"Regular"
'Thoughts'
"Parseltongue"
"Language of the Dead"
"Being Form"
'Mind Link'

When Harry arrived at the Great Hall, Hermione looked anxious as she searched the room for him while Draco remained cold and collected. Harry could faintly make out the worry in his eyes. The blonde's head turned to the side slightly each time someone new entered the Great Hall. It was almost invisible, and if Harry hadn't had practice with being indifferent he may have not even noticed the concern in his friend's eyes. In public, if you were a Malfoy, you had to be indifferent to everything. Only in private were you supposed to act caring.

Draco was the one to eventually spot him. He elbowed the bushy-haired girl beside him to get her attention and then nodded his head to where Harry was currently standing. Hermione had been sitting at the Slytherin table since she was introduced to the young Malfoy. Fortunately, there was only one occurrence where she was bullied by one of the older students at the table, but Harry quickly gave the girl a piece of his mind. After that, nobody messed with her (or at least the Slytherins didn't).

Draco stayed seated as Hermione practically ran to him with relief clear in her brown eyes. The blonde was watching the scene out the corner of his eyes as he finished his food. He gently rubbed his face with a napkin and picked up another napkin with something wrapped in it before walking to where the rest of the trio was.

Harry, on the other hand, was immediately wrapped in a tight hug by Hermione and breathed in her hair. Although she smelled like brown sugar, it was not a good idea to breathe when he was hugged by her (it wasn't like he could even if he wanted to, her hair got in the way of that).

"Harry, where have you been!" She yelled, her face going red. "We thought Weasley did something to you! He said that he got you in trouble with Professor Quirrell." Hermione was glaring at the Gryffindor table by now as she spoke. She looked at Harry's face which looked like stone. She quickly let go of the boy, remembering that he didn't like to be touched unless he initiated it. "I'm sorry..." she said in a small voice as she cowered down. How could she forget something so important?

Harry knew she meant it, so he forced himself to relax and give her a quick hug. "It's okay 'Mione. It isn't your fault I don't like being touched," said the boy as he smiled at her. At least she cared which was enough for Harry to accept her apology. After being with the Dursleys' for both of his childhoods, he wasn't that keen on touching anybody. Add on Ginny, and he was sick of touch.

Draco, who was watching the exchange, stepped up to Harry and handed him the napkin. "There's toast in it for you since breakfast is almost over." He examined Harry for any signs of pain. There were none that he could see, so he didn't ask.

Harry took and wrapped food and said, "Thank you." He noticed that Hermione wanted to ask about his meeting with their Defense professor by the look of curiosity. Her mouth was also opening and closing like she debating on whether or not to ask him. Of course, Harry smirked slightly at the sight. She looked like an excited fish which made Harry, Death, and Life laugh.

Hermione's face went red with embarrassment as she spluttered. She looked over at Draco to see him giggling like a little girl which then made her laugh. In under a minute, the trio began laughing uncontrollably along with the two immortal Beings.

"O-Okay." Harry cleared his throat as he chuckled again. "I'm not in trouble if you're wondering. Professor Quirrel wanted to talk to me about advanced lessons since the first year material is too easy for me." Although he didn't want to lie, Harry couldn't exactly tell them the truth. Even if he decided to tell them eventually, it was way too soon for them to know.

Hermione's eyes lit up with excitement as Draco only smiled. "You have to teach us everything you learn!" She was practically vibrating as she said that. The blonde only nodded along in agreement.

"Don't worry. I'll teach both of you everything I know," said Harry. His words had a double meaning, but none of the two students caught on. He didn't say when he would, but Harry planned on teaching both of them almost everything he knew (excluding Life, Death, and Parsel magic).

They walked to the Slytherin common room, talking about various topics like tripping Weasley and advanced DADA lessons as the raven ate the toast that he was gifted. When they arrived, Draco and Hermione were engrossed in a conversation about Potions, so Harry hissed in Parseltongue, "WIll you let me in?" He wasn't expecting it to work, but it did. He really shouldn't have been as surprised as he was, but Harry was not expecting anything to happen. Maybe it had to do with him owning three-fourths of Hogwarts.

The bricks on the wall moved to the side to let the three of them in. Having heard the talking come to an abrupt halt, Harry turned around to see amazed faces. "What?" They already knew that Harry could speak Parseltongue, so why were they surprised?

"You can just speak another language and enter anywhere in Hogwarts," Draco explained in shock. Harry only sent him a mysterious smile. Why not let him wonder? They walked in the room only to see Adrian pacing while holding a note, occasionally muttering to himself.

