A/N: Hey guys, I'm back and running a bit late I know, but you will have to blame the great people of Hungary as I was too busy being amazed at their absolutely stunning capital city, Budapest! It was an absolutely amazing experience and I cannot wait to go back. I also have to apologise for the truly shitty shitty cliffhanger I left you on, I'm so sorry, but I really couldn't help myself

I would also like to say a HUGE HUGE thank you to each and every person that reviewed/followed/favourited this story, and to all of you who have stuck it out from the beginning: you guys are what keep me writing even when RL sucks and tech fails. So, seriously guys, thank you! Plus, to all of you who have PM'ed me and have not got a response, I'm really sorry about that but I can only seem to see my messages through my emails and be having issues replying to the messages I have gotten up. It's a work in progress.

Anyway, enough of that, we have the next chapter to be getting on with!

A/N2: So, next chapter up after the big revelation and I'll admit, this was a rollercoaster to write – you guys may be in for a bumpy ride!

Warning: Possible mentions of violence or blood, definite slash and language.

Disclaimer: Honestly, if after 52 chapters and you haven't realised I'm not J.K I'm either doing something very right or very wrong... You tell me!

Chapter 52:

Harry appeared in his living room and everything crashed down on him, he dropped to the floor and stared listlessly at the wall. He couldn't believe this had happened to him. He didn't know how this had happened to him. It had started off so simple. A desire that was unreachable at first, but then the tides had changed and it became a dangerous game to play and a selfish pleasure. And now… now it was love. Love that he had been too blind to see happening and it was too late. He had fallen in love with the Dark Lord and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. It was so obvious and now it was too late. Worst of all, he had realised the exact time when he had blurted it out to Tom's face.

The man was famous for sneering at the mere thought of love, who scorned and mocked Dumbledore's belief in love and called it nothing but lies and weakness. And Harry had gone and told him he loved him. He'd slammed their connection closed because he could not bear to feel the disgust or disdain that would be emanating from Tom at his confession. It was like as soon as the words had left his mouth Harry felt everything start to crash down around him, and almost wanted to laugh hysterically at his past self's words the previous day. His so-called resolve to stay away from Tom just became a Hel of a lot easier because no doubt Tom would not want to be near him, just as Harry realised that he didn't want to stay away at all. Merlin, just remembering Tom's frozen expression made him want to throw up.

It was over. Done. Finished. He would never kiss or touch Tom again, he couldn't just go over and find him for whatever reason, he couldn't go and cook and share a meal with him, and he would have to watch the man everyday knowing that he was in love with him and it couldn't do anything about it. It felt like someone had their hand in his chest and was squeezing, tearing, ripping at his heart and crushing his lungs so he couldn't breathe. Harry felt his eyes burn and something trail down his face, he reached up to feel and found it was tears. He was crying. He tried to stop them but the more he tried the more they came. And it hurt. A choked sound escaped him and he realised it was a sob. He had never felt like this before, most of his emotions were beyond his comprehension as it was, but this was something entirely new. Harry wanted to fold in on himself and he gripped his hair; why did this happen? Why did it hurt so much? Even Tom's name made his breath catch painfully.

He could never have Tom for himself, he couldn't love the man freely and it wouldn't be accepted even if he tried. Harry couldn't handle these feelings, they were overwhelming him, swarming his mind and his mind flickering to the last time he remembered crying, the last time he had been so scared, so lost. His cupboard. Darkness. Safety. He needed to hide. Harry ran to his room and huddled under the covers, where it was dark and enclosed, where it was safe. He could get through this, he just needed to hide and forget all about his feelings. He needed to get rid of the pain, but it wouldn't go away. It kept swarming him, and Harry gasped harshly, his breath catching as the reality sank in to him and he cried. He gave up trying to push the tears away, it just wasn't working and he felt his entire being scream out at the injustice of everything. Why? Why was he so fucking screwed up that he couldn't even recognise that he was in love with Tom? Why hadn't he had a shred of self-control when it came to the man? Why had he let this happen? It was too much. He didn't want this, he didn't need this. He just needed himself, himself and his darkness.

Harry was so distracted that he didn't notice Luna's presence until she breached his newly labelled sanctuary and he came face to face with her open concern.

"Harry!" She whispered in shock, her voice shaking when she saw the fresh tear tracks and the utter pain in his eyes. "What happened?" Harry shook his head, not knowing how to explain what had happened but needing to. It was like the words were stuck in his throat, as if his body wouldn't let them out because saying them out loud would make it real. Luna, if possible, became even more worried at the state of her brother, this was not like him and she couldn't gleam anything from her usual ability to know everything; and she hadn't seen this coming.

She crawled in to the bed and tucked them both under the covers, sealing them away from the world knowing that all Harry wanted to do right now was be in the dark. She gently wiped the tear tracks away, not that it accomplished much as he was still crying, but it was a soothing none the less and until she found out what was going on then there was nothing else she could do. It took a while before Harry was able to speak, but when he did it was thick with a mix of emotions and stilted as if he couldn't get the words out.

