Summary: A thoroughly impossible freak accident transports our favorite attractive psychopath forward in time from 1942 to 1996. Harry Potter/Tom Riddle slash. It's time for Tom to hear the conditions of his release, and to integrate himself with the rest of Hogwarts.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Tom Riddle, or any other people, places or objects that may appear in this humble work of fiction.
Warnings: Possible spoilers up to the fifth book. M/M, obviously. Rating is down as T for now but may, possibly, increase to M as things progress.
Author's Note: This chapter was quite a bit of fun to write, so I hope you have just as much fun reading it! Reviews are vastly appreciated.

Chapter Eight: Conditional Release

Dumbledore had led Tom to an abandoned dungeon deep in the castle and locked the door behind him. He sat on the annoyingly comfortable chintz armchair Dumbledore had conjured for him, leaning his head against his hand, his eyes closed in concentration.

He had been transported over half a century into the future. He had been Stunned by some half-pint, four-eyed Gryffindor, been subjected to rude questioning by Dumbledore, and had been forced to endure the ear-splitting wails and rude looks of another Gryffindor brat. Aside from the time-travel bit, my day would have been just fine if it weren't for the existence of Gryffindors.

He grumbled to himself, drew patterns on the dusty dungeon floor with his index finger, and recited the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, to himself in his head while he waited for Dumbledore to come back. Tom considered forcing the door open, wand or no wand, but he didn't think his situation was quite dire enough to cross Dumbledore just yet. If he tried to lock him up, if he tried to send him to Azkaban – and that, Tom considered, was the way the situation seemed to be leaning – then he'd be desperate enough to try it.

The door opened again, and Tom immediately stood up, his eyes fixed on the entrance of Dumbledore and – to Tom's surprise – the Gryffindor boy, who Dumbledore had addressed as Mr. Potter.

'Tom,' Dumbledore greeted him, smiling pleasantly as he walked in and conjured two more chintz armchairs, which were set side by side across from Tom. Dumbledore and Mr. Potter each took one and sat down simultaneously.

'Headmaster,' Tom acknowledged. Slowly, Tom also sat. 'If you don't mind –'

'I probably do,' Dumbledore said cheerily, conjuring up another table and some tea. 'Please, help yourselves, boys,' he gestured, taking a cup and pouring some for himself.

Tom couldn't think of a time when he had ever felt less like sitting in a humid dungeon chamber sipping tea with Albus Dumbledore. The boy sitting across from him appeared to share his thoughts if the glances of disbelief he was giving Dumbledore was any indication.

Dumbledore sipped his tea, hummed in appreciation, and then set the cup down. 'Well, if no one else wants to pour themselves a cup, I suppose that now is an excellent time to get started,' Dumbledore said.

'Firstly, Tom, I ought to let you know that I know all about your escapades with regard to the Chamber of Secrets. I am aware that you set the basilisk upon the school populace, murdered that girl in the bathroom, and framed Rubeus Hagrid.'

With each syllable, Tom's alarm increased. If Dumbledore knows all that, why aren't I in Azkaban right now?

'Secondly, you ought to know that I am not the only one who knows – far from it, in fact. What you did is common knowledge in this time period.' Tom sat in silence, not daring to breathe, his throat constricting and his mind racing to find any way that he could escape.

'Thirdly,' Dumbledore continued. 'You ought to know that I have no intention at all of sending you to Azkaban.' At this, Tom relaxed muscles that he didn't know he had been tensing, and found that he could breathe a little again. 'In fact, I would like you to continue in your classes here as you normally would, with a few non-negotiable restrictions.'

'Why?' Tom asked, gazing at Dumbledore curiously. 'Why would you, of all people, let me off the hook?'

'Your present self is not a very popular figure, Tom,' the Headmaster replied, taking a break to sip his tea before going on. 'You are a fugitive, an outlaw. If the Ministry – or anyone else – were to discover your true identity, I'm afraid your life would be forfeit.' Dumbledore paused, but Tom wasn't going to give him the benefit of showing any reaction to this news, though his insides were churning and his curiosity was near bursting point. 'I am bound, as Headmaster of this school, to protect you from such certain death. Therefore, I will keep your identity a secret, and I will order anyone else in the school that could connect you with your older incarnation to do the same.'

Dumbledore made another pause, and looked at Tom as though prompting him to reply. Tom really wanted to know more about himself and why he was hiding from the Ministry – not that the idea of being a fugitive in and of itself was so distasteful, but he couldn't ever imagine running from those no-talent paper-pushing hacks. He had expected that he'd be more of a revolutionary sort of figure, not someone who would cower at the sight of an Auror, and he wanted to know why things had gone so badly for him, so that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He recognized, however, that this probably wasn't the time to ask. If Dumbledore wanted him to know, he would have told him, and if he ever needed to be on Dumbledore's good side, it was now, so he chose a more neutral response.

'You mentioned something about restrictions?' he asked casually, taking a cup and pouring tea as he spoke.

'You will not be allowed into the Restricted Section,' Dumbledore said, his mouth set in a firm line. 'Any books from there that you might require for your studies will have to be cleared directly through me.'

