Hey everyone. Im so sorry its been so long. The kiddos are out of school and so am i because of the COVID. Heres a new update for you. I intend to keep working as I get time. So how would we like to proceed on pairings here? Inbox me ideas! Ive got the main Potter/Riddle and Ive gotta get Sirius, Remus, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Draco, Snape, Blaise, Pansy, Theo, Fred, George, and possibly more?

The mind space he shared with the once seemingly very evil dark lord was currently empty. There at the desk sat a mirror image of Tom with a note on the desk that said "be back shortly". Harry huffed at the copy and wandered to the sitting area beside the fire place. The room hadn't changed much since his first visit. He did notice that there were more windows looking out into greenery than there had been before. There also was now a set of French doors leading out onto a rather large stone veranda. Harry cast a glance back at the desk before he walked towards the doors. After fiddling with the handle he realized it was open.

The yard outside was gorgeous. Green fields rolled for miles across the hills to two out of three sides while a friendly looking forest sat to the final side. A slow flowing river ran just beyond the edge of the fence encircling the garden. As he meandered through the veranda he passed beautiful dark cherry wicker chairs and a soft padded swing and bench. An umbrella covered two of the tables while the sun shined down on the rest of the land. Harry got the feeling this was set up to make him more comfortable here in Toms mind.

A polite but pointed cough drew his attention back to the door he had entered from. The dark lord stood just beyond the doors with a delicately arched brow and a smirk adorning his face. Harry wasn't sure how to read the expression and he blushed and made his way towards the older man.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see these doors the last time and wanted to look. I didn't realize it would be a problem."

"It wasn't here because I hadn't thought of it yet. You're perfectly allowed here. This is an area I thought up for you. If you're to learn how to transform yourself with any relative ease it might be best to start in here. I don't want you tearing apart my study and hence this area came to be."

"I…you didn't have to do this." Harry mumbled as he ducked his head to hide a blush.

"Nonsense. Now come. I have discovered some enlightening news."

Tom turned and walked back towards the doors knowing the teen would follow. The boy had learned quite a bit in the past few days. It wasn't a slow progress either. Since Tom had explained the reason for their connection Harry had become much more accepting of his answers to the boys questions. It of course helped that he was the first person to actually involve the boy with things concerning his well-being. He scoffed at the memory of Harry telling him he had no idea of most of any of the choices regarding himself. Which had lead him to wonder who exactly should have been informing the boy. He had no doubt that it had been the old fool. However proving that would be quite difficult without gaining aid from his followers.

Thankfully that solution had arrived in the form of both Yaxley and Lucius. As both of them had prestigious positions in the ministry they had access or connections to the information he needed. After poking into a few places he had learned that the Potter Will had been sealed. It wasn't terribly surprising but it was in fact interesting as to why. Inquiring further he learned that Potters magical guardian was also the meddling fool.

All of these findings however were not his to keep for himself which was why he had requested to meet with the boy again. Their first meeting had been rather tense and short. The following had been a little more open. Perhaps that was because he had been the only confidant the boy had access to for the first 3 days of his stay in the hospital. Ok the third day they had come to a sort of agreement. He had offered to help teach the boy how to control his creature side and in turn the boy would have to listen to his standings on the war through a non-biased source, himself. The brat had of course countered around different offers and they had debated until finally the boy had managed to stoke his anger enough he had trashed the entire room and thrown the boy from his mind.

When Harry had returned on the 6th day he had been surprised to feel the small timid knock on his mental door instead of that of what he expected for a raging Gryffindor. As he had allowed the door to open and the boy stepped through looking thoroughly exhausted he had felt some alarm. He had a mixing of smug satisfaction that he had returned to him so quickly. The boy had been angry after trying, unsuccessfully, to transform even a body part back to normal. After he had learned he wouldn't be allowed to leave the hospital or have visitors until he could retain a human form he was distraught.

