He was grinning. Not just like that, but also with such delight and amusement that the only thing Harry wanted to do right now was to hit the grin off Tom Riddle's face. Why the hell was he so happy?
Okay, he himself was overjoyed every time he was able to return to Hogwarts, but he had a good reason… well, more like three… and maybe even one to add which he didn't even want to consider, at least not after what had happened last week… Whatever…
"Stop that!" Harry grumbled again annoyed as he walked next to the ex-student under the Invisibility cloak his father had left for him. He was having this mood changes far too often…
Tom's smile widened, he knew what was bothering the young boy. But he didn't care right now. So instead of trying to disguise his joy he started to whistle very silently.
Harry wanted to strangle him. "Would you keep it quiet? What if anyone hears us? What if Norris hears us?"
"The cat?" Tom asked surprised.
"Yes!" Was the tense reply.
"It's still alive?"
"Yes!"
"Wow…" He giggled.
"What now?" Harry glared at him.
"I like that cat." Tom shrugged. "Damn, it must be some pretty old one now…"
"Don't you think in 60 years the cat might have died and they simply got a new one keeping the name?"
Tom shrugged again. "Don't know, besides I'm not that old." He sighed. "It can't possibly be 60 years since I've been here…"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever… Would you simply keep in mind why we are here wandering around my school at 3 am while I should be sleeping?"
"Okay, okay…" Tom sighed. "You're awfully tense lately…"
"What could probably be the reason?" Harry snapped. "I figure out I'm not normal, that Draco is supposed to tutor me in the arts of the clan, that Fred and George are clan leaders, that you are young again and don't want to kill me, but are actually one of the good ones." He glanced at the Dark Lord. "And now I have Snape and Peeves to top that." Glare. "I can't even tell my friends and I have to keep pretending I haven't changed… and you think I shouldn't have a reason to be a little stressed at all?"
Tom raised his hands in defense. "I didn't say it would be easy, you know."
He got a snort as a reply.
Tom sighed, wondering where that boy had gotten those bad moods. James had always been a happy person and Lily was simply…. Lily… fucked up as he had always considered her, but not in bad moods… No, this wasn't simply because of what had happened, Harry was of good nature, there was something else to it. And he wouldn't be Tom Riddle if he didn't figure out what!
Harry muttered something angrily under his breath continuing his way trough Hogwarts.
Tom sighed again. He had to admit that Harry could sometimes be just as difficult as his father.
…James…
Potter was the reason he had gotten himself stuck in the human world for. The reason he had become a Dark Lord… The reason behind him trying to kill his best friend… The reason he had tried to destroy the boy next to him…
An old and hated feeling rose slowly in him… He hated his own incompetence… the past was done, but it had left scars on him, not visibly, but Tom knew they were there… That was the reason he was helping Harry, so that maybe one day he could forgive himself for letting his emotions rule his action and having killed James, his wife… for having harmed Draco and Harry… and finally himself and-
"Tom?"
He was brought out of his reverie. "Yes, Harry?"
The boy sighed. "Look I'm sorry, I guess I'm a little tired."
Tom laid his hand on the boy's head with a smile and fuzzed his hair. "Don't worry."
They continued their way heading down to the dungeons. Harry felt his whole body tense up. The air was cold and humid. He coughed slightly, not really wanting to tell Tom that he had been having a cold for the last week. As if he didn't have enough problems. Harry pulled his cape closer around him to keep himself warmer.
A few minutes later they stood in the room where Peeves was still frozen. Tom had to keep down a smile; this was not the right time to find anything amusing.
Harry lifted the cloak from them. "So how do we get the Baron now?"
Tom had a secretive glimmer in his eyes as he put his hands in his jacket's pockets. "I show you…" The young man closed his eyes.
Harry looked at him. It was sort of awkward to imagine that the boy there could be the age of his grandfather and looked no older than he did. But Harry also knew this was the ability of the clan. Although according to Tom, he should look older. The Slytherin had explained that it might be because of the blood ritual he had done on the Boy-Who-Lived in his fourth year… A darkness lay over Harry's soul, no matter what, he hadn't been able to forgive Tom for Cedric's death. He had forgotten it… laid that fact aside… but he couldn't forgive…
Harry watched attentively as a white-silver aura rose around Tom gliding like little shooting stars to the ground and disappearing in the stone. This went on for a few moments then Tom opened his eyes and the aura vanished.
"What did you do?"
