Hey, everyone!

I came up with this completely out of the blue, but I hope you like it!

I know I'm supposed to be updating my other stories, but when I'm hit with sudden inspiration I can't move on to another story til I put it on paper.

Fair warning: It might be a bit angsty at first but it gets better.

*Ripped Apart*

It was hot. Actually, hot would be a major understatement and quite an unfair one at that.

The sun seemed to be mocking them from his brilliant spot up there, obviously having risen today with the sheer intention of torturing them.

Dark green eyes narrowed into an irritable glare as their owner squinted up in a bizarre attempt to have a better look at the scorching orb above. 'Blasted thing.' The boy thought in disdain, lips curling up into a sneer as he jerked his head downwards, stray dark locks sticking to his sweating forehead, making him sweep a hand through his hair with a growl only a breath away from leaving his lips.

And just like that, his anger dispersed into nothingness as he stared at the scene before him.

Sitting there on the cold, grayish concrete ground of their beloved orphanage's backyard, was a little boy, his pale skin glistening in the sunlight and making his dark hair seem even darker at the contrast. Every trace of his previous malice melted away as those ever sparkling emerald eyes lit up as the boy found another match at the jigsaw puzzle he was currently bent over.

Tom chuckled softly to himself. 'At least one of us is having fun.' he thought bemusedly. And too true that one was. It amazed him how his brother seemed able to enjoy himself even in the most bizarre moments… like now for instance.

Not that Tom cared anyway. His brother's happiness was the one thing he cherished above all else.

Something shifted to his right, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts and towards the general area of the movement. What he saw made his anger flare up again.

Dennis Bishop, the oldest kid in the orphanage was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest in his usual attempt to look intimidating, just so that he could cover up for his skinny frame.

His eyes seemed to be glued on a certain spot in front of him and once Tom caught up to the exact subject of his gaze, he did growl this time.

"Harry," he called out, two bright pools of green instantly snapping up to focus on him.

He jerked his head curtly and the boy got to his feet with no further questions, walking right into his opened arms. He tightened his hold around his twin just as Harry tugged his head under his brother's chin.

Tom shifted his head ever so lightly to the side, narrowed eyes glaring holes as he caught Dennis' stare dead on, the other boy glaring right back. But when after a while Dennis got up, walking back inside to the orphanage, it became obvious who was the winner. Tom's shoulders relaxed from their tense position, his eyes closing for half a second before reopening and focusing on the form in his arms.

Ever since they had met Dennis Bishop, the boy had made clear his intentions, never losing a chance to taunt and bully them.

Tom had soon become his main target, after the night he had sent a number of spiders to the boy's bed. Dennis had been pestering them all day, but when he began mocking Harry and calling him names, Tom finally lost it. Persuading the spiders to do his bidding was the easiest of tasks. He would have chosen another animal, but the little fact that spiders were Dennis' worst nightmare had made his dilemma a lot easier.

Of course, Dennis had no proof that it was Tom's doing, but he intensified his bullying just for the heck of it.

"Tommy?" The gentle, filled with concern, voice snapped him out of his musings at last. He smiled softly, a gesture that was only reserved for his brother, and shook his head dismissively.

"You sure you are okay? Your eyes did that again." That comment alone was enough to raise a laugh from Tom. True, he had never been one to control his temper.

"Let's go inside, alright? It's boiling hot out here."

Harry frowned at him, easily recognizing the change of subject, no matter how smooth it was. His brother was quite blessed when it came to acting skills, but he had never achieved to fool him, and definitely that wasn't gonna change anytime soon. He did let it go, though. If it was anything of importance, Tom would spit it out sooner or later.

Nodding shortly in reply, he let his brother take hold of his hand and steer him around, towards the building they called home for the last ten years.

The moment they reached the long, wooden staircase that led up to the rooms, a voice made them freeze on their tracks, "Thomas! Harrison!"

They both winced. Oh, how they hated their full names.

From all the people they could have run into, it had to be the woman that ran this place. "You two are a total mess!" Mrs. Cole hissed as she came to hover above them, like a hawk towering and circling its poor prey, "Look at you; all sweaty and covered in dirt. You better get cleaned up before it's time for lunch or you won't be getting any food at all, not even the scraps."

Harry shivered involuntary at the implication; they hardly got any food as it was. If the matron forced them to skip another meal, as she usually did for punishment… god, he didn't even want to think about it.

