Summary:

Hermione had packed everything, including a letter that she had thought Harry had read already. Just as she's going to look for "Barry" at the wedding, Kingsley's patronus appears and tells them of the impending Death Eater attack. She had forgotten it until they were on the run, no longer able to stay at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place because of an accidental introduction of a Death Eater. Now they're in the tent, thinking up places where the Horcruxes could be, and Hermione suggests that Harry look to the letter from Dumbledore…..but Harry has no idea what she's talking about.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I do not make any profits from writing this story except for my own enjoyment of reading it. No suing, please.

A/N: Please, be patient with me. I do try.

A Mother's Love….

December 30th 1926

"Mother…?" Wide, dark green eyes widen as a raven haired woman rushes about the room that they currently exist in. The woman barely seems to acknowledge the boy until he starts to move out from the closet, his pale, thin lips quivering ever so slightly as he notes the lack of attention. The woman still refuses to acknowledge him, but he catches the trails of tears that fall miserably towards earth upon the woman's pale, gaunt face. The boy reaches out to touch her, to comfort her, and that's when she takes into account his existence.

"No! No James, my darling, you must hide! Quickly!" The woman's voice is distressed, laced with panic and urgency, though her tone is as soft as she can manage. The seven year old's lips quiver once more before he nods and back away, into the dark closet and behind several dirty dress robes. The woman gives him a soft smile as he literally disappears from sight before shakily pulls a small vile filled with green liquid from inside her threadbare robe. With a sense of urgency in her step, the pale faced woman hurried to the closet and gave her son the small vile.

"Drink this, my boy….and—," her hand went back into her cloak, pulling out a small locket with a glittering 'S' the front of it, "Remember your heritage…remember who you are…and find this once more." The young child nodded once to his mother before pulling the cork out of the vile with a small 'pop' and lifting it to his lips. Dark, emerald green eyes stare at the mother for a few moments, as if to take the image of her and sear it into his mind, before they close, shut tight against the rest of the world. The boy grimaces at the odor of the potion, but parts his lips and reluctantly drinks in the terrible liquid.

"That's my boy…my darling James…." A small, sad smile curves the mother's lips before the boy begins to quiver. Another bout of tears escape the woman's eyes as she watches her son's body begin to glow and his limbs shake erratically. Suddenly, the boy's body falls to the floor and he is as silent as the grave, looking almost like he was asleep; but the mother knew better. Sobs fell from between the mother's lips before she began to settle her son's limp body into some position of comfort. Then, after placing robes over his cold form and others under his raven-haired head, the mother rushed to the nearest dilapidated bookshelf and pulled a large tome from its ancient shelves.

"You will know of our world when you wake, my son…..although you will have no memory of me….nor will you know him until it is your time to rise. This book will teach you….." A small sigh escapes the mother's lips before she tip-toes over to the boy's still form, as if to try and not wake him, and settles down on her knees to place the large leather book in the closet. Then, after pulling her and her swollen belly up from the ground, the mother takes one last look at her first born son and then quietly closes the door to the closet…..

Present Day

"Harry, I swear, I'm not kidding! You need to take off that thing so that you can talk rationally! I swear, ever since you've taken your turn this morning you've been in a right foul mood!" Hermione Granger's voice grew several octaves as the boy with the dark hair and green eyes glared at her moodily, his hand clutching at something on the end of the chain that resided around his neck. The red headed boy next to him seemed to hesitate before stretching out his hand, motioning to the other boy that he would take the burden for a while. The two males shared a knowing look before the darker headed boy took off the necklace and handed it to the fairer haired boy.

"There, it's off! Now, tell me about this mysterious letter that Dumbledore SUPPOSSEDLY gave to me." The boy's eyes darkened considerably as he spoke of the former Headmaster's name, resentment being the most highlighted emotion. Hermione huffed indignantly before she hastily turned away in search of her beaded bag. Then, after finding the important accessory, she turned back towards the boys and stalked back over to them.

"Accio Dumbledore's letter!" The girl fiercely summoned the parcel, her wand pointing at the bag menacingly until the letter itself flew from the confines of the bag and into the boy's hands.

"There you are, Harry! The letter from Dumbledore!" A self-satisfied smirk appeared on Hermione's face while Harry, the darker haired boy, ignored her and stared amazed at the parchment. Dumbledore's spidery script seemed to put the seventeen year old into some sort of trance as his eyes roamed the letter's address. A sense of familiarity seemed to wash over him just enough that he could open the letter without his hands shaking uncontrollably. The red head scowled as Harry took his time, his eyes focusing intently on the letter as the necklace around his neck worked its magic upon him.

