Chapter 3 : A newcomer in Wool's Orphanage.

While he was making his way toward the big wooden door Percival readjusted his tie and breathed deeply. He had waited a week before going to meet the boy, trying to figure out a story explaining why he wanted to adopt a child and why he wanted to do it in under such conditions. He would use a different name this time. He knew he could not go by the name he had used with the old man because someone could find out he was after the boy and he did not want that to happen. If it did he might have to deal with Grindelwald again.

So now he was going under the name of James Madder, a doctor that had moved from the United States of America to the United Kingdom in the hope of helping more people to recover from the World War. He had hoped to start a new life in this country because his homeland was a reminder of the loneliness that had surrounded him since his parents had died. It was a sad story that might explain his desire to adopt a boy, and since he had a good job, he could be considered wealthy enough to take care of a child.

Well, for now, he was entering a new chapter in his life and he did not know how he really felt about it. He was exited to finally be close enough to the obscurial to perhaps save him, but at the same time, he was very anxious at the idea of seeing him. The last time did not bode well as he had failed miserably to save Credence. He did not want Tom to suffer the same fate as the boy from the New Salem Philanthropic Society. But then again, his failure was due to Grindelwald. Maybe this time he would succeed. If he felt he was failing, then he would search for Newton Scamander and give the child to him, for him to separate the obscurus from his host. However, if the magicozoologist was able to succeed where he had failed, would he stay with the boy? Would the boy still want Percival as a friend or would he hate him ? Thinking of being rejected made his heart ache with pain. Why was he so attached to the boy when he had never seen him ? Was it because he felt sorry and even responsible for what was happening to him ? Mercy Lewis ! The state the boy was in was not due to him, he had never been in the United Kingdom except to pay a visit to Theseus ! He should not feel that way, and yet…

He knocked on the door, knowing he was expected to come at this hour to see the children as he had planned with the director. He was soon to encounter this Tom he had so much heard about and he would finally know if the boy was the one he was looking for or not. But he was also going to see what state he was in… He was not sure he was that eager to come face to face with the damage an orphan's life could cause.

The door creaked open and a tall, thin woman stood in front of him. She was in her sixties judging by her grey hair and her wrinkles. She looked like a stern woman, not the kind of person to work with children out of desire but most likely out of lack of other things to do. However she smiled at him, even if her smile felt forced. Percival smiled back politely and greeted her, waiting for her to let him in.

"Mister Madder, isn't it?" She asked.

He nodded firmly and she stepped back to let him come in. Entering the great hall, he looked at the old wooden staircase with a frown. It was in a bad state of repair and he could smell the dust around him. It was stifling but he tried to not show his discomfort. After all, if it was worth it, he was going to spend a lot of time here so he had better get used to it. However, it was not a good environment for a child, everything seemed on the point of collapse… He was even surprised now that they had been able to afford a trip to the sea.

"I will lead you to the main room where the children have been gathered for you to see which one you want to adopt sir. "

Once again, he nodded and followed her.

"I will choose the child I want to adopt but I hope you have not forgotten that I want him to choose me as well, so I will not adopt him right away and will come twice a week for a month, as we agreed last time."

She stiffened a bit but she let him know she remembered their agreement by a quick nod. He knew she was not pleased with it because it would give him the opportunity to change his mind and to refuse adopting a child here. It was risky for her, but she needed the extra money he proposed her for his visits.

She pushed a door open and they entered what seemed to be the dining room. Again, the smell of dust took over his senses but he focused on the line of children in order to suppress a cough. There were about twenty young people, waiting for adoption. It seemed they were ranked by age and sex. The first he saw were girls, six of whom seemed to be under ten years old. He closed his eyes for a mere second, looking inside himself to find his own source of power. When he opened his eyes again, he could see the glowing energy that animated each person in the room. And just like a mere insect, he found himself attracted by a shining blue aura, enveloped in a shroud of darkness which was fighting against the beauty of the azure.

He was in front of a black haired boy whose dark eyes were staring resolutely at the floor. He was small and his skin had a slightly greyish hue that gave away the poor state he was in. So was it the Tom he had heard about ? Was he an obscurial ? To judge by his aura, he was certainly one, and even if he was not, he was the only one to have a color to his aura, which meant he was a wizard. He needed help, Percival was sure of it. This child was trembling in fear and had not looked at him a single time. That surely signified a traumatized child.

