[HP] Dearest Enemy

Harry took off his glasses and lay down next to Tom, habitually put his wand under the pillow, and exhaled softly toward the ceiling.

It wasn't long before Harry felt the little guy curled up in the duvet move towards him and turned to look at his godson.Sure enough, Tom was not asleep, half of his small face was still hidden under the quilt, and only his dark eyes were showing, watching Harry with a little fear.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Harry frowned.

"Harry, is there really magic?" Tom asked softly, his eyes wide.

"Really, all the things you do that I don't know about are all magic." Harry muttered to himself while explaining, why didn't he notice that Tom showed any signs of magic?Are you really being too careless?

"Are we really all wizards?" Seeing that Harry was not angry, Tom showed his whole face.

"Yes." Harry replied lightly, pulling the quilt for Tom, "Go to bed quickly. We have to go to London early tomorrow morning."

Tom pursed his lips and watched Harry close his eyes.Harry was visibly tired, and it wasn't long before Tom heard his even, steady breathing.Tom felt a little uneasy, and the strange room and bed made him feel uneasy.He continued to move closer to Harry, carefully embracing Harry's not so strong arm, so as not to wake him up.Harry moved his arms and unconsciously took Tom into his arms.Only then did Tom feel relieved. He had been afraid since he entered the swamp. Even after meeting Alex and knowing that he was safe, Tom was still in a state of shock, but his face stubbornly refused to show it. come out.

The temperature from the man's arm is reassuring.Tiredness hit, Tom yawned, leaned his little face next to Harry's arm, and his consciousness gradually slipped into the abyss of sleep.

Harry was dreaming.He dreamed that he was back on the Triwizard Tournament, riding a Firebolt dodging under Horntail attacks, while Hermione and Ron were yelling something at him.Then Harry found himself circling over a misty swamp with young Tom in his arms.Suddenly Tom looked up, and he saw again the pale snake's face with the slender scarlet pupils.The Firebolt went nowhere, and Harry found himself falling downwards, with a huge Dark Mark floating above his head, and Voldemort's wild laughter was getting louder and louder in his ears.

"Harry! Harry!"

Harry snapped his eyes open, breathing heavily, his heart beating wildly as if trying to break out of his chest.It took several seconds before Harry realized where he was.Faint light came in from the cracks in the curtains, and it seemed that the sky was already bright.Harry exhaled softly and closed his eyes again.He is safe now, the owner of that hideous snake face is not here.

"Harry." The immature child's voice rang in my ears.Harry opened his eyes and looked, Tom's face was blurred because he wasn't wearing glasses, but Harry could see the little boy's eyes were wide open.

"What time is it?" Harry asked, startled by his own hoarse voice.

"It's almost eight o'clock." Tom replied worriedly after a few seconds, wiping Harry's forehead with a handkerchief in his hand, "You're dreaming again."

Harry's heart tightened, and he stared at Tom blankly.Tom shyly withdrew his hand and looked at his guardian in a daze, but Harry looked away and sat up, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Harry," Tom called him uneasily.Harry's face was more frightening than usual, and Tom was flustered and frightened.

"Go and wash up, and then go downstairs." Harry ordered in a deep voice, much lower than usual, but calmed down.Relieved, Tom climbed out of bed and dressed.Harry didn't get dressed until after Tom left.Dreaming about Voldemort two nights in a row put Harry in a pretty bad mood.It took him a long time to pack it all together.After entering the restaurant, Harry found that Alex was enthusiastically helping Tom cut pancakes, while Tom kept asking himself to come, and the two looked up at the same time when they saw him enter the door.

"Good morning, Harry." Alex greeted Harry happily, "Tom got up earlier than you."

"Good morning." Tom stood up nervously.Harry nodded to Tom, greeted Alex and sat down at the table.The house-elf promptly brought Harry's breakfast, and Alex went on cutting pancakes for Tom.

"Harry, how are you going to get back to London?" Alex asked. "Floo? Apparate? Fly back?"

"Muggle way," Harry replied calmly. "Tom won't be used to it."

Alex looked at the little boy. Tom was quietly eating pancakes with his head down, not seeming to listen to the conversation of the adults.

