A/N – First I want to say thanks to all the great reviews I received for Chapter 9. I wasn't sure if people would like the way this story is heading and I'm happy to see so many people still with me. I'm glad to see this story has struck a chord with several people. I wasn't sure how a sympathetic Tom Riddle character would go over.

Eric Thorsen's review basically echoed my thoughts that spawned this story. I mean, why was Hermione hit with the worst curse thrown in the night before Albus and Tom started dueling? Why weren't the other kids hurt as bad and then when the OOTP showed up why was everyone throwing stunners?

To Barbara who says that Dumbledore would have used Imperio, instead of Obliviate. I had considered Imperio, however it would have meant that Dumbledore would have had to control her for several years. Obliviate allowed him to modify her memories and impression of Tom from a nice little boy to an evil boy. It's a very handy spell because it doesn't require the upkeep that Imperio does and it never wears off.

For those of you who have commented on my spelling, typing and grammar mistakes, I have gone through each chapter so far and corrected a number of mistakes. These were all reposted on Friday. I'm now doing a spell and grammar check on all chapters and proofreading them afterwards.

Chapter 10 – The Morning After the Night Before

Thursday morning found Harry leaving the Manor for Privet Drive around 6 am. He needed to make an appearance and hoped that no one noticed he wasn't there last night. He had been a little worried leaving Luna and Hermione alone in the house with Tom but something in his gut told him it would be all right. He planned to be back by 8am to have breakfast with them. His visit to Privet Drive was only to make an appearance, shower and leave.

/Scene Break/

Tom hadn't slept all night. That really didn't bother him. Sleep was only really necessary every three or four days when your soul was as fractured as his. However when he actually did sleep, it took forever to wake up and he needed a few litres of coffee to become fully alert.

Three words kept going through his mind – So many lies.

He had finished the book Hermione had given him. Hogwarts didn't have to be the way it was. Slytherin students got along with all others. There were special common rooms for every year to encourage school unity. The school used to run at full capacity – there were no unused hallways and only a handful of empty classrooms.

So many lies.

He thought of his 'loyal' Death Eaters – his inner circle. Why didn't he see their failures for what they were? It wasn't incompetence if they failed at carrying out a mission or killing a targeted pureblood. The truth was that they were following a different master all along.

So many lies.

He remembered wanting to try out for the Quidditch team in his second year. Dumbledore informed him that he needed a signed release from his guardian. Mrs. Gaines, of course, refused. He wanted to go to Hogsmeade with the other students, once again, no permission form, no Hogsmeade. Dumbledore said there was nothing he could do.

So many lies.

He remembered that fateful day. He had been receiving notes during his fifth year. One note told him where to find the faucet in the bathroom with the Serpent – "In there you will find your true purpose," it said.

It was the Basilisk who confirmed he was Slytherin's heir. It told him that it had been there for over 900 years. He went back and visited it often but there was no he could not let it out. One day towards the end of the school year during one of Dumbledore's classes he had looked into the Professor's eyes and suddenly got the thought "I could just let it out in the bathroom for a bit."

The next day, he went to the chamber and allowed it to come out for a while. It turned out that a girl had been in there. Upon her death, he felt compelled to create a horcrux using the diary. It was like he was in a pensieve memory knowing what he was doing, but not being in control. Going through the painful process brought Lord Voldemort to the forefront and Tom Riddle began to disappear.

He got the Basilisk back in the Chamber a closed it. The Horcrux ritual left him in a daze for a few days. During this time he was left a note to go to a certain broom cupboard at a certain time. There he caught Hagrid and got his reward.

It only occurred to him briefly on the train ride back to London that the girl who had been killed, Myrtle, was the only one who tried to show him and friendship at school. She had been teased mercilessly at school and the two of them had formed a common bond of being outcasts.

The others who talked with him – some Slytherins from some of the oldest pureblood families – associated him because they said they felt his power. He knew now those purebloods were part of the overall plan. They were the ones assigned to play "the Dark side."

