A/N: This was supposed to be a one shot, but now it's a series. Thank you so very much to all the people who have favourited/followed the story. It was because of you guys, I continued with the idea of this fic. I don't own Harry Potter; it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!
A/N: The events of POA start from this chapter onwards.
A/N: 'Bold and italics' is conversation in parseltongue.
"Horcrux. That is the word you've been searching for this whole time. That is what the diary once used to be. A Horcrux." Marvolo spoke in deep thought as thunder rumbled and he allowed the storming rain drench him deep to the bones. Harriet looked at him with concern - their shared dreams were usually set up in the form of library or in rare cases, somewhere outdoors. Never had they explored Marvolo's memories before. He'd always been very private and secretive about his past, yet here they stood, in front of a grey and old building that said 'WOOL'S ORPHANAGE'.
The thick raindrops and the raging storm were clear indications of the inner battle Marvolo was going through. Harriet could feel how painful it was for him to relive his past and painful memories, but he was trying - just for Harriet.
She took his larger hand gently in her smaller ones, not caring in the least about her shivering body or the wet hair sticking to her face.
She took his cold hands in her warmer ones, to remind him that she was here - by his side - and always will be.
Their attention snapped when they saw a bunch of kids surrounded in a nearby park, and laughing uncontrollably. Marvolo led Harriet to the group of hurdled children; his hand unconsciously tightening around her, making sure that he didn't lose her.
Harriet audibly gasped when she came to the scene - there he was, a bruised, bloodied and far younger Tom Riddle, beating another kid mercilessly. Not far away from them was a dead snake, and Harriet could see young Tom refusing to let the tears fall from his beautiful brown orbs.
"This kid - Billy Stubbs - killed my only friend because he could just not see my younger self, happy and content. He was always the one to bully me, pick on me, and the others joined his lead happily. No one wanted to befriend me, were afraid to even sit near me and all of this because I was a freak. They toyed with me, tortured me, dearest because I could do things 'normal' people couldn't. And the matron of the orphanage - Mrs Cole - just wanted a reason to punish me. She tried everything, Harrie, to take out the devil inside of me. These people were the ones who made me believe, even more, that I could never belong with them; that I would always be the freak and spawn of the devil."
More flashes of his horrible childhood resurfaced in front of her eyes. It was like scenes of a movie playing all around her, while she stood still in the centre.
She saw five-year-old Tom sitting in the far corner of the room while other children played with the new toys they received on Christmas. She saw six-year-old stubborn Tom not even flinching when he was slapped hard on his face, for a mistake he didn't commit. She witnessed nine-year-old Tom walking back to the orphanage hurriedly, in order to avoid any fights and conflicts with his bullies. She also saw ten-year-old Tom staring outside the window, in fear, because he didn't know what the outcome of the ongoing war be.
Harriet could clearly see the similarities between her's and Marvolo's childhood. She understood now, as to why he was so protective of her and hated the Dursley's so much; he didn't want Harriet to endure a lonely and loveless childhood as he did. But she also realised that even though they both were similar in such cruel ways, there had been one major difference.
For as long as she could remember, Harriet always had Marvolo, and before him too, she had parents who loved her enough to sacrifice their lives for her. Marvolo, however, had always been alone - no mother, no father, and certainly no friends. She gently wiped those tears away; the tears that had escaped from her eyes on Marvolo's behalf.
"The day Stubbs killed my beloved snake, was the day I started fearing death. Sure death had always been my enemy ever since it took my mother away from me, but seeing my beloved pet all bloodied and dead, really struck a cord." Marvolo swallowed hard as he tried to maintain his composure and Harriet didn't interrupt him.
"I realised that death is the ultimate end; that there would be no more life and opportunities after it. And I wasn't ready to give up on my life, no matter how miserable and insufferable it truly was. I wanted to learn more about the 'abnormality' that I had, wanted to explore it as much as I could. I wanted to defeat death and show everyone what I was capable of, and prove that they were right all along, to fear me. I never wanted to die because I knew that there would not be a single person to mourn for me when I eventually leave the mortal world," he hissed the last words spitefully and Harriet wondered as to how much hate and malice had been bottled up in his heart for so many years.
She tenderly touched his arm to grab his attention, and Marvolo snapped his head in her direction. He saw her pale slightly when she saw rage written in his crimson eyes, and immediately realised his mistake.
"I apologise, little snake. It wasn't my intention to frighten you," he said as he tucked the wet strands of hair from her face. Seeing Harriet in front of him, seemed to make him relax a bit, because the very next moment, the grey clouds covering up the beautiful sun-kissed sky, cleared up. The weather turned into a slightly breezy, yet still chilly one, as Marvolo took his time to control the overwhelming emotions.
