Harry returns to Hogwarts early after a brief and disturbing encounter with The Dark Lord. Harry finds out some about his past and the past of Voldemort.

A/N: I own nothing this is all J.K.R.'s, what a brilliant mind she has.

Chapter Twelve- Alone at Hogwarts

"Harry…"

Harry opened his eyes and stared out across the sea of green that lay before him. The sun beat down, but he felt no warmth from its rays, only cold. Harry turned abruptly to the figure that stood behind him and anger welled up inside him.

"Welcome Harry Potter," hissed the icy voice.

"Voldemort, what did you do?" Harry wasn't scared, he was curious. He'd never felt anything like what he'd felt at his party, he felt sick from…

A cruel smile came to The Dark Lords lips, no, not The Dark Lords, Riddle's. It was not the face of Voldemort that was before him, it was the face of Tom Riddle, albeit a little older then what he had seen in his second year, but it was still Tom. "There is more of me in you then anyone realizes. I've found that not only power was transferred over to you the night that you did not die. I have simply activated that part of me that is in you," Riddle laughed coldly. "You, like me, can no longer bare the emotion of love."

Harry staggered back. "Why are you doing this? Haven't I suffered enough?" Harry shouted.

"You don't know what suffering is, Harry Potter," Riddle hissed and the smile faded from his lips. "But you will." Riddle disappeared leaving Harry alone in the open field. Harry looked around him. Where was he? The area seemed strangely familiar, but he couldn't place it as something that he had ever seen.

A cry echoed from behind him and Harry turned abruptly to see a small village, that hadn't been there before. The village was engulfed in flames and there was a line of at least a dozen Muggles kneeling in the grass. In front of them was a line of Death Eaters all with their wands drawn and pointed at the Muggles.

Harry couldn't do anything but watch in horror as Voldemort walked towards them with a young girl held firmly at his side. "Kill them." A volley of Killing Curses shot from the wands of the Death Eaters and struck down all of the helpless Muggles with brilliant beams of green. "Now for you my dear Mudblood," Voldemort hissed as he threw the girl to the ground and drew his own wand.

The girl struggled to crawl backwards in her vain attempt to move away. She looked straight at Harry with pleading eyes. Harry tried to move forward but found that he was stuck. He jerked his eyes away from the girl's frightened stare as Voldemort killed the girl with two simple words. But nothing could dim the familiar flash of green that washed across his vision.

Harry's head shot up as Voldemort's cold voice sounded in his ears, even though the man was nowhere near him. "Someday Potter, very soon, you will enjoy this. You too will take pleasure in the rush of taking life," Voldemort didn't laugh as he said this, he didn't even smile. He was completely serious and Harry knew with a sickening feeling that he spoke the truth.

"No! I won't! I may have part of you in me, but I will not become you!" Harry shouted his fleeting denial as he trembled with rage.

"Of course you won't become me. You'll join me. You will become my most loyal servant…"

Harry sat bolt up right, his breath coming in short gasps. He scrambled to his feet, pushing those around him, out of the way, as he did. He turned to Remus with fear in his eyes. "I need to see Dumbledore, now."

"We'll get him Harry, just calm down. What's wrong…?" Mrs. Weasley's concern for him was unbearable. No, it was the love.

"STOP IT! Stop… Just take me to him. NOW!" Harry shouted pushing past her and running out of the drawing room with Remus hard on his heels. He could feel the anger radiating off of his old professor at the way he had treated Mrs. Weasley but he didn't care. He now knew what Voldemort felt when he felt love. It was horrible, it wasn't exactly pain, but it was worse then the Cruciatus Curse.

"Harry stop," Remus grabbed hold of Harry's forearm just as he reached the stairs.

Harry recoiled from Remus' touch and yanked his arm away. "I'm going to Hogwarts."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Remus asked calmly.

Harry raised his eyebrow at the question and then marched swiftly down the stairs and into the kitchen. He turned to Remus who had followed. Harry grabbed a handful of powder from the bowl on the mantle. "You're welcome to come, but I doubt that you'll like what you're going to hear," Harry said softly and then stepped back into the unlit fireplace and threw down the floo powder. "Hogwarts," Harry bellowed and then disappeared in a flash of green flame that sprang to life and engulfed him.

After the excessive spinning slowed, Harry stepped out of the fireplace. He knew he was at Hogwarts but he hadn't expected to end up were he did.

The figure in the black robes abruptly stood up at Harry's presence. He obviously hadn't been there long, as he still wore his cloak. "Potter," the cold voice of Severus Snape sneered.

"Sorry Professor, I didn't specify which room. I need to see Dumbledore, I need to tell him… everything," Harry whispered and then sunk to his knees and put his head in his hands.

Harry for once was grateful for Snape's loathing of him. Harry's head shot up as he heard Snape say 'Headmaster's office,' and then seconds later Dumbledore came through Snape's fireplace. Harry looked up to the headmaster. "Riddle's gaining…" Harry began, but stopped and let out a deep trembling breath. "I've lost. How can I defeat someone who has complete control over me?"

