Disclaimer: all characters and names are property of J.K. Rowling. I don't get any payment, I'm just having fun :).
Dedication: to TwiLyght Sans Sparkles ( u/990610/TwiLyght-Sans-Sparkles), who's wonderful series of "Alternate Endings" always gives me a great pleasure!
Sorry: for I'm not native English speaker, so my grammar and vocabulary might be strange...
"You're dead, Harry Potter!" yelled a high cold voice, and a hand with The Elder Wand in it stretched towards Harry.
Harry thought that the idea of going out of school and search for Voldemort wasn't as brilliant as it seemed to be. They – he, Ron and Hermione - were halfway to the Shrieking Shack when suddenly the Dark Lord appeared from nowhere. The time has come too fast, and the snake was still alive – no good… Harry raised his wand ready to fight, but this very moment a flash of light glared beneath Voldemort's back and his face took a very strange expression, he lowered his wand and began to look around perplexedly.
"Great job Harry" said familiar but well forgotten voice. "You distracted his attention to let me deal with him, evidently great job of two great wizards!"
And, while Voldemort was still gazing around absently, Gilderoy Lockhart appeared from behind his back. Harry gasped – Lockhart, weak and rather selfish wizard, who spent five years in St. Mungo's hospital because of his amnesia, was the last person three of them could imagine defeating Voldemort. Actually, the one and the only Lockhart's real skill was memory charm, so...
Now Harry was first. Remembering what happened, when that disaster of wizard tried to cast his famous charm last time they met, Harry produced a nice big shield just in time to make Lockhart's memory spell backfired. The spell evidentially was very strong, Lockhart fell and didn't move.
"Doesn't this idiot can learn anything from his life experience?" asked Ron.
Harry let out a tiny nervous giggle and remembered how to breathe. Voldemort sat onto the ground thoughtfully plunging his long white fingers into a sea of fresh green grass, the Elder Wand laid forgotten next to him.
"Well," said Hermione in a bit unsure tone, "Harry, what are we gonna do now?"
"Er..." said Harry, his hand into his hair like it could help him to catch an idea. "We could send him to St. Mungo - they'll know what to do".
"Which of them do you mean?" Ron widened his eyes. "We have a couple of brainless prats here, you see, so..."
"Of course I mean Lockhart! How you'd imagine Dark Lord's appear in St. Mungo's hall? I don't think they're in mood to cure him."
"I don't think someone would ever be in such a mood…" Hermione's face twisted of despise.
"That's not the point," Ron interrupted her. "The problem is - what should we do to them?"
A strained silence fell to be broken in a second by Voldemort's terrified scream. The dark Lord jumped up like a kangaroo and in a split second turned to be behind Harry's back. Harry shivered as he felt strong bony fingers squeezing his shoulder.
"Harry?" said Voldemort, his voice trembling of fear, "You're Harry, aren't you? Anyway, I saw you have some sort of a weapon, so it's just a right moment to use it – look there! IT'S A MONSTER!"
Harry looked in the direction Voldemort's hand pointed and saw Bellatrix Lestrange tearing through the bushes. Her robes ripped here and there, her hairs disheveled like raven's nest, with extremely wild even insane expression on her face she was approaching their group incredibly fast.
"It's coming!" Voldemort moaned, "It's close!" And with that squeak he fainted.
"My Lord!" roared Bella, but the rest of her words were buried by Ron's "Stupefy!"
"Eat it, you bitch!" he said, lowering his wand and coming close to Bellatrix. Her eyes became even wilder, she rolled them evilly.
"Great job Ron", breathed out Hermione still a bit shocked by her tormentor's sudden appearance.
"Thanks", Ron's ears turned pale rose, "I could have kill her, you know, after what she had done to you in Malfoy Manor"
"I think, it's not necessary" Hermione put her hand onto Ron's shoulder calming him down.
"Potter, finally you managed it. I've almost lost my hope..."
Harry shivered as he turned back – there, just under an old oak, stood no other than his least favourite - even comparing to Voldemort - person in the world: Severus Snape. Before he could understand those words he had just heard, Harry aimed his wand at professor and nonverbal "Legilimence!" let him sink into Snape's mind.
That was strange, but Snape didn't try to resist as Harry observed professor's little copy hidden behind the bushes. Soon he realized why: the more Harry watched scenes of his mother's and Snape's relationship, the more he understood the reason of professor's behaviour. He felt a tiny hint of resistance from Snape's side, when they approached the James Potter's "levicorpus" episode, but since Harry wasn't keen on going through it one more time, he managed to keep the mind contact. Much more efforts and patience were required from Harry when he needed to see, what happened between Snape and Dumbledore first on the top of an unknown hill, then in the Headmaster's office. It seemed like Snape wished to hide those memories, but forced himself to show them. The most shocking thing for Harry was Snape's groan when he heard of Lily's death. Harry almost lost control of the mind connection, but this time it looked like Snape wanted him to continue, making him see Dumbledore deciding how to die easier way. But the worst thing he showed Harry in the last turn:
"So, the boy has to die?"
