Section: Harry Potter
Pairing: Voldemort/ Tom Riddle Jr. X Harry Potter
Genre: Romance/Supernatural
Summary: The summer after his fourth year Harry gets the memories and abilities of two different people who lived in different times. When he makes sense of them, he realizes that his life can never be easy.
Warning: Reincarnation, Slash, Incest, Necromancer! Seer! Harry, Mentions of Mpreg

Chapter Eight

It was a few days since Hericles had come to live with them at Grimmauld Place. Their first impression of him turned out to be true in the end – Hericles was nothing but gentle, patient and kind. It was easy for him to be integrated in their group fluidly, as if he had always been one of them – well, being Sirius' son, it was not too farfetched. They often thought about how Harry would have liked him. Those two could have been brothers. Those two were so similar but at the same time so very different. They quickly dismissed that thought though as it always made them feel grief at the loss of their best friend/brother/partner in crime/son/godson.

If he was not with them Hericles could be found in the Black Family library, reading. When Sirius tried to tell him to be careful about what he read, they all quickly learned that he did not care about how magic was labelled: light or dark. They should not have been too shocked though when they saw him reading a dark arts book as the Feim Family had been reputed to be strictly neutral in their opinion on magic. Hericles had to have been brought up with unbiased views in the magic he practiced. The mere thought that the boy could be evil though was utterly ridiculous and had sent Ron into fits of giggles. It was as absurd as thinking a herd of unicorns planning world domination. After all, the boy was so nice that he even let the girls play with his hair! If that was not nice then Ron did not know what it was.

Sirius was completely smitten with his son. If it was not for him being wrongly labelled as a criminal, everyone was sure that the man would have gone out and bought Hericles anything that he wished and more. Heck, the man would have most likely tried to buy Gringotts of he could. On the other hand, Sirius was a little disappointed that Hericles could not bring himself to call him 'dad' yet. Well, it was understandable; the poor boy had only met him after all!

At night, after dinner, it was not uncommon to see Remus, Hermione and Hericles sitting together in front of the fire discussing all types of difficult theories and whatnot on magic. If the others tried to listen in they would surely have a headache by trying to understand them. It was just plain creepy how those three could jump from one subject to another. To say that everyone was surprised that Sirius' son had so much in common with Hermione and Remus, their residents Know-It-All, would be an understatement. Since the first day Hermione made sure to get as much facts and information from Hericles about anything and everything to do with the magical world.

Even Mrs. and Mr. Weasley liked him. Hericles was polite to a fault and quite modest. It was obvious the boy was used to luxury but he did not complain about how they lived and actually tried to help when Mrs. Weasley told them to clean the house together. Not that Kreacher would let him anyway.

Life at Grimmauld Place was good, and if Harry had been with them it would have been perfect. They were surprised to learn that Hericles' birthday was on July 31, just like Harry. Sirius had even thought about how those two could have grown up together like brothers if the world was perfect; if Lily and James were alive; if Maricela had not gone into hiding to protect herself and her child; if there was not war. Yes, life would have been perfect. Heck, Sirius might have even married Maricela and fallen in love with her. She had after all been one of the few who had ever really caught Sirius' attention. And she had given him a son! A son he would trade for nothing.

There had not been an Order meeting since Hericles had joined him, mainly because Mundungus had gone missing, but Albus had still come a couple of times to make sure that the boy was comfortable. He had been fascinated when he had learned about The Sanctuary being real and Hericles' home, and had made sure to ask the boy questions about it when he could.

Yes, life was good.

Of course when something good happened to them, something had to break their happy bubble.

The large room was filled to the rim with dark-cloaked kneeling witches and wizards. In front of them stood an imposing throne on which sat an intimidating and commanding man who gazed at each of them with barely hidden smug satisfaction.

"My dear friends," said he as he stood up, his voice low and with a slight hiss, much like a snake. "Today we shall bring about the greatest blow to Dumbledore's Order. The fool believes in trust but add a little torture to one of his trusted companions and they are ready to deliver to us the location of their headquarters.