His brother must have reached the same conclusion for that ever sweet smile was back in place as he stared back at the woman. "Of course, ma'am."

Mrs. Cole shoulders slumped, a weary sigh passing through her lips. She looked at them one last time before shaking her head as if in resignation. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again." And with that she was gone.

He watched with something akin to fascination as the smile, if you could even call it that, slipped off Tom's face, his lips curling into a nasty sneer instead. Sometimes, this act of Tom's was the only thing that kept them from missing any further meals, but it still didn't work all the time. Harry couldn't help but wonder how was it that only he was able to see past his brother's mask. Surely, the others could see that that smile was as cold as ice, deprive of any emotion whatsoever, and that it never reached his ears.

But then again, they might weren't capable of telling the difference because simply they had never seen what a real smile looked like on Tom's face.

He himself could be quite persuasive if there was a dire need, but the only problem was that he couldn't pull off such a smile, as fake as Tom's. He only smiled when he truly felt like it, and he definitely didn't feel like expressing such a happy emotion towards the people that had been the cause of their suffering for years now.

The caretakers that punished them even for the most insignificant mistakes, the other kids that mocked them… he didn't hate them exactly. They were behaving the way they were because, in their eyes, Tom and he were different. Freaks…

Okay, that did hurt when they kept repeating it over and over again whenever the two of them were around.

He still could understand them though. The things they could do, weren't exactly normal after all. He doubted however, that Tom shared the same sentiment as him. It was pretty obvious that his brother hated the lot of them with quite a passion.

He risked a glance at Tom's face as the other boy led the way up to their room; blank. He sighed inwardly at that. After an encounter with any of them, Tom would either be seething or gazing somewhere that only he could see with that unreadable expression on his face. It worried Harry to no end.

Tom's emotions about their surrogate 'family' were getting more intense as the days passed. He would nowadays snap at every kid that so much as dared to glance their way with the usual disgusted look in their eyes, not to mention that he was beginning to get overly possessive of him, challenging anyone to raise a hand against him or even taunt him, and then there would be hell to pay.

He didn't mind that possessive side of his brother, but it only served to increase his worries. It was only a matter of time till someone crossed the boundaries that had been firmly set, and then… Tom was going to become a force truly to be feared.

Harry could only feel dread for the arrival of that day.

*)&(*

"Do you think she'll be there?" Harry asked absently, attention more focused on the muddy footprints he left, watching them disappear the moment the waves washed over them.

"You know she's always there. The cool temperature and the easy access to water source is the perfect environment for her." Tom's answer was as nerdy as always in Harry's opinion, but the fact that it seemed to be made just as absently, made the younger of the two look up.

Indeed, his brother wasn't even looking at the path ahead of him, having memorized the route by heart after all those years that the orphanage took them here, and was instead gazing somewhere to the side, head turning occasionally to glance behind as well. It was strange for Tom to act this way. His posture actually reminded Harry that of an animal, observing carefully his surroundings and ready to flee at any potential danger. Or perhaps without the fleeing part. Tom was never one run for cover, but rather face any upcoming threat with full force.

"What's the matter?" he asked tentatively, almost afraid that if he spoke too loud he would disturb the other's concentration.

Tom sneaked another glance behind them from the corner of his eye, eyebrows furrowing ever so lightly before wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders, guiding the slightly smaller form closer to him while in meantime increasing their pace.

"I can't shake off this feeling, like we're being watched or something." Harry frowned at this, his head turning to the side as if to look at the sea while actually trailing the path they had taken from the seashore in order to reach their destination. He had been feeling somewhat uneasy himself, but had blamed it on the chilling wind.

Sensing his brother's discomfort, Tom tugged him even closer, nearly engulfing him in his embrace. "I'm sure it's nothing, though. After all, we are almost there."

Harry turned his head towards the path ahead of them, his eyes quickly spotting the dark walls of the cave as it loomed over the sea, casting an eerie shadow over the waters.

A small grin spread over his face.

It had been a while since the last time they had paid their slimy friend a visit. After all, it was only once a year that the orphanage brought them to the seashore for a trip.

