The feast had ended, laughter echoing off the stone walls of the Great Hall.
First years were led off, sleepy-eyed and full-bellied. But Tom Riddle stayed seated.
Dumbledore approached quickly, hands behind his back, eyes unreadable.
"Ready to see your new home, Tom?"
Tom blinked. "New.....home"
Dumbledore nodded. "A profound wizarding house has stepped forward and offered to take you in for the summer.
Tom faced gave a confused look. "But professor I did not ask for a new home, what about the orphanage"
"Do you really think you would enjoy your stay back in the orphanage?" Dumbledore asked and immediately walked towards the Great Hall door
Tom face looked puzzled.
"Hurry up Tom" Dumbledore said
Tom quickly rushed towards him.
The corridors had emptied, night settling over the castle like a heavy blanket. Tom walked beside Dumbledore in silence, unsure if this was reward or punishment.
They stopped at the castle gates, where a dark carriage waited, drawn in by a pair of silent thestrals.
Beside it stood a man and a woman --- tall, elegantly dressed, and too composed for this hour.
"Tom", Dumbledore said, with the faintest hesitation, "allow me to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Thornwick.
They've generously agreed to take you in for the summer.
The man extended a hand with a glamorous smile. "Cassian Thornwick. We've heard remarkable things about your bravery young man."
The woman added, "Our daughters especially. They followed the reports of the Gaunt incident quite...closely. They are in your year, though you might not have noticed."
The girl in green stepped forward, chin high. She had sharp features, eyes like storm glass.
"Sameyr," she said. "Slytherin"
The second girl, standing just behind, hair warmer eyes and untamed curls. Her Gryffindor pin caught the lantern light.
"Samera," she said softly, watching Tom like he was a puzzle she wanted to solve.
"Strange you three never crossed paths," Mrs. Thornwick added, amost too casually.
Tom hesitated.
"You won't be returning to orphanage," Cassian said smoothly.
"Not when we can offer something better. A real home. Books. Space. Privacy. Your own room. No screaming children. No rules meant for muggles."
"Magic is meant to be lived, Tom," Mrs. Thornwick added, stepping closer. "And we'd be honored if you lived it --- with us.
Dumbledore gave the faintest nod, "You are free to choose, of course."
Tom looked between them --- at the carriage, the robes, the power they didn't bother hiding. Then he stepped forward.
They all boarded the carriage.
"Take care, Tom" Dumbledore says as he departed.
"Now off we go" Cassian said as he magically made the thestrals move.
The carriage ride was silent, Smooth. Not a single jolt on the path. Even the air outside seemed to hush itself in respect as they rode.
Then after a while they got to a tall, black, iron gate wound with silver serpents placed in the middle of the road not a single pillar supporting it.
Then the gates opened. Tom was marveled with what he saw. The Thornwick weren't staying in a house it was like three city in one.
Towering arches – floating lanterns in the hedges. Ivy that shimmered with enchantments. The walls gleamed with dark stone and dragonbone trim.
Tom leaned forward slightly in his seat, gaze flicking across the marble steps, the grand oak doors, the polished silver snake handles. It was... beyond anything he'd imagined.
Mrs. Thomwick caught his expression and smiled gently, and said just loud enough for him to hear.
"It's alright to marvel, dear. Magic like this should remind you.... What you're meant for."
The carriage came to a halt.
The mansion doors opened.
And Tom Riddle stepped into his home for the summer.
Six months passed like mist through morning air.
Winter faded, the frost melted, and summer came and went behind enchanted glass windows and velvet – curtained hallways.
Tom had grown used to quiet meals with too many folks, to books that whispered when opened, to rooms that lit themselves when he thought of light.
The Thornwick mansion was polished, powerful... and also breathtaking.
His stay with the Thornwick's was better than he imagined. The girls seems to really like him.
Mrs. Thornwick treats him like her own son. And he has been able to learn more about magic from Mr. Cassian Thornwick.
But none of that really mattered to Tom now, All he could think of is its Sept 1 and it's was time for his second year at Hogwarts.
