Chapter 1: Contact Made

Harry James Potter was a boy of seventeen years and had seen his fair share of both good and bad things in his time already. He lived with his aunt, uncle, and cousin who liked to pretend he was invisible and didn't exist most days. Something for which he was grateful for this summer, as Harry had a lot of changes occurring to him he didn't understand and why they were occurring at all.

The headmaster, as always, answered his letters with riddles and managed to give him a headache with more questions than he had started with. Harry was beginning to feel the old man was trying to hide something from him and he didn't want to Harry to know whatever it was he was hiding.

It was eerily representative of a time in his fifth year and the year he lost the closest link to his birth parents other than the one who betrayed them and one other close friend; who was also gone now.

Harry had pretty much sequestered himself to his room most days and was becoming increasing aware he needed to study more as the war went onward . After his birthday, and being allowed to use magic fully; he had taken the opportunity to redecorate his room to his standards after purchasing some spell-books recommended to him by Hermione through owl mail and owl order.

He had enlarged his small room over four times the size it was on the inside without remodeling the house to make himself comfortable. He had a spacious bedroom area and study corner area. There was a door that led off to the left which was now a private bath and another next to it that was a full-sized closet.

The bedroom and study area had new plush cream carpet on the floor and the windows held sheer royal blue curtains while the walls were a pale blue tone. His sheets were now silken and white with a dark blue duvet on it and the bed-frame was a four-poster bed like he used when at his school except made of a medium willow wood to accentuate the light coloring of the walls and his darker bed and window curtains. The duvet also had a golden design of some sort to it, but Harry didn't exactly notice it at all until he really started to redress his bed.

The desk had been transfigured to a sturdier one and made of the same wood as his bed and there was now a double bookcase on one area that held all his school books plus others he had attained over the years. The bookcase was the same medium willow, but had been painted white to give the room an accent piece or focal point.

Plus there were some books he attained out of curiosity and rebellion. Some of which he was sure his friends and mentors would question him considerably if they knew of them. The shelves were charmed to keep their shape but allow continual growth for any new books he attained within a certain amount before he had to find something to transfigure more shelves out of.

Harry had replaced all his old clothes with comfortable one that fit and while his relatives were curious as to how he had managed such fine brands; Harry kept his distance and silence to them. His room was warded from them now alongside of the blood wards here, so they could not invade it. He also had silencing charms around them and several other spells to make sure he was aware of what happened around the house.

Across the study area was a fireplace now that was connected to the Floo for emergency. Most times it just sat there empty and more as another focal point to his rooms. Hedwig's perch was next to it and she watched him with questioning eyes as he dressed for the day.

"I'm going to go for a walk Hedwig, so you can go hunt if you want to..just be careful and stay hidden. There's a presence here I don't recognize and it makes me wary." He told her gently

Hedwig then hooted softly to say she understood and proceeded to nap on her perch.

Harry dressed in some jeans and a white tee and then threw his sneakers on. He grabbed his wand and placed it in his back pocket and went down the stairs as he heard the click of his wards come into play. His aunt watched him go with a perplexed look to her face, but he said nothing and went out the front door.

Harry knew the physical changes he went through in about three months seemed unrealistic and their had to be a magical reasoning behind it. The problem was finding it out and figuring out why the headmaster tried to keep it from him.

He had gone from being the shortest in his year to likely shoulder height on Ron, which was a lot of growth for him. Then there's the fact no stretch marks appeared and he still had his muscles from Quidditch but they seemed more toned than before…which was near impossible to fathom as he couldn't do any real sports here besides if he had decided to work-out on his own. Harry had thought about it, but had not really pondered it too much.

Next was that his terrible eyesight had cleared to 20/20 overnight, and he knew most people…wizard and muggle did not have this happen to them.

Then there was the fact his magic seemed stronger and had this 'aura' of power surrounding him that he felt as did some around him, but could not see. If that wasn't enough, then every time he went out of the house and some of the local teenage girls were out and saw him; they giggled to themselves and laughed to the other in whispers he overheard as if they had been speaking to him directly. He knew they thought he was handsome and wondered if he was available even though they had not seen him around as much as they did in their primary years.

