Disclaimer: Do not own it.

A/N: oh god this chapter gave me such a headache. You don't even know.

Reaching Through Time

Chapter 21: Prophecies

In the end Hagrid was expelled. There wasn't anything anyone could do, especially Dumbledore, seeing as how the half giant had broken the school rules and several wizarding laws by bringing a class xxxxx beast into the school.

Harry did plead for leniency and testified on Hagrid's behalf that the older boy hadn't meant for Harry to get hurt. Tom wasn't happy, but he wasn't arguing since Harry had promised to spend more time with him after the entire situation was taken care of.

Tom had felt the guilt in Harry's heart and he wondered what had brought it on.

Hagrid was expelled, but with both Harry and Dumbledore arguing on his behalf, the large boy's wand was not broken. Instead it was taken away and would be given back after Hagrid turned 17. If Hagrid got another wand before that time, then both wands would be snapped.

"It's better than that oaf deserves." Alf cursed lightly as he and the other older Slytherins lounged around in the common room. "I mean really. What was he thinking bringing a wizard eating creature into the school?"

"I don't think he had the brains to think properly." Lestrange responded as he idly turned the page of his potions book.

Despite being in the common room with the others of his group, Abraxas wasn't really joining in with the conversation. He disliked insulting people; even if they had messed up royally.

"Hey Malfoy," Abraxas looked up from the essay he was writing when Alf called out to him. "Where are your brothers? No one has seen them all day."

"And you won't see them until next Monday." Abraxas answered with a very bored tone. "Mother requested that Tom and Harry go home for the week." She'd actually only requested Harry, but the youngest of the Malfoy boys had begged for Tom to come along as well.

"But...an entire week?"

Abraxas didn't mind being left out. In fact Harry had taken him to the side and explained why he needed to spend time with Tom. He understood it; the two had been close as children and ever since Tom had started Hogwarts, more and more people had been introduced to the two of them. Abraxas couldn't remember the last time when Harry and Tom had gotten to just be with just each other.

Before any more questions could be asked Abraxas grabbed his things and left the common room. He'd finish his essay back in his dorm room away from the others. He was tired of all the ridiculous questions and and inane gossip.

He just hoped when Tom and Harry returned Monday that Tom would be more like himself and less like a muggle bomb about to go off.

Mrs. Malfoy had expected more of a fight from the Hogwarts Headmaster when she had requested to take her youngest home for the week. But after everything that had happened, and her husbands veiled threats about going to the board about how the school couldn't seem to protect one child from harm, Dippet had given in quickly to her request.

In fact she'd gotten more of an argument out of Dumbledore when all the teachers had been asked for the assignments for Harry when told the first year was going home for the week.

Professor Dumbledore had insisted that if Harry was pulled from school, for even a little while, the 'poor boy', as he called Harry, would fall dreadfully behind in his work. He'd explained to Mrs. Malfoy that Harry was barely exhibiting average work in Transfiguration.

Mrs. Malfoy hadn't been swayed one bit by the blue eyed professor, despite his attempts to plead with her, and had simply taken Harry's work and left.

To her surprise when she'd asked if Harry would be alright with recovering at home for a week he had requested that Tom come home as well.

Tom had been equally surprised; Harry had only asked for him. He made the token argument about missing classes and falling behind with his school work, but his professors quickly assured him he would be fine. Dumbledore had grudgingly stated Tom was ahead of his current work and that he would do alright.

So Tom and Harry ended up going home shortly after the trial for Hagrid.

"So are you going to tell me what this is all about?" Tom asked once the two of them were finally alone after a long day of the Malfoy adults hovering over Harry.

Harry hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to Tom in the last couple days. Mrs. Malfoy had always been hovering close by, then the trial had happened, and then both of the Malfoy parents had proceeded to hover.

"Sir Leighleas helped me to realize a few things." Harry was sitting on his bed with his legs crossed beneath him. "And...and I realized that I've been ignoring you by accident." He looked down guiltily and began picking at the blanket he was sitting on. "I was so busy focusing on all my new friends that I forgot the most important one."

When Harry finally looked up, it was to find a wide eyed shocked Tom.

"I'm sorry Tom." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I was upset with you because of how protective you were being. I never stopped to think about why."

The unshed tears that Tom saw in Harry's eyes before the younger boy looked down finally shook Tom out of his frozen state. With quick strides Tom went over to the bed and pulled Harry into a tight hug.

