An AU where Gellert Grindelwald adopts Tom Riddle.
Tom Riddle adopts Severus Snape.
Severus Snape adopts Harry Potter.
And they're one dysfunctional family.
(note: I didn't watch Fantastic Beasts and I don't really care about their continuity)
This is Part 1: Geller Grindelwald and Tom Riddle.
Gellert manages to trace back the Slytherin bloodline to one orphan kid in 1939 — but, God, that boy's full of potential. A child prodigy so angry at the world, 11 years old and he already considers himself superior to his muggle companions simply for having magic, completely unaware of his lineage. Unfortunately, Dumbledore has already reached out to him, and he's already a Hogwarts student. Oh well. At least he'll only need to take care of him during the summer.
Perhaps using a fake name, Gellert takes young Tom Riddle under his wing. He fills his head with ideas of magical superiority and pride, makes him feel seen, and gives him the attention he always craved but never received in the orphanage. Also, he never allows the boy to go hungry ever again. He teaches him dark magic in the summers. Eventually, when Tom starts inquiring about his origins, Gellert tells him. He does nothing when Tom begins to lean towards blood superiority. Actually, being under direct influence of Grindelwald's ideology only makes Tom hate the muggle of his family even more.
In 1943, Gellert does nothing when the Riddles are murdered, it was Tom's right to kill the muggles who abandoned him as an infant, after all. When the Chamber of Secrets is open, he does nothing except all briefly remind Tom that the enemies are the muggles, not muggle-borns. However, he sees opening the chamber as Tom's inevitable birthright. Tom doesn't announce his plans with the horcruxes.
At this time, I believe Gellert would be bringing his protégé to smaller battles for the Greater Good to give him real combat experience, but not enough that his direct association with Grindelwald would be majorly known.
In 1945, Tom Riddle graduates from Hogwarts with flying colors. In 1945, Gellert Grindelwald is defeated and imprisoned in Nurmengard. In 1945, Tom Riddle starts working at Borgin and Burkes.
Father-son relationship?: While they did share a few moments of connection, their relationship was mostly mentor and protégé. Tom was greatly grateful for everything Gellert did for him, but almost never "father". He did so once or twice, never in public, to test the word in an attempt to bring himself closer to a powerful figure like Grindelwald — but it felt inappropriate.
Divider Credit: @strangergraphics-archive ✨
