Chapter 8 - 8: The Woman in the Photograph

Tom sat down in his new seat in the library while Miss Norris took his old seat. Normally, he would be upset but his thoughts were elsewhere.

What did that crackpot mean about a time traveler? If she really did have a vision, did that mean there was a time traveler among them?

His eyes flew to the studious Gryffindor. Her wily brown hair covered her face like a curtain as she poured over the books in front of her. No, she was Dippet's granddaughter, was she not? Maybe she was the time traveler pretending to be their headmaster's estranged granddaughter. But Dumbledore was the one who brought her to the headmaster. What if that old coot was in on it? What if his future self sent the girl in front of him to his time and instructed the him from this time to aid her? Aide her in what, he did not know.

He growled in frustration and shook his thoughts away. He needed proof.

"Are you alright? You really shouldn't take her words to heart." The Gryffindor was looking at him with concerned eyes. He was not used to that look coming from her, it sent a familiar feeling running through him. Not really a feeling but more like an image, one of a similar girl wearing a similar look. One that he had almost forgotten.

"I'm fine," his intended growl came out softer as his mind began to work through his jumbled thoughts. "Do you have a picture of your mother?"

Norris looked at him in a mixture of confusion and shock. He watched as her brown eyes lit up as if she must have realized something. She reached for her school bag and pulled out a worn photograph from one of the pockets. "It's my only picture. Dippet gave it to me right after the funeral." Her words ring with nothing but the truth. He reached out and took the offered photograph with gentle hands. Flipping it around, he was met with a familiar face.

"Are you hurt, little one?" A woman wearing a long grey dress looked down at him. Her brown eyes were large and doe-like.

"It does not hurt," Tom lied. Levi, an older foster kid, had pushed him down on a bunch of rocks causing Tom to scrape his knee.

The woman bent down on the other side of the wired fence. "It looks as though it hurts." She pulled out a white handkerchief and passed it to him through one of the many holes. "This should help ease the pain and stop the bleeding."

Tom took the handkerchief, not believing in her words. He pressed the white material against his wound and the pain instantly vanished. "How?"

The woman smiled at him, "Magic," she said with a wink.

"I do not believe in magic," said Tom.

She stood up. "I must be going, my husband must be looking for me." Tom tried to pass the handkerchief back to her but she would not take it. "Keep it. You may need it in the future." With a swish of brown and grey, the woman left Tom alone in the orphanage's small fenced-in yard.

Later that year, Tom found himself sitting alone by the fence. "Alone again. At least you are unhurt this time." Tom loomed up to find the familiar face of the kind woman who had given him her handkerchief.

Tom found himself smiling on the inside though it would not, could not, show on the outside. "You again."

"He doesn't seem too friendly, are you sure he would be fine with Hermione?" Asked a man with brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Hank, he's just a boy." The woman was becoming angry with the man. "He's like me. He can't stay here without knowing what he is!"

Hank, who must have been the woman's husband, placed his hands on her shoulders. "Maureen, dear, we can't afford to take in another child, not with our move to France." The woman, Maureen, teared up at his words. "When we have enough money, we'll come back and adopt him if he is still here and wants to come with us."

"We will?" Before Hank could answer, Maureen turned to Tom and knelt so that she was at eye level with him. "We'll come back for you."

Tom snapped out of his memories. He nearly forgot them because he was angry that the woman had never came back to get him. He looked at the girl who was staring at him curiously.

Handing the photograph back to her, he said in an almost joking manner, "You know, I think we almost became brother and sister. A woman and man named Maureen and Hank were going to adopt me but couldn't afford it due to a move they were planning to make to France."

He watched as her eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

He nodded and pointed to the woman in the photograph that Norris held in her hands. "The woman in the photograph is the same woman who wanted to adopt me."

Norris smiled a small smile that did not show her teeth. "I always wanted a brother. I mean, I had a sister but it was just not the same."

"You have a sister?" Tom wanted to curse himself. He realized that Norris had used the past tense meaning that she no longer had a sister.

