Greetings everyone! I know…a new story again! I swear this is the last new one I have planned and really it was Moon's fault. It is her birthday on June 17th and she asked me to write this story line for her and wanted to have the first chapter as her birthday present since she is all the way in England and mailed her anything would just be craziness from the states.

So with all my Sly-Girl love and hugs…here you go Moon! Happy Birthday and I hope the day and this weekend is so hella awesome for you. (I just gave her the definition to hella today lol).

Any mistakes are mine and as the time line is WAY before I was born and a good bit of Tom's story is put together from pieces, I am pretty must just free writing with the little bits I have or know. Anything that does not match up to something you may know…I'm sorry now. I did some research but decided I wanted to have creative freedom in what I did and how I did it as well. If any information about the 1920's to the 1950's is wrong…again was not born then and took what I could find on the net but really I am not a history major and never plan to be. This was written for the absolute fun of writing it for Moon and letting her fan girl over THE Slytherin himself.

Hope you enjoy it Moon and I hope everyone else who takes a look likes it as well. I will update this one as often as possible too.

Always

~Tempest

Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr was not someone with whom anyone wished to fuck with. From the very beginning he was a truly creepy individual. As a baby he was never found crying or upset but was a perfectly well behaved infant. Growing up in the orphanage in his youngest years he was a complete loner, preferring his own company or that of a book over the treacherous children who lived at Wool's Orphanage with him.

The first time that his behavior was seen as dangerous or scary instead of just creepy and weird was the day Billy Stubbs had made the final mistake of continuing to pick on Tom and found his pet rabbit dead and hanging from the rafters of the ceiling. As Tom stood back with a malice smile on his face, Mrs. Cole and the other children got the first glimpse into what Tom Riddle may truly be. After that the other children were told to stay clear of him.

The second time that it was pretty clear that Tom was not an ordinary child was the day he had a bunch of snakes and squirrels chase Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop around the yard and attack them for calling him names. Though no one could truly prove that he had anything to do with the suddenly rapid animals, Mrs. Cole was convinced he was the devil's spawn and had to have caused it.

So with all of this and more in his past and with his lack of trust in anyone else but himself, Tom Riddle had at the tender age of ten made sure that he was so terrifying that no bully would ever put their hands on him or his things…again. However, it seemed as if someone had not taken his silent threats seriously. Returning to his room today, he had stepped on a board near his bed that had never been loose before but this time shifted and squeaked slightly under his feet.

Kneeling down to see what was causing the new noise, Tom discovered a hidden stash spot under the board. It looked to have been recently moved and disturbed as the dust inside was missing or smeared in places. Keeping a tight rein on his temper, he pulled out the wrapped object that was still in the hole and set the board back to rights, making sure that it no longer shifted or made any noise.

Sitting on his bed, Tom found himself now staring at the cover of what was obviously a journal of some kind. The cover was a beautiful, dark pressed leather or so he thought. With the bumps and ridges that seemed to be in the material, it was possible that it was made of snake or alligator skin as well. The cornered edges were pressed in with a bronze colored metal in the shape of a decorative triangle and little symbols were etched into the precious metal. He had no idea what the symbols were or what they meant but he could feel the magic radiating off of the object from where he sat.

Not sure what to do for once as he had always been the only source of magic that he knew about, Tom shoved the journal under his mattress and laid down to go to sleep. He really would need to think long and hard before doing anything with the journal. He had no idea what kind of trick it could be or even a trap. For all he knew, he could open the thing and it could suck his magic right out of him and make him just another ordinary kid. There was no way he was going to let some piece of leather and paper take away what made his so much better than everyone else.

Closing his eyes, secure in the decision he had made, Tom fell asleep with relative ease. He did not notice the magical hum that started to emit from the journal as the sandman took him away to the land of dreams.

Tom opened his eyes to find he was not in his room but was sitting in a forest leaned up against a very large tree. Sitting across from him was a young girl who looked like she might be in her mid-teens. The first thing to catch his eye though was her unusually wild and curly hair. He had seen many girls who had curly hair but none so untamed as hers. Her head was down as she seemed to be devouring a book with relish, turning the pages just as fast he did when he was reading.

