Chapter Text
Harry sat on his bed at the orphanage crying his legs to his chest and his arms wrapped around them his head buried in his lap. He looked up when he heard a small chime. He was staring at a blue screen.
Your true magical power as awaken. All magical beings have a screen like this so don't be scared little one.
"Magical?" Harry asked wiping his eyes. "Is that what I am?"
You will be granted one wish.
"A wish?" Harry repeated. "I really wish I had a friend."
Do you want a friend?
Harry pressed yes and sighed when nothing happened of course nothing would happen. He sniffled but his tears filled with tears again. He tried to dry his eyes as the Matron Miss. Cole came in with a boy that had black hair and dark brown eyes. Miss. Cole had inherited this orphanage from her grandmother and actually cared about the children.
"Potter meet Riddle he's your new roommate." Miss. Cole said, softly leading the boy inside the room and closing the door. "Oh, Harry are you crying again? What happened this time?"
"Mickey stole my paycheck and pushed me into the creek, then kicked me a lot. He probably spent the lot of it by now and I wanted a new book." Harry said, in a small voice.
"I'll take care of it." Miss. Cole assured him and smoothed his hair back. "Don't worry, Harry I'll get your money back and then I'll take you personally to the bookstore....."
"I can go with him." Tom Riddle said, "I like books."
Harry perked up his eyes watering again. He blushed a bit.
"I would like that." Harry said, quietly. "The bed isn't that big but you can have it. I can sleep on the floor....."
That one sentince had Tom cocking his eyebrow.
"No, no, Harry, I'll bring a bed in for him." Miss. Cole said, "I'll be back in a bit if I'm not back by dinner take Tom with you."
"Okay." Harry agreed.
Miss. Cole left and Tom sat at the bottom of the bed.
"Are you the one I wished for?" Harry asked, looking at the other boy. "The screen said it would grant me a wish and I wished for a friend........"
"A screen?" Tom asked, he made his screen appear. "Like this one?"
"Yes!" Harry said, sitting on his knees. "You can do it too! How'd you make it appear like that? Oh, wow you're like me! I never met anyone like me before. The screen said we were magic....."
"I'll teach you." Tom decided. He had no idea what was going on. He began teaching Harry everything he knew about the screen. He noticed that Harry seemed thrilled by the inventory. He watched as Harry got off the bed and pried a lose floorboard up just under the bed. Tom knew the hiding spot well. This had been his room. "Harry, what year is it?"
"1991." Harry answered, putting the books in his hidey hole in his inventory. "Why?"
"Because before I came here I was in 1938." Tom informed.
"Wow, you're the best friend ever." Harry said, with his green eyes shining. "You came all the way from the past just to be with me!"
Tom was shocked when the smaller boy hugged him. Tom hesitated for a moment then patted Harry's back a bit. Harry went back to putting books in his inventory and then sealing the hidey hole again.
"I'll try to teach you everything I know about this world." Harry said, "I know a lot too. I might be only 10 years old but I'm really smart. I already graduated from Senior High School. "
Tom smirked. Good if he was going to make a friend he didn't want it to be a stupid one.
"I'm gonna take a really cool class at the local Uni tomorrow it's free and I managed to get on the list." Harry babbled.
"Oh, what is it about?" Tom wondered.
"Book Restoration!" Harry said, happily. "I love books and old books are the best! So I thought why not learn to restore them."
Tom cocked his eyebrow was their money to be made in that field?
"What is your job?"
"I'm a paper boy." Harry informed. "Mr. Wool and Miss. Cole let me keep the money I make and I normally just spend it on books."
"Good investment." Tom said.
They sat and talked and Tom told Harry what he could do and Harry told Tom he could talk to snakes too and he did often make things happen when he didn't really mean too. They talked and talked until Harry lead them to the dining room. There were tables for four all over the room they got some food and sat at table by themselves and continued to talk while they ate.
"Which one is Mickey? The boy who hurt you?" Tom wondered.
Harry looked around.