"I messed up." He told her, and she could feel his entire body shaking next to her. "I messed everything up and now I don't know what to do." His crying became worse because that was the truest statement he had ever said, he didn't have an inkling on what he was supposed to do now. This pain he was feeling, it was all consuming, stronger than anything he had ever felt and Harry had no idea if or when it would go away. What if it never went away, what if it remained with him until he was killed or he finally went mad? He shuddered at the thought.

Luna was at a loss on what to do. Harry never ever cried. In the time that she had known him she had never seen him shed a tear, not when he was in so much physical pain that he couldn't move, not when he found out that his entire life had been a set-up, not even when he saw his dearest Godfather be killed before his very eyes. And now he was hiding and sobbing, trying to curl in on himself as if being consumed by something, like his very heart and soul were breaking…

And then it clicked.

Luna felt herself go pale. He couldn't have… Surely not now… She would have sensed something… And if he had, what had happened to cause such a reaction.

"You love him, don't you?" She asked quietly, and the shuddering breath answered her question.

"And it hurts." Harry admitted after a few minutes, his voice hoarse. "I fell for the one person I shouldn't, I fell for the one person that will never love me in return, I fell for the one person that I can't have. And the worse thing is, I fell in love and I didn't even know it was happening."

"Why did you come here?"

Harry released a somewhat hysterical laugh.

"As apposed to what? I just blurted out to the Dark Lord that I loved him and he looked at me as if I had killed his snake." Harry scoffed, "Nothing could ever come of this except pain and suffering, and I'd be surprised if he didn't look though me and pretend I didn't exist."

It killed Luna to hear someone as strong as Harry sound so utterly broken, so defeated. It was like his fight had simply left him. She cursed the fates for doing this. Why? What motive did this bring? To crush someone as good as Harry. What cruel punishment were they giving to make him so lost? Hadn't he lost enough as it was? There was only so much one person could take before they simply broke. Luna stilled. She didn't even want to imagine the traitorous thoughts that were slipping in to her mind. The most prominent being, what if this was his limit? Harry had enough going on in his life as it was, he didn't need this, and for the first time in a long time Luna wasn't sure of the outcome of a situation.

She didn't know if Harry could handle this pain, this torment without breaking. His emotions were wild, he felt everything intensely but at the same time he didn't understand what he was feeling half the time. He was basically clueless when it came to his emotions, adapting to what was happening around him because he didn't have much else of a choice and Luna wasn't sure he would be able to do that with this situation. It was much more complicated. He had fallen in love and she doubted that he would love anyone else ever again. It was almost mate-like. And he would be reminded every day that he was in love with the Dark Lord, Harry would have see him, talk to him, work with him, hell, he had the man in his head; literally! It would break him.

Luna cursed herself for not realising that he was coming close to understanding what he was feeling, if she had known that he had realised then she could have made sure she was there to walk him through it and help him understand. It must have hit him from nowhere and struck as an epiphany and he wouldn't have know how to deal with it and so he ran. And of all the people to fall in love with, it happened to be with an emotionally stunted Dark Lord, who would be as equally clueless about what he was feeling towards Harry; and Luna was 100% certain that he felt something. She needed more information if she was to help her brother correctly, she knew they had feelings for each other, so what she couldn't understand was why Harry was becoming more and more of a wreck whilst hiding in his bed.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She asked him softly and slowly, he nodded.

"He wanted me there last night so I went, I'd noticed that I couldn't sleep without him and it was tossing and turning in my mind, I knew why I couldn't sleep but I didn't know why. I couldn't seem to understand." Harry began, his voice unsteady as he spoke. "When I woke up it hit me how messed up the entire situation was, I couldn't even sleep without Him next to me; what the hell was wrong with me? We were talking and it hit me, I know all of his little quirks, his tastes, what makes him angry and what makes him smile and I was pleased about that. Why? Why did all that matter? We argued, and he said that it was my fault for making him always think of me and it just came out; I literally screamed I loved him to his face."

Harry shook his head and swallowed convulsively.

"If you could have seen his face." He whispered, horror and pain equal measure clear in his tone. "And so I did the only think I could; I ended it and ran."

"Harry…"

"I still don't understand what happened. When did I suddenly adore everything about the man? When did I fall in love with him?" Harry took a deep breath in an effort to control the feelings that were raging up inside him, and Luna had to stop herself from tearing up. She hugged him tightly and let him cry silently on her shoulder, murmuring how it would all be ok even if she didn't quite believe the words she was saying.

How she loathed Dumbledore and the Dursleys for crushing his emotions, the old man would pay for him one day of that she swore. Luna went to move, she had to see if she could do something but she found herself in a vice like grip as Harry clung to her.

"Please don't leave me." He begged, his voice barely breaking a whisper and had a note of desperation she hoped that she never had to hear again.

"Never." She vowed. They had the weekend before them to see if there was any light to be shed on this situation and Luna would just have to hope that there was something that could be done before Harry finally broke.

It wasn't looking good. Actually, Luna had gone from greatly concerned to downright terrified. What she had feared to happen was happening before her eyes and she couldn't stop it. They had been worried about how Harry would react, because as well as Harry worked on a day to day basis all of his friends were well away he was a step away from a full emotional breakdown. Dumbledore had literally been synthetically dictating Harry's emotions from eleven years of age, and before that all the green-eyed teen had to go on was his stunned emotional growth from the abusive household he had been forced to grow in. Ron and Hermione had been expecting it to happen in the wake of Sirius, but instead Harry seemed to quash as much as the pain from his Godfather's passing as possible and the rest had been hidden by Dumbledore.