The older one shrugged lightly. "It's a summon spell. You join your self with your surroundings for a short moment and can tell them to pull the thing or someone you're looking for to you. It's sort of dangerous if you can't assure your body's safety, you might get trapped in whatever you choose to melt with." He sat on the ground pulling one leg to him. "But it's the fasted way so find someone in a place like Hogwarts." He smiled at Harry and nodded for him to sit next to him. "Now we just wait for him to come and then we continue with your part."
Harry nodded and laid his father's cloak on the ground to sit on it. Tom raised an eyebrow amused but did not comment. Harry coughed again, this time the sound of sickness hanging on to it.
"Are you okay?" Tom looked at him concerned.
"I think I caught a cold during Quidditch training." He gave the ruby-eyed one a reassuring smile. "Nothing to worry about."
Tom didn't take his eyes of him for a moment, maybe that was the reason Harry was having those mood changes… Then again maybe not... Whatever the case he was not going to force the boy to tell him. So he simply nodded and looked at Peeves. "I should have done that when I was in school…"
Harry smiled and leaned on to Tom. The other blinked for a moment but did not protest. It felt sort of nice… like when James had done it on various occasions.
"Say Harry…" He started.
The boy made a questioning sound.
"… When you woke up in Severus' arms… did you feel disgusted?" He had to know.
"… Not really…" Was the soft reply. "Why?"
"It's just that…" He bit on his lower lip. "Hmm… Nothing… Just forget I asked."
Harry leaned back and looked at him. "Why?" A demanding tone in his voice.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle…"
They both looked up to the Bloody Baron coming down from the ceiling. He looked at Harry surprised. "And young Potter…"
Tom was grateful for the ghost' appearance, he didn't really want to explain to Harry what he was thinking right now. He got up from the ground and dusted his hands off. Then with a cold glare and a dark smile he faced the Baron who was now in eyesight with him.
"Long time not seen." Said Tom calmly.
Harry to his left, got up as well, his face expressionless as Draco had taught him.
The Baron nodded to Tom. "Indeed." He glanced at Harry for a moment before turning to Tom again. "Why did you call me, for it was you, wasn't it?"
Tom's smile was icy. "Yes, it was I who called you."
The Baron didn't move, nor did he seem affected by Tom's attitude. "I hear."
"I want you to keep Peeves quiet."
The Baron moved his eyebrows up questioningly.
Tom moved a bit behind Harry and put his arm on the boy's shoulder resting his head on it, an amusing dark smile on his lips. "He happened to see my young friend here in something we don't really want to get into." He glanced at Peeves. "And you can see how young Mr. Potter here reacted to it."
Eyes narrowed at them. "So when we release him, I want you to make sure he keeps quiet and keeps everything to him. I don't want him disturbing my friend here. "Tom passed his fingers over Harry's cheek. "Also you will not ask him." He pointed with his wand at the Baron.
Harry blinked, when had Tom reached for his wand?
"Will you do me that favor?" No question, it was an order from the Dark Lord and Harry could see that the Baron knew it.
The Slytherin house ghost nodded after a while. "Very well."
"Good." Frozen darkness in the voice. "Now, Harry, release our friend there."
Harry shuddered unwillingly, he had been present at the reunions of the Death Eater's often enough to have heard Tom speak like that, but it chilled every bone in him every time.
He took a deep breath forgetting about the sudden cold around him closing his eyes. This had to work in the first try, otherwise Peeves would know that Harry was not fully in control of the Magic of the Clan. He lifted his hand and pointed with a finger at the frozen figure. He murmured words under his breath as he wrote Runes in the air. He heard the crackling of his spell… and then Peeves was released from his prison.
Harry opened his eyes, he just hoped this would work; he had no intention in having everyone know what had happened in the dungeon.
"Well, Mr. Peeves welcome to our present time." Tom gave a soft sadistically laugh from him. "I hope you remember me."
Peeves looked from the two mortals to the Baron, then back at Tom. "Voldemort…"
"Ah, good memory I see." A pause. "Now, I understand that you witness some very interesting things." He nodded slightly to Harry. "Mr. Potter was so nice to inform me and ask me to assure your cooperation to keep that event a secret." He played with his wand between his fingers. "The Baron also assured me he would control your collaboration on this." The voice was pure evil.
Harry noticed the Baron's eyes narrowing and saw why. Tom had used a spell; the tip of his wand was trickling magic. Harry wondered what Tom had done.
