A/N. Any cannon characters settings and the like belomg to JK Rowling. I am working with someone else on this story so credits to her.
Chapter One
June 1st, 1993, Wool's Orphanage

Seven o'clock in the morning, a man with a long white beard, and half-moon glasses, clad in an emerald green robe, Albus Dumbledore, stood at the front gate of Wool's Orphanage, a sense of deja vu overtaking him. He had been here before fifty-seven years ago to the day. A huge gust raged on as the morning chill kept up. Albus opened the unlocked gate of the orphanage and headed up the path, his eyes moving around noting how not much had changed. Maybe a few new potted plants, and a fresh coat of paint. Other than that, it was basically the same. Old looking, but new at the same time. Albus walked into the place to see a woman at the front desk. He glanced down at her name tag...Alice. Yes, this is the woman whom he spoke with on the phone. She looked older. Early sixties, maybe in her late fifties. She had brown hair that was greying on the edges. It was kept up in a neat bun. She looked up at him as she must have heard him come in.

"Hello, I am Albus Dumbledore. I believe we spoke on the phone a week ago, about Jonas Riddle?"

"Um...yes, Mr. Dumbledore, I am Alice Miller. I will take you to him," she said.

As they walked, there was a long silence until, at last, it was finally broken by Alice

"Though I must warn you, there have been accidents with the other children, nasty things...Jonas has never had a visitor before."

Albus simply nodded. This time, though similar than last time, would be different; he had a strong feeling that it would. He walked inside with Alice to Jonas' room. She hesitated for just a brief moment.

"I can assure you, madam, that I pose no threat to your charge. Though if he doesn't want to hear the dithering thoughts of a stranger, I shall leave your humble establishment at once. What do you say, Mister Riddle? Care to humor an old man?" Dumbledore asked, turning toward the lone figure in the room. There was a dismissive waving gesture from behind the book which could have meant anything, though both Alice and Albus choose to interpret as an invitation.

Alice nodded and left them be as she silently closed the door. Dumbledore looked at the boy. Dark hair, his skin was pale. He was rather tall for his age of thirteen. Now that he was closer he could see the book Jonas was reading was about aeroplanes. He barely looked up at him just enough to let him know he was in the room. The Professor looked back and saw lapis blue eyes that were similar to the boy's mother's eyes.

The headmaster felt his heart stutter when he made eye contact with the child. It was all too familiar, wasn't it?

He smiled fondly. He was a spitting image of her. If he was correct in remembering Jonas' mother in her youth when she was thirteen years old. Despite her being sorted into Ravenclaw, she was always seen with Tom Riddle, no matter where she went it seemed.

A brief fear took to him and he resisted the urge to shudder. No, he couldn't make those kinds of judgments yet, though there were memories going off in his head like sirens, warning him to tread carefully.

"You're Jonas," he said kindly. "I'm Albus Dumbledore and I've come to talk to you for a little while if that's alright. May I sit down?"

There was a chair at a small wooden desk, but it was too far across the room to be as intimate as Albus wanted this conversation to be, so he glanced to the spot on the bed next to Riddle. He wanted to start this off right, give the boy the proper impression of him. He'd made many a mistake in his long life, but never the same one twice. He waited patiently for permission to sit and refused to say or do anything until he got it. An uncomfortable silence was always more concerning to a child, and they always eventually gave in. There were a few moments of silence as Albus watched Jonas turn a page of the book and paused before setting the book down and scooted to the edge of the bed. He saw him narrow his eyes slightly.

"I know who you are, what you are," he had told him. "You're a professor at Hogwarts, aren't you?"

At this time, Jonas had gotten up and closed the window so they wouldn't be overheard or seen. He sat back on the edge of the bed and gazed up at Albus. What was the old man waiting for? He thought to himself, fidgeting on the bed rolling his eyes unintentionally

"You can sit down if you want to," Jonas said to Albus

Albus joined Jonas on the bed, careful to leave enough distance that the depression in the mattress wouldn't slide the boy towards him any. He did not want to encroach on Jonas' personal space, and perhaps a part of him was wary, to be too close to the boy just yet. He placed a letter in Jonas' lap. Jonas didn't look at the acceptance letter yet.

"So your mother told you I was a teacher, then?" Albus asked with a small smile.

