A Precious Memory

Not Riddle?

Hey guys! I'm back again, with a chapter full of our Dark Prince's shenanigans and sass!

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"You know." The teen's voice was resigned. "Of course you do."

Tom hummed, not answering since he didn't ask a question, technically. Merely stated the fact. "What is your name?" He asked. The boy looked at him sharply, his Killing Curse eyes had a calculating gleam in them.

"Hadrianus Marvolo Slytherin. I am afraid I can not reveal a word about myself other than my name, Lo... Mr. Riddle. As you already know where I came from. However, would you be so kind as to let me know which year it is, and allow me to reside here for a few days until I can arrange for a return to my own time?"

Tom looked at him, smirking. He was about to call him Lord, huh? Oh yeah, his child is a clever one with a spine of steel, so unlike his cowering followers. A true Slytherin. Oh, what a delight!

"It's 14th April 1943, Hadrianus." Beautiful name, Hadrianus, meaning rich in knowledge. Rich in Magic. Rich in aesthetics. Basically in everything. Now that is something he'd name his son.

Hadrianus Marvolo Slytherin.

Wait, Slytherin? Not Riddle? Why did his future self not use their father's title?

Not for the first time, Tom started to doubt whether it truly was his father who was magical.

"1943, of course, it is!" Hadrianus sighed, his eyes holding a distant gaze as he brushed off the imaginary specks of dust on his robes and moved with a natural grace and elegance one could only aspire to. Tom looked on appreciatively. It looked like he had raised a rather stylish, poised, cunning, graceful, and sophisticated Heir. He was the perfect example of a proper Pureblood And if his future son was anything like him, his mind was already calculating all the possible ways to return to his timeline.

Tom wanted to stop him and keep him here. After all, Hadrianus does belong to Tom. But he knew it was not possible. He couldn't protect him here, not with the war outside. He felt jealousy rising inside of him, jealousy over his future self who gets to see him every day, who can protect him at all costs. He didn't even know enough Magic yet to protect him. His son was much safer where he was, with Lord Voldemort.

Speaking of...

"What made you think that playing around with Temporal Magik was a good idea?" Tom scolded, since his future self was not here to do his job, as he should have been. And how could Lord Voldemort even allow this, for Hadrianus to mess with ancient Temporal Magik and put himself in danger like a foolish Gryffindor? He should have trained those traits out of him. Lord Voldemort's Heir should have been a true Slytherin in every aspect, calculating every risk at least a dozen times and having considered at least another dozen alternate strategies along with weighing the pros and cons before carrying on.

"I was trying to create a ritual for Time Travel. Just a side project to occupy myself with." Hadrianus pressed the side of his lips and shrugged as he sat on one of the chairs in a corner of the room.

"But, there was a... mishap, which prompted the circle to activate, and due to an incorrectly entered date, here I am."

Tom nodded impassively, taking a seat in front of him, but inwardly he was impressed. Creating rituals for Time Travel as a side project? That task alone was quite the undertakingand would be a brilliant achievement.

"Does your... father know what you were up to?"

This time, he seemed sheepish as he scratched the back of his head, "Er, no. It was supposed to be, ah - his birthday present."