Disclaimer: not mine

Time skip

Chapter 12

Harry laughed as Sirius was dumped in the snow through a combined effort from Hermione and Draco, the Animagus coming up spluttering in fake anger, the two teens running from him as he chased them. He heard a chuckle and then Tom sat down beside him to watch the mayhem as well. Who would have thought they could ever sit side by side in peace? And yet here they were on the grounds of the Black country estate to celebrate Christmas.

"He's coming for us, isn't he?" Harry finally asked after a while, seeing Tom nod.

"We exposed the truth and ruined him, he has to deal with all of us if he wants to go down in history as the great Leader of the Light," the so-called Dark Lord admitted. "It is not up to you children to fight though."

"Isn't it? You know what the Unspeakables think…that the prophecy wasn't you and me but…"

"You and Dumbledore. That's the thing with Prophecies, they're very open to interpretation. Technically it could be me and Dumbledore."

"Except you weren't born as the seventh month died," Harry pointed out. "Let me guess, it could be meaning another Dark Lord in the future? But then how would my parents have defied them? Unless it means none of us? But I touched the orb and didn't go mad so it's definitely me," he rambled a bit as he thought it out.

As much as he hated it, he knew it would be him to face Dumbledore and put a stop to his so-called 'Greater Good'. if those Dementors had never attacked him…how different would things be? Would Dumbledore's plans have remained secret? Would…would he have one day been led to his death to defeat Tom? The man was no saint, Harry wasn't blind, the man used the Dark Arts, had made Horcruxes…had done enough bad things that people had not questioned his killing Harry's parents…but he wasn't as bad as history had made out because history was written by the victors, in this case, Dumbledore's lackies. Tom had started out mostly political, it had been Dumbledore who had turned it into war, Harry had seen the memories to prove it. Besides…part of him came from Vanitas, the Dark Arts didn't bother him nearly as much as they did others. They had their uses after all, but he wanted nothing to do with the Black Arts and now that he was sane and in a body, neither did Tom.

Tom was also mostly staying away from politics too, Lucius had become the new Minister after Fudge and the toad were sacked over gross negligence and other various crimes. Both were vacationing in Azkaban for the foreseeable future.

Who knew a Quidditch game could change so much? Not that his life personally had changed too much, other than gaining a Godfather and another honorary uncle. Sirius had suffered too much in Azkaban to be given custody of him so he still split his time between the three families. Dumbledore had been sacked from all his positions and when his numerous attempts on Harry's life, role in Sirius' illegal incarceration, and other crimes had come to light…he'd vanished.

Hogwarts had changed a lot since then and for the better. There were more classes and far less bullying to start. Still he was worried and he knew the others were too, because the school had been Dumbledore's private little kingdom for decades, the man knew the school better than anyone, even the Marauders. If he wanted to take it back, the teachers wouldn't know until he seized control of the wards. And it was doubtful the Aurors stationed within would be enough to stop him. They'd all been offered the option of changing schools but Harry refused to be cowed by the man. He couldn't beat him, not as a Wizard…but as a Wizard and a Keyblade wielder he stood a better chance than anyone other than Tom, especially if the Prophecy was about Dumbledore.

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Riku sat with his back against the pod where Sora still slept. It had been months and still Sora slept, his memory scattered. It was hard sometimes, to think about him and remember. He hadn't forgotten his best friend, but the memories were hazy, and he hated it. He wanted Sora to wake up, for everyone to remember him like they should.

If only he had come out of the Dark Realm on a floor closer to him in the Castle, maybe he could have done something…helped somehow….maybe Sora wouldn't be sleeping now. Or…maybe they both would.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as he felt how long it was getting it but not bothered enough to do something about it.

"I miss you," he whispered.

He was so…lonely. Yeah, he talked to Naminé and occasionally DiZ but it wasn't the same. He wasn't sure where Mickey was, he knew Kairi had made it home safe, he'd checked in on her without letting her see him. How could he dare to face her after everything he'd done? And….then there was that boy he'd seen in the Realm of Darkness. He just hoped the younger boy had really survived his injury. Was it strange that he couldn't forget some kid that he'd met only once and so briefly? What had his name been? Harry….yeah. that was it. he couldn't have been more than eleven, dying, and yet he'd been so brave…kind of like Sora. He groaned, and he was back to missing his best friend.