Tom had never been good at apologizing, even to Harry, but he did his best to tell Harry just how he felt through that embrace.

"We both made mistakes." Tom mumbled as Harry returned the hug after a moment. "We'll get through this. Like we always do."

"So..." It felt like the hug would never end, but Harry felt like they needed to get a few things out in the open. "Maybe we should talk? Like really talk."

"What is it you want to talk about then?" Tom was pretty sure the two of them had already talked things through before. Harry wanted to learn how to duel so Tom wouldn't need to protect him as much anymore, and Harry had made it clear he did not want Tom hurting other people; even if he was sure they deserved it.

So what else did Harry want to talk about?

Tom frowned as Harry began to fidget with the blanket again.

Even though it had been Harry's idea to talk, he had no idea how to broach the subject he wanted to talk about. Harry had known about Tom's inner darkness for years, but it wasn't until Sir Leighleas had spoken of it that Harry realized he and Tom needed to talk about it.

"I'm scared of losing you Tom." Harry finally admitted after Tom gently shook his shoulder. "I never worried about it growing up, but...but your darkness...I'm scared it'll take you away from me."

"I know you've always had it growing up, but I always ignored it before. You were never mean or hurt people unless they hurt us first. But now?" Harry refused to look at Tom as he forced himself to voice what was wrong. "You killed those Gryffindors even though they'd been expelled. You wanted to hurt Hagrid even though it'd all been an accident. Those are just what I know about."

"Harry-"

"What about the things that happen when I'm not around?" Harry reached forward and grabbed Tom's hand. "I can feel when your magic flares Tom. I know when you get so angry that you lash out. And it's been happening a lot more often recently."

"I'm scared-"

"You won't ever lose me Harry." Tom snapped at his young friend. "As long as I have you, my darkness will never take me from you."

"How can you be so sure?" Harry demanded quietly. "Dark magic is...it's addicting. It can twist the mind if you don't handle it with care." He took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was trying to have a talk with Tom, not blow up at him.

"Harry," With gentle fingers Tom lifted Harry's face up by his chin. "As long as I have your light in my life, I won't lose control."

Light. That's what Sir Leighleas had told Harry; to be the light Tom needed. But could Harry really do it? He'd do anything for Tom, anything, but would he be strong enough in the long run?

"You'll always have me." Harry wasn't a coward; he'd do everything in his power to be there for Tom. "You're my best friend."

There was a twinge in Tom's heart when he heard those words leave Harry's lips. He should have been happy to hear them, but instead he felt something dark stir in his heart.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked as he frowned at Tom. For a moment there he had felt something strange from Tom and his magic had flickered like it always did when Tom was getting angry or irritated.

"It's nothing."

Tom wasn't sure what was wrong. He normally only felt this way whenever Harry was spending time with other people. He'd always associated the feeling to being jealous. But why was he feeling it now?! The two of them were alone and Harry had just told him that they were best friends.

With a frown Harry got up onto his knees so he would be a little higher than Tom on the bed. "It's not nothing." If he was going to be the 'light' that Tom needed then Harry was going to take that role seriously right away. "Tell me what's going on Tom. Please." His voice softened and his gaze became sad.

The strong wave of worry and concern coming from Harry was enough to make Tom sigh and give in to the younger boy.

"I don't really know." Tom hated this. He really did. He hated not knowing something about himself. "I think-" He clenched his jaw for a moment. "I think I might be feeling jealous."

"Jealous..."

"Of your new friends." Tom hissed out almost too quietly for Harry to hear. "I don't want them replacing me."

So the letter had been right. Tom was worried that Harry was going to leave in favor of his new friends.

"I know I'm partially to blame. I've been over protective and I've been treating you like a little kid-"

Tom was silenced when suddenly he was being hugged.

"I hate it, but I am a kid." Harry whispered reluctantly as he held onto Tom. "I can't promise I'll not fight anymore, but I'll try to listen to you more."

"That's all I ask."

The two spent what felt like hours just talking peacefully with each other. When dinner time rolled around Mrs. Malfoy went to fetch her two sons only to find both boys fast asleep on Harry's bed.

With a warm smile Mrs. Malfoy waved her wand a tucked the two boys in. She would make sure to tell the house elves to leave some food on a warming tray in case Tom or Harry woke up hungry later.

"Hadrian! Please be careful!"

At the request of both Harry and Tom, with a little more pleading and puppy eyes from Harry, the Malfoy parents took the two boys to the beach for one of the days they were home.

