Work posted on Ao3.

Hello there. Here is another dark story featuring a gloomy Harry with a obsessed, mischevious Tom Riddle in an alternative universe. No slash, but it won't be any less intense.

I had 3 chapters planned but it's likely going to last longer.

Warning: Bad end is coming.

Chapter 1

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The first time he noticed Harry Evans has been at the sorting ceremony. He saw the small, discrete boy walking towards the stool at the call of his name. His piercing green eyes remained dull and impassive as the Hat was put on his messy dark hair. Such a bright colour for such little reflection through those beautiful orbs…

For the ten long minutes Evans has been under the sorting hat, a frown decorated the boy's face as he seemed to argue in short mutters with the enchanted accessory. Meanwhile, everyone else in the Great Hall started to whisper among themselves.

'SLYTHERIN!' the hat finally shouted before a growl came out of Evan's throat. The boy went towards the Snakes table. Every Slytherin had glared at the raven-haired first year with the same disdain they did for him, and Tom immediately knew the boy was kind of similar to himself. Evans had kept his head down until the end of the sorting, ignoring the stares and the cold murmurs around the table.

Tom saw the boy disappear among the first years when it was time to head for their dorm.

Riddle didn't hear or catch a glimpse of Harry Evans for the next full three months.

Tom had totally forgotten about Evans until the doors of the Great Hall burst open and he saw an embarrassed, flushing Slytherin being dragged in the middle of the Yule Ball by a laughing Hufflepuff girl. Everybody had stopped dancing to watch the spectacular display of contact between a Snake and a Badger. Evans was dressed in a surprising respectable black suit specially made for the occasion, probably borrowed from a generous friend outside of Slytherins community. Nobody among the students in green would want to lend anything to such a mudblood like him. Especially clothes.

Tom heard his peers gasp or hiss with disgust when the duo started dancing together, although everyone could see the uncomfortable wince on the boy's face as he realized they were the whole castle's centre of attention. After coming to their senses, a dozen of Gryffindors decided to laugh and dance with them in a friendly way. Disgusting. Tom himself couldn't stand the view. Even though he was a muggleborn too, he didn't disrespect his House's values about power and purity.

How could Evans destroy such a principle to mingle with that impure trash at the Yule ball? A Hufflepuff at that! He sneered and turned to his date, a ravishing first year Slytherin with blond locks and big blue eyes. She smiled blushingly at him and Tom wanted to grimace.

Kelly Macmillan had been a part of the 'anti-Riddle gang' at the beginning of the year. That is, until Tom made them understand the tremendous difference of power between them and they suddenly stopped trying to harm the second black sheep of Slytherin- Evans being their first even though he managed to avoid the House of snakes for so long.

Tom returned a fake, adorable smile to her before leading the girl to the dance floor. Far, far away from the aberrations laughing and dancing together.

Evans disappeared for the rest of the year after that. Not that he was literally vanishing from the castle, Tom realized he was successfully avoiding any attention towards himself, especially that of the Slytherins. Evans preferred to hang out with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs rather than try and gain the trust of his peers, like Tom Riddle did over the first three months at Hogwarts.

It was more obvious in the second year. Very early in the morning, Evans vanished out of the common room to go join his badger friends at the other side of the castle, sometimes directly in the Gryffindors' lair despite the glares he was receiving from the upper years lions.

He'd come back two or three minutes before curfew, only to go straight in his dormitory and stay here until the next morning. A group of fifth years tried to intercept him one day, under Tom's curious and malicious eyes behind a corner.

'Good morning, mudblood.'

'Going to see the filths so early? Learn you place, Evans.'

'Leave me alone.'

His voice, though acute and seemingly innocent still sent sudden chills through his bones. The upper years made the mistake to ignore it.

'Is your girlfriend waiting for you? Is she that good?' A sneer.

'Maybe we'll go have a taste after we're done with you.'

They brought their wands out with low, sadistic sniggers before throwing vicious spells towards the seemingly defenceless Evans. Their magic never reached the boy. Instead, the four older slytherins went flying through the corridor, the solid wall greeting them with a crushing impact before they fall to the ground in a painful landing.

Tom almost revealed his presence with the gasp he instantly muffled by reflex. He never saw that coming. Harry Evans, the traitor, the mudblood, just pulverized four fifth years students without even uttering the spell. Which spell by the way? No, it didn't matter. Not when he just discovered something so incredible he could use for later.

He saw Evans suddenly breathe, turning his head right and left to make sure no one had witnessed this little interaction. He then ran towards the group to obliviate them (with great difficulty it seemed) and didn't wait for them to awake. He quickly deserted the corridor, without knowing there'd been a witness that was certainly not going to forget what just happened.

'Harry Evans… how interesting.'

Finally, as third year reached its end, Harry Evans was not so transparent anymore. Every one had heard of the infamous Slytherin outcast despite Harry's best efforts to stay hidden and out of everyone's attention. Each House now had his name on their lips.

The Hufflepuffs because he was always with them, be it in class, for lunch or dinner. Always. His best friends were in Hufflepuff, Darren Diggory and Elena Clark. He shared each of his days with them when he was not with the Gryffindors. He knew every Hufflepuff by their names and everyone in the badgers House returned the kindness unbiased.

The Gryffindors because they were curious about the outcast of their sworn enemies. Nobody in Slytherin would dare to hang out with anyone else outside their House, except for some Ravenclaws. And as the saying goes: enemies of enemies are friends.