"Wake up soon."

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Sirius watched Harry's face as he opened his Christmas presents, he couldn't believe the kid was fifteen already, technically half way to sixteen, the years were just flying by. Then again, he'd missed twelve of those years, stuck in Azkaban the way he was. It was all so different to how he had dreamed when he could dream in that place.

He had to make nice with Malfoy! And yet…it had been a lot easier than he could have imagined. Draco was Harry's closest male friend though so it had to be done. Then again, who could have thought he'd ever be on the same side as Tom Riddle? He wondered what James and Lily would think of them now. The man had killed them…but it had been Dumbledore to aim him at them, so whose fault was it really?

Everything he'd once believed had been turned on its head, but it didn't matter. Dumbledore had tried to have Harry killed multiple times, even if he had never attempted the dead personally, as far as Sirius was concerned the man was too big of a threat to his Godson. Not that he thought he would ever be a match for him in a fight, no way. Even if he hadn't spent over a decade in Azkaban, he'd never have matched his power…but Harry could with time. Riddle too….was that why Albus had moved against him when things were only political and forced the war to begin? His pushing James and Lily as the parents of the Prophecy…because Tom and then Harry were threats to his power and control? Made him wonder what the truth about Grindelwald was.

He would fight Dumbledore for Harry, he was his sole reason for doing anything anymore. Maybe that wasn't healthy but he didn't care. Even if Harry wasn't how he'd imagined him being but then again he hadn't been raised by James and Lily so why would he be like them? He'd gotten the redheaded temper although it took more to rouse it, the kid had impressive emotional control for his age. Harry didn't really seem to care about Light or Dark magic, though thankfully loathed the Black arts. While he seemed to make friends with just about anyone who didn't seek to use him for his fame or was a bigot or anything…he kept them at arm's length, even his closest friends were kept at a slight distance. Because of the Dursley's or something else? He hated seeing it but what could he do? No one else seemed to notice, even said friends, not when he was willing to fight to the death for them. Sirius was pretty sure he'd lost at least another decade off his life after hearing about the Basilisk!

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Everything had been ruined and it was all Harry Potter's fault. If only the boy had done what was necessary and died in his first year! Or even better, had died with his parents. He would have been of more use as a martyr, a poor murdered innocent baby. He'd heard of the 'Potter luck' but the boy took it to an extreme.

Decades of plans had been thrown out the window because of Potter and his allies. He'd had everything set up for years, to ensure his legacy. When his fame had begun to wain it had been all too easy to nudge young Tom Riddle down a darker path, to ensure he would become the next Dark Lord. He'd planned on Riddle doing some damage and then sweeping in to end the threat, unfortunately he'd done his work on the boy too well and he had gone too deep into Black magic…if not for the Prophecy he may have actually won the war, undoing everything Albus had planned.

He'd done everything he could to ensure the Prophecy was fulfilled as quickly as possible so that Riddle would be killable by anyone, and yet Potter kept surviving. And now the two were allies against him! He hadn't planned for that in even his wildest dreams. How had Tom been returned to physical form and at his physical peak?

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Vanitas stared at his reflection. Now he knew why he looked the way he did, that boy Master Xehanort had targeted in the Sleeping Worlds. Sora…the boy who had beat his Master's Heartless and Nobody. Could it really be that his brother's heart was within the boy? How? Why? They weren't identical, his hair was black and his eyes golden. He wanted to meet him in the real world, to test him, and find out for sure if Ventus was hidden within him.

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Lucius sat back, stretching his back. He had never wished to be Minister and yet here he was. It didn't help that after so long, Narcissa was pregnant again. Thankfully, Draco was very excited about having a younger sibling. It was hard to believe he only had two years of Hogwarts left. So much had changed since they had farewelled Draco on the platform for his first year of Hogwarts and honestly, it was for the better.

