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31st December 1926 - Aged 0
In the year 1926, on New Year's Eve, a miraculous being was born in the most unworthy of conditions, pulled screaming and crying into a world that was not ready for his presence, and perhaps, it never would be. The snowstorm outside battered the windows of the rundown orphanage with careless brutality, unwavering in the face of the new life taking its first breath inside that very moment.
The caretakers stared out of the windows with worry, flinching at every sharp whistle of wind that rattled the windowpanes, shivering as the frigid breeze crept through the cracks. They bustled on, however, feeling an almost compulsive need to help the babe survive the night, which they were sure the mother would not, with how sickly pale she was becoming.
" I will.-will name him... Tom..." Her lips were chapped, skin sunken, eyes hollow, and the young matron near her could not help but jerk back at the sound of her raspy voice.
" Tom?" She repeated, taking a single step closer so that she could take a peek down at the newly named boy. He looked sweet, all ten fingers, all ten toes- unlike his mother- and she couldn't help but wonder who would have decided to father a child with a woman like this one. She snapped out of those thoughts at the sound of the woman's throaty cough, grimacing as she clutched the child closer to her chest.
" Tom... after-after his father. Marvolo, after..." There was a pause. "Riddle." The woman- and that was all they knew her as, as she had not deigned to give them a name before she began labour- was beginning to slump, her words slow and slurred, like a drunk.
" Ma'am?" The matron shook her shoulder jarringly as her head began to droop.
" Yes, yes... Tom...Marvolo Riddle. My sweet child." She gazed adoringly down at the bundle within her arms, breathing growing more and more ragged by the second. She began to worry, fretting over the loosening hold she had on the child, who was beginning to slip from his blanket. " I wish... I had...a little more..." Her voice cut off with a sudden sharp rasp, eyes bulging as she slowly turned a grotesque shade of blue, choked noises gargling from her throat. Watching was all Miss Cole could do, as the woman ducked her head to stare at the child once more before her chest stopped moving, and that fondness in her eyes dimmed.
The wails of the newly orphaned infant rang throughout the orphanage like church bells, echoed by distant cheers of the people welcoming the beginning of the new year.
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April 1932- Aged 5
Tom Riddle- or freak, as the children of the orphanage frequently liked to chant at him- sat alone in a small clearing in the woods, staring at the levitating leaf above his palm with intense concentration. It jerked unnaturally in the air, swaying as if it was attached to a piece of string, before beginning to turn slowly.
He had recently discovered this fascinating ability of his, to be able to influence things around him without touching them. Such as the leaf, which was slowly beginning to crumble under his attention. Soon, all that was left was a small pile of dust on his palm, and he let it fall to the floor, tipping his hand and watching the dust sparkle slightly.
Magic.
Tom allowed a grin to appear on his face at the realisation of just what this power meant, to be able to do things he had heard no other outside of fairytales could. He had always known that he was special and, having this ability just proved that. Staring up at the bleak visage of the orphanage that he could spot peeking out from the top of the trees, he swore that he'd achieve greatness no matter what if only to leave this place behind.
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| INTIMACY | - HPxTMR
Fanfiction● Word Count: 175k ● ◇ Ever since he was young, Harry had been fascinated with the Emperor, the founder of the Slytherin Dynasty and ruler of the world. When the chance appeared to become a part of his Harem, Harry jumped at it, eager to figure out...
