Chapter 26

"Welcome back to the gang. Wise decision old friend." A voice spoke, one that Thomas did not recognized as figures materialized before the Dark Lord and his Godfather.

"This was meant to be. I was just delaying the unavoidable. This is inevitable." came Lupin's reply to the first voice as he and 4 other people joined the two in the room. Thomas stared before him with unbelieving his eyes. The figures except Lupin were transparent, yet solid at the same time. They looked somewhere between ghosts and humans.

Thomas gazed at each one letting his eyes linger on them. Snape and Wormtail smiled warmly at him. Lupin, though exhausted, worn down and injured quite badly, also managed to give him a reassuring nod. Thomas extended his hand to pat the man's shoulder and healed him.

Looking past the werewolf, Thomas studied the two men before him. Though he knew them both by heart, he had never truly met either of them. Neither pictures nor memories could even come close to the real thing.

Both men were standing which showed that compared to Thomas, all three were less then a head apart from each other. It was funny, yet ironic to look at living reflections of both selves at once. To the outsider, all three could have been mistaken as one person.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle" Thomas took in a quick breath. "James Potter" he continued, feeling his heart race as he spoke both names.

To the left was his infamous prankster 'father'. The man looked older and more mature then all the pictures that Thomas had of him. Yet certain trademarks could still distinguish the man as who he was. The arrogant, mysterious smile which turned into a smirk, plus the gleam in his eyes couldn't be hidden behind the mature look. The messy jet-black hair, the shape of his brown eyes was identical to Harry Potter himself. The only difference was that the man was about 20 and did not have a lightening bolt scar running down his head. Instead in his right palm which he opened and closed constantly was the golden snitch.

Standing next to the man was his father or who had suddenly became his father in the last year. This man was younger then Thomas had recalled him to be. He was no longer snake like in body form. His skin wasn't white, thin and bony, nor did he have crimson slit eyes. This was not the Voldemort that Thomas had remembered. In fact this was not Voldemort at all. The man before him was young, enthusiastic, and carried a sense of ambition, which could be seen through the innocence eyes. Looking at the 20 year old, it was hard to tell that one day this man was to become the greatest Dark Lord of the century.

"You're both different." was all Thomas could say. "Younger then the others. How can that be?"

Wormtail cleared his throat before answering the question.

"Well Prongs died around this age and you can't grow older after death." James glared at the rat for mentioning that.

"As for Voldemort being this young, let's just say we have a talented seer in our group." Black continued, coughing twice to indicate that it was himself. Thomas glanced at him with a playful slightly hurt expression that he was not told.

"Hey, I saw how he ended up and figure the guy would look better this way." Black ducked as Tom flew a fist at his face but landed on his collarbone. Black shrugged off the pain, before muttering under his breath. "Shouldn't have made it so that they can actually act and do all the things normal living people can." He laughed slightly. "In fact besides the fact that they are transparent, it's like they aren't dead." This earned a reproachful glance from his fellow friends.

As the group settled down, Thomas couldn't help but look between Riddle and Potter. He wondered how the two could get along so well when from what he had heard from the others, the two were mortal enemies.

"We had a talk with Lily." James spoke up quietly as if he had read the teen's mind. All noise stop as if waiting for a reaction from the boy. Thomas remained silent.

"After I 'died'" Tom rubbed his chin as he spoke.

"It's sorted now, everything was sorted so that this would work out." James sighed. "I was naive and immature back then. I was arrogant and foolish to think that I could…" he didn't have to finish for the others understood. Thomas sighed, grateful that the problem was solved.

"You never told me you were a seer." Thomas poked his Godfather as he changed the subject, knowing that the current one they were on would soon lead to problems. Black's face lit up.

"Oh am I a seer! The best one out there."

Lupin leaned next to Thomas' ear and whispered "He isn't. It's just to buff his name. I mean, if we had a seer in our group then we wouldn't need anyone else. It would have been victory and this war wouldn't have lasted this long." Thomas chuckled, but stopped as his Godfather glared at the two of them.

