Tomarry One Shots

The way to do is To Be

Summary: "Call me by my Name." "Which one?"

Ship: HarryPotterxTomRiddle/Voldemort

All credit goes to hn_athanasia on Ao3

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The view of the sun sinking behind the mountain in the distance and bathing the sky in a colour palette of red, orange and purple tones, as if the hand of a skilled painter had swept the brush leisurely across a canvas, is truly idyllic. Without undue pressure or haste, the calm concentration of a scholar.

Harry leans back on his hands and gazes into the distance with a satisfied smile. The village he lives in is called Hage and is at the arse end of the world. That's no understatement. It literally takes a month on foot to reach the royal capital.

Hage is a small village on the edge of the Clover Kingdom. It is largely undeveloped and consists of several houses that happen to lie in a wide grassy plain. One of the notable landmarks of Hage is the huge skeleton of a demon, which is located just outside the village. On top of the demon's skull is a statue of the First Wizard King who defeated the demon. In addition, the villagers can see into the Realm of the Nobles unhindered due to their low altitude.

Most of the villagers work as farmers and have a piece of land that is used for agricultural purposes. As they live in the Forsaken Realm of the Kingdom, most of the inhabitants of Hage have little magical power. For this reason, only a few of them are able to join the Magic Knights. Instead, they stay in the village. As they also live far away from the main population of the kingdom, the villagers are often discriminated against by those who live closer to the royal capital.

It's been now almost 15 years since Harry was reborn into this world as Asta. Asta was abandoned by his mother in front of the orphanage church. It is so called because the church in Hage is also an institution where several orphans are housed. It is run by Father Orsi and Sister Lily, who act as foster parents.

However, he is not the only one to enter this magical yet foreign world. Tom Marvolo Riddle, formerly known under the pseudonym the Dark Lord Voldemort, is also here. They were both abandoned at the same time, on the same day, and the circumstances have certainly not helped Riddle to look forward to nor accept their new world, the new possibilities.

Harry sighs, the smile having long since given way to a brooding frown.

The Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony is about to take place. The Grimoire Tower houses a large collection of unclaimed Grimoires, which are given to the 15-year-olds during this ceremony. It is led by Drouot, who is also responsible for guarding the tower.

Asta is a young man of short stature (155cm) with a muscular build. He has green eyes and messy, ash-blonde hair with a fringe in front of his forehead and a single strand sticking up in the centre of his head. He wears a black headband with a red, four-pointed star with three stitches on the back. He has numerous scars all over his body from his strenuous training.

Asta's usual attire consists of a plain white tunic with a V-shaped collar under a dark blue jacket with sleeves that only reach his elbows. He also wears a pair of matching shorts with a seam on the left side. His trousers also reach just below his knees. His shoes are made of two different fabrics, the parts that cover his ankles and the soles are the same colour as his jacket and trousers. The parts that cover his toes are white, with a vertical seam that extends from the bridge to the toes.

All in all, it's not as if living conditions like Asta's are alien to him. Back then, under Petunia's thumb and the Dursley walrus duo, he suffered more than hunger. In contrast to Harry Potter's life in the cupboard below the stairs, without regular meals, suitable clothing and the freedom to go out and do what he wants, Asta lives as Harry always wanted; dreamt.