The Thornwick estate was quieter that morning.
House-elves moved briskly, levitating trunks and checking tags. Sameyr said little as usual.
Samera hummed.
Tom stood by the silver bannister one last time, glancing back at the mansion's towering halls --- halls filled with luxury, silence and the most realistic family memories his had in his enter life.
"Ready?" Mrs. Thornwick asked gently, adjusting his collar like she's done it a hundred times this summer.
"I suppose," Tom muttered trying to hide his excitement.
A soft smile touched her lips. "Then let's get you back to where you belong."
With a crack of a Side—Along Apparition, the world spun – and they vanished from Thornwick Manor.
They reappeared in a quiet corner near King's Cross – far from muggle eyes, but close enough to hear the train whistles.
The platform buzzed with the usual chaos: trunks toppling, owls screeching, and parents giving their last minute hugs like they were sending their kids into battle.
Mr. Thornwick handed the tickets to Sameyr and Samera with a nod. "Stay focused this year."
"Aren't we always?" Sameyr said coolly, adjusting her gloves.
Samera just grinned and looped her arms through Tom's. "Come on, Riddle. Let's get going."
They walked straight through the barrier – brick to steam, noise to nostalgia.
The Hogwarts Express stood waiting, as red and regal as ever.
"Goodbye, Tom, "Mrs. Thornwick said softly, adjusting the collar of his robe one last time. "And you two – behave yourselves"
"We make no promises," Sameyr muttered with a sly smile.
The three boarded the train together. Samera took the seat beside Tom, looping her arm around his as if it belonged there.
Sameyr sat across from them, arms folded like she had better things to do – but didn't leave.
The door slid open. Lucius Malfoy stepped in, paused, and blinked hard.
"I don't believe this," he said. "First class view: Tom Riddle, sandwiched between the two best-looking girls in second year."
"Oh? I didn't see myself between them," Tom said coolly.
"You're basically a prince," Lucius continued, ignoring him, "and I'm over here sharing a seat with a fourth year who smells like dragon dung."
"Then don't," Sameyr said, kicking the empty seat beside her. "Sit down if you can behave."
Lucius lit up. "An invitation from the dark princess herself? Don't mind if I do."
He flopped into the seat next to her like he owned it.
"So," he added, glancing between the girls, "either of you have a name for this poor bloke who's clearly too stunned to introduce himself properly?"
"Sameyr," she said flatly.
"Samera," the other chimed, still half-draped on Tom.
"Wait—you're sisters?" Lucius blinked.
"Twins, actually," Samera grinned.
"Twins?!" Lucius looked at Tom. "Are you possessed? What kind of luck do you have?"
"The non-Malfoy kind," Tom said.
They all laughed — even Sameyr, just barely.
The train lurched into motion.
And for a rare moment, laughter filled the air around Tom Riddle.
The train hissed to a stop, and the students poured out onto the familiar platform at Hogsmeade.
A breeze swept through the valley as the castle towers rose beyond the trees, just as majestic as ever.
Tom stepped off the train calmly, flanked by Sameyr and Samera. Their presence alone drew stares, whispers, and the occasional jaw drop.
"Look who's back," came James Potter's voice — slightly deeper, a little more self-assured than before. He stood casually near the carriages, wand tucked behind his ear like he was somebody.
"With upgrades," Sirius added, staring openly at the twins.
"New friends?" James asked with a raised brow.
"Old blood," Sameyr replied coolly.
"And better company," Samera said sweetly, arm still looped through Tom's.
"Right," James muttered, clearly unsure if he'd just been insulted.
Then Lily stepped forward, eyes lingering on Tom.
"You seem... more comfortable this year."
Tom met her gaze. "So do you."
She smiled, but didn't say anything more.
A prefect's voice rang out down the platform:
"Second-years and above, carriages to the right!
Bramwick voice roared loudly "First years over here"
The group began to move.
As Tom climbed into a carriage beside the Thornwick sisters, he glanced back once — at the castle, at the valley, at everything he left behind.
Hogwarts waited.
And so did whatever came next.
NESSGEEORIGINAL