"Ha! Its better then being 'Master of the Dark Creatures'" Lupin turned slightly pink. "Or Potion's Master." Snape too looked displeased. "Or the Transfiguration Master. Or strategic genius!"

Now the group didn't look pretty happy. Thomas however had a smile plastered on his face.

"Great so you guys basically had everyone skilled in one important subject." Thomas counted off his fingers. "Dark Lord, Seer, Dark Creatures, Strategic, Potions, and Transfiguration, all you were missing was Charms."

"That was Lily." Black got elbowed for mentioning it.

"However I am pleased to say that, that problem is solved." Wormtail leapt up happily. "Oh man, aren't Ravenclaws the smartest people out there!"

"Good looking too." Tom added. "Got myself a nice and decent daughter-in-law."

"So I've heard." Black added. Hearing this, Thomas' heart pounded hard. "You'll never find another one out there. You are one lucky man, my boy!"

"But…." Thomas couldn't wait to ask. "How is she? How is Cho?"

"Inpatient are we Riddle? My, my getting caught after curfew with her wouldn't be nice would it?" Snape joked in his silky voice. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Like you'll take off house points."

Snape laughed. "Fine, you win. Why don't you ask her yourself?" Thomas' eyes lit up at that.

"Yes that is right. We brought her for she did make my plan succeed by thinking of things that even I could not imagine and that's saying something for I'm the strategic and planer of the group." Wormtail puffed his stomach up in pride as he spoke of his title.

"And rats are terrible at the job. How many times have we failed because of you Wormtail?" Tom asked accusingly, hinting a sense of displeasure which showed Thomas the father that he knew by heart.

However before Wormtail could defend himself, there was a faint gust of wind before another member joined them. She was dressed completely in black. Emerald green lining was sewed here and there at random spots. A silver skull dangled from the golden necklace that she wore proudly on her neck. Looking at her, it would have been impossible to connect her with her previous self, to the girl whom had cried many times for her lost love. Now standing here was a young lady who was betrothed to the youngest, the most charming and most powerful man to have ever step on earth. Yes, it was true, Harry James Potter now known as Thomas Jerry Reapt Riddle was not the most powerful Dark Lord, but the most powerful man to have ever existed, owning powers and having strengths that even he does not know.

"It was until I died that I truly realized how much I loved you." Cho began, trying to answer the unasked questions. "It doesn't matter who you are. I don't care if you are the devil himself, I love you and that is all that matters to me."

"It took time, I wasted a lot of time." She took in another breath. "At first I wanted your old self back, the Harry that I knew and loved. I had cursed Voldemort a trillion times" Tom glared at her but still kept a smug smile on his face. "It had all been a nightmare, a complete joke. You hurt me so bad. I thought I could change you. I thought you still cared. All the times you demonstrated that, hope grew but vanished and dimmed with each life you took." Thomas just took her hands and held her in his embrace. He didn't know what to say, but hope that somehow he could sooth her.

"But you overcame it." Thomas said dryly. Cho smiled.

"When you are dead, you have eternity to think." She suck in a breath. "and it wasn't until Lily" She felt his grip tighten. "had left after a brief chat that everything became clear to me." She glanced at Tom before continuing. "It seems like your parents had a similar problem."

"Long story." Thomas sighed.

"So you just came to them?" Thomas gestured at the group around them. "and it was perfectly fine?" He asked incredulously

"Well not exactly. Gaining Voldemort's trust and acceptance was…."

Tom coughed.

"difficult." Cho continued. "He isn't the best man nor the easiest man to get along with."

Tom glared at her, but didn't say anything as he let her continue her story.

"For a fact well he's inpatient, scary short tempered, and dangerous, someone you don't want to cross."

Black slapped Tom's back.

"She knows you inside and out!"

Tom humph his friend, and growled at Cho.

"Better pick up the story.You know me better then I do." He tapped a nearby table. "We've got better things to do like put the plan into motion."