"Muggle way of travel?" Alex suddenly curled his lips, "It must be very interesting, right? What a pity, I have to rush to the Ministry to hand in the report, otherwise I would be able to be with you."

"The Muggle method is cumbersome," said Harry. "I don't recommend it."

"Yeah yeah, I've heard about it." Alex shrugged and picked up the fork.

After saying goodbye to Alex, Harry took Tom for a walk in the swamp filled with morning mist.Alex told him the safest way to go without any danger.After the experience of the first day, Tom was no longer afraid, and the fog was gradually dissipating as the sun rose. The flat and vast swamp seemed not dangerous at all, as quiet as a sleeping baby.

"Harry, can you tell me about magic?" Seeing that Harry was in a better mood, Tom asked slightly beggingly.

"What do you want to know?" Harry asked.

"What is that stick in your hand?" Tom finally asked again what had always made him curious.

This time Harry didn't evade his question, and Harry replied flatly: "This is a wand. Every wizard has his own wand, and you will have one in the future."

"When will I get my own wand?"

"When I went to Hogwarts at the age of 11."

"What is Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts is a school of wizardry, a school for wizards."

"There are many wizards like us?" Tom asked pleasantly.

"Yes, their usual life is different from ours." Harry answered Tom's question patiently.Because the restlessness and confusion brought about by the dream seemed to dissipate without a trace under the sunlight and Tom's immature voice, just like the fog in the swamp.

"Has Harry been to Hogwarts, too?"

"Yes, I went to school there." Harry thought of the magnificent building like a cathedral, and memories of Hogwarts rushed to his eyes.

"Does the portrait move because it is enchanted?"

……

After returning to London, Harry quickly found work in a bookstore in Diagon Alley.Hooper, the bookstore owner, didn't object when he learned that Harry was taking Tom to work with him.

"It's always good for children to read more books." Hooper is a good-natured old wizard with a little trouble in his legs and feet. On the first day Harry brought Tom to work, he solemnly told Harry, "But You have to be careful not to show him things that aren't appropriate for his age."

Harry only took Tom into Diagon Alley after getting Hooper's approval.For Tom, this was a new experience.Tom's eyes widened in amazement as the walls in the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron came alive and opened the door to the wizarding world for him.Two eyes were not enough, there were so many dazzling things watching him from both sides of the cobbled street; ears were not enough, everyone in Diagon Alley was talking about what he could or could not understand s things.Tom felt as if he were in a dream, so many wizards and wizards talking and shopping here, all dressed differently from the Muggles.Harry gripped Tom's hand tightly to keep him from getting lost.Seeing the expression on Tom's face, Harry smiled slightly. When he entered Diagon Alley for the first time, he must have had the same expression on his face.

Tom started working with Harry in the bookstore.The bookstore is not big, and there are no other shop assistants except the boss and Harry.The boss, Hooper, is very kind to Tom. He often teaches Tom to read and write when there are no guests, and shows him fairy tale books with moving illustrations.Tom heard a lot of weird stories, which were different from the ones Harry usually read in the picture books for him.Harry would take Tom sightseeing in Diagon Alley in his spare time, and Tom soon became familiar with Diagon Alley.Still, he found it a novelty.

Harry found that Tom settled into Diagon Alley more quickly than he did.This is probably because Tom has long realized that he is different from the children of ordinary people. Harry knows that Tom and children of ordinary people cannot play together.Tom was very clever, with excellent memory and comprehension, and he could remember everything Hooper taught him verbatim.Hooper is a kind and warm-hearted old man, who soon regards Harry and Tom as his own children.Harry began to learn ancient runes under Hooper's guidance, and Tom followed suit.

During holidays, Harry would take Tom to a Muggle museum or library.Harry was beginning to understand why Hermione thought books were important.If it wasn't for finding a way to go back to the future, Harry would never have spent so much time and energy on studying.Tom grew up very fast, perhaps because of a lot of reading and contact with various people, he was much more stable than children of the same age, and did not develop in the direction Harry was worried about.Maybe he was too worried. Looking at Tom who was concentrating on studying in the sun, Harry began to think that Tom would not become Voldemort.He gave Tom a different childhood, and he changed the past. The devil who dared not let others say his name should have been strangled in the cradle by him.