These last few months had been the longest that Harry had been without Dumbledore's manipulations directly cast onto him so he was feeling more and more of his true emotions all without knowing truly what it was he was feeling. And now this had happened. Harry was losing himself far quicker than she could have predicted. She had convinced him to have something small to eat, only for him to violently vomit it back up. She had tried to get him out of bed and mobile if only in their rooms, and Harry's body had just collapsed on itself as if its will was no longer present. And she had tried to get him to continue to talk to her but it was a physical impossibility. When Monday morning dawned slowly, Luna was at a complete loss. Harry wouldn't eat, drink, speak or even move. And she knew he wasn't sleeping. He spent most of his time hiding under the quilts silently crying, curled up as if to protect himself from the world and Luna felt her own will slipping. It was worse at night, when his body's exhaustion tried to drag him in to sleep, he would be thrown back in to the present gasping and screaming, clutching at his chest before he would finally settle and curl in to himself some more.

She hated this, to see him so wasted. The few times he had breached the surface of his sanctuary he had looked around the room with an expression of utter loss, like he no longer understood what he was supposed to do with his life. His eyes were void of their bright spark and his magic was completely listless, blanketing the room like a void instead of burning and bouncing like it usually did. Luna didn't know what to do. She had even tried to find out information from the Dark Lord's side, only to discover that the man might as well have vanished. Snape covered his Friday lessons and the man's rooms were sealed tighter than anything she had ever seen before. The situation couldn't get any worse. She had had to call a meeting with the group because they needed to know what could potentially happen, and she needed their help. With the way things were going, Harry was not going to be fit to do anything remotely beneficial and they had plans they needed to put in to action.

She refused to let all of his efforts be wasted, even if he wasn't able to do things himself. Luna had to think as if Harry would get through this, because if she didn't then she wouldn't be able to keep going strong, and Harry needed her to be strong. She took a deep breath when she felt the others arrive, she had to do this, for Harry, because she wouldn't allow his suffering to be in vain.

"The others are here." She murmured, breaching the sanctuary and fighting back her own pain at his increasingly vacant expression. As she expected, she didn't get a response and so she steeled herself and walked in to the living room, the entire group was sat down, each of them had varying looks of concern on their faces and Luna shook. They turned to look at her as she came towards them, she knew she must have looked a sight because mild concern became outright worry and Neville was quickly by her side.

"What is the matter?" He questioned softly, and that seemed to be it. Luna's hand came up to cover her mouth as the tears she had been fighting all weekend finally broke free. She clutched Neville like a lifeline, and felt as she was surrounded by all her friends.

"What is going on?" Paws demanded, her voice urgent and taut with anxiety.

"He's hurting so much." She choked out, looking around at them all to see if they understood what she was saying, "I don't know what to do. He's falling apart and I can't stop it."

"Raven, Luna…" Swift tried, his face pale, "Where's Harry?" Luna shook her head, her tears not yet finished falling.

"He's breaking." She told them all, "I can't help him."

"No," Paws whispered, her hand automatically grabbing Swifts and gripping it tightly, "Merlin please no."

Luna gave her a helpless look.

"What has gone on?" Bleach demanded, his worry making him snappy.

"They broke it off." Luna stated and the entire group stilled.

"That's not possible." Fred said slowly, "Harry is practically in love with the man."

"I know, and so does he." She returned and Swift and Paws sucked in sharp breath, being the ones to know exactly what consequences that brought.

"Harry is strong." George pointed out, though it sounded as if he was trying to convince himself as much as he was the others.

"But he is still human." Neville whispered, "Everyone has their limit."

"He can't break, he's Harry." Swift stated, but his voice wavered in uncertainty.

"He's still crying." Luna said shaking her head, and they all gasped in horror, "He can't take it, it's like his will has just gone. I had to watch my brother, the strongest person I know, collapse in on himself because he is in so much pain his body physically cannot hold him up. He clutches his chest as if something is clawing at him, he doesn't eat, he doesn't drink, he doesn't sleep, and he doesn't move. He's losing it."

"No no no no no." Paws denied, rapidly shaking her head, "There has to be something, anything. I don't care. I can't lose him. Not now."

"If he can't take it then he's going to escape." Bleach pointed out.

"And he's already reverted back to hiding in the dark." Luna said, "I've tried everything I can think of, but I wasn't prepared for something like this. I thought we had time."

"Try to escape." Swift repeated in a murmured and then he went sheet white. "Holy mother of Merlin."

"What?" Venom asked worried, concerned over the rapid change of colour. Swift looked around at them all with fear in his eyes.

"When Harry is in a new situation where it seems as if there is no way out, what does he do?"

"He reverts back to his instincts. What does that have to do with anything?" Neville said, confused at the abrupt change. Paws clicked first and she also went white with horror.

"Oh Circe." She breathed.

"What is it?" Bleach snapped and Paws turned her own fearful eyes on him.

"If Harry reverts back to his instincts, the first thing he will do is rid himself of pain. What is the only way to get rid of emotional pain?"