"Harry," Dumbledore walked towards him with compassion and concern in his eyes. He started to put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry scrambled away. "No, don't touch me. I can't stand it. 'The power which he knows not,'" Harry spat, "I can't bear it. He's taken away the only power I have over him. He can control my emotions. It's only a matter of time before he'll be able to control my actions," Harry whispered as he got to his feet swiftly. "Professor I need the ingredients for the potion. If I can't feel, Voldemort won't gain power through me. If I can't feel, I'll never… I'll never…"

"Take pleasure in the rush of taking life."

Harry didn't know where the strength or speed came from, but the anger that shot through him, like lightning, forced him into action. The next thing he knew he had slammed the potion's master against the wall and held him in a death grip by his throat. "You were there, and you did nothing to stop it. You helped kill those Muggles! That girl…"

Snape whispered a spell and Harry was thrown to the floor on his back and Snape had his hand at Harry's throat in a matter of seconds. Snape was much stronger then Harry and he found himself struggling for air under Snape's grip. "Never attack me again or prophecy or not, I will kill you. Just because you are destined to defeat the Dark Lord, does not mean that I will bow to your every whim. I have done more against the Dark Lord, then even you could imagine."

Snape's grip loosened and Harry dragged in a long staggered breath. "Killing Muggles is going against the Dark Lord?" Harry spat.

"Such is a life of a spy," Snape whispered with regret in his voice, and then he dragged Harry to his feet. Harry was surprised to see that Dumbledore had not made a move against either of them, he just stood their calmly as if he had expected this to happen. "Sometimes I'm forced to do things that I'm not proud of, especially now that the Dark Lord does not trust me," Snape folded his robes around himself and moved away from Harry who gave him a dark look, that clearly stated that he hated the man. "How did you get there?" Snape asked after several seconds.

"Voldemort," Harry said in a whisper. "He can project me when I'm unconscious. And apparently he can make me unconscious as well."

"Project you?" asked Snape.

Harry just nodded, before turning away from him. "I don't know how. I never want to see anything like that again."

Snape obviously understood what Harry meant but it was Dumbledore who asked. "What did you see?"

Harry closed his eyes and shook his head, remembering the pleading… the fear… That girl's eyes would haunt him forever.

Dumbledore slowly approached Harry. "Are you alright?"

Harry didn't even look at his headmaster. He gave Snape one last hateful glare and then he turned on his heel. "No," Harry answered Dumbledore's question before he stormed out of Snape's quarters.

Harry had made it all the way to the entrance hall before he stopped. He sat down on the stone stairs and hid his face in his hands. He sat there for a long time, the events of the past few weeks rolling over in his mind. "What am I turning into?" he whispered to himself and then he looked up at the sounds of footsteps on the stone tiles. Dumbledore stood over him, a calm, but sad smile on his face.

"It was a curse," Dumbledore said smoothly.

"What was, Sir?" Harry asked after a few moments.

Dumbledore adjusted his glasses on his face. "The reason Tom cannot bear love. It was a curse put upon him by Grindelwald. Tom Riddle hadn't always been a Dark Wizard, Harry. He was once a boy, with regular emotions and fears. He was one of the brightest young Wizards of his age, much like Miss Granger," Dumbledore said as he took a seat next to Harry on the stairs.

"What happened, how did he become so dark, so evil?" Harry asked.

"No one has ever been able to fully explain that. The summer before his fifth year, he disappeared from the Muggle orphanage where he lived. Just before the start of term he reappeared, but he was much different from when he had left. He began distancing himself from his friends, from everyone. He'd go into the hospital wing saying that he was sick, but leave within minutes of entering. He stopped helping the younger student's with their class work, and he was quick to get angry with his dorm mates.

"Just before winter holidays he came to me in a panic, he explained to me that he had been cursed, but he did not elaborate. He disappeared during the holidays. When he resurfaced, just before term started up again, he came back with more of a calm exterior, and he began to avoid me and any other teacher. He had turned around and was now the complete opposite of the boy that he had once been.

"It wasn't until a couple of years later that I had finally found out about the curse from Grindelwald himself. He had cast the permanent curse upon Tom, so that he had a way of manipulating and controlling him. It unfortunately made it unbearable for Tom to feel any kind of love or compassion, whether it was his own or others."

"So, this is permanent. It's part of that same curse," Harry stated as he stared unblinkingly at his trembling hands.

"I don't know," Dumbledore answered Harry's unasked question, and then he reached inside of his robes and pulled out a small, brown wood box, and handed it to Harry. "Severus said that might help." Dumbledore stood up from the stairs. "He's told me about your training and I hope it is helping you. I will allow you to continue it until you either start to put yourself at risk, or those around you." Dumbledore started to walk away before Harry stood up.

"Professor, I'm not learning Dark Magic," Harry said softly.

"If it's not Dark Harry, why do you need two of the most cursed bloods?" Dumbledore asked, there was no anger in his voice but it held a calm seriousness.