"Oh hurry up!" The red head whined, a sneer appearing on his face and his arms crossing.

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione snapped, her eyes flashing as she scolded him. Ron's brow furrowed before he let it go, giving a huff in reply and defeat. Harry ignored both of them as he pulled the letter out, his hands now reverting to quivering as he tried desperately to read what Dumbledore had written.

"Hermione…please, take it, I can't read it." Harry sullenly spoke, his head hanging low as he thrust the letter to Hermione. The lioness snatched up her prey and quickly began to read aloud what their beloved Headmaster had written before he died.

"Harry (and undoubtedly Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger),

It has come to my attention that I will be dying soon, as per my own wish. I would have died from the wound of trying to use the Pevrell ring while it was still a Horcrux most assuredly, had I not had power over Professor Snape. No doubt you, Harry, were wondering how he could do such a thing when I trusted him?

My dear boy, I had asked Snape to grant me a quick death so that I might get him back into the inner circle of Voldemort's Death Eaters and so that I would die a less painful death. I was alerted to Snape's forming of an unbreakable vow with Narcissa Malfoy in hopes that her son would not have to work for the Dark Lord alone earlier in the year and it gave me great pains to ask such a deed of him. You see, if he were to break his vow, he would have surely died, and all of our carefully lain plans would be ruined. Therefore, I had him promise me that he would not let Draco kill me, but that he should do so, however unwilling he might be. That, my dear boy, is the first part of my explanation. I fear, however, that my time is running short and that I cannot give you more knowledge as of now. Rely greatly on Ms. Granger, Harry, and Mr. Weasley; they are your best chances at survival.

Now, onto the business at hand. An enormous amount of raw magic has appeared to have gathered in the town of Little Hangleton. You must go to Riddle Manor, which at this point has been abandoned by Lord Voldemort for obvious reasons, you knowing where it is and knowing of Voldemort's past being a few of them. Also, my dear boy, bring the locket with you. By now you must have found it, as this letter has a charm upon it that will make the first person to see it only remember it when all of the charmer's requirements have been met. The spell itself I tend to forget until I need it, which, I must say, is quite ironic in itself.

Best wishes and good luck,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore"

The tent and all of its inhabitants became utterly still as they all gawked in disbelief at the paper in Hermione's hands. Ron appeared to be the least dumbstruck of the trio, his own expression that of the experience of eating something sour. Harry seemed to be trapped in time, his hands no longer shaking and his entire body rigid with anticipation and hope. Hermione seemed to not believe that the paper was, in fact, tangible and currently began to run a list of spells through her head to try and test her theory.

"Well…..are we going to go or what?!" Ron broke the silence impatiently, his want to know spurred on by the strange, glittering locket that hung on the chain around his neck. Harry and Hermione both seemed to snap to attention as Ron's question seeming to have broken them both out of their reveries.

"Ron! We'll need to plan it all out! What if You-Know-Who is there and Dumbledore is wrong?! What if Dumbledore didn't even write this let-?!"

"He wrote it!" Harry cut Hermione off as she began to rant, a fierce look of determination and renewed hope shining in his lily green eyes. Their first lead on anything in months and Hermione was thinking about the authenticity of the letter? Harry scowled, his expression darkening enough to put the other two on edge as the severe lack of the locket made Harry's anger seem more intense. Hermione sub-consciously gripped at her wand, her movement catching Harry's eye and forcing him to realize what he'd done unthinkingly.

"Sorry….it's just….it kind of shows that Dumbledore cared enough to make sure we knew about Snape and about this mystery power in Little Hangleton at the Riddle Manor. I mean….we've been running around, trying to get at least somewhere with these riddles that he's given us and-."

"Harry! Riddles! What if our going to Riddle Manor will help solve the riddles?!" Hermione's eyes widened in excitement, her hands balled into loose fists as her mouth grew slack and her hazel gaze glazed over.

"Hermione…Hermione….'Mione? She's gone off again in that head of hers." Ron said as he waved a hand in front of the brunette's face, trying to grab her attention. As if on cue, Hermione suddenly started and set herself into action. Spells began to fly everywhere as she assembled the essentials to draw out schematics of a plan to enter Little Hangleton. Both Harry and Ron sighed, giving each other one last glance of pity before they gathered about and listened to all that their friend had to say….