"Yes, my friends, we now know where to find them and, tonight, the greatest misfortune shall befall his little Order! Tonight, we shall attack the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix!"

It was a peaceful night and everyone at Grimmauld Place was sleeping, including Hericles who was curled up in Regulus Black's old bed. His sweet dreams were interrupted, however, by a vision. He was so in control of his Seer abilities that only important visions could reach him, and this was definitely an important vision.

Jerking awake, his eyes snapped open, revealing glowing white eyes, the usual green having turned white and lit up like a fiery white flame. As the burning receded, the green bled back in and Hericles blinked. With a gasp filled with horror and realization, he bolted from the bed and raced to the nearest room which turned out to be Sirius'. The snoring man sprawled on the large king-sized bed jolted awake as Hericles burst through the door.

"Wuh – Wha – Hericles?" the man blinked groggily.

"I apologize for waking you in such a manner, Sirius, but it is important that we evacuate the house as soon as possible," Hericles explained hurriedly.

"Huh – Why?" asked the man blearily, blinking his eyes rapidly to wake himself up.

"Death Eaters are coming."

Pause.

"Death Eaters!?" Sirius squawked in surprise, immediately awake as he jumped from his bed. "Wait, how do you know?" he stumbled and followed Hericles from the room.

"I am a Seer, Sirius," explained the 'younger' of the two, his voice as light and soft as usual, even as they made their way to Remus' room, which was the nearest to them. "Seer abilities have been running through the Feim blood for generations. It is not too far-fetched to believe that I am a Seer too."

"Explains a lot," came the thoughtful murmur. "What happened then? Why are Death Eaters coming here? How do they even know where we are? The house is under Fidelius."

"It would be best to wait for everyone before I explain everything I know."

They entered the werewolf's room and woke him up, giving him a quick explanation before they split up and went to wake the others, Remus going to wake Arthur, Molly and the twins, Sirius going to wake Ron and Neville, while Hericles went to the girls' room. Thankfully they were the only ones staying at Grimmauld Place or they would be losing even more time.

In no time the whole group, though highly confused, found themselves hurriedly assembled in the drawing room, ready to get away before the Death Eaters could appear. Right as they prepared themselves to apparate away in groups, the Floo Network flared green and the head that popped up suddenly found itself facing the tips of glowing wands.

"Oh, Albus," Molly let out a relieved sigh as they recognized the aged head floating in the fireplace. Everyone dropped their wands, though they still kept them close.

The Headmaster seemed somewhat surprised to see them all assembled like this, having expected all most likely to still be asleep, before he finally gathered himself and said, "Voldemort is preparing for an attack on Headquarters; leave immediately to Hogsmeade."

Those who had been sceptical about the validity of Hericles' warning but had still complied when it became obvious that both Remus and Sirius believed him – and there was also the fact that Hericles did not seem the type to give any false warning such as the one he had given them just for fun or to mess with them – finally felt the importance and urgency of leaving Grimmauld Place as soon as possible.

"Where will we be going?" Hermione asked as they all piled out the front door, keeping to the shadows in case the Dark Lord or the Death Eaters were already there.

"Let's go and meet with Albus first before looking for where we can relocate," Remus said and as one they apparated away, the adults side-along apparated the minors. And it was not too soon as no sooner had they left that another series of 'cracks' was heard and a group of dark cloaked figures appeared in the empty streets.

Earlier…

Severus Snape appeared on the edge of the Apparition wards in Hogsmeade and hurriedly made his way to the castle. He was awfully thankful that Albus had gone to check up on the wards or the Potions Master would have had to search for the eccentric man somewhere else, and he really did not have enough time to waste.

