Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor any of the characters from the books or movies, they belong to J. K. Rowling. I also do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Beta: budchick

Pairing/s in this chapter:

Warnings in this chapter: (?)

Nr words in this chapter: 1,988

"Talking"

'Thinking'

-Parseltongue-

Dream/Memory/Letter/Journal/Book/Newspaper

Chapter XIV

–Too Soon–

Monday, July 10, 1995

Harry shivered as he was transported forth in time to the gardens of Lestrange Manor. Harry let his back fall against the wall and stared away unseeingly. He had just shared his first kiss with Tom… the boy that he had taken in as a brother but that had never really seen Harry as a brother in return. How long had Tom harboured emotions for Harry that were more than brotherly feelings? Had Tom ever seen him as a brother at all or had he always seen him as something more?

Hell! How could Harry even ponder about having feelings for Tom? He would become Voldemort one day. His parents' killer. One thing was accepting the boy as a sibling. Another entirely different was accepting him as a lover.

Lover? Did this mean Harry was gay? That he was in love with Tom? He loved Tom, yes. He had accepted that long ago… but was he in love with him?

"Serpens." Harry looked up to see Voldemort and Nagini approaching. The snake uncoiled from her Master and started to slither alongside him, as Voldemort ran to Harry and hugged him close. "Hush… it's all right."

Harry found that he had tears in his face and hugged the Dark Lord.

"No, it's not all right… I just let a teen that I see as a brother kiss me."

"But it was a boy who never really saw you as a brother," the man argued, making Harry hug him tighter.

–SYiaS–

Seeing the teen have a break down because of a kiss he had shared not even a couple hours ago with his younger self was painful.

Yes, for him it had been years, but for Harry it was only days. He had to pass through it all in a couple of hours. Harry had to accept that the boy he had started to like was his parents' killer and still keep a smile in place for Tom's sake. Now he had to accept that while he was away, instead of starting to harbour brotherly feelings, Tom had started to feel something else instead. It hurt to finally learn that Harry hidden how he really felt about Tom from Tom, for his sake. How many more times would he catch Harry crying? How much more had Serpens hid from him?

Voldemort felt the teen in his arms calm down. When he pulled him back, he noticed that Harry had cried himself to sleep. Voldemort picked Harry up bridal style and took him inside, with Nagini by his side. Harry was still hiccupping but he was asleep. Voldemort couldn't help but let his eyes roam down the body on his arms. He had almost forgotten how beautiful Harry had looked in those dress robes.

"My Lord?" Alexa's voice asked. "Is he all right?"

"The person he used to see as a younger brother kissed him on the lips just last night, Alexa. How do you think he is?"

Alexa - smartly - stayed quiet at that and approached Harry's door. She opened it for Voldemort and when they both entered, she pulled down the bed covers so that Voldemort would be able to place Harry on the bed. Voldemort waited for her to leave before he sat the sleeping boy up and changed him into his muggle pyjamas.

Voldemort looked at the scars on Harry's chest in thought. He once used to question what they were all about, but now… now he knew that they were because of the muggles and because of himself. Voldemort looked at Harry's sleeping, peaceful face. How could he be so pure and innocent even after everything Voldemort had made him go through? What was it about Harry, about Serpens, that made him so intriguing to Voldemort?

Voldemort finished changing Harry's clothes and laid him in the bed. He unbraided Harry's hair before he pulled the covers over him and left him with Nagini to sleep.

As he closed the door, the Dark Lord couldn't help but wonder how Harry had managed to defeat him all those times. The sleeping boy seemed like he couldn't even hurt a fly!

–SYiaS–

Voldemort looked at Harry when he entered the drawing room. The boy was deep red and was avoiding eye contact with Voldemort at all costs. It didn't surprise Voldemort actually, the teen was very shy, and after Voldemort caught him crying it was natural for him to be this embarrassed.

–Serpens– he called the teen, who still didn't look up. –Harry James Potter!–

Serpens looked at him with a raised eyebrow, making Alexa tense.

–What?–

–Don't ignore me.–

–Am not.– the teen argued and Voldemort raised an eyebrow at the childish display.

–Do you honestly want my younger self to see you behaving like that?–

–Like what?–

–Like a toddler.–

Harry glared back and, as odd as it sounded, it took Voldemort a big effort not to back down. As much as he was the older person now… Harry had still raised him like an older brother. Serpens lowered his face as his shoulders started shaking. Voldemort noticed how Alexa tensed, most likely thinking Harry was crying but Voldemort knew better; Serpens was trying to restrain his laughter.

–Whatever you say, Tommy boy.– Serpens said mischievously. –I wonder what your men would say if they had seen you as a toddler… how was it really? Oh right: 'Sewpens stowy'.– Serpens looked up with an amused look, through his hair bands. –'Awe you Petew?' Oh yes, Wendy, I'm Peter and I've come for you.–

–Tell me, Serpens, between the both of us. Which person is immortal?– Voldemort argued. –Me, so that makes you the Wendy and me the Peter.–

Harry laughed, good heartedly.