Excitement transforming into giddiness, the young boy could no longer contain himself and his face split into a wide grin as he lurched forward, outright laughing at the sharp gasp of his brother as he pulled him along. Water splashed over them from the force they planted their feet into the muddy sand, but they still didn't halt their movements, Harry going as far as to purposefully jump the very moment the waves reached their feet, ending up getting them both soaked and emitting a deep laugh from Tom.

Somewhere along the way, Harry got his brother to participate, both of them jumping with perfect synchronicity as the water reached the level of the sand, salty droplets covering their faces and clothes. Panting and unable to stop laughing for the life of them, the boys reached the entrance of the cave at last, their laughter doubling in force as their echo came back to greet them.

Completely out of breath, they bent over their knees, taking in deep gulps of air in an attempt to appease their burning lungs.

Breathing restored, Tom straightened up, water flying in every direction as he shook his head vigorously and earning giggle-like chuckle from Harry, who brought his hands up to his face to protect himself from the assault.

"It ssseemsss like you two hatchlingsss are having quite a fun time." Both boys instantly ceased whatever they were doing and looked downwards just in time to see a rather large snake pulling itself out of the water of the lake that resided deep in the cave. Approximately eight feet long, dark green with equally dark spots of black and bright green eyes, the young python was truly a sight to behold.

"Hello, Nagini." Harry greeted in return as he kneeled on the ground to stroke those shiny scales tenderly, "It hasss been quite sssome time."

Nagini flicked out her tongue, trailing it across the boy's palm affectionately before butting her head against his palm, a motion that reminded Harry vaguely of a kitten. "Indeed it hasss, little ssserpent."

Tom crouched down as well, however in a more dignified fashion that his brother, and traced the snake's jaw with his fingers, earning a hiss of pleasure from their female friend that made him chuckle, "Were you lonely, my dear?"

"It certainly wasss uneventful without your presssence, sssnakelingsss."

"We were going to come earlier, but the orphanage possstponed the trip due to the heavy rain that hasss been going on for a week now." Tom said, both he and Harry pulling their hands back as Nagini suddenly reared back in rage.

"Ssstupid humansss! Keeping my hatchlingsss away for sssuch a truly sssilly reassson. Do they not underssstand that rain isss mother nature'sss blesssing for them?"

Harry scratched his cheek sheepishly. Nagini's point of view was truly one of a kind and it never ceased to surprise them. As if reading his mind, Tom reached forward to stroke the snake under her chin, a motion that had Nagini instantly hissing in pleasure again. They had learnt by now how to deal with the serpent's sudden mood swings.

As if struck by lightning, Nagini pulled back all of a sudden, her serpentine eyes dilated dangerously and jaws opening in a loud hiss that had both boys' eyes widening in surprise.

"This only proves it." Harry and Tom instantly sprung to their feet at the sound of the voice, the latter's eyes narrowing into a steady glare as they focused on the owner. "You two really are freaks." Dennis spat in disgust, his hazel eyes glued to the huge form of the snake that had coiled itself protectively around the boys' ankles, gaze never wavering from it even as he moved forward.

"I told you they were up to something when I saw them coming here." Tom's narrowed gaze snapped to the second figure, noticing her for the first time. But of course, Amy Benson; the insufferable girl that always followed Dennis around like a little lost puppy. So his suspicions had been correct, they had indeed been followed.

He felt Harry tense next to him at the sight of Dennis' approaching form, Nagini must have felt it too for her body seemed to tense even more, dangerously low hisses coming out of her mouth and making the older boy halt in his steps.

"You aren't welcome here, Dennis." Tom spoke in a tone a low as Nagini's and just as dangerous, "So I suggest you take that annoying pup of a girl and get lost."

Dennis' eyes grew wide with disbelief for a brief moment, before they too narrowed to match Tom's. "How dare you threaten me, you little runt? How dare you even speak back to me?" he all but growled, his clenched fists shaking in rage at his sides. Tom quirked an eyebrow at that. The boy certainly had more temper issues than himself. And Dennis' next move only served to prove further his point.

He pulled out a knife.

Tom's initial reaction was to be shocked, but as he eyed the object better he couldn't suppress the bubble of laughter that rose from his throat. Harry's body next to him relaxed as well once he realized that they were in no immediate danger.

"And exactly what, pray tell, do you intend to do with that paper cutter?" Yes, he would recognize it anywhere. He had seen it numerous of times in Mrs. Cole's office. It was the knife she used to cut open the envelopes. Pretty sharp, but not even close to the damage a real knife could deal.

