Disclaimers: JKR still owns it all. I write AU/OOC...if you want canon you picked the wrong story.

A/N: I really appreciate the few people who take the time to read/review. Thank you all!

Chapter 10: Like an actor on a movie screen…

Headmaster Riddle's reaction to the boys' day's work was not quite what one would have expected. He wasn't actually impressed that the two of them had single-handedly dispatched about 99.9 percent of his world, all without telling him that they were going to do so. Between Tom and Tommy, the living, breathing, control freak known as Albus Dumbledore looked like an Upper Form boy doing his two week job experience at a Nursery School, after spending the last few years training to become a computer nerd. No, this latest stunt had not gone over well.

To put it mildly, Tom wasn't too pleased to find that Harry and Draco had spent the afternoon dispelling illusions. He eyed the huge list of names they had provided for him and grimaced. A cursory glance at the list had him guessing that the whole student body was gone and most of the teachers. The pressure of his world collapsing was starting to take its toll on him.

He looked over at the ugly green tinged guy and shook his head. "Tommy?"

Voldemort opened his eyes from where he had been napping beside the fire. "Yes?" His voice was perfectly calm.

"There was a prophesy made by one of the witches in this universe just before you all came. It said that this universe would end. This scroll that just showed up is a list of students whom Messers Potter-Malfoy just decimated. They destroyed the whole student body and most of the teachers, all without my permission, I might add."

Voldie simulated arching a brow. "And this means what to me?"

Tom wasn't completely fooled. He heard the underlying interest the other was trying to hide. "They have destroyed the reason for the school. We now need to go out in to the magical realm which this all encompasses. The rest of the images that inhabit this world probably need to be dealt with."

"Why not let them all just disappear with the universe when it disintegrates?"

"We won't be able to 'close' the portal if there is a soul here who is more than an illusion. At least that is what theTemplePimptold me."

"Pimp? What in the name of Merlin is a pimp?" Voldie seemed perplexed.

"Ummmm, you don't know what a pimp is? Just forget it; we need to get back to the problem of getting this universe deleted so that no more partial souls will wander in here and set up shop."

"Wouldn't we work better together if we integrated?" Voldemort was the epitome of practicality with that question.

Tom didn't want to become part of the snake man. He wanted the snake man to become part of him. He decided to say as much. "Tommy, I don't want to touch you while we are in this universe because I don't want to become part of you. I don't want to look like you, talk like you, or even go around acting like Senior Psychopath. Maybe if we hold off connecting to each other until we get back to the other dimension you will be able to absorb into my body and we can try being a normal wizard for whatever time we have left."

Voldie didn't know what to say. The reasoning was sound. Maybe it would be better to wait and work on what they wanted independently. They did actually want the same goal. They wanted the better body, they wanted the combination of knowledge and experience, and they both wanted their social status retained. He also did not want to be seen as giving in too easily so he glared at Tom. "Why can't we just cast a magical energy spell to determine if there are any other split souls here in this universe and retrieve them that way. Didn't that puffed up pigeon who called himself Captain say something about scrying? Maybe we could try that."

Tom muttered, "Pimp, puffed up Pigeon…Idiot has more names than he does brains." Aloud, he answered, "Yes, I guess we could start with scrying." He rolled the parchment back out and checked the names. "Only problem with scrying is I am not too good at it, and the glory boys have already dispatched Sybil."

Tommy turned his gaze back to the fire. "That was a fine figure of a woman in my universe. Too bad she was dumber than a box of rocks. At one time I had considered taking her as a wife."

Tom looked at him disbelievingly.

Tommy showed his fangs as he grinned. "No, really, I did. I was contemplating producing an heir, and I did consider her because her family really does have the Seer talent. Trewloneys, over the years, have actually made several predictions that were accurate."

Tom shook his head in amazement at his other half. "Was this before or after the two of us parted company?"

Tommy considered the question. "You know, now that you mention it, I think it was before." Here he began digressing from the subject and Tom wound up holding his mirth in check (barely).

"However, we were quite a dashing figure at one point. We didn't really start to lose our looks until after we performed those last two immortality rituals. She would have accepted our suit back then." He kicked at the piece of wood which had tumbled out of the fireplace and was lying on the hearthstone smoldering.

His red eyes were full of sadness as he added, "I guess we should just let it all go and stop worrying about blood purity, Harry Potter and his prophesy, and all the other things that I knew I couldn't change but just had to try to anyway. It seems sometimes that all I ever did was lose more and more of myself while never actually gaining anything."

