The Odd Combination of Fate and Humor

Notes:

For those of you who haven't worked it out yet, Harry Potter is 15 years old in this fanfic.

Tom didn't die in the attack since Lily took most of the curse and since Tom was standing in front of Harry, his soul piece went into Harry. He did mean to kill Albus after all, so the intent to kill was there, but the soul piece was ripped from his body because he unconsciously tried to find a way to ensure that he could return for revenge if he couldn't save them.

Tom was only knocked unconscious and Albus thought that he had killed both Tom and Lily with one curse. But there aren't any other Horcruxes. As for why there is only a single Horcrux…well, you will just have to read the chapter and the rest of the story to find out.

I won't be saying anything about what Dumbles is thinking yet, but I will reveal that Harry was taken while he was away from the house and so any detection spells that might have been placed, couldn't be set off. The alarms would only be set off if a wizard or witch happened to get close to the house, but since Nagini isn't a witch... well you get the idea.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Harry Potter in any way; those rights belong to J.K Rowling. The plot and any extra characters are my own though.

Warnings:

This story WILL contain slash!

This means that this story will be purely male x male slash regarding the main characters. Please do not read if you find it offensive to read about two guys kissing…etc.

Everyone else… please enjoy

Key:

"Speech"

"soft spoken or seemingly vague speech"

'thoughts'

- Parseltongue -

'Latin words'

Mental messages

Chapter 5: Preparations

All eyes focused on Remus as he said those words. True, soul mates were rare and revered in the Wizarding world, but they were extremely hard to find. You could know someone for years and never figure out that they are your soul mate until the magic decides that the time is right to bond.

It almost looked like everyone wanted to panic but Severus stepped forward. "You better calm down otherwise I'm going to force a calming draught down your throats. These runes are only made when a wizard or witch is involved and since Harry barely left his Muggle house, it's safe to assume that it's someone he met or saw after coming here."

Narcissa grew contemplative as she spoke. "But what about when he was small? He met a lot of witches and wizards when we held our parties and if his soul mate is someone he just met then could it be someone in this room?" Severus shook his head in response to her question.

"The soul mate bond only starts forming at the age of thirteen, which means he was too young at that time for the bond to form. If it was someone in this room then their crest would have held the words 'Anima salit'." A relieved sigh filled the room and Harry smiled despite the seriousness of the situation.

He looked around the room and laughed. "Hey, I don't think I'm that bad to be bonded with." Draco snickered at this, but Harry knew why they were relieved. It was clear to him now that the crest circle took other family ties and love interests into account as well when it was formed. It was clear that Draco, Narcissa, and the blond man formed one unit already, and Severus and Sirius were his Godfathers. He just didn't know how Remus fit into the scheme of things, but with the way the man was staring at Sirius and Severus, he was sure that there was something there.

He knew gays and lesbians weren't really liked in the muggle world until recently, but it made him happy that more and more countries seemed to accept the change. He himself didn't really know which one of the sexes he was actually interested in since he never had much time to think about love interests in the past, but it would be nice to know if it was accepted in the Wizarding world as well. He decided to observe before he asked anyone about the subject.

His mind wandered back to the fact that he apparently had a soul mate. Sure, people tended to fantasize about having someone who was made to be their other half, but he always thought it was mostly wishful thinking. Yet here he was, trying to figure out who his soul mate was so they could finish the Crest circle.

It scared him in a way since he knew that he would stay faithful to the person now that he knew that such a person existed, but he also worried about what his soul mate would say when he found out about the bond. The question ran around in his mind until he was sure that the person would probably not be very happy.

Severus cleared his throat and everyone focused their attention back on him. He didn't seem very comfortable with the idea of sharing whatever he was thinking about and he looked at Remus. "Remy, could you go fetch the other two for me please?" The group looked even more confused as Remus left, but one-by-one they seemed to realize something until only Harry and Draco felt left in the dark.

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged before glancing around the group to try and find answers. The entire group looked extremely worried and Severus came forward to kneel in front of Harry. "Harry, I think we might have an idea about who your soul mate might be, but I would like to request that you close your eyes when he hugs you to complete the ritual."

Harry wanted to argue and he felt a stab of betrayal, but the look in Severus' eyes told him that now wasn't the time. "I just want you to get to know your soul mate the natural way instead of immediately forcing the two of you to notice each other. I will be telling him about you since he has been looking for his soul mate for a long time and because he would immediately be able to figure everything out, but I want you to do what you want until you figure out who your other half is."