"Oh, I will show you exactly what I intend to do." Dennis said, voice venomously sweet and lips curling into a wicked grin. He stepped forward and before Tom could even blink, he had snatched Harry's arm, pulling his brother away from him. He did register Harry's panicked yell though, and then… chaos ensued.

Nagini was the first to react, her large body striking forward and coiling around Dennis' leg, making the boy cry out in surprise and stumble backwards but somehow still managing to stay upright.

Harry was now clutched firmly to his chest like some sort of human shield and the younger boy cried out, this time in pain, as his abdomen was nearly crushed by Dennis' iron like grip. Tom growled low in his throat, lunging forward at his brother's pained whimper. He had just taken hold of Harry's arm when his own arm was suddenly yanked backwards, forcing him to take a couple of steps back in surprise and letting go of his twin's arm in the process.

"No! What are you doing to him? Make that thing let Dennis go! Make it-" But Amy's rant was abruptly cut off the moment he turned to look at her, and from the way her eyes doubled in size when they connected with his, he knew all too well what had her cowering in fear. His eyes had turned blood-red.

"Let. Go. Of. Me." he hissed with all the venom a voice could possess. He vaguely heard his brother's sibilant hisses telling Nagini to stop, but that only served to fuel his anger. That pathetic girl was keeping him from getting to Harry.

Hot, boiling fury was slowly replacing all the blood in his veins, making him see only red for a while. The rage was welling up, growing by each second, and when it finally became too much for his body, it exploded. The girl couldn't even cry out as she was knocked backwards, landing in a heap on the ground with a loud 'thud', meters away from him.

He whirled around, free to return to Harry's side now that the annoyance was dealt with, only to have his insides freeze over.

Nagini had uncoiled herself from Dennis and was now instead curled on the ground, perfectly still and eyes glued to the two humans. "He heard Harry ssspeak to me and then he moved hisss arm. I didn't realize what he had done until it wasss too late." she hissed, but Tom was too far gone to hear her.

He refused to believe it.

Everything felt so cold now; the previous heat that had taken over his body had frozen. For a moment he wasn't sure his heart was still beating, his breathing had stopped after all, so why not his heart as well? It was a lie, another one of Dennis' cruel jokes.

Both boys fell to the ground, but Tom had eyes only for one. With a speed he didn't know he possessed, he shot forward, effectively catching the smaller form before it hit the harsh ground. While Dennis crawled as far away as possible, Harry didn't move in his arms.

"Harry?" He only vaguely felt Nagini slither up next to him, the sensation of her hard skin against him seeming so faraway. Strange, it was as if he was numb.

"Harry?" he asked again, this time more fiercely as he shook the boy. "Har-" his urgent call trailed off. His hand had come in contact with something liquid the moment he had shaken Harry. He brought his hand up and his gut gave a sicken lurch. His body was beginning to tremble but still he couldn't take his eyes off that crimson substance that covered his hand.

No matter how desperately he wanted to, he couldn't deny that metallic smell that only seemed to grow stronger.

"…T-Tom." His already wide eyes grew even further at the sight of his brother's brilliant eyes filled with unshed tears. "Don't cry, Tom" Cry? He? When had his own eyes started welling up with tears? Well, at least, that would explain the sudden blurriness.

"There's no one w-worthy enough of your tears." His body convulsed with silent sobs. His brother could be so dense sometimes. How could he even insinuate that he wasn't worthy to him?

"Hush, don't strain yourself." Harry's bluish lips twisted into a half smile, tears running down freely the moment he closed his eyes. And Tom couldn't help it. He shut his eyes as well, no longer able to stare at the broken form of his brother.

Fingers as cold as ice stroked his cheek ever so gently, in a way that a mother would probably use to console her child. But Tom wouldn't know. Harry had been the only family he had ever met, the only person he truly cared for besides himself. And he knew that Harry cared for him just as much. Perhaps they hadn't said it often, but their actions spoke better than words ever could.

And as he cupped the shaking hand with his own, uncaring for the way his cheek got smeared with blood, he could only drown into those green pools that even now stared with unwavering devotion back at him.

"Forgive m-me. I… didn't m-meant to l-leave you." He dragged Harry's hand away from his face, squeezing it against his chest instead. He could no longer tell which one of them was quivering and trembling more; himself or Harry.