The moment they had apparated to the beach Harry had gone straight for the waves that were lapping up against the sand; even though Harry was supposed to be taking it easy so both his body and magic could recover from the acromantula's venom.

Harry barely heard Mrs. Malfoy yelling for him to be careful, he was just so happy to be at the beach again after what felt like years. With so many children staying at the Malfoy's they hadn't been able to visit the beach.

"I'll take care of him." Tom assured his adopted parents before following after Harry at a more leisurely pace.

The younger of the two boys was laughing loudly and kicking at the cold water that splashed over his feet. He'd pulled up the legs of his trousers, but that hadn't stopped the water from soaking the boy.

"You are worrying Mrs. Malfoy." Despite the sternness of his words, Tom was smirking at his young friend.

Harry made quite a picture for Tom as the older teen slowly took Harry in. The younger boy's feet were slowly sinking into the wet sand while the salty water from the ocean was continuously rolling back and forth against Harry's legs. The expensive black trousers that Harry had chosen to wear that day were soaked from the knees down and were most likely ruined by the salty water. Harry was bent over slightly so he could keep the legs of his pants up.

"Oh." Harry bit at his lip and looked back to where the two adults had setup a blanket and their lunch basket.

Tom rolled his eyes before reaching out to ruffle Harry's hair. "Don't worry about it. Just be careful."

Those silky black locks that Tom always enjoyed petting flew around Harry's face as the younger boy nodded quickly. "I will." He promised with a toothy grin.

Without any hesitation, Harry dropped the legs of his pants and quickly grabbed onto Tom's hand. "Come on!" Harry couldn't care less if his pants were ruined or not, he only cared about enjoying the day with Tom.

"Harry-" Tom was pulled along by the hyper preteen before he could chastise Harry for hopping around in the waves.

The water was too cold to swim in, but that didn't stop Harry from reaching down now and then to gather as much water in his hand as he could only to send it flying at Tom. Harry was able to get away with it a couple times with only a frown from Tom before the older teen finally gave in to Harry's playful attacks.

After the third time Harry splashed him, Tom finally reached down to splash right back.

A water war began between the two and it didn't end until both Tom had chased Harry down the beach and to an outcropping of rocks.

"Can't catch me Tom!"

"Harry! Don't climb up the rocks!"

It was too late for Tom to stop Harry from grabbing hold of the rocks and hauling himself up. He shimmied away from Tom's reaching hands which made the older teen huff in annoyance.

"If you want to stop me Tom," Harry called out as he made it to the top of the first boulder. He smirked down at Tom and wiggled his fingers at him. "You gotta climb."

With that said Harry turned towards the next boulder and started climbing up it as well.

With an annoyed huff Tom rolled up his sleeves and grabbed hold of the rock. Thankfully his greater height allowed him to scale the rocks faster than Harry. It helped that he used just a tiny bit of wandless magic to push himself up.

"That's cheating Tom!" Harry cried out with a pout when he felt Tom's magic rise up to lift the teen up onto the rocks. "I didn't use my magic."

"That's because your magic is still unbalanced from the venom." Tom pointed out as he used his magic to scale the next boulder at a faster rate.

Harry squeaked and turned to jump down from the boulder in an attempt to get away from Tom.

"Harry! Be careful!"

Tom's warning came too late as Harry's foot came down on a slick patch on the rock. Harry's foot went out from under him and he gasped in surprise as he slipped between two rocks and tumbled into the water.

"Harry!"

Harry felt himself being pulled under the water, but instead of being battered against the rocks he had just been climbing, he found himself being sucked down by a strong current.

Just as his lungs felt like they were burning in his chest the current calmed enough for Harry to start swimming. The water was dark and for a moment Harry floated in the water unsure of which way was up or down.

Just as he began to panic Harry felt something grab onto his arm and he was being hauled through the water.

With a loud gasp Harry broke the surface of the still pool of water that the ocean current had sucked Harry into.

"T-t-tom?"

Harry could feel a warm body next to him in the cold water. His voice echoed slightly and with how dark it was Harry could only assume they were in some sort of underwater cave.

"W-w-w-what were you th-th-thinking?!" Tom demanded as he sent his magic out with a wandless light spell so the two of them could see. "You c-c-c-could have d-d-d-died!"

As soon as Tom spotted the patch of dirt that was large enough for both he and Harry to crawl up onto he began swimming over to it. When Harry didn't at first follow, Tom reached over to drag him along.

