Chapter Fifty-Eight: A Cold Matron to Live With

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I walk up the steps to the orphanage and knock on the door. It's a minute or two later when the door is hurled open, and a little girl with big brown eyes is staring up at me. My mouth goes dry. Holy shite, she looked so much like Raine; it was uncanny.

I had to blink a couple times to regain focus of my surroundings.

"Hello." I smile at the young brunette. "I'm wondering if I can speak to the person in charge here?" Aberforth's voice replaces my own, and I'm left staring at the girl who just eyes me weirdly.

"MRS. COLE!!!!" She freaking screams. My god. I had no idea someone so small could scream so loud. "Just come in. "The girl says tiredly. "I'll go get her." She drawls, and I eye her slightly.

"MRS. COLE THERE'S A VISITOR!!" She is hollering as she stomps up the steps. I flinch at every loud boom her stomping feet make.

"Damn, I should've possessed her." Abaddon nods, and I scoff.

"I'm amazing. You would be lost without me, Demon Prince." I mock him, making Abaddon chuckle.

"True." He smiles.

A woman strides in wearing a smile a couple minutes later. She glances up at me, eyes sliding up and down my frame before she walks up and sticks out a hand. "Hello. I'm Mrs. Cole." She greets me, and I smile at her, Aberforth's features contorting into his classy grins.

"Hello. My name is Aberforth Dumbledore." I shake her hand, and she smiles kindly.

"Let's head into my office. Shall we?" She states, and I nod, following after her. She gestures for me to sit in the chair opposite to hers, and I find a sense of relief at being not as tall anymore. The height was making me dizzy.

"Tea?" She asks, her green eyes alight in curiosity.

"No, thank you," I answer and she proceeds to pour herself a cup. She leans back into her chair, placing her cup to her lips.

"Why have you decided to come here?" She asks, and I smile.

"I'm here to adopt a child, Mrs. Cole," I respond, and her eyes light up in glee. She claps her claps together.

"Marvelous! We have many kids here who are looking for a nice home!" She says her features expressing true happiness.

Mrs. Cole was skinny and harassed-looking, with a sharp-featured face, but she was grinning right now.

"I actually already know what child I'm to adopt," I say, stopping her rummaging.

"Oh?" She asks, looking curious. "Who might this child be?" She asks.

"Tom Riddle," I say, and she freezes.

"Tom?" She demands, looking at me like I was crazy. "Tom Riddle? Our Tom?" She asks, and I stare at her weirdly. Honestly, I didn't blame the woman. Tom probably scared everyone off.

"Yes. Tom Riddle. I met him while he was attending boarding school and instantly took a liking to the lad." I say, trying to sound like Aberforth. "My brother Professor Dumbledore was here before, initiating him into our school," I state, using my knowledge of Tom's life from the future to seal the deal. Mrs. Cole's eyes lighten up.

"Oh. You are like him, then?" She asks, and I raise a brow at her.

"I don't understand what you are insinuating?" I ask, making her sigh tiredly.

"The other kids are scared of him, you know." She states in a rasping tone. "He scares them half to death." She admits. That wasn't hard to believe. Tom scared grown adults.... kids would be petrified of him.

"I'm aware of that. He told me the other kids don't enjoy being around him." I lie swiftly, managing to get back in control of the situation. She scoffs at me.

"They want nothing to do with him. Nasty things tend to happen to the kids who mess with him."

"What kind of things?" I ask, and her green eyes meet mine.

"He's different from other kids. Rarely cried as a babe. A child's rabbit was found hanging in the orphanage rafters the day after the two of them argued, and when we were all out on a day trip to the seaside, two kids disappeared with Tom and were never the same when they came back." She says in a horrified whisper, making my eyes furrow in confusion.

"He's still a child. I think I can raise him properly. I think I can make him happy." I state, and her eyes soften.

"I'm happy he can have a family. He was so happy when he got accepted into the boarding school. First time I actually saw him smile." She scoffs, getting out some papers. "Sign here, and you can take him home tonight." She states, making me stare at her, confused.

"That's it? Is there no other process? No background checks? Don't you need to see my ID?" I ask her, and she gives me a deadpanned look.

"All children who were given to me as mere babes were given up to a nice family within months of being here. Not Tom. Never Tom. This is the first time someone has shown interest in adopting him. I'm not ruining it for the poor lad." She states and gestures for me to sign. "You sound like you have his best interests at heart as well. I am an impeccable judge of character. You care for him." She states, and I nod slowly, agreeing with her. I did care. Of course, I did. I wouldn't have drunk the Polyjuice Potion if I hadn't.

I stand up and sign the adoption papers, signing under Aberforth's name.

"How did Tom become an orphan?" I ask, and she smiles sadly as she moved around, making copies of the adoption papers for herself. "I'd like two copies please," I state at her.

