"Wake up, Harry."

Harry rolled over in bed, shocked at the sight of Tom's form leaning over him. He held back a squeal and sat upright, and the events of the previous night flashed back to him.

"Don't do that, Tom. It's creepy."

"That's the point," came Tom's deadpan reply. Harry remembered that Tom had been searching for something in the orphanage room before

"Did you find it?" he asked.

"Yes, but that's none of your business."

"I think it is my business. This is my room now, in case you'd forgotten."

"I was here first, though, so the room actually belongs to me."

"Whatever, Tom."

Just then they were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Mrs. Cole's voice called out to them, slightly shaky. "Harry, you have a visitor from some school…Hadrid from Hoggywarts or some such. Tom, why don't you come with me to get br—"

"—he's staying, Mrs. Cole," Harry interrupted.

"I-I don't think that is the best i—"

"I'm staying," Tom said assertively.

"Fine, fine." Mrs. Cole walked out of the room, only to be replaced by the biggest man Harry had seen in his life.

"Heya, Harry! I haven' seen yeh since yeh were jus' a baby!"

"You know me?"

"O' course I do! I'll tell yeh, it took a long time ter find yeh. Tha' aunt an' uncle o' yours, they're some nasty muggles. Dumbledore didn't even know tha' yeh were here!"

"Dumbledore? Muggles?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Tha's right, Harry. I keep forgetting tha' you don't know anything!"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I mean about tha' wizarding world, o' course!"

"We're wizards?" butted in Tom. Hagrid turned to him in shock.

"Why, Tom Riddle! I don' believe it…I was jus' a second year when ye were a sixth year. Yeh always were nice ter me, other than the acromantula thin'. But what's done is done. How are yeh here?"

Tom, thinking quickly, said, "I'm his son. Or, I think so, at least."

"Didn' even know he had a son! Pleased ter meet yeh, Tom Riddle Jr. But wha' happened ter yer father?"

"An unfortunate accident." Tom pretended to wipe away a tear. He was really laying on the "poor orphan" act. Hagrid's beetle-like eyes were actually watering, though, so Harry supposed that Tom's act worked. The half-giant extended a large hand to Tom, who cautiously took it, though it didn't escape Harry's notice that Tom discreetly wiped his hand on his shorts afterwards. Harry shot him a look.

"Now, where were we? Yeh're goin' ter Hogwarts, which is a school o' witchcraft an' wizardry. The very best school, if I say so meself. Yeh can learn magic there, like Charms, Transfiguration, an' all that."

"Are you a wizard, too?"

Hagrid nodded.

"Then prove it," Tom demanded as he crossed his arms. Honestly, the boy was much too impatient in Harry's eyes.

"Well, I'm not supposed ter do magic, yeh see—"

"Prove it." Harry repeated Tom's words, feeling like a broken record.

"Alrigh', alrigh'." Hagrid pulled out a bright pink umbrella and muttered something under his breath. A bright white light emitted from the tip of the umbrella.

"Wizards use umbrellas to cast spells?!" Harry asked incredulously.

"No, tha's jus' me. I was expelled in me second year. Mos' wizards use wands, which're like magical sticks."

Tom's eyes practically glowed. "Where can I get one of them?"

"In Diagon Alley, o' course — Ollivander's wands 're the best in all o' England."

"And where is this so-called 'Diagon Alley?'"

"Jus' go to Charin' Cross Road, an' there yeh'll find a place called the Leaky Cauldron. Tha's the entrance ter Diagon Alley. Here 're yer directions an' materials lists, but before I go, I need ter talk ter Harry 'bout his family."

"Tom can stay, if he wants. I don't mind."

"Yeh're sure tha's alrigh', Harry? Yeh could always tell him later."

Harry nodded. Hagrid began to tell them about his parents, who had apparently not died in a fatal car crash, as the Dursleys had previously told him. They were considered to be great wizards of their time, and were Head Boy and Head Girl back when they had gone to Hogwarts. Then came the tragic part of the story — Hagrid explained that they were murdered by a dark lord, though he refused to speak his name.

