Summary: In which Harry is placed under stress.

AN: Hey folks, so- after reading your many lovely reviews and looking over the story itself I have to agree that there is something missing. Mostly the buildup of the relationship between Harry and Tom, so I thought to myself… How am I going to make this happen? And came up with this solution, an extra chapter- and some wiggling around of chapter 7's contents. I haven't changed anything to the plot, just added and re-arranged things to make the story more enjoyable. If you enjoy the new edition LET ME HEAR IT!

Chapter7


"We will continue our conversation later…" the words echoed through Harry's mind as he slowly made his way to the headmaster's office. What had Tom meant? Was he going to try kissing Harry again? Did he want Tom to kiss him again? Of course not… he's evil. A killer.

Despite the thought, his hands were still shaking and his lips ached and his body throbbed. He shook his head as me muttered the password to the gargoyle at the headmaster's door. I can't think about Tom right now, I need to focus. With that he pushed open the door to the office.

"Ah Mr. Granger, we have been waiting for you." Dippet said, his droopy eyes serious as he stared out from in-between a well-dressed woman and a- Harry blinked. The man could give Dumbledore a run for his money in regards to gaudiness. He wore a brightly colored robe, lime green with bright gold leaves outlined with neon orange. Not only that but he wore a heavy gold amulet and chain around his neck with a bright red ruby about the size of his fist stashed in the middle; its surface smooth as a drop of blood.

"So, this is the boy who put my son in the hospital."

His smile was polite, but his eyes were steel. Harry fought the shudder that tried to work its way down his spine.

"Er, Mr. Granger as you might have deduced, this is Mr-"

"Lestrange." The man cut in. "Master Hugo Lestrange, Order of Merlin second class, Enchanter of the first Degree, and Governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The man stood and drew himself to his considerable height, tightly grasping the handle of a cane with a ruby hilt that matched his necklace. "And you have some explaining to do."

Dippet cleared his throat nervously "Er, what Mr. Lestrange-"

"Master Lestrange," the man interrupted.

"Right… what Master Lestrange means is, could you tell us what happened between you boys today?"

Harry fidgeted restlessly under the older Lestrange's gaze, his instincts screaming to go for his wand because of the cold aggressive glint in the man's eye. "Not much to tell, he attacked me and I fought back… it's as simple as that."

"I refuse to believe my son randomly decided to attack someone."

"We had a misunderstanding and he attacked me before I could explain."

"A misunderstanding? About what?" Evan's mother chimed in.

"I think you should ask Evan about that."

Evan's mother frowned slightly and shared a glance with her husband.

"Yes I think we will, Hugo?"

The man glared at Harry for a moment more before responding "We will speak to Evan. But Mark my words Granger, if you did anything to my boy that cannot be fixed you will be out of Hogwarts so fast your head will spin. Come Helena."

With that the couple brushed by Harry who slumped in relief as soon as they were gone.

"Er, suppose that is that then," Dippet muttered and shuffled a few papers around his desk "Until I can talk to Mr. Lestrange no punishment will be administered, but do keep yourself out of trouble Mr. Granger. Hogwarts does not tolerate mischief makers and I would hate to revoke your scholarship after you have been doing so well."

Harry paled and nodded numbly.

"Very good, now you may go."


It was a long slow walk back to the Gryffindor common room, a thousand different thoughts warring in his mind for his attention. First and foremost was Mr. Lestrange's threat. The man had the pull to go through with his threat to kick him out of Hogwarts if anything was wrong with Evan and there was a good chance that there was.

Tom had caused damage, Harry just knew it, and if Evan's father thought Harry had done it- well best case scenario he would be thrown out which he had to admit would be better than the alternative… Azkaban.

I should have just left Evan alone; I should have just ignored him.

Harry had to fight the urge to slam his head against the nearest wall.

"Harry?"

Harry froze. Oh sweet Merlin, not now!

Tom pulled up alongside him, his black eyes glittering in the low torchlight.

"What do you want Tom?"

"To continue our conversation from earlier, I trust that you are free for the rest of the night?"

His stomach twisted, from arousal or disgust he didn't know and he didn't dare examine the sensation more closely. "I'm not, I have work to do."

With that Harry started walking but to his frustration Tom kept pace with him.