"Adrian?" Draco asked with an eyebrow raised. It was rare to see their Prefect so anxious. It was almost like seeing Genma quiet. It just didn't happen.

But, for some reason, Adrian was here, acting weirdly from his usual self.

The Prefect looked up with wide eyes as he briskly walked over to Harry. "Professor Quirrell told me to give you this. He told me not to read it, but judging from the writing on top, it isn't even English." Adrian was confused by this, but Harry had a fairly good idea of what language the letter was written in.

He looked at the letter and, written on the top, was his name in Parseltongue. The only question was whether he should tell the people in the room... It wasn't his secret to tell, but to be fair, Tom did murder his parents and then unknowingly put a slither of his soul in him.

This would make them even right?

Harry spent a few seconds thinking before observing the students surrounding him. As far as he knew, Adrian and Draco were somewhat loyal to the Dark, but he wasn't sure about Hermione. She was reading Dark books and listened to the viewpoints of it, but would she freak out? Knowing Hermione, she would quickly make the connection between the Parseltongue and the sudden change of attitude. She probably already noticed the flashing of red in the man's eyes as well.

Well, there was only one way to find out.

"It's Parseltongue."

At those words, Adrian paled as Draco looked sick with his face turning light green. Hermione, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. She must be thinking about what she should do and how to respond.

"What do you mean?" Draco seemed to be in disbelief as he started shaking. Hermione was oblivious to his fears as she was lost in thought. Adrian, though, quickly recovered.

"I have to inform my parents on this if you'll excuse me." Adrian was about to leave when Harry stopped him.

He smiled softly. "Just don't tell the students please." The last thing Harry needed was some blabbering Slytherin "accidentally" tell one of the professors or someone from another house. He needed to restore Tom's soul first, and then he needed to sit and have a good talk with the man.

Fortunately, Adrian nodded before going to his dorm room to write a very detailed letter that would surely shock his parents to tears. Maybe Genma should know too. Both Prefects knowing would be a good advantage after all. He'll tell her later or maybe get Adrian to talk to her.

Harry turned back to face Hermione and Draco who now looked better than before. The blonde wasn't as green, and Hermione seemed to have made her decision. Finally, Draco spoke, "Is he back?" He wasn't beating around the bush it seemed.

Since Draco wasn't hiding anything, Harry didn't either. "Yes, he is." At this, the blonde seemed to grow fearful as he started repeating the word "no" at a rapid rate. His breathing started to come in short breaths.

Because Harry knew that this was the beginning of a panic attack, he quickly soothed him. "Draco. it's okay. He won't hurt you, especially not when I'm here." Of course, this wasn't going to exactly soothe the boy completely, but it was something.

As the trembling was repressed, Draco looked at Harry and thanked him. He breathed in deeply and slowly let it out before asking, "So I'm assuming you already knew, and that you're with him?" There was no malice in his words, simply curiosity. Draco was loyal to a fault.

Hermione, who had been silent until now, spoke, "He's changed, hasn't he? He doesn't want to hurt you. He defends you from Weasley after all." She was partially right. Tom had changed, but that didn't mean he didn't want to hurt Harry anymore. He was still Lord Voldemort after all who was missing pieces of his soul. The man could change over time, but he wasn't yet ready for that yet.

Harry tilted his head to the side. "I wouldn't say together exactly... Not yet anyway." He wasn't asked to join the Dark, but he wouldn't turn it down as long as Tom knew that he had no intentions of being controlled.

"But you plan to," Hermione concluded. She smiled softly to reassure Harry that she wouldn't leave him just because of what he believed in. Draco also smiled as he patted Harry's back for a short while before moving away, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

Harry watched them warily. "You aren't going to run from this are you?" He would understand if they did. After all, they are only eleven. They are allowed to live freely and happily.

Draco snorted, and Hermione only smiled in amusement. "It would be idiotic to leave your side. You are far too powerful." Draco was the one to say this, but Harry could see the warmth in his eyes and the smile on his face as he spoke.

"We would never leave you, Harry." Hermione didn't know how much those words affected Harry. He was glad that she actually meant it instead of making an empty promise like in his first life.

Harry grinned and said, "Thank you. Really thank you. You will be repaid."

The two both shook their heads, and Hermione said, "You don't have to. We just want friendship." She elbowed Draco before saying, "Right, Draco?"

"Of course!"

Harry's heart grew lighter with the knowledge of having friends that will stick with him. Now all he needed was to fix Tom and talk.

Now since that conversation was out of the way, Harry excused himself to the picture of Salazar and the armchair that he fell asleep in last night. He knew that the other two were watching him, but they wouldn't be able to understand him anyway. The man smiled when he saw little Hadrian walking towards his area. "Ah! Hadrian, how are you?"

