Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own it.

A/N: Tumblr: Ethrildragon. It exists.

Reaching Through Time

Chapter 4: Growing Up

Tom was stunned speechless.

"1984."

Harry's voice rang through Tom's mind. He had started to suspect that the two of them lived in two different times, what with the few strange references Harry made and the strange clothing designs he wore, but Tom hadn't expected an almost 50 year difference! It was 1933 for him!

So how in the world was Harry traveling almost 50 years into the past?

It made sense now though why Harry couldn't stay. Whatever supernatural force that allowed the boy to come back wasn't strong enough to keep Harry in the past. That power fed off of Harry and weakened him the longer he stuck around.

And since they had already proven Harry couldn't take anything with him into the future it wouldn't be possible for Tom to go with Harry next time.

The entire situation felt hopeless.

"No." Tom growled at himself as he snapped himself out of that depressive thought process. They would figure something out! It would just require study and experimentation on their part.

At least Harry's situation had improved. It wasn't perfect and Tom was sure Harry's relatives would fall back into their abusive ways, but for the time being Harry was safe.

Tom kept telling himself during the week he waited for Harry to return that he was safe. Each and every day that passed and Harry didn't visit Tom would remind himself that Harry was alright and not dead in a ditch somewhere far into the future.

When Harry finally did appear again Tom felt nothing but relief.

At first glance Harry looked healthy, but when Tom reached out to pull his smaller friend into a hug he flinched.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked with a deep frown as Harry tried to hide his reaction. When the green eyed boy didn't at first answer Tom took him by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes.

Harry bit at his lip and tried to look anywhere but at Tom. He was asked again what had happened and Harry reluctantly replied.

"Dudley." Tom had to wait for a moment while Harry took a deep breath. "He tried to push me down the stairs. Twice. And he's been putting tacks in my bed." There were other things, which Harry hesitantly listed ranging vicious pinches to tripping him up while out and about.

His aunt and uncle technically weren't abusing him anymore, but they weren't doing anything about his cousin harming him. When Harry had threatened to call the social worker Dudley had spat at him and told him that they wouldn't do anything; that they wouldn't believe Harry that Dudley was bullying him.

Other than a few cuts and bruises Harry didn't have any obvious injuries. With how quickly he healed anything small would be gone by the time someone came by to investigate.

"I have an idea." Tom told Harry after the boy was done with listing off everything that had happened. "We're going to make you stronger."

Tom nodded. His slid his hands from Harry's shoulders and then pulled him into a hug. "Strong enough so you can take things with you. Strong enough to stay here longer." And the best way to get someone stronger was to train and practice.

The older boy had been thinking about it a great deal while Harry had been gone. Being as smart as he was with perfect recall Tom was able to remember just how many times Harry had traveled into the past and for how long.

The pattern was obvious. Over time Harry had been steadily visiting more often and staying for longer times. If they could get the younger boy strong enough than maybe, just maybe, they could have him stay in the past.

Harry looked up at Tom with his big green eyes filled with complete trust and admiration.

"How are we gonna do that?" Harry asked curiously. "And why do I need to be stronger?"

Tom mentally smacked himself. Harry was smart, but it wasn't like he could read Tom's mind! He was sure Harry didn't even know that he was travelling through time itself. Harry was younger than him and the age difference played a part in both their thinking processes.

Should he tell him though? Harry would probably figure it out sooner or later on his own.

"Harry," Tom cleared his throat and pulled himself away from the smaller boy. "I think you're travelling back in time to me."

The time traveler tilted his head in thought. As impossible as it seemed traveling through time made the most sense in the child's mind. It was either that or he was having a very, VERY, real dream.

"How do we get me stronger though?" Harry pressed.

"I've put a lot of thought into it." Tom explained as he went and grabbed a feather he'd found in the park a few days ago. "There are two ways I think. The first being you visit more often for longer periods of time. The second," he handed the feather over to Harry then. "Is for you to take something with you."

With a small pout Harry took the feather. "We tried that though. The book never came with me."

"Feathers are smaller and lighter, so maybe it'll be easier to take." Harry tried to hand the feather back, but Tom shook his head. "Try going back now and take the feather with you. Then try to come back."

Harry screwed up his face, his nose wrinkling as he frowned. Up until then he'd never willingly traveled back to the Dursleys; it had always been forced. If Tom wanted him to try though, Harry would try. He'd do anything for Tom.

"Ok." His voice shook a little as he held the feather close to his chest.