"Well, you can't really." Venom pointed out, "You can hide them behind Occlumency and you can try to ignore them but its always there."

"Unless you didn't have emotions to harvest the pain." George pointed out, "But in order for that to be the case one would have to shut down their emotions…" the rest of the group shuddered at the mere thought.

"What would that even do to him?" Bleach whispered and Paws looked at him dead in the eye.

"Do you remember what he was like when he arrived at your manor during the summer?" She questioned and Draco's eyes widened in horror. "Like that, but worse, and all the time. And while he may recognise us, it wouldn't matter, because he'll no longer have the emotions to care."

Swift broke away from the group and stalked over to the fireplace, he gazed at the flames thinking on something that could help but he was coming up blank.

"He was my first friend, you know." Swift murmured, "I know I have brothers, but they are family, its different really. I already had a label when I started out for this school, I was the youngest Weasley boy, poor and a blood traitor, but to Harry, it didn't matter. He didn't care about any of that, he just wanted to know me, and he is my very best friend." He turned to face them and his eyes were suspiciously bright. "I have watched him face the impossible, I have watched as he has lost so much over and over again at the hands of others and I have watched him bear the brunt of the world on his shoulders. And I don't know if he can do it anymore."

"We have to stay positive." Neville said shakily, "We cannot give up."

"But what if we lose him?" Ron asked, voicing what they were all fearing to hear, "What if this is just too much for him. What if he finally gives up?"

"Then we do everything in our power to make sure he doesn't." Hermione's voice was quivering as she spoke, but you would have to be blind to miss the raw determination on her face. "We will not let Dumbledore win, we won't let him get the best of Harry, and we will not rest until that foul, loathsome man is in the ground rotting."

"He's going to pay for this." George murmured, his voice vicious and his eyes flashing.

"We have to begin organising." Swift stated easily falling in to leading as no one else had the will to do so. "We take the plans for the Wizengamot as if Snake isn't going to be there. The session is next weekend leaving us little time."

"You're right," Paws agreed nodding, "We know what Snake's outlook was, we build from that and go from there."

"Dumbledore goes," Draco stated firmly, the blonde was abnormally pale and his mercury eyes were like chips of ice, "He caused this, indirectly yes, but he is responsible."

No one disagreed.

"Will we know if he's managed to shut his emotions down?" Venom asked, part concerned and part determined.

"He'll eyes will go black and glassy, and his magic will go completely still – like he's dead." Paws told them.

"His eyes were green when he appeared at the manor." Draco said in confusion and Paws nodded.

"We believe Harry's instincts only supressed some of his emotions, leaving him the pleasure of revenge but not the pain, the betrayal ect."

"So the negative ones then?"

"Basically, yes. If he were to shut them down fully his eyes would go black and glassy like there is no one there, and, technically, there wouldn't be. He will cease to have contact with his humanity, his core being, because that is made from emotion – all emotions." Swift explained, "What we have to worry about is when his magic wakes up. He would have shut his core being, which results in the dead-like magic, but when his body adjusts so will his magic and Harry had a whole lot of it. All of his knowledge will still be there, all of his memories and his experiences, but he just won't feel them anymore. I know it doesn't sound that bad, but think about this. Harry actively retains his magic so it doesn't wreak havoc on everyone and everything, if he shuts down his emotions, he'll have no consideration or reason to do such a thing."

"Is there nothing we can do?" Fred said desperately and Paws shook her head.

"I don't know. The best we have is talking to him,"

"The only thing left it waiting it out." Swift agreed.

"We need to agree that we do not tell Moony about this." Badger cut in, "Yes, there is a possibility that he could help Harry, but there is also a possibility that he will completely lose it and that is the last thing we need right now."

"I agree." Bleach said with a nod, "He sees Harry as his cub, the wolf in him will not take kindly to this."

"Ok, but we're going to have to avoid him." Venom pointed out, "He's a wolf, he will smell that we're lying this close to the full moon."

"Oh wonderful, this should be a walk in the park." Paws grumbled. They began planning with a new vigour, if Harry couldn't personally make Dumbledore and his sycophants pay then they would for him, they would rip the world apart and rebuild it in Harry's vision.

This was not the end.

It had been decided that Harry would not be left alone at any point during any day, they still had to go to lessons but time turners were a beautiful thing and they made it work. But nothing changed. Day after day and night after night they would spend grouped together, trying to put some life back in to their friend and brother, but nothing seemed to work. It was agony, to watch someone so strong be reduced to this, but they didn't know what else to do and they all refused to leave him. On Wednesday they began to panic. It was Luna who noticed it, and her horrified exclamation drew the others attention.

"His eyes," She whispered, fear lining her tone. "Look at his eyes." There was a mad scramble for the group to huddle around Harry.

"This cannot be happening." Ron spat, clenching his fist at his side, storming back in to the main room. "What about Him? Where is He in all of this?"

It was a rhetorical question, of course. No one had seen or heard from the Dark Lord since Harry had broken down, but he was angry and scared and he wanted to hurt everyone who was making his best friend shut himself down to protect himself.

"We need to try and stay calm." Hermione rationalised.