"Hester. She is. . .was four years younger than me." Tom realized that he was around four in the memory, so that meant that the couple had not realized that they were expecting another child. That's why they never came back for him; if they couldn't afford two children, then they really couldn't afford three unless the man was lying about their money issues. No, even at that age Tom could tell when someone was lying and the man hadn't been.

"I never had a sister, only brothers at the orphanage," admitted Tom. He wasn't sure if he could even call the other boys brothers.

Norris smiled and held out her hand to him. "Shall we try being brother and sister then?"

Tom didn't want to but it could be rather amusing. He was also bored with his studies and his knights weren't making much progress. "Yes, I see why not." He grabbed her slender hand into his and gave it an awkward shake before letting it go.

Norris. . .Hermione chuckled. Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement and something else that Tom could not place. "It seems I have much to teach you."

. . . .

Maureen was going to adopt Riddle! Oh, how much the future could have changed if that had happened. Maybe this is what she should do. She was supposed to be Maureen's daughter so shouldn't the daughter be like the mother? Should she help Riddle? It wasn't really helping but it could allow her the chance to become closer to him. Maybe that's why Dumbledore sent her to the past. Her resemblance to Dippet's daughter could give her the chance to get closer to Riddle.

Hermione held out her hand to Riddle. "Shall we try being brother and sister then?" She expected Riddle to sneer at her hand and turn down her offer.

Riddle grabbed her hand awkwardly in his, surprising her with his action. "Yes, I see why not."

He seemed unsure and out of his comfort zone. What kind of little sister would she be if she didn't try to push him out of his comfort zone every now and then. Though, with it being Riddle, he could easily kill her. Hermione's heart fluttered at the thought. She loved a good challenge. "It seems I have much to teach you."

The corner of Riddle's mouth quirked up and he dropped her hand. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they went back to their studies.

Hermione glanced down at her watch which she had glammered to look like a man's watch from the nineteen-forties. They had been in the library for over an hour, and if they didn't leave, then they would miss dinner. "Come on, Ri. . .Tom. It's time for dinner."

Riddle had glanced up in annoyance at the use of his first name, but when he saw her, it faded. He quickly packed up his books and much to her surprise, he helped put hers away. They left the library and made their way down to the Great Hall. When they entered, Hermione headed toward the Gryffindor table while Tom went to the Slytherin table. Kathleen and Abraxas were already waiting for her. "You should have been a Gryffindor since you're always over here," teased Hermione.

"I could have been one." At Kathleen's raised eyebrow, he continued. "The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Gryffindor but I asked to be placed in Slytherin."

"You can do that?" Asked Kathleen. Both Hermione and Abraxas nodded. Abraxas knew from first-hand experience, while Hermione had heard the stories from Harry.

"What can he do?" Asked Tom, making all three jump.

Riddle sat down beside Abraxas making it so that he was across from Hermione. Kathleen's eyes looked as if they would fall out and Abraxas looked as if he was having a heart attack. "A warning next time would be nice. I would hate it if you killed my friends."

Surprising everyone, Tom smiled at her comment. "Why would I give a preempt warning. I do so love the surprise on everyone's face and I do not believe Abraxas ever gives a warning before sitting here."

"What are you doing here?" Shrieked Kathleen. Hermione had almost forgotten that Kathleen and Tom practically hated each other.

"Please tell me you are not being courted by him!" Abraxas's shriek of despair laced with disgust caused many curious eyes to be turned on them.

Tom's jaw clenched, and Hermione could see a vein popping out. "It is nothing like that. Besides, I would never date someone like him." Hermione's distaste for the thought was evident in her tone.

"That was rather harsh though the feeling is mutual."

Kathleen looked between the two before sharing a look with Abraxas. "What are we missing?" Her question was directed to Hermione.

Hermione sighed and gave them a short explanation of the events that occurred in the library earlier that evening. Kathleen and Abraxas listened intently with growing wonder and horror on their faces. "That was quite unexpected of you two," concluded Kathleen.