Cho's face lit up and Thomas turned to his father with questioning eyes

"Well it really isn't much of a story." Wormtail cut in, as if he wanted them to put the plan into motion.

"Crucio!" Voldemort's voice traveled mile after mile in the underworld. This was followed immediately by screams that echoed an equivalent distance.

"I swear I'll kill Black the next time I see him." Voldemort muttered. "How in the world did I let him talk me into this?" he muttered under his breath.

"Wormtail!" he barked, extending a long, white finger. "Is the plan finished?"

The rat shook his head, receiving another unforgivable.

"Easy Tom" a women's voice spoke soothingly against him. He stretched out his hand and stroke his wife's hair. "We have all the time we've got." Lily said as she glanced towards the other dead VPMWPV members who were trying to devise a plan which would crush Dumbledore. Wormtail, being the strategic and mastermind planer, continually got blamed.

Voldemort growled. "Where in the world was my mind when Black talked me into this brilliant plan." He cussed, sending curses at the people before him. "Tell me how in the world is dying the perfect plan?"

Lily smiled slightly, remembering the answer she had received the first time she had found him in the underworld.

"Black had said…

'First off, Thomas will gain full control and become the greatest and most powerful man to step onto Earth. You know as well as I that his powers aren't develop yet. Secondly, I believe that this will knock some sense into Remus. He has been a bystander to all of this but he will no longer be able to. Besides, I think I can talk him into switching sides. You could see he's wavering now, I just need some time. Thirdly, when Remus does cross, we can reform the VPMWPV and bring you all plus one extra person back to the world of the living. In the meantime, you will have all the time you need to devise a plan to crush Dumbledore. I swear this will work.'

…and that's how you let him talk you into this, so relax Tom with Sirius around nothing can go wrong. He's been with you since the beginning, if you don't trust him then how in the world did you end up this far?"

Voldemort sighed. He looked above towards the sky as if he could see past the underworld, and directly to where Black was. His eyes glazed as if he was already far away from them, leaving only his physical form in the underworld.

"What do you think you are doing here?" a sharp mumble voice caught the Dark Lord's attention. His gaze switched over to Snape who was bent over at the doorway. "Have you any idea where exactly and who exactly now dwells here?" The Potions Master talked quickly, but the Dark Lord caught it all.

"Move Severus" Voldemort commanded. He could feel Snape pale as the man moved away, though he could not see the man's face. Voldemort's eyes turned into slits as he studied the teen before him.

"Ah Miss Chang how nice of you to join us…now?" Voldemort's voice was tinted with loath and hate. Though he did not show it, he was surprised that the girl would still show her face in front of him.

Cho didn't seem to have heard the man, for she walked forward and slowly made her way towards the 4 VPMWPV members who were crowded around the table. Annoyed, Voldemort sent a curse at her. However Lily reached out and swayed his arm causing the curse to miss.

"Observe" She leaned closer to him. "She was suppose to have married Thomas. There must be a reason for her to show up here, especially alone, after all, this isn't the most pleasant place to be."

Bending over, Cho studied what was laid out on the table. After a long time, she used her wand and made a few changes. Though Voldemort could not see what she had done, he suddenly felt a sense of happiness fill him.

"Goodbye Dumbledore." She whispered softly. Wormtail was obviously pleased, for he jumped up and began to talk excitedly. The others were looking at her with a sense of admiration. Snape lowered his head and smiled as if to say that she had earned her rank among them.

Voldemort listened, obviously surprised and pleased at what Cho had done. Wormtail had finally finished and was deeply showing his admiration towards the Ravenclaw.

Cho walked closer to Voldemort. He could feel the uneasiness around her.

"You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into.You could die here and now." He spoke to her, though now he didn't sound as angry at her as he had been before.

Cho smiled shyly.

"I already have" she said simply, cutting the man in half. "This was meant to be…father." The last word had come out barley auditable, but it pleased him nevertheless. He laughed hard, and when it finally died down he said.

"He would be pleased."

"So what is it that Cho knows that you couldn't figure Wormtail?"

