Chapter 11: Wild Hearts

"Hearts are wild creatures that's why our ribs are cages."

~Morticia Addams

~Riddle SR. ~

Tom Sr. poured himself a deep shot of whiskey and threw it back in one gulp before pouring himself another. It had been a hellish week, both his parents were killed in a car accident and he had to do all the arrangements himself. Exposing himself to a whole slew of strangers and he had barely managed to do it all before he broke out in cold panicked sweat. He hated leaving the house, he hated seeing anyone outside of his parents, and he hated that he could no longer function without doing these hated things. When his parents had been alive they had taken over doing everything for him, and they had made sure that the servants were never seen by him.

It had been so long since he had been required to be a functioning adult that every moment felt like the heights of torture. As he drank more the memories from before swam into his eyes and he shuddered it was like he could still feel her hands on him. She had liked to pet him, like some favorite doll she had dressed him and combed his hair every day. She touched him whenever she could and even now he could feel that shadow of her touch in his weak moments. He always felt unclean…filthy…from her touch…from her whispered words.

Worse still were the memories of how he had acted, like a puppet and she was the master with the strings. He told her honeyed words, touched her back, followed her happily like a bloody trained puppy. It was like an out of body experience watching himself act that way, to hear himself call that revolting toad beautiful, to touch that misshapen body like he was fondling a model. If he hadn't had the presence of mind to act happy to see her that day she had forgotten to give him his dose, if he had reacted in any way the way he had wanted to he would have been trapped still within that witch's hold.

Kidnapped, trapped within his own body, raped over and over again. She whispered she loved him as she forced drugs or potions or whatever that had been down his throat. He shuddered again in disgust. It was because of that hideous hag he was so fucking afraid to leave his house that he couldn't even look at a woman or a stranger without tremor racking his body with a cold sweat. He couldn't even think of having children or finding love…because how would he ever know if it was real ever again.

Because she had taken that from him, he had thought he had loved that fucking monster and after feeling that…after knowing it could be fake…how could he ever trust his own feelings again? Love needed trust, there was no way around that, and he couldn't even trust himself let alone someone else. No, Tom Sr. was sure he was going to die alone and miserably afraid in this house. This place would be his tomb one day and as he threw back another shot Tom Sr. wondered if he should just end it now. His parents were dead, the only people who he knew were normal without a doubt, the only people he had been living for were gone and he was horribly alone.

"I have to say this place is lovely," a smooth voice said behind him and Tom Sr. dropped the glass in fright shattering it as he whirled around.

There was a boy in the doorway to the study, Tom Sr. felt the blood leave his face as he looked at him and saw his face in miniature. The face of his youth on another person. Tom Sr. tried to block out the memories of lazy eyes sparkling crazily as she told him she was pregnant…no…this was not happening. He had escaped her…she had not darkened his door since that day he had gotten away…and frantically Tom Sr. looked around as if she would creep from the shadows.

"What…how…" Tom Sr. said looking around frightened beyond belief because this must be his son and he had only ever touched that monster. Monster spawn.

The boy looked very amused with him and tilted his head to the side ever so slightly and with a start Tom Sr. realized there was a smaller form behind him. Another boy or girl (Tom sr. couldn't tell) with vividly red hair and startling green eyes looked out at him from behind the boy. "Well, as fun as this reunion is I think we better get down to business," the boy with his face said raising his hand pointing a stick at Tom Sr.

Tom Sr. felt his blood run cold and he flung himself back slamming painfully into the desk behind him. "You truly are a monster just like her." Tom Sr. whimpered and the boy before him scowled at him darkly. This was why he had not stuck around for the birth before spiriting away; this was why he had never looked for him, because even if that witch by some blessing from god had died in childbirth she left a monster behind to replace her. This might have been his son but he was just as unnatural as his beastly mother.

The boy clicked his tongue and muttered darkly, "So you did know about me, I had always wondered…if you knew you had a son out there somewhere. She named me after you, you know, Tom Riddle," The boy called Tom said. SO the monster had not only stolen his face for her new monster but his name as well. For some insane reason a bubble of hysterical laughter escaped him.

"Tom you promised not to play with him," the one with the red hair murmured gently as she slid around the boy Tom and Tom Sr. realized she was a girl. Her dress was as a boy, her hair was a little short but still there was no denying she was a female.

"I said I would think about it, not that I wouldn't," the boy Tom retorted.

"Still, I know that we have to do this but…you don't have to make him so scared first." The girl said pressing into the boy's side.

"He left me there Harry, he left and he knew," the boy Tom hissed angrily. The girl Harry quieted and just watched him with sad eyes.