So many lies.

Dumbledore insisted that he had to go back to the orphanage every summer – "Sorry Tom, no student can stay over the summer." He didn't even try to place him with any magical family who might want to provide him a room for two months. No he had to go back to where it all started back to the abuse. When he got older, he started to be the aggressor. He started to fight back and get revenge.

So many lies.

He thought back to his first years at the orphanage. Mrs. Gaines was always so nice and friendly. She always tucked the younger ones in at night and gave them each a hug. She was always there with hugs and words of encouragement. He didn't have a large number of friends, but they loved to play. Hide and seek was his favourite. He could always find the best hiding places and he also enjoyed keen eyesight that helped to spot the others when he was seeking.

Then one day when he was four, his world collapsed. Mrs. Gaines stopped giving him hugs. She started telling him what a bad and evil boy he was. She let the older kids pick on him and he was punished at every turn. Even his friends were scared off by the older kinds and after a while they just stopped trying and ignored him. He remembered being confused and hurt. He cried himself to sleep for over a year after that – first out loud and then silently after he was punished for keeping the rest of the kids in his room awake. And now he knew that it was all because of Dumbledore.

So many lies.

Tom looked into the mirror in his bathroom and for the first time saw himself not as the product of his brilliance but as the product of having a life determined and manipulated by others. He was still ultimately responsible for his actions and he did many of them willingly. However what he put off in his youth as coincidences and his subconscious guiding him was actually situations set up by Dumbledore and thoughts placed in his head by the professor using legilimency. He remembered the happy four year-old who once looked out at him from the mirror.

So many lies.

For the first time in many years, tears slowly ran down Tom Riddle's face. The pain was incredible. He had never doubted who he was and what he was doing to himself and others. The past 48 hours had changed that. What were really his decisions and what were the machinations of a master meddler? He began to feel regret and what he had done and what he had lost. The pain of the regret was excruciating. It was worse than the Cruciatus curse. The pain slowly ebbed as the regret turned to anger at those who had controlled his life.

He crawled back to the bed and slowly recovered from the pain. He realized something had changed. It was almost imperceptible, but he felt different. Something was affecting him.

As he lay there, he thought of the other three who had been at the meeting. They had accepted him as part of their group. They too had been victims or targets of the conspiracy. He understood why they needed to band together, as the last descendents of the four founders they could wield a lot of power if they worked together. Tom was sure that was the key. Alone, they would remain targets – together they could gather support of the magical community.

Tom knew now that he had to join them. But how? He had sunk so far down and traveled a path no one else had ever dared to do so. He wondered if he even would have had it not been for Albus.

He didn't know if he had the strength and will to do this alone. He would need help. The question was – would the three of them be willing and able to help him. He would ask them at breakfast.

/Scene Break/

Hermione woke think about that past month. So much had changed. If someone had told her that within a week of ending her fifth year at school she would be sleeping in the same house as Tom Riddle and wanting him as an ally she would have had that person checked into the long term spell damage word at St. Mungo's. However that is exactly what was happening. Hermione knew that Tom would not be able to wield his full magical power with a badly fractured soul. She would help him find out how to repair it.

The first place to start would be her vault at Gringotts. The Black family library was full of books on dark magic and rituals. "I think Sirius' words were giving me a hint, she thought. "Lily and him knew about the horcruxes, he could have been pointing me to the answer."

She would talk to the rest of them over breakfast. But first, she thought that the huge bathtub in her ensuite looked inviting and she had the time.

/Scene Break/

Luna awoke feeling better than she had since her mother died. She finally had two very good friends in Harry and Hermione and Neville wanted to ask her out. She had always thought that Neville was cute if a bit shy. The DA last year and the fight at the DoM had brought out the true Neville. All he needed was the confidence and their group had managed to inspire that in him.