"I can assist you."

"Don't you have something else to do?"

"As it happens I have some free time I need to fill."

"Well I don't want your help, now if you will excuse me-"

Before he could part ways with the Slytherin, Tom grabbed his wrist. The tips of his fingers were cold as they dug into his skin.

"I would like to help you Harry."

"Well what if I don't want your help?" He growled through gritted teeth.

Tom's eyes narrowed and with a single jerk of his arm pulled Harry close to him, Harry could feel the warmth of the other teen's body radiating off of him. The heat invaded his senses and his entire body tensed.

"I think you do Harry Granger, very much so in fact," Tom's thumb slowly dragged over his wrist and Harry shuddered as Tom slowly leaned down until he was only a breath away. "Let me help you, I can promise you that the experience will be mutually satisfying."

Satisfying? Images of just what Tom meant blazed through his mind and made his chest tighten.

"No!" Harry shoved Tom, hard, and the future Dark Lord stumbled back, his coal black eyes wide in surprise.

"No?" Tom seemed completely baffled as Harry backed away.

"Yeah no, you can't just…force your help on people like that!"

Tom cocked his head to the side, indirectly mirroring his future self as Harry had last seen him, except on Tom the gesture was almost…. Cute?

Harry felt sick.

"Just stay away from me."

With that Harry turned on his heel and stormed down the hallway, his mind in a whirlwind of emotions he didn't care to pick apart. He disconnected himself from the deep feelings that surged in his chest, he overlooked the slight prickling of the skin on his wrist where Tom had touched him, and he definitely ignored the word satisfying as it played through his mind again and again as he reached a hand into his boxers that night.


Harry drummed his fingers against his desk and gazed restlessly around at the other students in his Charms class. The lesson was going to start soon and Tom still hadn't shown up, which was very out of character for the Slytherin. Harry huddled deeper into his corner in the back of the room and brooded quietly.

What was Tom's game? Was he trying to drive Harry crazy from making him wonder where he was and why he was deviating from his usual, predictable, schedule?

Harry instantly relaxed when Tom walked through the door only seconds before the bell rang, but quickly tensed again when he realized that there were only two seats open in the room, and one was next to him. He sat stiffly, ready and waiting, but to his immense surprise Tom took the other seat next to a Slytherin boy he didn't know and started a quiet conversation as the tiny professor began the lecture.

What…?

Harry stared at the back of Tom's perfectly groomed head the entire lesson, trying to mentally pierce through his skull and pull out what he was thinking. Before he knew it the lesson was over and Harry had forgotten to take notes… again. He sighed and stood, quickly slipping his blank parchment into his bag and filing out with the rest of the students.

All the while Harry's eyes tracked Tom and the other Slytherin, who had kept up a rather animated conversation ahead of him. He even thought he saw Tom smile about something the other boy had said which set Harry's teeth on edge.

The pair remained with one another as they made their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts and Harry scowled at them the entire time as they practiced cursing wooden dummies.

"Mr. Granger, start casting or I will take points."

Harry sighed as the professor passed and raised his wand, sending a weak spell at the dummy that shuddered a bit from the impact. He cast again and again with almost mindless diligence until near the end of the lesson when he caught the tail end of Tom and the other Slytherin's conversation as they passed him.

"- for the help today, I really appreciate it."

"I would like to help you."

"REDUCTO!" The wooden dummy exploded into a shower of splinters.

The entire class stared at him in shock, all except for Tom who had the barest hint of a smirk playing in the corner of his mouth as the teacher jabbered something at him.

"That- that was rather impressive Mr. Granger, but next time a little less power if you would."

Harry felt his cheeks heat "Yes professor, it will not happen again."

The bell rang a moment later, and none too soon. His classmates had all started whispering madly around him the rest of the lesson and they only quieted down as he slowly made his way back to his desk, clutching his wand tightly.

"No wonder Lestrange hasn't woken up yet, just look at what he did to that dummy!" A Slytherin girl muttered as Harry slung his bag over his shoulder and slowly made his way out of the room.

Evan still isn't awake? Harry frowned at the thought as he made his way outside. His stomach started tying itself in knots as he found a comfortable spot by the lake and watched the giant squid slowly moving under the water. Tom did something, I am sure of it, he wanted Evan out of the way so he cursed him… and now I am getting blamed for it. Harry ripped out fistfuls of grass at the thought.

