I didn't want to keep my reviewers waiting long, but several things were in my way. But NEVER FEAR! I WILL continue to write this until it has ended the way I FIND APPROPRIATE! So enjoy... and review. A lot. Because I love REVIEWS and REVIEWERS!

I took a moment to consider the workings of what had once been my mind. My own plan, which at the time had seemed so flawless, had been the pathway to my own demise. How very fitting. Of course, that would be my defeat.

"Do you see your mistakes, Tom?"

"Of course, Ablus. Your questions lead to the same answers. But I did discover something strange, paradoxical, in fact..."

"What may that be?"

I thought for a moment, debating my wording. "Well, first, the precautions I took to keep myself alive killed me. And... this sounds so strange... the thing I feared above all else was death. I would not let myself die because I feared Death would destroy me. Life destroyed me. Death saved me."

Tom Riddle and Albus Dumbledore shared glance, almost as if they were sharing some secret information. What could that be? "Why are you looking at one another like that?"

"No reason," Riddle shot. Albus rolled his eyes in a very uncharacteristic manner. He was clearly frustrated.

"I shall tell you after you finish your story entirely. Only then will I tell you the things I am hiding."

"So you are hiding multiple things? What am I to make of this?"

"Many things, yes. But they all go back to the one thing. And they all will please you, I am sure, when you find out what they are. But that is only if you finish."

"I suppose I can do that. I only fear my own thoughts on the worst of the story. But I am to blame for that. I must say that I loved having my body back. Love is not an accurate word. I never truly loved anything, but I felt some strong emotion. But I enjoyed feeling the textures od the ground on my bare feet, the sounds I could hear more vividly than ever, the scent of potion fumes and grass that had just been moved. I could even taste the night air. It was simply bliss. Even the Death Eaters could not ruin my night.

"I decided to stay in the house of Riddle for at least one more night; what harm could it do? There were the winged armchairs I had grown so fond of, the large fireplaces, the rugs with their intricate patterns. It was perfect for my first night as a man. And none of the others objected when I led them up the hill.

"Severus arrived in a matter of hours. I admit that I was supsicious, but he told me of his allegiance, of his plans of spying on Dumbledore for the Death Eaters, of serving me again. There was not a single sign of dishonesty in his mind, and so I welcomed him back to my ranks. He slept like the rest of them, staying only because I told him to.

"I took my time alone to elaborate on my plans. I would have to destroy my threats before I thought about rising to full power. Was there something I needed to know to destroy Potter, though? Was there some secret I needed to unearth? Surely there was something. I would need the prophecy to know for sure. But only the subject of the prophecy could withdraw it. I could not exactly go waltzing into the Department of Mysteries and expect no heads to turn. That left only one option: I would have to depend on Harry Potter.

"I could trick him somehow, persuade him to grab the orb from its shelf. Then one of my loyal Death Eaters -Malfoy, perhaps- could snatch the prophecy from him and bring it to me. Ah yes, a perfect plan. But how could it be done? I knew nothing about the boy, so I had no idea how to lure him into the Department of Mysteries. Perhaps I could first get a few recruits, retrieve the Lestranges from Azkaban, ruin the boy as much as I could without giving myself away. The Ministry was not what I needed. Dumbledore was probably already rallying his old helpers to fight me.

"But what was his connection to the boy? Potter had been more than keen on defending Dumbledore when we had faught in the Chamber, and in turn Albus seemed more than ready to defend the boy. Was it merely the old man's foolishness... or was it something more? Oh, there were so many questions, so many mysteries I would have to solve! But that would come later. I needed to sleep...

"When I woke, I decided to treat myself to the best breakfast. My senses went wild over every food I grabbed. It was simply lovely, all of it. I cannot think of any experience to compare the emotion to that would make you understand. I was alive, and every detail was like a new awakening to my senses. Ah, it was sensational. I nearly forgot about my plans due to the pleasure. But I quickly remembered. Perhaps I could use the boy as a means of seeing Dumbledore, if they were close. Something along those lines.

"But first there was the actual reform. Was Dumbledore readying the Order of the Phoenix? Was he telling the Ministry of Magic of my return? What would they do to defend themselves, or would they simply turn a blind eye? I needed answers, and in my house waited a band of lovely Death Eaters who could give me such answers. This would not be difficult. They would wake soon enough.

