The Serpentine Way

Chapter 1

Strange Letters.

It was a pitifully sunny day, the sun mocking Tom as he sat under a tree, crying. The orphanage master Armandos Dickle had beaten him for stealing one of his precious sticks which he kept for the beating of the Little Hangleton orphanage boys and girls. Tom had been an orphan because his mother had died giving birth to him, naming him Tom after his father, Marvolo who had betrayed his mother. The staff at the horrid orphanage had told him all this. Tom was ten years old and would soon be eleven on his birthday in August. He would be going to a secondary school where all his friends from the orphanage were attending also. Tom was a bit cheered when he thought of his birthday which was in fact the next day. He would be eleven.

Just then someone called to him, "Hey Tom, c'mon lunch will starting soon, come or else Dickle will beat you again." It was Philip Mannering, his best friend.

"All right, I was just thinking 'bout tommorow."

They went inside the building in a room where they always ate their meals. They quickly finished their lunch and went outside. "Hey, look at that bird, with a crest on top of it!" yelled Philip who liked birds. Soon the other boys too came outside. They played till the evening and then they quickly scrambled up to their dormitory rooms before Dickle could catch them.

* * * * *

It was night and Tom was deep asleep when he woke up with a start, someone was pecking him with something sharp. Thinking that it was Brett who was always trying to get him into trouble, he tried to push him off but only met sharp claws. He sat up immediately and switched on his torch, and then he gasped because the thing that was pecking him wasn't Brett but an owl! Next to him Philip suddenly got up too and Tom saw that another owl was pecking Philip. Heart-hammering Tom tried to shoo the owls away but they wouldn't budge, it was then that Tom saw something attached to the owls' legs. On a closer look he saw that it was a yellowish parchment. Tom's eyes widened in shock, and, his hands shaking, he reached out to take the parchment. The owl suddenly stopped pecking and held out his leg, Tom snatched the parchment and beside him Philip did the same and opened it. There was something written in emerald writing:

Dear Mr. Riddle,

     We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September first.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Deputy Headmaster

Tom stared disbelievingly at the letter. Was this a joke from Brett?

"What's this Tom?" Philip asked in a scared voice.

"I dunno, do you think this is a joke from Brett?" asked Tom.

"Should we tell Dickle?" Philip asked.

"I think that's a bad idea, but i guess we have no choice. If this is one of Brett's jokes then we have a right to show this to Dickle, he'll get punished," said Tom.

"But what if this isn't one of his jokes?" asked Philip still in a scared voice.

"Well then we have to show it to him, but isn't it odd that only we are getting this letter? No one else is getting them," said Tom.

"Shall we go now?" asked Philip.

"No Phil we'll wait till tomorrow 'cause you know Dickle, he'll never listen to anyone when his sleeps just been broken. c'mon lets get some sleep then we'll see who has written this." They went back to sleep. In the morning Tom and Philip awoke earlier than they usually would have done. They knew that Dickle would be awake. Just as they were about to get out of bed another owl came whooshing in from the window and landed perfectly on Brett's middle waking him up.

"Hey what's this? Shoo! Get off me idiot." Tom and Philip looked at each other disbelievingly. They knew what why the owl must have landed on Brett, but they had almost believed that it was actually Brett's joke. But now if he was also getting a letter, how could it have been him?

"Take the letter tied to its leg an' it'll go," Tom and Philip shouted at exactly the same time. Brett looked at them and then he looked back at the owl which was now holding out his leg. Brett snatched the letter and the owl flew away.

"Thanks guys but what's this?" asked Brett.

"Brett, open the letter," said Philip. Brett opened the letter, a look of astonishment came on his face as he read it. The astonishment changed quickly to anger.

"If either of you sent me this, I'll go straight to Dickle," he said angrily.

"But we didn't send it to you" said Philip.

"Oh, then how did you know about the owl and about the letter? T'was you who told me to take the letter so that the owl would go away, so you must have sent it to me," retorted Brett.

" Brett we got this weird letter too and were just going to Dickle when another owl came landed on top of you," said Tom showing Brett the letter which he had got. " Gosh then it wouldn't have been you, c'mon let's go to Dickle he'll know the best 'bout this letter. So they went to Dickle's office and trooped in.

"Now what do you want, you three?" asked Dickle. Stammering and stuttering they told Dickle about they letters and showed it to him. He first looked disbelieving at the letters and read them, then a look of pure delight came on his face. He explained to them about Hogwarts:

"Well do you know what this means?" he asked. They shook their heads. "This means that you, all three of you are wizards! This school Hogwarts is a magical school for wizards and witches where you will be learning magic for seven years. My older cousin's brother also got this same letter when he was eleven. He went to Hogwarts, and each time came back with one marvelous story after another. I loved the magical world. I hoped that I would also get a letter telling that I was accepted at Hogwarts and would go and study magic and exactly on my eleventh birthday, this same letter came for me too. I studied at Hogwarts, but I was not a very bright student, so I wasn't asked to teach over there. You three are very lucky. I knew that you would be a wizard Tom, because your mother was one, but I didn't expect this from Brett and Philip," he paused for a breath.

"Why didn't you tell me I was a wizard and about my mum?" asked Tom.

"Well Tom, I expected you to find out on your own because strange incidents always are about magical people, my brother also had a number of strange incidents before he went to Hogwarts, and I too had strange incidents before I went there. He is in fact Albus Dumbledore Deputy Headmaster and your Transfiguration teacher! My brother took me once to buy my school books in Diagon Alley, that's where I'll take you to buy your books today, if you are ready that is." They nodded, so Dickle said, "All right just dress, after the other children have awoken and have had their breakfast we'll go. If the others ask you where you are going, just say that you are going to help me in shopping."

"Why, sir? Why shouldn't we tell them who we really are?" asked Brett.

"Have you ever known there was a magical community before you got this letter and I told you about it?" asked Dickle.

"No sir," said Brett.

"The magical community live in secret, they don't want to let the Muggles, that is ordinary people like the others to know that there are still witches and wizards about the country, that is why you shouldn't tell the others, now go and have your breakfast early and be ready." They went off to find the cook. He was not pleased to know that he had to cook earlier than usual just for three children, but as it was Dickle's order he could do nothing but cook a breakfast for them. The three of them could hardly eat anything, and they finished their breakfast in just five minutes. They went upstairs to their dorms and opened the door. The other boys in their dormitory were just getting up. They stared at Tom, Philip, and Brett as they hurriedly dressed.

"Hey why are ya in such a hurry?" asked Ben Krenshaw curiously.

"Oh Dickle wants us to help carry his shopping, he's going shopping today," said Philip hurriedly.

"When did he pick you three? Bet he gave it as a punishment and I think you were fighting," grinned Pat.

"Hahaha, please spare me the 'Dickle's a donkey' joke," said Tom trying to sound sour. They went down hurriedly, leaving the laughing boys. Downstairs they met Dickle.

"Come on hurry up," he said sounding impatient. Outside his car was waiting. "Get inside," he ordered. They got in and he drove away.

"Where're we going sir?" asked Tom.

"We are going to London in a pub called 'The Leaky Cauldron', that's the entrance to Diagon Alley." Tom looked outside the car and watched with excitement and anticipation, as the farmhouses changed to buildings knowing that his life was going to be changed drastically.