"Calm? Calm?" Draco repeated, his voice an octave higher than normal, "How the Hel can we be calm when one of the strongest people we know is in so much pain, fear and Merlin knows what else that he has chosen to shut down his emotions!"

"We haven't got a choice!" Luna exclaimed, her voice rather shrill, "We don't know what's happened to Him, and we are the only ones Harry has got. If we fall apart now, then whatever little chance we may have will have gone. I will not risk it."

"Then I can't stay here." Draco snarled, his eyes bright, "I cannot watch as Harry breaks, I won't watch as we lose him."

"Don't say that!" Luna shouted, "Don't speak as if he's already gone!"

"LOOK AT HIM!" Draco roared, "His eyes are already losing colour and his magic fades by the day, we'll need a miracle to get through this. It's an impossible task, and the one who usually does the impossible is the one who is breaking. The Dark Lord has vanished, no one has heard from him. Everything is crumbling, and we have nothing to stop it."

"I have to have hope." Luna whispered, her voice cracking, "I have to. Because if Harry goes, what hope is left for the rest of us?"

Draco jerked back as if she had slapped him, taking two unsteady steps backwards looking at her with wide, scared eyes, before he turned and fled the room. He ran through the corridors, not caring about the looks he received, going further up in to the castle until he fell into the Room of Requirement. He stumbled over to the fireplace and floo'd to the one place he had always felt safe. Draco stepped out of the floo and called for an elf to take him to his mother. He may be sixteen and working to try and take over the wizarding world, but right now he needed someone who always knew what to say and always looked after him; that was his mother.

She was sat in the living room having tea and reading a magazine when he entered, but her attention quickly switched to him with a smile, that dropped into a look of concern when she saw him. Draco knew he must look like crap, he hadn't been sleeping. None of them had. How could they when Snake was internally falling apart?

"Oh my Dragon!" She breathed, rushing over to cup his cheek, "Whatever is the matter to cause you such exhaustion?"

He closed his eyes, just soaking up her love and concern, allowing all of his walls to fall and a single tear to slip down his pale cheek.

"Everything is falling apart." He whispered, the desperation in his voice making it shake, "It's all coming down and no one knows what to do."

"Draco, my darling, explain to me what has happened." Narcissa said firmly, her alarm going up at her son's behaviour. Draco opened his eyes to look at his mother before he spoke.

"Snake – Harry – has had a complete breakdown." He told her, making her eyes widen in shock and her concern grow, "He won't eat, he won't sleep, he doesn't or can't even move."

"What has caused such upset?" She demanded, her own voice tinged with worry.

"They broke it off-,"

"Excuse me?" She interrupted, "They broke up? How? Why?"

"We don't know." Draco admitted, "But they finished it and Harry just broke. Luna told us she found him hidden and crying last Friday and he's only gotten worse since."

"But what of the Dark Lord?" She asked, "Surely he wouldn't allow Harry to go through such pain?"

"That's what makes the whole situation even worse. He's vanished." Draco told her and she blinked.

"Vanished?"

"Yes, he's gone. He hasn't been for meals, he hasn't been teaching, been spotted in the corridors or at any bases, and his rooms are completely sealed." He explained and Narcissa gained a look of understanding on her face and something clicked in her mind. She had a sudden flash of insight on a way to correct the situation, and she just hoped it worked. She pressed a kiss to her son's forehead, lingering there for only a moment before drawing back and looking him in the eye.

"Go to your rooms here, get some proper rest and I will sort everything out." She assured him, and Draco gave her a small, wistful smile.

"I wish I could believe you, mother. I really wish I could, but this is bad. Swift – Ron – thinks that Harry might shut down his emotions, and by the signs occurring he's already started to." He explained and Narcissa went pale; this was worse than she thought, but her resolve was firm.

"Draconis Lucius Malfoy," She said, softly but firmly, "Trust in me to fix this, because I will not allow this to continue."

Draco looked at her for a full minute before slowly nodding his head, he could see that she had nothing but belief in her eyes and he had to trust that, like always, his mother would make everything ok again, because he had nothing else to trust in right now. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and left to room to follow her instructions.

Narcissa took a deep breath once her son was gone, slowly releasing it to steel herself for what she had planned. Oh how she hated Dumbledore and his perpetual habit of ruining lives, if he had just kept that crooked nose out of the way then they wouldn't be in such a situation. She called for an elf to fetch her cloak and made her way to the floo room, she took another deep breath before throwing powder into the flames.

"Nott Country Lodge." She called, vanishing in a swirl of green and stepped out in a small-ish room. An elf popped in to greet her and she asked for the master of the house, she was led up through the beautiful halls and directed in to the sun room, where the elf announced her arrival.

"Ah Narcissa, what a delightful surprise." Theodore Nott Sr. greeted her, and Narcissa smiled. "Come, have a seat." She gratefully accepted his offer and sat on the chair opposite him.

"Thank you, Theodore. I apologise for the abrupt arrival, I know it is not like myself."

"It is of no consequence, I enjoy a surprise every now and then." He waved her off with a small smile. "How have you been?"

"I am well, thank you. I have been able to relax as I shall be stepping down from the Wizengamot." She told him.

"Of course, the young Lord Potter-Black shall be returning to them. Yes, I have to say I am going to enjoy the next session. I am sure Lucius feels the same way."