Evan's father's threat hung heavily over his head. If Evan didn't heal soon, the man would surely find some way to kick him out of Hogwarts, and then… Harry didn't know what he would do. He hung his head and shut his eyes tightly, clutching at the grass as if it were the only thing grounding him. I'm not even close to finding a way home; I can't leave- not yet.

Harry didn't even remember the last time he had actively searched for anything about sending him home. Most of his time in the library was spent with Tom and he hadn't dared looked for any books on the subject with him around.

I need to start looking again.

With that Harry released the grass he had been desperately clutching and slowly stood, making his way slowly back to the school. All the way to the library people pointed and whispered, but it was nothing Harry wasn't used to. Still, it was disconcerting after all the weeks of obscurity he had grown used to.

He sighed in relief as he entered the library, it was empty thanks to the nice weather and he had the stacks to himself. He found a table quickly and dropped his things off quietly and started toward a small corner of the library he had mentally dubbed the Time section.

Every book there had something to do with time and magic, there was everything from a simple spell on how to tell time and how to make sundials to theory on how magic could warp time to the castors will. Unfortunately that was how far the books went- theory. Harry didn't need theory he could only just understand, he needed a spell, a potion, something. Frustration welled up in him and he tossed a book on string theory over his shoulder.

"Throwing books has never helped one understand them."

Harry tensed.

"What do you want Tom?"

"To study, naturally I assumed the library would help me in this endeavor."

"Then do it over there, I'm trying to read."

Tom set the book he had thrown onto the table in front of him "I can see that, tell me does tossing the book help you comprehend the material?"

"Yes. Go away."

"…as you wish."

Surprised the future Dark Lord had given up so quickly, Harry peered over his shoulder at him. Tom had sat at the table directly behind him and was quietly going through a book of his own. Harry frowned and for the next twenty minutes attempted to turn back to the pile of books he was reading, trying and failing to comprehend the material.

It was hard to focus when Tom was there. Although for slightly different reasons than before, before he merely wanted to keep the fact that he was a time traveler from Tom, now he couldn't help but notice the other teen. Something in his brain had switched on after Tom had kissed him, and now he just couldn't seem to turn it off.

Logically, he knew he was being foolish, he knew he shouldn't be having the kind of thoughts that had been creeping up on him randomly throughout the day, but when push came to shove… his damned body didn't care.

It's stress. He thought as he flipped a page he hadn't read and proceeded to not read the next. Only stress. If someone else had shown an interest in me then I would be feeling like this about them too. As it was no one besides Evan and Tom had willingly approached him his entire time in the forties, it was natural he would be drawn to one of them…

Stop making excuses.

He mentally snapped, sending his books back to their usual places with a flick of a wand. He wasn't going to get any work done, not with Tom there. He quickly gathered his things and started toward the doors.

"I am going to Hogsmeade tomorrow at noon with friends; would you like to join us?"

Harry paused at the door glancing warily over at Tom. One part of him was screaming yes, the other screamed no just as loudly.

"I will think about it."


"Ah Harry, I'm glad you made it."

Harry had his hands shoved deep into his pockets and tried not to scowl at the three other teens Tom was sitting with. They all stared back at him with blatant curiosity.

"I had nothing else to do…" Harry muttered and took a seat next to Tom at the tiny booth in the Three Broom Sticks. It was so crowded the boys sat elbow to elbow, none of them seemed to mind the cramped quarters but Harry did his best to keep his distance without slipping out of his seat.

"Now," Tom started as they all shuffled to get comfortable with the new edition, "Harry this is Abraxas Malfoy, Orion Black, and Samson Avery."

The three gave brief nods of greeting and Harry had to bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from doing or saying anything stupid. Abraxas was definitely a Malfoy, the blond hair and steel colored eyes gave him away, but unlike his grandson this Malfoy had softer features… he looked calmer than Draco at the very least. Samson Avery, he had seen him before but had not been able to put a name to a face. In Harry's time Avery was a dirty blond with a nasty looking scar across his eyes, in this time he was almost as blonde as Malfoy and had a bit of paunch around his stomach… if he remembered correctly Samson was good with big explosive spells.

