Time Warp

September 1st, 1941

Hades stared out the window, watching as the Scottish countryside whooshed past.

Tom and his..."friends" were discussing something that didn't interest the younger boy, so he just tuned them out as he switched between reading, studying the other boys, and looking out the window. Occasionally, Tom shifted so that his hand was on Hades' arm as if reminding himself that he was there(or making sure the others knew who had claimed him). When he did, Hades lightly touched his fingers with his own.

"What's your name, anyway?" one of them, a blond, asked with a raised eyebrow at Hades. The boy blinked big, green eyes at him, wondering why he was speaking to him.

"Er, it's Hades," he mumbled, then quickly un-inserted himself from the conversation. Tom's hand was on his arm again, and soon, the conversation turned back to whatever it had been.

~~~~

"Ah, hello, young Hades," a voice said softly in his head.

'Oh, hello, Mr Hat,' Hades responded, smiling slightly. 'You are a very interesting hat. Would you by chance want a vacation?'

"Oh no, dear child, I get plenty of vacation time. But thank you for your generosity." Hades pouted, and at the Slytherin table, Tom rolled his eyes when he realised what had happened.

"No, in fact, since you offered, I know exactly where you'll go. Make sure to keep close to your boy, yes? Have fun in..."

"SLYTHERIN!!" The hat yelled to the Great Hall and said table clapped politely. Hades grinned, bouncing over to the mildly-disgusted purebloods. He passed Tom, who gave him a nod as he headed to the first year's section of the table. He sat down at the end, the few Slytherins sneering at him. He just smiled cheerfully back, making note of their jewellery.

~~~~

After the feast, Tom dragged him to the common room, sitting him down on the armrest of his own chair. He cast suspicious eyes on the older boy when he realised that the chair was the best one there.

Tom just smirked and looked around.

"Anything of interest?" he murmured, low enough for only Hades to hear. The first year shrugged, his bright eyes lingering on a few of the girls that were on the sofa, waiting for the Head of House. Tom smirked. "Good job, my little thief..." He trailed his hand down Hades' back, making tiny circles that let the boy relax into his touch.

"'m not yours," Hades sniffed, looking back at Tom with an amused smile. The older boy just raised an eyebrow and slid his hand onto Hades' waist.

"Riddle," someone called, startling the fourth year from Hades. A bland-looking second year was staring at them. "Got yourself a boyfriend?" Hades furrowed his eyebrows as Tom scoffed.

"Baur, need I remind you of your place?" he snapped, and the boy scoffed. He flipped his brown hair away from his dull brown eyes, clearly thinking himself better. Tom stood up, his wand already in his hand when Hades placed a hand on his arm.

"Is he an issue normally?" he asked, eyeing up the plain boy. Tom, curious to see what he would do, nodded, his eyes on Hades. The boy smirked, striding up to the second year. The older boy scowled down at him, crossing his arms.

"Your most precious item is probably your wand, right? It's most people's," Hades observed, tilting his head childishly. Baur raised an unimpressed eyebrow, smirking smugly. Hades just smiled back, then patted his arm. "Good luck, then." He told him, stepping out of the way so Tom could step into his duelling stance. Baur scowled, brushing off his arm before reaching for his wand.

It was gone. His eyes widened as he frantically searched for it, and Hades just laughed.

"Of course, it is hard to duel without your wand."

Baur looked up to see Hades twirling his wand between his fingers.

"Give it back!" he roared, lunging for the boy.

Before he even came close, Tom had hit him with a stunner. Baur fell to the floor, the thump loud in the silent common room.

Tom sneered at the lump, walking over to Hades' side. The first year handed him the wand, and Tom promptly snapped it. He threw the pieces onto the boy, scowling.

"Let this be a lesson. Never insult me, or my prince, or there will be dire consequences," he said in a cold voice. Hades glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Clean this up." He gestured to Baur before taking Hades' arm and dragging him away.

~~~~

"So..." Hades started, "prince, you say?" He raised an eyebrow as Tom nodded.

"I am the Slytherin King," he explained. "It's only right for you to be my prince." He took Hades' hand, sliding a ring onto his finger. The younger boy studied it curiously, running a finger over the details.

"Cool," he shrugged, looking back at Tom. The older boy shook his head and chuckled.

"I don't know how you're so casual about everything," he sighed, ruffling the already-messy raven hair atop Hades' head. The first year laughed, batting his hand away.

"It's called, 'nothing can phase you once you've seen everything,'" he beamed, and Tom rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the ring, though!" He studied it again, admiring the ouroboros-style ring with emeralds set in the eyes.

"Of course," the older boy murmured, watching him intently.