Chapter Eight

The next couple of days passed normally. Hermione still hadn't rejoined them, but Tom could be patient when necessary. He and Ginny had no trouble studying together, sometimes continuing to research different vows and oaths, but more often simply delving into whatever books caught their interest.

Tom had started to reveal more of himself to the girl. Something about her felt familiar and comfortable, making him wonder how great an effect her first year had on her. In response, she treated him completely normally, not seeming to be bothered by his choices in reading material or his casual use of magic outside of school.

Today, they'd only just sat down when Hermione came in, twisting her hands together nervously.

"Hermione," Tom said evenly when he noticed her. Ginny looked up, smiled, and returned to her book. She was reading about horcruxes today. According to her, it was important to learn all they could about them in order to defeat Voldemort. Tom didn't disagree with the reasoning, but he also wasn't interested in covering territory he'd already covered decades ago, so he'd asked her to let him know what she learned and gone on reading other books.

Hermione smiled nervously. "Hi."

After a long silence, Ginny rolled her eyes and tossed a book toward Hermione, who struggled to catch it before shooting the younger girl an irritated look. Ginny just grinned at her and went back to work.

They worked together like that until lunch, but it wasn't the same comfortable quiet they'd had before. When it came time to go eat, Tom gestured for Ginny to go ahead.

Hermione waited, watching him as he sat down in Ginny's usual seat next to her.

"Well?" he said, facing her.

The girl sighed. "You're different, Harry. That argument you made about the house elves wasn't anything like the Harry I know. Ginny says it's because of everything that's happened this summer, but…" Her brows knitted together. "I'm worried about you," she said at last.

Tom considered her. "Hermione," he said quietly. "What do you think about me?"

"Huh?" the brunette started, pinking. "What do you mean?"

Time for the next act in his role as Harry Potter. He reached out like he was about to take her hand, then drew back hesitantly and clutched his hands together instead. "I care about you, Hermione. You and Ginny are the most important people in the world to me." He hunched his shoulders, curling away from her as though to shield himself. "But I think... " He licked his lips nervously. "I am different now. After what happened to Diggory, I would do anything to keep the two of you safe by my side. Anything." He smiled sadly. "I'm afraid that someday soon you'll end up hating me because of that. If you can't even handle a disagreement about house elves, how could you possibly accept… me?"

Hermione looked stricken, which was about where he wanted her, so Tom left her there.

Ginny stood outside the door and joined him. "Anything, Potter?" she asked as they walked down the stairs, tone teasing.

Tom rolled his eyes at her. "Hermione's morals are going to get her killed. I won't let that happen."

The red-headed girl smiled fondly at him. "I know, Harry. Thank you for including me in that."

Tom averted his gaze, uncomfortable with the emotion shining in her eyes. "Snape's supposed to be by tonight," he said, changing the topic.

"Alright," Ginny nodded. "I'll be ready."

Hermione was still in the library after lunch, and by the way she jumped when they returned, she hadn't realized how long she'd been there. When she saw them standing there, together, her indecision faded though. She looked at Tom and nodded to herself. "Welcome back," she said, and she reached into her bag for a book, holding it out to Tom. Her face was strangely flushed. There was a pale purple bookmark sticking out from a section about a quarter of the way through.

He raised an eyebrow. The book's title was Bindings and Compulsions: Alternate Expressions of Love. It wasn't one he'd read before. He took it and turned to the page she'd marked.

Many attempts at recreating the type of loyalty seen between loved ones have focused on potions, as with Amortentia, and contracts, as with many bethrothement contracts. Few, however, have delved into ritual magic, likely because of the temperamental nature of the rituals. Indeed, it seems contradictory to search for steadfast fidelity from a type of magic known for its mercurial nature. However, it is in fact this nature itself that makes ritual magic the ideal medium for…

Tom flipped the page, skimming through until he reached the first ritual detailed.

He blinked.

"You want to use sex magic?" he asked, incredulous.

Ginny snatched the book from his hands, blushing as she read through the first ritual.

Hermione bit her lip, reddening further. "The ritual I'm looking at doesn't require any sex!" she defended. "Just a k-kiss."