He was unused to ceding control in situations like these and wanted to coax Jonas into revealing everything he knew before they went much further. His usual approach to these matters was to introduce Muggle-borns and others unfamiliar with magic to its existence, placing himself in a position of trust and importance. If Riddle already knew of the Wizarding World, then he had lost that card and would have to come up with another way of making himself seem necessary to the young wizard. But his voice remained perfectly calm, giving away nothing. There was a reason Albus had insisted on making this trip himself, despite having long since delegated these kinds of tasks to McGonagall and other Hogwarts staff members. He had told them it was because Riddle's age made him a special case, though his true motivations were a bit more selfish.

Albus watched him carefully. He had known Jonas' mother...if he was correct...Tom had often hung out with a girl, a Ravenclaw. She had dark blond hair and lapis blue eyes. She was a Ravenclaw and a half-blood like Tom was. If Albus was right, then Jonas' mum was a kind and caring woman who was just trying to protect her son.

"Yes, she did," Jonas answered.

Jonas did not trust Dumbledore...he didn't trust anyone but...Dumbledore would be just another person, another person in the Wizarding World that would fear him, another person in the Wizarding World that would jump to conclusions...they all do.

"You're going to be like the other wizards, aren't you?" he asked. "You'll jump to conclusions and judge a book by its cover."

Why did Jonas say that? He had no idea.

Albus idly plucked a small candy from his pocket and unwrapped it. "On the contrary, Mr. Riddle," he said, tossing the sweet into his mouth. "I've been frequently told that I am most unlike other wizards. Quite alone in my affinity for sock collections," he added sweetly.

Albus was determined that he would live by his own advice on this one. He would not judge this child by the marks of either of his parents; not the qualities of his mother, nor the flaws of his father.

...But he also had to be careful. Others would not be so fair, and he couldn't allow Riddle to give them any indication.

"It's actually education that I came to talk to you," Albus continued, a fond quality to his voice which always snuck in when he began to talk about Hogwarts. "I trust you know that I instructed your mother many years ago."

Of course, he did...

Jonas watched patiently, what else was he going to say? And why hadn't he come here before? Weren't first years supposed to be accepted at age eleven? Not that that question mattered now, but still.

"Don't call me Riddle," he said instead of what was on his mind. He didn't want to be seen as Riddle. He wanted to be seen as Jonas. His mum named him Jonas. She raised him for eight years, and for kind of obvious reasons, she had to give him up to protect him.

"You've been very well hidden from us, Jonas," Albus said calmly. "And your mother had a good reason for that, but I believe the time has come for you to make some decisions for yourself, don't you think?"

Albus drew his wand and set it peacefully on his lap, curious about Riddle's reaction.

"I have come to offer you your rightful place at my school, Hogwarts. Whether or not you attend is, of course, entirely up to you, but I would suggest you allow me to make a case before deciding

Against it.

Jonas hadn't been that well-hidden. When he was younger, his mum had taken him multiple times to Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. His favorite part was going to Honeydukes and looking at all the sweets he knew she couldn't afford. It was a nice sight to see, though, all the bright colors and to go into the shop. Jonas mentally smiled as the memories flooded through his mind of the little shop with all the brightly colored candies in red, blue, green, orange, and yellow. He could still smell the fudge and taffy if he tried hard enough.

"Alright, shoot," Jonas said.

Why not? What's the worst that could happen? Did everyone know the connection to the Riddle name? He guessed he would figure it out later wouldn't he?

"Well, Jonas, I will not lie to you," Albus said, and he meant that. He did not lie to his students, though he would frequently withhold information, an action he considered quite separate from lying.

"There are many people, some of them inside the Ministry of Magic, who do not want you learning magic. Many documents pertaining to your living arrangements were falsified several years ago and you vanished from the school's radar."

It was a gamble starting with this statement. Albus hoped this knowledge would not spark resentment or fear in Riddle, rather he was hoping to awaken that rebellious nature present in so many youths that drove them to strive for things that were denied them, just out of spite.

"But I have remedied that situation, and I am going to give you the chance to come with me.

Hogwarts is a boarding school, and you would only have to return here during the holidays. I trust you might enjoy a slight change of scenery?" He added in light jest, flicking his eyes to the drab walls and dim lights of the orphanage.

