A Turn in Time

J.K. Rowling is responsible for the Harry Potter universe and its excellent characters, all the rest is mine. Please do not reproduce this work of fiction anywhere without my permission.

Robin Joy Wirth

CHAPTER ONE

Tom Riddle went to work at Borgin and Burke's store for about the fiftieth time since being hired shortly after his graduation. He disliked interrupting his studies for something as menial as labor, but with only a few coins to rub together and the palatial estate that had once belonged to his father's family to maintain, and what with the Muggle 's World War II going on, he had little choice in the matter.

He had taken to reading the Muggle papers of late, just to see how they progressed. Additionally, he had been reading some of their fiction in his spare time, of which he had little, and even listened to their music occasionally. He especially enjoyed jazz and big band music, and even a few songs from the Americas.

As he entered the door of Borgin and Burke's and took off his cloak Borgin was there to greet him.

"You've been playing around with the Vanishing cabinet again, I see," he admonished him. "It's not safe to use those these days, my boy. I heard tell one of them was recently moved to some spot over in Japan. I guess the fellow wanted to get a look at the war over there first hand—and maybe stir up some magical trouble while he was there. Randomly going to just any destination as you've been doing is liable to land you in some pretty hot water."

"What trouble can a bunch of stupid Muggles be?" Tom wanted to know as he stalked over to the item in question. "I tell you, this is one of the most fascinating pieces of history I've ever seen."

"Why do you find those damned Muggles so fascinating, Tom?" he asked irritably.

"You forget, I was raised in a Muggle orphanage," he reminded the man. "Do you think I would completely forget all of my interests just because I learned about my other heritage?"

"I suppose not," he conceded. "It's just too bad your mother decided to consort with that Muggle in the first place, if you ask me. Waste of perfectly good pure Slytherin blood. Not that you turned out badly, mind. You're one of the lucky ones. Mark my words, if I had my way, interbreeding with the non-magical sort would be more strictly forbidden. We don't need a gaggle of Mudbloods diluting an otherwise superior race."

"You sound just like a Nazi, you know," Tom mentioned, hiding his smile after goading the man.

"Hitler had the right of it, indeed," Borgin said. "Purification of a race is ultimately the most noble goal there can be. Too bad he was a Muggle, or I would have shaken his hand."

"Is it truly as important as all that?" Tom wanted to know. "I know that Salazar Slytherin was a great wizard, and his blood runs through my veins, but my Muggle blood will hardly keep me from doing great and powerful things. I've done a few of those things already, truth be told."

"Yes, I know all about your little group, Voldemort," the man scoffed. "But a fad usually dies out, and you're going to need a great many more followers than those few if you want to make a difference in this world."

"I have more followers than you think," Tom said with a hint of pride in his voice. "You'll see—the line of Slytherin will find no fault with me."

"I hope you are right, my boy," he answered. "But for now, it appears we have a customer. And remember, kindness is often helpful if you hope to make a sale."

#

"Did you hear what the bloody Americans pulled off the other day?" Tom overheard the Minister of Magic comment to one of his minions as they headed for one of the fireplaces that led out of the Ministry hall the following day. He often lurked in the hall just to catch the conversations there, and this one held the promise of being of interest.

"No, what did the bloody Colonists do this time?" the other man asked.

"They've detonated a bomb out in the desert that was so powerful its force shook the magical energy field that surrounds the Wizarding World."

"You don't say," he gasped. "Did any of the Muggles get a glimpse of our true goings on?"

"Only a few," he said. "But of course, they were dealt with accordingly. But if the Muggles have created a weapon that powerful, I wonder what it will mean to the future of our world."

The two men vanished into the chimney, leaving Tom to speculate on their words. Perhaps, he thought, the Wizarding World might benefit from such a device, rather than find it to be a threat. If he had been able to speak to the Minister himself, he would have suggested as much. With a grim smile, he headed back into the small room where they kept their supposedly non-existent Vanishing cabinet and used it to go back to work, as his lunch break was undoubtedly over by then.

"Ah, there you are, Tom," said Borgin as the young man stepped out of the cabinet on the other side. "I've had it on good authority that the Muggle war you've been following is about to be over. Then maybe you can get back to more important matters."

"What do you mean, sir?" Tom asked curiously.

"A military friend of mine has just popped by with news of a planned attack on Japan if they refuse to agree to the Americans' terms, he explained. "It's scheduled to occur sometime tomorrow."

"Will they be using the new explosive device?" he wanted to know.

"How do you know about that?" he asked in surprise. "Well, never mind. Yes, I heard from my friend that they'll be flying it overhead and detonating the thing while it's still in the air. Apparently it will cover much more ground that way."

"That is completely brutal," said Tom with a wicked glee. But then he had a thought as he remembered what the last bomb had done to the magical realm. "Sir, do you think it's safe of the Muggles to detonate an untried bomb up in the atmosphere like that? Only think what repercussions it might have on—well, on our world as well as their own."

"There's no stopping them now, I'm afraid," he said. "For good or ill, by this time tomorrow, we will all know just how much power a stupid Muggle can wield when he puts his mind to it."

#

The following day, as Tom was working alone in the store, he heard an odd noise. It was like a pulse of lightning surging again and again, and each time it surged the noise grew louder. Curiosity got the better of him, and he looked around, trying to locate the source.

"What the devil?" he said as he spotted the Vanishing cabinet. It was glowing a strange shade of green, and as he approached it to have a closer look, a sudden surge of energy leapt out and sucked him inside. Everything went topsy-turvy for a few moments, and then he slipped into unconsciousness.

When he awakened in a dark and misty cave he had no idea how much time had passed. His disorientation was not eased by lighting his wand to have a look around. It was a simple cave, and no Vanishing cabinet was anywhere in sight. He had no idea how he had come to be there, but he knew that he needed to rest his swimming head. He laid out his cloak on the floor of the cave and settled down for a rest.