"You know b-b-b-b-better than t-t-t-t-o run on r-r-r-rocks."

The cold was going to drive Tom insane so he whipped out his wand with numb fingers and cast a warming spell on both himself and Harry.

Harry's entire body had been shaking hard until the warming spell hit. He sighed in relief as the spells warmth surrounded him. The warmth was made even better as he felt the concerned and gentle caress from Tom's magic.

"I'm sorry Tom." Harry whispered as he used his own wand and cast his own spells to dry out his and Tom's clothes. "I just..." He bit his lip and looked away, guilt filling his eyes.

Tom sucked in his breath and his heart hurt in his chest at how dejected and upset Harry looked. "I know Harry. You were just playing...like we used to."

He reached out and pulled Harry to his chest in a tight hug. "Are you hurt?" Tom asked softly as he held onto Harry.

After taking a quick inventory of his body Harry shook his head. His ankle hurt a little bit, but he knew it was nothing more than bruised.

The two stood there for several long minutes, Harry burying his face into Tom's chest and clutching at his shirt while Tom rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Come on then." Tom murmured gently. "Let's find a way out of here." He glanced down at the water behind them. The current had been especially strong and he wasn't sure if he and Harry could swim through against it to get out.

Harry nodded and slowly let go of Tom's shirt.

Now that he was calmed down, dry, and warm Harry could feel something in the rock walls surrounding them.

The feeling was almost too soft for Harry to pick up on. He frowned in concentration before wandering away from Tom to place a hand flat against the rock.

"Harry?"

The smaller boy held up his hand to stop Tom so he could put all of his focus on the rocks.

"There's magic here." Harry whispered. He was almost afraid of speaking too loudly in case it broke the magic whisper he could feel beneath his hand. "It's...it's not weak, but I can barely feel it." His brows came together and his gaze was distant as he turned inward to try and figure out what he was feeling.

After a few minutes he pulled his hand away slowly. "It feels like it's sleeping."

If Harry could barely feel the magic around them then Tom would definitely not be able to pick up on it.

"Come on Harry." Even if he couldn't feel the magic, Tom was picking up on the stillness around them. His instincts were on high alert as he took Harry's hand and pulled him away from the cave wall.

The light that Tom was casting only went so far back into the cavern that was further away from the water. It was also the only direction they could go in since the current would be too strong for them to swim against.

Then again Tom could try and think of a few spells that could get them past the strong current. But if there was sleeping magic around them any strong magic he himself did might awaken it. They'd been lucky that the warming, drying, and light spells hadn't done anything.

"If we don't get back by lunch I'm sure mother and father will come find us." Harry offered up hopefully. His voice was still soft, but he didn't seem all that upset with how things were.

"There is that."

Still Tom didn't want to risk being in an unknown place with unknown magic for any longer than they had to be.

"Let's try to find a way out."

To make sure Harry didn't wander away from him, Tom held onto Harry's hand as they slowly walked deeper into the cavern.

"The magic is stronger back there." Harry whispered after several long minutes of the two friends walking deeper and deeper into the cavern. Other than Harry's soft words the only sound that either boy could catch was the soft dripping of water echoing off of the rock walls.

Harry started yawning suddenly and he shook his head to try and clear the sleepiness that had settled on his mind. His feet caught on the uneven ground and he stumbled into Tom's side.

"Harry?"

Before Harry could respond he felt Tom's arms go around hims shoulders and under his behind. The tiredness Harry had felt fled momentarily as he was lifted up into Tom's arms.

"Tom! Whaaaat are you doing?" Harry demanded as his cheeks flushed with heat and color. His arms went around Tom's neck and shoulders to help keep his balance.

Tom huffed softly and adjusted his arms so that Harry's legs were forced to wrap around his waist. "I'm carrying you. You're exhausted and likely to hurt yourself if you keep walking on your own."

"I'm not exhausted!" Harry's voice lifted in volume a little before he quickly forced himself to go back to whispering. "I just feel...really tired..." Sure enough the tiredness returned now that the sudden rush of adrenaline passed.

"That's what exhaustion does Harry." Tom made a face at his young friend.

Harry stuck his tongue out at Tom and shook his head to clear the fuzzy feeling that was trying to wrap around his mind. "No...no this isn't that." Harry yawned and reached up to rub his eyes slowly and weakly.

Tom frowned as Harry began to mumble and twitch. Harry had fallen asleep rather quickly in his arms; itt was almost like he had succumbed to a spell or potion.