The former Head of Magical Law Enforcement turned his head to look Mrs Cole right in the eyes. She suddenly looked so scared, why ?

"I would like to know this child better." Percival announced in a cold and determined tone.

She flinched and then went to him, her body tensed in fear. He frowned at the same time his magic made itself known to his senses. He tried to calm down the sense of unease that was gaining him. Everything about this situation made him stay on his guard and his auror training was urging him to action, to defend himself, but he knew he had to act like a no-maj. What was more, if he let his magic fly and used it, he might scare the obscurial and he didn't want to do that.

" You… You can't !" She stammered.

She placed her hand on his arm and the expression on her face pleaded for indulgence. Had the people in the orphanage already understood something was wrong with Tom ? Was that the reason why he had been left alone by other children on the beach ? It would explain a lot of things…

"Why ? He is with the other children. Why could I not take care of him?"

" He is… He is evil, sir. He… You don't know him… You don't know… He is a freak…"

He felt the dark energy surging outwards around the boy's body. He saw the shining eyes that briefly looked at him. They were shining with tears. He tried to prevent his own magic from reacting to his anger. How did she dare to call a child a "freak"? No child deserved to be called that ! How he wanted to hex her for even thinking that this child was a kind of demon when he had clearly been left alone by the other children and was suffering from it ? How could she treat him like that, this woman whose passion had faded a long time ago only to leave a heartless shrew behind ?

"I am sure this lad is not evil at all."

He was trying hard to remain calm not to scare her any more but she seemed to be in a kind of delirium.

"He is ! An exorcist came and even he was not able to calm the demon inside that child ! You can't choose him ! He will hurt you ! We have other children waiting to find a family and…"

He breathed deeply to force his magic to calm down. Mercy Lewis, how he hated that woman in that moment. But he could not act rashly, he had to play by the rules to obtain the child's guardianship. He locked his gaze in hers and opted for a polite but cold tone.

" I have chosen him. Don't make me repeat it again. I want to talk to him in his room now and I don't care what this man said about him. I am going to make my own mind up about this child." He cut sharply, then he turned to look at the boy again : "What is your name, boy ?"

The answer was just a whisper, but he heard it in the silence of the room.
" Tom Riddle, sir."

For the first time, he smiled a genuine smile, then he turned to face Mrs. Cole.

" Could we go to where he sleeps now ? I do suppose you have a room just for him as you consider him so dangerous. "

She quickly nodded and ordered the lad to follow her and Percival. They climbed the stairs and walked down a dark corridor; during that time, the American observed Tom discreetly. The young boy had kept his head low and was really small. He was wondering what his age was. He also seemed to shrink himself on purpose, as if not to impose himself on everyone's eyes. He had also noticed how much he was trembling in fear the closer they get to the room; another thing that made Percival cringe internally… This was the proof of how much the boy was in distress.

Mrs. Cole paused in front of a door and gave Percival a look that indicated how worried she was about what was going to happen. He knew that having a young wizard not able to master his powers was a horrible thing for the no-majs that did not believe in magic, but he could not understand how one can fall so low as to make a child's life a living hell.

"I wish to talk to you once you are finished here. Take your time mister Graves. You know where my office is. Tom, I will ask you to behave."

The boy nodded slightly, keeping his head low and avoiding eye contact. Percival watched as Mrs. Cole left the corridor, boring holes in her head, and then he opened the bedroom's door. It was so small, just a bed, a desk and a chair. Almost nothing personal except the drawing of what seemed to be a winged woman holding a child's hand. The drawing was nowhere near perfect, but the idea was there and one could not deny the hope that came from it. It was beautiful in an innocent and childish way which reminded the Auror of his youth, when he tried to impress his mother by his doodles, but he had soon given up on this path. He was too bad at it.

"Are you here to punish me?" Asked a little voice behind him.

Percival turned to face the boy. His expression was one of anxiety at the idea of being stuck with the American. And this question of punishment … It was not something to take lightly; if it was the first thing that came to Tom's mind, then it could mean that he was used to being punished. He clenched his fists at the idea of the boy being beaten for having shown his power without wanting it. If only he could blow something up to let go of his rage right now… How those people dared to put a child in such terrible conditions that the child thinks he deserves to be punished?

A shiver ran through his body. Why was it so cold suddenly ? He could feel his hands trembling from the low temperature and his breath alters; but it was nothing compared to the sight that was waiting for him. In his lust for vengeance on the no-majs that had hurt the kid, he had forgotten to pay attention to him and was regretting it. He should have known better than to show his hatred on his face. He was so much more composed usually, but when it came to children… And now Tom was trembling with fear, head low and clearly wanting to disappear from the adult's sight.