Her clothing was also something of a mystery to him. Though women wearing pants and trousers were becoming a more common place thing as the years past, it was still not so common that you saw children doing it. Normally the female was rallying for women's rights in the workplace or she actually worked and therefore would wear trousers to keep her dresses nice. The shirt she was wearing however was another matter. It had no discernable sleeves to it so her arms were completely bare to his eyes. The front of it dipped so low that he could see the top of her breasts without any extra boost from a ribbon or tight material. Though the shirt did not seem to hug her form as tightly as some skirts he had seen the upper class women wearing recently, it was beyond indecent and had him shifting slightly with discomfort.

At his shifting the girl in question seemed to pause in her reading and then slowly lift her head to meet his eyes. For the first time in his entire life he saw an emotion in her eyes directed at him that he had never seen before…curiosity. He did note that her eyes were a very warm honey brown and that warmth seemed to not only be in the color but in her gaze as well. Shaking his head at that bit of non-sense, Tom gave her the darkest look he could muster up and pushed to his feet.

"Who are you? Where are we and how did I get here? What are you wearing and do you realize you look like a tramp?"

Instead of stuttering or shrinking back from him, the girl instead had the audacity to throw her head back and laugh…at him. His anger mounting, he clenched his fists to pull on that spark inside of him that he knew he could use to hurt those who hurt him. However, for some reason he felt nothing at all move or stir.

"Do sit down Tom!" The girl's voice was soft but firm as she marked her book and set it aside. Her tone was one of maturity and left little room to argue with.

"Your magic will not work here so stop trying to curse me in some juvenile way. For someone so brilliant and powerful, you really do have quite the temper and lack of control. If you want your questions answered then you will sit down and you will ask them nicely. Oh…and you will apologize for referring to me as a tramp you little cretin!" Crossing her arms under her breasts she watches Tom watching as the display of her breasts becomes even more distracting and finally he plops back down grumpily to the ground, crossing his own arms in anger and defiance.

Staring at her with daggers for eyes, he waits as he always does because he knows his menacing aura would bring her to heel. Only it seemed that was not the case with this girl. After only a few moments of the staring contest they were having, she shrugged as if she did not care one bit about his temper, picked up her book, and continued to read from where she had stopped.

Finding his temper disappear under his confusion, Tom looked more closely at the girl that seemed to have somehow invaded his dreams. Unlike his normal dreams, this one felt so very real. He could always tell when he was dreaming. He learned at an early age how to tell and how to change his dreams so that he was not stuck in one he did not enjoy. But this dream he seemed to have no control over what-so-ever. This meant he was either losing his touch on his own mind, or this girl was the one controlling the dream and therefore was quite real. Deciding if she was a threat or not needed to be his next objective then and so he cleared his throat to get her attention and complied for now with her wishes.

She paused in her reading to glance up at him; one eyebrow cocked up in what he decided was a condescending manner, waiting for him to say what it was he was going to say.

"You are correct miss. I seemed to have forgotten my manners in my confusion and anger. I apologize for calling you such a horrible name. Your manner of clothing is quite different from what I am normally around and I have heard the adults in my life say such things about women similarly dressed as you are. Can you forgive me my rudeness?"

Making sure his face displayed his supposedly contrite feelings, Tom made himself appear to relax as he leaned against the tree and crossed his legs out in front of him at the ankles.

Her small smile was one that held not only warmth but a touch of humor and he wondered what he had done to amuse her this time. Keeping his anger in check, he waited to see what her next move was going to be.

"Let me go ahead and start with this Tom. My name is not important at this time as it would be dangerous to tell you now or possibly at all. For purposes of our communication, you may call me HG."

"Like the author?" Sitting up a little more in intrigue, Tom makes sure to add the correct amount of caution but curiosity in his tone.

