"Tom. Tom, come on, wake up." The voice sounded insistent and Riddle thought he could hear someone screaming as well. He opened his eyes and pulled away from Potter who was sitting on the edge of the bed, a hand on Riddle´s shoulder and a concerned look on his face. Riddle drew in a breath, feeling sweat pouring of him and his pulse racing.

Who had been screaming? He looked around the room but quickly came to the conclusion it most likely had been himself. He lifted a hand to drag it across his face, brushing away the hairs that were now sticking to his forehead. Another nightmare then, he thought. As usual he couldn't remember anything, but from the concerned look on Potter´s face it seemed like it had been worse than usual.

"I´m fine," he muttered, rubbing at his eyes with his hands. He looked up and saw Potter move so that he was leaning against the headboard with his feet stretched out on the bed in front of him. Getting comfortable apparently.

"They seem to be getting worse," the younger wizard remarked. Riddle couldn´t comment on that, he never remembered anything, but from the way his throat hurt it seemed like he might have done a lot of screaming, or it could be from the unpleasant encounter with DeLancer. It was hard to tell.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No." Even if he did, he didn´t remember anything, and even if he had, Potter wouldn´t be at the top of the list of people he wanted to talk to. Come to think of it, he wouldn´t be on the list at all

Potter sighed, managing to sound both disappointed and defeated at the same time. "Fine. Try to go back to sleep, I´ll stay until you do."

Riddle wanted to snap and tell him to get the bloody hell out of the room and that he wasn´t some child who needed a parent to watch him fall back to sleep in order to keep the monsters at bay. However he didn´t. He didn´t do anything. He simply allowed himself to lay back down and drift of to sleep, trying not to think to much about the comforting hand carding through his hair, one that he wanted to beat away but couldn´t find the energy to.

He woke to the strange feeling of someone else in his bed. Wary he opened his eyes and saw that Potter had fallen asleep on the bed beside him. He was laying on his back, one arm across his stomach and the other one in sprawled out towards Riddle, nearly touching him. At some point the Gryffindor had summoned, or fetched, a blanket that was draped over him and a pillow that was nestled under his head.

Riddle watched as Potter´s breathed in and out, clearly still deep asleep.

It was a strange feeling. This was the first time he had ever woken up to someone else in his bed. Not that he hadn´t had his share of lovers, both male and female, over the course of time, but none had been allowed to stay. He didn´t trust people close to him as he slept. At the present moment he didn´t have much of a choice as he couldn´t order Potter out of his room. On the other hand, Potter would hardly harm him during the night. Potter normally went back to his own bed after coaxing Riddle back to sleep, or fell asleep in an armchair next to the bed. This was the first time the young man had fallen asleep on the bed.

The lightning formed scar was barely visible under the hair that was sticking up in all directions. Riddle studied it. He felt drawn to the boy, most likely because of the Horcrux that resided in him. Strange that Dumbledore hadn´t seen reason to divulge to the boy that he carried a piece of Voldemort´s soul inside him. He wondered for a moment if there was anything to gain from telling the boy about it, but other than angering Dumbledore he didn´t think there was. And seeing as Dumbledore was past childish punishments and seemed to have embraced the more painful ones, Riddle wasn´t too keen on crossing the old fool again so soon.

His eyes wandered further down, over closed eyelids that concealed green eyes. Over the perfectly shaped nose and lips before trailing further down to the hand that was resting on his stomach. The boy was good looking, there was not denying that. Strange really that he hadn´t found a wife or girlfriend, but Riddle assumed that fighting a dark lord might not leave much time for such things. Being both Lord Potter and Black should make the boy attractive as a match for any pureblood family. Even the Malfoys couldn´t turn their nose up at the boy´s pedigree. Although an argument could be given that he was only a half blood, but the power from the lines he carried would outweigh that problem. And even the purebloods knew, although they were not willing to openly admitting to it, that they needed fresh blood to keep their lines from getting to inbred. Like the Gaunts had done, Riddle thought bitterly. Remember his crazed family on his mother´s side.

He was drawn from his musings by the sound of a knock on his door before it opened, revealing Dumbledore.

"Tom? Have you seen-" The Headmaster stopped short at seeing both Riddle and Potter in the same bed, Potters hand nearly touching Riddle´s head where Riddle lay curled on his side, facing Potter.

The sound of the voice woke Potter who came to with a groan, lifting his right arm to rub at his eyes.

"Headmaster," Potter greeted as he pushed himself up into a siting position, the blanket pooling in his lap.

At least he was dressed in his sleeping wear, Riddle thought as he sat up as well, leaning against wall.