With their hands still interlocked, they started moving forward. This time Marvolo's memories from his Hogwarts days came into view. Harriet initially felt a little uncomfortable seeing teenage Tom Riddle because of the Chamber incident, but nonetheless, didn't voice her thoughts.
"I was ecstatic the day I received my Hogwarts letter. Truly, my happiness knew no bounds. I thought that I'd finally found a place where I belonged, after eleven years of abusive and pitiful existence. Salazar, how wrong I was!"
"What do you mean?" Harriet asked in a confused tone. Wasn't Hogwarts supposed to be his home and safe haven, just like it belonged to her?
"As soon as I was sorted into the snake-pit, the whole house turned their backs on me. Apparently, they didn't think that a mudblood like me had any chance or honour to sit among nobles like them. They treated me like trash, just as the kids at orphanage did," Marvolo spoke in a casual tone as if the cruel words of his fellow housemates didn't matter to him in the least.
"It was their mistake. I didn't pay any heed to their crass words and buried myself deep into my studies. I knew that I didn't want to get suspended from Hogwarts for rude behaviour, because if anything of that sort happened, I would have been homeless and begging on the streets." He looked at Harriet with pleading eyes, trying to make her understand the reason behind his terrifying actions. She didn't say anything, just listened to him intently.
"Although I didn't show it outwardly, their malicious words cut me deep to the bone, making the already present hatred and vengeful intentions increase tenfolds. I wanted to rule them, make them grovel at my feet and kiss the ground that I walked upon. I wanted them all to pay. I wanted the snotty purebloods to pay for treating me - Tom Marvolo Riddle - as the worst of abominations, and I wanted others to face my wrath for being mute witnesses and not interfering when I was mercilessly bullied and bruised up enough to spend my weekends at the Hospital wing," he hissed in a whispered tone as he saw his twelve-year-old self sitting numbly on one of the hospital beds, and staring at nothing. The mediwitch was fretting over while healing the deep cut on his lip. She was telling him to either stand up against his bullies or inform the professor about it because she didn't like Tom being treated so badly.
"She was probably the only one to have an inkling of compassion for me," he spoke and Harriet could see an unrecognisable emotion in his usually vacant eyes. "I hated her the most; absolutely loathed her for caring about me, for treating me like a normal child and not a disease, for making me feel weak and pathetic."
"What happened to her?" Harriet asked, suddenly afraid of the answer she was about to hear.
"I killed her," Marvolo hissed, guilt lacing his voice.
"You what?!" Harriet was horrified, not because she was surprised by his murderous tendencies, but of the fact that he murdered the only person who genuinely cared about him.
"I killed her because Lord Voldemort couldn't have any weaknesses. He never had the choice to live a normal and happy life, he was burdened with the responsibility to rule the wizarding world and save Mother Magic, or so I thought at that time." Marvolo sat on a stone bench with a heavy sigh, feeling guilty and stupid at his past mistakes and the ruckus his younger self had made. Harriet took the liberty to sat beside him and hear the rest of his story.
"After five years of hard work, I finally found the Chamber of Secrets. Finding the Chamber was a milestone for me; it proved that I was the noble Heir of Salazar Slytherin and it eventually led me to become the leader of the pureblood chain. The people who always had a sneer on their faces when I was in front of them, were in absolute awe when I revealed my Parseltongue abilities. In my excitement and the chance to redeem my image in front of the purebloods, I unleashed the Basilisk upon Hogwarts."
"You let the Basilisk - that giant monstrosity - out of the Chamber?"
"I did. There was an unmatched terror among students and teachers alike. No one knew what exactly the monster was, and it gave me the opportunity to commit my first mistake. The Basilisk killed a muggleborn from Ravenclaw, as well as the Hogwarts mediwitch Mrs Cooper," he spoke and stopped abruptly. His thoughts were consuming him while he tried to contemplate his raging emotions.
"What happened?"
"I didn't know that her death would affect me so much. I'd thought that she was a thorn on my side and that her death was necessary for my survival. Unfortunately, I fell deep into the trap of Dark Arts. I blamed myself for her untimely departure and that guilt, fueled up the desire that I had for Dark magic."
"How is it all related to this 'Horcrux', Marvolo?"
"A Horcrux is an object in which a witch or a wizard conceals a fragment of his or her soul for the purpose of attaining immortality. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, they cannot die, for part of their soul remains earthbound and undamaged."
