To Shinning-Darkness. 'Cause I feel like it.

BEFORE I FALL

-a Harry Potter fan-fiction-

TOM-VOLDEMORT/HARRY

"The fall is much more enjoyable than the ascension." He was Lucifer, the Bright Star, the Fallen, and the corners of his lips had tipped upwards in a wry smile. "I'll catch you next time you fall, then."

Yoo hoo! I'm here with another of one of my unplanned one-shots! It exploded one day whilst listening to Paramore's Playing God. It'd be wise to put it in repeat while reading the whole thing. EDIT: Why am so OCD/anal retentive? Seriously! I just re-formatted/re-summarized all of my stories and posted new versions of ALL the summaries on my account! Sheesh. Tiring work, I tell you, being obsessive over every little detail.

14th-15th FEBRUARY 2011

'The descent beckons,

as The ascent beckoned.'

William Carlos Williams, The Descent

{catch me}

He was staring at Harry again.

And frankly, it was quite annoying, not to mention disturbing. Sure, Voldemort could stare at Harry any time he wanted, but did it have to be now? Harry was working, dammit! Or atleast trying to, operating word being trying. Because Voldemort's stare was bloody distracting. And getting on his nerves.

For the past half an hour, the man had been stealing covert glances at him, when he thought Harry to be immersed in his school-work. After half an hour Harry cracked, setting his Transfiguration essay aside -(20 inches! 20 inches! He wasn't even half way done!)- and glaring quite pointedly at Voldemort.

"What is it?" He sighed, running his hand through his hair, a bad habit he'd picked recently, due to the stress from managing school-work and dealing with the Ministry reforms on his and Voldemort's heels. Not to mention dealing with Voldemort was quite a heroic feat in itself; the man was insatiable.

He sighed again, and then Voldemort thought it prudent to give his answer before Harry spontaneously combusted from stressing himself out too much.

"I've been thinking..."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" Gosh, that must hurt. You know, thinking.

Voldemort heard his thoughts and scowled playfully. Ha-ha.

"Anyways, I've been thinking of when we met. Do you remember that? That day when I turned up on your doorstep all jazzed up and you fainted after opening the door? You were so stunned when I told you the truth... about the Prophecy, about Horcruxes, about Dumbledore...about everything."

Harry snorted lightly at the way Voldemort had described it all; he was certainly right. 'Stunned' was putting it lightly, he had been shocked to his core when the truth had been outed. He'd never suspected Dumbledore of being so underhanded, but know that he looked back on it, the clues had been all there.

The careful lies disguised as truths, the subtle dropping of hints –(Phoenixes! Faithful creatures! Hah! He knew all along!)- and the lengths he had gone to stop Harry from reaching his full potential.

A potential he had reached with Voldemort, and so much more.

It surprised him even now that Voldemort had bothered to tell him all of that, something that he shouldn't have done and Harry would've still joined him; Harry was sick of living and breathing Light for ages before the confrontation.

He didn't fit in and the only place he could find was with the young Tom Riddle.

"Huh?" Jerked out of his thoughts with a gentle tug-on-the-sleeve from Voldemort, Harry raised dazed eyes to the patiently awaiting ruby-eyed man, recalling what Voldemort had told him before he'd left the Dursley's house, those words echoing in his head:

"The fall is much more enjoyable than the ascension." He was Lucifer, the Bright Star, the Fallen, and the corners of his lips had tipped upwards in a wry smile.

"What do you mean?" Harry had asked quizzically. Then Voldemort had thrown him a smirk over his shoulder, turning to leave.

"Interpret it any way you wish."

"I have my answer." Harry spoke abruptly, head raised and verdant eyes meeting Voldemort's crimson ones.

"What is it?" Voldemort asked with a knowing grin, eyes twinkling in a strangely eerie way that reminded Harry of Dumbledore.

"I'll catch you next time you fall, then. And just so you know, you bring a whole new meaning to the term 'fall from grace'."

"Smart boy." Voldemort made a move to pat Harry condescendingly on the head, but was pulled into a fierce kiss. After pulling away and regaining his breath, he heard Harry say "just so you know where I stand on this".

Cheeky brat.

{catch me}