"Oh yes, my husband is positively giddy." Narcissa admitted with a light laugh, "I have told him not to get away with himself."

They both chuckled at the thought of Lucius losing his cool in public, knowing that the likelihood of that happening were slim to none. Theodore looked over the younger woman in front of him slowly, picking up on subtle hints to why she had come, before setting his expression.

"I see that you are both tense and worried, my dear Narcissa. You have come with a specific purpose, please, speak freely." He said to her and she took a slow breath.

"I come to you because I know of no other." She told him honestly, her voice steady. "The situation is precarious, there is but one chance to solve it."

"What has happened so suddenly that you come to me?" He wondered, "Surely it cannot be our building rule, Marvolo would have written."

Narcissa nodded, accepting his words and knowing they were true.

"You are correct, my Lord would have written to you if it have been our rule." She verbally agreed, "He would not have written, however, if it were he who was in crisis."

Theodore's attention snapped to focus on her piercingly, he drew himself up straighter, his eyes concerned.

"If he were in crisis?" He repeated slowly, "No, I don't suppose he would. I wish to know the situation. If he is in a situation that warrants you to come to me then I presume it is dyer."

"Did my Lord happen to mention his affairs with the Lord Potter-Black?" She asked him hesitantly, and Theodore raised an eyebrow at the question.

"Of course. It is all his letters comply of as of late, and he introduced me to the young Lord just days ago." He smiled slightly, "He's completely smitten with the young Lord. I would have placed money on a wedding if I have been a gambling man."

Narcissa smiled at the thought, she would have done the same, in fact she had begun to plan one, so sure that her Lord would declare it sooner or later. Her smile faded as she remembered the reason she was here, she looked at the floor briefly collecting her thought before looking back up and speaking.

"They have split up."

The blunt statement seemed to ring around the room, and Theodore looked at her in utter disbelief, his lips even parted in his incredulity before it was replaced by a serious concern for his long-time friend and Lord.

"Dear Merlin." He murmured, "What in the name of Circe has happened in the week in which I personally saw their affections for the other?"

"I do not know of the exact details, but my son returned home, his face riddled with exhaustion. He explained how Lord Potter-Black has had a complete breakdown and our Lord has vanished, his rooms sealed tightly." She explained and Theodore's eyes were full of worry for his friend, even as his face was set in stone.

"I see why it is a precarious situation." He said, his voice low, "Am I to presume you come to me because of the age of our association."

"Yes," She admitted and he nodded.

"Why not approach Antonin?" He asked and she paused thoughtfully before she answered.

"While our Lord and Antonin get on well, you are his oldest and dearest friend. You have that connection with him."

"I shall do all that I can." He told her, after a moment of silence. Narcissa breathed in relief, her whole body relaxing.

"Thank you," She breathed, "Thank you so very much."

"I shall send word." He assured, and Narcissa rose to leave. She curtseyed out of respect for the man before her and followed the elf out.

Theodore took a deep breath and rose to his feet, his mind whirling at what he had been told and what it would mean. Sometimes, he really just wanted to shake the man he had been friends with for the best part of his entire life; for all he was a genius, he was completely clueless. He moved swiftly through his home, his shoes clicking on the polished oak flooring, he called for his cloak before attempting to step through the floo to where his Lord was staying. The floo fizzled, crackling and spitting before the embers died and Theodore's eyes narrowed.

"Oh no you don't, Marvolo." He grumbled, throwing more powder in to the re-lit flames. He hissed out the cut through word and stepped through the grate, the blocking wards being dismantled with the password. Theodore's eyebrows shot up at the stillness of the rooms, he followed his Lord's magic and was shocked, and rather concerned, to find the man in bed at such a time. This was the same man that sat and worked for four consecutive days, without sleeping, to make sure his mark was perfected. The same man that was never still to do nothing, never not active, even when he was sat down he would have a book or he would be planning, so to see him in bed was very unexpected.

It was obvious, then, just how fond his friend was of the Potter-Black Lord. Not merely fond, he was in love with him, and he couldn't help but shake his head at the man's foolishness. Well, it was up to him to make him see sense. Nott entered the room and sent a sharp stinging hex at the Dark Lord, to which he already knew to avoid the automatic killing curse that was sent directly towards his heart.

"It's a pleasure as always, old friend." He greeted calmly, and he would have been amused at the mess of his friend's appearance if the situation wasn't as it was. Theodore didn't so much as bat an eye at the fierce glare that was aimed at him, choosing to merely return it with a pleasant expression.

"You are disturbing my pain and self-pity." Tom snapped, "Why are you here?"

"Perhaps I am here because you have sealed yourself in these rooms and are currently in bed at three in the afternoon." Theodore suggested lightly, and, if possible, Tom's glare grew in velocity.

"I do not require you in my presence." He spat, waving his hand. "Be gone, Nott."

Theodore's eyebrows slowly climb in incredulity before a dark look crossed his face.

"Did you just dismiss me?" He inquired, his voice seemingly pleasant.

"You have never had problems with hearing before." Tom threw back viciously and Theodore bared his teeth.

