.:Problems in the bloodline:.

*OotP spoilers: some phrases about the concept of Legimency are borrowed from book five for informative facts only.

*Disclaimer: We don't own anything except the plot.

This chapter is written by Mekare, with tiny touches of Guardian Angel of Wolves.

Mekare: Hello All! Sorry it took so long. I have been very busy with school, and I recently moved into a new house, and it took FOREVER to hook the computer back up, where I had all my writing. I would've done most of it on some paper, but I was so busy packing, and unpacking that I didn't have the time. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!!!

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*Of Fear, Stories and Understanding*

"Dumbledore! Dumbledore! Dumbledore!" Sirius yelled, pounding on the headmaster's door. "Dumbledore!"

"Yes Sirius, what is it?" Dumbledore asked, opening his door, only to quickly duck out of the way of Sirius' fists, which had still been hammering madly on the place where the door had been.

"Harry...Voldemort...Wormtail...tricked us...ran after him...grabbed Harry...disappeared." Sirius said in between breaths.

Having run up to Dumbledore's office as fast as he could, then yelling at the top of his lungs, he was having a rather hard time catching his breath enough to explain the situation to the headmaster.

"Breath Sirius. What's happened?" Dumbledore said, getting worried.

"Wormtail tricked Harry and I, then ran and grabbed Harry. Then somehow he disappeared with him to take him to Voldemort!" Sirius said, getting frustrated. "How did he manage that, Albus? Everybody knows that no one can Apparate or Disapparate on Hogwarts' grounds!"

Dumbledore was horrified, Voldemort had Harry while he was still in a weakened condition and, good though Harry's luck seemed to be, Dumbledore feared that it might have run out. He forced himself to take a deep calming breath, if not for his own sake then for Sirius'.

"I know this is hard, Sirius, but I need you to calm down and think. I am quite sure that Wormtail used a Portkey and that you failed to notice in the chaos. Can that be the case?" (GaoW A/N: I agree wholeheartedly with Professor Dumbledore and am ashamed that I failed to write that down in 'the chaos'.)

Sirius slumped down in a seat and sighed, "Yes, you might be right, I don't know. And frankly, I don't care! I just want my godson back in one piece."

Dumbledore patted the young man on the shoulder.

"Then we'll see it done."

~*Meanwhile at the Riddle Manor*~

Harry had no idea how long he had been held captive. He had just woken up from being unconscious for goodness knew how long, only find himself in a dungeon of some sort. His entire body ached from the blow it had taken. The last thing he remembered was Wormtail knocking him unconscious with the stupification spell. The spell normally lasted much longer, if it wore off at all, but Wormtail had never been that good at magic, so it was a very poorly constructed spell.

'Great! Just great! School hasn't even started and he's already got me! How is it that I always end up in these deadly situations?' Harry thought to himself. Then he remembered that he had been with Sirius when Wormtail had captured him. Harry's spirits suddenly soured: he knew Sirius would go to Dumbledore without a second thought, 'Maybe they'll find a way to save me!'

But just as he thought this, he heard a voice saying to the guards, "Let me in. I am to take him to our master immediately."

Harry's spirits suddenly deflated, he knew that voice and it belonged to Lucius Malfoy.

"Hello Potter." Malfoy said sneering, "It is time for you to come and see the Dark Lord."

About a half an hour later Harry and Lucius were waiting to be called into 'The Dark Lord's Chambers' as Malfoy had referred to Voldemort's quarters. More specifically, they were called into the 'Adlego Chamber' where only the most inner-circle Death Eaters were ever allowed. (Mekare A/N: Adlego is Latin for Private)

"Someone as great as the Dark Lord, has many chambers." Lucius said with a sneer, "Many more than your precious Dumbledore."

"Come in." Harry heard a voice say.

'That's odd. I know I've heard that voice before, but where and when? It isn't Voldemort. Then again, who else has the power to tell us to come in?' Harry thought to himself, as Malfoy magically pulled him into the room.

"Here he is, Master." Malfoy said to the man sitting at the head of the room, in a very elegant, yet frightening throne.

Harry looked at the man at in the throne and gasped, for it was not Voldemort who sat before him, but Tom Riddle.

'How in the world?' Harry asked himself.

Tom let out a laugh, "Yes, I see that my appearance confuses you."

"You're still the evil murder you always were. A make-over won't change the being you are on the inside." Harry replied, as Lucius tossed him on the ground, and magically tied him. Harry pressed his right palm to his scar, which was giving him a pounding headache from Voldemort's proximity. It was also enough to convince him that this Tom and Voldemort were still one and the same person.

'If I die now, at least I will die like a man.' He thought to himself.

"Oh don't worry, I won't be hurting you unless you give me a good reason to do so." Tom replied.

Harry was startled; it was as though Voldemort could understand his thoughts.

"No Harry," Tom said in an oddly kind voice, "Though it is true that I am very skilled in Legilimency - At times that I chose, I can enter your mind and grasp some of your most recent memories. From one minute past to the very beginning of your life." He added to Harry's blank expression.

"You can read my mind?" Harry blurted out, scar pain temporally forgotten.

He had a feeling that this was all some sort of nightmare. Why else would Voldemort not have killed him yet? Yet he knew he wasn't dreaming and that made the whole seem much weirder, and scarier. If anyone who have told him 24 hours ago that he'd be having a chat with a transformed Voldemort today, Harry immediately would have advised a visit to St Mungo's Hospital - yet here he was.

Voldemort shook his head. Not in angered rage, like Harry had seen him on other occasions, not angry at all in fact. More like Professor Flitwick would do if a student answered a question wrong.

"No, it's more subtle, more complicated than that, Harry." Voldemort proceeded to explain.