Tom shrugged and nodded. He had been expecting that since he found out Dumbledore was headmaster. Dumbledore had always been cautioning Dippet against allowing Tom such free reign in the less savory sections of the library, so it was only natural that he'd put a stop to it now that he was in charge. It was a setback, but a minor one, considering the present situation.

'You will be taking on a new name. I am presently having the papers for your new identity arranged by some associates. You will say nothing of your past except what I instruct you to say – and whatever you may have to come up with yourself to make it pass scrutiny. You're intelligent enough for me to trust you with that,' Dumbledore continued, a slight smile curling his lips.

'Last, but not least, we come to Mr. Potter here,' Dumbledore said, gesturing to the other boy for the first time since he had entered the room. Tom stared blankly at Mr. Potter, who stared back unblinkingly.

Tom did what he always did when he met someone new: he sized him up. The boy was smaller than him, but fit; he was skinny where Tom was lithe. If it came down to physical combat, Tom felt sure he could handle him. There was a look in the boy's green eyes, though, that Tom found unnerving; they shone with a worldly knowledge that told Tom he'd not had an easy life. His eyes were drawn to the boy's forehead, where he thought he saw a mark, but Potter flattened a fringe of hair over it before he could get a better look.

'Harry will be your guardian of sorts.' Both Tom and Potter – Harry – turned their attention to Dumbledore in undisguised bewilderment. 'He will escort you to and from classes. He will watch you whenever you are not in class or asleep. And,' Dumbledore emphasized, his eyes falling on Tom with the look he used when he was passing out important bits of information in class, 'I expect you to watch over him, as well, Tom.'

Ah, so now we reach the point! Tom thought triumphantly. This is the real reason he's keeping me around. He knows I'm good with a wand and he wants me to watch this kid's back, for whatever reason. 'And why would he require a bodyguard, sir, if I may ask?' He glanced at the other boy, and saw his face going as red as his Gryffindor badge with indignation.

'He does not require a bodyguard, Tom,' Dumbledore replied flippantly, 'but since your stay at Hogwarts will be discontinued if anything happens to him, I would suggest that you ensure nothing does threaten him.'

Tom shrugged noncommittally. 'If you say so.'

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. 'You will be placed in Gryffindor –' Tom opened his mouth to protest, but Dumbledore gave him a warning look, 'and you will be taking classes with the Gryffindors. You will eat with them, study with them, and sleep in Gryffindor tower with them. You will not spend any more time with the Slytherins or students from other houses than necessary for your classes.'

'But that's not fair!' Tom cried. Of all the conditions Dumbledore had mentioned thus far, this was the worst of all. Tom didn't think he could bear having to spend every waking moment with idiot Gryffindors. He didn't even mind if Potter was going to be following him around all day – he could always give him the slip if he had to – but to be forced to associate with such a repugnant crowd of idealist Mudbloods…

'As I said, Tom, these terms are non-negotiable. If you think you cannot abide by them, then we can all save ourselves the trouble and hand you over to the Ministry.'

Tom scowled, but finally nodded.

'Excellent!' cried Dumbledore, clapping his hands together and grinning as if someone had just given him the most marvelous news possible. 'Harry, you may spend the rest of the day however you like. Tom and I need to go shopping for his schoolbooks and supplies. You may tell your fellow Gryffindors that you have been spending some time with me discussing the arrival of a new sixth-year student, and that he will be joining your house. If they ask, his name is Tom Maxwell. It would probably be best to warn them that he's coming, so his appearance isn't too much of a surprise.'

'Yes, Headmaster,' Potter replied sulkily. He didn't look any happier about these arrangements than Tom felt. At least he's not too keen on watching me. It'll be easier to avoid him if he's not determined to dog my steps everywhere. Potter turned to leave, but before opening the door, said, 'I don't like this any more than Ginny, sir,' and left.

Dumbledore watched Potter's back until the door closed behind him. He frowned at the door for a few moments, apparently bothered by what Potter had said, before turning back to Tom. 'Well, then,' he said quietly. 'I suppose we had best be off to Diagon Alley. Don't look so worried, Tom,' he added, and Tom looked up, having not realized that he looked worried at all. 'Everything will work out. I'm sure of it.'

dairygirl: On the contrary, they are giving him a chance, albeit reluctantly

Shattered Diamond: Hermione is definitely going to be intrigued by this new student, and a little suspicious, too! As for informing the staff of Tom's identity, do you really think that's wise, considering what happened to Lupin when Snape spilled the beans on him?

SachiAmi: Based on Dumbledore's comments in Book 2 about Tom having been unrecognizable after all the Dark magic he had wallowed in for decades before the start of his first Death Eater campaign, I think he already looked pretty far off from what young Tom Riddle looked like in school. Therefore, I don't think Snape would recognize him. Hagrid would, obviously, and I think McGonagall is around his age, so she would have known him in school, too. Any teachers that may have been there when Tom was still at school, like Flitwick, have probably taught so many students over the decades that they wouldn't blink an eye at seeing Tom Riddle again.