Eye twitching, Tom glanced at Ginny, who nodded. With a sigh, he held out his hand for the book and, when Ginny returned it, he read through it more carefully. Sure enough, while the majority of the rituals described were obscene at best, a few required little more than a kiss or ingestion of questionable fluids. He grimaced. "Let me look through it and think about it," he said at last.

Hermione nodded quickly, eager to be done with the conversation.

"I'm in favor of it," Ginny said, smiling impishly.

"You would be," Hermione muttered.

Tom shook his head. "You're one to talk - you brought it up in the first place."

Still, even as uncomfortable as Tom felt reading that book, somehow it felt like they'd returned to the first day studying together, and he found himself smiling.

By dinner, Tom was resigned to using the ritual. Reluctant though he was, he had to admit that it seemed useful. It was the first of a series of rituals meant to be used within a marriage, but nothing suggested it wouldn't work outside the confines of a relationship.

The first ritual, the one Hermione was suggesting they use, bound a pair together. By itself, it would only create weak compulsions to behave in a specific manner. For instance, their first instinct in any given situation would be to choose the course of action that would be most beneficial to their partner.

It also made lying difficult. There would be no accidental lies, and if she attempted to hide anything harmful from him, the knowledge she was doing so would never leave her mind.

Finally, it forced them to view their partner in the best possible light. It wouldn't totally alter their perception of reality, but they would automatically assume the best of the other.

However, it didn't force any outcome. There was no punishment, even if one actively decided to fight the compulsions and betray their partner. In other words, it provided a high degree of flexibility, something Tom believed would serve him far better than the more rigid confines of, for instance, the Unbreakable Vow.

Unfortunately, the ritual applied to both parties equally, and Tom didn't see any way to alter that without risking the ritual failing or worse. If he was going to do the ritual with only Hermione, he would have rejected it. If he performed it with not just Hermione, but Ginny and any other members of his Inner Circle though, he was fairly certain its hold on him would necessarily lessen. That was, at least, his experience with other such magics.

The other downside was that, as Hermione had said, it did require a kiss. Tom supposed he could handle kissing his Inner Circle once each so long as he kept a practical mindset: it was really nothing more than pressing the lips together, parting them, and rubbing his tongue against the other person's for a few seconds. He shuddered, breaking into a cold sweat at the very idea. The ritual was quite specific about the amount of contact required. It was only six seconds. He could do that. He could handle just six seconds.

"Harry?"

Tom looked up to find both Hermione and Ginny looking concerned. He tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. He really needed to finish sorting Potter's memories so he could rebuild his Occlumency shields. That would help him control these emotions a bit better. "Sorry," he said. "I'm just…"

Hermione shook her head with a sad sort of smile. "I'm sorry Harry. I know how you feel about physical contact, and then I went and chose a ritual that requires some fairly intimate contact. If it's too much -"

"No!" Tom grit his teeth. He was Tom Riddle, the man who once became Lord Voldemort. There was nothing he was incapable of. He took a deep breath and shut the book. "No. We'll do it."

The girls glanced at each other. Ginny offered him a small smile. "Well, think of it this way - at least you get to kiss us. Imagine if you had to kiss Ron."

"I'd really rather not," Tom said flatly. Given Severus's inclusion in his Inner Circle, he was already facing some excruciating moments in the near future. He decided then and there that Black and Lupin were never joining.

Ginny grinned. "What about Tonks?" she asked, ignoring Hermione's indignant huff.

Tom rolled his eyes. "Auror Tonks is almost certainly not interested," he said before noticing the unusual level of amusement in Ginny's expression. "What -"

"Not interested in what?" came a breathy voice next to his ear.

Tom jerked away and turned to find said Auror standing there laughing. His eyes narrowed, then he relaxed, smirking. "Hermione asked me to form a harem, and Ginny thought you might like to join."

Tonks raised an eyebrow at the girls. Ginny just started giggling, while Hermione was bright red and stuttering out denials. "Hmmmm…." The metamorphmagus considered Tom. "I guess it depends what you're offering." She flicked her gaze down, indicating just what she was referring to.

Tom ignored it. "I'm guessing you came to let us know dinner's ready?"