Harry greeted the man with a small wave and answered him. "I'm doing great! What about you?"

"Besides being stuck in a portrait and watching the Slytherins gossiping, I'm doing marvelously." Salazar beamed. Harry felt a bit bad for him because of this, but he had already lived his life. This was what he had chosen afterward. "What are you holding, young one?" Salazar changed the topic.

Harry stared at the note in his hand and then back up at the man in the painting. "It's from your real heir. Do you want to read it with me?" He thought Salazar would enjoy having some entertainment. Being stuck in a painting was probably a major reason for him being bored after all.

"I would be honored to," replied Salazar with a bit of excitement.

The Master of Life and Death began to read aloud the letter:

"'Hadrian,

I wanted to apologize for the sudden interrogation, but I am confident you understand had you been put in my position. I would like to ask you to visit my office for tea and perhaps another small talk. I await your arrival.

T. Riddle'"

To be honest, Harry was shocked. The man who murdered his parents and attempted to murder him had just invited him to tea. Not just that, but he also apologized which was something Harry was not expecting. Should he go though?

"I can see the hesitation in your eyes, little Hadrian. Do not let fear cloud your judgment. Just like you changed, he can change just as much if not more with you by his side," Salazar hissed softly. He wasn't afraid, was he?

Maybe he was frightened by the fact that this was Voldemort. The man who didn't hesitate to kill someone to get his way. Or maybe it was because he didn't want to put much effort into something that might fail in the end.

But this was Tom now. The one who wept as he tried to kill the baby Harry. The one who was (and still is) being controlled by the old goat. And the one who apologized and invited him to tea.

Maybe this was worth a chance. Maybe he wasn't just going to be used by the people he trusted. It was worth his life (though he couldn't die anyway).

"Maybe you're right, Salazar. I'll give him a shot. After all, what have I to lose?" Harry smiled brightly at the bald man and stood up from the armchair. "Thank you."

"Anytime, young one."

As he made his way to the exit of the common room, his friends jumped up to follow him. Harry stopped them. "Don't worry. I'll be back later." A smile crept across his face as he thought of where he was going.

Hermione looked hesitant before she sighed in defeat. "Fine, but be safe." Draco nodded in agreement as they said their goodbyes to each other.

The halls of Hogwarts were relatively quiet with most students still sleeping or working on their homework last minute (though Harry couldn't judge because he hadn't done it yet either). The few students who were awake and in the halls were the ones who had study groups or just simply reading alone in peace.

It was a good thing Harry remembered where the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was from his first life because Tom didn't give him directions. Coming closer to his destination, Harry began to slow down and think about what he would do. Luckily, he had brought his school bag because he had a Potions essay that needed to be done. Hopefully, Tom would let him work as they talked.

The door to the office was now in front of him, making him feel intimidated somehow. Having about to touch the door to knock, it flew open to reveal his professor grading the upper years' work from the past week. The man must have opened the door with wandless magic. Did you hear Harry's feet or sense his magical core? Whatever it was, Harry was only slightly impressed, but he didn't show it.

In fact, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Was that supposed to impress me?"

Tom smirked and spoke without looking up, his hand still gliding across the pages. "Only if you wanted it to."

What was that even supposed to mean? In response, Harry rolled his eyes and looked around the room. It wasn't exactly what he was expecting, though he didn't exactly know what he was expecting if he were being honest. It was a bit dark because of the curtains blocking the windows. That must have something to do with his red flashing eyes. The desk was neat apart from a few stray essays loitering around. There were comfy looking armchairs in front of the desk with a small table to the right side of the right armchair.

A giant bookcase was in the back of the room filled with all kinds of books, including Dark ones as well as Light which was a bit of a surprise, but Tom was always a bit of a Ravenclaw with his thirst for knowledge. Running his fingers along the spines of the books, Harry examined the rest of the room with acceptance. It was quite a nice office despite it being dim. There were even a few shelves scattered around the room with little trinkets on them.

Harry turned around only to find Tom standing up, leaning against his desk. "Are you done snooping?" He said with a raised eyebrow and red eyes.

"No, I don't think I am. You have a lot of books." He turned his attention back to the bookshelf. "I'll have to borrow some."

"You are welcome to any of the books if you promise not to damage them."

Harry's eyes lit up, "Really? Thank you!" He grinned before plucking the books he found interesting from the shelf. He put them carefully into his bag, making sure that they wouldn't get knocked around.

He stood back up and raised his arms above his head to stretch. Harry sighed in content and picked up his bag to place it on the floor next to the left armchair. Tom walked over and sat in the right one, crossing his legs.

