Chapter Ten: Reconciliation

It had been three more months since Harry's exposure to Tom's seven formerly created Horcruxes through Draco's report to his lord upon his return to the French Villa in which they still resided. Three very long and excruciatingly painful months had passed by for both Tom and Draco because Harry had barely spoken three words to either of them since the discovery and it seemed he was clearly intent on making Tom truly think upon what he wanted for his life to be like now before Harry would ever decide he needed to forgive him for not telling him of the artifacts sooner. Draco had, in several vain attempts, tried to speak to his friend numerous times now about the ordeal but they had all ended in nothing but more silence from the newly transitioned shadow elf and further distance of the mates growing between them.

Harry had purposely continued onward with his training in honing his skills with communicating to the elemental spirits of the earth and his control was nearly perfected by now. He had discovered he had a gift for shadow teleportation and was now currently working on mastering this skill along with his inherited Necromancy talent and Spell Creation and Rune Creation gifts given to him by his ancestor Ignotus Peverell from the early branches of the Potter Clan.

Harry knew Tom had to be upset by his lack of communication to him right now, but the Lord of the Potter Estate also knew that Tom hadn't trusted him enough to allow him to know of the Horcruxes he had made and it hurt him to know internally that Tom could have easily died without having re-sealed them to his soul and he would leave him unprotected in a dangerous war alone if he did not allow him to know about them so they could reclaim the artifacts from their hidden locations and cleanse the dark magic from the relics in hopes he could regain the fragmented parts of his soul again.

It was now December and the Christmas season was literally on their doorsteps, but yet Harry felt this lingering sadness because Tom had yet to come to him. Harry remained silent and strong, but internally his heart ached for his mate to come to him and Harry did not know how much more he could take before he would be driven away at this point because of his mate's silence to him as well.

Tom Marvolo Riddle sat inside of the study with many books around him as he worried about his mate and he contemplated still yet how to make things right between them once more. His mind was heavy and his heart hurt when Harry refused to utter a word to him edgewise these last few months over this ordeal. Tom had intended to give Harry a very special Christmas present this year, but now it looked as though it would be impossible unless he did something soon with the holiday now nearly a week away.

Tom sighed to himself, 'How on the earth am I supposed to explain this mess to Harry if he won't even speak three words to me?'

His mind was like a storm that rampaged on and filled his head like an unending foggy haziness because his heart hurt so badly and all he wanted was to correct this misunderstanding so he could hold Harry in his arms once more and be there for him if need be.

Finally, Tom decided he could take no more of this and stood up from his desk and walked swiftly from the study in search of his mate to try somehow to correct his error in judgment he had made inadvertently. Tom found Harry inside of the training facility there working on the shadow teleportation he guessed and from the looks of things…Harry had made remarkable progress without him there though he probably had wanted him to be. Tom sighed softly in regret and hoped Harry would at least listen to him for now.

Harry's ears and nose had picked up on Tom's scent as they neared the door, but he did not let himself become too hopeful as to whatever he wanted.

Tom seemed to finally assert himself enough to knock on the door, "Harry, can I please come in?"

Without a word of confirmation to him, the door unlocked itself and swung open to admit him into the overall building from the foyer of it. Tom flinched at this internally, as Harry had to be still fairly upset with him by these motions.

"Harry, I want to talk about what happened three months ago. You don't have to say anything unless you want to, but will you please at least just listen to me and hear what I have to say?" Tom asked him with a sad gaze

Harry turned to his mate for the first time in three long months and gave him a staring-down Tom had never before had to endure. Harry's dark and swirling emerald green eyes searched for the sincerity behind his words and looked beyond his exterior barriers as it searched his soul for truth.

At last, Harry calmly sat on the training cushions to hear him out and tried to relax his posture. Tom felt relieved and did the same thing as he pondered where to begin this annoying tale.

"Harry, I understand why you are so angry about this. You have every right to be and technically you could have left my side by now if you wanted to and I could not stop you from that decision. The fact remains that you haven't left yet and you are waiting for explanation before making a final choice in the matter."