Snape's quiet question and his followed furious reaction – evidently professor wasn't worried about Harry's life, but of Lily's memory only, and yet he tried to protect "Potter's son" – that was earth-shattering.
Then connection disappeared. Both tired and exhausted they looked into each other's eyes. Severus leaned against the oak trunk; evidently giving out his top secret memories wasn't easiest thing to do for him.
"I'm so sorry" Harry spoke first. "I didn't ever... I couldn't... No I just never tried to look that way, to understand..."
"There's nothing to understand, Potter. It's between you and me, except for Dumbledore's death of course. That has to be public one day, though I don't really expect everyone to believe me".
"By the way, about Dumbledore's death!" Hermione woke up from the stupor she and Ron fell into, while looking at Snape giving voluntarily his memories to Harry Potter. "Is it possible to explain such a betrayal?! Is there any reason for us not to..."
"There is a reason, Hermione", Harry cut her nervously, "and you both will have to believe me on that for now. It was a hoax, one more Dumbledore's mystification. He was already dying - tried on that damned Peverel's ring, so he asked professor to..."
"Finish him off..." gulped Ron terrified. "Horrible. I couldn't ever".
"Few people could" answered Severus grimly.
"And you... You didn't want to?" gasped Hermione. "He forced you, and you didn't want to, but you had to... Oh, Merlin! He had no right to do such a thing to you - no one has a right to make the other one a murderer!"
"It's out of our competence, Miss Granger", said Snape sharply, "what rights Albus Dumbledore had or had not, the main thing is - the result".
"But, wait a minute" Ron's face took a suspicious expression. "What about George's wound?"
"I aimed at the Death Eater, not your brother." Snape's voice contained a note of sorrow now. "I wasn't going to harm any of you..."
"We believe it, sir, there's no need for further explanations," Harry approached Severus. "I would do anything to clear your name, but now we need your help".
"Really?" Snape smirked. "And I thought..."
But what exactly he thought they never knew, because that very moment Voldemort woke up from his faint and yelled rather hysterically:
"Harry! Where are you going to?! Don't go there, you see - there is a man in black robes, I think, it might be that Dark Lord you mentioned! I think he is dangerous, so you better come here and protect me!"
Severus, pale to sheet-colour whiteness, almost imprinted himself into the oak trunk when he saw Voldemort waking up from what Snape supposed to be a dead dream. But to his greater astonishment Harry Potter spun around calmly, hid his wand into his pocket and showed Voldemort his weapon-free hands.
"Calm down, Tom" Harry said softly, as he walked nearer to the monster sitting on the ground. "That's all right, he's not up to hurt you. No one here is."
"Tom? Is that my name?" Voldemort asked curiously, but still looking suspiciously at Severus. Severuse's eyebrows almost reached his hairline.
"Yes" Harry continued matter-of-factly, "yes, that's your mother who gave you this name, she called you after your father".
"At least, - he thought, - Dumledore's lessons about Riddle's past weren't in vain".
"I have parents?" asked Voldemort with hope.
"Em…" Harry felt quite uneasy. He remembered what he thought when he first knew about Tom Riddle's childhood. Dumbledore asked then if Harry felt sorry for Lord Voldemort. Harry said "no" but was it true? Didn't he feel that it was terrible for a wizard to live in muggle's orphanage? Didn't he think about what could it be, if someone took care of that lonely strange boy? Didn't he conclude in his mind, that eleven years – that's a bit too late to begin good-manner education and that it'll be better if the Ministry of Magic or school would help that lonely wizard child before he put himself against the whole world. Voldemort wasn't a child now, but he was as good as one. Could Harry fail his hope? Could he let Tom Riddle to be disappointed one more time in the world and humans?
"I'm very sorry to remind you, Tom" Harry finally found some words "but your parents are deceased. Both of them. But that's why we are here to help you – we are your family and we will take care of you. I promise."
"Deceased?" It could be funny if it wasn't so sad – Voldemort's noseless face took an offended expression. "Did I ever know them?"
"Actually, no" Harry sat down near the Dark Lord. "But they really loved you and they asked… Asked us to take care of you. And so we did."
"What happened to them?" that was a difficult question.
Your mother died producing you and you killed your father yourself – nice chat, but not for the moment.