Harry was shocked that someone actually wanted him to enjoy his life the way he wanted. He was glad that Severus wasn't trying to keep him away from whoever his soul mate is like he first thought, but instead, he was giving him time to get used to life in the Wizarding world before making any commitments.

He looked up as Severus continued to speak. "Although I know that you will be able to figure out who it is in no time, you still have two years of school left until you are legally an adult in the Wizarding world and that means that you have all the time in the world to really get to know and maybe even fall in love with your soul mate."

Harry nodded and there was a knock on the door. All eyes followed Remus as he entered, but Severus gave Harry a pointed look and he closed his eyes before he could see who the other two figures in the doorway were.

It wasn't very easy and everything inside him screamed that he had to open his eyes and meet the one that was made for him and whom he was made for. A muffled discussion took place before he both sensed and heard a person slowly approaching him.

His senses seemed to go into overdrive as his magic realized that his soul mate was near and it puzzled him as to why he hadn't felt anything earlier. It occurred to him that his magic had probably been so busy trying to keep him alive and heal him that it hadn't registered the fact that his soul mate had been close to him.

The smell of books and sandalwood made him frown as he tried to place the scent. He knew that he'd smelled it when he entered the house, but he hadn't been able to focus on anything through the pain he had been in.

Harry itched to open his eyes as he felt arms go around him, but he ignored the feeling as he felt the entire crest circle on his neck grow warm. He heard shocked and amazed gasps around the room, but it was like his entire being was only focused on the one person holding him.

He snuggled deeper into the person's warmth without a second thought and realized that the hard muscles could only mean that his soul mate was a man. He let his senses take over as time seemed to stop and he could feel that his soul mate was a lot taller than him. He also felt muscles that held telltale signs that his soul mate tended to work out.

A blurry image formed in his mind, but as much as he wanted to know how the man looked, he first wanted to learn the extent to which his body responded to his soul mate. One would probably call him a romantic, but he always imagined that when he spent the rest of his life with someone, there would at least be passion as well as understanding without the need for physical beauty.

Suddenly it was like he could see from the eyes of the other man while he felt the other man watch the world from his mind and eyes in return. Two shocked gasps echoed inside the room as the change of perspective suddenly dawned on them. Harry could feel the shock and wonder that the man felt towards him and he was confused when he felt the little telltale signs of lust as well before he blushed when he realized what it meant.

His soul mate apparently already had feelings for him it seemed and he also felt a slight amount of guilt from him, but the feeling was quickly disappearing and being replaced by something wondrous. Harry could feel that his soul mate accepted him no matter how many flaws he had and it caused a happy feeling to pulse through his soul.

Harry could feel that something was missing from his soul mate as he reached out and it felt strange to him that something was missing other than their bond. His body, mind, and soul instinctively yearned to fix whatever was gone and hurting his soul mate with its absence. He felt a pull on something that could only be described as his soul, while a tearing sensation caused pain to well up within him and as light filled the room he closed his soul mate's eyes which he now seemed to control.

He felt a piece of his soul mate inside him and a gasp of wonder echoed from him as the piece of his soul mate melded itself with his soul, while the missing piece of soul he had broken from his own only seconds ago, melded into the place of the missing piece in his soul mate's soul.

It took him a second to realize that they now had a piece of one another forever tied to their respective souls and the thought made him grin with happiness as darkness threatened to overtake him. He felt their minds retreat from each other as the magic and their souls settled, but he still felt the deep connection just as he knew that his soul mate felt the same.

Harry didn't really know what had occurred, but everything inside him, screamed his contentment that his soul mate didn't feel lost anymore. The darkness crept closer and he frowned as he realized that it seemed like the darkness wanted to take him away.

He felt fear almost overwhelm him as the darkness suddenly clutched him closer and wretched him away from his soul mate, but a second later he felt strong arms fold around him again. He knew that he had passed out since the floating sensation he felt could only be present in dreams and he also knew that his soul mate probably still held his body close to him in the physical world. Yet as he looked up into a pair of red eyes, he pulled himself even closer to the man floating with him.

He saw nothing else but since Severus had described glamours, he realized that his soul mate probably kept his true eyes hidden from other people in the real world. He knew that he had never seen such an amazing pair of eyes and the thought that it belonged to his soul mate, made him extremely happy. The idea of solving such a mystery also made him giddy and as his mate smiled, he came to the conclusion that his mate could actually read his mind inside their shared space. He could only see the red eyes, but every movement his mate made, was also being revealed little by little.

In a way, it was like the outline of his soul mate and he guessed that each time he saw or recognized another attribute of his mate, the pieces he recognized would fall into place.