Harry hadn't thought they had noticed him so much when he was younger. He knew they often gossiped over how different He and Dudley were, and wondered why as they had grown up together in the same home. They winked at him while they were trying to flirt with him and Harry had ignored most of it as he did not wish to lead them on.

Harry shook his head in dismay, "What is going on with me?" he asked quietly

A person strolled over to him and sat beside him and was apparently covered in magic to disguise themselves from the muggles of the park he was in.

"You are Harry Potter, aren't you?" He asked smoothly

Harry eyed him warily, "And if I was, why should I tell you anyhow? I don't know you and for all I know you just want money? I don't think so though, as you reek of magic and so I know you are not muggle and really a wizard like I am."

His tone was soft and low as so not to be overheard by the runner's who had passed by them.

The man laughed now and Harry's hair stood on end.

"Funny Potter, considering I have no need of any muggle currency and the last time I saw you; you were a scrawny, knobbly knee teen with enough stubbornness to choke a horse." Riddle smirked as his eyes gleamed

Harry jumped up and made a break for it.

"Wait Potter! I have something you might want to know." Tom said exasperatedly

Harry eyed him with suspicion, "How do I know this is not a trick, trap, or otherwise useful way to try and kill me?" He asked

Riddle smirked, "You don't, but seeing as I am here in no accompaniment of my usual associates and their friends; you can assume I am genuine."

Harry rolled his eyes, "That doesn't make feel more comfortable, but I also don't like you out here surrounded by innocent people who I know you'd love to kill just for circumstance of birth they don't choose. Follow me."

Riddle was intrigued and followed the teen back to the house where the boy led him into the foyer and up the stairs without so much as a glance to his family. This made Riddle curious. Didn't the boy's relatives coddle and dote on him? Worry about him when he went out at all?

Tom also felt the wards shift as he entered into a surprisingly spacious area that was magically enhanced to fit the teen's needs.

"You have some surprisingly good wards to your room, Potter. Did you do this yourself?" Riddle asked him with interest

Harry smirked, "Of course I did. Had to keep out the muggles somehow, otherwise I would be deaf from all their yelling about changing their normal house with my freakish magic. Since turning seventeen and being able to legally use magic, I have been busy studying and practicing an array of things that would otherwise be banned from consideration."

Riddle made something of a 'hm' sound and Harry gestured to a chair and the undercover dark lord sat gracefully before he seemed to zone out and reclaim his thought process. Harry sat down as well, and conjured a tea tray with biscuits to Tom's shock and then he said, "You said you had information for me."

Tom reigned in his shock and nodded, "Yes, and it might change how you view some people who you call comrades. I am not asking you to believe me straight away and I don't expect you to, but at least hear what I have to say?"

Harry considered, "Alright, so long as you don't try to kill me today."

Tom smirked, "Fair enough, as that would defeat the purpose anyhow."

"You have definitely noticed that you have changed a lot over the last month. These changes are seemingly unrealistic to you and probably do not make a lot of sense to you, do they?" He asked the teen

Harry wondered what this had to do with anything.

"I suppose so, but I kinda just took them as they came because I can't say I am displeased with them. I figured they had something to do with magic, my being a wizard and then turning seventeen and of adulthood in our society." Harry smirked over his tea cup

Tom smirked, "I wouldn't be either if I were you as you are quite handsome now as is. These changes were caused by your magical inheritance from your father's old blood, Harry. Lily may have been muggle-born and while I do detest muggles…muggle-borns have their merits if we are to truly consider them."

"Pure-blood society is dying out and our way of life is threatened by each new generation of muggle-born witches and wizards who are allowed to enter our world and trade our customs for theirs to make their lives more easy and comfortable. I am not saying they shouldn't be allowed to come here at all because a witch or wizard left untrained and unknown to the world is just as dangerous to us as I am for being a learned one and then turned dark wizard."

