Lord Of Time

19

"Where are we going then?" Harry murmured, muffling a yawn. He was sleep deprived, no matter what he just couldn't relax even with a cover with warming charms thrown over him.

Then the bombs start going off in the distance causing the entire tunnel to shake with the strain that caused adrenaline to course through him leaving him nigh on exhausted by the time they returned to the orphanage.

He got a few hours sleep then woke back up unable to rest again knowing soon enough the siren would blare and they'd be moving again.

"Not too far," Tom replied, grateful that no one was around, he didn't even have it in him to glare at any of them - he was too tired for that. Hopefully some fresh air would wake them up, he was beginning to lose hope that Slughorn would even reply, but as always he kept those thoughts to himself.

"Good, I don't think my legs can handle anything else," Harry admitted, rubbing at his tired eyes, they had chores to do later today as well. It was their turn in the garden to water the vegetable patch and add another lot to the expanding vegetable garden. It was better than washing all the clothes the orphanage went through then hanging them to dry in the kitchen.

Which was ironic since everyone hated tending to the garden and would rather do the clothes, but Harry was used to the garden work and was able to do it without one of the caretakers breathing down his neck. He still didn't know any of their names either, well one, a young female worker called Martha but the rest were unknown still.

They soon rounded the orphanage and into the small forest at the back of it, the same place he'd come on the first day. Remembering the snake, his eyes couldn't help but dart around looking for it; he certainly didn't want to step on it.

Chances are he would hear it before he saw it. It should still be alive, since the immediate area was undamaged of course - since no bombs had fallen this way. It was a water snake, so it would naturally stray towards rivers and such.

Yawning tiredly he looked around until he came upon something he could sit on; it was an upturned tree that looked like it had fallen down a long time ago, judging by the moss covering it. He tested it only to slide down slightly, with a little tired laugh.

"I wonder where Slughorn spends his summers," Harry mused thoughtfully, "I wished I had known him better, so I would have a rough idea on how long we'll have to wait. For all we know he's abroad at some conference or party! Which I really hope isn't the case."

"So he's still the Potions teacher in your time?" Tom asked curiously, leaning against the tree keeping Hadrian within view at all times - as always.

"Temporarily, just for a few years," Harry admitted shrugging his shoulders as if it hadn't been a big deal. He wasn't entirely sure how long Horace had remained at Hogwarts after Voldemort's defeat; he had been on the run from all things magical by then.

He's saved their arses - quite literally went to his own death and for what? For them all to turn their backs on him and call him the next Dark Lord. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was his ability to speak Parselmouth, the Horcrux or something...or the Deathly Hallows, either way they'd turned on him.

It was too much to hope that they would treat him decently, that he would be given the same adoration as Dumbledore. Without money he'd been hiding out wherever he could, which included Riddle mansion where he had read a lot of work the wizard had done and for the first time realized just how smart he was.

Tom nodded unsurprised, he was young after all, at least for wizarding standards, and magical people had the ability to live over one hundred years. Although he must leave at some point, since Hadrian had said 'temporarily' which implied he had retired before his time.