Written for The Houses Competition: Round 9: It All Ends Here
House: Hufflepuff
Position: Potions
Category: Drabble
Prompt: [Quote] "You defeated me in a way no one thought was possible. You made me your friend by never giving up on me." — Regina Mills, Once Upon a Time
Summary: Five years have passed and Harry is reminiscing once again over the choice he made.
Word Count: 555
Even though it had been five years since the Final Battle, Harry still couldn't believe how good life was. Voldemort was no more, and most of the Death Eaters were either dead or captured.
Five years ago, Harry was sure he was going to die by Voldemort's hand. The twenty-three year old still remembered the betrayal he felt when he learned he might have to die and the decision he made after that.
It was by accident that he learned he might have to die. It was the summer before his sixth year and he overheard Dumbledore and Snape talking about it. He spent the summer wondering what to do and that was when he sent his first letter to Voldemort.
He was surprised to get a reply andover the summer, they became acquaintances. By the end of his sixth year, he might even say they were friends. Of course, that did not stop Voldemort from plotting, no matter how much Harry begged him not to..
In his seventh year, Voldemort attacked but Harry managed to convince him to stop. Right there and then, the two disappeared, never to be seen again by the magical world. Harry could still see Hermione and Ron's faces as they left and he regretted not telling them anything but there was no time. They had to act in the moment.
"What are you thinking about now, brat?" a smooth voice asked from behind him.
Harry turned to see his friend. Voldemort, now known as Tom Riddle or Marvolo Slytherin, stood looking like an older version of the diary shade than a snake. It had been a long process to reabsorb his Horcruxes but once he did, his mind and old appearance returned.
"Just… memories," he replied with a shrug, a wry smile on his face.
They had this conversation often. It happened every year on the anniversary of them running away from the magical world. Technically, they were on the run as Tom was still wanted for his crimes and Harry was wanted for helping him. In reality, no one acted on it. Harry and Tom had been spotted before but no one attacked them, apparently too afraid of being killed.
It was hard adjusting to Muggle life. Harry had gotten used to using magic and Tom still struggled seeing Muggles in a good way. He learned and still was learning to accept them and Harry had never been prouder of his friend.
"Do you think I made the right choice?" Harry asked.
Tom thought about the question. There were many layers to what had happened and there was neither a right or wrong answer to Harry's questions or about what actually happened.
The Death Eaters had killed many people, sure. Tom would be the first to admit that. But the Order of the Phoenix and the Aurors were not saints by any means. They killed people as well, some who were completely innocent but had relations to a Death Eater.
"Yes. Many gave up on me. But you never did. You wanted to become my friend and because of that, you were able to defeat me," was his eventual reply.
Harry only nodded. It was tough, being away from people he knew and loved, but Harry had no regrets. So he let it go, and another year passed.