The raven pulled out the Potions textbook (just in case), parchment, and a self-inked quill.

Having seen Tom curious gaze, he explained. "I have a Potions essay due tomorrow." Within a second, Tom's curiosity turned to disappointment. With an eyebrow raised, he spoke. "What?"

"I expected a student like you to have done your homework already." The man only shook his head. "I suppose you are only a child after all."

This little comment made Harry annoyed. "I am not a little kid, thank you very much." He probably shouldn't be saying things like this just in case Tom used it against him, but Harry supposed he needed a bit of trust to rely on. Why not let the man piece together the information?

"Oh, you aren't?" Was the only thing said along with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk. The silence that came afterward was comfortable for both of them. Tom picked up a book that was on his desk and started to read. Harry saw that it was written in Parseltongue about Dark Magic (which was to be expected).

The raven thought that Tom was trying to find what causes him to speak the serpent language. Maybe he already figured it out because of the kindness that Harry was receiving. Who knows? He certainly didn't.

Harry was tempted to write another essay explaining the effects of the ingredients used in the Cure for Boils (since he was supposed to write about said potion), but he decided against it. Instead, he wrote it as an add on to his original work. This led the essay to be a foot instead of seven inches, but Harry didn't think Severus would mind much. The essay took up an hour and a half of his time with Tom.

He examined the man before him. Of course, he still was in Quirrel's body, but he couldn't really leave since Tom didn't have a body of his own. Perhaps Harry could get him a little present of sorts...

"Are you finished?" Tom asked without looking up from his book. He was probably laughing on the inside because of Harry's surprise. And he thought his stare wouldn't be noticed...

"I suppose so. Have you figured it out yet?" Harry could see that the man knew what he was talking about due to his furrowed brow and slight confusion mixed with annoyance. The Master of Life and Death chuckled when he saw his expression.

Tom finally looked up and said, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Since you are done, no I have not found out the cause of your ability to speak Parseltongue. Though I do have a few guesses." He pointed out as he placed his hand on his chin.

Harry nodded slowly. "Go ahead."

One of Tom's fingers was held up. "My first guess is that you either learned it somewhere, which is highly unlikely considering the only known speakers are myself and a girl in the states." He stopped speaking to see if Harry was expressing any emotions.

Harry hummed in thought, "I didn't know there was another speaker."

"Then we can toss out that idea. My second guess is that you come from the future where I taught you the language." Another finger was held up.

This one was partially true, but Harry wasn't about to admit that. He just hummed again, much to Tom's annoyance.

"My final guess is something that has never been done before." He explained in a very closed off voice.

Maybe Tom did figure it out. "And?" Harry made sure to sound uninterested.

The man sighed and said, "Either we have a soul bond or you are...something of mine."

Harry raised an eyebrow at that. A soul bond? Wasn't that what they had since he held a piece of Tom's soul?

'Not exactly, Master.' Death decided to speak up. 'It means that you both have a piece of the other's soul, no matter the size.'

'Okay, thank you, Death.'

Death whispered, 'Anytime, Master.'

There was another matter that Harry was wondering. Tom hadn't said Horcrux. Was this a test of sorts? Or was it possible Tom didn't want him to know? The man bloody knew that Harry was already informed on the subject. So why? What was the point of trying to hide it?

"You mean Horcrux, right?" He had to be certain.

Tom looked straight at Harry and hissed. "Yesss."

His answer made Harry shiver. He quickly glanced around the room and thought about what he would say. What could he say? 'Hey, Tom! Yup! I'm one of your ties to that immortality that you killed for!'

No. He couldn't say that. Harry had to word it differently at least. He decided to start at the beginning. "It was an accident. You had killed my mum with the intent of gaining immortality once you finished with me, but her magic washed over me. Once the curse hit me, it bounced back at you and a piece of your soul was embedded into my scar." Harry traced his scar while he looked at the ground in silence.

It took a while, but the raven finally lifted his gaze to Tom who was stock still. Harry wondered what was going on in his mind, but then the man was gripping his head in pain.

"Tom! What's wrong?" Harry rushed to his side as Quirrelmort kneeled down. Although the man wasn't saying anything, Harry knew that he was in pain and didn't know what was going on.

"DEATH! LIFE!"Harry screamed for his friends to come out. After all, this was not normal. They soon appeared in a flash of light in their human forms as they practically ran to their Master, already knowing what he wanted.

"Please do something!" Harry begged. He knew that he was acting childish, but the reason he came back was to save Tom. At the moment, Harry couldn't bring himself to care.

He only hoped that Tom would be okay.