~Chapter 11~ Introspection – Jan to Feb 1993~

Harry stood frozen for a few seconds as he reappeared in his room, for a moment he thought that Death would linger, but the being wisely decided to make himself scarce…

Why the hell did I do that?! I held Voldemort…! Hm, maybe he would allow me to call him Tom, or Marvolo…? No! Get it together! He's really going to kill me when he sees me again…! Why didn't I just keep my mouth shut? He knows… I'm sure he knows who I am now…but I couldn't just leave him like that!

Harry shuddered as he recalled the screams. Despite Salazar's warnings, he hadn't expected the transformation to be so brutal and he'd acted on instinct and held the other man before his mind even comprehended that he'd moved.

The moment he'd grabbed the other man and threw his arms around his waist, something inside him had calmed ever so slightly, but he still didn't know why…why was he so obsessed with a man that was trying to kill him? Why was he giving him gifts when the man would delight in nothing more than to AK him?

It bothered him, but he wasn't ready to give himself up due to some strange emotions. First, he had to talk to his friends, and although he wouldn't reveal the gritty details, he still had to explain what he did and why he did it…and he wasn't looking forward to it.

He looked at the castle walls around him as Hogwarts gave him a magical hug as if to calm him down…he still didn't feel like getting up though. An hour later he finally managed to drag himself from bed to head down to breakfast, it was the weekend so he had a bit of time to himself and he made a detour to the kitchens instead, though if he were honest with himself, he knew he was putting off the talk he needed to have with his friends.

Finally, he wandered towards the Black Lake where his friends had gathered. They were talking and laughing and for a moment, Harry felt like an outsider looking in as he realized that he would never truly fit in with them as he did with his friends from the past. Sure he could tell them about what happened, but they were already in their second year and none of them had gone through the life and death situations that had strengthened them and given them their drive and unity in the first place. They were still innocent and whole while he was slightly jaded and broken…

He felt Death appearing in his mindscape for a moment before a weight dropped into his pocket. He quickly ducked behind a tree and opened the letter, only to fight off a smile as a familiar scrawl greeted him.

Hi Harry

Hope you are doing well. We are missing you here but from what Death has periodically told us (And why the HELL didn't you tell us he could pop up at any time? I was in the middle of a meeting with the French Minister when he appeared and he almost made me look like an idiot because I was talking to something that wasn't there! Luckily they thought I had just been working a little too hard…but I swear I am going to have you make this up to me!), you have been quite busy so far. Hope you are doing well…people have been going insane looking for you and we have been sitting back with popcorn (You should have seen the first time Ron and Draco tasted some, it was HILARIOUS!). They are all looking for a hero to solve every little problem and as sad as it is, I almost wish that you left our Voldemort alive for a little longer…only until the biggest idiots were taken care of at least.

Anyway, enough of my rant, the boys are all sending their regards, and Luna is sending her love. Luna says that Lomitholites have taken over Voldemort's brain so you don't have to be afraid of dying any time soon, whatever that means…but please stay out of trouble.

Regards

Hermione (and the rest of the gang)

Harry's face became red at the mention of Voldemort and he almost cursed Luna for her foresight, but if she states that Voldemort wouldn't outright kill him, then he knew he could relax…at least for a little bit.

Harry tucked the letter into his pocket before glancing to the side and sending a grateful smile to Death, who seemed to have reappeared to make sure that he was ok. The being nodded before disappearing once more and Harry marveled at the feeling of having someone, or something, else looking out for his wellbeing.

It was a feeling he struggled to get used to, but it felt nice. He turned and made his way to his other friends with a renewed sense of purpose, but in the end, he wasn't able to reveal or talk about anything as they continued their lighthearted chatter.

He told himself that he didn't feel alone, but in the end, he stalked down Salazar, who gave him one knowing look before inviting him in.

"If I were to read your mood then I'd say it didn't go too well…" The Slytherin founder didn't say anything else for a few moments and Harry turned to see what the man was doing, only to see that he was using the Floo to contact someone.

Harry was about to sneak out of the room to give the man some privacy but Severus stepped through the flames and caught him by the cloak just as he reached the door.