With an exaggerated pout, Tonks asked, "Are you sure you're not the one who's uninterested?"

"That too," Tom said easily. "I just thought I'd spare your pride at being rejected."

Now she looked a bit irritated, red touching the roots of her hair. She held up her breasts, which swelled up several times their size, making her more obscene than sexy. "Are you sure about that?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Tom stared at her for a second before shaking his head. "Getting less interested by the second," he replied. He motioned to his study partners. "Come on. Snape's supposed to give us a lesson tonight, and I don't trust him to wait until we're finished eating."

They exited the library, leaving Tonks blinking after them.

Dinner was uncharacteristically tense that night. Apparently there'd been an Order meeting just before, and both Mrs. Weasley and Black were glaring daggers at each other. Ron and the twins were miffed that they'd been kicked out of the kitchen and to their rooms until it was over, and Mrs. Weasley had ended up silencing the three. On the other side of the kitchen, Snape sat eating stiffly in quick perfunctory bites. Sure enough, the moment he'd finished and wiped his mouth, he stood. "Potter," he said. "One minute."

With that, he abruptly swept out of the room, heading downstairs to the room they'd used last time. Tom glanced at Ginny and Hermione pointedly. "Excuse me," he said to Mrs. Weasley. "We need to get going before he decides to leave."

"Of course, dear," she said, though she looked troubled. "Let me know if you want me to whip something up for you after."

Once they'd reached the room, Tom touched the door, feeling the truly impressive number of wards his servant had managed to throw up in only a few seconds. "Ready?" he asked. Both girls nodded, so he opened the door.

Severus stood with three transfigured chairs before him. He gestured to the chairs. Once the three teens were seated, he began. "Occlumency is often defined as the art of defending one's mind from outside intrusion." He sneered. "Only fools believe it to be nothing more than that. A skilled Occlumens does not repel an attack but embraces it, selectively offering up their memories to deceive can alter their own reality, allowing them to ignore pain and to lie through Veritaserum. They can recall information far more easily than your average witch or wizard and learn faster. In other words, the art of Occlumency is, in truth, the art of obtaining control over one's own mind." He eyed them skeptically. "I don't expect any of you to be capable of such skill, but I have been ordered to instruct you regardless. It will not be pleasant. If you wish to quit, the door is there. Now, clear your minds."

The man gave them five minutes, then approached Hermione. "Legillimens," he intoned quietly.

Hermione looked confused. "Nothing's happening," she said after a moment.

Tom cocked his head. "What are you thinking about right now?" he asked.

Her brow furrowed. "My seventh birthday. My cousins were there, and they -" She clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.

Severus finished for her. "Trapped you in a closet for so long that you wet yourself. Charming."

"How could you -" Hermione started, angry and humiliated.

"That was an impressively pathetic attempt. You failed to even notice my presence, and I assure you that I am a far lesser Legillimens than the Dark Lord." He turned to Ginny. "Legillimens."

With Ginny, it took only a moment before Ginny's expression tightened. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple, and her face went white. "No," she muttered. "Get out." She tore her gaze away, squeezing her eyes shut. "Get out!"

Severus eyed her cautiously until she'd recovered herself, then said snidely, "You have the beginnings of decent shields. I suppose you can thank Tom for that."

Her face burned red, and she stared down at her lap.

Tom frowned, not sure what the man had seen in Ginny's mind to upset her so much. He'd thought her over the events of her first year.

"Your turn, Mister Potter," his spy said, and Tom braced himself. "Legillimens."

Instantly, he was within his mind with Severus. Though Severus appeared the same as ever, Tom was aware that he no longer looked entirely like himself. He refused to consider what the changes to his mental image might indicate about him.

The older man looked surprised for only a moment before turning away to take in the shattered barriers and chaotic swirl of memories. Portions had begun to come together, forming a spider web of connections, but he had a long way to go before he would be able to defend it with any level of finesse. Tom smiled wryly at Severus. "What did you see in Ginny's mind?" he asked.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Something I will not be sharing with you," he said calmly.

Tom's gaze hardened. "No?" His wand appeared in his hand.