The young Dark Lord straightened up and turned his back to them. "I hope it is clear to you that if you break this contract, I will not stop until I punish either one of you." His head turned to them slightly, ruby eyes shimmering dangerously. "I can come in here anytime, and no one can stop me! Understood?"
The others nodded in agreement.
"Then leave now, I'll talk to Mr. Potter about his report of your conduct to me." A dark smile.
Harry watched amused as he two ghost left as fast as they could. He turned to Tom. "What did you do?"
"I hexed them." He said absently. "A harmless tickling spell, but they don't know that." His face brightened, all the darkness lifting like it had never been there in the first place. He walked over to Harry and touched his forehead with a finger. "And you, Harry, will go immediately to Poppy to get something for your cold. Because I felt your fever on me." He picked the Invisibility cloak from the ground and handed it to the boy. "We'll have a reunion with the inner circle of the DE's next week and you've got to be healthy!"
Harry sighed. Tom had noticed the fever. "Okay…"
Tom laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Then go… I can manage my way back alone." A friendly smile.
The green-eyed boy nodded. "Here take the cloak."
"No, I can do better." And with that Tom vanished before his eyes.
"And I thought one couldn't Apparate in Hogwarts."
"One can't, I just cast an Invisibility spell…"
Harry jumped back a few steps surprised. "God! Don't do that!!"
He heard a chuckle. "Go now, Harry."
"Good night, Tom."
"See you." Was all he got as a reply.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A soft knocking on the door woke Madam Pomfrey up. She got up from her bed and walked to the door to see who it was. She opened the door to find Harry Potter looking at her.
"Boy, what are you doing up at this hour of the night?" she asked with a yawn.
The boy lowered his gaze. "I haven't been feeling very well, and …" he drifted off.
She sighed and let him in. He looked at her and she nodded him to sit on the chair. Her hand reached for his face.
"Dear Lord, you're burning up." She said, all sleepiness lifting from her immediately. She pulled him up and leaded him to one of the empty beds in the infirmary. "Now, lay down and I'll bring you something. You'll stay here overnight."
Harry nodded tiredly and watched her disappear in a small room. Shortly after, she returned with something for him to drink and started to check his pulse. Fifteen minutes later she had finished her check-up on him and he was finally allowed to rest in bed.
"I'll keep you here tomorrow too. It seems to me you could use some quiet and peace to get over this… cold…" that last pause made Harry frown but he was too sleepy right now to wonder about that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, Fred was running trough the corridors of Hogwarts in search of someone. He saw Ron.
"Ron!"
His brother turned to him. "Have you seen Malfoy?"
Ron blinked and starred at him confused. "Ma… Malfoy?"
"Yes, Malfoy, you know, Slytherin, blond white hair, can't keep his tongue still…"
Hermione answered for Ron. "No, we haven't seen him, but we do have Potions in a few minutes with him."
Fred bit down on his thumb, a habit he had when he was nervous. "Ah … well…" he reached for something to write in his pocket then pulled a quill out and wrote rapidly on the piece of paper. "Here, give this to him." He handed Ron the note and ran back the way he had come from.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked.
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, anyway what did he write?"
Ron looked at her. "Curious, aren't we?"
Hermione nodded for him to open the note. Ron gave in to her and she unfolded it. There were just some scribbles on it, here and there a rune and some word that seemed to make some sense. They both sweat dropped. What had they expected from one of the twins, a love letter?
Hermione passed a hand trough her hair. "Oh well, let's go. Surely Harry is already waiting for us in the dungeon."
Ron nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Draco watched the Gryffindors enter the Potion classroom, he looked for Harry, but he didn't seem to have come with his friends. Well, maybe he had fallen asleep at Tom's and was going to be late. That would be so typical of him. He smirked unconsciously.
"Here."
Draco blinked at the note being held in front of his face. He looked at Ron. "What should I do with that?"
"Ask my brother." Snorted Ron, disgusted.
Draco looked at him unsure and took the note his eyes not leaving the redhead. He opened the note. He blinked surprised as he read it. "Potter is in the infirmary?" he asked confused.
"What?" Ron glanced at him.
The Slytherin's face darkened, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.
"Weasley!"
Ron jumped startled at the Potion Master's voice.
"Do you intent to stay there or will you let me start my class?" Snape said in a cold and strict voice.
"No, Professor…" He walked to his seat next to Hermione who looked at him questioning. He dismissed her with a nod that they would talk later.
Draco sighed mentally, that had been close…