"You foolish, idiotic boy. Blaming yourself for something that was never your fault." he wanted to say more, so much more, but his voice failed. Words were no longer capable to form from his mouth and for the first time, Tom felt frightened. Scared from the way his control seemed to be slipping right out of his grasp, just like Harry. Slipping away… far away from him.

Harry's ever sparkling, entrancing eyes, were starting to fade, that lovely emerald dulling into a faint shade of green, but not once they stopped glowing with affection. "I will a-always love you, T-Tommy. Never… n-never forget… that."

Tom's eyes widened with horror, moving from the now limp arm grasped tightly in his hand to the face of his brother, only to find his eyelids closed, chest completely still, unmoving. Nagini rubbed her head against his arm, offering her comfort even as she silently mourned for the child she had come to care as her own.

"Nagini," The female python looked up, gaze connecting with the tortured eyes of her remaining hatchling, "why isss everything ssso cold?"

She bowed her head, staring sorrowfully at the pale corpse of the younger boy. "I fear it won't be warm for a while, sssnakeling. But it will passs… with time." she said soothingly, her eyelids closing in resignation.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Her head snapped right back up at the sound of boy's voice, green eyes making up for all the venom her teeth did not possess in a single glare.

"Serves the little shit right for urging that monster on." Dennis spat, lips jerking into a satisfied smirk. It was soon wiped out of his face though, the moment those low chuckles reached his ears. Eyebrows furrowing, he glared at Tom, not understanding why the boy was so amused. Didn't he care that the other brat was dead?

Tom let out one last hollow chuckle. Too bad his head was bent down, because Dennis couldn't see the way his lips were pulled into one hell of an evil grin. "Then, you wouldn't mind if I returned the favour, would you?"

Dennis had no time to even register the meaning of those words. Next thing he knew, he found himself knocked against the nearest wall, lips parting into a silent gasp as the air was wiped out of his lungs from the force. But he didn't fall. Something was keeping him suspended in mid-air, the sharp stone surface digging painfully into his back and his throat squeezed from the grip of some unseen force.

Dennis struggled and kicked, trying in vain to free himself from the thing that was choking him, but how could he when he was unable to even see his attacker. Then he caught sight of Tom standing up and he shrieked.

Bright blood-red eyes were staring at him, filled with a wicked glee he had never seen before and that spoke of punishment and pain.

Tom laughed again, a high, empty laugh that resonated throughout the cave and sent chills down Dennis' spine. And he could only watch with dread and panic as that immensely huge snake slithered past Tom, its eyes holding the same kind of insanely glee. It didn't stop though. It moved and moved till it was only a few feet away from him. For a moment he froze, staring deep into the eyes of the snake as if in a gruesome trance. Then, the snake unhinged its jaw and he could only scream.

*)&*(

Albus Dumbledore could only stare transfixed at the building before him, torn between repulsion and disbelief at the poor state it was in. Right above the gate, capital letters formed the word WOOL'S. He didn't dare believe that a magical child, or any child for that matter, could live in a place like this.

Huffing under his breath, the Transfiguration professor made his way in, ignoring the fact that the building was just as worse on the inside in favour of tracing the person he was looking for. The Matron appeared genuinely surprised when he requested a visit with the child, but he couldn't blame her. It was not often that an orphan got a visitor.

"I must warn you though," the woman began as they climbed up the staircase, "quite unusual this one is." Albus chuckled, having a feeling what this 'unusual' was. But then, the Mrs. Cole went on, "Especially since last year. Yes, Tom only worsened after that incident."

Now Albus actually paused. Incident? The Matron paused when she realized he was no longer following her. "Incident you say? I hope nothing disturbing happened?"

Mrs. Cole scowled. "Disturbing?" her tone had taken an upset edge, Albus noted. "Two children were sent to the hospital with grave injuries, while another was killed. If that is what you mean by disturbing, then yes."

"What happened? Pardon my imprudence, but I'm merely curious as to what led in this chain of events." The concerned tone with which he spoke those words was crystal clear. According to this woman, three children were traumatized forever, one of them actually dead. This was no normal occurrence. Something must have taken place.

"We take our children to the seashore once a year for a filed trip. Last year though, Tom, along with three other children went into a cave nearby. I don't know what happened in there, but none of these children were the same again." Albus frowned.