Harry clutched the box in his hands and looked at the remarkably shinny stone floor. "It's called the Vampirism Potion. Though there is a high risk of either turning myself into a Vampire or killing myself, I think the effects out way the negative. It will take away my ability to feel all emotion. If I can't feel, then Voldemort can't feed off of my negative emotions and he won't be able to control me."

"Harry I do not think taking this potion is wise. The second the Unicorn Blood passes your lips, no matter how deluded it is, you will be cursed, and I'm not speaking of curses through spells and charms. Your vary soul will be tainted." For the first time Harry saw his headmaster's calm exterior waver. Fear radiated off of him and it scared Harry.

"If there was another way, I'd gladly take it," Harry whispered and then he staggered back and clamped his eyes shut against the feeling that swept over him. When he opened his eyes it was to find Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny coming down the stairs towards them. Harry turned away from them and looked at Dumbledore. "I'm sorry Professor, but I can't be here…"

Dumbledore looked upon Harry with sadness in his eyes and understanding. "You may go up to my office, the door is open."

Harry nodded and then ran past his friends' questioning gazes. He ran all the way up to the headmaster's office, and didn't stop until he reached the wooden door at the top of the spiral staircase. The door stood ajar, and Harry slowly entered into the room. He hadn't been back since the end of term. Since the night, that he had taken out his anger and sorrow on the room. Since the night, that Voldemort had gained this power over him…

It looked the same as it always did, neat, yet cluttered, with unique instruments, all, which seemed to have been repaired. Harry walked around the office, ignoring the stares and whispers of the paintings on the walls. He skimmed his fingers over the small library of old books that covered the bookshelves neatly. He subconsciously took in each of their titles as he passed. It was only when he reached the ragged looking hat that he stopped.

Gryffindor's sword hung on the wall behind it and Harry ran his hand over the smooth metal. "That's the difference between you and I Riddle. I'm a Gryffindor and you're a Slytherin," Harry whispered to himself. He had just taken his hand away from the sword when he heard the cold calculated voice.

"Only because you asked to be placed in Gryffindor."

Harry spun around and staggered back against the wall as Tom Riddle materialized in front of him. Gasps could be heard from the portraits but they otherwise remained silent.

"I'm very impressed. Your powers are growing. I had not expected for you to project me so effortlessly."

Harry pushed himself away from the wall and walked up to the Dark Lord with determination in each step. "I am not a Slytherin. The Sorting Hat placed me in Gryffindor for a reason…"

Voldemort sat himself comfortably at Dumbledore's desk. He leaned forward and glanced up at Harry with his fingers together and his elbows resting on the top of the desk. "Yes it did. I have a very interesting history lesson for you Mr. Potter. A descendant of Gryffindor and a descendant of Slytherin married…"

"How poetic, what's that got to do with me?" Harry spat, and he thought for a moment that he was probably the only person with the guts to interrupt Lord Voldemort.

"Patience, Potter. They had a child, a son, and that son married The Heir."

The Heir, he'd heard that before, where had he heard that before? "Merlin," Harry whispered in remembrance. It was in the diaries and Harry vaguely remembered something about it in History of Magic class.

"Very good, you know your history. The female heir of Merlin, and they in turn had a son, and his name was James Potter." A cruel smile came to Riddle's lips as Harry sank down into a chair on the other side of the desk. "So yes, the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor because you are a member of that bloodline. However, had you not asked to be in Gryffindor, you would most certainly be in Slytherin. For you are a member of that bloodline as well."

Harry's head shot up. "But I'm also a descendant of Merlin. Don't you think that tips the scale just a bit?"

"If you really believe that Potter, put on the hat and let it resort you, this time don't ask to not be in Slytherin." Voldemort vanished, his last words hanging in the air as Dumbledore walked into the office followed closely by Remus. Harry didn't look up. He was still staring at the empty seat in front of him.

"Harry, who were you talking to?" Remus asked staring down at him.

"No one, myself," Harry answered before he looked up to him and Dumbledore,

Dumbledore took the seat that was recently vacated by the projection of Voldemort. "I have explained the situation to the Weasley's and Miss Granger." Harry gave Dumbledore an angered look. "I know that you may not have wanted them to know. But it is better that they do. We have all agreed that you are to stay here for the remainder of the summer. Your things have already been sent up to Gryffindor Tower and your friends will join you at the start of term."

"Fine," Harry said as he stood from his chair. "I'm going to go get unpacked."

"I'll have a house elf send up lunch for you," Dumbledore said as Harry left the office with out glancing back once.

Harry walked slowly all the way up to Gryffindor Tower, where he found the portrait of the Fat Lady sitting where she always was. Harry opened his mouth to say the password but remembered that Dumbledore had not given him one.

The portrait smiled sweetly back at him. "It is summer, Mr. Potter, passwords are not needed," the portrait opened and Harry walked inside. "Welcome back to Hogwarts." He heard from behind him before the portrait door closed.

Harry walked into the empty common room. He'd never seen it look so forlorn. Even with the rays of bright sunlight basking over the room. Harry was home, but he'd never felt so alone.

A/N: Next chapter's lucky… or unlucky, thirteen. Read on.