Last time...

It happened without warning, her leaping across the table, and then…Crack!…Pain exploded throughout his face, and he crumpled to the floor. It felt like his eyes wanted to vacate his skull, if only to escape the pain within it, and he clinched his eyes shut against the feeling. She'd hit him with far more force than he'd expected from her, and it took some time before he was able to get back up again and right his chair to sit in it once more. When he did, she was glaring at him from where she sat across from him in a way that expressed annoyance over anger, and he was confused once again.

"Feel better?" She asked, arms crossed in front of herself. He only looked at her in confusion, one hand still covering his cheek. "You wanted me to hate you, so I hit you. Feel better?"

"That…" Oddly enough, he did feel a bit lighter for it.

"Don't goad me like that again in the future, or anyone else either. That sort of coping mechanism isn't healthy; getting someone to hit you because you feel guilty for what you did, and can't bring yourself to accept the kindness from them. I already have people telling me I need to see mind healers, and if I need to see them, you definitely do." Potter demanded with a scowl. "Now, are we actually going to negotiate, or are you going to keep whining about how you did horrible things and don't deserve it?"

Chapter 92

"I've changed my mind." He stated, his eyes flitting to the others before she could wonder at what he was talking about. "I would like them to leave."

"Absolutely not!"

"No way!"

"Out of the question!"

"Enough!" Hera shouted, cutting through their objections.

Her words echoed throughout the room, rumbling like thunder, bringing everyone to a halt. They had all looked like they'd lost their minds at the thought of her being alone with him. Now though, they looked at her as if they hadn't expected the outburst. Even her former–possibly–not–foe–anymore was looking at her as if he'd never seen her before. People really needed to stop staring at her every time she accidentally did that; it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Hera, we should talk about this." Tony cautioned, worried for her.

"I would advise against it, Potter, you are not entirely aware of all that he's capable of." Snape added, his expression neutral; though she got the sense that he was worried too.

"Fine." She sighed, before looking to…she still had no idea what to call him. "Give me a minute?"

"It's not like I'm going anywhere." He agreed, still seeming to analyse her.

She nodded, before making her way over to them, and erected a privacy ward with a sigh on her lips. "What?"

"Hera…"

"Do you realize what's happening right now? How precarious this all is? The chance that we have right now?" Hera asked them all, practically scolding them for this, pointing back to the boy. "He came here looking for answers. He's willing to talk, even though he hadn't planned for that today. That has to matter."

"Hera, I know that you have the ability to weed out lies, but-"

"Are you seriously doubting my ability right now while also acknowledging it's one I have?" Hera demanded, glaring at her brother.

"I know what it's like to want to believe a lie so strongly that you ignore that it is one, to will yourself to believe it." Tony replied, concerned, drawing Hera up short. Oh. That was different. "I don't doubt you, or your ability, but Hera…that man killed your parents. I don't mean as in 'responsible for their deaths', I mean he killed them himself, and you know it. Why…why are you so willing to forgive him that?"

Hera bit her lower lip as she deliberated on how to answer, where there were those who knew and those that did not.

"If I am to make peace with...with what happened before..., I've got to start somewhere. Why not here?" Hera insisted, giving him a meaningful look in the hopes that he understood what she meant. From his subtle nod, she was relieved to see that he did understand. Looking back to the table before returning her attention to the others, Hera continued. "I really think this has a chance of working."

"Why?" Rhodey asked, inquisitive, regarding her. "What did you see?"

"You saw that whole scene back there right? He purposefully set out to goad me into hitting him. He wants me to hit him, to hate him. That isn't the action of one set to lure me into a false sense of security, that is the action of one who doesn't think he should be allowed the second chance he's been offered." Hera pointed out to them all. "I know all too well what it is like to be so starved for attention that doing something that stupid sounds like a good idea, because even bad attention feels like good attention if it's the only time someone acknowledges you. Thing is, that gets addictive after a while; dangerous even, because after a time you start needing more and more to feel even the ghost of what it had felt like that first time, and then…Well, it isn't pretty."

Tony started looking really shifty at that, what with Rhodey looking over at him as he was.

"I just…If that was his go to, to try and push me to react like that, because that's all he knows…How much of that played into who he became? And yeah, I get that he's responsible for his choices as he grew up, but…" She struggled to find a way to explain this without revealing to him who she'd been, but then she remembered that she'd spoken of it in a roundabout way in that meeting already, and that Rhodey and Lucius had already heard it. "When I was…someone else…they did a lot of really bad things. They were given a second chance. Why shouldn't he get one too?"

"And you really think being in a room alone with him is a good idea?" Snape inquired, watching her carefully. "The last time I left you alone in a room with someone potentially dangerous, you were stabbed."

"At least keep a Familiar with you." Lucius suggested, obviously still remembering the same thing Snape was.

"I will be fine, you guys." Hera insisted. "Trust me."