"While your mark it is I wear upon my arm, as proud as I was when I was the very first person to receive it, to follow you for my lifetime with you as my Lord, it is your friend I am first and foremost. Friends, since we were scrawny little twelve-year-old fools, who got caught up in the pureblood politics and we had to aid each other to get out before we were swallowed alive." Theodore stated sharply, which made Tom blink. Noticing his friend's less hostile expression, Theodore nodded and continued.

"Now, would you care to tell me how you have monumentally screwed up this time?"

"Your insolence against me is astounding." Tom pointed out without heat, and Theodore gave a look that informed him exactly how much he cared. They sat in silence for ten minutes before Tom's famous impatience worked against him and he began speaking.

"It seems I have feelings." He ground out reluctantly and Theodore had to bite back a smile at how irrefutably put out the other man sounded.

"You have reconnected with them, I see." Theodore noted, "Would your sudden and sharp reconnection perhaps involve one Harry Potter-Black?"

"Do not speak his name." Tom hissed, to which Theodore received his answer.

"What happened?" He questioned.

"We had become distracted. We came to a mutual decision. It is for the best. There is a war rising and neither of us can afford to be anything less than focussed." Tom stated shortly, his voice almost robotic and Theodore noticed.

"You do not sound as if you agree with your own assessment." Nott pointed out and Tom hissed at him.

"I am the Dark Lord. I need to focus on my take over and subsequent ruling of our world."

"That is completely irrelevant." Nott informed him bluntly, gaining a look that from Tom that said he had lost his mind.

"Excuse me?"

"Did I not previously state that I come here as a friend, not a follower?" Theodore demanded, "You are about to perform the biggest mistake of your entire life over your blind and idiotic ideas of what you believe you need, instead of going after what you actually need."

Tom stilled stunned, he had known Theodore Nott since he was eleven and they had been friends since their second year of Hogwarts, and he had never been so directly insulting or spoke to him in such a way. And Tom honestly had no response. Theodore realised he and shocked his friend silent and nodded, pleased.

"Your belief that simply because you are the Dark Lord you need to be a loveless, cold hearted monster, who abides by the reasoning emotions are a weakness, is positively ridiculous." Theodore continued firmly, "You have found a perfect match, why do you insist on being alone?"

"What do you expect me to do?" Tom snarled, rising to pace, "To go to him and tell him that the mere thought of not being able to touch him again makes me want to rip out my own heart? The even the idea of someone else merely looking at him makes me want to burn the world to ashes?"

"Yes." Theodore answered simply and Tom span to face him, his expression one of utter disbelief.

"What?" He yelped, as if he hadn't heard him correctly.

"I said yes." Nott repeated.

"Theodore, you cannot be serious? It just doesn't work like that!"

"And why not?" Nott asked lightly, "You are infatuated with him, some would call it more."

"It is inconceivable-," Tom began but was cut off.

"Think, Marvolo. Have you ever felt like this about any other person?" Theodore questioned, his voice intense. Tom didn't answer, but Nott could see that he was beginning to think. "Think about all of the things that make you feel anything about him, even if its annoyance, and even if this is the only time you do, truly listen to what your feelings are telling you."

"I do not know if I can." Tom admitted quietly and Theodore smiled slightly.

"The fact that you allow him to call you Tom should make you think. You do not allow that of anyone, so why him? Forget about your cold logic and beliefs, and just feel." He advised, "You are never one to fail in a task, do not start now." With that, Theodore turned on his heel and left the Dark Lord to his thoughts. If he knew anything about the man at all, his mind would be whirling and they might just get the results they wanted and needed.

Tom himself did not feel good what so ever. When Harry had left him Friday morning after making such a declaration, the Dark Lord had stayed staring at the spot where Harry had stood for a long time. He'd never put much stock in to emotions anyway but he had often found himself sneering at the thought of love; it was nothing but an inconvenience. Besides, no one would ever claim to love him in any capacity so what did he need for this supposed great emotion when he was on a quest to rule the world. And that was completely fine. He hadn't craved love and affection, he hadn't wanted to share his life or find a significant other; the thought hadn't even crossed his mind at all.

Until Friday morning.

He had been much more honest with Harry than intended when he admitted the teen was always on his mind and knowing he wasn't coming back was like someone had ripped something out of him leaving him hollow in a way he had never experienced. Worst still, he hadn't been able to simply push those feelings away. Harry had said he loved him, him, and if it wasn't for the teen's expression and immediate well of feelings that followed that confession Tom would have said he was lying. But Harry's face was one of shocked realisation and then terror before he fled and Tom had done nothing to stop him.

The Dark Lord had found himself overwhelmed and extremely underprepared to react to such a thing. He had thought he would have immediately rejected the thought of love, laughed in the face of it, but he had been so surprised he had allowed Harry to leave and by the time he had realised that he couldn't place any negative connotations on the declaration it had been far too late. Harry was gone and whatever they had been doing was gone. The Dark Lord had been furious and he had clung to that anger, but it hadn't lasted and it had left him feeling more drained than before.