He had to help the boy calm down and for that, he had to calm himself first. He tried to forget the coldness of the air, just to focus on his stream of consciousness and to clear his mind. Just to breath slowly, in and out. He could change things and make them better for the kid, he was not useless. He could do something this time. There was no need to pursue a lust for blood. He should play by the rules.

"I am not here to hurt you. I am here to try and help you."

The air seemed to become thicker, as if he was in a mist; only he could still see the boy and the objects around him. It was just a feeling he had. Or was it because of the air freezing in front of him ?

"They have all said that, sir…"

It was just a whisper but Percival had heard it. Of course everyone had already said that to the black-haired boy. Once again, he had made a mistake and was not helping. How could he be that stupid ? He forced himself to calm down, knowing being upset was not going to improve the situation.

"I can only imagine. I am sorry to have shown my displeasure to you; but rest assured, I was not displeased with you. I am worried by what you said. Why a boy like you would be expecting punishment?"

He gave me a puzzled look and I could clearly see his lips tremble.

"Because it is what everyone does. I… I am… They think… all the bad things happen because of… Of me… That's why you're here. You're here to put an end to that. But I swear! I swear I did nothing wrong!"

Percival felt his heart breaking when he heard Tom talking, almost begging him to not harm him. The child seemed so scared, his complexion had grown whiter than seconds ago, his eyes grown bigger and full of tears and his body was shaking with fear… And the dark energy was pulsing around him, getting thicker by the minute. He had to do something to help him, to put that energy to rest and to stop the bedroom to become colder, else they might freeze to death.

" I am not here to hurt you. I was sincere when I said I wanted to adopt you. I am no priest nor an exorcist or whatever stupid persons might have been here with you. I would never hurt a child. "

He showed his hands to Tom, wanting to make him understand he was no threat. The child looked at his hands, then back at him and lingered once again, as if trying to assess the potentiality of a threat coming out of Percival. Then, the boy's dark eyes probed his for confirmation. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it without making a sound, then he truly spoke in a voice like a squeal.

"Pinky promise?"

Percival could not repress a smile when he heard that, and he extended his little finger, waiting for the boy to do the same. He felt the boy's magic ruffling his in a soft and timid way, the dark energy losing its grip over the child.

"Pinky promise." He answered.

"Lou said it was the best way to promise something to someone !" He said just before covering his mouth with both hands.

Clearly, he had not meant to say that… He was alarmed once again, his hands covering his head as if to prevent a blow. It made each of Percival's muscles cringe. Mercy Lewis, Tom was just a boy ! He did not deserve to be treated that badly !

"Well, she was damn right, kid !"

He seemed surprised by the answer for a while, but then, he decided to smile a bit, which gave hope to Percival : If the boy could still smile, then he could be saved. And just to see those sparks in the beautiful dark eyes, the former head of Magical Law Enforcement was ready to do whatever it took.

"So… How old are you kid ?" He asked in an attempt to break the silence with a innocent subject.

Tom gave him his best smile and showed nine fingers.

"I was nine last December !"

Percival felt his heart sunk when hearing the child speak. He was so proud of being old and surely unaware of how thin and small he was for his age. Camden was right when he'd said the kid looked like he was six years old, but knowing now what his true age was, made the former auror want to kill Mrs Cole on the spot. Why was this child starving ? Sure there had been the war, but could these no-majs not take care of children ?

"So you are a big boy now ! Did you get anything for your birthday ?"

He doubted the child would have got anything, but he wanted to keep talking with him, fearing to break this fragile trust they were building. Tom raised a brow at the question and seemed utterly surprised and perplexed by the question.

"No. I never had anything. Why would I get anything? Only good children get something."

The answer was genuine which forced Percival to hide his displeasure. How in the world was a kid not allowed to get gifts for his birthday? Even a fucking fruit would have been enough!

"Well, I don't see how you are misbehaving so I would have expected you to receive something. You don't look like a bad person to me."

His eyes grew wider for a mere second before the child took a quick step back. He was now looking at the man with nothing but distrust, as if only seeing him differently from what he had been said all his life was not possible.

"You are lying. Like everyone else has. I know I am a freak! Mrs Cole told me! Everyone comes to say that about me! I know I am not normal! Don't act like you cannot see that in me! " He cried, his eyes filling with tears.