"However, most muggle-born magical people who come to our world receive grades high enough to attain jobs that allow them to continue to live here, but they are also not high enough usually to allow them the leisure and happiness they envisioned in our culture when they first arrive. They end up going back to their world; taking our knowledge and gifts with them and exposing magic to muggles around them accidentally. This poses a dangerous precedent should the many forms of muggle government or terror groups find us. Surely, as a wizard, you can see this problem for what is?" Tom asked

Harry was quiet and gave the words a considerable amount of thought. He had never stopped to question why he fought for the light and what they were fighting for. He had also never really looked to Tom's end of this and why he fought for what he did. There were biases to both ends, and Harry knew he supposedly had a big role to play in this war already. How accurate was the prophecy even now in this day of his life? Could it be changed if his actions dictated it somehow and they didn't know it?

"I can see the dangers you speak of and I don't like them for sure, but I also do not like that you and your minions just go about killing people and making others fear you to accomplish your goals either. Murder and genocide should not be the only hard way to achieve the means you want in the end. I also know that the light values people being able to choose their paths as much as your side does, but I am also aware that one too many times has Albus coerced me to thinking in his ways and I find I am getting annoyed by it more and more of recent. Especially since I do not always agree to his sentiments, though I do not dare say that to him in fear of not knowing how he would handle it. Being manipulated is not good either, but I wouldn't kill him for it." Harry said slowly

Tom eyed this boy and his ruby eyes held respect in them.

"Harry, has anyone told you of your father's genealogy at all in depth." Tom asked

Harry eyed him suspiciously, "Why?"

"Do you know the tale of the three brothers and the three deathly hallows?" Tom asked again

Harry nodded and said, " You are talking of the tale of the three Peverell brothers and the gifts from the spirit of death to them, which are now known as the three Deathly Hallows. Owning all of them is said to make the owner the master of death and able to control the flow of life or death around them." Harry question as TOm nodded to him.

Harry sighed, "All of the brothers were considered to be notable dark wizards and at some point owned a hallow each. Antioch held the elder wand; a wand said to be unable to be conquered until it met the right opponent. The opponent who won could then claim the wand as their own because it would no longer recognize its former owner as master nor would it work for them if they managed to steal it back from the new master."

"Cadmus held the resurrection stone and it is told that he experimented with its powers to gain the control over death itself and over living souls and life. In his arrogance and inexperience to the powers of the spirit who gave them to him, he did one experiment that caused his heir to be brutally killed and his wife turned to a specter and bound to the earth; never to be allowed to cross over to the next life. Wracked with grief for what he had brought on himself and his family, he committed suicide but the stone made sure to turn him to a specter and then bound him to the specter of his wife and he too would never cross over. His wife's ghost is said to have never forgiven him for his actions and she wanders the lands with him following her every step of the way; seeking forgiveness but never attaining it."

Tom nodded as he smiled to himself and realized Harry was much more knowledgeable and intellectual than he had considered before.

"Then the youngest of the three was Ignotus Peverell, and also said to be the most cunning and dangerous of them. He wanted a way to protect his family from his two elder brothers madness and a way to hide himself from death himself until he and his family could go to death in person. To be able to walk freely hand-in-hand with no regrets as friends to the afterlife as death guided them there freely of his own will with no thoughts of further vengeance to them. It is said the invisibility cloak was given to Ignotus directly from death's true form and while holding it in your possession; the spirit of death cannot sense you as much as he would like to."

Harry eyed him and Tom nodded.

"Harry, do you know how rare invisibility cloaks even are?" He asked as Harry eyed him warily now

"I know they're not common commodities for wizarding people, or everyone would have them; but, I don't exactly know how rare they are."

"Invisibility cloaks are banned here for manufacture and marketing." Tom told him with certainty

Harry's eyes widened, "Then how do I—

Tom held a hand to stop him, "Because the cloak you have has been passed down in your family for generations from father to son. It is ancient and of notable value, as the first to own it was Ignotus Peverell himself and he is your ancestor. The Potter family has had its share of both light and dark wizards in it. The Potter family knew the value of having both forms of magic in it and have always hid the fact as time wore on."

Harry's mind went blank at this and his mouth seemed at a loss of words.

"James and you are directly descended from him, as you are descended from Godric Gryffindor. Hence the sword appearing in the chamber allowing you to kill Luvinia." Tom said softly

Harry sat there his tea cup on the table beside him, "I had no idea the cloak I owned all this time was the one cloak of the hallows. Though it makes sense now I think." He swallowed.

