Authors Note: Ok I am updating sooner then planned, but it is only because I just wanted to explain some stuff about the story. First off, thank you to all of those who have reviewed so far! Now about the story…from here on, Tom is going to be a bit OOC. Well ok, a lot, but I figured that no one really knows that much about Tom Riddle anyways so I just made him how I wanted him to be. So when I say he is OOC, I mean that he is willing to change. He still has some Voldemort Jr. thoughts and stuff, but he is going to try and change who he is, and Hermione is the main reason why he wants to. So I guess this is kind of a warning to people, because Tom is not going to be an evil little shit, but someone who wants to be better. So I hope no yells at me about it! I love you guys! Without further ado…here is chapter three!

As the three students were led to Dumbledore's office, Hermione couldn't help but feel as though she was being led to her own funeral. How had the headmaster found them? She thought to herself. Hermione cursed her damn luck when she realized that she and Harry had not checked the Marauder's Map before performing the spell. If they had done so then they could have postponed the spell for a moment and waited for the headmaster to pass. She felt like drowning herself.

"Pumpkin pasties," said the headmaster as the gargoyle that protected his quarters leaped aside for the quartet to pass. During the entire trip to Dumbledore's office, each of the four had not even uttered a syllable, but now that they had reached their destination, Hermione had finally spoken up.

"Headmaster, I know we have done something illegal, but it really is my fault and not Harry's. If you need to expel someone then let it be me..."

Dumbledore raised a hand to silence her. If he was mad then it would have been hard to tell for he looked very calm about the whole situation. Too calm Hermione thought.

"First let me say," began Albus, "that no one is to be expelled."

Hermione and Harry both let out a quiet sigh of relief and Hermione was sure she had never loved her Headmaster more than this moment.

"It is very interesting that you have chosen the Tempus Rectum spell Ms. Granger, for as I am sure you know, that spell is located in a book that is in the restricted section of the library, and in turn is off limits to a fifteen year old," Dumbledore exclaimed, his eyes twinkling.

Hermione paled. Great, she thought, he knows that I snuck into the restricted section. Then why doesn't he seem mad...

"Take a seat you three while we sort all of this out." The three students complied with the older man's orders and each took a seat facing the headmaster who had settled in his seat behind his desk.

"First off Harry and Hermione, the reason I am not mad about this whole situation is because I have considered the spell myself. I had the same idea you have had Hermione and thought that a way to defeat the Dark Lord was by bringing back his younger counterpart." At the mention of a Dark Lord, Tom sat up a little straighter in his seat. Is he talking about me? Tom thought to himself. He suddenly felt as though he were the one in trouble instead of these other two students who were the real culprits.

"You see, as I am sure you have thought of, everyone has good inside of them. Again, as you must have thought, Tom Riddle is the good side of who we now call Lord Voldemort.

At this Tom jumped out of his chair and looked at the Headmaster with both anger and fear in his eyes. He didn't know where he was or how these people knew about him and his "nickname," but he was going to demand answers from them.

"What year is this?" Tom began with panic is his voice. "How have I come to be here?
How do you know of Voldemort? I haven't done anything wrong and yet you make it sound as if I have killed someone. I demand to know what is going on." At this Tom turned to look at the other two students who were with him and he noticed that both had paled a considerable amount from his outburst.

"Please sit down Tom," Albus said in a gentle voice. "I know you are confused, and you have every right to be, but I shall explain everything to you."

Tom fought the urge to keep on yelling and decided it best to do what was asked of him. After all, his need to understand what was going on was far greater then his need to defend himself.

"To answer your first question Tom, the year is 1997." Tom couldn't believe it, he was fifty-four years into the future. "You are hear Tom because of these two people who sit next to you," Dumbledore continued. "You see, we live in very dangerous times at the moment. There is a war going on Tom, one that the good side seems to be losing. More and more people are disappearing and being found dead and more and more students are getting pulled out of Hogwarts to be with their families. These are truly desperate times that call for desperate measures. Which is why you are here Tom... we need your help."

