Slytherin Adoption

Explanations: Part Two

Author's Note:

This chapter is kind of long, and maybe a little boring, but hopefully it will help explain some things. A huge shout out to my sister for helping me write this chapter.

Far away from Hogwarts, in a hidden manor, Tom Riddle sat alone. It was dark and gloomy outside, reflecting his mood perfectly. As the thunder roared and the wind beat against the windows, Tom sat in the dark. In one hand he held a barely touched glass of fire whiskey and in the other...in the other, he held a picture. Suddenly, his eyes flashed red as he through his glass at the wall, watching as it shattered and the liquid coated in the stone floor. He slumped forward, head in his hands, as the picture slipped from his loose finger tips. Against his will, the memories flooded his mind just like they did on this day every year...the day he lost everything.

Flashback

It was Tom Marvolo Riddle's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He really liked Hogwarts, but for some reason, the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dumbledore, seemed to have a personal disliking of him.

"Is everything alright, Master?" Tom's pet snake, Nagiria (Nagini's mother) asked.

"I guess so," Tom replied. "I was just wondering about my family."

"The ones who gave you up?" Tom's best friend Abraxas Malfoy entered the dorm room just as Tom was hissing to the snake. He took a step. Tom turned and stared at him, wide-eyed. Professor Dumbledore had not seemed happy when he had mentioned his ability at the Orphanage and he did not want to lose his best friend. After a moment of silence, Abraxas let out a breath.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a Parselmouth?" he asked. He didn't sound angry, just curious. Tom frowned.

"Parselmouth?" he asked. Abraxas nodded.

"That's what people who speak Parseltongue are called," he explained. "It's very rare, and can't be learned. You must have been born with the ability." After being reassured that Abraxas would keep his secret and that he hadn't lost his friend, Tom made his way to the library. After learning that books on Parseltongue were only in the restricted section, he managed to get a slip from Slughorn, who rather adored him and would basically give him anything he asked for. He returned to the library and began looking in the shelves in the restricted section until he found a book labeled Parseltongue: The Language of Snakes written by Gormlaith Gaunt.

Tom sat in a quiet corner of the library and opened the book, to find that it was written in an odd text. As he studied the text, the words soon became clear to him and he recognized that the book must have been written in Parseltongue. After getting over his momentary shock, Tom sat back and began reading. Luckily it was a Saturday as it took him several hours to fully read the book and by the end of it, he had more questions than answers.

Apparently, Salazar Slytherin was the first known wizard to speak the snake language so it was unknown whether it was genetics or a spell the man had created. Whatever had caused it, it had passed down through the generations which basically meant that if Tom could speak Parseltongue, then he was most likely descended from Salazar. Leaving the library to go to the Great Hall for dinner, Tom decided his next step was to research his family tree.

Tom was a brilliant student, especially at potions, so with the help of Abraxas he brewed a potion that would show a person's entire heritage. It took three weeks of them sneaking around to get the ingredients and then finding an abandoned classroom to brew the potion but finally, it was ready.