"You mentioned they were in need of hospitalization. Aren't you aware of the reason for that?" Mrs. Cole went distinctly red in the face, her facial features hardening at his implied insinuation. "Of course I'm aware! Don't you think I would be, seeing as they lived under my roof?"

He patiently waited for her to calm down, and when she finally did, he made a gentle motion with his hand, urging her to go on.

She huffed, probably still a tad upset, but she did continue, "The police claimed that they suffered from the attack of a snake, some type of boa constrictor judging by the broken ribs and bones the two children had sustained."

A boa constrictor? It was not unusual for these kind of snakes to lounge or nest near the water, but what chance did those children have to actually walk into one? "And the third child?" At this, the woman shrugged. "No one knows."

"I beg your pardon?"

"No one knows." she repeated, "The police thinks the child might have been disposed by the snake, serving as its next meal. They searched though, but no animal or human alike were found in the cave. What happened to him remains a mystery even to this day. The other two however…"

"Yes?" Albus probed, not wanting her to stop at this point. There was something suspicious about this story. A boa constrictor rarely fed off of humans, only when they were in dire need of food. And certainly, with such a convenient access to water, and therefore fish, this couldn't be the case. So, what happened?

"The children, one boy and a girl, were permanently damaged." Mrs. Cole continued, this time her voice a mere whisper, "Their physical injuries weren't the only ones they suffered from. They were mentally damaged as well and have not yet recovered. The doctors doubt they ever will."

Now Albus was starting to catch on, and he definitely didn't like the conclusion he was getting at.

But the Matron confirmed his suspicions with her next words, "Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson had never gotten along with Tom Riddle. He goes with them in a cave and the next thing we know, the children are hurt. Of course, there was no proof, but this isn't the first time strange things happen around Tom."

And now they were back to the subject of the 'unusual' again. Spurts of accidental magic were an often occurrence for Wizarding children since they had no control whatsoever over their powers. "Would you mind elaborating? I'm curious to hear the nature of those strange things."

The woman seemed to hesitate, a haunted look taking over her eyes as she glanced above her shoulder at the top of the stairs, seemingly afraid that someone would catch her discussing this subject. Now, this was interesting, mused Albus.

"As I told you, Tom has changed quite a bit ever since last year. He's become more violent I guess you could say." Seeing Albus' eyebrow rising up to meet his hairline, Mrs. Cole leaned closer, as if afraid to talk about it aloud, "The other day, a boy was taunting him, kept teasing him and all that. The next day, the boy's rabbit was hanging from the rafters."

Albus' eyes narrowed. Surely this was no reason to blame Tom. One of the other children could have seized that opportunity to make Tom seem guilty. Yes, Albus decided he had heard enough already and was about to request to be led to Tom's room, when his mind reared back. Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson, she had said.

"Forgive me, but I do believe that the third child's name must have slipped your mind." At this, Mrs. Cole blinked somewhat dazedly. He could swear her thoughtful expression was somewhat… off. "The name is of no importance. The child is gone."

It took Albus a moment to actually comprehend her words. The child was gone? That was her foolish excuse for not recalling the name of one of her own children?

Albus met her gaze dead on, causing her to grow still. Casting Legilimency on a Muggle was no hard feat at all, seeing as their minds were utterly unprotected. And that's precisely what he did. Past memories upon memories he went, only coming to a stop when he spotted the incident she had mentioned. What he found made him scowl. It seemed he had misjudged the Matron after all.

It wasn't like she didn't remember the child's name, but rather that she was unable to.

Besides the fact that the child was male and his involvement in the cave, the woman didn't possess any further information of the boy. This, added up with all the other occurrences she had mentioned, could only mean one thing.

Apparently, young Tom Riddle had some control over his magic after all.

Albus scowled. Memory Charms that had been cast successfully were quite hard to break, sometimes practically impossible. Even the specialized Healers at St. Mungo's were finding difficulties in that field. And this… was a particularly flawless job. He himself had mustered this Charm on his second year at Hogwarts. This child definitely had prospect. Minds like these were more than welcome at Hogwarts.

Once Mrs. Cole was brought back from the stupor that all victims of Legilimency seemed to enter, she asked her to escort him to Tom. Yes, the child looked promising indeed, but one question still remained unanswered.

'Why, Tom? What is it you wish to hide?'

END OF CHAPTER ONE

Alright everyone! You know what to do if you liked the first chapter.

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