Tom's eyes narowed, "What does?"

Harry was hesitant, "ALbus returned the cloak to me as my Christmas present in my first year. He told me to 'use it well'."

"Whenever I was underneath the cloak; I always felt safer than I probably ought to have. There was this magical feel that I felt in it as it guarded me. It was as if death still knew my family had his cloak and he had no desire for its return. I was risking myself using it so much as movement underneath it made it shimmer as I walked and if someone came by who wasn't supposed to know; I had to freeze in place."

"Breathing too heavily under it made me vulnerable to them hearing me as well. In my first year, I witnessed the night Severus slammed Quirrel in to the wall and had argued with him. It was why Severus turned and looked at the odd wall. He knew of the cloak as my father used to torment him. He tried to take it off me, but I covered my mouth and stepped just outside his reach so he could not remove while holding Quirrel."

Tom was silent and he remembered that instance, as his face had been protected from impact by the turban Quirinus had worn, but it had still stung somewhat.

Tom nodded, "I see. I know you didn't know the significance, but I also know there is much of these items that are still shrouded in mystery. Time may tell us what they are though. Now you know your changes are from your bloodline and you should also be aware that your magic is maturing much faster now than most others your age. You have a lot of raw talent and power those close to you don't, and I have noticed this several times as we kept encountering the other."

"This raw power is something those close to you could be jealous of, or covet in some form. Powerful beings such as you or I always tend to attract the attentions of those with less ability. It is natural for this to occur as it partially shapes human nature and how human structure works." Tom told him

"Have you had any odd things happen now that the physical changes are over? Odder than normal, I mean?"

Harry seemed wary in telling this because he had no idea what Tom wanted exactly, but for some reason beyond his comprehension; he felt as though he should trust him even if had killed his family.

"I-I have had this weird energy at times. It's like it is drawing me to someone for something. What I can not always tell, but I do know my mind goes hazy and I tap into senses of higher orientation than that of a human. I also have higher sense now as it is."

"I smell everything better now and hear things I likely shouldn't. My sight fixed itself to perfect vision and my acuity is far beyond human normalcy. My body moves as if it has a confidence it lacks while my mind is confused and uncertain of what is going on with me. Then there is the…carnal feelings at times that I have to repress to keep from finding someone and just letting go and fuck them for no reason."

Harry's face was red and his cheeks were flushed as the words left his mouth in this manner. Tom was aware Harry was embarrassed over this, but he thought Harry looked handsome and that anyone who was lucky enough to gain his affection would be special indeed. His robes hid his attraction to him as his magic was making him feel things he hadn't for so long and he had kept some secrets for himself until a later time.

"Harry, I know you think these feelings are odd and unapprpriate. The truth is they are keenly natural for you now as the downside of the Peverell lineage is that you have a creature inheritance too. One that has already manifested and has started to take hold of you. To change you into the person the creature portion of you and you yourself can live with. Peverells have Incubi and Succubae blood to them, and as such they are confident in themselves in all ways as they feed off of other's energy through sexual acts and this carnal side of you is starting to awaken." Tom told him, "It is telling you what your body desires because the creature is now active in you and the physical changes have finished; allowing you to be who you are without reprimand."

Harry looked at him, "So what do I do then? Hogwarts is likely dangerous to me unless I can regain some control?"

Tom snorted, "Hogwarts is not dangerous to you because of this. People will just see it as you changing into a man and growing up. Exploring your sexuality and discovering yourself is as normal to muggles as it is to magical people. There is no escape from it."

Harry relaxed and calmed down, "Why did Albus keep this from me then?"

Tom frowned, "I don't have a full answer for you, just a theory."

"The prophecy that binds us as mortal enemies was started as such a means to lead me to destroy you as I thought of you as threat when I heard it, and I did us no favors in following it without trying to discover the second half of it. You have realized that I have changed a lot in the few months you last saw me as I have about you and your changes. My after-effects of my rebirth finally fully set in and this was what was supposed to happen originally; I just took longer because of my highly weakened body. I have had a lot to consider and to think on since my sanity returned and I felt no urge to kill as I did before."