"I wanted you to know, before I do this, I want you to know I killed them…your parents…I made my weak Uncle do it and had him shipped off to prison. Now I'm going to make you do some things for us, and before you die you will finally be of some use to me." The boy Tom said darkly. Tom Sr.'s heart spend up and he thought of running but he was frozen stiff as all his worst fear stood before him. A monster with his own face.

"Imperio" The boy Tom hissed and then…bliss. All the fear…all the dark dismal thoughts…gone…only bliss…only this…only commands.

~Harry~

Harry lounged humming to herself as she watch Tom furiously writing in three different notebooks that were spread across his new desk in his new study. Tom Sr. was in one of the guestrooms staring at the wall and out of sight out of mind for the moment. Harry wondered if it would always be like this, Tom furiously planning and her just watching him amused and waiting…always waiting for his attention. It seemed a little pathetic to her but she didn't mind being pathetic.

She knew enough of herself that Harry admitted she was in love with Tom, as deeply as she could manage as broken as she was and that was a feeling she reveled in. Love was as beautiful as it was dangerous. "So when will we be using Malfoy?" Harry asked and Tom's sharp blue eyes glanced up at her from his work.

Tom smirked, "You just want to play with his childish sensibilities again." When Harry had whispered in his ear about their expected company that was spying on them Tom had been very satisfied that such a subtle trap had worked out so well for them. They needed to plant the seeds that Harry had some sort of seer ability because there was no way in hell Tom was ever letting the truth get out. Harry's truth was his and only his.

A giggle stuck in the back of Harry throat and she grinned at her devious boy. It was amusing to Harry to mess with the people around them by using Tom like that, because it was so very unexpected. For some reason no one really saw Tom as a sexual entity, even in her first life, oh Tom had his seductive moments but there was such cold aloofness to the boy that one could almost believe him asexual. Even Harry knew that at the moment for all the times Tom pulled her into kisses it was more of an effort of his to brand her skin. It was a claiming of possession, domination, not something as sweet as desire…at least not yet.

There was something there, a tiny spark, the smallest flame of desire in their kisses. It would be years yet before that became anything more than a flash in the dark but Harry was patient…time…time meant nothing to her anymore. She looked at Tom, for all he had her memories of eons…he was still very much in the thought process of a mortal. Tom wanted to do it all as soon as possible, there was such a drive in him that Harry was a little sad to realize had died in her a long time ago. Why worry? Why hold grudges against old enemies when they are but a speck in the sands of her time.

"You should have just killed him, we could have worked around his death," Harry murmured eyes on the display of emotion on Tom's face.

It settled on disgust and he replied. "He deserves no such peace, I could dismiss his thoughtlessness, his fear, his stupidity, I could dismiss it all had he not abandoned me knowingly. It would have been different if he had not known, had he been truly ignorant, but he was not. As much as I could understand his fears," Tom's eyes connected with her and understanding passed between them, "it does not excuse his responsibilities."

Harry hummed in agreement. She had been a father once, her children had been the only true happiness in her life sometimes and Harry could not imagine…even if she had been in Tom's shoes…abandoning any of her babies. It just wasn't what a man should ever do; a mother can't get away like that so why should a father be able to just turn his back.

"He could have raised me here at a distance, he could have put me in some house somewhere far away with nannies and tutors and never see me. He could have tucked me somewhere safe and cared for even if he never thought twice about ever actually seeing me afterwards…it would have been enough. But he ran away from me, from the world, from himself, such cowardly actions I can never forgive. You have been broken more times than I care to think of and yet…you would never leave the consequences of such torment alone. You would not have left me to rot in some orphanage hungry and alone. He did and so he must pay for it." Tom said decisively.

As flattering as his words were Harry worried for Tom, holding on to so much hate burned not just the hated but the hater. Determined to push the issue aside for now Harry brought up another point, "We only have a little more than three months to prepare for the Blitz Tom, September 7, they'll begin to drop the bombs on London…and the war between muggles will have come to us."

Tom's lips were pressed in a firm line, "I am aware, but I need to prepare some things in the coming days. I need to get the Riddle Finances in order, half will need to be exchanged over to Wizarding currency and we will need to stock up on a lot of supplies. As soon as the others are aware then there will be a rush for these things and it will leave us at a disadvantage. As of this moment the wizards are more concerned with Grindlewald's campaign in Europe and are paying the Muggles no mind…this will change soon and when it does the wars will reach all corners of our world."

"Wouldn't it better to have help with this?" Harry asked.

"No, I have it all scheduled. First we need to secure our supplies, purchase House elves so that the west wing (that is in disrepair) can be renovated and expanded. Then we will need to interview all the muggleborn that already have a place in Hogwarts, I already have a list of their names and address with letters written to schedule our times when we will go to see them." Tom began.