Severus eyed it, but didn't back down. "Miss Granger will improve as a result of her humiliation. Miss Weasley, however, will not. Betraying her secrets to you would only hinder her progress."

Tom stared hard at his spy, but relented. He was the one who'd requested the man teach them. He could hardly punish him for it. "Fine." He held up a hand and Bindings and Compulsions: Alternate Expressions of Love appeared in it. "Hermione brought this to me. What are your thoughts?" He turned it to the correct page and handed it to the Potions professor, then faced his mindscape to resume work on it while the other man read.

"It seems useful," Severus said at last, the book gone.

Tom glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Indeed."

Severus tilted his head. "You object to the method, I assume?" When he received no response, the spy nodded, eyes guarded. "When do you intend to perform it?"

Tom shook his head. "I haven't decided that yet." He swallowed, still not facing the man. "I would prefer to perform it with you first though." Aware how that could be construed, he added, "So long as they remain unaware of my identity, I don't want to risk being too tightly bound to either girl alone, and it cannot be performed with both of them at once."

"I see," Severus drawled. "Name a time and place, Mister Potter."

Tom looked at the man, noticing the blotchy redness of his face despite his apparent calm, and looked away again. "Tonight, my room."

Without any answer, Severus withdrew from his mind.

Back in the real world, the dark-haired man laughed cruelly. "The worst of the lot, of course," he said. "I'm surprised you manage anything with that mind, Potter." A hint of vindictive pleasure lit his eyes. "What would the public say, I wonder, to discover that their precious Boy-Who-Lived couldn't even stand up to his muggle uncle."

Tom glared. When had he seen that? "I don't know, Snape. What would they say if they knew the Hogwarts Potions professor -"

"One more word, boy, and you will wish that muggle had killed you," Severus growled. He spun around, robes flaring. "Dismissed."

Ginny and Hermione pulled Tom out with them. He fought them, weakly, until they'd left the basement, then he let the fight leave him and allowed the pair to drag him back to the library, pleased with his performance.

"That - that - man!" Hermione spat as soon as the library's heavy double doors had closed behind them. "I can't believe Dumbledore wants him to teach us!"

GInny was pale, but determined. "We just need to get better. Harry, are you alright?"

Tom nodded. "Yeah. He just…" He shook his head. "How can we practice though? We need a Legillimens to really practice."

Hermione looked grim. "We'll just have to learn that too," she said. With that, the trio spent the next hour searching for books on the mind arts. They spent the rest of the time until Mrs. Weasley kicked them out studying.

Once he was back in his room, Tom prepared the room for the ritual. He was going to have a late night. The ritual required a great number of runes drawn in a square, which made it easy to hide the majority of them under a rug at least. He cast the requisite spells over each one and charged the runes until they glowed faintly. Next came a smaller set of runes, these ones written in ink mixed with both his and Severus's blood. As he could do no more on his own, he set to waiting, pacing anxiously until he heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he said, settling into the chair at the desk with a deliberately casual air.

Severus entered, eyeing the room with no small displeasure. "The requisite blood," he said.

It took another half hour before the space was fully prepared. Both men examined it carefully, checking for any flaws. Rituals were notoriously dangerous due to the backlash possible from even the slightest mistake.

"Are you ready, Severus?" Tom asked once he was satisfied.

The man looked paler than usual, but nodded.

They stepped into the center circle of runes together from opposite sides, facing each other. At once, they began the final incantation. "Verum tenetur in unum, et confido in aeternum…"

As they chanted, the magic in the room swelled, and the runes brightened until it grew hard to see. When the magic had reached its peak, they stopped, staring at each other. Tom hardened his resolve. He pulled Severus forward and pressed his lips against the other man's.

Two seconds, then the next step. Tom kept his entire focus on the time. Next was the… Tom flinched away from the thought and tried very hard not to think on the smooth muscle touching his tongue, exploring his mouth. His mind betrayed him, informing him that Severus had used a Minting Charm and that his teeth really could use a bit of straightening and was that fuzzy feeling what taste buds felt like and Snape didn't seem particularly experienced at this either, which would be more amusing if it weren't Tom discovering it. At six seconds, Tom jerked away, stomach rolling unhappily.