Percival felt his heart clench in his chest. How could he make the child see without frightening him ? He could not show him magic. Not now. He would cause such distress in the child's mind that he feared the obscurial would come back and destroy the boy. He had to gain his trust first as a no-maj, then he would tell him about magic. He felt so useless! He was not gifted with kids, never had been. How could have he thought it was a good idea to come? He should go right now. And leave Tom ? No. He could not leave the child in such a state. Not when he was clearly suffering in this hell of a place.

"I will prove the others wrong. I am no liar. Maybe I am different from the others too. Like you. I don't see things like they do."

The child shook his head in refusal. He did not want to believe him which was quite understandable now Percival had begun to understand the boy. He was alone, treated like a monster and surely afraid of his magic. He had learnt to trust no one but himself. Percival knew he would have to work hard to break this attitude, but he would succeed. He would do whatever he could to help Tom.

" You won't. I know you are like them. You will promise help and you will leave me all alone."

Percival knew he had taken the right decision when he decided to go visit the child twice a week before adopting him. The first step to reach his goal was to make Tom understand he will never be alone again. Then, he would fight off the obscurus.

He took a step toward the boy, cautious not to scare him, and pulled a little black notebook out of his pocket. He gave it to the boy who took it with a skeptical look at the former member of MACUSA.

"What is it?"

"Just a blank notebook for you to write whatever you like. You can even draw in it. It's yours. I wanted to use it for my job, but I feel like it would serve you better."

He hesitated a little, then nodded.

"Thank you sir."

Percival answered with a smile. He knew it was time to go, staying would distress the child.

"I'll leave you in peace for today, you have had enough stress. I will talk with Mrs Cole and will be back later in the week. Goodbye Tom."

And so, the dark haired man left and found himself in the dusty corridor. Now he had to find the matron's office…

He walked through the dusty corridors, trying to find the matron's office. He heard some whispers and turned his head toward the stairs where two children around five years old were observing him. He felt more of them were watching him curiously. He would have agreed to that staring if only it were just because he was going to adopt a child, but he knew it was linked to their fear of Tom. They wanted to know what he was going to do to him.

" Would you be so kind as to lead me to Mrs Cole's office ?" Percival asked one of the children on the stairs.

The little girl smiled and nodded. He followed her, noticing the older orphans looking at him from the door of the dormitory. He did his best not to glare at them. If he wanted their help later to gather information, he had to be cordial to them.

When he entered the office, Percival stood still in front of the door, observing the woman from there. She seemed anxious and kind of austere in this room furnished with only a desk, some chairs and a shelf. It was very different from the mahogany desk he was used to and to the wealth of MACUSA.

"Did Tom behave correctly ?" She asked.

Percival refrained from rolling the eyes and nodded.

"Yes, Tom was really polite toward me. I wish to see him later in the week."

She looked as if she had just sucked a lemon when she heard him.

" If you want sir… But.. "

He did not let her finish her sentence.

"I will not press charges against you if my relationship with the boy turns sour. You have my word."

She nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Surely she thought the child would bring her more problems. What the former member of MACUSA did not understand was that the woman seemed to fear and hate Tom, but she was not too eager to be getting rid of him. Why not ask him to adopt Tom right away instead of letting him take his time to get to know the boy ?

''What is it that you fear in Tom Riddle ?"

She stood up and looked at him before sighing.

"When Tom's mother came here, she was on the verge of giving birth. She was already sick and barely able to push the baby out of her body before she died. She gave us his name during the coldest day I have ever seen. Since then, all kinds of strange things have happened around the boy. I have seen him go out in the rain and it was getting stronger and stronger around him, as if he was generating it himself. When he is anxious, everything becomes icy cold around him. The children playing with him always get hurt. He is evil ! There is something evil about him and I can't get rid of it ! I can't get rid of him ! I tried ! I don't want another child to get hurt and I don't want someone to adopt him and press charges against this orphanage !" She exclaimed.

Percival gritted his teeth. The claims of this woman were despicable now that he had seen the fear and sadness in the boy's eyes. But he had what he came for : new information about the boy. New things to analyze to discover how to help him. And maybe he should try to get information on his mother and then look for relatives of the boy.

"I won't press charges, I already told you so. And I am convinced Tom is a perfectly normal child who is growing up in an environment he doesn't feel comfortable with."