Tom almost sighed in relief when harry agreed to do as asked. He knew if he had to Tom could control Harry and make him go, like he had controlled Officer Collins to get him to leave, but just the idea of using his weird power on Harry made Tom feel awful.

"But, um," Tom had to fight not to chuckle at how big Harry's eyes were and how utterly adorable he looked just then. He looked so small and confused, his big green eyes looking up at Tom with such trust and adoration. "How do I go back?"

"You know that tugging feeling?" Tom waited until his little friend nodded. "Maybe focus on that feeling?"

Tom held his breath as he watched his Harry close his eyes to focus.

Silence stretched between the two boys as they waited for something to happen. After what felt like an eternity, Harry was gone.

The feather fluttered down from where it had been held and landed on the floor of Tom's room.

A few minutes later Harry returned, tears in his eyes and his hands behind his back. "I'm sorry Tom!" he quickly exclaimed once he was back.

Tom reached out with a small sigh and picked the feather up. "Try again. Now that you know you can go back and forth when you want focus on holding onto the feather."

Harry took the feather and he looked at it with a wince. He wanted to make Tom happy, but he really wasn't sure if he could do this. He ran his fingers over feather a few times before holding it to his chest again.

It took a few tries before something actually did happen. Only top of the feather, which had been outside of Harry's hands, fell to the ground.

It took longer for Harry to come back and when he did he was out of breath and paler than before.

But he looked so very proud of himself as he held up the feather half he had been able to take with him back to his own time.

"Very good Harry." Tom smiled and ran his fingers through Harry's messy black hair. "It's a good first step."

With how tired Harry had gotten from going back and forth Tom decided that training could be done for the day. Harry had just proven that he could take things with him to the future and it gave them both a great deal of hope.

With each passing year after that the two worked together to become stronger with their strange powers. Tom had known he could influence people and make them do what he wanted when he focused hard enough, but after a great deal of experimentation and manipulation he figured out how to control those around him with barely a thought.

It was a useful skill whenever Harry visited and they didn't want anyone to remember him being around. It was still believed that Harry had been kidnapped.

When Tom had turned 8 both he and Harry had discovered they could speak to and understand snakes. The two boys had stumbled upon a couple garter snakes that had been arguing in the park. It seemed like fate had brought the boys to the snakes as each snake bonded with one of the boys.

It wasn't until Tom was 10 and Harry was 6 that the younger boy was able to take his snake, Ladon, with him to the future. Harry still couldn't take Tom, but they were both glad Harry was strong enough to take another living creature along so he wouldn't be alone with his horrid family.

Harry was still being abused, but it was carefully concealed and both his aunt and uncle were careful not to leave marks. Harry's cousin had discovered a passion for boxing and Dudley's favorite practice target was, of course, Harry.

Dudley only ever hit him hard enough to leave bruises when they were in school during training so that the coach could be the witness. When Dr. Meriweather had seen Harry's black eye from Dudley a note from his coach had been produced to prove it had been a 'training accident'. The good doctor was not convinced, but there wasn't much she could do.

Harry was strong enough after years of training that he was able to visit Tom every night and stay over during the weekends. No one ever knew where he was going, and his family didn't really care, but with Harry in such decent health no one questioned it.

The Dursley's would just say Harry was off with a friend on the weekends when Madame LeRue would ask. Harry would always confirm since he and Tom figured it would be safer to just keep the traveling to themselves.

Before the boys realized it the summer of 1938. It was the summer after Tom had turned 11. School had just come to an end and Harry was so excited to be able to spend more time with his best friend. Harry had made a deal with his aunt and uncle that he could be gone whenever he wanted and for however long he wanted so long as he told Madam LeRue he was being treated well.

With the deal struck Harry had packed up a few things into his backpack and left for the week. He and Tom were sure he would be able to stay for longer, but they didn't want to tire Harry out too quickly. They had a whole summer together to enjoy.

"Tom!"

Back in Tom's room in the past a second bed had been setup for Harry to sleep on during his stay. Tom had been carefully manipulating the memories of everyone at the orphanage over the last couple months in preparation for Harry's arrival.

Just as time traveling wore Harry down, controlling many people for long periods of time tired Tom. So instead of controlling everyone, Tom had changed the memories of everyone around them so that instead of seeing Harry Potter, the orphanage would see a young boy named Hadrian Smith.

The two had been planning for their summer vacation since Tom's birthday that winter.