All colour drained from Harriet's face. It felt that she had been punched right in the gut. Mutilating your own SOUL - it was far worse than anything she'd imagined. Marvolo had a bittersweet smile on his face. He knew very well that no matter how cold and distant she seemed to others, Harriet was too innocent. She was a girl who'd been through pain and survived, however, she wasn't someone who had the ability to unreasonably harm others.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you started hating me from this very moment. I would have done the same thing had I been in your place." Harriet looked at him in disbelief. Did he seriously think that she hated him?
"What?" She spluttered.
"I know the horrendous crimes that I've committed are unforgivable, dearest. I was mentally and emotionally unstable after creating my first Horcrux - the diary. In my hurry to gain immortality and defeat death, I messed up the ritual of soul splitting and accidentally put half of my original soul in the diary. That was my second mistake because no Horcrux is supposed to house half of the owner's original soul."
"First?!" Marvolo slightly smirked at Harriet after hearing her whispered tone.
"Yes, first. I initially planned to create seven..."
"Because seven is the most powerfully magical number?"
"Brilliant, little snake. You do remember things!" He praised her to lighten up the thick mood a bit. But Harriet's expression remained as stoic as before.
"As I was saying before you so eloquently interrupted me, yes, I wanted to make seven but could only succeed in making six before my downfall on that Samhain night."
"You have six Horcruxes?"
"Hmm. Do want me to list them?" he got an affirmative nod.
"The diary - that you have already destroyed, the Gaunt's ring, Salazar Slytherin's locket, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, and...," he stopped speaking and looked at Harriet intently, making her shiver slightly.
"And? They are only five, Marvolo," she whispered.
"Harriet Lillian Potter."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Lord Voldemort's sixth Horcrux is Harriet Lillian Potter, dearest."
"I don't understand, Marvolo. How?" She was a bit frightened, he could sense, so he moved forward and wrapped her gently in his arms. Harriet didn't waste second to rest her head comfortably on his chest.
"On Samhain 1981, when I came to kill you - the child of the prophecy - your mother stood protectively in front of you. She invoked the powerful and ancient magic because of her selfless love for you, which lead to my counterpart's defeat. The creation of multiple Horcruxes had already degraded my body physically and mentally, so when I cast the Killing Curse on you," he felt Harriet shiver slightly and tightened his hold on her, "it backfired upon me. Your mother's magic was so powerful and pure that it defeated the most feared wizard of all time, that too in the blink of an eye. A piece of my soul, however, distorted from my body and latched onto your soul. And as you know, I've been with you ever since that fateful night."
Harriet looked at her with those striking green eyes that he loved so much. There were so many questions swirling in them but she didn't know how to voice them.
"Do you hate me for this condition of yours?" Her voice came out timidly but he didn't let go of her.
"Remember one thing, little snake, I can never hate you. It is not possible for me. My soul has found a home in yours; your soul has healed my broken one and I can't thank you enough for it. The years I've spent with you have helped me regain my mental stability. I'm once again whole because of you," Marvolo hissed with such sincerity that Harriet couldn't deny his words. "You are the most precious thing I could have asked for. Not only you're a powerful witch, but a female Parselmouth and the first living Horcrux. You're a Goddess among these petty humans." Harriet snorted loudly at the last statement, making Marvolo look at her amusingly. Harriet's expression soon changed, however.
"Is me being a Horcrux the reason, Lord Voldemort - the one possessing Quirrel - took so much interest in me, in the first year?"
"No. As far as I know, he isn't aware of this little secret."
"Then why the sudden interest?"
"The same reason Dumbledore is wary of you. Your sorting into Slytherin and your personality befuddled him. Before meeting you, he would have thought of you as the arrogant saviour of the wizarding world and someone firmly on Dumbledore's side. You, however, surprised not only others but him as well, by going into the rival house and also befriending Severus. From what I can surely say, he would have found you as a puzzle to be solved. Like Dumbledore, he wants you on his side - as a pawn."
"And what do you want? Where do you stand among all these crazy manipulations?"
"I stand by my previous statement. I'm not the same person as I once used to be, little snake. Now, I'm just Marvolo; I'm neither Lord Voldemort nor Tom Riddle."
"Does this mean you will help me fight Voldetort when he returns?" Marvolo huffed a laugh at the horrendous nickname she had given to his counterpart.
"No. I'll fight him myself, because no one touches what's mine, not even my other self."
Before Harriet could ask as to how he would be able to fight the Dark Lord, she was woken up rather rudely by Aunt Petunia. Her day had just gotten infinitely worse when she heard that Aunt Marge was coming at No 4 Privet Drive.