"I remember it as clear as anything because I'd just started here myself." She starts off the story. "It was New Year's Eve.... so it was bitter cold, and snowing. Such a nasty night. And this girl, not much older than I was myself at the time, came staggering up the front steps." Mrs. Cole hands me the papers. I fold one copy into my own pockets and hold onto the other. "We took her in, and she had the baby within the hour. She was dead in another hour."

I blink away my shock.

"Everyone else is going to be happy to see him gone." She admits, stating a fact and my heart winces at hearing that. I had to physically restrain myself from glaring at her.

"Well, let's call the boy down now, shall we?" I ask her, and she nods feverishly. I realize sadly that she was also desperate to be rid of Tom.

We find Tom already downstairs, leaning on his packed luggage reading the book I'd given to him before. I have to stifle my laughter at seeing Mrs. Cole's horrified expression.

"I assume you already know you've been adopted?" Ms. Cole asks in a stern tone. Tom straightens up and nods, closing the book. I looked upstairs and found so many kids just staring at Tom and me in anger and jealousy. My heart ached for them. I wished I could adopt all those beautiful kids, but I couldn't.

"You say your goodbyes, lad?" I ask him in Aberforth's voice, and he gives me an are you serious look. I raise a brow at him, and he closes his eyes as if he was imagining murdering me. He whirls around, gives a brisk wave to everyone and then glares at me.

"This is it, Tom." Mrs. Cole says, and I see a sort of nostalgia in her eyes. "I wish you all the happiness in the world, boy." She tells him. "No trouble for your new family." She demands and Tom sighs but nods. His eyes were lethal in his rage, though. "Goodbye then." She says, raising her hands, and I smile, moving to grab both of Tom's luggage. He had my backpack around his shoulders, and his arms were crossed impatiently.

"Good day, madam," I say, saluting her, and she sends us a final wave before we walk out of the orphanage, and the door closes on him forever.

I haul his baggage behind me, feeling the Polyjuice potion start to wear off. "I was magnificent back there!!!" I shriek in laughter, feeling my long hair start to willow in the breeze. In seconds I was back to myself, and I almost fall with the weight of both Tom's suitcases in my arms.

"TOM!!" I bellow, and he turns around only to eye me in amusement.

"You idiot." He shakes his head and moves to grab one of his suitcases, throwing my backpack at me.

I adjust the sleeves on my hands, making them smaller and smaller until my hands reach finally. I also change out of Aberforth's dress shoes back into my own smaller running shoes.

"You done there, Dumbledore?" Tom drawls, and I skip up to him, grabbing his arm, and flinging myself forward.

"I was spectacular!" I sing, and he scoffs.

"Your arrogance is showing." He raises a brow, and I raise one back.

"You are very welcome, Mr. Riddle." I chime, and he groans.

"Thank you, Dumbledore. There. I said it. Satisfied?!" He snaps. I nod, beaming.

"Exceedingly," I state, rolling his suitcase behind me, my backpack on my back. It was getting dark, and the sun was setting, making space for the moon to soon shine.

"Here." I hand him his copy of the adoption papers, and he looks at me, confused.

"What do I need this for?" He demands. "They aren't even real." He scoffs, and I shrug.

"A reminder of how you escaped that dreary place." I offer, and he clenches his jaw, before taking the papers and stuffing them in his pocket. "We have one more spot to go to," I state.

"Where are we going?" He asks, and I offer him my hand. "Grab it, and you'll see."

He eyes me warily and sighs before he takes my hand.

I apparate us away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Third Pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Theseus Scamander's own polyjuice potion wears off, and the little hazel-eyed boy's form he'd taken disappears, his own body reappearing. Theseus watches in mystified awe as Aberforth Dumbledore and Tom Riddle head out of the building he'd seen Valentine enter previously.

"What on earth?" Sabra demands, from her spot beside him. The pair of them were on Valentine and Tom watch duty and what they were seeing was astonishing. They watch stunned as Aberforth Dumbledore turns in Valentine herself. She was laughing in glee, almost collapsing under the amount of luggage she was holding. "I was magnificent back there!!!" She screams amidst her giggles.

The two Aurors were far away to be caught but not too far to not hear every word they were saying.

Theseus lips curve upwards in amusement at seeing the little girl laugh and dance around in glee. Her plan was to adopt Tom Riddle out of the orphanage.

"Wow." Sabra breathes, her eyes staring at the two of them gently. They watch Tom turn to the girl exasperated before walking over to grab one of the suitcases, throwing Valentine's backpack at her face.

Valentine just bursts into fits of laughter at that. She didn't see the slight smile that Tom's face had when he was looking around. The smile drops instantly when she launches herself at the lad.

"They make a good pair," Sabra admits watching the two.

"A powerful pair." Theseus nods in agreement. The two of them are left gaping; however, when they witness two thirteen years olds apparate away.

"Did you see that?" Sabra breathes in shock and Theseus nods at his sister-in-law.

"Yup. I saw that." He nods frantically.

"Merlin." Sabra hisses, and Theseus couldn't help but repeat after her.

"Merlin."Β 

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