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When he woke up his head felt as if someone had shaken it until his brain was thoroughly bruised. Shooting pains stabbed chaotically through his muscles and there was a ringing in his ears. He licked at his parched and cracked lips feeling the thickness of his saliva. He pulled the blankets in closer about his neck and shivered in the heat. He knew full well he had caught a cold.

He kept his eyes closed and snuggled deeper into the warm blanket as he remembered where he was and the events that had led him to be here. He kept his eyes closed and ran his fingers over the soft silk sheets as he contemplated how close he had come to losing his soul last night…more than that…how close he had come to losing Bella. He shuddered uncontrollably at the thought and fisted the silk sheets. He had saved Bella last night but what would have happened if Voldemort had taken him up on his offer and claimed him in this bed? He would most definitely have been dead by now because he couldn't stand his touch when those snakes and that darkness surrounded him. The burn he had felt in his bruises last night seemed to awaken just at the thought of it.

He sneezed, and his body began to shiver uncontrollably. Water… he needed water. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up straight, but his aching body didn't allow it and he slumped back on the soft mattress with a groan. He opened up his burning eyes and saw Voldemort sitting in an armchair by the window, bathed in moonlight. How long had he been asleep? His fingers curled into the soft blanket when he saw that Voldemort was wearing an unreadable expression on his snakelike face and was still holding his shirt.

It was night, Bella must be awake. He had to check up on her. What if Voldemort had hurt her again after he had fallen asleep? He pushed back the blanket and trembled uncontrollably when the cold air hit his bare torso. It took him all the energy he possessed to push himself off the bed and get on his feet. Wrapping his arms around himself, he took a step forward and staggered as his vision swam. And then Voldemort was there, in front of him, his arms outstretched to catch him, but Harry took the support of the side table and found his own balance. Once he felt centered enough, he spoke in a low, hoarse voice,

"I still stand by what I said last night. You're welcome to take me anytime you want. I haven't gone back on my word."

Voldemort let his arms fall and took a step backward. Harry left the support of the side table and straightened up,

"You're not frightening…you're not a monster… You could hurt me a thousand times more and thousand times worse and I would still say that."

Voldemort looked into his eyes and Harry refused to look away even though his eyes burnt and watered because of the cold. He only closed his eyes because he had to sneeze and after that his body started trembling anew. He gripped the edge of the table to keep himself steady and spoke,

"You were frightened last night. All of that rage, all of the pain that you caused Bella and I. It was all to hide your fear."

Voldemort took another step away from him and Harry knew he was right,

"Tell me what frightened you?"

Voldemort stood silent and Harry tipped his head back and slumped against the side table as his vision blurred. It took a moment for his vision to clear up again and he spoke,

"What is in that cavern? What are you terrified of?"

His knees nearly gave out and it was sheer force of will that kept him upright,

"Tell me! Tell me and I can help you."

He refused to give way, he refused to fall weak in this moment when he was close to Voldemort telling him that he was Tom. He wanted to hear him say that. Maybe that would make him realize that he'd been an innocent child once. Maybe that realization would return his humanity. It was plainly obvious that the only reason Voldemort had lashed out last night was because he had feared that he had been in the cavern and found out more about his past and made the connection,

"I want to break this curse. Tell me how and I will do it even if it means losing my soul…I will do it."

Voldemort had turned his back to him and Harry trembled and collapsed on the thick rug,

"Don't walk away…don't you dare walk away from me…"

Voldemort halted but remained silent,

"I am begging you…please…tell me how to break the curse…I want to free you and everyone else in this castle."

Voldemort said nothing and the silence agitated him. He forced himself back to his feet and bit out,

"I'll do anything you want. I'll do anything you wish. Please…Let me help you…"

He shivered uncontrollably and wrapped his arms around himself tightly. The only source of warmth was the locket around his chest and he wrapped a hand around it, trying to soak in as much warmth from it as he could. When Voldemort still didn't speak, the futility of his words began to frustrate him. Voldemort wasn't going to admit it. Harry's grip turned white knuckled on the locket and he spoke,

"You're nothing but a bloody coward and incredibly selfish."

Voldemort turned around to face him and Harry coughed before speaking,

"I wanted you to admit it. I wanted you to tell me but it seems that you don't have what it takes to say it, do you?"

Harry saw the fear that suddenly crept into Voldemort's eyes and he spoke,

"I guess it's not your fault. You buried him so deep that I bet you think that he doesn't exist anymore."

His eyesight blurred, but not because tears were welling up. Everything became fuzzy; then he saw nothing at all. His consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a thick static. Throughout the inky space his heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in his ears. Harry forced the words out as darkness consumed him,

"He's still inside you…Tom's still there inside you… Let him out…He's desperate to be free…"