Finding out the truth about Dumbledore had been a shock, he had never liked the man but he had respected his mind and power. Having Tom Riddle show up on his doorstep two weeks after the Dementor attack on Harry had been the biggest shock though. He'd expected torture and perhaps death when he refused to hand Harry over…only to have his Master agree with his stance on the boy. Apparently it was something Harry had done in their confrontation in the Chamber of Secrets that had returned his sanity and enabled him to regain a body, though both remained silent on the events.

There were no more Death Eaters, no war….unless Dumbledore decided to start a proper one anyway. Laws were changing, not everyone was happy, but he understood more of the Muggle world thanks to Harry and Miss Granger…Hermione, who if he was reading things correctly, would be the next Lady Malfoy. He never would have allowed that once and now he found he was rather looking forward to it.

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"Kairi!" Sora yelped, even as she laughed, shaking the water out of his hair and eyes. He scrambled up and took off after her. He was a lot better runner on sand and soon caught up to her, tackling her into the wet sand, hearing her shriek.

"Riku, help!" she cried, and he looked up to find Riku watching them with an amused smirk.

He used to smile at them, but now it was always a smirk. Riku was…getting mean as they got older and Sora hated it. He wanted the old Riku back. Was it because they were in high school now? Did…did he not want to be friends with them anymore cause he was in the year above them?

Riku still wanted to go with them, for all three of them to make a raft and leave the Islands together. He was still their friend and Sora wouldn't let him forget it, he wouldn't.

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"The great battle with Xehanort is almost upon us," Yen Sid told the group before him. He was pleased with Riku's progress, the youngest Keyblade Master in a very long time. Young Sora's failure was very disappointing and couldn't have come at a worse time. "As you know, we must take action to keep the seven pure lights safe, and thus we must hasten to assemble the seven guardians of light. It is time to return to our world the three Keyblade wielders we lost over a decade ago. Ventus, Terra, and Aqua must be saved from their sad end, for they have more to achieve. Following their first battle with Xehanort, Ventus' heart refused to awaken, and so Aqua found a safe location to conceal him. But when she set off in search of her other missing friend Terra, she fell to a place from which there is no return without outside help," He explained to Riku and Kairi before looking to Mickey who turned to face the two teens.

"I saw her. In the realm of darkness," the King admitted before explaining the events of a few years earlier. He looked to his left suddenly, as though confused. "I thought...I heard her voice in the distance."

"She sacrificed herself to save me? Why did you keep it from me for so long?"

"I had to respect her choice."

"What about us? You could've given us a choice. We could have gone and helped her," Riku argued, and Yen Sid frowned.

"I know," Mickey admitted.

"Do not be rash, Riku," he warned. "As Mickey told you clearly in his story, reaching the realm of darkness the first time was not a simple task. And even if we had found a way back in, regrettably none of us possessed the necessary means to get Aqua back out safely. So I forbade Mickey from telling you, let alone going after her."

"Why keep it secret?"

"That much is obvious. If not you, then certainly Sora would have staged a reckless attempt at rescue."

Riku reluctantly stopped arguing. At least he listened, unlike Sora. Perhaps having Kairi join them would help him to do so?

"But, now we can help Aqua. You and I-we're gonna go find her!" Mickey grinned at Riku.

"Yeah! Count me in!" Riku was smiling rather widely, something that surprised Yen Sid, the boy was always so serious.

"Yep!"

"Who's this new Riku and where's the old one?" the young Princess asked teasingly. It was strange that all of the Princesses had passed on their power, except her.

"New me?" Riku stared at them all as if perplexed.

"Yeah," she giggled. "You're more like Sora."

Mickey nodded in agreement, and even Yen Sid had to agree. That was the last thing they needed.

"Should I be flattered?" Riku asked, smirking at her. "I try too hard to be the role model. It's more fun to just listen to my heart. Which is Sora-esque" he shrugged.

"Well, we still like you," she then turned to face Yen Sid. "Master, I came here because I wanted to help somehow. What can I do?"

"I have entrusted the wizard Merlin to oversee the training for our new Keyblade wielders, yourself and Lea," he answered. It was not his preferred option, but there was little choice. They needed time to train and that was something the wizard could ensure they had.