They went without too much fuss, herded out of there by Jareth and Draco of all people, and she turned back to the table. Only the boy who'd been Riddle wasn't there anymore, but standing to the side of it. He'd gotten tired of sitting, it seemed, and had elected to look through the stacks again. She went over to the same shelf, looking at the titles nearby. There were interesting tomes in here…the knowledge alone was worth the curiosity at least.

"They are rather protective of you." He stated, not looking at her.

"I have a habit of being reckless." She supplied.

"I have a habit of torturing and killing those who annoy me." He reminded her. "They would be foolish not to worry."

"Is that why you wanted me alone?" She asked, a dangerous edge to her voice. "So you can attack me? I'm not a defenceless baby this time, and there's no one to tie me to a gravestone for you."

He turned to her, regarding her with interest. It was as if he saw her as a complicated puzzle that he had yet to figure out. She'd warned him that it wouldn't do him any good. Others had tried and failed to understand teenage girls after all, and she doubted he'd be able to work it out for himself. She saw the moment his mind decided its course, and had a finger in front of his face before his lips could even come close to making contact with her own, effectively blocking him.

"No offence meant, but no. Not only did you kill my parents, you used my blood without my consent to recreate yourself with Wormtail's help. I'll give you a pass on the second recreation of yourself, because it fed off the ritual you'd already performed. Magically speaking, you're the equivalent of my twin or my son." She informed him, even as he was still frozen with her finger on his lips; eyes wide as he absorbed the information. She couldn't help but give a wickedly mischievous grin as she looked up at him, wiggled her eyebrows, and asked. "Still want to kiss me?"

…

Jareth watched the group of people around him out of mild curiosity. It was clear to him that the youngest of them was bonded to his friend in some way. Something about their magic was linked, which was easy to see, but it wasn't until he caught sight of the tattoo that he understood. He was clear across the room, and in front of the boy, before he could finish the thought. The young boy started a little, as did everyone else in the room, but only arched an eyebrow at him when Jareth stared. It amused him, seeing Hera's influence in this way, and gestured to the arm.

"Would it be too much trouble to show me the tattoo in its entirety?" He asked, keeping his tone light. The boy's other eyebrow joined the first, before both smoothed out.

"I suppose that's better than you trying to tear my arm from my body." The boy commented wryly. "Mother just about did while she was casting every spell she knew to remove a tattoo, before I could calm her down enough to explain what we had done. Also, I feel like if you're wanting me to show body parts, you should buy me dinner first."

Tony and Rhodey both snorted, while the boy's father looked bug eyed at his son, and Snape coughed in a subtle attempt to hide his own amusement.

"I'd be careful, tempting a Fae like me." Jareth teased. "Your name? I'm not asking to have it, mind. You are ally and friend to my ally and friend. She would be most displeased if I took your name from you."

"Draco Malfoy." The boy, now Draco, answered after a moment.

Rolling up the sleeve on his arm, Draco turned slightly so he could see the tattoo from Draco's point of view…the way it was meant to be seen. It wasn't upside down, as Jareth had initially suspected, but meant to be seen by the wearer more than the onlooker. This was private. This was…a shield-brethren bond, he realized. Loki had discussed such a bond with him once, researching it due to seeing his brother's own tattoo, and wishing for that kind of bond for himself. He'd not asked if Jareth had wanted to complete one with him, having wanted to research it to its fullest before asking anyone, though Jareth suspected it had truly been because he'd been afraid to be rejected.

Finding out that Hera had found such a friend in this boy made him happy. From the magic of it, Jareth could tell that there were others; at least three. Five was the standard for a coven, and he wondered if she'd thought to suggest it to them; that is, if she even remembered what it was. There was still the matter of her not remembering certain things from her last life until they were spoken of, and it was trial and error to see what she remembered and what she did not. Still…that she had a supportive network of friends like this warmed his heart more than words could express, and he could not help but trace the marking before looking to Draco.

"What you have here is a gift, Draco Malfoy." Jareth proclaimed, softly. "I hope you know not to take such a thing for granted."

Before Draco could answer him, however, Jareth froze. The others took note of this, and stood at attention as if to take on some foe. How strange that wizards should want to protect him when it was he they tended to blame for taking their children. His ability to sense mischief pinged, and it was so strong that it could only be coming from his friend. What was she doing in there? 'Magically…equivalent of my twin or my son'…'Still want to kiss me?'…Without warning, Jareth threw his head back and laughed, his whole body shaking with the effort as he held his ribs.

"I should have known!" Jareth laughed outright. "She can't go five minutes without causing some kind of mischief!"

"What's she done now?" Snape wondered, looking almost as if he dreaded the outcome.

"Tell me, how much do you know of blood magic?" Jareth asked, his eyes still gleaming with mischief, making Snape pause to consider. "That boy in there was the 'Dark Lord' you spoke of, yes?"

"He was…" Snape trailed off, not seeing it yet.

"And he used her blood to recreate himself, yes?" Jareth continued, his eyes alight with amusement. It was clear no one was seeing it yet, not as he did. "Making him her equal, yes?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with whatever mischief she's getting involved in?" Snape wondered, eyebrows furrowing.