Tom looked at the depressed snake man. "Hey, let's worry about that later. We can still work on world domination once we get back to the bigger, better universe." Then he looked around the Headmaster's office and sighed. "How did we get off track and start ranting about blood purity. If wizards were made of snow, we'd be the three day oldLondonspecial."

Voldemort sneered. "Yeah. We are, aren't we; the yellow snow beside the fire hydrant. That is the bloody attitude that set me off in the first place. I really hate not being good enough."

"I think we are probably good enough. At least to take over the world when we get back to the one we want to own."

"Tom, you've lived in the Ivory Tower too long. The only thing that will happen is Harry Potter will defeat me again." Here he snorted, "But that is only after he has delivered the child he carries." He looked up at Tom and casually stated. "With Lucius Malfoy's money, Severus Snape's intelligence, Crabbe and Goyle's devotion; I reckon Harry Potter has just won. The only thing left for me to do in my universe is throw in the towel and tell them where the horcruxes they haven't found yet are."

"Tommy, don't be so negative. It is our universe also, and there will be a place for us. However, before we go there, we need to get this universe sorted. Now, how would you like to go about helping dispose of the rest of the images?"

Tommy grinned. "I'm not touching any mudbloods. And, I insist that I get to use the AVADA KEDAVARA."

Tom growled in frustration. "You aren't touching any mudbloods…Merlin, do you hear yourself? That is the stupid attitude that got us into this mess. If you don't start behaving yourself, I am never going to integrate with you."

"Oh, Please? I haven't murdered anyone in such a long time! We should make our way over to the Ministry of Magic right now and murder the whole lot of them as they sleep at their desks."

Tom grinned. It was no less than what he wanted to do most days. "Oh, all right then." The whole concession lacked the remorse one would have thought would be forthcoming.

Tommy stood up and yawned widely. Reptilian teeth glittered in the light of the fire. Just to irritate him, Tom made the observation, "It's awfully good of you to open your mouth that wide and not bite anyone, old chap."

Tommy blinked. "Are you trying to be an idiot, or does it come naturally?"

Tom smirked. "Judging by the looks of you, I'd day that when we separated, I not only got all the looks, I got the charm, grace, and wit. Honestly, Tommy, when you opened your mouth like that, it was just hideous."

"Yes. As I explained before, it is part of what makes me such an awesome Dark Lord."

Tom huffed as he eyed his counterpart dubiously. "That Potter boy would make a lovely dark lord. He's well on his way. Shall we sit and exchange a few stories of the universe while we wait on everyone to either..." Here he stopped talking and peered out the window before resuming, "Wait for everyone to either stop shagging, or quit racing about the Potions lab checking to see what all is here that isn't in the other universe?"

Tommy's interest was piqued. "What do you reckon is different?"

Tom glared this time. Throwing his hands up in the air, he snarled. "How in the name of Merlin would I know what's different? HELLO! Snake Face! This is my universe and you are the visitor. You tell me what is different."

Tommy sat back down in his chair and motioned for Tom to sit. "I think you and I are blending together regardless of whether or not we are touching."

"What makes you think that?" Tom was hesitant to admit he wasn't all-knowing here, but he had to get on.

Tommy kept his face averted from the frustrated Headmaster. "Back in my universe I would have killed you for speaking out of turn. Here, I let you insult me countless times, which I might point out really is more my behavior. Yet I remain calm while you act totally idiotic."

The Headmaster sat down heavily in the other chair. "I might as well admit that this integrating thing has me bothered. I'm pretty sure that we are going to keep your body. I'm not thrilled with the idea. Then there is the added bonus that when we get back to your universe, everyone is going to want to kill us immediately."

Tommy wasn't too thrilled with that bit of information. He laid his head on a bent arm and returned his contemplative gaze to the fire. When he finally spoke again, it was to ask a question. "So, what would you like to do? Do you want to be carried back to our world by someone else so we can investigate this phenomenon?"

Tom heaved a sigh. "I don't know. I hate this business of not knowing!" He regarded the fire for a few minutes before brightening a bit. "Maybe, if I touched the Potter boy and got carried back as part of him, and you got hold of the Potter from this world…" His voice petered out and he wilted back to his original position.

Tommy grinned. "That would be absolutely delicious. Let's go look for the boys." The smile on his face would have been enough to scare Merlin himself.

They discussed whether the Dolores Umbridge of this universe could be considered a seer since she channeled the prophesy as they walked down the stairs to the Great Hall. They got there just in time to see Harry Potter launch himself across the table and take the boy known as Harold Potter down.

Together, they spoke as they looked at each other, "Well, there is another idea down the boghole." They then nodded knowingly before stepping forward and seating themselves at the head table to signal the start of dinner.