"He's not here he'll probably not getting dinner tonight or didn't come back." Harry shrugged. "He's 17 he's doesn't have to come back."
"You were beat up by a guy seven years older than you?" Tom said, outrage filling him. He was already feeling friendship for Harry. They had so much in common.
Harry shrugged again and finished his dinner.
"It's my turn to do dish duty." Harry said.
They did dishes together.
"Have you gotten a letter from Hogwarts yet?" Tom wondered.
"No."
"When's your birthday?"
"I'll be eleven on the 31st of this month." Harry said, happily. "Night, Tom."
The next morning Harry woke early and dressed he was thrilled when Tom came with him to leave for work and even more thrilled when Miss. Cole returned his cashed paycheck. They left with Harry putting the money in his inventory. Harry did his route and Tom followed him around. When they got back and had eaten breakfast Miss. Cole delivered Harry a letter.
"It's your Hogwarts letter." Tom said, "Good, I know where we need to go if things haven't changed any."
They walked four blocks and found the Leaky Cauldron. They got in to the Ally and then went to Gringotts.
Harry was confused by the inheritance test but just as interested. He grinned when his family's information came up.
"Does this mean I have money here?" Harry wondered.
"Yes." Griphook said, looking at Tom's sheet. "You both do. Money is going out of yours, Mr. Potter."
"But I'm not spending it I didn't even know I had money."
Two hours later Harry had it so only he could get the money from his vault.
Harry was so happy when he got to class just in time. There were only three people in class beside him and they were adults. He tried not to bounce in his seat. He took diligent notes on everything and was beyond happy when he learned they would get to work on repairing some fake books. He was shocked by all the skill he'd gotten. When class let out he quickly found Tom waiting for him and they returned to Diagon Ally.
Tom frowned down at Harry holding his hand. Harry noticed and went to let go tears once again in his eyes. Tom hated himself. He hated that Harry's tears could make him feel so bad so he let the other boy hold his hand. They began getting their school supplys with the Gringotts Debit cards that they now carried.
"I don't want to go in there." Harry frowned at Ollivanders.
Sense-1
"I don't like how it feels, please, Tom lets find somewhere else." Harry pulled on the other boys hand.
Tom agreed and they went in search of a wand shop. They found one between Diagon Ally and Nocturn Ally. Harry liked this one better. He got Acaia and Basilisk horn 11". Tom got a Yew and Basilisk horm 12". They got wand sheaths and care kits then left.
"Wonder what's in here." Harry said, looking at the building next to the wand shop. He went into the ally next to the shop. "I think we can get through this window."
Tom frowned and helped Harry into the window and then climbed in himself. Why were they doing this.
"Ah!" Harry said, happily. "It's a bookstore. "
Harry decided he wanted to stay here and buy the building so he wrote a letter to Miss. Cole thanking her for everything and promising she hadn't seen the last of him and Tom. Harry and Tom explored the books in the small shop.
"These are really old but in crap shape." Tom frowned. "I don't think we should move them. "
"This one looks okay." Harry said, "In fact I think I learned a technique to fix this one today. I'll need some supplies......It's a book on Magical Book Restoration! I wonder if it's the same as Muggle."
Tom rolled his eyes but smiled softly.
You've bought a book store.
Harry's screen said an hour later. He was now working on the book while time read. Hary was shocked that his screen would let him redo his work until he'd mastered the technique the muggle way.
"Ugh, the screen teachs us how to study!" Tom raged. "We know how to study! Both of us are geniuses!"
Harry giggled and followed his screens props to learn the Restoration technique the magical way. He was soon sweating as he worked channeling his magic into his tools. It took him hours before he got
This book as been repaired to O-100% the best it can be.
"I did it." Harry sighed, happily and cleaned up his tools. He didn't bother reading the book right now he wanted to read some of his school books.
They found an apartment above the bookstore which thrilled them both. They discovered it only had one room though but the bed had to be a king's sized bed. They bought food and Harry cooked them dinner then they studied their books for hours before taking showers and going to sleep.