"There are two ways to interpret a blood bond such as this; either romantic entanglement, or familial. The bond of a Foe would have manifested, had Hera not messed with it as I suspect she has." Jareth informed them. "Now, what do you think would happen if the boy interpreted it as a romantic bond while Hera interpreted it as a familial one?"

Tony's face broke out into a slow grin. "She did some kind of blood test over break, showed me the results when I asked. His name pops up both below and next to hers, meaning-"

"Meaning he could be either her son or her twin." Snape realized, his eyes wider than Jareth had ever seen them to date. "And if the boy who'd been the Dark Lord believed it to be a romantic entanglement, he'd…"

It started with a snort…and then Snape seemed quite unable to help himself, snickering every time he could take a breath, completely unable to explain what he found funny.

"She's gonna roast him alive!" Draco declared with a squeak, having been breathlessly laughing as well.

…

"My twin, or my mother?" He demanded, mortified beyond measure. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"A blood test." Potter snickered, trying to calm down. "Did you not try one after?"

"No! I thought it made us a match, not…not…" He admitted, and his mortification grew. "Why would you even ask me...?"

"For the look on your face right now." She replied, trying not to descend into giggles once more; he could tell. Her eyes were alight with amusement.

"There is such a thing as too pure, you know." He felt the need to mention.

"If it makes you feel any better, I discovered this all by accident." Potter confided. "A friend of mine needed to find someone, and the type of blood test I did could be used to do that. I did one first to show what would happen, found your name below and off to the side of mine."

"May I see it?" He asked, now morbidly curious.

"No." Potter's refusal was as firm as it was cold, surprising him, but then she relaxed. "We haven't actually negotiated anything, and it has information in it I'm not ready to share with you."

"I see." He stated, his eyes narrowing into slits as he evaluated the girl. "You have information to share, and won't until I agree to your conditions. What else are you hiding?"

"Many things." Potter replied, gesturing to the table once more as she slyly grinned. "We are Slytherin, after all."

…

The door slammed open.

"I need Jör." Hera announced. The basilisk in question slithered its way to her, wrapping around her as he could, and then the door slammed closed.

"Think she'll tell us what that was about?" Draco wondered.

"Perhaps." Severus mused, and then they returned to waiting.

…

"That is the basilisk of Salazar Slytherin." Riddle (because she had to call him something, at least in her mind, right now) realized, upon her return. "How did you come by it? Also, why is it so small?"

"Lucius Malfoy planted your diary in a child's school things, and I relieved her of it before it could cause her harm. The diary and I talked for a while, and it shared with me where the Chamber of Secrets was. Jör took a liking to me when he found me cleaning the chamber, and informed me the diary was trying to drain me of life and magic." Hera informed him. "He's more special than a regular basilisk. Of course, he would be able to do what others of his kind can not. He is also who you need to apologize to first."

"You can't possibly think I would-"

~You could have just asked! I would have killed anyone for you had you just asked! You chose to use me!~

Jör grew until he nearly filled the space before the stacks. Wrapped around Hera, his head loomed over the table as he glared down at the boy. Hera herself played it off as if she knew what he was going to do, and to be fair she had a good idea. Jör wanted some form of recompense from this boy for what he'd made him do. He could have asked, but had chosen to trick the basilisk into it instead. As Riddle stared wide eyed at the basilisk that towered over him, Hera smirked at the idea of the sight they must be right now.

"I'd start apologizing if I were you."

…

"Fine." He bit out, leaning slightly further back when the basilisk loomed ever more threateningly over him. "I should have asked. I...should not have taken advantage...I...apologize."

The basilisk loomed for a moment longer, before turning his head away and shrinking back down till he was comfortably able to wrap himself over Potter's shoulders, the girl herself looking like this was a common occurrence.

"There. That wasn't so difficult, now was it?" Potter asked with a saccharine tone, her smile all innocence.

"That was belittling and humiliating!" He snapped, sulking. He could at least admit to himself that was what he was doing.

"Merlin, your emotions are all over the place." She grumbled with a sigh. "I'd tell you it gets easier, but you're having to work through a lot more all at once than I did, so…who knows."

"Have we at least gotten the pre-negotiation apology out of the way?" He demanded, arms crossed. "I am the Heir of Slytherin. I should not have had to apologize to his pet!"

~I could devour you right now, you know, for the trouble you have given my little speaker~ The basilisk remarked, looming once more, displaying his fangs; something which admittedly made Riddle a little anxious, seeing as the venom dripped precariously close to his person…something he had no doubt the basilisk was doing on purpose...sizzling whenever it hit the table, leaving little divots as little puffs of smoke rose into the air. ~You clearly have no idea who I really am, boy. Care to find out?~

AN: I close every day I work this week, but there's a big 3 day gap coming up. I hope to use the time to work up more prewritten chapters, so wish me luck!