The Rat turned slightly pink as he tried to find ways to explain himself. Thomas shook his head, annoyed that Wormtail didn't get to the point.

"The Plan!" The teen's voice boomed, catching everyone's attention.

With a little bit contributed by everyone, and some slight finalizations, the plan became full proof.

"So who would like to go and send the invitation?"

"I'll go." Lupin said. "Anyone else goes and they'll be dead before you know it."

"Very true." Thomas spoke. "They do not realize you switched yet."

"Actually they do if Dumbledore was able to decipher that it was a werewolf who mauled Miss Jones."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Then it is quite likely he knows. Miss Jones may not have been swiftest, but she is on the Quidditch team. Albus will investigate. He will be able to distinguish the signs of a werewolf attack. It will only be a matter of time for him to connect it to the werewolf that had done it."

"Yes very true. But it still has to be me who goes. We can't spoil our secret by having a dead person go nor will Thomas risk going just to deliver a message. As for Sirius, it just wouldn't seem to make sense to send him now when in the past he has been prone to being captured and the fact that Thomas would want his godfather close after the death of his father."

"Then I should be sending a Death Eater. It makes little sense to afford any mistakes now that we are so close to victory." Thomas murmured.

"Prongs can come with me." Lupin spoke up suddenly.

"But you just said that we shouldn't let the enemies know that 4 dead people are alive." Prongs interrupted.

"No, you can pretend to be Harry."

"but, I'm not transparent am I?" Harry interjected as he turned back to his other self.

"no but it'll make sense to them why you wouldn't actually go to the castle. It'll be too dangerous."

"That doesn't mean that it is less dangerous for you." Harry shot back.

"Harry." Lupin said wearily. "If you have a better suggestion then do suggest it otherwise Prongs and I should leave right now."

"Fine. Sirius, give Remus the ring I gave you for safe keeping."

Sirius did as he was told. He handed the ring that Thomas had given his father as a birthday present.

"Wear it Remus. No matter what happens don't take it off. In case anything unexpected occurs this may very well save your life."

Remus took the ring and carefully placed it on his index finger.

"Yes that should work. In the meantime the others can get the plan started." Tom added.

"Yes I'll go to the dungeons." Black said.

"Good and I'll stay and get the Death Eaters prepare for battle." Harry added.

"Perfect." Tom muttered, nodding, as the group disperses to do their own job.

Black made a racket as he made his way into the dungeons. Flinging the door open he entered the corridor full of empty cells.

"My Godson's bored." He began. "So we—Thoms, Remus and I…"

Horrified gasps and sharp intake of breath was followed at the mention of Remus.

"Yes Remus John Lupin," Black received shocked faces. "Devised a gamein which you all will be in it" he snarled to the remaining Weasleys. Molly burst out crying and Arthur trembled. Ron being the only one in his cell was cuddled in a corner.

"The rule is simple." Black continued. He waved his wand and the three found themselves in identical Death Eater suits. They tried to take them off but found that impossible.

"It won't come off until the game is over." Black snarled. "which brings us back to the rules."

Without warning, he hurled a series of curses at the group.

"By all means stay alive." Black turned around to leave. "By the way, you'll be facing real Death Eaters. If you win, I will consider setting you free, however if you lose, you all will have to pay the ultimate price."

Turning on his heal, he left the group with a final piece of advice.

"Sometimes your closes friends are your worst enemies while you may find that solitude among enemies. Have fun."

His footsteps rose and fell with each step that he took. Gliding behind him was Prongs. Both men were completely cloaked. Softening his footfalls, he made his way past the lake and towards the main entrance of the remaining stronghold for the Light.

There was a faint tapping followed by many footsteps. They did not have to reach the castle before the two were met with former friends.

"Declare yourselves and your business" McGonagall spoke as she greeted the new comers. She had her wand out ready to attack.

"Deliver this to Albus Dumbledore." He held out a letter. Seeing that it was not being taken, he levitated it over to her. McGonagall took the flying parchment and looked down upon it, analyzing the envelop, and found only the seal to be in peculiar. She had never seemed anything like it before, the words, the animals, the initials. The letters VPMWPV glistened in the sunlight.