The magic snapped into place, and Tom dropped to his knees as an unwelcome awareness of the other man filled him. Across from him, Severus stumbled back and fell into the desk chair, grimacing and casting a second Minting Charm, a Scourgify, and a third Minting Charm. The light from the runes faded, leaving them exhausted and lightheaded.

Tom was still reeling when Severus stood and approached Tom. "Master?" he asked quietly.

Tom started and scrambled across the floor away from the man. His breath came in frightened pants as an array of unfamiliar thoughts and feelings assaulted him. He stared, unseeing, until he felt cool glass and liquid against his lips. He swallowed the offered potion, and slowly his heart rate and breathing returned to normal.

Severus knelt before him on one knee, holding out a second potion. Another calming draught.

Tom took it with only slight hesitation, along with the subsequent Anti-Nausea Potion. At last, he felt stable enough to move. He shifted back, even further away from his servant until he was leaning against the wall. He tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. The room seemed to spin for a moment. He licked his lips. "Thank you, Severus," he said, hating the way his voice shook.

"Of course, Master," Severus said. "I'd anticipated such a reaction." He gestured to a line of empty potions bottles on the desk, and Tom looked with dazed disinterest. "From the both of us," he said wryly.

"Merlin and Morganna," Tom swore, dropping his head into his hands. He'd underestimated the effect this ritual would have on him.

"Occlumency should help," Severus offered. He cast a silent Tempus and cursed. "Your next 'lesson' will be in two days." He Apparated out of the room with a violent crack of displaced air.

Tom wrapped his arms around himself once the man was gone. He was suddenly unbearably cold, and a warming charm did nothing to ease the chill. Evanesco, he thought, and vanished the potions bottles. He needed to perform the ritual twice more still, but hopefully this would be the worst of them. Theoretically, the reaction should lessen with each additional person. He stayed there, shivering, until his eyes slipped closed and he escaped to the nothingness of sleep.

It was three in the morning, only two hours later, when Tom awoke. He felt mostly better, his magic and mind both more settled, but try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to fall back to sleep. So it was that he found himself slipping silently into the library, intending to make good use of the time. A breathy moan derailed his plans. Rolling his eyes, he stepped back, ready to leave.

"Tom!"

Hearing his name gasped like that stopped him. Curious, he snuck along the stacks until he reached the table he usually sat at and stopped, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

It was Ginny, of course. She was bent over the table, one arm supporting her as the other worked, positioned such that he caught a lovely profile of her flushed face. "Tom, please," she gasped, trembling.

The gentlemanly thing to do would be to pretend he'd seen nothing. Tom stepped closer. This was the perfect distraction from his own emotional difficulties. "Ginny?" he asked, inserting just the right balance of confusion and disbelief into his tone.

Her eyes snapped open and she all but leaped back. "Harry! This isn't…" Her already scarlet face turned even redder. "It's not what it looks like."

"Mm," Tom commented noncommittally. He turned to leave.

As he'd hoped, Ginny hurried to stop him. "Wait, Harry, please." She sounded almost in tears. "Please, Harry. You can't tell anyone. I swear, it's not… I'm not…"

Tom hesitated, then returned, sitting at the table in his usual seat across from her. "Alright, I'm listening," he said. How to do this? Should he act concerned? Betrayed? Amused? He settled on mostly concerned, but a bit curious. "Is it the diary? Is it still affecting you?"

Ginny bit her lip and sat down, crossing her arms self-consciously. "Not… exactly," she admitted.

"Ginny," Tom said quietly, keeping his words slow and calm, "If you're alright, I won't tell anyone, but I need to know what's going on so I can make that call. Please, Ginny. Trust me." He injected the barest hint of magic into his words toward the end, compelling her to obey. It wouldn't work if she truly didn't want to say, but it was useful for overcoming slight hesitations.

She whimpered and held herself tighter. "When you talk like that, Harry, it... "

Ah. Tom's eyes widened slightly. "I remind you of him," he said. That kind of compulsion was a technique he'd used often as a teenager. He shouldn't be surprised that Ginny had experience with it.