Ravenclaws because besides their curiosity about a traitor among the snakes who gladly mingle with red and yellow, they were shocked to find out how smart Evans was if we were to ignore the numerous Trolls in Divination. The smartest of Hogwarts was still Tom Riddle of course, but Harry wasn't so far behind the Slytherin prodigy. He was a true asset during exam periods, since the slytherin outcast generously accepted to help them revising before tests.

And the Slytherins… well. Surprisingly, the name of Harry Evans was no longer venomous on their lips, except some of them who still didn't appreciate being mocked for having an imperfection among their usually flawless House. They've forgotten about Tom's bloodline since they realized how strong and untouchable he became over the previous years- they were afraid of him- But now, they saw Harry differently. He was like Tom. Smart and powerful as he had once proven in Defence class.

Tom had provoked him, forcing the other to unleash his true magic, and not some simple spells anyone could cast effortlessly. He wanted everyone to see, to admire, to fear Evans as they fear Riddle. He wanted the boy to reveal himself, so he could no longer stay hidden behind the filthy helpless Hufflepuffs, no longer fake the so-called powerlessness which every of their idiot teachers had fallen for -apart from Dumbledore and maybe Merrythought.

He won in the end, even though Evans had almost had him with a shockingly dark spell even Tom didn't know existed. The raven-haired teen himself had appeared suddenly appalled by his own magic when he realized what he just did, frozen and breathless, and Riddle had taken the opportunity to finish the duel. A duel that lasted more than ten minutes, which was a great achievement given who was Evans' opponent.

Since then, they no longer tried to hex the guy in the corridors, mention his bloodline or pronounce the word 'mudblood' in front of him. And seeing Evans cringe each time his presence was heavily noticed made him gloat with glee, especially when he caught Harry's expression without the boy knowing all of this was a part of Tom's schemes.

Sixth year was particularly hectic. Tom Riddle's mudblood status had officially been revoked. He was Slytherin's descendant and thus, had claimed the ownership of the Chamber of Secrets. They discovered he was a Parselmouth and gave up their honour and dignity to appoint Riddle as their uncontested leader.

He had now every of the Slytherin students dancing in the palm of his hands. All of them dared not to ignore his presence, his words, his commands. All of them worshipped him like a new Dark Lord who came to make their wish come true and eradicate all those whose blood was deemed unclean or wasted. All of them.

Except one.

Harry Evans continued to ignore him. He remembered the boy hidden in the corner of the common room that night, silent and aware of Tom's dangerous gaze when the Heir decided to reveal his identity as well as his plans for the future, with Malfoy, Black, Rosier, Avery and Lestrange beside him like five proud soldiers supporting their leader. Their eyes have met and clashed for long, while Riddle's speech was greedily swallowed by every Slytherin in the room. It was a message.

'Stop acting like a fool and join me.'

Evans understood the message through the new blazing, furious red irises Tom'd gained after a hysterical patricide, then by creating his first horcrux with the corpse of that useless Ravenclaw girl. And Tom had every reasons to believe Harry already knew what was going on since the beginning of the attacks.

But even then, Evans refused to submit and kept avoiding them to join his little friends. He didn't even go warn Dumbledore or Headmaster Dippet. No. He was acting like it wasn't his concern. Like he was but a spectator in the main show.

A bystander seemingly opposed to his deeds, but a spectator nonetheless.

Riddle didn't want that. He wanted a pawn. A powerful solider he could manipulate and possess at will. He wanted Harry Evans. And Tom always got what he wanted. Always.

Ever since the tragic death of Myrtle Warren, there wasn't a single moment Evans was left alone. Three months after the murder that almost got the school definitely closed, every Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and even Ravenclaw came at him with ton and ton of questions about the tragedy.

'Do you know who the heir is?'

'It has to be a Slytherin. Did you find anyone suspicious recently?'

'They were all muggleborns! Please, help us Evans. One of those fucking pureblood has murdered someone for God's sake!'

'You've been acting weird lately, are you sure you don't know anything?'

'I've noticed how the slytherins look at you since the start of the year. You're hiding something.'

'It's Lestrange isn't it?! It's him! He told my brother he was next!'

'Do something!'

But Evans just ignored them day by day without answering a single one of their questions. And by the time they stopped interrogating him, they started doubting him, accusing Harry of being suspicious and defending the snakes when he was only trying to stay away from Riddle's evil schemes. Yes, he knew the real culprit behind the attacks that petrified a dozen of students and killed Warren three months ago.

Yes, he knew who the heir was. He knew of the basilisk, the Chamber of Secrets and everything that was going on in the Slytherin dorm. He was living in the dungeons after all, even though he stayed in the snakes pit to sleep only.

But Evans always refused to be part of any of their plans. The attacks and Myrtle's death was horrible of course, and had he the power to do so, Harry would have stopped Riddle and the basilisk before the worst happens. However, Tom had an army now, and was smart enough to destroy every obstacles in his way since the very beginning. Harry didn't want to test his luck if he was going to lose everything including his life.

He didn't like the slytherins. He didn't like their views about muggleborns and half-bloods they considered as trash- even when their precious Heir was one as well. He hated it, in fact. Ever since the death of his parents caused by a pureblood fanatic, Evans viewed every Dark wizard as dangerous and not worth his time. Like Tom Riddle. Like every Slytherin. But apparently Riddle wanted something from him. He saw the bastard smirk when someone vehemently accused him of killing Myrtle. And he was definitely laughing when Dumbledore summoned Harry in his office to ask him some questions without Dippet's approval.

He had no choice but to lie if he wanted his life to remain quiet and peaceful. He just wanted to be left alone. But Riddle was not going to grant his wish. Not now, nor ever.

It's time to have a little chat with the Heir.