The Idiot and The Heir

The Diary of T. M. Riddle

We can all see where this is going...

Harry Potter was in his room, going through his new school books. 

He could hear the low rumble of conversation downstairs, which told him the Dursley's guests were still on the premises.

Uncle Vernon had allowed Harry to go with him earlier to London, where Vernon got dinner jackets for himself and Dudley, his fat son, while Harry collected all of the new school supplies he would need for the coming year at Hogwarts. He had only been allowed this chance on the strict instruction that he would tend to the garden, mow the lawn, help Aunt Petunia clean the dining room and kitchen, and then remain in his room while the Masons were at Number Four, Privet Drive.

Harry was good at pretending not to exist. He had eleven years of practice, after all.

Though the Dursleys had forgotten, (or perhaps they had never bothered remembering in the first place) that today was Harry's birthday, and getting to spend even just an hour in the magical shops of Diagon Alley was the best gift they had ever given him. What made his day however, had been the presents all of his friends from Hogwarts had sent him in the early hours of that morning. Each one had come with a card, all of which were placed lovingly on his desk where he could always see them. They hadn't been all that extravagant of presents, but they were the first ones Harry had ever received, so each one meant the world to the undergrown boy.

Draco Malfoy, a boy in Harry's house at Hogwarts, had sent him a book on interesting looking spells, as well as some of Mrs. Malfoy's homemade chocolates with her compliments.

The Weasley twins, who were two years above Harry but had taken a liking to him last year, had sent an enchanted jenga set, their letter said they wanted Harry in good practice to keep winning, as they had plans to start a competition across all four houses at Hogwarts.

Hagrid, the Hogwarts grounds keeper, had sent a large box of assorted candies and chocolates.

Theodore Nott, one of his best friends, had sent him a magic chess set made of moonglass, which seemed expensive, and meant the chess men shimmered with constellations Harry couldn't even name, and different types of wizard candy. His other best friend, Hermione Granger, had sent a small birthday cake, and several books on first aid, both magical and Muggle.

Hedwig, Harry's owl, had looked particularly pleased with herself, when she had arrived with Hermione's gifts. Since Hermione was a Muggleborn, (a wizard from a family otherwise without magic) she didn't have an owl of her own to send him letters, and he had warned her against trying to send anything through the Muggle post. The Dursleys would not be pleased if any mail for him came through 'normal means', since they preferred to pretend he didn't exist.

Harry pushed all of the Lockheart books that he needed for Defense Against the Dark Arts class to one side, pulling his charms book from the top of the pile.

Charms was one of his favorite classes. The spells came easily enough once he got the hang of them. He flipped through it for a minute before he set it aside as well. Looking over his other new text books, he noticed something stuffed between the pages of his Transfiguration book.

Opening it, he found a small book bound in black leather. He pulled the little book out of the magic text book. Carefully straightening the pages that had gotten bent by the impromptu addition, Harry set 'Transfiguration level two' on his desk, placing the other books on top of it to help smooth out the bent pages.

Leaving the small tower of books, Harry turned his attention to the little black book, wondering why it had been shoved into another book. The cover was embossed with a faded date, placing it as a diary from fifty years ago. Opening it to the front cover Harry saw a name written in ancient, faded ink; T. M. Riddle.