Jonas blinked his eyes before responded. He respected the headmaster, but at the same time, for some reason, he didn't want him to know that. Everyone hated him, the witches and wizards for his bloodline, at least the older ones, and the muggles for his freakiness. What makes this any different?

"I would like to go to Hogwarts, Professor," Jonas told him simply.

Why not? Might as well.

Albus smiled, genuinely pleased. Riddle had agreed to go to school.

'And this time,' the voice of his mind said seriously. 'You'll do your job correctly.'

"I'm pleased you are taking this initiative, Jonas. It says a great deal about your character."

A little flattery could go a long way with anyone, especially a child, but Albus was careful not to overdo it. He needed to keep the boy confident and moving in the right direction, not aggrandize him. But some slight praise was probably a good idea if he wished to soften the uncomfortable edges of the conversation that still needed to happen.

"There are many matters we will have to discuss before term starts this September, and of course, we will have to take you school shopping," Dumbledore said, twirling his wand very slowly in his fingers. "However before any of that, we do need to broach the topic of your behavior during your stay here at the orphanage."

This is where Albus needed to plan his moves carefully. The last thing he wanted was to push Riddle away from him. A part of his brain was screaming at him to take the easy route and ignore this subject altogether, but he knew he couldn't. He had to make sure. He had to be positive this time was different…

"It was brought to my attention that there have been some incidents with several of the other children here? Would you like to tell me about any of that?"

"Incidents huh?" he said more to himself. "All the children would call me freak cos' I could make things move without touching them, cos' I could tell animals to behave without training them...we went to a zoo once, one of my "supposed friends" saw me talking to a python. She said I wasn't speaking English. That I was hissing," he admitted, figuring now would be a good time as any to tell him about the snakes. "They pushed me around. So I pushed back."

Albus nodded thoughtfully. He was unsurprised by Riddle's explanations, and although the boy had the flippant tone of someone making excuses, Albus was inclined to believe him for the most part.

It was Riddle's admission of his magical abilities that most convinced Albus that this was the right course of action. Riddle had a better chance learning more magic under Albus's watch than continuing to do so in his current isolated, somewhat hostile environment.

"Well, Jonas, I'm afraid that I cannot promise you that you will encounter no such persons at Hogwarts. And while my staff does not tolerate unsolicited harassment like what you have described, be warned that we also do not abide by violent or cruel retaliations." Albus paused, wondering if he could get away with ignoring Riddle's admission that he was a Parselmouth. It would be unlikely that the boy would encounter many snakes during classes, but Albus couldn't be certain that he wouldn't let it slip at some point, ignorant of the consequences. While Albus disliked the idea of people censoring themselves for fear of unfair judgment, he supposed Riddle at least deserved the option of keeping his serpentine aptitude a secret.

"I will also warn you that what your peers saw you doing at the zoo is called Parseltongue. It is the ability to talk to snakes, and it is extremely rare. In fact, until recently, the ability was present in only one family, the Slytherins, and as they had been inclined towards the Darker Magic, many people have come to associate that talent with evil. I can assure you that it is merely a coincidence, In fact," Albus paused to wonder if he should mention any names.

"There is another student in my school right now who revealed himself as a Parselmouth last term, during an accident in a dueling class. And while others were wary at first, there seem to be few problems anymore." Albus worried he was saying too much and that he might overwhelm Riddle.

Jonas nodded. "That's what it's called," he muttered. He then looked down at his list for the first time since Dumbledore got here. "How do you get to Diagon alley from here?" His mum had told him everything that came to being a young student and getting your supplies. But she never told him how to access it from the muggle world...she guessed he would never need to know that. Well, he guessed not everyone could be perfect.

Albus resisted the urge to frown. He had hoped to dazzle Riddle somewhat with descriptions of all the magical wonders he was to see in Diagon Alley and at Hogwarts, but the boy seemed to know so much already.

"No worries, my boy," Albus said sincerely. "When the start of term gets a bit closer, I will escort you to Diagon Alley myself. Once you have purchased your own magical wand, you will be able to open the gateway yourself."

Jonas simply nodded. Since there was nothing much else to say, Dumbledore got up. Jonas watched him leave before he went back to reading his book about model aeroplanes looking forward to another visit to Diagon Alley.