Harry found that he wanted to ask all kinds of questions now that he had the chance, but his soul mate shook his head and he grinned at his mate's obstinacy. "You're not going to talk because you don't want to reveal who you are?" His red eyed mate nodded and Harry could swear that he felt his mate mentally grinning.

This got Harry thinking and he looked around for something to use, but the entire space was blank. This frustrated him until he realized that he could probably create something from nothing inside their shared mind space. It was a private space in their minds after all and he had enough imagination to fill in whatever blanks they needed.

This thought excited him and he looked back at his soul mate. "Well if you aren't going to talk, would it be acceptable for you to write? Severus had a point about me getting to know you before I find out who you are and I would at least like to be able to communicate with you somehow."

He felt his mate's amusement and a moment later he gasped when he found himself sitting on a comfy sofa with his mate. He still couldn't see anything other than his eyes and this made him smile. His mate traced a wand in the air and Harry was pleasantly surprised again when the words turned around to face him after the completion of each paragraph.

He realized that his mate was writing him messages with his wand and this made him happy at the thought that he would at least be able to talk to his mate. He looked at the words and saw that it was written in a very elegant script that seemed to disappear as soon as his mind finished reading each paragraph of the message.

The message read:

I am so glad to finally meet you, although I must admit that I didn't expect you to be my soul mate. Severus was right when he told you to close your eyes.

As much as I want you to know who I am, I admit that I am afraid that you wouldn't like me much when you find out exactly who I am. I'm not the most patient of people and I tend to get violent when I'm displeased. I would never hurt you of course, but I'm afraid that I've been told numerous times that I'm scary to be around when I'm angry.

I don't know how we are able to share such a world we are present in at the moment, but I imagine it had something to do with the ache you fixed in my soul. Yes I know it was you since I now feel you inside my very being. I looked at your own soul and found a piece of myself in it and that made me realize that you probably merged my soul with yours while fixing my soul with a piece of you somehow.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be whole again, but we will have to tell Severus about this. I don't want anything to happen to you since messing with souls can be extremely dangerous. First, we will have to find out whether you damaged anything when you transferred a part of your soul to me.

I don't know how a piece of my soul ended up in you, but I'm pretty sure that Severus has the answer. Now I know I'm making Severus out to be this huge genius, but well… okay, he is a genius, but he's not smarter than I am! I just haven't thought about any possible explanations since I felt you in my arms. You really are turning out to be a distraction… In a good way, I promise.

Severus is very protective of you, which is actually a shock to most of us. Usually, he hides his protective streak behind his snarky persona, but I guess your reappearance must have shocked him more than he would dare to admit. I must say it shocked all of us just as much.

I always hoped that we would be able to find you alive and I was so shocked when Severus revealed that the injured boy Nagini found was you. I was so shocked that I couldn't really function at all until Severus… well, let's just say it was a really big shock.

Sorry, I know I'm rambling on and on here, but I had so much to tell you. It seemed like we both slipped into unconsciousness when you mended my soul and they have carried us into separate rooms. I'm going to wake up and calm them down, but I will request that you sleep.

I heard your thoughts about not sleeping earlier when Severus healed you and I suggest that you take the time to rest now, otherwise your body might experience some side effects.

Sorry, it's a side effect of my Legilimens when I'm worried about someone. I automatically tune into their mind without being able to stop myself. I promise I will spend as much time with you as I can without revealing myself, but I know that my image in your mind will develop further every time you subconsciously realize something about me.

You strike me as someone who would refuse to give up on anything if it depended on your happiness, so I know that you will probably figure out who I am soon enough. I just hope that you will accept that I am who I am. I want to take things slow and treat you properly when you discover me, so expect a lot of dates in the future.

That is all I will say for now. Goodnight my Harry and please keep safe. If you ever need me, just call out and I will be here. We may be connected as more than soul mates now, but I promise to never invade your privacy without your permission.

With that Harry felt his soul mate hug him one more time before disappearing. He would have panicked at the sudden loss of contact, but instead he found himself being tucked into a bed within the dream space they had created as his soul mate returned once more to make him comfortable before disappearing again.

The words his soul mate had written to him, lingered in his mind for a long time as he tried to rest. He wondered why his soul mate seemed so afraid of his own anger. Did something happen in the man's past that would lead him to think that he could become extremely violent?

It was likely, but Harry refused to believe that his soul mate would hurt anyone he thought of as family or friends. He knew it was strange of him to not think about anyone except those he knew, but he was sure that his soul mate would also accept his friends if he made any.