Luna smiled about the meeting last night. Tom Riddle had started to show himself for the first time in many years. Lord Voldemort was a front – a personality created by Tom Riddle to deal with the path his life was being forced down.

Luna knew all about showing different faces. When her mother died suddenly in that spell creation disaster, Luna feared that someone had found out she was Hufflepuff's heir. Her mother had always cautioned her not to tell anyone until the other heirs appeared and that there were wizards and witches who didn't want the heirs to come back.

So, on her mother's death she adopted the 'Loony Lovegood' personality. She had always enjoyed learning about the fantastical creatures like Wrakspurts, Nargles and Crumple Horned Snorlacks. I mean just because you can't see something does not mean it's not real. Muggles believed dragons were creatures or fantasy but yet wizards knew they were real. The 'Loony' personality just brought it up to the forefront. She actually liked 'Loony' – it was a persona that made sure that she didn't have to try and get along with people.

Ginny was the first one to try to get through. She was being friendly and all, but still kept a certain distance. Harry was the first person to accept what she was talking about and treat her as normal. It was through him that she met the rest of her friends. The train home this year was the first time she felt part of a close-knit group – the first time she felt like accepted just for being Luna.

She looked outside. It was a beautiful morning. She had time before breakfast and she thought she saw the perfect place for a Blibbering Humdinger nest in the grounds yesterday.

/Scene Break/

Harry popped back to the Manor and was the first down for Breakfast. Hermione came in a few minutes later and they shared a good morning kiss.

Harry asked, "How was your night?"

"I slept well, but I woke up early – too many things on my mind."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Have you seen Tom or Luna yet today?"

"I saw Luna out on the grounds through the window in my room. I haven't seen Tom at all. This may be a strange thing to say, but I'm a bit worried about him. He's been Lord Voldemort for so long, Tom Riddle is going to have a hard time coming back."

"What you say is true Miss Granger," Tom said from the doorway, "reversing the damage that Dumbledore and I have inflicted upon myself will be extremely difficult."

Tom came over and sat at the table. Luna drifted in a seemed to float over to her seat. She had a smile on her face as she bid good morning to everyone.

Harry looked at Tom, "To be honest with you, I am a little surprised but quite delighted you are here this morning."

"I had a lot to think about last night." He looked at Hermione, "I read the book. So many things could have been different today had it not been for the people who we are fighting against."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and smiled, "We? I take it you have come to a decision?"

"Yes I have. The information you've shared with me makes me realize that I've been an unknowing pawn in a game I cannot win. I need to get something that I now know I've never had – control of my life and my destiny. Lord Voldemort will not get me there. I need to become Tom Riddle again. This morning I realized that undoing Voldemort is not something I can do alone. I … ," Tom shook his head, "this is so strange – I have always relied on no one but myself since I was four. I can't do this alone."

Luna looked at him, "Tom, you're our first task as a team. I learned last year that a team can accomplish anything if they truly believe in their goal. We are the last descendents of the four founders. We need to work together. I believe you can do this."

Hermione and Harry both said, "I believe it too."

Tom looked at them in turn, "Thank you." He turned to Hermione, "Miss Granger…"

Hermione corrected him, "Please call me Hermione. We should all be on a first name basis."

The other two nodded.

Tom allowed himself a small smile, "Hermione, I will need your help researching how to reverse the damage to my soul and reintegrate my horcruxes."

"I've already been thinking about this. I inherited the entire Black Family library. The problem is that I don't think you are ready yet to set foot into Gringotts. Harry, can we get the house elves to bring the books here?"

"Sure we can. Jeeves?" The elf appeared at Harry's side. "Jeeves, can you please ask the staff to move the books from Hermione's vault at Gringotts to – Jeeves is there a room for a library in the guesthouse by the pond?"

"Yes, there is."

"OK, good. Can you ask the elves to move them there – provided that's OK with you Hermione? I'd like that house to be for your family."