"Oh, Severus," he heard as he reached Hogwarts. It was late at night but the old Headmaster was standing at the gate of the castle, wand out and magic poking and prodding at the castle wards. It was better to examine the progress of wards being reinforced where the sunlight would not be hiding any intricate detail. Surprised to see the much younger man at such a late hour Albus Dumbledore turned to him inquiringly.

"The Dark Lord is planning a raid on Headquarters," was the hurried reply to the silent question. "He will be leaving soon with a legion of Death Eaters."

"I see," murmured the old man. "This is worrying. Should you be here? Isn't he going to wonder where you are?"

"I was sent to get a few battle potions, but I should still leave before he notices that I am gone for too long."

"Yes, it would be for the best. I am going to warn the others to evacuate Headquarters."

With this the two men separated and each went their way, hoping for the night not to end in tragedy.

Dumbledore was waiting at the Hogshead for them when they arrived. They were all immediately shooed to a warded room by the barkeeper who had a striking resemblance to the old Headmaster. The old man warded the room further for more precaution before he turned to them and made sure that they had arrived safely.

"Good, good. Everyone is safe and no one is hurt," he mused, stroking his beard.

"Albus, were the Death Eaters really coming to Headquarters?" asked Molly, unconsciously twisting her hands together in anxiety.

"Yes, Molly. Severus did not have the time to tell me how Voldemort was able to know where Grimmauld Place was, with the Fidelius Charm and all, but he was planning to attack tonight."

"It's a good thing Hericles was able to warn us then," Remus added.

"Oh?" Surprised, Albus turned to the younger Black. "You knew they were coming, my boy?"

Hericles nodded and explained, "As I told Sirius earlier, I am a Seer, much like other Feims in the past. I Saw how he was able to get the townhouse's coordinates and if we had remained behind a second later the night would have ended in bloodshed."

"I see," mused the old man as everyone else stared at Hericles in a new light. "This explains a lot."

"That's what I said!" Sirius piped up.

Dumbledore chuckled. "This is fortunate indeed that you have such a gift, though it is quite worrying that he was able to get the coordinates of Headquarters. I can only wonder how he was able to do it."

As everyone shifted uncomfortably, Hericles gathered himself for it was going to be quite a shock to the others and said, "Mundungus Fletcher had hidden a small piece of parchment with the address written on it. He was captured not long ago and tried to buy his way to freedom by giving it to the Dark Lord. Unfortunately for him he still died."

Molly let out a shocked gasp as others drew in a sharp breath. Albus' eyes lost their twinkle. "I see," said he, his voice low and grave. "Thank you for telling us, my dear boy. Your gift was of a great help tonight."

"Before you ask, sir," voice as soft and gentle as usual, Hericles said, "I am afraid that I cannot actively help you in the war to come. The Feims are neutral and I shall remain as such." Before protests could be voiced, what with how useful such a gift would be for their side in the future, the youngest Black added, "However that does not mean that I shall remain idle if I know harm is coming your way – any of you."

"I am not going to force you to join us, my dear boy," said the Headmaster. "I know how your gift can be useful but I am not going to ask a young boy like you to join in such dangerous activities, even though I have allowed others to but that was simply inevitable." He let his eyes roam sadly slightly over the youngest among them. "However, I thank you for your help, my boy."

"Oh, Albus!" Molly suddenly exclaimed, a hand reaching up to hold her cheek in an expression of horror. "What is going to happen with the poor muggles living at Grimmauld Place? We have just left them alone with You-Know-Who!"

"And knowing him he will most likely be quite angry that we were able to escape him before he even reached Headquarters," Remus added with a frown.

"And he shall do nothing," Hericles helpfully piped in.

"What do you mean, my dear boy?" asked Albus. "What is it that you know that we don't?"

"The Dark Lord may be angry," he explained softly. "But he shall not let his anger announce to the world about his resurrection before he chooses to."

The old Headmaster rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "You are right. Tom will most likely refrain from attacking the muggles if he does not want for his existence to be known yet. But that does not mean that his followers will be so lucky…"

"Sir?" a small voice called out through the grim atmosphere. It was Ginny who was clutching Hermione's arm tightly. "Where are we going to live now?"

