Chapter 14: Dinner Surprises

We kept discussing the prophecy as we descended the stairs. He explained each line to me, from his more peaceful interpretation. The point of me vanquishing him didn't necessarily mean I was killing him, just defeating him, and that could easily mean how he'd been conquered by his feelings into becoming less dark, at least preventing him from killing mercilessly. My parentage and birth month were simple, as they defied him and I was a July baby. The marking could mean my scar, or even giving me his soul, and I had the power of emotions. It never said I used the power against him, so Tom took that as I taught him to feel things, or just opened him up to feel. Dying by each other's hands meant without killing each other we'd live forever. It got tricky with the last line because I didn't know there was a difference between surviving and living. Surviving could mean to endure or scrape by, and living was to take life by the horns and do what you wanted your way.

It was great to see this was better than what Dumbledore intended. Clearly, he was aiming for war and death rather than trying to see a different side to save hundreds of lives. "For the greater good." It was just his unnecessary hatred. At least when Tom killed these days, he did it for actual reasons, not just pointless death because of a stubborn, unchanging viewpoint.

I could hear the bustle in the dining room. Mrs Weasley was rushing everyone around over the general mumble. Tom assured he didn't know how well he'd respond to being moved around by the woman. I insisted he didn't need to because I had no intention of doing that. Tom chuckled. He remarked how sore I would become if I remained so disobedient after we started adding the 'BDSM thing' to our relationship.

"Of course not, it's like you said before. I obey you to make you happy, I don't care about her happiness."

We laughed as we entered the dining room. Everyone looked up as we entered. Granger and Mrs Weasley couldn't keep their eyes off Tom, the mudblood even had some drool at the corner of her lips. I didn't even care that I'd used a vulgar word like that because the only other word that fit would be a whore from the way she was staring. Not that I was worried, it was hard to be jealous of buck teeth and frizzy hair.

I introduced everyone in the room. Tom didn't seem interested in Arthur or Molly as they gushed over him, nor in Percy's intellectual introduction. Fred and George scoffed at everyone's brown-nosing and came forward to shake his hand and give me a double hug. We ignored Ron's feeble 'hello' and Granger's gushing. Next, I introduced him to Remus, who he seemed the most interested in. He wanted to have a conversation with Remus regarding defensive magic, as he was a professor in the subject.

"And we invited someone else over for dinner, to make you feel better." Remus smiled gently.

Before I could even ask who they'd want to invite over, Neville burst through the door with Sirius, asking if he could speak to me quickly, and privately, before we ate. He looked a little rumpled, but everything else was covered by his coat. It seemed rude of Sirius to not ask him for his coat when he came in. But I agreed to hear him out anyway, leaving Tom to talk academics with Remus.

Neville sprinted up the stairs and into my room, where he paced the length in panic. He begged me to help him, and calm him down. He said I needed to keep his secret, or he'd be in real bad trouble. Obviously, I promised him, but he still started shaking as he tried to explain himself.

"Gran left me in the house tonight, she had some fancy party to go to, so I accepted to have dinner here. But while I was getting ready, somebody tried to break in. He didn't know I was there, so he tried to attack me. I don't even know what happened properly, I was so mad that someone would try to beat and rob me or Gran.

"I hit him, Harry, I didn't even stop when he wasn't moving. Oh god, I killed him." Neville cried, opening his coat and showing his blood covered clothes. "I fed him to the Flesh-Eating Slugs in the greenhouse out back. Fucking hell Harry, I'm a murderer. I'm going to Azkaban for this, I just know it."

I was stunned. I didn't know what to do, or how to help him. But my mind raced to the person I thought could. I reached through my link with Tom, reaching for him, calling him up to help me as Neville paced and shook. Until there was a gentle knock on the door.

Tom walked straight in. Neville panicked then, shouting that I had betrayed his trust. I tried to reason what was happening, but Tom silenced me with a look. After settling a silencing charm around the room, Tom instructed Neville to strip and borrow my clothes. He asked whether Neville was certain that the slugs had done their job, and he nodded slowly. His eyes clouded as if reliving himself watching it.

"Harry, help him into clean clothes, I'll make them fit better. Neville, you may have guessed I'm Tom, I'm going to help you."

"Why? Why are either of you helping me? I'm a killer, I killed some guy and I'm only worried about what's going to happen to me."

"Neville, I'm about to be honest with you. I'm giving you the same level of trust you're giving me right now okay?" I smiled, "Dumbledore is right about me holding something back, Voldemort was in the graveyard and I helped him. It's complicated to explain, but he's-"

"Me, I'm Voldemort. Harry helped combine a part of my soul to the rest of me, so I'm stronger." Tom explained.

Neville looked between us, still wearing his blood covered clothes. It was too much for me to take. I walked over and pulled his coat off his shoulders. I reached for the hem of his t-shirt and he lifted his arms. I dropped the top on the coat. That shook him back to himself, and he asked if we could leave him to shower and dress. I was ready to agree. Some blood had smeared on his body. He went into the bathroom, and me and Tom headed back down the stairs. I thanked him for helping with Neville, but he insisted I shouldn't because he planned to make him a death eater.

"He's the first, now I need to convince Sirius and Remus. I don't care about others, but I want them and Neville to be on my side."

"Leave them for another day. We have Neville on our side, show the other two that our love is genuine and it'll be easier for them to accept when they find out."

He made sense. Hopefully, he was right as well. Sirius, Remus and Neville were my family, I wanted them to be a part of my new life with Tom. He wouldn't hurt them, not until they made it necessary. Tom wants them on our side too, he doesn't want to leave me without family again. It was all up to fate for now, but I could hope to keep everyone I loved around me. We would see one day.