–Says the man who tortures and kills for the hell of it.– Serpens argued, amused before turning towards Alexa. –I'm not Wendy. Wendy doesn't come in the middle of the night to Peter's window. I would be more like Tinkerbell, since it's her that takes Peter Pan to Neverland and it was because of me that you started to look for ways to be immortal.–

–Serpens…–

The teen tilted his head to the side, glancing at Voldemort in a way that was innocently irresistible. Voldemort couldn't help but wonder, not for the first time, how someone could be so innocent and so sensual all in one.

–Yes, Tomtom?– the teen asked, and that look should be forbidden. No one should look so irresistible, not even his Serpens. Especially his Serpens - wouldn't other people notice it as well.

–When you return tonight… I will have completed my first murder.– Voldemort said.

There was a moment of silence. Voldemort felt Harry looking at him, as if he was looking into his soul. Were it any other person, Voldemort would have killed them for even making the attempt, but Serpens would always be one of the only exceptions… Besides, as much as Voldemort didn't like to admit this, one of Serpens' appealing parts was that Voldemort felt as if Serpens could read him like an open book – and still Serpens always returned to him. Serpens knew his darkest secrets and never moved away.

Of course, now Voldemort knew the reason why. He also knew how hard a toll it took on Harry, but that didn't matter, because Harry was his Serpens.

–Don't expect me to feel proud about it, because as much as I've accepted that you're a killer… that doesn't mean I'll defend your massacres or terrorism.–

–I'll never expect you to be anyone else but yourself.– Voldemort replied, amused. After all… hadn't Serpens said those same words to him?

Saturday, July 10, 1943

"Serpens!"

Harry looked up as Tom approached him from the other side of the room. He pulled Harry from his seating place on Tom's bed to his own feet and hugged Harry tight.

"Hi, Tom." Harry mumbled, hugging Tom back.

A hand moved to the back of Harry's head and before Harry could react - he got kissed. Harry tensed, pulling Tom from him in reaction. Tom raised an eyebrow in question and Harry sighed, letting his forehead rest on Tom's.

"Is there anything wrong, Serpens? Am I being too forward?"

Harry blushed, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tomtom. I just…"

"You still see me as that baby you helped feed sixteen years ago." Tom said.

"Sorry."

Tom shook his head.

"No, don't be. It might be years for me but its days for you. I should have thought about it first." Harry opened his eyes when Tom grabbed his face with both hands, and saw Tom smiling down at him. "It's my fault, really. Don't worry; I'll wait for you to love me as I love you. And if you never do, then we'll stay as siblings."

Harry nodded.

"When did you become so smart?" he couldn't help but ask.

"What, I'm sixteen now. I'm allowed to be smarter than you." Tom argued with a mock pout making both him and Harry laugh. "I missed you."

Harry smiled back.

"I would say I missed you as well, but honestly my missing can't come close to yours."

"No it can't. I have to wait a whole year for you. You only have to wait several hours."

"Although I come back every year to an older and improved Tom."

"Did you just called me 'improved'?" Tom asked with a raised eyebrow, amused.

"I did, now don't let it go over that big head of yours. If it grows bigger, you won't be able to keep standing."

Tom chuckled.

"I've heard my Slytherin colleagues use that line several times between themselves, but I've never understood why they laughed to it… with you… things just seem to come naturally."

Harry smiled and looked around the room. It looked a lot like the last time, maybe with a couple of books more. Harry approached Tom's desk while Tom stayed by the bed, and looked at the books Tom had over there.

"Sixth-year books?" he asked to which Tom hummed affirmatively. "Tom Riddle's diary…" Harry mumbled as he picked the leather book and felt it as it sang to him.

"Serpens…" Tom's voice seemed a hitch higher than it usually was, as if he was afraid.

Harry turned and showed Tom the diary.

"If I were you, I would protect it well. You might never know what basilisk blood can do to these things," he added throwing Tom the leather book.

Tom looked at the diary and then to Harry, wide-eyed.

"You know what this is?"

Harry nodded and looked at the other books on the desk.

"How?"

"You want to be immortal so you can wait for me, forever."

"Serpens, I…"

"Don't ever go down there again. Basilisks are not sweet things." Harry interrupted and Tom's eyes grew. He nodded breathily. Harry smiled. "Good. Now… what are you going to do when you became of age?"

"I… I intend on looking for the founders' items." Harry hummed inquisitively and Tom approached, opening one of the books. He showed Harry a picture of the Hogwarts founders. "Salazar Slytherin: a necklace. Helena Huflepuff: a cup. Rowena Ravenclaw: a tiara. And finally, Godric Gryffindor: a sword," the teen said, pointing to each object as he mentioned them.

Harry hummed running a finger by the Gryffindor's sword.

"Why look for them?"

"It's my inheritance… I'm one of the founders' heir after all." Tom replied and Harry glanced at him. "Besides I have to have something to do while I wait for you to be born…"

Harry snorted.

"Yeah… right…"

(TBC)