The sight of Orion made his chest clench. He looks so much like Sirius... Harry's gaze must have lingered on Orion a moment too long before the boy gave an uncomfortable smile and pointedly stared out a window.

"Nice to meet you all," Harry finally said.

At first they talked to Harry. They asked him about his friends, family, and how Gryffindor was treating him, but after a half an hour of vague or non-answers they- much to his relief- gradually turned to their own conversations. While they talked Harry's eyes fell on Tom. The teen was deeply engaged in debate with Orion, something about some new law that had been passed. There was something appealing to the energy Tom brought to an argument, the low timbre of his voice, the way he moved his hands, the way his eyes glittered when we was absolutely convinced he was right…

Harry took a sharp breath when he felt Tom's thigh press against him and had to force himself to calm down as the other teen's warmth washed over him. He is doing this on purpose he thought dazedly as Tom's voice rose to emphasize a point he was making.

"Harry?"

His head shot up. "Yes?"

They were all staring at him and he fought against the embarrassment that threatened to take him over.

"Waitress is asking if you want anything." Samson said.

I didn't even hear her come up. He thought as the woman stared impatiently down at him.

"Er, yeah a butterbeer thanks…"

"Anything to eat?"

"No, I'm fine."

With that the woman dashed away and the boys were left alone to return to their conversations. I need to focus on something other than Tom. He thought determinedly and struck up a conversation with Samson about the different types of spells that could be used in dueling. For a while it worked, Tom kept up his deep debate with Orion, with Abraxas chipping in some bit of information every once and a while as they spoke; and Harry kept up his running commentary about the importance of the simple spells while dueling.

"Even if you have little experience with actual dueling just being able to cast a simple disarming spell can save your life." Harry finished causing Samson to snort.

"A disarming spell is all well and good but you still need to have other spells in your arsenal if you want to win the duel."

"I have won duels with only a disarming spell before; I have found that it is hard for someone to fight back without their wand."

"What about an opponent who can duel without a wand?" Tom asked.

Harry and Samson jerked in surprise at Tom's inquiry. Apparently the other three teens had finished their conversations and were staring at Harry and Samson with rapt attention. It took Harry a moment to formulate a reply.

"Well… a stunner I guess. They can't cast if they aren't awake right?"

"If he was a single dueler that might be enough. But what if this person has allies who can simply reverse the spell, what then?"

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair "You just hope that you can get to them faster than they can get to their friends."

Abraxas' eyes glowed with interest "Ah but what about killing them? That would solve the problem rather nicely."

A chill went down Harry's spine "Yeah, it would wouldn't it?" He muttered as he was reminded about who exactly he was sitting with. They may be young but they are still dangerous. He thought, jaw clenching slightly. The worst part was Harry wasn't all together innocent himself. He had completely destroyed Quirrell in his first year, and stabbed the basilisk without guilt in his second… not to mention the horcruxes. They may not have been people, but they were parts of a soul and he was ending them with the complete intention of taking yet another life.

Voldemort.

His fists clenched as his eyes darted to the side to catch a glimpse of the teen that would become the greatest dark wizard of all time. When I get home I will have to kill him... sudden guilt stabbed him in the heart and he frowned deeply. He had never felt guilty before for having to kill Voldemort before… he had felt sick at the actual thought of killing someone but Voldemort's crimes made it easy to stash the guilt away.

It's harder because I know him now. He thought darkly. Or I know the front he puts up at least. To his shame Harry had been enjoying Tom's company. The teen was intelligent without shoving it down your throat, pleasant looking, and a damned genus when it came to spell work. He could solve any crisis calmly, rally people quickly, and keep seeming disasters from crashing down around everyone's ears. Harry didn't want Tom as his enemy. He would take Voldemort's insanity any day… but Tom? He was sneaky, clever, and to be honest three times smarter than Harry was- not to mention the raw power he showed in his casting.

It he never tore apart his soul and went bat shit crazy we would have been screwed three ways to hell. Some part of him was relieved that Tom had gone insane if only for Harry's sake, another part of him thought it was a deep pity Tom didn't use his natural talents to cause real change in the world.

"Something wrong, Granger?"