"What was his actual name?"

"Er, we don' speak o' his name. We call 'im You-Know-Who, or summat else, but there're too many other names."

"Please, Hagrid, just tell us!" Harry pleaded.

"O', er, fine…Voldemort," Hagrid whispered with wide eyes.

"That sounds familiar," Harry and Tom said at the same time. They looked at each other curiously. Hagrid simply nodded, then looked at his watch and jumped up suddenly.

"Now, er, I bes' be on my way. Are yeh sure yeh don' wan' ter go ter Diagon Alley with me? Yeh'll be fine on yer own?" Harry and Tom nodded. "An' happy birthday, Harry," Hagrid added, then handed Harry a slightly smushed chocolate cake, which he hesitantly took.

"Thanks, Hagrid." Harry realized that he'd nearly forgotten his own birthday.

"Now, remember yer Gringotts key, yes, tha's the one. Charin' Cross, jus' a few blocks away from 'ere — tha's where yeh'll fin' the Leaky Cauldron. An' ere's yer letter, an' a little summat for yeh to get a pet with. See yeh both at Hogwarts…I'll be helpin' the firs' years in the boats."

With a nod to both of them, the giant man left the room, though they could hear his lumbering steps as he traveled down the stairs for several seconds afterwards.

"So there are others like us," Tom said after a moment of silence. He turned to face Harry. "You're so lucky — to have parents, I mean. Especially ones who were a witch and a wizard."

"It's not like I knew them or anything. Although, in some twisted way, I'm glad they were murdered. The Dursleys told me that they had gotten drunk and died in a car accident. Now, at least I know they died honorably."

"Hmm," Tom replied. "Mrs. Cole said that my mother died giving birth to me on New Year's Eve, so she couldn't possibly have been magical. I was named after my father, you know."

"I'll help you find your parents, Tom. Today, we'll sneak out to buy our Hogwarts supplies and we can look him up in the public library."

"Did Hagrid say anything about how I should pay for my supplies?"

"He gave me a key to my family's vault at some strange bank, but no, I don't think so. He seemed really surprised to see you…" Harry thought for a second. "We should ask the bank what to do when we get there."

"Fine," Tom acquiesced. He began pulling Harry, towards the door, eager to go to Diagon Alley.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You need to work on your control issues. I mean, power is great and everything, but you really shouldn't use it when it isn't—" He was cut off by a poke from Tom, and a small play fight occurred before they made it to the orphanage door.

After a few minutes of walking, they found themselves at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had seen it before, but was with Muggles, and had believed himself to be going insane because they couldn't see it. Now he knew why that was. The pub looked dingy and quire worn-down, especially with the wooden sign creaking in the wind.

Tom pushed open the door, boldly walked up to the bartender, and asked to be let into Diagon Alley. Harry internally winced. Politeness and manners were the key here, based on the people he observed around them.

"Are you with anyone?" the bartender said in a slightly rough voice. Harry dug around in his pocket for his Hogwarts letter, then presented it to the man. If Hagrid was to be believed, then Harry was famous in the wizarding world, so he was careful to cover his name with his thumb.

"No," he said, "but I think this will be acceptable, correct?"

The bartender nodded, then walked to the back of the pub, where a plain brick wall greeted them. He tapped the wall with his wand (which was thankfully not an umbrella), which then opened to one of the most magnificent scenes that Harry had ever seen in his life.

The street was cobblestone, and was flanked by vendors of all sorts on either side. Magical sparks and owls soared through the air above them, and the people were dressed in a fantastic array of robes. The best part, though, was how wonderfully and entirely freakish everyone there was. This was a place where Harry knew that he'd fit in, and maybe even stand out — in a good way, of course.

"Wow," Tom breathed, and Harry could only nod. The bartender coughed impatiently, and they snapped out of their awed trances and entered the alley.