Riddle Me This

Riddle Me This

Chapter One

Closure

Tom Riddle walked through the muddy and grimy alleyways around the orphanage where he lived, his coal black hair glimmering in the sun and his sapphire blue eyes peering at his surroundings, taking in all the sites, though there wasn't much to see. He slung his pack back over his shoulder, it kept slipping off. The leather strap on the bag was fraying and he hadn't had enough money from his job at the ice cream shop to get it repaired.

He rounded a corner and was greeted once again with the orphanage. The ugly, crumbling grey building loomed up in front of him. He walked to the front doors and under the sign that read "Orphanage," in pealing gold paint that hung off its hinges. He entered the building and his eyes adjusted to the dimness. He walked over to his cubby and placed his bag inside of it, making sure to take out the days earnings so the other boys didn't steal it.

He walked up the stairs and past Mistress Brockinsteins old fat tabby and into the boy's room. He walked to his bed and lifted up the mattress. He slipped the money inside a tear at the bottom. Then once he put the mattress down he noticed something, a letter, lying there on his bed. He picked it up and sat down on the lumpy mattress. It was addressed to him in green ink.

Tom Marvalo Riddle

Berckenshire Orphanage

Cornwall England

The Third Lumpy Mattress in the Row

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Professor Dippet

Dear Mr. Riddle,

(the letter read)

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. And due to your lack of a parental figure, a key to your Gringotts vault and directions on how to get onto platform 9 ¾

Term begins on September 1. Yours Sincerely,

Sorony Frinckenstein

Sorony Frinckenstein

Deputy Headmistress

Tom read the letter over and over. Then he looked at the calendar on the wall the date was August 28^th. Then he noticed a second letter that must've came with the first. He opened it up and saw that it was a list of school supplies.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

UNIFORM

First year students will require

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

Course Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

By Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

By Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

By Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 wand

1 cauldron

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a frog

Tom sat there dumbfounded for quite some time. Then he dove under his bed. He came up a few seconds later with dust in his hair and picking spiders off his back, but he was holding a box. The box had his name on it. He tried to open it and to his amazement it did. He had been trying to open that bothersome box for years now. Inside the box was a solitary letter written on parchment, yellow with age and cracking around the edges. He picked it up gently, in his slender fingers. Pianist fingers, the lady at the ice cream parlour called them, long and slender, perfect in their craftsmanship. He carefully untied the silver ribbon that held the parchment closed and carefully unrolled it. He blew the dust off the writing and began to read.

Dearest Thomas,

Now you are eleven years old, and as I had hoped, have received your letter from Hogwarts School. Obviously you have some questions for me, like why, have you received a letter proclaiming oddities to you. Well Tom, you are a wizard, like I am. Your father, once he found out, left me for nothing. Now don't hate him Tom. He was frightened. He didn't understand. I wish I could be with you now, to guide you through your preparations for your education, but I cannot, and I hope this letter will be of some use. You need to go to a fireplace, anywhere will do. Take this packet and toss all of the contents into the fire. Then step inside, don't worry, nothing will happen to you. Once inside the fire you need to say Daigon Alley, now honey make sure you say this very clearly.

Once you get to the alley go to Gringotts, the big white marble building. Hand the key to one of the goblins, they will take you to your vault, now when you get there don't take all your money out, it needs to last you 7 years. And if you have any muggle (non-wizard folk) money, give it to the front desk, they will exchange it for you and place the money in your vault.

When you go to Kings Cross Station on September 1^st head to the barrier between platforms nine and ten, when you get there....

But the letter had suddenly stopped, the parchment was torn. He didn't have time to ponder what to do when he got to the platform because at that moment, Buckley Brockinstein, Mrs. Brockinstein's son walked in, followed closely by his friends, Daryl and Rackerst. Tom quickly shoved the box under his bed and stood up, prepared to take a beating, he was very glad that he hid the money he earned from his job, because they where always trying to take it from him.

Buckley snapped his fingers and Daryl and Rackerst pinned Tom against the wall.

"Riddle me this, Riddle me that," Buckley drawled. "What's short," Buckley punched him in the gut. "Ugly," he punched him again, "and wimpy," he was punched again. "Tom," he punched his right cheek, "Riddle," he punched his other cheek. Tom's head was lolling to the side and blood was coming out of his mouth because his teeth had been cut into his gum. The two boys let him go and followed Buckley out the door. Tom slumped against the wall in a heap of oversized clothes, he rested his head against the wall and he slowly waited for the stars to clear from his vision. Then he got up and walked to the wash basin, he splashed water all over his face, and cupped some in his hands and poured it into his mouth, swished it around before spitting it out, it came out red, so he took the basin and poured the water out the window and into the bushes below. He stood there at the window sill, looking out over the setting sun. He sung softly to himself, his light voice floating across the garden till it turned into a whisper.

"Somewhere out there, is a place for me, where I can go, and I can be free, be safe forever, where nothing can touch me, I would be free."

It was a line from his favourite song. That decided it. It was one of the final days of august, and the rest of the boys would be eating dinner now, he wouldn't of course, because he was in trouble again, for something he didn't do, this time it was blowing up the old wash basin, but now he knew why. he went over to his bed and grabbed his worn leather messenger bag and slung it across his shoulders, put the letters in it, and his box, gabbed his few extra clothes and rolled them into a ball so they would fit into his bag, he placed the letters back into his box and tucked it under his shoulder, and with one last look around he stalked out the door, he reached his cubby and pulled on his worn coat, it was a soldiers, it had become to small for him and he had met tom and given it to him, it was a little big, and it was warm outside, but he figured he would need it at the school, who knew where it was, it could be in Iceland. He grabbed his money and shoved it in the coat pocket, and just to spite Buckley, grabbed his favourite scarf and stuffed it into his bag. He opened the front doors, he walked through and they slammed behind him. He kept walking and didn't look back, he reached the gates and pulled them open, he walked through them, and as they shut behind him he knew a chapter of his life was over, that book was closed, and it could only get better.