With wide eyes Tom hurried back a few steps. He couldn't feel what was going on, but Harry's sensitivity was probably picking up on the sleeping magic around them.

"Harry! Harry wake up!" Tom jostled the younger boy in his arms until finally Harry twitched and lifted his head from where it had fallen against Tom's shoulder. Tom let out a sigh of relief as Harry looked around and woke up a little more.

"-'s it lunch yet?" Harry asked as he rubbed at his eyes again. He was starting to nod off again only to yelp when one of his legs was pinched. "Why'd you do that?!"

"You need to stay awake." Tom insisted hurriedly. "You said it felt like the magic was sleeping here right?" After Harry nodded Tom continued. "I don't know why it's asleep, but it's making you fall asleep too."

Tom was starting to feel panicky. He and Harry were stuck in some unknown underwater cavern with strange magic around them that was asleep. With Harry's sensitivity he was being affected by the magic and there was nothing Tom could do.

"Focus on me. Only on me Harry." Tom told the younger boy as he started forward again.

They had no choice but to continue forward. There was no way out behind them and Tom had no idea how long it would be before the adults came looking for them.

"Mkay Tom." Harry yawned and nuzzled up against Tom's neck.

"Talk to me Harry. Stay awake."

"Did I ever tell you that your magic feels really smooth and soft. Like silk. Or Senestra's scales?" Harry mumbled tiredly as he struggled to stay awake. "But warm. Like...like being under a thick blanket."

"I think you've told me that." Tom cursed as the darkness just beyond his light seemed to go on forever.

"It's green too. Deep green." Harry babbled as he focused more and more on Tom's magic. The tiredness that had settled over Harry's mind and limbs was starting to recede the more he focused on Tom. "Slytherin green."

"Makes sense since I am the heir of Slytherin." Tom was only partially paying attention to the conversation. Now that they were deeper in the cavern Tom was starting to pick up on a foreign magic.

"It's got black squiggles too. Like snakes or vines threading through the green."

"Snakes are good."

"Yeah." Harry sat up and looked around. "Tom...Stop..."

Tom halted immediately at Harry's command.

It was a good thing Tom had stopped, otherwise he and Harry would have gone headlong into a large underground lake that was so dark his light spell barely reflected off of it. The liquid almost didn't look like water at all and seemed to absorb Tom's light.

"It's waking up."

Tom felt a shudder of fear role through him and he held onto Harry as every protective instinct he had flared up.

Harry on the other hand relaxed completely against Tom. He started humming softly and nuzzled against Tom's neck. "It's ok Tom. I don't think it's bad."

Now that the magic was waking up Harry could get a better feel for the magic around them.

"It kind of feels like the nature spirits back home."

As the magic grew stronger and more active Harry started to feel sick. The power that was around them was strong enough to start overloading his senses.

"Focus on me Harry." Tom reminded the younger teen as he held him close. "Focus on my magic."

"I-I'm trying." Harry was panting by that point as the magic became strong enough for even Tom to feel. This was different from the magic that was at Hogwarts. The magic in the old castle was passive and didn't interact with the people within. The magic in the cave though was pressing against Harry as if trying to get his attention.

"Tooom." Harry groaned as the magic began pressing harder against him. It became more insistent the more Harry tried to block it out. "I'm gonna be sick." His world was starting to tilt and spin as the mental barrier Harry had built up began cracking.

And then everything became still.

"Harry?"

"A child of lions, a child of snakes, a bond made that will not break.

Houses 4 joined as one, a battle through time hard won.

A child of lions, a child of snakes, masters both a new future they make."

The voice that came from Harry was and wasn't the young pre-teens and it sent a shiver down Tom's spine.

Harry repeated himself several times before he went completely limp in Tom's arms. His breathing was relaxed and his heart rate was even and gentle. It was as if the boy had fallen asleep hours ago.

The magic that had been pressing in on the two boys pulled slowly away. The water in the lake rippled slightly before settling back down. If it weren't for the facts the hairs on Tom's arms were standing on end he would have been hard pressed to admit something had happened.

"What now..." Tom mumbled, his fear and worry tinting his voice as he took a hesitant step back away from the lake. Harry was unresponsive despite the pinches Tom was giving him and the light from Tom's spell was dimming as if being drained of power.

"Damn! Damn it!" He swore angrily as his light went completely out and refused to come back no matter how many times Tom cast the spell wandlessly. With his arms full of Harry he couldn't exactly grab his wand and cast it that way.