"Yes," Ginny whispered. She looked down. "I…" She swallowed, then visibly wrapped herself in the famed Gryffindor courage. "I didn't tell the whole truth before, in second year. I didn't want you to hate me," she added.

"Will you tell me now?" Tom asked.

She didn't respond for several minutes, clearly fighting with herself. Tom waited, not willing to risk things by rushing her. Finally, his patience was rewarded as she relaxed minutely and nodded. "I said before that I was scared, and that's why I didn't tell anyone about the diary. The truth is though that... " Her blush returned, stronger than ever. "I liked it, and that's what scared me."

As though the admission had broken through her reservations, the rest of her words came tumbling out in a rush. "The way Tom spoke to me, the way I felt when I wrote in the diary, even the uncertainty when I woke up with no memory of what I'd been doing… Because part of me knew that Tom was controlling me and… And it felt good. I didn't want to stop. I wanted to… to give myself over to him."

Her gaze returned to the table. "Merlin, saying it out loud… I realize how completely mental that sounds. You must be disgusted -"

"No, Ginny." Tom stood and walked around the table. He took her hand, the one that had been on the table, pulled her to standing, and looked into her eyes with all the understanding and compassion he could muster. "Ginny, I could never be disgusted with you. Especially not for that." He smiled his gentlest smile. "I spoke to him too. I know what he was like."

Ginny returned his gaze hesitantly, searching for any sign of a lie. Finding none, she offered a shaky smile even as tears welled up in her eyes.

Tom braced himself mentally and leaned forward, wrapping the girl in an embrace, moving slowly enough that she could pull back if she wanted. Instead though, she threw her arms around him, years of self-loathing coming out as she sobbed silently.

Holding back a sigh, Tom stared at the bookcases behind her, rubbing her back the way he'd seen others do. This would be worth it, he was sure. He both cursed and thanked his teenaged horcrux for giving him the opportunity to bind Ginny all the more tightly to him.

At last, Ginny pulled away. "Thank you, Harry," she said quietly. "Sorry for crying on you." She quirked a small, embarrassed smile at him.

"Any time," Tom said, hoping she didn't take him up on that. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

They were passing his room when Ginny grabbed his hand and stopped. "Harry…" she murmured. "Can I... " She took a deep breath. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

Tom closed his eyes, pushing back his initial reaction, glad she was behind him and couldn't see his face. Anything for his goals, he reminded himself. It wasn't as though she were propositioning him. She merely wanted some comfort. After all, it was clear whom she actually desired, and he had no intention of enlightening her as to how close that person really was. He opened his eyes and turned an uncertain smile at her. "Alright."

They entered his room and, after a moment of awkwardness, crawled into bed next to each other. Tom laid on his back after deciding it was the most neutral position. Ginny nestled herself between his arm and his side. It was, he reflected, the first time he'd ever shared a bed with someone else. He disliked it every bit as much as he'd expected. She was too warm, her breath too humid, her scent too invasive. He glanced at the young witch next to him. "Alright Ginny?" he asked quietly.

She hummed contentedly, already half asleep.

Tom turned his gaze back to the ceiling, sighed, and closed his eyes, resigned to trying to get back to sleep after all.

AN: I want to be clear here that I'm very much trying not make this romantic or erotic or anything. I chose to go with using these various intimacies for two reasons. First, because they're so very far from Tom's comfort zone that he'll have no choice but to start doing things differently, but while he will grow and change as he becomes accustomed to new behavior, it won't necessarily be in a good way. Tom may inhabit Harry Potter's brain now, but he's still a seventy-some-year-old man with a lifetime of being a terrible person under his belt, and a new brain isn't going to suddenly turn him into a nice guy.

The second reason is that, like it or not, he has a teenaged body again and is spending all this time with two teenage girls with normal teenage libidos, and I fully intend to explore each character as much as I can so… If you hate it, sorry, not sorry.

Also, I know nothing about latin except that Harry Potter tends to use a somewhat butchered form of it for spells. As such, I think that a google translation is probably fine, but please let me know if I accidentally got it to say something completely weird like… I don't know…. Your squash are belong to us. XD