Then he was just lost. Never before had he been in such a situation, and for the first time since he was a young boy he honesty did not know what to do. All his motivations and energies vanished from his body and he found himself lying in his bed with his mind turning over as he was surrounded by Harry's scent. Tom couldn't even bring himself to move, he felt both sick and empty, so he had sent word to Severus to cover his lessons. He didn't know it was possible for him to feel so many things at one time and in such strong capacity, let alone identity and organise them; it seemed impossible. Yet there was one clear thing that had been there since the very beginning and that was everything centred around Harry. While he didn't know what exactly he felt, he knew he felt something and it was strong; so strong. And he was scared, scared of what he was feeling, of how much he was feeling.

What made it worse was knowing he wouldn't have Harry with him. It made him not want to do anything. Something Tom had never experienced before because he had always been motivated; there was always something to be done. But now there was nothing. He didn't know how long he led there, before Theodore appeared. He didn't sleep because the bed was too cold and empty without his Harry, as still in his mind Harry belonged to and that refused to change, in his arms and Tom hated it. He didn't eat because food seemed pointless and unappealing. Feelings had never been his strong point, and he didn't have any previous experience to go by, no one had ever had him hooked like Harry. No one had captured all of his interest like Harry had, from his power and looks down to his weird and amusing quirks that Tom found endearing.

He adored the teen. Tom had never cared for anyone or anything as much as Harry, it was like without him everything was irrelevant, and he didn't understand. What started of as casual fun, and a lot of fun at that, had turned in to this mess. The longer he allowed his thoughts to whirl, the easier it was to pick out detailed that he had previously overlooked or missed. He wanted Harry around all the time, he wanted to be the on that made those green eyes light up, he wanted to be the one that Harry turned to and he wanted to show Harry off to the world as his.

Harry had said he had loved him, he had been shocked, he had been overwhelmed but hadn't he felt a shot of pure delight of the thought of holding Harry's attentions to such a degree under everything else. He had always believed love to be a weakness, but coming from Harry? As with everything else it was so much different. Furthermore, it called in to question just what exactly he was feeling for Harry in return, because if he was pleased that Harry loved him it meant that he was no longer automatically rejecting the thought of love. What was he feeling for his teen? Did he love Harry? Even as he asked himself he knew he didn't know the answer. The Dark Lord didn't have any previous experience to build on, he didn't even know what to look for. It wasn't something you could learn or research, it was an unknown and Tom didn't know what to do. The mere thought of someone else ever touching Harry again sent a wave of burning rage through him. So, he analysed everything that he had worked out and came to the realisation that he wanted to be with Harry, not just for sex or for his power, but just for Harry himself. He wanted him, he wanted to hear Harry say those words again, he wanted his teen's attention focused on him alone.

And then Theodore had arrived. He cursed the infuriating man for his rational thoughts, but he knew they helped clarify things. Harry was his perfect match. He wouldn't need to protect the teen, he wouldn't need to change who he was or what he did, and Harry would actually help to do everything he wanted done. He may not know exactly how he felt, but he knew he felt something strong for the teen. So why be apart from him? And that's when it clicked. Why should he be apart from him? Tom couldn't answer that, he wanted Harry, he wanted him so much that it was causing him pain. And Tom Riddle always got what he wanted. Harry would be with him and screw the consequences, if problems arose then he, or they if everything went to plan, would deal with it when the time came and he would discover everything he was feeling along the way.

The connection had been firmly closed since Harry had left Friday morning so there was absolutely no indication as to what his teen had been feeling or doing at the current time, so Tom cast a quick freshening charm over himself and pulled on the first shirt and trousers he laid his hands on before apparating directly to the teen's rooms. The very first thing he noticed was that there was absolutely no magic in the air indicating Harry's presence nor was it lingering in the rooms to show he had been there recently. The second thing he noticed was that all of Harry's friends were in the sitting room looking absolutely awful and both females were crying; all without Harry. Unsurprisingly, his appearance did not go unnoticed and the three Prewetts', the Longbottom teen and the Widow's son stood and faced him with varying looks of anger on their faces.

"Why are you here?" Swift demanded, his voice cold and Tom's eyes narrowed.

"Why do you think I am here?" He returned in the same tone.

"Haven't you done enough to Harry?" Neville questioned, his voice clipped.

"I haven't done anything to Harry." Tom stated, slightly confused, "Where is he? I cannot feel him."

"You wouldn't. He's busy shutting down his emotions." Ron spat viciously, and Tom flinched, his face draining of colour. He felt his entire insides go cold at the mere thought and he could not stop the curse that slipped through his lips.

"When did he start?" He demanded and if any of them noticed the change in expression or the blatant worry in his voice they didn't say anything. After all, they could all see the raging emotions in his crimson eyes

"We saw the visible effects this morning." Luna answered him, cutting off Swift's snappy retort and motioning towards the bedroom. "We've done everything we could think of but…"

Tom closed his eyes briefly before spinning on his heal and entering Harry's room.

"You do realise that if this fails then we're better of fleeing the country than sticking around." Venom pointed out, breaking the growing silence.

"Let's go." Paws decided, "We can hope for the best outcome elsewhere."

"When do we come back?" Swift asked worriedly.

"I think we'll know." Luna murmured, "Either way, for better or worse, we'll know." They left the rooms, each hoping that the Dark Lord would somehow get through to Harry before it was too late.

Wham bam thank you ma'am!

It's all up to Tom now...

Jess*