"You can certainly not return to Headquarters since it has been compromised. Normally I would offer for you to room at Hogwarts until another place is secured but the castle is still unlivable until the last week of the summer. The Burrow is also too small to house everyone. Mr. Longbottom, would your grandmother agree to welcome a few people in her home?"

Neville hesitate before he regretfully said, "I don't think so, sir. She is still not happy about me being included in the Order."

The old man sighed. "I see."

After a few moments of listening to the worried mutterings, Hericles spoke up, "Would you be averse to staying at my home for a while?"

"Are you sure about this, my boy?" questioned Albus, though he was indeed curious about the legendary place Hericles had apparently grown up in. However they could certainly not impose on him.

"Quite," answered Hericles. "The Sanctuary is open to anyone in need of a sanctuary, thus its name. However I have to warn you, any harm you intend to the inhabitants of the island shall cause the wards to expel you and your memories of The Sanctuary shall be erased."

"Do not worry, my dear boy. We certainly do not intend any harm. I am sure we are all very grateful to you for opening your home for us."

"What are we going to do about our things though?" Hermione asked timidly as everyone else quietly thanked Hericles.

Said teenager turned to her with a gentle smile. "Worry not, for Xanthus shall be able to acquire them back without any problem." No sooner had he said that than the shadows around the room thickened and twisted, forming a thick gathering of shadows across a wall. Wands were hurriedly pointed towards the figure that suddenly stepped out of the shadows.

To say they were surprised to see a smiling man dressed in an old-fashioned suit appearing in front of them would be an understatement. They were even more surprised when the man turned to Hericles and asked, "Have you called for me, young master."

"Wha -!? How did he do that!?" Ron tactfully piped in. Xanthus turned his eyes to him making him unconsciously shrink. That man/person/creature was intimidating. Even more with his polite smile!

"What kind of protector would I be if I am unavailable when my young master needs me?" asked the shadow-shifter innocently, head tilted to the side and with his ever-present polite smile.

If he did not have so much self-control Hericles would have sighed in fond exasperation. "There is no need for you to tease them so, Xanthus," chastised him lightly.

The man back-tracked and gave a slightly apologetic bow of his head. "My apologies, young master. I am afraid I could not help it. How may I be of assistance to you, young master?"

Before Hericles could reply, Albus decided to interrupt. "I am sure we would all prefer to know how it was possible for your – ah – protector to appear here so suddenly without being given access."

"Xanthus is a shadow-shifter," explained Hericles when he noticed the uneasy looks being shared among the others – though he did not fail to notice Sirius giving his protector a sulky look. "As such no ward can really affect him, so long as shadows are present. But worry not for shadow-shifters are quite private beings and it is rare for them to interact with others not of their species if ever. Xanthus is the exception." Then turning to his protector, he added, "Go to Grimmauld Place and bring home our possessions. There is also a House elf who resides there. I want you to bring him back to, if he wishes to follow. When you are done bring us to The Sanctuary."

With a slight graceful bow and a "Yes, young master," the shadow-shifter was gone, leaving Hericles alone with his bewildered companions.

Note: My exams start in a week on the 4th and today was the last day I had to submit my last assignment and had a class test so I was able to give you this treat until my next - most likely unknown - update. I am quite tired so the last part is a little rushed. I am sure it is quite obvious but I still do hope you guys actually like it.

Don't forget to give me your opinions and what you think.

Question: What do you think of my representation of Harry? He is quite out of character, obviously, but is his behaviour actually realistic and likable? (Of course he is not going to accept Tom as his lover without a few mishaps that will later come in the story. He is not going to be someone who accepts everything Voldemort does simply because he loves him and neither is Voldemort suddenly going to change.)

So, yeah. Leave being a review and tell me your thoughts!

Leight.