Tom had sat looking at the boy with calculating eyes for many moments before he had spoken that day. As the boy panted after his raging outburst around the room he spoke, "I have decided to allow you to call me by my given name in exchange that we meet here in my mindscape and you actively learn to control both your transformation and our link."

The boy had stared at him in shock for a long moment before nodding his head in agreement. From that day since they had started to relax more in each other's company as Harry started to learn that Dumbledore wasn't quite the saint he portrayed himself as.

"What did you find?" The younger man asked.

"Sit." Tom gestured to the chair across from him as he settled into his own. "It would appear that as I suspected there was some foul play beyond my own involving your life. Your parents had wills left. In fact they made them just the week before they went into hiding with you. They were sealed and never read."

"That's not right. Dumbledore said their will said I was to go to the Dursley's."

"The very person who said that of course is the one who had them sealed. He also managed to obtain legal magical custody of you. Though he never went through the proper places to do so and it seems it was never investigated. The words of the old goat were enough to ignore any concerns the proper departments ever had."

"I don't understand. You're saying Dumbledore knew about the wills and knew I wasn't supposed to go to the Dursley's but he hid it?" Harry asked incredulously.

"You act surprised. He's very good at covering his secrets. You're here and you can sense that I speak the truth. Do you wish for me to swear an oath? To have my sources contact you? Explain to me your doubt." An edge of steel had found its way into the voice of the elder of the two.

Harry shook his head and sighed, "I know you're telling the truth, but it makes no sense, Why?"

"I'm having them look into it. I'd wager it's control. If he keeps you in the dark he controls any Potter assets. He can control you."

"Thank you Tom. I'm sorry that I doubted you. I'm not used to somebody telling me things without it having some hidden agenda."

"Oh I have an agenda. I've just told you what it is instead of keeping you in the dark." Tom chuckled darkly.

Harry smiled at him and looked back out the window.

"Come. It's time to get you back to normal on the outside Potter."

They both stood and Tom lead them out to the Veranda. He walked just beyond the fence and cast a few spells on the ground and directed that Harry stand there. Casually he morphed himself until he had a snake tail instead of legs like he had before. A large snake tail. One that eerily matched the Basiliks tail Harry had seen in the Chamber.

"What?"

"How did you do that?"

"Gryffindor isn't the only family with traits they like to hide. Slytherin could do more than speak to snakes. They could turn into them. Well some of us. And we aren't all the same as to what we can turn into. Most of the women turned into Lamia. Salazantrix, Salazar's daughter could turn into a Basilisk, Salazar himself was a Hydra. I'm not certain what decides our forms as of yet. I believe it may be magical power. The Lamia tend to have different colored scales based on their level of power."

"And are you a basilisk?"

"No. But as I am merely showing you how to transform body parts I believe this would be more beneficial."

"What are you?"

"In time. For now come on. Focus. You need to picture yourself in your mind. As you are here. Now once you have a clear image I want you to imagine yourself with claws like your animal form has. Picture them in your mind and will your magic to let your form shift."

They sat for several moments as Tom watched in anticipation as the Boys nails would grow slightly and tint but never fully take the form of the claws. After Harry was sweating with effort at about his 15th try he managed to turn one hand to have claws.

"Look at your hands Harry."

"I did it. It worked!" Harry laughed breathlessly.

"In fact. You've also gotten much hairier Harry. Now try to turn your arms back to normal."

Harry took less time to get them back to normal but managed to make them go away. He was sweating and panting with effort of his exhaustion. Tom pulled him into a seat nearby and handed him a glass of water.

"Here. Drink."

"Thanks."

"You did well to be able to get that far. I believe once you're able to shift fully inside your mind that you'll be able to control it in your awakened state. Once you're ready we will keep practicing. We don't want to overwhelm your magical core. That's why we are starting slow. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. But I think I can do it again."

"Very well. When you are ready."

And so they spent the next two hours practicing. Harry had learned to control his claws and had managed to cover himself in fur repeatedly until learning to control that as well. It was a small start but it was a start. Harry left Tom to his work and he drew himself back into his own mind for food and much needed rest.

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