Harry turned and glared at the man, but Severus merely dragged him into his arms. "I heard you're making people worry again…what did you do?"

Harry shot a betrayed look at the man, and a slight glare at Salazar, as he separated himself to an arm's length, "I didn't do anything!" Salazar and Severus both chuckled lightly before Salazar threw an arm around his shoulders. "Yes, you have, though I have to admit that it wasn't your fault this time around, not directly at least."

Severus and Salazar led him over to the couch before lightly pushing him down and taking a seat next to each other on the couch next to his. Salazar waved his hand and three cups of tea appeared as Severus scrutinized him, making Harry squirm in place.

"Harry, you know you don't have to tell them if you don't feel ready for it…the world that you came from doesn't have to exist in their minds if you don't want it to. Both Salazar and I know about it so you can talk to us about it at any time."

Harry nodded before leaning back with a tired sigh, "I know that, I guess it just didn't occur to me until now that I am mentally more than double the age of my friends, and then there was the latest incident with Voldemort and…"

He felt his godfather stiffen slightly next to him as he trailed off, and he realized that he hadn't told them about the latest development yet. He shot a glance from Salazar to Severus, but before he could make a quick excuse and escape, he felt the telltale signs of Salazar's magic falling over him as his body was kept in place.

He rolled his eyes and glared at Salazar once more, "You know I can easily get out of this right?" The man shrugged in response, "Of course, I know, but are you really going to keep running, or are you going to tell us what happened? Severus told me earlier that the Dark Lord had been quite impatient during their last meeting, not that many could tell mind you, but seeing as it was the new moon, I gather that he performed the ritual for the trials. I wonder how that went…"

Harry sighed and laid back as much as he could before closing his eyes in frustration, "I used death magic to visit the ritual's mental trial area and at first Voldemort merely spoke to Death, everything was going fine until the shadows decided to accept him…", Harry saw Salazar wince and Severus gave him a questioning glance before returning his attention to Harry.

"I know it was stupid, but I couldn't take it, seeing him in so much pain, so I stepped forward and held him. It felt strange like something just seemed to click into place, but I didn't allow him to turn and see me because I know what will happen once he does. Anyway, the moment the pain seemed to end I hightailed it out of there, but I stupidly mentioned something that I only mentioned in my letters before so now I am certain he thinks I'm some weird stalker and that will give him even more of an incentive to kill me…heck maybe he won't even accept his next present now."

He saw Salazar and Severus give each other a knowing look before Salazar sat forward slightly, "I wouldn't worry about it too much, even though you can't die, Death wouldn't leave you in a situation where you might get hurt. I have a hunch about what is going on but if I were to tell you, then it might ruin something special."

Harry wanted to thrash about and get angry, but Salazar merely shook his head, "I know you hate it when people keep secrets from you…even more so when the secret involves you, and that is why I am telling you that I am keeping a secret instead of just keeping quiet. If it is any consolation, I can tell you that it is a good secret."

It didn't make Harry feel any less frustrated though, but he could do nothing but accept it, "So I guess I won't be telling my friends anything for the moment…but why did you urge me to tell them at all?"

Salazar tilted his head slightly, "I believe that your friends would accept you no matter what, that is why I think that it would be fine if you told them, but you've chosen to protect their innocence instead, which I believe is quite admirable. For all that you've gone through, I think that you know enough to be able to make your own decisions and neither of us will try to interfere unless you place yourself in harm's way. That is after all, what a family does, is it not?"

Harry's head shot up and he felt his eyes widen, "Family?"

Severus rolled his eyes and lightly flicked him over the head, "Of course, we are a family…do you really think that you will be rid of me sometime soon? If you weren't emancipated already I would adopt you in a heartbeat. Salazar and I have already made you our heir, though in Salazar's case you would be the second heir."

Harry felt like his breath had been knocked out of him as he stared at the two men, and at first, he didn't realize that Salazar's magic had already released him, but then he was pulled into a hug before Salazar decided to try out something he'd seen one of the students do to their younger brothers, "Nooooogie…"

Harry abruptly pulled away in horror, and his expression was mirrored by Severus before they burst into laughter while a clueless Salazar looked between them, "What happened? What did I do?"

