Two weeks into the SATs, Tom came back to classes. Harry had already taught his first lesson of the Dark Arts, in which he spent the class not teaching spells, but in a heated debate with the class on the definition of Dark Arts and what they entail.
He argued that there used to be a class that taught the Dark Arts that ended when Dumbledore became Deputy Headmaster, and that what they learn in his particular portion of the SATs were to stay between them. He said that Tom was under a loyalty potion and thus, when he came back to class, they had to come up with something different.
Where DADA once was on their timetable was a study hall. The only person in Lockhart's second-year classes was Tom now.
And Tom. Tom now was a shell of his former self. He was utterly devoted to the headmaster and he goes into fits if the man was even mentioned. It was clear that whatever form of the potion Dumbledore had used was entirely too strong for a twelve-year-old.
Which helped them narrow down the variations a little bit.
Voldemort knew much about Loyalty potions, for he had considered using them at one point, but none of them were too convenient in comparison to the Imperio.
And speaking of loyalty potions, Harry now could not consume honey. Voldemort abhorred the hell out of the taste of honey to the point that his aversion made Harry physically sick when consuming it.
Anyways, SATs for second year were now held in one of the classrooms in the Defence Hallway, literally right across the hall from Lockhart's room.
The other years had decided to take to the idea as well, and so all classes for the SATs were held in that classroom.
Harry didn't particularly mind. It made it easier for them to keep track of who was teaching what and how much people learned.
The first years in particular loved the SATs, especially the Muggleborns. They complained that some of their teachers never taught what they wanted to learn, even when they asked about it, and now they have peer-teaching which is more effective. Their friends use more age-friendly language and descriptions to help them learn what they're trying to teach instead of large words that make no sense to them.
"Let me teach you this one way"
"I don't understand this one way, teach it to me a different way"
"Let me teach you again using the exact same terms and method"
No one liked that, and the SATs actually helped them avoid such conversations.
XxXxX
Our topic of conversation here was Tom! Stop dragging me off topic.
Tom felt like a piece of him was missing, though he couldn't imagine what could be missing.
According to Professor Dumbledore, his friends had all abandoned him - Harry and Ron and Draco - so perhaps that was it? No, he would feel anger then, not this dull numbness.
He shrugged and continued on with his day.
He missed the sad yet angry looks shot his way from Harry, for he wasn't looking at Harry. Why would he look at Harry? Professor Dumbledore said that Harry, Ron and Draco were bad influences on him and thus he should ignore them unless paired with them.
And so he had.
XxXxX
Halloween approached quickly after that, luckily for Harry. He had been getting almost nowhere in controlling his power. His first actual lesson with teaching some of the spells wasn't until later November due to the odd spacing of their classes.
So, on Halloween, he made the excuse to get out of dinner by saying to Draco that he 'didn't feel good' and Draco 'understood'. After all, it was the day of his parent's death, and he knew that his friend may have wanted some time alone.
As soon as everyone was gone, Harry quickly fled the common room and he left the building. He used his nice Invisibility cloak in order to sneak off of the grounds. He may or may not have broken into Dumbledore's office during Tom's 'stay' there and he found it hidden on one of the shelves.
Carefully, he made his way off of the grounds and, once off of the grounds, he apparated to the Manor.
Quirrell was not home - he had been granted leave to travel the world, as he wanted to. As such, Harry was surprised when Voldemort told him that his 'stash' was in the old shed out back.
He froze in the doorway of the shed when he sensed the wards reacting to him.
Hiss in Parsel to the wards, It is I, your Lord and Ruler.
Modest, aren't you? Yet Harry said the words to them.
The wards immediately backed down. He made his way across the room and he knelt by the floorboards. Once he pried one up, he saw what he was looking for. A little ring with a stone set in the center.
XxXxX
Miles and miles, perhaps even a whole dimension away, Death perked up.
A master, after all this time?
Death smiled. Finally, its streak of boredom was over! It could leave the petty humans alone now that it had a master!
Quickly, Death donned its best robe and it left the realm of Death. Dead people were such a bore.
XxXxX
Harry picked up the ring and, remembering Voldemort's warning, hissed to it in Parsel before putting it on.
A Volde-phantom rose from the ring and it scowled at him. "You are not our master," he hissed at Harry.
"No, but I am gathering all of you up on his behalf. I even have one of him on me, see?" Harry said to the phantom. He then stepped back from control to let Voldemort take over.
He didn't care much for the conversation that they had, only that, in the end, Voldemort gave him the okay to put the ring on.
And as soon as it slid onto his finger, the light dissapeared from the room.
Harry blinked and the light was back, standing there a tall figure in a black robe.
It bowed to him.
"Master," It whispered. "I've long awaited a master!"
Harry, as articulate as always, responde with, "Uh..."
"Oh, where are my manners!" it said, jumping to its feet. "Hello, Mr. Human master, my name is Death." It held out its hand.
Its hand was flesh.
Why would Death have skin?
"Hello, I guess?" Harry shook Death's hand. "I'm Harry Potter."
"Ohh I know you are!" Death giggled. "I'm just so glad to have a master and to not have to mess with those petty humans anymore, and -"
"Hold up," Harry said. "What humans did you mess with?"
"Some kid named Tom when he was younger and this guy who keeps holding me off named Dumbledore and - "
"Hold up." Harry said, his anger rearing its head. "You're the cause of this? It's YOUR fault that Tom's under a loyalty potion!?"
"Oh, well, I didn't give Dumbledore the recipe for the loyalty potion, but - "
"But what."
"Well, I may or may not have given the old wizard the recipe to a potion that will send Tom back in time to his original place in exchange for his life at the end of your sixth year."
Harry angrily grabbed the collar of Death's robes and headbutted Death.
Death fell back and its hood fell, too.
Death, for the record, is a girl, and Death has a bloody nose. Death also bleeds black blood.
"FIX THIS." Harry yelled at Death, his magic cracking angrily in the air.
"I can't - "
"I'm your master, right?! SO FIX THIS."
"I can't, Master, unless - "
"UNLESS WHAT."
"Well, ya see, I can't interfere with someone's life now that I have a master unless you offer to me a blood sacrifice."
"I'm not asking for you to kill anyone, I'm asking for you to destroy that potion and destroy that recipe and to get my brother back."
"That still would interefere with Tom Riddle's life span, and - "
"I am not going to kill someone to fix your mistake." He said forcefully. "You are going to fix this now under the demand of your master or you are going to suffer."
Death smiled at him. "I thought as much. Well, I suppose I'll just wait for you to change your mind, then. And, for the record, I can only be seen by you."
Harry buried his face in his hands and groaned before apparating back to Hogwarts.