Harry interrupted, "How did you get a list of all the muggleborns? Not to mention their addresses."

Tom smirked, "Some of us think ahead, I have been planning for this since you gave me your memories and have had a whole school year to figure out the schedule for everything. As I was saying, I want to secure the muggleborns either here with us or in the country before approaching the purebloods. As distasteful as it will be to have more people within our space this will be an important step for you and I."

"Still, with the purebloods help this would certainly go smoother and we could use Rosier and Black's connection to the Ministry to get the Muggleborns that are not yet of Hogwarts age." Harry said.

"Yes, we can and we will but not yet. This is not about kindness Harry; we are not saving them for the sake of the good deed. This is the first major step that will set us on our way to being the benevolent rulers of this society," Tom sneered, "I will not share this glory with anyone. Only Black and Rosier will get some minor credit for their aid after we have done much of the work already. Everyone else is going to be reacting and only we and a select few will have been prepared. This will be a game changer for us. I can't risk this by trying to be kind."

Harry sighed and nodded, "SO then first we approach the muggleborns…what of their families?"

"As disgusting as the thought of sharing space with muggles is saving only the muggleborns will only breed an insidious sort of resentment. We will be careful, only the ones that don't mistreat their charges will be allowed and perhaps I will talk to Black about securing a recommendation for a steward for the manor while we are at Hogwarts. Hopefully enough of them will have family in the country so that will only be forced to host a few of them. First, we will concentrate on readying the house, securing house elves, and registering the manor as magical with the ministry. We will be needing wards and I want to get the west as well as the east wing expanded on the inside. Hopefully with the extra space we won't have to interact with the interlopers much." Tom glowered darkly.

Harry laughed, Tom really hated being the 'better man' and as much as he had some sort of sick satisfaction from the thought of being gloried as a savior so that he can rub it in Dumbledore's face…he hated having to look after others. It was hilarious to Harry that in a short few months Tom had thought out such elegant plans that would propel all this plans forward and would save more lives than Dumbledore ever had in this life. Tom…Tom Riddle…savior of the muggleborns.

"And the Ministry? What about them? St. Mungos? The Alley?" Harry mused because Tom had not addressed all the rest of the population.

"First the Muggleborns, they will be so smug to know before the pureblood, then the high racking purebloods, and then three weeks before the attack I'll have Malfoy secure us an audience with the Minister. It will give them enough time to act and us enough time to have already have secured everything we will need in the coming years. Most of them won't think to prepare for that far ahead but once the war heats up trade will be harder and rationing will eventually bleed over into our world. If we have what others do not then we will be in a position to use it." Tom said eyes going back to his notebooks.

"Sounds like you have had everything planned out already…so what must you be working on now I wonder?" Harry asked only half serious.

Tom looked up at her briefly before his eyes went back to his work, "If you really want to know, I am trying to calculate how much training we will need for the next five years. You might have the experience but this body you have is new and needs to be trained. My body needs to be trained and I need to experience real combat in order to gain your instincts."

"Why?" Harry asked genuinely curious why Tom was so specific on the time besides the fact that they would graduate in five.

"It's simple really Dumbledore secured three of the four highest positions in our society by defeating Grindlewald in a duel and ending the wizarding war. All his esteem, all of his power, all of his influence, came from that one singular act…and if we do it first not only will we take everything from that trumped up man but we will secure our place. The only reason Dumbledore didn't gain all four positions that really rule our corner of the world was because he denied the Minister position. I have no intention of denying anything that such an act will gain us. We only need to beat Dumbledore to it, if we take our Newts Sixth year; we have a year to tract down that man and end this before Dumbledore grows a back bone. From what you remember Dumbledore is afflicted with lovefor this man he won't act until the last possible moment, when he has been pushed to the limit, and I intend to take advantage of his reluctance." Tom grinned.

Harry stared at him speechless, the grin Tom was sporting was both frightening and alluring, and this was the boy that would become the man that would break the world. In this moment Harry realized how…royally Dumbledore had fucked up in his handling of Tom Riddle. Tom was a weapon that needed a handler; he needed someone to guide him because Tom was going to bring greatness wherever he walked. Whether that was terrible or awe inspiring was up to the people who influenced him. The first time around Tom had only respected Dumbledore's power enough to have listened; now he had Harry.

There was not a single doubt inside of Harry that Tom would have destroyed Dumbledore's enemies had he been kind, had that man only reached out to him Tom would have been everything Dumbledore had needed to change all he had wanted. Dumbledore had thrown this away. Harry smiled, "Every day you inspire more and more awe from me, you are truly magnificent Tom."

