Time flew by slowly and fast in the same instance. Harry fell into a slight depression over the loss of Tom's presence. His friends noticed his change of behavior and assumed it was Quidditch related. Harry let them think it was that.

"Cheer up, mate. That was a close call with your fall." Ron assured one day after hearing Harry sigh too many times to count. They were sitting in a group in their favorite spot before the Great Lake on their last day at Hogwarts before summer break.

"There's always next year." Neville added.

"Yeah, I suppose." Harry was staring off into the distance, wondering where Tom was.

"You look like you're missing someone." Luna studied him curiously.

"Hm? Oh, just wondering if I can visit Sirius over the summer." Harry was quick with this cover up.

"What does he say about it?" Draco turned at the prospect.

"Well, first he has to get the go ahead from Dumbledore." Harry had already asked, and Sirius was going to in turn request Dumbledore. He hadn't heard from his godfather since.

"Right, as if the headmaster will grant it." Draco had his doubts.

"You never know, he could turn around for this request." Ginny was hopeful.

"I highly doubt it." The pale boy rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, to be honest." Harry shrugged.

"Hey, did you hear? Professor Lockhart resigned as teacher." Neville came to them with the news.

"Really?" At least some good news, albeit it wasn't about Tom.

"Oh thank Merlin! He was impossible!" Draco was ecstatic.

"I liked him, though. He was interesting, to say the least." Luna sighed.

"I don't think I learned anything during the whole year from him." Hermione commented with a tone to her voice.

"You still passed, didn't you? You're still beating Harry in the exams." Draco sneered. Hermione scored all perfect in every subject, while Harry was in second place.

"Just because I unerstood him doesn't mean I learned anything of importance in his class." She retorted.

"In any case, good riddance. But now I wonder who's going to be next year's teacher." Harry wanted to have a reason to sound anxious. In reality he was still thinking about when Tom will contact him.

"We shall see next year."

Turns out Harry was granted to visit Sirius on his birthday. And he had the option to have his friends visit. Harry invited all of them.

Neville turned down the offer, turned out his birthday was the same day and he had plans with his grandmother. Hermione and Ron were ecstatic. Luna shared their sentiments, expressing this will be the first birthday party she was invited to. Draco accepted the invitation, although there was hesitation in his response.

In the end the whole Weasley family came, due to some odd circumstances that sprang upon Sirius. Harry didn't get the chance to ask when he was rushed inside Grimmauld Place.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone cheered.

"Thanks, everyone." Harry grinned with mirth. He eyed them all one by one. As he turned to his godfather, he caught sight of another face. A familiar face. Dark curls in an attempt to being nicely kept in place. Red brown eyes that lit up at the sight of him.

And everyone went still at the sight of them. It was as if time stopped. And suddenly Harry felt as if he was suffocating. This was a sudden change he did not expect, and the surprise must have shown in his face. He couldn't tear his face away from the gaze of those eyes.

"They're soul bound." Luna gasped in excitement.

Everyone turned to her with a mix of horror and confusion. She ignored it all, for she found this whole ordeal utterly amazing. The innocence in her support gave Harry a sense of relief despite the tension in the air.

"Well, this complicates matters." Sirius stated before turning his attention back to Harry. "This is Thomas Lestrange. He is the illegitimate child of my cousin Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort."

"What does soul bound mean?" Harry asked innocently.

"Some souls are bound through time. In one life they could have promised each other where their magic bound them into the next one. In a way, it could be seen as soulmates." Tom answered, regaining his own composure.

"What? But - but you're his son! He Who Must Not Be Named! How is that possible?" Ron voiced his panic.

"While he may be my father, I have no interest into following his footsteps." Tom addressed, eyeing them all. Then his gaze returned to Harry. "Especially not after today."

"I won't have it." Sirius all but growled.

"I am not one to force myself onto a thirteen year old, cousin. Besides, the choice is ultimately Harry's." Tom stood his ground. All eyes turned to Harry, who wanted to shrink away.

"I mean, I would like to get to know him first." He scrambled for words. "Then see where this goes."

Sirius looked like he wanted to argue, but then Ron's mother came to the rescue.

"Why not let them have this chance? It's not everyday someone finds their soul bound. Anyways, let us celebrate Harry's birthday, why don't we?" Molly was pure at heart.

And so they resumed the festivities. They all sat down at the big table for birthday lunch and cake. During all of this Harry was introduced to the rest of the Weasley family. He met the twins Fred and George, who he recognized were the Gryffindor Beaters. Then Percy, and of course he knew Ron and Ginny. Then there were the parents, Arthur and Molly.

Soon the manor was filled with laughter. Everyone talked, sharing jokes and stories. The twins were the loudest in their antics, spreading laughter among the rest of the children. Sirius and Tom even joined in. And soon people asked him lots of questions.

How old was he? Sixteen. Where was he all these years? Hidden away by his caretakers, until they eventually died of natural causes and left him with no one to watch him. So he reached out to Dumbledore and explained everything.

"And he brought you here?" Harry was amazed.

"Well by technicality Sirius is next of kin. He figuered here would be the best place to hide me."

"Hide you? From who?" Luna asked innocently.

"My father."

"Wait, is he actually back?" Ron gasped. "For real?"

"There are rumors. I'm not entirely sure on the matter." Tom turned to Sirius. "No one seems to want to give me a straight answer."

"At the very least some of his followers have been active." Sirius admits. "So we can only assume as much."

"Well, Neville faced him once." Hermione informed.

"Did he now? And what happened?" Sirius was curious, for this was news to him.

"He was supposedly on the back of Professor Quirrell's head, underneath his turban. But they both got away when Neville couldn't get the Sorcerer's Stone."

Once again Molly redirected the conversation to more cheerful matters. And thus the birthday celebration resumed on happy notes. At the end of the lunch it was time for presents. Harry recieved a gift from everyone.

Everyone but Tom. He assured he only just arrived at the manor and was given no warning about a birthday party. So he promised to make up for it later. Harry couldn't wait.

He didn't have to wait long. As everyone but the Weasley's returned home. Apparently Molly and Arthur were having a meeting with Sirius and a few other adults, which the children weren't allowed to be part of or allowed to overhear. While the twins and Ron tried to eavesdrop, Harry retired into his room.

He noticed the flower was in full bloom, and he was grateful that Kreacher did indeed take care of the plant. The color of the flower petals even changed to a bright baby blue color. On his bed the invisibility cloak was neatly folded.

There was a quiet knock on his door. Harry opened it to reveal Tom.

"Hello, Tom." He ushered him inside and quickly closed the door.

"I wanted to give you your present without everyone watching." Tom presented a hand mirror.

"What's this?" Harry held it delicately. The metal around the mirror was old silver. There seemed to be some age to the metal, and yet the mirror itself was polished to perfection.

"It's a set. I have the twin. Now we can contact each other no matter the distance."

Harry pulled Tom into a hug. He found himself blushing at their closeness. Tom returned the gesture. Harry was startled to realize he barely came up to Tom's chin.

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep? I mean, I don't want anything to happen between us yet. I don't think we're both ready. But, I've missed you." He couldn't help the blush on his cheeks.

"I understand, Harry. And for the record I missed you, too." Tom smiled fondly.

"And you're going to tell me everything about how you achieved this." Harry desperately wanted to know the other details Tom didn't reveal during the birthday party.

"Of course, darling. Let us sit and I shall tell you the whole story."