"Help with what," Tom began cautiously.

"Help with defeating Lord Voldemort. Yes Tom, I know that is what you call yourself in your own time. I knew it then when I was the Transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts. You see the rumors were spreading that you had asked your close friends to call you by the name of Lord Voldemort. When I had discovered this about you Tom, I realized that you were more sinister then I thought of you, to have chosen a name that would drive fear into the hearts of both wizards and muggles." Dumbledore paused here when he noticed how scared Tom was looking at the moment.

"Don't look so frightened my boy; for you are not in trouble, you are in fact far from it."

Dumbledore paused again and examined the handsome boy in front of him.
"I know you are not a bad person Tom," began the headmaster in a quiet voice. "Some people just get so lost in their own pain that they turn to other things to take their minds off of that grief. You will become one of those people Tom. You become obsessed with the dark arts and you let it consume you. In your future, you become the Dark Lord Voldemort who terrorizes the time we now live in."

It seemed as though Tom had forgotten how to breathe. He knew that one day he would become a very powerful wizard, but he never thought it would escalate into something this dire. He now knew why that dark haired boy had looked at him the way he did. How could he have let himself become a monster? Why did he let power consume him? Tom suddenly became painfully aware that he was being stared at by these three people like he was some kind of circus freak and that just pissed him off more.

"So let me get this straight, Headmaster," Tom began putting a heavy emphasis on the word Headmaster. "You want me to help you destroy myself? What do you think I am, insane?"

"Yes you are." Tom turned to look at the dark haired boy who had just spoken for the first time. He was beginning to wonder if the boy knew how to talk at all.

"We, as in Hermione and I, have brought you back to give you a second chance at life. To not except it would mean that you are more than insane. You would have to be just plain stupid to not take this chance, even though God knows you don't deserve it. You have no idea the amount of pain you have inflicted upon the lives of so many people...including mine." With that the dark haired boy pushed up the hair that covered his forehead and he revealed a vivid scar in the shape of a lightning bolt.

"You gave me that scar when I was one year old," Harry began in a hushed tone. "You killed my parents in order to get to me because it was prophesied that I would be your downfall. You could not kill me however for my mother had placed a bit of old magic protection on me so that your spell rebounded on you and ripped you from your body. You were not dead but you were nothing more then a spirit of some sort. Then a year ago, with the help of one of your cronies, you were brought back into a human form, if you could even call it that." Here Harry paused and looked at Tom with a kind of distant sadness in his eyes. "One of my friends died that night because of you... Cedric Diggory was seventeen years old and was one hell of a person in both character and strength, and his life was stolen from him for no reason. I don't like you Tom Riddle and I shouldn't be expected to, but I am willing to give you a chance...that is, if you are strong enough to take it. You have the chance to be forgiven, to become the good person that I know you can be. Don't let that chance slip by you."

Tom just stared at the boy. He wanted to prove that he was strong enough to not let power control his life. He wanted to show the world that he was not a cruel and evil person like his father had been when he abandoned him and his witch mother. He wanted to prove that to himself more importantly.

"Ok," Tom began in a shaky voice. "I accept that offer Mr.-"

"Harry," finished the boy. "My name is Harry Potter. And this beautiful girl next to me is one of my best friends Hermione Granger. You can thank her for bringing you here."

Hermione blushed and looked at the floor with a smile creeping up on her face. She couldn't believe Harry had just said that about her to Tom Riddle. She would have to get him back later for that.

Tom stood up and shook hands with Harry and then with Hermione.

"I think it's safe to say that I don't need to introduce myself," Tom said with a small smile that made Hermione blush even more. He looks so good when he smiles, she thought to herself. Oh Lord Hermione knock it out, I am here to help him not ogle at him.

Tom turned to the Dumbledore to find that for the first time that night, the old wizard was beaming at them.

"Headmaster, I am willing to give this a try." What other choice do I have, Tom thought to himself.

"Excellent. I am proud of you for understanding Tom," Dumbledore said.