"Who exactly are you?" She asked menacingly. Prongs glided forward, but Lupin put out a hand to stop him.

"Do as I say Minerva or you will receive the fatal consequences." Prongs soften his voice to sound younger. "You don't want to mess with a man who has just killed his father."

"Riddle." Was all the deputy headmistress could say.

"We await your presence" Having said that, he disappeared with a pop. Lupin got ready to leave, but then turned around to face her.

"Little Hangleton isn't the way it used to be. The Riddle House isn't a house, but a manor. Don't be surprised if you end up joining the Graveyard." Lupin paused. "Be prepared for anything. The past alone may end up killing you.

"Tell Dumbledore that there is no turning back. We have chosen our path, he has chosen his. Mark my words The Reign of Darkness is inevitable. He will fall and I will be there to witness his destruction."

This must have angered the headmistress for she threw a killing curse at him. Lupin's body froze. Then slowly he turned his hood so that his face was revealed. By the looks of it, the killing curse had no effect on the man.

"I'm protected more then you can imagine. I'm stronger now then ever before. My powers match that of Sirius himself which enables me, to share the Dark Lord's second hand position with certain members."

"Remus…." Dumbledore's voice came from behind as he now arrived at the scene. "There is no way you could change so quickly. I would welcome…."

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Oh so you haven't received my present? Are Hogwarts owls that unreliable?"

"I did." Dumbledore said solemnly. "Though I have come to consider that Miss Jones have been the result of pressure and the mistakes of an old man. Her death is more my fault then yours. I shouldn't have accused you of what was obviously not true."

"You drove me away." Lupin spat out. Reaching out his hands, he showed them.

"I regret it deeply. I am to be blamed. Please Remus, I need you here with me, not against me."

"I'm a werewolf and werewolves are Dark and deadly creatures." As he said this, his hands turned, and transformed into claws. "I'm a monster that doesn't deserve sympathy from you or any others." he drawled. "I'm a deadly killing machine. You get that? You understand! You can never understand me! I was bitten since childhood. I lived a live of decimation, lived a life in fear that anyone would find out…"

"There is no need to." Dumbledore raised his voice.

"Indeed there is no need to. No longer am I tied to the binds of the wolf. The wolf and I are one, there is no longer a need to hide it."

"I have taken you in since childhood. I have raised and protected you from the outside…."

"Did not! All you did was isolate me! All you did was protect the public! Every minute I was close to you, another hundred found out what I was!"

Lupin's temper grew, and they could tell. Not only were his fist changing, but so was his outer appearance and this was in broad daylight.

"Minerva get me another wolfsbane. Remus is clearly in no good condition. " Minerva stayed behind.

"Is he…will you…"

"Just go."

Reluctantly, McGonagall left.

Lupin eyed the headmaster as he tried to calm down.

"You were never there for me when I needed you the most. You were fulfilling your selfish desires." Lupin took a step back as he crouched over. "and now I don't need you."

Dumbledore took a step forward but stopped as Lupin transformed. The wolf howled continually, backing up from the headmaster as though he was wounded.

Then from the forbidden forest came a man. From the distance Dumbledore could tell that it was Thomas although he was sure that it wasn't. The boy looked strangely familiar but he couldn't remember who.

The wolf bounded up to the person. Dumbledore watched from a distance deciding that it was best if he did not interfere. Defeated, he let them leave.

After a long time he walked to the place where the teen had been standing. He could few the winds changing, and a sudden coldness was left where the newcomer was before. All around, the place look dead, all life was taken away from it.

Soon, the returning Professor joined him. She gave him a questioning, skeptical look. Dumbledore did not say anything. Instead he took the letter from McGonagall and opened it, finding that it was empty.

"He invited us to the Riddle House." McGonagall spoke.

The headmaster raised an eyebrow.

"Then we shall not keep our host waiting."