'That's the second time he's called me Harry, not just "Potter".' Some part in the back of his mind registered this seemingly irrelevant information. You know, that part of your brain that also remembers all kinds of irritating or humorous publicity on TV. Harry shook his head slightly to focus on what Voldemort was saying.

"You must learn about fine distinctions. Only Muggles speak of 'mind-reading'. Legimency is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind. The only counter act is Occlumency." He added as an after-thought. "But I did not just used Legimency on you: your facial expression is easy enough for any Muggle to read, hence it's dead easy for me."

"Right. Well, if you aren't going to hurt me then why am I here? What do you want?" Harry asked.

"I want to tell you a story." Tom replied, "It is about some events that have happened in the past and I'd like to see how you react to it. I suggest you listen well, because this concerns you too."

Harry was stunned, 'He wants to tell me a story?!' Had the situation be less serious he would have laughed. 'What could he possibly tell me about the past, that concerns me?'

"Harry," Tom said, "Years ago, when I was much younger - just graduated from Hogwarts actually - I used to spend countless hours at pubs. This was, of course, before I became Voldemort.

"Well, during one of these days, a women came in. Nothing special really, and yet she was still beautiful. She came and sat next to me. I was much too drunk to really pay any attention to what she was saying, but she was obviously flirting with me. I only cared that she seemed to like me. I was an ignorant fool still. Yes, I had lost most of my innocence at Hogwarts already, but I was still foolish enough to care - just a bit - some weak part of me still yearned for affection."

Harry was terribly confused as to how this was important to him, but his curiosity got the better of him so he kept silent.

"Well, by long into the night I ended up sleeping with her. I really didn't know anything about her, and really didn't care. When I woke up the next morning, I realised what I had done, and left immediately."

'Typical,' Harry thought. Voldemort continued.

"What I did not know until just recently is that, I had got her pregnant, and that she gave birth to a baby boy. The lady ended up getting married, and even made the baby's birth certificate say that this man was the father. She and her husband never told anyone - including their son - that he was not the actual father.

"Just recently I have received information about this women -you wouldn't believe the amount of time and energy most of my incapable servants have spend to obtain it." Somewhere in the back of the room Lucius grumbled quietly in protest; Voldemort ignored him completely.

"And do you know who she ended up being?" He asked Harry, with a grin.

"Who?" Harry asked, vaguely dreading a reason why Tom would want him to know.

"Your grandmother."

Harry gasped, "But it can't be!"

"Why not?" Voldemort asked, in a way that indicated he was greatly enjoying this cat & mouse game of riddles. Though Tom kept his face blank of any emotion, Harry could feel it in his scar. It was irrelevant at the moment, though, for he was far too stunned by what he'd just found out.

"That'd mean that...that you're my-my grandfather!" Harry replied, shocked beyond belief.

"Very good, Harry, yes. You are my grandson, and being family I'm going to make you an offer: join me, you will even be my right hand man. You have my blood in you, the power of Slytherin's bloodline. You could be great you know."

Harry jumped, 'You could be great you know.' He knew those words; the sorting hat said that to him.

Then it dawned on Harry, that's why the hat wanted to put him in Slytherin, not because Voldemort had transferred his powers to him, but because he was Voldemort's heir.

Harry was completely shocked; he knew he could never join Voldemort's ranks, but did being his heir make him as evil as Voldemort himself?

'It is our choices, Harry, that show us who we truly are...' Harry remembered Dumbledore's words, and realised that he was only as bad as Voldemort if he chose to be.

"I can see that you are about to refuse my offer, but maybe this will help change your mind." Tom said as someone appeared in the room.

Harry turned and saw Wormtail, and a lady he vaguely recognised, gripping Remus Lupin's fists behind his back.

"Now Harry, join me or this man will be the first to die, after Wormtail had had some fun with him. I knew that silver hand of his would yet be of some use. Then I will go after the rest of your little friends. I only went after this one first because he was the quickest to capture." Harry saw Wormtail set Lupin on the ground and magically tie him up.

"I'm so touched that you care about me and my friends. However I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request." The words were drenched with a sarcasm Harry hadn't even known he could posses - until now.

Voldemort actually chuckled.

"I never knew you had a good sense of humour. Where did you pick it up, that kind of speech?"

Harry shrugged, "I've had Snape and Professor Dumbledor as mentors. If you don't like it, blame them."

"But I do like it, boy. If you can manage that under pressure, I look forward to having a relaxed conversation with you."

"Fine, but could you bring some aspirin with you, while you're at it? You're giving me a migraine." Harry ground out, from behind clenched teeth.

"Yes, don't worry, I've thought of that. But first you must accept my offer."

"Don't do it, Harry!" He heard Lupin scream.

Harry looked into those bright red eyes and asked, "What if I refuse?"

Voldemort nodded and waved his hand at his servant, "Wormtail, be so kind to demonstrate."

Peter grabbed Remus' chest with his silver hand and the werewolf screamed and writhed in agony.

"No," Harry exclaimed, "Stop it, don't touch him."

"You've heard him, Wormtail, do as he says." Voldemort ordered. Then he turned back to look at Harry, who'd sunk to his knees because of the intense pain his scar was giving him.

"All you've got to do is join me, Harry. Then you won't have to suffer the pain anymore and you don't have to worry about the safety of your friends." He spoke softly.

"You won't hurt my friends?" Harry echoed.

"Yes."

"And you'll let Remus go?"

"If you ask it of me."

"Why?"

Voldemort stood and took a few steps in his direction. Harry's head felt like it was about to split in two. Somewhere in the background he could hear Lupin's laboured breathing.

"Does it matter?" Voldemort answered with a question of his own.

It was time for Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived to make the choice between everything he'd always known to be right and the guarantee of the safety of those he loved in a time of war.

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