"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon agreed just like you said they would!" Harry said excitedly as he set his bag on his bed and went over to where Tom was sitting at his desk.

With a smile and a soft chuckle Tom picked Harry up and held him in his lap. Despite Harry eating regularly he was still a scrawny and short boy.

"What're we doing first?"

Tom did his best to keep his expression as neutral as possible. "What makes you think we're doing anything?"

"ToooOoom!" Harry whined as he leaned against Tom as hard as he could. "You SAID you had lots of stuff planned for this summer!"

It was a struggle for Tom not to start snickering as Harry pouted up at him with his big green eyes and his bottom lip sticking out cutely. The younger boy was just too adorable for his own good.

"Oh fine!" Tom practically dumped Harry out of his lap as he stood up. "Don't be such a baby. Come on."

In all honesty Tom did have a great many things planned for them to do during the summer. With his control of Mrs. Cole and the other adults in the orphanage Tom had been able to make everything practically perfect.

Once he got control of his power, life in the orphanage had gotten much better. Even the other kids were being nicer to him, for the most part. Mrs. Cole didn't drink as much so the money she normally spent on booze went towards things the orphanage actually needed. Local stores and businesses were donating more to the orphanage so all the kids had newer clothing. Tom had even been able to get rid of a few of the bullies by having families adopt them.

Honestly Tom would have been happy to just make his own life better in the orphanage, but Harry had pleaded with him to include the other children. Tom had at first thought it would take a lot more energy to change things for so many children, but he found that whatever things he changed for himself had a ripple effect and would eventually help the others as well.

There were times when his powers didn't quite work on people, but those sorts weren't difficult to avoid. Tom just did what he could with them when he needed too.

A tug at his shirt sleeve pulled Tom out of his musings and he let out a small huff at the frown Harry was giving him. "Oh alright. We're going to the park today." He slipped his arm up so that he could take Harry's hand in his. "You have Ladon yes?"

With a smile the smaller boy reached into his pocket only to lift it out moments later with his little garter snake wrapped around his wrist.

Harry didn't even have to ask Tom if he had Ophion with him. The other snake was wrapped around Tom's neck, his favorite place to stay.

The park was probably their second favorite place to be, the first being the beach with the cave they'd found years ago. The park though had one giant tree that the two always had fun climbing. Harry was the faster climber despite his smaller size.

As soon as the tree was in sight Harry let out a happy yell and raced for it. Tom took off after him, but before he could even warn the smaller boy to be careful Harry was pulling himself into the lowest of the branches.

"Can't catch me!" Harry called out as he began climbing like the monkey he probably was.

If Harry had been anyone else Tom would have sneered and refused. But Harry? Harry was special. Harry was Tom's and the older boy would always follow and protect what was his.

So Tom jumped up and grabbed the branch above him, pulling himself up just to chase after the black haired boy that was already half way up the tree.

The two climbed higher and higher until they made it to the final branches that could handle their shared weight. Once there grabbed Harry and pulled him over so that the two of them were leaning against the trunk of the tree so they could look out at the buildings around the park in comfort.

"Do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like if we hadn't met?" Harry asked after several long minutes of companionable silence.

Tom winced and he nodded hesitantly after a moment. "I don't like to think about it, but it has crossed my mind."

In the 4 years since Harry had appeared sobbing and hiding in the park, Tom's life had gotten so much better. Before Harry the older boy hadn't known at all what it was like to be cared for or even loved. Would Tom have ever found someone to be close to and care about the way he did for Harry? Would he still be alone and called a freak by the other children in the orphanage if Harry had never come along?

And what about Harry? If the younger and smaller boy had never found his way into the past would he still be living in the cupboard under the stairs? Tom hated to think about it, but he worried that if the two hadn't met Harry would have died early in his young life.

"Let's not dwell on it."

Harry hummed softly in agreement. He only ever thought about what his life could have been like during late nights when he was locked in his room back at the Dursley's. It was a good reminder to be thankful for what he did have.

Life for the two boys during that first week in the summer was the best either had had in years. The orphanage couldn't afford to give each child a large allowance, but Tom had been saving up for some time. Between what money he'd been saving and what the orphanage had for expenses for trips Tom had figured out exactly what he and Harry could afford to do. Two trips to the beach were planned during the summer and Tom and Harry were given permission to visit London by themselves.

For the first week he and Harry visited the shops closest to the orphanage, mostly to look at things and figure out what they needed. Mostly the two spent time in the park. Whenever Tom could weasel in a few math or reading lessons for Harry, he would. Harry wasn't too happy with the lessons, but Tom persisted.