A Week Later

A blonde man stood, shrouded in the shadows of the a large tombstone labeled "Tom Riddle Sr.", his black wool coat scratching against the surface of the bricks as he leaned his shoulder upon it. Shifting slightly, the man's scarf loosened from its position, a gleaming locket with the letter S engraved on it suddenly appearing from beneath it. The man appeared not to notice until the locket suddenly jerked viciously at his neck, pulling him forward, his feet sliding on the frozen earth. A yelp flew past his lips as he was pulled up the hill, towards the manor so quickly the blonde couldn't think fast enough. Panic set in, his bright eyes widening to the size of saucers before his gloved hand reached into his pocket and grasped a long wooden stick.

"Disapparate!" The man yelled, pointing the stick at himself. A loud crack filled the air and suddenly the man was gone, his scarf falling to the ground slowly. Seconds passed before the door to the manor opened and a dark figure appeared in the doorway. The figure seemed to hesitate before leaning down, long dark black hair shrouding its face from view as it lifted a pale hand. Long fingers stretched out, as if to pick up the scarf, the being hesitating slightly before reaching down to try and grasp at it.

"NO! Do not touch it! Leave it where it is! They will know!" A voice hissed, startling the being, causing it to rush back into the house, shutting the front door with a loud slam.

Present Day – Two Days Later

Winters in Little Hangleton seemed awfully spiting and, even though it wasn't quite winter yet, the two blonde haired civilians standing outside Riddle Manor seemed to be shaking quite thoroughly. One of them, the shorter of the two, pulled a long, thin stick out from her jacket pocket. Her mouth moved quickly, her mutterings something of a strange Latin-like phrase, before both of them ceased their quivering and the female replaced the stick to its former position. Minutes flew by and the wind began to pick up, but the couple stayed standing in front of the Manor, as if waiting for it to get up and walk off. It seemed like ages, but soon a red-headed man slowly made his way towards them from up the lane.

"Lovely weather we're having?" The redhead questioned as he soon came upon the others and stood to the left of the woman. The male blonde grinned slightly before regaining his composure and nodding towards the Manor.

"That be the house then, Barry?" The blonde questioned the other man, his bright green eyes connecting with 'Barry's' hazel ones.

"That'd be it there, Tom." Barry smirked as he spoke, an eyebrow raised in satisfaction as 'Tom' glared playfully at Barry and the girl gave a small snort.

"Oi, you alright there Sarah?" Tom asked the girl, nudging her playfully and earning him a small punch from her gloved hand.

"Stop playing around you two….we need to get in and get out before You-Know-Who figures he'd stop by to gloat about killing his family." The two men sobered up as Sarah spoke, her scolding ability not diminishing in this strange form.

"Alright, alright! We'll just walk in, look around, see what all the huff is about, and then get out of here before Mr. Holier-than-thou comes around to have a laugh!" Tom said, another grin stretching across his face and earning another small punch from Sarah.

"Let's go, then!" Barry stated, his legs already moving as he began his way up the walk to Riddle Manor. Tom and Sarah trudged behind, their hands inside their pockets, gripping the thin pieces of wood that would be their only hopes against enemies.

After a few minutes of walking they stood in front of the large doorway into Riddle Manor, Sarah once again having to whip out her wand and say a very quiet 'Alohamora' before the door unlocked and they quietly began to file inside.

"Whoaaah." Tom's voice, louder than usual in the silence of the manor, broke the calm countenance of the three new inhabitants. Barry shut the door quickly and as quietly as possible, his hand reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a stick not unlike the ones both Sara and Tom were carrying. Tom muttered a quick 'Lumos' which lit up the tip of his stick, allowing him to shed light on the area, the other two following suit only seconds later.

"Sarah, what should we look for?" Tom questioned in a loud whisper, wincing slightly as his voice carried about the entryway.

"We should be able to feel a fluctuation in our magic wherever the raw power is. It will probably make our 'Lumos' spell much brighter." Sarah answered her voice a much lower whisper than Tom's.

"Like 'Lumos Maxima'?" Barry questioned, his eyebrow rising in question.

"Most likely; now, set about searching the rooms and make sure to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. We have no idea what's lurking around here and what You-Know-Who might've done to protect this place. We also have no idea why he couldn't feel the raw power, or if he hasn't already found it, so we need to get in and out as fast as possible." Sarah spoke with authority, leaving no room to question her plan.