The group was staring at him again and as his mind scrambled for an answer the waitress came up with their drinks.

"Sorry it took so long," the woman apologized as she set down their mugs "I have been teaching my daughter the trade so I have had to slow down a bit."

Behind the waitress, a little girl who couldn't have been more than three, with soft brown curls and determined green eyes carefully came up behind her mother, two large glasses in her arms. "I didn't spill anything!" She declared proudly as her mother took the mugs from her arms and set them in front of the Slytherins.

"You did very well Rosie," she praised before turning back to the group "Now is there anything else I can get you?"

At their negative she called the little girl to her side and they both went back behind the bar.

Drinks in hand the other teens forgot their interrogation and Harry let out a small sigh of relief as the talk turned to other things. Abraxas was the first to leave the group.

"I needed to pick something up for astronomy class before the store closed."

Orion was next. "I promised to meet my fiancé today; we are going over our final wedding preparations."

Samson was last "Slughorn will not take my paper if I don't get it to him by the end of today."

That left Tom and Harry alone.

At first silence stretched in-between them, and it was mostly Harry's fault. He gave short answers to Tom's questions, and contributed little to the conversation to keep it going. Tom on the other hand was doing his best to keep him talking and slowly Harry found himself drawn into conversation with the other teen.

They didn't talk about magic, or their childhoods, or anything deep and meaningful. Instead they just… talked. About Hogwarts, favorite study places, about teachers, ghosts, their classmates, the portraits- everything and nothing all at once. It was, as much as Harry hated to admit it, the most fun he had had in a while.

It felt good to talk with someone again without the conversation charged with some underlying tension, and by the time the pub started to die down Harry was more relaxed then he had been in weeks.

"I might argue that," Tom said when Harry claimed that he had met a woman who could out cook the Hogwarts elves "But it is getting late and we should make our way to the castle."

Harry blinked and looked out the window. The sun was almost down.

"Yeah, I think we should."

With that both of them stood and made their way out of the pub.

"Bye Harry!" Little Rosie called behind them and Harry smiled and waved at her as he left.

"I think she has a bit of a crush on you," Tom commented.

Harry grinned a bit and shrugged "Well she will come to her senses when she gets older."

"Do you really find yourself so unattractive?"

The question brought Harry up short "I- I suppose I never really thought about it."

"Truly?"

"Well it has never been a major thing for me; I was always busy thinking about V- er other things…"

Harry cursed his slip but if Tom noticed he didn't press.

"You are a unique person Harry Granger."

The way Tom said it made Harry think he was more annoyed than complementary.

"Unfortunately for me, all I have ever wanted to be is normal." Harry groaned.

Tom seemed honestly baffled by the admission.

"Why? A wizard like you could easily gain respect… power. The world could be yours."

"Because… at the end of the day it just doesn't seem worth it." Harry said and rubbed at his eyes.

"I don't understand."

"Well… the rest of my life would be nothing but stress. To be honest, I think it would drive me crazy. I think that when everything is said and done I am just going to buy a house on some island and live in peace."

Tom didn't say anything; instead he just looked at Harry, his black eyes curious.

"You have no ambition at all?"

Harry snorted "That is an ambition…. I never seem to get anything I want no matter how hard I try and when I do someone usually suffers for it."

"Why?"

"I have been asking myself that question since the day I was born," he said with a sigh as they drew up to Hogwarts entrance

"….I understand."

Harry frowned "What?"

"I understand," he repeated slowly, "My life hasn't been easy, and I too have suffered since my birth. But I plan on changing that, I plan on changing the world into a place where I can finally be… happy."

He's serious. Harry realized with a start as Tom stepped closer to him.

"When that happens, I want you there with me Harry."

"Tom, I-"

He didn't have time to respond as Tom kissed him with everything he had. Again, he was over loaded with taste and smell and touch until all of his senses were glutted with Tom. Harry clutched at the other teen and clung as Tom kissed him again and again and again until he was dizzy.

"Say your mine."

Dazed Harry nodded and he felt some of the tension leave Tom's shoulders as he kissed him again, this time more gently and Harry groaned as Tom's fingers pressed into his back. "Mine forever." Tom hissed to himself and Harry could only follow along as he pulled him into Hogwarts. Helpless against the strange power Tom held over him.