"Yes…just so. As I like to read many of his novels and I am a fan of reading in general that seems appropriate enough. I would have said call me Jane but that is a little too contrived even for me." Giving him another smile, she sets the book back down on her lap.

"As to where we are…this is a place I enjoy coming with my family on holiday. I will not give you the name just yet as it is a real place even in your time and I prefer to keep as much of myself and my life private until I think I can trust you more."

Taking in what she said, one thing stood out the most and being as quick as he was Tom decided to grab on to it and ask…even if she wouldn't tell him.

"Your time? Is it different than my time?"

Her grin could not be called anything else except a pride filled, mischievous grin.

"Good…you are as quick witted as they said you were. That will make my life so much more fun. Yes…my time. I am from the future…or more specifically…your future." Pulling her legs up to cross them, she adjusts the book on her lap and leans forward to rest her arms on her legs.

Scoffing at that statement, Tom rolls his eyes and then glares at her.

"I thought if I asked nicely you were going to answer my questions. You did not say you were going to lie when you did so…guess I should have asked for clarification of the definition of 'answer' to you."

"Did you know that you talk like an adult? Ever try being an actual ten year old kid for like five seconds? It would be good for you I think." Shaking her head and chuckling, HG stands up and brushes the dirt and leaves off the seat of her pants.

"Though I guess it will make it easier to talk to you as the years go by with you already being more mature in your speech then most of the teens my age as well." Turning to face him and walking over to hold out her hand to help him up, HG gives him a considering look.

"I didn't lie to you Tom. That is one thing I will never do. I admit now that I will withhold information…most likely information that as time passes you will demand to know. If I ever cannot or will not answer you, I will tell you that. I will withhold information I do not believe is safe for you to know at any given moment and you will undoubtedly be furious at me for it every single time but it will still happen. But the one thing I will never out right do to you is lie."

Looking back and forth from her out stretched hand to her eyes, Tom takes in her words and can taste the truth of them on his tongue. He doesn't know why just yet but he knows something about the magic making this dream happen also has the ability to show him the truth. Of course that could also be a lie to trap him into thinking she is telling the truth. Must stay on his guard as usual but he decides for now he will let her talk and see what else she has to say.

Reaching up he places his hand in hers, realizing that not only does she feel warm to the touch but that her hand is not much bigger than his at this point. Wondering if that means he is going to be tall and then wondering if his own father was tall, Tom lets her pull him to his feet.

"I know you will not believe me entirely even if the magic in the journal requires us to tell the truth, you will see in time that I am not lying to you and this is not some sort of trick or trap."

At his jerk of shock, HG gently takes his hand again and gives it a tender squeeze.

"I told you Tom…I know you. I know the way you think. I know the person you are, were, and will become. For instance, I know you are a parseltongue which is the word for your ability to talk to snakes. I know that you are always alone except for the snake you hide in your room that is your only friend. I know you can do wandless, intentional magic already even at such a young age and that you use your magic to get back at or hurt the other children in the orphanage who hurt you in the past. I also know the one thing you refuse to acknowledge even to yourself just yet."

Looking into her eyes to read her honesty as she lays out parts of his life for him, he sneers at her as he jerks his hand from hers.

"Oh and pray tell little know it all…what is it you know about me that I do not already know about myself. And what does a wand have to do with my magic?"

Giving him a sad smile and sliding her hands in her back pockets, HG turns and starts to walk through the woods.

"I didn't say you didn't know…I said you would not yet acknowledge it. That is the acknowledgment that not only do you hurt them but you like it…immensely. As for the wand…I will let that be the surprise it is meant to be soon."

Stopping in his tracks, Tom digs deep to think about that. He always believed he was justified in every single pain he heaped on those idiot orphans he had to share his life with. He had never truly considered that he enjoyed tormenting them. Closing his eyes he brings back the very moment Billy found his rabbit and then the moment Alice and Dennis took off running back towards the front door screaming and he comes to realize he did in fact not only think it justified but he did enjoy it. Their fear, their pain, their tears were like a lullaby that a mother sings to her baby to put him or her to sleep.