"Alright….we should split up. I'll take the bottom floor, Tom, you take the second, and Sarah, you take the library." Each nodded as Barry spoke before they took off in different directions, Tom and Sarah heading straight ahead to the staircase, stopping as soon as they were at the top.

"You know, it's not fair that you get to take the library. You love books." Tom grinned at Sarah.

"I'm the only one that apparently reads between the three of us, so naturally I'd take the library." Sarah glared playfully at Tom, earning a return glare from him.

"I thought we wanted to leave quickly anyway. Knowing you we'd be here for days while you stuck your nose in every book—Ow!" Tom was cut off from a punch to his shoulder, which was executed by none other than Sarah.

"Will you just go search the floor!" Sarah huffed, smirking at him as he wandered off, still rubbing his arm and muttering about 'crazy girls who like to punch people' while Sarah turned the opposite direction and made her way towards two large maple doors.

Barry had been looking through every drawer, crack in the wall, and cupboard that he could find, looking for maybe some sort of clue while also keeping a watchful eye on his wand. He knew a 'lumos maxima' would cause the whole room to light up, but he wanted to make sure it didn't do exactly the opposite. Sarah had told them before they'd arrived that she wasn't exactly sure what a fluctuation of magic would be like, so he wanted to make sure he knew exactly when the light might be extinguished.

A sigh fell from his lips as he paused halfway down a hallway, his body suddenly tired and his mind drowsy with exhaustion. Blinking rapidly to keep himself awake, Barry hadn't even noticed the presence beside him until he was falling towards it, his wand lighting the whole hallway up for a few seconds long enough to see the pale man with dark, emerald green eyes moving forward to catch him. The light failed as soon as he felt his consciousness slip, his mind reeling over the sudden pain his forehead was emitting, before all of it was gone.

"Harry Potter?" The light voice that pulled him out of the darkness and back to the present was unfamiliar, but not entirely unpleasant. He had had a dream that Voldemort was standing next to him, but that it wasn't him in snake form; in fact, Harry couldn't even be sure it was him. Harry blinked rapidly, trying to clear the dots from his eyesight as everything began to focus. A bright light was shining all around them, as if someone had turned on the electricity in the house and each bulb was a floodlight.

Groaning, Harry sat up, with the help of a strong, guiding hand on his back. Everything was still too blurry for him to recognize, but he could easily make out the figure next to him, helping him to sit up. Agitated by his lack of memory, Harry rubbed his eyes in an attempt to both clear them up and to massage some sort of recognition of his situation back into his brain.

"I should really go find your friends." The figure, now easily identified as a man, caused Harry to start and turn to face him, his movements too hasty for his 'just woken up' state.

"Who—who—who are you? Why are you here?" Harry questioned, his voice's usual calm leaving him as his current situation became clearer while his brain reviewed recent memories. He was searching for a power flux with Ron and Hermione in the Riddle Manor, but they'd disguised themselves as people from the village and had gone by different names. A spark of fear flew up Harry's spine, causing his hand to immediately go for his wand.

"How do you know who I am?!" Harry questioned, his green eyes focusing more and perceiving the outline of the pale being before him. Green eyes, darker than Harry's, stared back at him from behind recently cut black bangs. The face of the man, presumably so by his body type, voice, and five o'clock shadow, was that of someone who could be in their late twenties and seemed oddly familiar. The clothes he wore were that of a man who stepped into a time machine and went back to nineteen-forties Great Britain, his shoes even seemingly from the time period.

"Calm yourself, Harry; I'm not here to hurt you." Something in the man's voice made him shudder; the likeness to another's making him react strangely. Panic rose in Harry, despite the words the man had spoken, and Harry pushed himself away further until his back was against the wall. The man, who had yet to reveal his name and his purpose in the Manor, held his hands up in a placating way, revealing to the younger man that he did indeed, have a wand. Harry's grip tightened on his wand instinctively and the urge to say a few defensive spells rose in him, but he pushed that away, against his better judgment and swallowed nervously.

"So, if you're not here to hurt me, then why don't you introduce yourself and tell me why you're here?" Harry tried for civility, his eyes once again boring straight into the other man's while he slowly lifted the tip of his wand as a back-up.

"Yes, tell us who you are and maybe we wont obliviate your mind!" Hermione's voice seemed distressed as she suddenly appeared out of the corner of Harry's vision, Ron's visage soon following as he rounded the corner, the locket of Slytherin gleaming notoriously from around his neck.

Please read and review kindly.

Thank you,

-Aimze