"Harry, may I have a word." It wasn´t a question, Riddle noted. Dumbledore looked strangely concerned, which seemed to double as the older man looked over at Riddle and took in the bruises on his cheek and neck as well as swollen and split lip. Riddle swallowed a smirk.

The headmaster turned and left the room, leaving the door open behind him. Back in the bed Potter picked up his glasses from the nightstand and quickly looked over at Riddle who tilted his head slightly to the side. He expected Potter to ask about the bruises, which he surprisingly didn´t. In stead Potter threw the blanket of and disappeared out the room.

Curious Riddle followed him but stopped jus shy of the door so that he couldn´t been seen from the two people in the living room.

"-sleep. That´s all. He had another nightmare." He heard Potter say, probably answering a question from Dumbledore about his chosen sleeping place for the night.

"Just be careful, Harry. Another matter that needs to be addressed is that we are running late for our meeting."

Riddle could hear Potter swear. "I´ll get dressed. Get Tom to put on some clothes, he has to come with us, I don´t have time to return and get him." The last part was shouted as Potter apparently moved to his bedroom to change.

Not interested in being caught eavesdropping, Riddle moved back to the bed and pretended to just having gotten out when Dumbledore showed up in the doorway.

"Get dressed, please." The voice was polite, but somewhat strained.

Riddle lifted an eyebrow. "Where are we going, Headmaster?"

"The Ministry."

If there was one building in Britain Riddle would be happy to never set a foot in again, it was the Ministry of Magic. They arrived by floo to the great entrance hall. As it was close to the Christmas Holiday or Yule, it was mostly deserted, something Riddle was relived to note. He didn´t mind all that much being on display, but the less attention the better.

A large Christmas tree had been placed in the middle of the room, it´s top almost touching the glass roof. Between the different fireplaces, smaller trees had been set up. Snow crystals floated in the air above them, something that seemed to annoy the various paper planes that were buzzing to and from as they frequently collided with one or several of the crystals.

The statues that he had destroyed during his duel with Dumbledore several years earlier stood tall and it seemed like nothing had ever touched them. Strange how different things could have gone that night if he had known at the time that Potter was his horcrux. Then he would not have been in the position he was in now. Bound and collared and stripped of everything. But alive, a small voice whispered. Yes, alive, but at what cost, and was it worth it?

"Tom?"

Riddle snapped out of his thoughts at the slight tug on his collar and Potter´s voice. He focused on the other boy (man perhaps now?) and realised he might have missed a question.

Potter was once more dressed in the more official robes of the Potter family and his lordship ring was on his right hand, a beautiful looking winter coat over his shoulders, done in black with fur along the neck and hem, and trimmings in the red and blue colours of the Potter coat of arms. The official clothing made him look older, more mature and his magic twisted and twirled once again with a familiar darkness. Riddle was starting to wonder of Potter had a split personality or if he actually was that good of an actor.

Before Potter could repeat his question, or sentence, or what ever Riddle had missed, they were interrupted by the arrival of the Minister and two Aurors, as well as DeLancer.

Riddle could feel something akin to panic settle over him. He didn´t know why they were at the Ministry this time, there hadn´t been any time for explanations, but from what he had overheard from the conversation between Potter and Dumbledore he doubted it had anything to do with him this time.

"Minister, apologises for being late." Potter greeted politely.

"Lord Potter, Headmaster. No worry. I received your patronus regarding your slave that you had to bring him with you due to later engagements. Unfortunately I can´t allow him to be present at the meeting, but DeLancer here has volunteered to look after him for the duration of the meeting, unless you want us to lock him in one of the cells?"

The man sounded anything but sorry.

"I´m sure Tom will be perfectly fine with Mr. DeLancer," Dumbledore injected before Potter could say anything. "Very kind of you to volunteer, Mr. DeLancer," he added and shook the blasted man´s hand.

Riddle badly wanted to ask to be put in the cell instead but assumed that would be a poor decision. Did Dumbledore do this on purpose or did he really not know who DeLancer was? He assumed Potter didn´t but he thought Dumbledore did as the man had picked him up from Azkaban.

The damned panic would go away either and he found himself fidgeting for the first time in ages.

"Very kind," Potter said. He sounded genuine and there was nothing in his magic that contradicted the tone of his voice.

DeLancer stepped forwards and shook Potter´s hand as well before accepting the leash from Potter. He smiled a warm smile as he answered. "Of course. I´m assuming your property will be much more combatable in my office with a book than in one of the holding cells."

Somehow Riddle doubted that.

"Shall we? The others are waiting." The Minister asked and ushered Potter and Dumbledore away towards the elevators.