Harry sipped his tea while a patient Severus explained what exactly a Noogie was, and the expression on the founder's face at being seen doing something so childish was something to remember.

Something niggled at the back of Harry's mind as the couple spoke, until finally he quickly sat upright and looked at Salazar, "Voldemort made your locket into a Horcrux, would it still be ok for me to give it back to him? It is your locket after all…"

The founder looked pained for a moment, "That locket was given to me by Godric, as a sign of our eternal friendship, but I believe he would accept it if one of his descendants gave it to their own Slytherin of choice…"

Harry beamed before quickly saying his goodbye and rushing out of the room, leaving Salazar to glance at Severus in confusion, "He does know that Voldemort's birthday just passed right?" Severus just smiled before using his magic to close the door.

~~~…Voldemort…~~~

Voldemort looked over the items on his desk. His mate's scent was on every single one of them and yet they held no clue to his mate's whereabouts. It was downright frustrating and he was sure that his mate would continue to keep his distance because of the idiotic idea that Voldemort would somehow bring him harm.

Just the idea made his hands itch to soothe his mate's fears and he had to bite back the urge to growl. He was still getting used to the changes within both his body and his instincts, but knowing that his mate was out there made it extremely hard to keep them under control.

It should have frustrated him but knowing that there was someone out there that paid enough attention if the gifts were any indication, and knowing that they had been made for him, well, it was more than he could ever have hoped for.

He knew he had to still track down the Potter boy, but he was sure that his mate would be angry at him if he hurt a child, so instead, he would merely have the boy swear an oath that would negate the prophecy. If the prophecy wasn't a fake of course.

His mind was clearer than ever before and he was now certain that the event that led up to that late October night had all been orchestrated by Dumbledore. He closed his eyes and focused on a singular link and a moment later, Lucius appeared before him.

The man said nothing as he bowed before him, and Voldemort had to bit back a grimace of distaste, "Rise, Lucius, I can tell that you know that I have returned to my old self." The man in question lifted his head, but he did not rise from his position.

"You may have returned to your old self my Lord, but I have some news that might upset you nonetheless." Voldemort raised a brow and motioned for the man to continue.

"You gave me a book to safeguard, and yet upon my earlier perusal of the library, I found that the book in question had disappeared. I cannot find any leads on the one that took it, as even Draco knew to leave that section of the library alone."

Voldemort felt his heartbeat jump…could it be possible that he might have a lead?

"Was there anyone new that visited the manor recently? Someone that would have a personal interest in taking the book?" Voldemort watched closely as Lucius went through his usual mental guest list. The man's eyes widened before he slightly tightened his lips, which was a telltale sign of the man already suspecting someone, but not knowing how to reveal the person without consequences.

"Lucius, I would advise you to simply tell me before I get impatient…"

Lucius cringed before he sighed, which was quite uncharacteristic for the man, "My son became friends with Harry Potter during his first year, and he invited him over as the boy seemed to be a lot more Slytherin than we could ever hope for, and he had proof that the boy wasn't the golden boy that Dumbledore had always made everyone believe. In fact, Dumbledore was downright stalking the boy to such a degree that the different houses came together to protect him from Dumbledore."

Voldemort suppressed the urge to growl, for some reason, the mere idea of the headmaster being close to the boy set his nerves on edge…hmm…maybe he could get the boy on his side? It would solve both their problems where the headmaster was concerned.

He turned to Lucius, "Do not worry, I have managed to regain possession of the book in question, but from now on you need to keep an eye on the boy. Make sure that he has what he needs, even if you have to state that you take care of Draco's friends."

The blonde man nodded before Voldemort dismissed him. A thought fluttered through Voldemort's mind before he scoffed. There was no way that a mere boy would be able to do the things that his Ghost did, but the boy may have some sort of communication with his mysterious mate, and that could be how his mate managed to get the diary back for him.

If only his mate left him some way to contact him back.