"I waited patiently. They all sat at the dining room table, knowing I must have had some sort of orders for them by that point. I did not look at them; rather, I studied the overgrown, gnarled shrubs that were visible through the shattered window. It was too bad that I had killed the gardner. 'You are all here because you are my loyal servants, I am to assume. Therefore, I have duties for each of you. All of these things are of utmost importance, so I will expect you to complete them and report to me as swiftly as you can. Snape, you will get any information on Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix that is available. You are to continue spying on Dumbledore. Lucius, find out if word of my return has reached the Ministry. Many of you will recruit new Death Eaters. That is, the less trustworthy of you can do the less important tasks. Now, I think you should do those things, don't you?'

"All of them Disapparated. Peter remained. 'What do you want me to do, My Lord?' As if there was any useful job for him.

"'There are not many things you can do, Wormtail. Everyone thinks you are dead. I suggest you stay somewhere inconspicuous. Away from me, or I will surely murder you.'"

"Wasn't that nice of you?" the Weasley boy said in a voice that reminded me of Severus.

"At least I warned him. He was such a baffoon; I would have killed him if he had decided to stay near me. Where was I? Oh yes, my first morning. I decided to enjoy my time in the village while I waited for my Death Eaters to return. I disguised myself and walked into the village. I drank at the Muggle restaurant, I listened to everyone talk about pathetic worries, I asked them how they were. I pushed aside my hatred of Muggles so that I could see and hear them. They would be nameless things in my memory after I returned to full power, but I did not need to draw attention. And because of that, I would let no Muggles die in a suspicious way.

"I decided not to go into the forest -I'd had more than my share of life in a forest. Instead, I had a nice walk by a lake. That would be my method of wasting hours: waiting in some Muggle place for word from any of my Death Eaters. They brought me many useful facts: Dumbledore had restarted the Order of the Phoenix, he had told the Minister about my return, the Ministry of Magic was doing nothing to even confirm my rise, and the Daily Prophet's newest target for criticism was Harry Potter. They were almost doing my job for me. But there were still things to do. I wanted my most loyal Death Eaters at my side once more, and I wished to see whether some other man could grab my prophecy.

"The dementors were on my side, of course. That made it so easy to get my Death Eaters out. Bellatrix was praising my strength and swearing her allegiance to me, something that was not at all necessary. I knew that she had gone to Azkaban because she had remained loyal to me, and for that she would be rewarded. The others were not quite as enthusiastic, but they were just as pleased to escape. We stayed at the house of Riddle, staying away from wizards. The Ministry blamed the escapes on Sirius Black, one of our enemies. It was too perfect. Dumbledore was even losing respect. Vengeance was sweet. Once I had Potter, things would be absolutely perfect.

"I decided to try to kill the man guarding the Department of Ministries. I would use my dear Nagini. Yes, that was a solution. I would enter her mind. And there we were, in the Ministry of Magic, slithering to the redhaired man. We were advancing... Our teeth sunk into his flesh. Again and again we dug into him. We could taste his skin, and then his blood poured into our mouth. Triumph. Hunger. Remorse?

"We were not alone, then. Who was that, invading our privacy? I listened. Please, Mr Weasley, don't be dead! I'll tell someone! Hold on! Potter! My nemesis! He was in my mind and he could see what I was doing! This was an outrage, it was...

"Quite useful, actually, I realised as I returned to my own body and mind. I could use that against Potter. But surely Dumbledore would realise what was happening. He would find a way to shield the boy. But Potter was weak. And if I could just find the boy's weakness, he would be mine. But first, perhaps I could use him as a means to see what Dumbledore was doing.

"Ahh, the possibilities... I entered the mind of Potter. That was easier than closing my eyes. I could see the stone walls before me as if I were there... but then, I was there. He may have felt me in his mind, but he did nothing to escape. The boy entired the Headmaster's office and told him all he knew. Dumbledore would not look at him, at me. He must have known, then. There was another barrior.

"But I was patient. I did what I wanted without really noticing when I did what, without establishing any order in my actions. I did not need order. I was evil at its best. At last information came - from the Black sisters, of course- that Potter did, in fact, have some weakness. He loved Sirius Black, loved him more than anyone. This I could use. I could mess with his mind. And I would.

"The day came at last when I had made my final plans. I briefly told the Death Eaters what they were to do: enter the Ministry, and take the prophecy from Potter, bring it to me. He would be there. I had my ways to make sure of that. He slept somewhere in Hogwarts, probably the Gryffindor boy's dormitory, but he was anything but safe from me. I entered the piece of his mind that he shared with me. I imagined a scene of Sirius Black suffering, of myself torturing him in ways I only would use on the worst of my enemies. I felt him writhing, suffering from the dream. I didn't bother to shield my own rapturous delight. He would think that he was in my mind! But how very incorrect he would be.

