tom Riddle was a cruel boy.

“Good night, Harriet Potter.” He said at last.

“Good night, Tom.” Harriet nodded,

Tom held eye contact with her as he walked away until he was forced to turn towards the Black Lake just as Harriet found her own path back towards the castle.

She sighed to herself as she went up the hillside.

It had been weeks since she had sat at Slytherin’s table, much preferring the warm welcome she received from her new Gryfinndor friends instead of the judgemental eyes of those in her own house.

Regardless, as much fun as she, Ron, and Hermione would have discussing the embarrassing fall Professor Flitwick had taken in front of the entire class earlier that day, disappointment carved a pit in her heart.

Harriet shrugged it aside as she tossed a few stray strands of her messy, dark hair out of her face.

What had she wanted, anyway? Really?

For Tom to have leaned in and kissed her?

————————————————————-

With Harriet gone, Tom waited there by the water, until the moon rose in the sky.

Head Boy and Head Girl had a bit, if only a bit of leniency, when it came to curfew rules.

His eyes narrowed as he turned his head once the sound of approaching footsteps whispered through the air.

Tom nodded as he noticed two of his housemates and followers walking towards him, dressed in long, dark robes with their silver, engraved masks on.

He silently ran through the list of lies he could offer to Filch if they were apprehended.

His confidence brightened his wide smile as the two cloaked boys finally made it all the way down the hillside and stood in front of him.

“Wellens!…….Tarenon!” Tom greeted them both with feigned cordiality, “How good of you both to come!”

“It’s an honour, sir!” Tarenon, the younger of the two boys, gasped.

Wellens, the eldest boy, elbowed his accomplice in the ribs.

“We were flattered that you asked for our help, Riddle.” Wellens nodded, “Here we are now……Just tell us what to do.”

Tom never tired of hearing phrases like that.

“For the first time since I’ve come to Hogwarts, tonight I will finally gain access to the Black Lake and through it, the water itself……until my influence has spread over the entire sea…..Years from now, when the world looks to me for guidance, the two of you tell your descendants of how you witnessed, and even assisted, in this great evening.” Tom explained with a grandiose flourish of his tapered hand.

Behind their masks, Wellens and Tarenon both had wide eyes and open mouths.

To many, Tom Riddle junior was more of a celebrity than a student.

“Shall we get started?” Tom asked.

Silver flashed in the moonlight as both boys eagerly nodded.

Tom gave them a sickly sweet smile before he withdrew his wand from his pocket and turned towards the water.

Slowly, he bent down and placed the tip of his wand against the grass.

In the stillness of the night, he opened his mouth and began to sing.

The melody was pleasant and the lyrics were ancient, but there was something in Tom’s voice that seemed to reverberate through every nearby living thing, from the boys behind him to the blades of grass.

At first quiet and soft, Tom’s song crescendoed until Wellens and Tarenon were certain the entire Great Hall would hear but Tom only stopped when he was ready, once the lyrics ended and the melody died.

Slowly, as if the action would disturb the earth itself, Tom withdrew his wand‘s tip from the ground.

His dark eyes wide and his brow furrowed, he stepped forward in anxious horror.

He had done it, he was certain.

His research was complete, his talent absolute.

Tom took one hesitant step forward.

Then another……

Another still……

Eventually, he managed to make it to the edge of the Black Lake.

As he knelt down and dipped his hands in the water, he glanced behind himself at the two boys.

“And what’s our part then, Riddle?” Wellens asked.

Tom barely managed to hide the dry chuckle in his voice as he asked, “Come closer, both of you, and I’ll show you right away.”