Song of the Past
By: xxlostdreamerxz
Disclaimer: I am going to pretend HBP did not happen. Though I will use some references.
Note: This story is MINE, gotcha? P
Summary: Dumbledore laments over the child he had once loved as his own. A child that he has to destroy...
1945: St. Mary's Orphanage
Amidst the cheerful laughter and screams of delight from the crowd of children, a man with a matching pair of long auburn hair and beard gently made his way through the crowd. Every once in awhile, he passed around a few lemon drops to the children as he tussled their hair fondly. His dark blue eyes sparkled with delight as he saw the children smile and whisper curiously about his flamboyantly colored clothes. And yes, they were quite flamboyant he had to admit. After all, this was the first time Albus Wolfric Dumbledore was ever going to introduce a Muggleborn child to into the inner working of the wizarding world.
After giving the children a friendly wave of goodbye, Dumbledore stepped into a hallway tiled in black and white, the whole place was shabby but spotlessly clean. "Excuse me," he said kindly, spotting a matronly old woman sitting at a polished desk. "I am here to see one, Tom Marvolo Riddle if you will?"
The old lady blinked at Dumbledore in confusion, as she took in his lime green robes. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, wondering whether or not it was time for her to retire. After a few minutes of silence, she finally came to the conclusion that Dumbledore was not a hallucination. "Tom...you say?" she said hesitantly, as she stared down at the folds of her hand. "What for, may I ask?"
"O' forgive me for my rudeness," he said instantly, his cheeks flaming in embarrassment. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am one of the teachers at a private school in Scotland. We have approached Tom a few weeks ago and offered him a scholarship to our institution, that is given that he wouldn't mind enrolling."
A small smile emerged on the old lady's face at those words. "Well, now there's a pleasant surprise," she said delightedly. "I always knew Tom was special. He was always such a smart boy, though a tad on the quiet side..."
Trying his best to suppress his innate curiosity, Dumbledore quickly plopped a lemon drop into his mouth...and winced. The bitter sour lemon flavor always managed to pulled his thoughts away from their given direction.
"...but that can't be helped," she said sadly. "After all, he had just transferred to our orphanage less than a year ago from...there."
There was a moment of silence, before Dumbledore coughed lightly. "There?" he asked hesitantly, seeing the angry sparks flaring from the woman's kind brown eyes.
The old woman sent Dumbledore a sidelong glance. "Yes, there," she hissed, sounding distinctly threatening for the first time in their conversation. "Have you heard of St. Bruno Orphanage before?" she asked softly.
Dumbledore shook his head.
"Horrible place that is," she said with a shudder. "Home to hardened criminals and the like..." she paused seeing Dumbledore's shocked expression. "But don't get me wrong, Tom is not like that. He is no criminal." The old woman grasped her key and unlocked a raggedly old file-cabinet and pulled out a file. "See, look at this," she said tossing the file towards Dumbledore who barely caught it in time. "The poor boy! His father deserted him there and refused to allow him to be transferred anywhere else! Growing up as he did, why I wouldn't be surprised if he never spoke!" she finished her eyes glinting furiously.
"But..."
The old lady shot Dumbledore a severe glare, which surprisingly enough caused the transfiguration teacher to flinch. "Tom is a great child! He may not be kind, nor gentle. But truly, you cannot blame a child for how they have lived their childhood could you?" she asked, giving Dumbledore an evaluating glance. "Everyone is molded by their surrounds, be it bad or good. And Tom acts this way because it is the only way he knows how! He is a survivor and he always will be! You can't blame him for something he has no control over, can you?" she finished, shooting Dumbledore a pleading look as if begging him to understand.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, as he gave the old woman what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "You needn't worry," he said kindly. "I will ensure that no one shall have unnecessary access to Tom's private files, unless necessary." The auburn haired man frowned slightly, as he tried to collect his thoughts. "About Tom," he asked hesitantly, unable to meet the lady's eyes. "How goes his...mental state?" Seeing the old lady shoot him a deadly glare, Dumbledore quickly added, "As a teacher, it is my duty to know and take care of our charges. And I cannot do so, unless I have the necessary information."
The woman's eyes softened slightly at his words. "Well.." she said after a moment's notice. "Tom is truly no different than the average eleven year old child. He's just...a tad difficult at times." The old woman played with her hair nervously, as she tried to find the right words. "He...I don't know how to explain it, but he has built so many walls around himself. Tom just has a hard time trusting and interacting with people," she said sadly, as an angry glint appeared in her eyes. "Though, that isn't his fault. After all, St. Bruno must have stamped his kindness and sense of self out the moment his bastard of a father left him there."
"So he is sane, just too defensive," Dumbledore summed up.
The old woman nodded lightly, as her eyes grew misty. "The only reason he was allowed to transfer here against his father's will was because of a murder attempt on his life." Digging through her purse for a handkerchief, she was pleasantly surprised when Dumbledore handed her one. "Thank you, now where was I."
"A murder attempt," prompted Dumbledore.
"Ahh, now I remember," she said, before blowing her nose quite loudly. "Tom, bless his soul, was only a mere child of nine when it happened! According to reports, the caretaker as well as the other orphans at St. Bruno decided to beat the "freakiness" out of Tom." The woman frowned lightly before continuing. "I don't understand what they were going on about though," she said quietly. "Tom might be a bit quiet, but that's not...freakish."
Dumbledore paled slightly as he felt his stomach churn in apprehension. 'Was she talking about magic?'
"Well, and that's about all that I was able to glean from the reports," she said with a sigh, as she slumped back against her chair. "It was only luck that saved Tom's life. For during that day, an orphanage inspector had come a day earlier than planned to evaluate the condition of the orphanage. And to make a long story short, Tom was taken to the hospital whist in a coma. Exceedingly tragic, I'd say," she finished softly.
Dumbledore bowed his head. "Agreed," he said solemnly as a flicker of anger and pity flashed across his normally cheerful eyes. If there was one thing that he absolutely hated - it was child abuse. Unknowst to himself, Dumbledore had already mentally taken the first step towards accepting the Tom Riddle into his fold...
...and offer his protection.
A/N: Hey guys, it's me again! This was just a random idea that popped into my head. Do you guys like it? Hate it? Please let me know, since I'm trying to decide whether or not I should continue it. P Well, thanks again! Cya around!
xxlostdreamerxz