"What is that supposed to mean? I find that I can be surprising and unexpecting at times," complained Tom.

"She means that I do not like you and that you are too fake in your emotions to attempt something like this, unless there was a reason behind it," explained Hermione.

Tom's eyebrows rose in shock with Hermione's words. "I am fake?"

"You mask your emotions, yes," Hermione was starting to find this conversation quite amusing.

"That's why none of us like you. We never know what you are truly thinking," admitted Abraxas. Tom grew quiet at his words as if he was pondering something.

Tom turned to Hermione. "Teach me how to feel emotions. I would prefer to have everyone look toward me, but if what you three are saying is true, then this is a flaw that needs to be corrected."

Hermione spit out her pumpkin juice. Kathleen dropped the sandwich she was eating and her mouth flopped open like a fish out of water. Abraxas seemed to find the situation amusing and was currently trying to cover up his laughter while failing miserablyat it. "I'm not sure this is something that can be taught," Hermione began slowly.

Tom nodded. "We have the rest of the school year." Hermione was unable to contain her groan at his words. How was she supposed to teach the Dark Lord, who was a psychopath, to feel emotions?

. . .

"Well, I better be off or I'll be late." Kathleen waved bye as she stood up from the table. Abraxas followed suit. Hermione shook her head, wishing that Ron was there with her; she missed him so much, especially when she saw Kathleen and Abraxas together.

"What's the matter?"

"I miss Ron," slipped out before Hermione could stop it.

"Who is Ron?" Riddle was starting to get on her nerves with his questions. It was his fault that she no longer had Ron or Harry.

"The boy I like." She stood abruptly and smacked her hands against the table. "Stop asking questions!"

Riddle looked at her with his mouth open. His eyes flashed a bright blue before going back to their original dark color. "Sorry."

His apology made Hermione stop. Did she hear correctly, did the Dark Lord just apologize? She forced her voice to stay flat when she spoke next, "Forget it." She left the table, and to her dismay, she heard Riddle following her. "Are you really sorry?" Her voice trembled at the end which greatly annoyed her.

Riddle paused in his pursuit. "No." He continued his pace and reached her side in no time. "I am not sorry that I asked but. . .I am sorry that he is no longer here for you."

Hermione choked out a laugh. "It seems to me that you are doing well in the whole emotional area."

She saw Riddle shake his head out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not, not really but I want to. People may listen to you out of fear and respect but it is not enough." Hermione vaguely wondered if he was talking about the Knights of Walpurgis.

"No, it isn't," Hermione agreed with the realization that Riddle seemed to be coming to. They came to a stop at the bottom of the moving staircase. Hermione turned till she faced Riddle. "I guess this is where we part ways."

"It is. Off to learn about magical beasts," Riddle's voice was laced with sarcasm. Hermione was getting ready to tell him how important the class was, even if it was an elective, when Riddle asked her a question. "What was it the three of you were talking about before I showed up?"

"Abraxas was telling us a story of how he could have been a Gryffindor but asked the Sorting Hat to place him in Slytherin." Instead of looking surprised like she would have thought, Riddle looked as if this was something he already knew. "Did Abraxas already tell you?"

Riddle shook his head and his eyes took on a faraway look. "The Sorting Hat wanted to place me in Ravenclaw. I asked it to place me in Slytherin instead." Hermione nodded, realizing why he would have wanted to be in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat probably informed him that he was the heir of Slytherin during the ceremony.

"It would be hard to imagine you in Ravenclaw though you do study like one," joked Hermione.

Riddle smiled at her joke, albeit it was a small and toothless smile but a smile nonetheless. "I could say the same for you." They parted ways then and Hermione suddenly found herself not wishing to kill this version of the Dark Lord. Too bad Tom Riddle couldn't stay as himself instead of being consumed by his persona Lord Voldemort, for that was what Lord Voldemort was if Hermione had to guess. A product born of a loveless union and the creation of a Horcrux.