"It's perfect Harry. Jeeves that would be a wonderful place to read and study."

"Very well, we will have them moved today."

With that Jeeves popped away.

Tom looked around the table. "Until we are ready to make ourselves known, we need to raise as little suspicion as possible. We also have to start finding those who will help us. I'm going to have to keep the public persona of Lord Voldemort for the time being but I'm going to try to redirect my followers. I think what I will do is give young Mr. Malfoy a task concerning the Headmaster and use the turmoil around Fudge to have Bella continue to plan the takeover of the Ministry. I'm sure the Death Eaters who have been arrested will be back in the fold shortly."

Harry responded, "I agree. The Headmaestro is going to know I'm not under his control any more once the will is read on the fourteenth. But he doesn't have to suspect I'm doing anything except a little teenage rebellion until we can announce ourselves properly. Now, as for those who we can enlist to help us, I think we can trust the Longbottoms and Moony although," he looked at Tom, "we're going to have to think carefully before announcing your presence to anyone."

Hermione spoke up, "What about the Weasleys? I'm pretty sure we can't trust Molly and I'm not sure I'd even trust Ginny and Ron if they were on our side. Ron tends to let his jealousy get in the way and Ginny loses all rational thought when she gets angry. But what about the rest of them?"

Harry thought for a second, "Let's start with the twins. Hermione and Luna, can you please visit them at their shop and try and get an idea of what they are thinking? Luna, if you can find out about any of the others it would help as well."

The two girls nodded.

Tom thought for a moment, "There is also Severus Snape who is a half-blood although that is not widely known. He would be very beneficial to our cause. I could speak with him and I think I can persuade him to at least think about joining us. He was also secretly infatuated with your mother, Harry. They were childhood friends."

Harry was shacked, "Snivellus? You've got to be kidding! He hates me! I remind him too much of my father. Besides, he's Dumbledore's agent."

"He's both my agent and Dumbledore's. However how do you think he'll react when he learns about your mother and what she found? Remember he is a half-blood and considered expendable by both the pureblood sides. Let me set something up for the two of us to talk to him. I will get back to you with the arrangements."

Harry sighed, "Yes, we should give him a chance," he smirked, "I suppose you and I hated each other even more before this and look at us now. At least Snape never tried to kill me." He looked around, "OK, so what are our plans for the day?"

Luna answered, "Hermione and I will go to Diagon Alley to visit the twins. And then we'll visit my dad at the Quibbler office and invite him for dinner on Saturday. Then I can go home and Hermione can come back here and start going through the library."

Hermione added, "I'll probably go home in between just to let my parents know everything is OK."

Harry nodded, "Tom, you are welcome to stay here in the Manor when you wish. No one can find us here if we don't want to be found."

"Thanks you Harry. I must go back to get my Death Eaters on their new assignments and talk to Severus. I shall return later and work with Hermione on our research."

Once breakfast and the others left, Harry summoned Jeeves and made a few plans of his own – after all, he had a will reading to plan. When he had gone to revise his will, Griphook had given him an inventory of all things Black and Potter. It was the Black Family list that he was more concerned with at the moment.

Ragnok had also provided him with the list of the rest of the Beneficiaries left behind by Sirius. It included: Ted and Andromeda Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix LeStrange, Albus Dumbledore, and the Weasleys. The last ones were the ones he had the most trouble with. He didn't know which side they were on. Hopefully he would know before the will reading.

Harry pondered over who should get what. He saw a few things that were promising. He thought that it was not just what the item was, but how it was given to the intended recipient. "Hmm," Harry thought, "I wonder if I can get Remus to plan this out with me and maybe let me read the Marauder journals. I want to make sure that Sirius get's a true Marauder send-off."

A/N – Another chapter down. This chapter didn't really help the story progress, but is really more like the "Part 2" of the meeting the night before. I'll be starting chapter 11 soon and will be posting in a few days.