Tom's swearing tapered off when something glittered out over the water. He eyed the glittering warily and slowly moved a foot behind him in case he needed to make a run for it. He knew the bubble head charm and braving the harsh current of the ocean was looking like a better plan with each passing second.

The glittering grew stronger and as it came closer Tom found that the glittering was actually just below the surface of the water.

"Harry, wake up." Tom begged as he stepped back once more.

"-is fine Tom." Harry mumbled almost too quietly to be heard. He weakly gave Tom's shoulders a hug before he became dead weight again.

Tom wished he could believe Harry, but he was naturally paranoid and that glittering light beneath the water could be a kelpie for all he knew. Or a will-o-wisp.

The moment the glittering came up out of the water Tom could be ensnared by it's thrall.

"Tom...safe..." Those words came from Harry as a sigh and Tom couldn't help but shiver as Harry's warm breath ghosted over the shell of Tom's ear.

Finally the glittering came to the edge of the lake. Tom watched with equal measures of fascination and trepidation as the glittering object lifted up out of the water without even a ripple or splash.

The glittering was coming from a sphere of soft eerie light that filled the entire cavern and yet the light was like nothing Tom had ever seen before; it definitely didn't act like light nor did it cast any shadows.

"Calm."

Tom was rooted to the ground and his legs refused to move as the ball of not light floated towards him and Harry. Even his magic refused to rise up in defense as Harry's calmness stopped Tom's instinct to fight.

The magic had to have been controlling Harry! And through Harry it was controlling Tom! It was the only explanation the teenager had for how he couldn't even look away from the light.

Even when the light was less than an inch from his face Tom could not look away. He wanted so desperately to run, to carry Harry far away from what Tom was sure was a threat, and yet he couldn't. Harry kept whispering that everything was fine even in his deep state of sleep.

The light stopped just before it touched Tom and hovered there. With it being so close Tom could have sworn the light was vibrating almost.

It began to swing side to side slowly in front of Tom before it began to float away towards the side of the cavern.

Tom was hit with the intense understanding that the light wanted him to follow it. He was almost positive the creature was a will-o-wisp.

"-s spirit." Harry was starting to come too, but he had yet to lift his head from Tom's shoulder. His breathing was stronger though and his arms had moved from hanging limply to wrap around Tom's shoulders again. "Nature spirit."

That...that light was a nature spirit? Tom eyed it warily as the light stopped several feet away in order to swing from side to side again. Harry had described nature spirits in the past, but Tom hadn't expected it to look like that.

But if it really was a nature spirit then it wouldn't try to lead them to their deaths; at least that's what Tom was hoping.

With hesitant and wary steps Tom began to follow the light as it began moving again. It led them to a strange crevice that was practically invisible unless a person knew to look for it from a certain angle. The light darted into the crevice before coming back out again when Tom hesitated.

With a huff of annoyance, he felt like the light was laughing at him as it danced in the air, Tom followed once more.

The passageway was tight, almost too tight for Tom to safely carry Harry, but after awhile Tom noticed that the light that was growing was coming from an outside source and not the nature spirit that was guiding them.

Tom blinked in pain and squinted hard when he stumbled around a sharp corner and squeezed through a narrow gap between the the rock wall and a huge boulder that was leaning against the wall.

They were out!

Harry yawned widely and rubbed at his eyes as he made grumbling noises and whimpered softly at the bright light.

"What happened?" He asked as he leaned back a little from Tom so he could look around.

"You don't remember?"

The only response he got was a shake of Harry's head before the boy frowned in confusion. His mouth worked as if he were trying to form words before he shook his head again. "I remember a voice. Several voices and they were all speaking at once. But...but it felt like a dream."

"There you boys are!"

Tom didn't get a chance to respond as he spotted Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy hurrying towards them. It had felt like Tom and Harry had been in that cavern for hours, but it came as a surprise for Tom when in reality they had been gone for a little less than an hour.

"You two ready for lunch?"

By the time the group made it back to the picnic blanket Harry was completely awake and talking happily about how he and Tom had played in the water and had chased each other. Tom quickly noticed how Harry avoided talking about the cavern and when green eyes met black Tom got the feeling he shouldn't mention the experience either.

Tom had yet something else to research when he made it back to Hogwarts.

Special thanks to: Louise to, Maurey, Deb

A/N: Remember I post new chapters on Mondays! Check out my tumblr (ethrildragon) for info on future chapters and to keep yourself updated on what's going on!