"Harry, as you are probably aware of by now…I made each of my seven Horcruxes when I still had been insane and with no mate to my name and they were certainly created long before my recent magical rebirth and you came into my life. I know that the information you came by the way you did hurt you immensely and made you feel as though I did not trust you with it, but in all truth, I was soon going to tell you of them so we could reclaim them together. I was just having a hard time finding a way to tell you and then this occurred. I regret that I had not told you before now, but we cannot change what has already happened."

"Harry, I do trust you. I trust you more than most of my elite because you have been here for me despite your silence and lack of communication these last three months. Your presence here assured me that you were willing to give me a chance to explain this and to correct it when I know for a fact that most of my elite followers would have rebelled and turned on me for something of this nature."

Tom quieted for a moment as Harry's gaze returned to meet his mate's, but he still remained silent.

"Harry, in all honesty, I am unsure of how I can correct this error in judgment I made to you and to prove I am sincere to you now with this. I have lived my life in mostly solitude and isolation. I never really had a true companion to call a friend, much less someone who I cared enough about to love and make my life partner as I want to do you."

"These last few months have been hard on me as much as they have been so on you. I have constantly worried that you would leave me behind and find another to share your life with. Every time I thought these things, my mind was filled with an immense amount of jealousy. Knowing that you would and very could choose another over me and our destiny…it hurt me to even ponder the possibility."

"I never meant for this to happen this way. I just hope one day that you will forgive me." Tom finished as he stood slowly to leave.

As he reached the doorway, a faint voice he had not heard in three months reached to him.

"Tom…" Harry called softly

Tom turned to his mate slowly.

"I…I want to talk of some things, so can you please come back?" Harry asked him

Tom nodded and returned to his place where he had been before in hopes that maybe reconciliation between them would be reached today.

"Tom, yes I felt you had not trusted me and yes it has hurt me to keep from you like this for so long. However, you need to understand the imperativeness of this issue in which truly made me angry." Harry said softly.

Tom met his mate's gaze and nodded slowly to show he understood.

"Tom, you made seven Horcruxes throughout your earlier life. My anger really was not directed at the fact wholly because you kept the information from me, but more because of the fact of what dire consequences could happen if you never told me of them."

Tom seemed confused, "I don't understand Harry, what does this mean?"

Harry smiled sadly to him, "Tom, those Horcruxes you created have a piece of your soul in them and if the Order managed to find another one and eliminate it…potentially they could very well kill you before we managed to bond and you would leave me behind."

"You are my dominant mate Tom, and without your earthly presence, I am vulnerable to the Order and their intentions of what they wish to do to me once you were gone and out of their way. I need you to understand that I need you here to not only protect me, but also to keep both of us sane."

Harry quieted as Tom took in the startling new side of this revelation he had just heard. Tom had not thought of it this way and as he did…he seemed to be overwhelmed with the need to reclaim his Horcruxes faster than ever to protect Harry as his mate from the Order and their malign intentions towards him when he was gone.

Tom, out of instinct, grabbed ahold of Harry and held him close to his chest to reassure himself that he was real and still there with him. Harry easily settled there and waited patiently for Tom to respond again.

"I am so sorry Harry. I had not thought of this like that before. You mean so much to me, and yet here I am potentially and unintentionally plotting a way to make you stray from me without meaning to because of my behavior." Tom seemed to crack and break down

Harry gazed at his mate, "I know you did not see things this way and that was why I waited so long for you to come and find me, Tom. If I had a feeling you knew about this and I felt as though I were being used again…I cannot say what I would have done. I want this to work between us, but we have to be honest to each other and keep the trust we have strong." Harry said to him

Tom nodded silently to this as he whispered, "I promise from now on."

Harry and Tom sat there like this for a long time afterwards just talking and getting reacquainted to each other while knowing they both had forgiven the other without saying so aloud.