"Lea?"

"He means Axel," Mickey answered.

"What!?" She yelped.

"Aw. He's a regular person now. He even saved Sora for us. You can trust him!" his old apprentice assured her.

Yen Sid wasn't as sure but he kept his peace. The young man had summoned a Keyblade after all, as well as helping to save Sora from Xehanort's trap.

Kairi looked to Riku, who nodded in an assuring way to her.

Mickey began to head out of the room. "C'mon, Riku. It's time for us to go. First, we gotta find an entrance to the realm of darkness."

Riku and Kairi went to follow Mickey, but Yen Sid stopped them before they left.

"Mickey, take these along with you. The three good fairies asked that you be presented with them." He conjured two briefcases on the table, one big and one small. "They are new vestments which will shield the both of you from the darkness."

Riku took the big briefcase and Mickey the small one. They both bowed to him. "Thank you, Master," they offered in unison. Riku slung his briefcase over his shoulder and nodded to Mickey affirmatively.

"Okay, let's go!"

Yen Sid watched the three of them leave, wishing them all luck, they would need it. It was only moments later that he sensed young Sora's return. He had truly lost nearly everything in his failure, but at least his trip back to the Sleeping Traverse Town had helped strengthen his light.

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"Could it be Dumbledore?" they all looked to Neville who grimaced but didn't shrink back.

"What are you thinking Nev?" Harry asked him.

"Well, with all the visitors, foreign and not…it'd be a lot easier to sneak in, right?" he asked, flustered.

"He's got a good point," Remus admitted. "The crowds at each Task would be big, easy to hide in. And a great audience if he was there for something more than just getting access to the school."

"They'd make good hostages too. Who keeps pushing for it anyway? Someone on his side or just gullible enough to be used?" Harry asked, looking to Lucius.

"Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports," Lucius' grimace made his opinion of the man rather clear.

"Didn't they stop the Tournament due to the death toll?" Hermione asked from her place next to Draco on the couch, a ring now on her left hand.

"Which is why an age limit of seventeen was part of the suggestion," Lucius offered, all eyes going to Harry.

"What is it with the old man and overly convoluted plots to kill me?" he groaned.

"We don't know for sure that Dumbledore has anything to do with this," Tom warned, obviously not wanting them to get fixated on the idea and miss something important. "However if he is involved then it is a safe bet that Harry shall find himself entered, against his will if need be. And no one will lift a finger because you'll be barely over the age limit."

"Great way to end my years at Hogwarts," Harry sighed.

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Harry breathed deeply, wiping the sweat from his brow. If they were right and the Tournament was a trap for him, then he had to be prepared. Lucius did not want to agree to the Tournament but was now under pressure from the other governments to participate. Honestly, if this was a Dumbledore plan….Harry thought they should spring the trap, the sooner he was dealt with the better.

He drank some water and moved back to continue practicing. He summoned his Keyblade, staring at the magical weapon. It felt so right to have a Keyblade in hand, how had he gotten by before it had come to him? He knew he'd need it to take Dumbledore on, it had to the Power he knew not.

His Lost Memory was different to Ventus' in one way, he used a more standard grip then Ven had. He'd tried using it the way Ven did but it hadn't felt right, then again Vanitas held his the standard way too so there was no reason to think he was meant to copy Ventus. It was strange thinking of Ven as being alive but he knew what he'd felt back in third year, he'd felt Ventus heart within that other boy. He still dreamed of events from before the Graveyard but he'd had no more contact with any other Keyblade wielders. He wished he knew what was going on out there but he hadn't managed to summon a glider yet and even if he had, he didn't have any armour. Could Earth magic protect him from the Darkness of the lanes? Then again, did he need it like they had when he wasn't quite as Light as they were? Did he want to risk it?

He couldn't, not yet anyway. He had to finish school, stand as Draco's best man, and finish the Prophecy first.

TBC…

So were you guys expecting Dumbledore to be the real bad guy? I was trying to hint at it with his thoughts in previous chapters.

So Harry didn't destroy the Horcruxes, he forced them to re-combine.