"What will he do for a cover?" Hermione asked.

"That is simple Ms. Granger. Tom will be put in the Gryffindor house where he will be able to escape the temptations of power that are associated with the Slytherin house. I will announce to the school tomorrow that he is a new student who is joining us for his sixth and seventh years. Do not worry about being recognized Tom for people do not know that Tom Riddle is Lord Voldemort, and it will remain that way. You will be protected here as well from anyone who may discover your true identity."

Tom didn't really like the idea of becoming a Gryffindor, but he had to remind himself that these people were doing something very dangerous in helping him, when all they really had to do was kill him in order to stop the Dark Lord. Tom had never really had someone who actually cared for him; most of his peers were rather intimidated by him and looked up to him for his power. So this new found friendship and security puzzled him more then anything else that had happened that night.

"You will share a room with Harry and his other classmates and you will be given the proper robes that go accordingly to your new house. I trust that Harry and Hermione will introduce you to your other schoolmates."

"Yes sir," replied both students.

With that Dumbledore gave a contented sigh and stood up. "Alas it is late students and you have no doubt been through a lot today. You may head back to your rooms and get as much sleep as you can tonight. When you get there Tom, you will find a bed for you as well as new robes. Don't be afraid to ask Harry, Hermione, or myself any questions that may be troubling you. And so, I bid you all a good night."

With that the three teenagers got up form their seats, wished the headmaster a good night as well, and left for their dormitories.

Each was silent as they made their way to the Gryffindor common rooms. Tom felt a little nervous around them both, especially Harry who had every reason to take out his wand and curse Tom into a million pieces. The fact that Tom had killed Harry's parents and yet the boy was still willing to be his friend, gave Tom a sense of admiration for the fifteen year old.

"You're going to like Gryffindor," Hermione began, breaking the uncomfortable silence that surrounded the trio.

"Everyone is really nice and will accept you in a heartbeat. Just watch out for Fred and George Weasley though, they are our resident mischief makers," Hermione added with a smile.

Tom smiled back. For some reason he felt really comfortable with this girl who he had just met. Not only was she pretty, but from what he gathered so far, she seemed to be intelligent and caring. He hoped he would see a lot of her around school.

Harry noticed the smiles being exchanged between the two and he couldn't help but grin himself. It seems Hermione won't be spending so much time in the library now that Tom is here, he thought.

They reached the Gryffindor portrait hole where Harry gave the password and stood aside for the door to open. Tom looked around the room and noticed how different it was from the Slytherin common room. The dungeons were so bleak and cold and depressing, while this place was homey and welcoming. He liked it already.

"Well this is where I leave you two," Hermione said with a yawn. "I will meet you both here in the morning...well it is morning but you get what I mean." And with that she gave Harry and, to his surprise, Tom a hug.

"Oh and Harry, tomorrow we need to tell Ron and Ginny about Tom. Ginny will know who he is anyways and when Ron hears his name, he will know as well, so we best just tell them right away."

"That's what I was thinking as well. I just hope they will understand," Harry added sadly. He hated having to do this to Ginny who would be hard to convince that Tom really wanted to change.

"Me too," Hermione said. "Goodnight."

Both boys said goodnight and watched Hermione walk up the stairs to the girl's wing, stretching along the way. Tom was sad to see her go because he had a feeling that Harry would not be as comfortable with him as she had been.

"So do I want to know about that whole Ron and Ginny thing or is it a long story," Tom asked nervously.

"It's a long story," Harry said. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow after we have had some sleep."

"Harry," Tom asked quietly. "Am I really all that bad in this time?

Harry stared at Tom for a moment and then smiled sadly. "I'm afraid you are Tom, but with our help and a bit of effort, you don't have to become that person. You have to save yourself."

"I'll try," Tom said finding a bit more strength in his voice.

"Good," Harry added smiling. "Now let's go to bed before I pass out here on the floor."

With that, Harry led Tom up to their rooms, where both boys hoped they would be able to get some sleep after all that had happened.