His Guardian Angel

Chapter 10

He spent the afternoon just enjoying the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley without having anyone point at him or single him out. The only person that really garnered his attention was a young woman who asked him how to get to Olivander's. And, if he was being honest with himself, he loved no one knowing who he was. It was a window into normalcy that he hadn't known before.

When he passed a newsstand, he grabbed the day's paper and handed over the knuts requested before sitting on a nearby bench. It was high time he learned when he was.

August of 1937.

He was in 1937. That meant that Tom was currently eleven and would be meeting Dumbledore in a year-only a month before Hogwarts would start for him. He briefly wondered why Tom was starting a year late, but decided that wasn't what's important.

He needed to find Wool's Orphanage.

It didn't take him long. He left Diagon Alley and didn't need to travel very far before finding an old, worn-out flyer for the orphanage that had been dirtied with the grime of London. It took less than fifteen minutes for him to find the building, old and dilapidated, standing imposingly over the street with fallen buildings surrounding it. He aparated back to his tent, gathered his things and went back to London.

He waited until the very last light went out and then silenced his feet before casting a disillusionment spell and walking right in the front door.

Harry went upstairs first, peeking into every single room to find children of various ages sleeping soundly until he finally came across the very last door. Sure enough, when he opened the door, he found Tom sleeping fitfully. He crept inside and closed the door again before he heard it.

Tom was having a nightmare and speaking in parseltongue.

No, I don't want to...just stop it...

The child jolted awake after that and Harry watched his face go from terrified to angry in a matter of milliseconds. He watched as Tom growled and slammed his pillow into the wall before he clutched the pillow to himself and sobbed.

Harry, upon seeing the pillow meet its fate with the wall, had nonverbally cast a silencing charm on the room and was quite grateful that he had when Tom chucked the pillow against the wall once more.

Why can't I just be normal?! Why can't I just have friends? Harry lifted the disillusionment spell and seized his chance by clearing his throat.

Tom jumped so hard he almost stuck to the ceiling, although he tried desperately to hold onto his bravado.

"W-who are you?" He demanded.

"I heard you're in need of a friend." Tom eyed him suspiciously and suddenly, Harry wasn't sure the guardian angel outlook would work on him since he wasn't exactly as young as he'd been hoping. It didn't help that he had forgotten to let his wings out before lifting the disillusionment spell.

"What's it to you? I don't need friends." Harry nodded at that and sighed.

"Do you remember when you were five how often you'd pray for a friend?" Tom shook his head. "I thought not. You see, I do remember. You used to pray for a friend almost every night."

"Well then why didn't you come then? Why did you wait?"

"I wasn't able to come until today. But you're getting older and there's a lot of things that are going to start changing in your life that I'm sure you'd like a friend for."

"Changes like what?" Harry couldn't help but think that Tom was quite demanding, but he plowed on.

"May I sit down?" He did just that when Tom nodded and pointed at a chair in the corner. "Tom, do you ever feel...different? Like you can do things that no one else can?" The child nodded. "Things like magic?"