Locket Tom saves everything.


YEAR 5

"Mrs. Weasley can I keep this?"

"I suppose so dear. It certainly seems to be alright but it's locked tight. If it starts acting strange don't hesitate to bring it to someone to destroy.


Harry laid on his bed in Grimauld Place staring at the handsome gold locket that he had aquired. It had a silver snake inlaid in it that formed an 'S'. with a spark of inspiration he hissed to it "open up."

Surprisingly the locket did as he asked and clicked open.

"Tom!" Harry smiled as he looked at his friend.

"Harry." The portrait whispered in awe.


"how old where you when you had this picture taken."

"nineteen." Tom smirked at his friend

"but how? you are the same age as me."

"how old are you right now?" Tom was curiously, his Harry looked so young.

"fifteen now."

"I know you are clever enough to figure out a way."

"well I know about timeturners but I don't think those would take you back far enough to lose a locket four or more years in the past."

"you are correct.


YEAR 6

'I don't think so old man.' Tom thought angrily as he saw his ring on Dumbledore's finger. It was quite obviously still whole but for how long he could not say. Silently he began to call to the other shard of his soul.

His message was simple.

'take the magic and life from the old man. Rip it from him for our own and for our Harry. He is controlling our Harry.'

He could feel the ire from his counterpart grow exponentially. With every passing moment the old man grew weaker and only Harry could give the way to destroy it. But his sweet little friend didn't consciously know how she had destroyed the horcrux nor did she know that the diary had been his horcrux.

The old man was beaten at his own game. Harry had associated his locket with his best friend Tom. He could never see it as being a possible horcrux because the mind web prevented the two from being linked. A malicious grin spread across his face.


"Harry Snitches have flesh memory remember."

"I know but it didn't open when I touched it."

"What exactly was said in the note left with it?"'

"It said 'I open at the close.' It was the snitch from my very first Quidditch match.

"Harry you didn't catch the snitch in your first match. You swallowed it."

"How can you remember that?"

"I have perfect recall."

"You are amazing sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"Yeah because the rest of the time you are just wonderful.

There inside the snitch was his ring. And it had taken ever ounce of power from the former light lord that it could. If he hadn't been present the ring would have been destroyed and his splintered soul moved into the place between.


He reached out to the soul fragment.

"Rejoin with our older form, and recall the diary. We are going to get back what is ours."

"Harry."

"is safe for now.


"The only ones that would recognize us would have been Dumbledore, the oaf, and Slughorn. The only one who still remains is the half giant."

"make preparations for when we bring Harry to our home. It is only a little while longer."


"Nagani just drink the potion already." Tom held up a vial of modified deaging solution. He would rather not have his familiar mentally regress and forget everything that had happened.

"I spent a number of years to get this big I have no desire to be small again."

"You will because Harry is coming to me."

"your mate? But how all these years…"

"Children's magic is a volatile thing."

"The boy! I told you so master. But you didn't listen. I told you so."

"be quiet you vain serpent and drink the potion."

"yes master."


In their own mental world the two parts met.

"we have to make Harry feel safe. And for that there can not be a dark lord. He has been told for too long that we want him dead. Lord Voldemort will have to die."

"you want me to die and you get Harry."

"no. you will become a spirit and we will both revive using me. We will be complete and we will have Harry." The nineteen year old horcrux smirked.

"this seems to be an adequate plan."


"hello my friend.

"Tom!" Harry spun around to see a handsome boy

"how did you find me?"

"you are quite easy to find if one knows how to go about it."

Harry took a step back and reached his hand up only to pluck the taller boy

"What the hell was that for?"

"you thought I was a girl."

"I realized that I was mistaken didn't I? "

"I suppose so. "

"where did you learn about that?"

"Hermione told me."

"I should have known."

"hey! What's that supposed to mean." Harry was smiling. Tom couldn't help but feel that everything was better now. Besides with Dumbledore gone he could get things done within the system. Especially with Harry at his side.

"it means you my friend are very oblivious to certain things."


"hold on to me."

