I Solemnly Swear I'm Up to No Good

Summary: The Riddles reunite and plan different routes to different situations.

Notes: Two chapters in one day! (Again.)

Bellatrix pulls Harrison into a bone-crushing hug, her tears dripping onto his shirt. Harrison realized that he wasn't properly dressed for such an occasion. He'd take care of that later.

"My son!" She wailed happily, "You've returned!"

Harrison smiled. "Well, if it wasn't for Professor Snape over there," he gestured to the Potions Master standing idly by. He looked a bit startled by the sudden attention. "I'd never met you. The proper way."

Bellatrix giggled, the sound seeming much more sane. "I thank you, Severus for helping my child."

Tom approached Snape and the Professor flinched a little. Tom laughed, a deep baritone laugh. "Do not fret, Severus. I'm long past the insanity. And I have regained my whole soul. Except..." he turned to his son.

Harrison gave a sheepish smile. "Do you mind if I keep it?"

Tom thought for a moment. "Well, we are already connected through blood. I believe it would help us in the future. It is only the smallest portion of my soul that you carry..."

Harrison smiled. "I'm glad. Thanks... Father."

Tom's smile widened. "You are very welcome, my son."

Snape piped up. "Shall I leave you to it or...?" He felt very awkward in the sitting room. Internally, though he'd never admit it aloud, he was delighted to have a family reunited after being ripped apart by one old meddling coot for so long.

"I would prefer if you stayed, Severus," the Dark Lord said, "if you would be so kind. We do have many things to sort out."

"Certainly." Snape responded, bowing his head slightly. Tom nodded and turned to his son, staring at him for a moment before wrapping him into a hug. It wasn't common for purebloods to show such affection, but they had privacy.

Tom's face turned serious. "We have much to discuss."

The Riddles (and Snape) eventually came up with the plan to have Harrison return to Hogwarts and would still act clueless. He would keep the Gryffindor glamour on (he had spelled it removed long ago, only because he wanted to his parents' reactions to their son being well grown up) and would remain friends with Ron and Hermione, or rather... Granger and Weasley.

Harrison mentioned that Weasley was awake when he left and Granger had gone to the Headmaster's office instead of 'fetching a book she'd forgotten'. Because of that, Harrison would have to tread very carefully and if the plan failed, he'd flee and claim his vaults as Heir to Slytherin (it was possible he'd been emancipated during the Triwizard Tournament fiasco and he wanted to know if he'd take the Lordship of Slytherin, along with his father).

As he kept up his act as long as he could, his father would sneak to Gringotts and take his Lordships and vaults. His mother wouldn't be able to take claim over the Black vaults because she was female and her name wouldn't carry the bloodline. And the greatest twist of all: as Harrison would play as Harry Potter, Tom would send him a 'vision' of his godfather Sirius being tortured in the Hall of Prophecies and would lead his remaining friends to the Ministry and take the prophecy. The four had come up with the idea that if Snape remembered a false prophecy, then it was highly likely that the real prophecy had been recorded down below.

And if Harrison were to flee, he'd take his Heirships and Lordships and either A) use his immense power to manipulate the Unspeakables into gaining ahold of the real prophecy or B) taking it by force.

It was late in the night, and it was nearing dawn as Harrison made his way back to Gryffindor Tower. Looking back, he wondered how he'd survived all those years in such a loud place. Slytherin would definitely be better. Maybe he could be re-Sorted? Unlikely, since the Headmaster would in an instant.

Speaking of the Headmaster, Harrison and his parents, along with Snape, planned to take the old goat down peg by peg, article by article. They'd confide in a familiar Rita Skeeter with blackmail.

Harrison Riddle, the son of the Dark Lord, hoped it wouldn't crash and burn.