Opening his eyes he turns to face HG and nods.

"You are right. I had not acknowledged it because I had not truly bothered to see it that way. But I do enjoy it and I am not ashamed or sorry for that either." Standing to his full height, Tom waits for her to turn away from him in disgust too. When she only nods back at him and reaches out to take his hand as she starts walking again, his confusion returns and his reservations double.

"Like I said several times now Tom…I know…you. Not the one that you show to the parents who come to adopt a child. Not the one you let peek out when you are mad or hide when you want something and need to appear innocent. I know you Tom just as you are. You have no reason to hide from me here or if you ever decide to talk to me through the journal I left you. Even when you try to pretend to be understanding or sweet or nice or warm…I know better. With me you can be whoever you want to be. If you want to just be you with all your cold empty darkness, then do so. I will not turn away from you in fear or hate or disgust because I already know exactly who I am dealing with. Understand?"

Meeting his eyes, she gives him another warm smile that does something odd to his stomach. He nods at her and lets the mask of civility slide away. With his eyes staring back into hers with a blank emptiness, he stops walking and turns her by her hand to face him.

"If you know me and know what I am…why are you here?"

Tom waits quietly as he watches her eyes roam over his face in contemplation. She seems to be taking in his natural look and really looking at him which is not something anyone has ever had the fortitude to do before. Leaning down she places her lips gently on his brow before standing back up and smiling at his look of confusion.

"I am here to save you Tom…if I can…if you end up wanting it. If not…I am here to destroy you before you can end the world."

With those words echoing in his ears…or rather his head…Tom jerks awake in bed and gasps in a breath. Looking around the room, he took in that he is indeed alone and then throws back the covers to jump out of bed. Reaching under the mattress, he can feel the hum of the journal and the warmth of the magic radiating off of it. He discovers it fells a lot like the way her eyes seemed to feel in the dream and in that moment Tom made the decision that he would find out who she was and kill her before she ever had a chance to kill him.

Pulling out the book and opening it to the first page, Tom realized that the game was officially starting as he read the words that appeared in looping female script across the page.

Hello Tom! Glad to see you finally stopped being such a coward and opened the journal. I look forward to all of the wonderfully conniving games I know you will throw at me to try to trip me up or get information you want. You are a master at manipulation but I am the Queen of time. Tell me…do you think you can win? Let's find out shall we?

If you ever want to talk or need to vent, I am here in the journal…waiting. If you ever want a face to face just place the journal under your head and close your eyes. Even if you aren't tired, I will sense your need and pull you to me.

I look forward to our future talks and to watching you truly work Tom.

There will be an elderly gentleman coming to call on you in a few days. His name is Albus Dumbledore and he will be coming to give you your invitation to Hogwarts. He already knows all of your secrets…or he will the moment he meets you. He can read minds you see and he will read yours. This is something you will learn in the first few years at Hogwarts how to defend from but until then it will happen. He knows about the things you have stolen and why. Tell him before he can bring it up to you. Tell him you did it and tell him why. Tell him you are a collector and that you found joy and entertainment in collecting those prized things of the other children. Tell him that you did it because they have always been arseholes to you and you wanted revenge.

I know you won't want to do this and I know you are confused as to why I would tell you to do this. I know Albus from my time. I know who he is and how he thinks and what he will see about you if you open up to him like that. You will have an easier time convincing him to speak on your behalf to staying at Hogwarts in the summer time in the future if you show him now that you will be 'honest' with him. This part of my plan is not to help destroy you but to save you the pain of having to stay in that condemned place.

Someone with your power and your mind should not be stuck in a hell like that place. You deserve a grand castle and a grand library to read in and study in and become even more than you are in. Dumbles will help get that for you but you must play those cards in a precise way to win his favor. Trust me in this Tom…to begin with you want his favor.

He will not be able to see or feel me. I made sure of that. No one around you will ever be able to read my words or feel my magic or see what we say to each other in your head. I am yours and yours alone Tom. Your little secret to collect and keep.

Until we meet again…

Yours,

HG