The prospect of going to a school made him excited and he itched to learn more about magic. A moment later a whole library appeared around him and he gaped at the numerous books. He felt the trace of his mate's magic on them and smiled. His mate was happy at the thought that he wanted to learn and he had provided him with the means to learn more without straining his body.

Harry was surprised that he had access to his mate's knowledge, but it made him very determined to become just as smart as his mate apparently was. The first book he picked up was something called an Animagus manual, but when the title blurred and he found nothing inside but blank pages, he took the hint that his mate didn't want him to learn that yet.

Harry knew that he had to return to reality, but somehow he also knew that his mate would describe to the rest that Harry was fine. He didn't know if his mate would reveal that they were somehow able to share knowledge, but when a new book was suddenly plopped onto his lap in the dreamscape, Harry decided that his mate must have told somebody and that that somebody had prescribed some reading material for him, to his mate.

He let out a squeal of excitement as he saw the potions book and he immediately knew that his soul mate had told Severus about the dreamscape. Harry didn't really mind at all since he already felt like he had a very close bond with Severus and starting off his education with learning how to make real potions, was something that he wouldn't give up on even if it proved to be complicated.

A few hours later, Harry realized just how complicated potions actually were, but he pushed himself to understand it. He wanted to make his soul mate and Severus proud, so he studied diligently.

A cauldron and potions workstation appeared out of nowhere in the dreamscape after he had finished reading the theory behind potions and Harry was happy to find that any ingredients that his soul mate knew of, were also there.

This led him to making a few simple potions and he was ecstatic when he got most of them right. His soul mate mentally pushed him behind a shield a few times during his potion making, when it looked like the potions were about to go haywire and he always found a few written instructions appearing in order to show him how he could fix the potion he had messed up.

A few more hours later Harry realized with a jolt that he had been unconscious for three days already. His body automatically tried to force its way out of the dreamscape, but it didn't work. He felt his body starting to fight as if something or someone was holding him down and panic set it, but a second later he felt a soothing presence enter his mind.

He recognized his soul mate's scent immediately and clung to it. He didn't want to cry but his body didn't seem to give him a choice as he burrowed into his soul mate's side when the man appeared inside his mind. He hated feeling trapped and he looked up pleadingly at his soul mate.

A soft soothing voice eased him and he found himself wrapped up in his soul mate's arms even though the voice was slightly distorted. A feeling of peace traveled through his mind and he realized that his soul mate was trying to comfort him. Harry felt his body, relax as his mind urged his to calm down even further.

His soul mate hugged him one last time then lightly pushed him back to look into his eyes. He found himself drowning in the red eyes again, but he also felt his body slowly growing heavier as he descended into consciousness.

At first he saw red eyes as he blinked him own eyes open, but then the red eyes turned to green and he knew it was not quite the same shade as his own, but still extremely familiar and it held the promise of safety. The man seemed to be sitting on the chair next to his bed, but a glamour protected his identity.

Harry struggled out from under the blankets that held him and he realized that it had been the blankets that had trapped him. He wasn't used to blankets and the thought that someone would actually pile blankets on top of him to keep him warm, was a very strange yet welcome idea. Harry crawled into the man's lap without really thinking about it, but instinct told him that he was where he was supposed to be.

He knew that it was his soul mate sitting in the chair since he could feel his magic and his eyes momentarily widened as he recognized the bracelet the man wore on his arm, as the same one that the man named Tom wore.

It wasn't a big shock since he had expected it to be Tom, but Harry quickly burrowed deeper into his soul mate's side in order to hide his discovery. He was happy that his soul mate was Tom, but he wasn't going to reveal to anyone that he knew.

His soul mate had promised that they would get to know each other and he was sure that, that would be for the best. So he decided to keep up the appearance that he didn't know, in order to get to know his soul mate better on his own, but what he didn't know was that he had broadcasted the thought and both Tom and Severus knew of his thoughts and plans.

If Harry had been paying attention he would have felt a brief yet happy tightening of the arms around him at his acceptance and he also would have seen Severus nodding at Tom with a slight smile before he walked out of the room. Nobody else would know about Harry's thoughts and feelings until he one day decided to reveal them himself.

Thank you for reading this fanfic

Poll results - This story will definitely have Harry and Tom. Severus will be paired with Remus and Sirius. Draco and the Weasley twins is a definite pair and Peter will be paired with an OFC. This fanfic will feature the other characters like Regulus, Hermione, Neville, Blaise and Theo as well as most of the rest. I hate characters dying, so just assume that everyone is still alive until I mention their death.