"The war" Harry explained. He began to compose a new reality from nowhere. "There was and is a war. The war because of you. You see, there are people who think if they'll get you – they'll be stronger. Some stupid prophecy. Anyway, they want you to join them to kill people…"
"And naturally, I refused?"
"Naturally," nodded Harry. "But now we can't hide from them any more. You'll have to face them and say – you're not with them and you won't be".
"But how?" Voldemort gave out a terrified scream. "How can I? It's too frightening! I couldn't say a word 'cause of fear!"
"That's why I asked professor to join us" answered Harry as he turned his head to professor Snape. "He would do special charm to make you more impressive, like a kind of emperor, I dare say…" He looked at Snape attentively.
"Yes."
The said professor disconnected his body from the oak trunk and approached them slowly. No one caught the moment, when non-verbal "Imperio" took control of Voldemort's mind. Next events changed each other quickly like in a dream. While Harry, Ron and Hermione hide themselves into bushes, Voldemort, following Snape's orders, touched his mark. Death Eaters gathered and were imperioused too. After they got the order to go and give up to aurors, Snape made Voldemort sleep and turned to Harry.
"Wonderful plan, Mr. Potter" he said with his voice telling he thinks quite the opposite. "What are you going to do now?"
"Why everyone always asks me?!" Harry answered in irritated tone, "You're the professor here, no suggestions?"
"We have to take him home" said Ron decidedly. Hermione squeaked "But Ron!..".
"He is right" said Harry finally taking the decision that he felt was maturing in his mind for last ten minutes. "Let's take him to Grimmauld place. No one will search there. And you, sir, if you could, please take care of your former colleague"
"Bella?" asked Snape in disgust.
"Damn, I forgot about her – yes her as well, but actually I meant..."
"What a chaaarming meadow!"
"This..." they turned to see Gilderoy Lockhart admiring nature beauty around him.
"Potter... Your father was a pest, but you..."
"We'll discuss it later, can we? After you'll think of something to do with them. We'll wait you at five in Sirius's house"
"Oh, really?" professor smirked with scorn. "May be I should take crackers and cakes with me?"
"That would be useful" nodded Ron who's stomach had just made it clear that it can talk.
"Weasley!" sniffed Snape and turned to Lockhart.
"Well" said Harry putting one of Voldemort's hands on his shoulder "Ron if you could help me..."
20 years later
Though he knew he was named with his second name after grandpa Severus, Albus always preferred granddad Tom. Sometimes he was touchy, capricious, but could as well be joyful and play like a child. Grandpa Severus was never like that – always reserved, strict, he could only excuse Lily's faults, any of her fault, actually. That's why Lily was now jumping up and down on his knees in Potter's sitting room asking for more stories about his stupid students (especially about uncle Neville) while Albus coiled up on granddad Tom's knee thinking about what to do tomorrow while he is at home for Christmas holidays. So much to do!
"Nice of you not to make a drum of my poor old head sometimes" noticed grandpa Tom smoking his pipe. Albus sighed – what could he do, if grandpa Tom's bold head was so cute to drumming on. He looked up at grandpa Tom to say it, but thought it might be a bit offensive and stayed silent.
Tom looked at the boy who was supposed to be his grandson. That very moment in St. Mungo's hospital a rather handsome but stupid patient died – he looked into his pocket mirror and didn't notice a staircase. Suddenly Tom Riddle also known long time ago as Lord Voldemort remembered everything. Another boy, with the same bright green eyes, crying in his little bed, and what preceded it – a crime, a murder. Many crimes and murders one by one appeared before him in his mind. How could he?! How on Earth could he?! Last twenty years he supposed himself to be dearly beloved granddad of a family he loved, and yet, a family he once almost destroyed.
Then came the pain. Terrible, tearing pain. And then it stopped and let peace in.
In a neighbour room Harry fainted.
"The remorse?" asked Severus as they were walking home from a grave-yard.
"Yes" answered Harry. "The only way to bring back the pieces of a ripped soul."
"Never thought I'd say that – but poor old Tom."
"He was happy...there." Harry was silent for a while then continued. "I saw him when I fainted – I was the last horcrux, that's why I fell when it was gone. He thanked me... He could see his mother."
"Well... After all Dumbledore was right wasn't he?" Severus smiled (what normally happened only when Lily pulled some new prank).
"Right about what?" frowned Harry.
"You conquered Lord Voldemort with love" said Severus simply.
"Well, yes." Harry shrugged. "Still I'll miss him"
"Bet you never thought you'd say that?"
"As well as you never thought to be my kids' godfather!"
They smiled to each other and slowly went home.