"My Death Eaters were in their places. I did not watch as they fought, for I did not wish to waste my own time. At last I saw Bellatrix race out of the Death Chamber, Potter pursuing her. He tried to curse her, but she was not affected much. He had never used an Unfogivable Curse before. Oh, this was grand! What a spectacle! What a show! Oh, this was worth my wait!

"Bella was screaming her apologies to me, telling me that she was dueling Black when Potter had broken the prophecy. I saw the truth to her words. And even if she had made a mistake, she had been faithful. Perhaps I would not punish her as brutally. But then, perhaps I would not care. It was hard to tell what my mind would think of these people. Potter had his eyes closed. He did not even see me.

"'He can't hear you from here!' he yelled, eyes still closed. I could have laughed. I heard everything my Dear Ones told me.

"'Can't I, Potter?' I said only to mock him. He saw me standing there, showing off my power as I always had. The fear brought my delight again. 'So you smashed my prophecy? No, Bella, he is not lying... I see the truth looking at me from within his worthless mind... Months of preparation, months of effort... and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again...'

"She begged again for mercy and forgiveness. They only sickened me. 'Be quiet, Bella. I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your sniveling apologies?' I stopped. Even she, the most loyal and devoted of my ranks, had failed me; and there I was again, standing emptyhanded, appearing the fool. I was growing tired of these games.

"I heard her say something about a man waiting below, but I did not acknowledge it. I did not care. It did not matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Not until my nemisis breathed no more. 'I have nothing more to say to you, Potter. You have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!'

"The curse sped toward him, and he stood, emptyminded, wand directed at the floor. But then the golden wizard statue defended him. It had come alive! What was this charade? 'What-? Dumbledore!'

"He stood in front of the golden gates, as ancient as he had ever been, giving off the same sort of power he had during our first encounter. My paradox. My only barrier. Those gates must have been hell's gates, then. And they had been opened.

"We exchanged a few spells, and the fountain's creatures were all alive then, springing into action. This was not about power; it was about vengeance. But then, hadn't it always been? 'It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way-'

"'By which time I will be gone, and you dead!' I sent a Killing curse on him, and of course missed. My anger was controlling me. He had dared to use my filthy Mudblood name. For that alone I could have killed him. But it was more than that. My loathe for him was in the way he stood, the way he spoke, the way he acted. It was in the very center of his soul, really. And nothing could assuage it.

"Dumbledore launched his own spell at my. I conjured a shield to protect me. Of course, the fool had not used a killing curse. He never set out to kill, for reasons beyond my comprehension. 'You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore? Above such brutality, are you?'

"'We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom. Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit-'

"'There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!' I bellowed at him. Did he not know that there was an uncertainty of what would happen to the dead after they died, that there would perhaps be only nothingness awaiting us when we fell to Death? Death was the ultimate pain. I had done so many things, terrible things, even lived through years of near-oblivion, just so that I would not die. And he stood there mocking the final end, he with his infinate serenity and limitless power.

"'You are quite wrong. Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things far worse than death has always been your greatest weakness-'

"I fired another jet of death at him, which broke the statue that guarded him so well. So we were to speak of weaknesses? What about his absurd inability to suspect infidelity? Trust, they said. More of a way to fill a void, in my opinion. We fired more spells, wasted more precious time, and then I had a new plan. Use the boy...

"We were one at that moment, him and I, in a way that no other human being could have been with me. For a moment I marvelled at the joy I felt - but then I decided to drive myself further into darkness. I gave us, gave him, the pain of all pains. He felt the pain when I moved as him, when I used him for my own reasons.

"'Kill me now, Dumbledore...'

"He screamed for release. The agony travelled through his very veins. 'If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy...'

"My thoughts and speach ceased for a moment. The boy spoke on my behalf; yet the words were not my own. 'Let the pain stop. Let him kill us... End it, Dumbledore... Death is nothing compared to this...

"'And I'll see Sirius again...' I loathed that. He called for the dead one, the one who had abandonned him for silence and oblivion, the one who had failed him... how could that be? I escaped his wretched body at once. I grabbed Bella and Disapparated. But the Ministry had captured Death Eaters, and they had seen me. They had their proof now. And the chase would begin. More games. But I would handle it as I always had. And even Dumbledore himself would not stop me. Lucius had failed me, and so his son would be his replacement. He would perform the ultimate deed... He would murder Dumbledore.

"Do you see how far this had gotten? The lives I ended, the hearts I broke, the souls I split... they meant nothing. I regret this more than anything. I was blind. But now I see. If only I had to wait until after my death to be saved. I wish I could change the past..."

"But perhaps you can," Albus told me.

"Excuse me?"