"ok but why?"

"we are going somewhere. Close your eyes."


"what do you think?"

"I think it's amazing." Harry examined the house in it's entirety. Then in the corner resting in a cushy reading chair was a snake, a very particular snake.

"Nagani! She's so big now."

"Yes she is. She's eating rabbits now."

"wow."

"Continue praising me master's mate. It is quite enjoyable."

Harry blushed slightly.

"I thought I said not to call us that."

"why should I


"you still hate cooking don't you."

"Despise it really."

"I can handle cooking for you, you know. After all you are volunteering your home for me."

"Remember what we agreed on. After we graduate we would share a flat. I still like that idea.

Harry tried to fight down the blush that was threatening to show itself. Sharing a place with Tom had been one of his goals for so long but he didn't know if he could do it. Even being in the same room with him made him think of the dreams he had of his friend.


"This can be your room if you want it. I don't keep guests so it may need to be cleaned."

"Tom your OCD is showing."

"I do not have obsessive compulsive disorder. "

"yeah you do you are just too proud to let it show." Harry smiled looking up at his friend.


"Tom what's this?"

"what are you looking at?"

"well it looks like that bottle we shared on your birthday and new years."

Tom paled when he realized what Harry was looking at.

"Tom?"

"Harry, you were gone for a long time. I thought your uncle had really killed you this time. Speaking of which you are of majority now do those wards still work?"
"Tom you cant. Please don't."

"why not?"

"just… just don't okay. I'm sorry for misleading you like that. I know it probably hurt."

"like nothing ever before."

"I had to I didn't want anyone to find you and hurt you."

Tom held Harry and kissed him soundly. Harry's shock quickly subsided and he leaned into Tom.

"so you do like me." Tom said smugly.

"I'm sorry." Harry backed away and hung his head.

"never be sorry. " Tom tilted Harry's chin up to look at him.

"but boys aren't supposed to like other boys."

"is that why you never told me?"

"I thought it would make you angry, that another boy liked you. I didn't want to lose you so I didn't tell you." Harry looked down at his feet ashamedly

" I didn't want to be a freak to you." Harry whispered.

"I don't like boys Harry, I like you." Tom purred gently pulling his friend into his arms. He rather enjoyed this, this was how it was meant to be. Harry was his.

"You like me? Even though I'm not a girl like you thought?"

"yes. I like you a rather lot. And you not being a girl has no weight to me. I have no interest in most people. Only you. does that make you understand?"


Tom strolled the streets with Harry at his side. He didn't care if anyone saw him because there were none alive now that would remember Tom Riddle and link him to Harry Potter's boyfriend. The only ones who could were madam Deedra and Borgin in the Old Quarter of Knockturn Alley. Neither of them would sell him out. Not even after five decades had they come forth with knowledge of him. During the first war Deedra had even acted as a healer to him a few times.


"I wonder if I can meet them some day?"

"who?"

"Libby and Martha. They took care of you when I couldn't I wish I could thank them for being there."


Tom traveled to the home where the ninety-two year old Martha sat dazed in a chair. It was pitiful how years affected muggles so. The average lifespan of a wizard was more than double that of a muggle's. Even the old goat, up until his 'unfortunate' demise, had lived to be one hundred sixty seven; and that was with the stress of three wars having been fought in his lifetime.

Tom knew perfectly well that the deaging potion would most likely kill the woman after it was reversed.


Libby was a photographer oddly enough. She explored the magical world and photographed it for the Goblins of Gringotts to reference.


"Libby is a witch."


"Libby this is madam Deedra. If the two of you desire it she can adopt you."

"really! I'm gonna get a mama!"

"I'm too old for that young'in but I can be your granny if you wouldn't mind." Deedra's age wizened eyes sparkled. Innumerable years lined the old crones face as she spoke gently in her ancient gravely voice.

"I want you to be my gran'ma. I really do." Libby looked up at the crone with only the innocence that a child could have.

"you're the bestest big brother ever Tom!"

"Bestest is not a word."

"is too."