"I regret you were a victim of the prophecy and my anger in the insanity I had. No one deserves to be orphaned as we were and to live as we have. I cannot and will not apologize for the deaths of your parents as their sacrifices will be made into vain if I did. I do think the prophecy can be averted now that I have regained clarity enough to reason on it. You defeated me once already, is that not enough? I do not know the whole prophecy though, so I cannot say." Tom told him

"I think you have been manipulated to play a role everyone wants to see as they are so afraid of the world they know changing too far. They want you to end me because they want to remain in a world of corrupt politics and obliviousness because it is simpler and less painful for them."

Harry stood and his face was hard now. His eyes held anger to them and his mind was yelling in outrage as the incubus had began stalking back and forth. Harry then growled in fury and caught himself and Tom by surprise at it. Harry smiled sheepishly in apology, "Sorry, I didn't realize I had done that."

"However, what do you suggest if we can do to avert it? I cannot just go neutral for no reason, as there would be many wars of words if I did? Even then, some would not accept it and try to coerce me out of it?" Harry asked

Tom considered, "Why not show them the side of you that you're holding back and have for far too long. The side of the snake that is inside you? The side the Incubus and you both prefer to be? You have suffered for too long, Harry. It is time for you to let go and to show them why you are not anyone's pawn and they cannot just decide to use you as they see fit to do."

Harry turned from him and considered, "Possibly."

Tom nodded, "I will no longer actively seek you out unless pushed somehow due to suspicions on me. However, if you find yourself endangered; do not hesitate to seek me out, as I would welcome you to my side if need be or for safe harbor as a neutral to the war. Our connection has changed as well mentally, so you may try to contact me telepathically if needed."

Harry nodded silently to this.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Harry said as Tom turned to leave

The elder man turned to him curiously though Harry still had his back to him.

Harry hesitated then seemed to gather himself, "Would you be willing to train me in some of the things I need to know if Albus should decide I betrayed them and wants me removed somehow? I know he thinks I am a weapon of war and that he controls me...I have for some time though I tried to deny it for a very long time. I admitted it to myself after Sirius died in my fifth year and he told me the prophecy. I do not believe he would want me to live if he thought I betrayed him as I pose too much uncertain danger too him to let me live peacefully of my own accord?"

Tom considered the request and had missed his mention of the prophecy in his concern that Harry believed Albus would kill him.

"Could you ward the backyard here from prying eyes?" He asked

Harry nodded, "I could, but my relatives would still be able to see. Perhaps they should see, and to see why I was the one destined to supposedly defeat you." He quirked a smug smile at him, "Call it retribution for sixteen years worth of neglect and abuse from them."

Tom's concern rose at the words, "They abused you?" He hissed angrily

Harry scowled, " Sure they did. We are very much alike in childhood, as the headmaster reminds me of so often and then tells me that it is my choices that has set us apart." The raven-haired boy snorted in disbelief, "Between not feeding me and keeping me as busy as a Malfoy house-elf, it is a wonder my magic was able to do this sort-of miracle on me to begin with. Then, if the beatings for odd occurrences and locking me in the cupboard underneath the stairs for days on ends weren't enough to damage me as much as they had meant to; the emotional and verbal spars and barbs were certainly more than just enough to demean and belittle any confidence a child has into nothing at all. I am lucky not to have gone bitter on them."

Tom scowled at this, "Well, at least you have the ability to defend yourself now. I suppose I am not allowed to hex them on my way out?" He asked genuinely with with a tinge of hope in his voice

Harry smiled now, "Nope. You had better not or the wards might alert someone you are here and that would give us away far too soon."

Tom sighed, "Alright, but I was just itching to send a stinging hex at them."

"Sorry Tom."

The man left and Harry had to wonder if this day had been the most unique and unusual one to date. He was looking forward to showing his full self to those at school and living his life while enjoying some semblance of normalcy. He doubted he would return to the school though, as something was in the air that made him nervous while he set about to finish his annoyingly long Potions essay he had put off in favor of his personal studies.