When the first week was over Harry returned to his time in order to regain his strength. Anchoring himself in the past for an entire week had been tiring, but a day or two of rest at the Dursley's would fix that.

Harry returned as soon as he felt fully recovered.

The moment he appeared in Tom's room though something felt off. Tom looked fine where he was sitting on his bed reading, but that wasn't the direction the feeling was coming from.

With a frown Harry wandered over to the bedroom window and looked out. There was a sort of oppressive presence heading straight towards the orphanage. It felt both alien and familiar at the same time and the presence left Harry feeling panicky.

"You're shaking."

Sure enough when Tom pointed it out Harry found that his entire body was shaking. He could feel Tom's arms going around his shoulders, but Harry couldn't seem to get his shaking under control.

"Something's coming." Harry whispered as he turned in Tom's arms so he could hug onto the older boy. Whatever the thing was that was coming their way was powerful.

Tom didn't like how badly his Harry was shaking. The last time he'd seen Harry this close to a panic attack had been that Halloween years ago. His little friend had gotten close to panic attacks, but not like this.

"Whatever it is," Tom started to say softly. "It's dangerous if it's got you like this."

Harry knew Tom well enough to know what his next thought would be. "I'm not going back to the Dursley's! I'm not leaving you alone here with whatever it is!" The shaking in Harry's shoulders lessened as he became more determined to stay by Tom's side against whatever force was headed their way.

Tom huffed through his nose and grumbled mentally over Harry's stubbornness. He knew Harry wanted to stay because Harry cared, but Tom was quickly analyzing both the pros and cons of having the younger boy stick around.

The two of them were stronger when they were together. Two quick minds were better than one. Harry might see something that Tom could miss and vice versa.

On the other hand Harry was much younger and made an easier target. There was also the chance that whatever was coming could be vastly more powerful than the two of them and Harry would be at risk. The last thing Tom ever wanted was to put Harry into a dangerous situation.

Then again if he sent Harry home how would the younger boy know when to come back? What if Harry returned in the middle of a fight?

There were too many variables that Tom didn't have and it concerned him. The best thing to do would be to keep Harry close until the last moment.

"If things go south," Tom took Harry by the shoulders and held him away so that the boy could see just how serious he was. "Promise me you'll leave." Harry looked hesitant so Tom shook the younger boy a bit. "Promise! Give me your word!"

Hesitantly Harry nodded his head and looked away.

Tom made another quick decision and reached up to tap at the black snake that was wrapped around his neck. "Take Ophion as well."

The younger boy wanted to deny Tom that request, but the hard look in Tom's eyes stopped Harry. Instead he nodded and held out a hand for the black snake.

Ophion mumbled grumpily as he slipped from Tom's neck and was passed over to Harry. The younger boy had a smaller neck, but at least he ran hotter than his own boy's neck.

"Good."

Silence stretched between the two boys. Harry shivered suddenly again and he looked out the window. A tall elderly man in a strange purple suit was walking up the path towards the orphanage's front door.

"It's him." Harry whispered as he turned to bury himself into Tom's chest again. "He's the one with all that power."

Tom leaned over Harry to look out the window. He only just saw the silver haired man before he left the sight of their window.

After taking two deep breaths Tom gently pushed Harry away from him. "Go sit on your bed. Don't make eye contact. Don't bring attention to yourself at all."

Tom's voice was cold and calculating, but Harry knew that was just a cover. Harry knew Tom was worried and afraid so the younger boy quickly did as he was told.

The time it took for the old man to enter the orphanage and make his way upstairs felt like an eternity. Harry had grabbed one of his children's books to pretend to read and mostly so he would have something in his hands.

Finally there was a knock at the door to their bedroom and Martha came in. "There's someone here to see you Tom." She said kindly before turning a warm smile to Harry. "Why don't you and I go find some sweets Hadrian?"

Tom liked this idea. It got Harry out of the room, but kept him close enough that they would be able to sense if the other were in danger. So when Harry glanced at him for help Tom nodded minutely.

"Coming Miss Martha."

Harry took the offered hand Martha was holding out and followed her out. When he passed by the old man in the gaudy purple suit Harry kept his eyes down on the floor. He was small enough that such a gesture would only be construed as him being shy.

"Hello Tom." Those were the last two words Harry could hear before the old man closed the door behind him with a firm hand.