Tom smirked in satisfaction, "Of course, you are mine, its only right to be in awe."

Harry laughed.

~Abraxas~

When Abraxas entered his father's study he was understandably very nervous, after all it had taken some convincing to get him to host a gathering of the upper echelon purebloods and have a half blood speak to them as equals. Slytherin's Heir or not a half blood was a half blood in most of their crowd's eyes. Septimus Malfoy was not a man one disappointed and it was only the fact that Abraxas was his son that he had managed to get Tom Riddle the audience he had wanted.

His father turned to him as he entered but said nothing merely turning back to what he had been doing which was pouring himself a stiff shot of Fire Whiskey. Abraxas said nothing as he found himself one of the more comfortable armchairs and waited, knowing his father would speak when he was ready and not a moment sooner.

"You will need to be careful around those two, and very watchful. If either of them tell you to do something I expect you to do it without question and immediately. Do you understand me?" Septimus said as he poured himself another heavy glass.

Abraxas shifted nervously, "It was a fruitful meeting then?" It was a poor prompting for information but since it was to his father Abraxas thought it wouldn't matter too much.

Septimus looked him dead in the eye and threw back his glass in one gulp again. He sighed, "The girl, Harry, she knows things, things that she couldn't possibly know. Dangerous things. Soon war will be upon us my son, death will follow…but also opportunity. There is always opportunity in death; chaos can be a ladder, if one is prepared."

"And Tom? What did you think of him?" Abraxas said shifting uncomfortably.

"That one will be the one to watch, that one will either break or save us. Men like Tom…they are a rare breed…not everyone can make someone want to bend the knee and Tom certainly does that. It would be unwise to cross someone like him, especially with that girl at his back, had he been alone I would have thought to have you challenge him. Tom is impressive but if we had struck early enough you two might have been evenly match…but not with her there. As dangerous as Tom is…she is something else all together and I am certain if we made a move against Tom we would awake a beast within that girl that would destroy us all." Septimus shivered and poured two glasses this time, one considerably lighter than the other.

"So what did they actually say then? What is coming?" Abraxas asked as he took the glass.

"The muggles war is coming to our shores, they have bombs, weapons, as strong as five bombarda, and they had thousands of them. In September they will begin dropping them on London, and when this happens our two worlds will collide. There are currently no shields for this type of warfare; the Alley is totally exposed along with the Ministry and the Hospital. The Blacks are already preparing to move to their country manor and the rest of those that live in London are sure to follow. We must prepare as well, if the Alley falls getting any types of supplies will be nearly impossible and not to mention medical care. We will need to stock up on some potions." Septimus said as he went to sit down behind his desk, plopping heavily onto his chair.

"I will be arranging for Tom and Harry to meet with the Minister in the coming weeks and there will be much to do in the interim." Septimus said in clear dismissal and Abraxas decided not to push his luck. When he had been debating on how to get his father to agree to a gathering he had thought briefly of not telling him of his spying but now Abraxas was very glad he had shared most of it with his father. At least his father had been somewhat prepared to hear that Harry had some power of seeing into the future and he was ready to believe.

It was a hard thing to take, someone having knowledge of the things to come and it was such a murky subject. However, they had not known he was there and so had no reason to put on false airs about their abilities. If Harry had come to him with words of prophecy on her tongue Abraxas knew he would have been a little skeptical because such things were easily faked. But she had not, and now they were all ready to believe. Abraxas wondered what else Harry had seen…and shuddered at the mere thought of such ominous tidings. After all…his father had given him a drink as well and that could mean nothing good. He swallowed his glass in one shot and vanished the empty glass back to his father's study.

~Tom~

Tom was staring at him again, that man, and he was glad Harry was asleep otherwise she might get the wrong idea about why he was staring. The man had his face…it was almost exact…with only minor differences outside of age. Tom had deep blue eyes that man had a watered down green…nowhere near Harry's vivid bottle green but green all the same. Tom's face was sharper and his nose was a little more rounded. There were subtle differences that you had to taken in the whole face for a while to see.

Tom hated it.

The only good thing that man had done for him was give him his face and yet…Tom hated it. He hated that his face was on another person, he hated that he felt anything other than hatred for this man but somewhere deep inside of him…there was disgusted pity. The same kind of pity one feels for a starved and trampled flea bitten animal…but pity all the same. He pitied this man that abandoned him, that left him to die, that deserved nothing but his utmost scorn.

Tom blamed it on Harry.

Through her various lives Tom remembered what it felt like to be truly powerless, to be at the total mercy of someone else and have them take and take and take. He remembered filthy hands and foreign tongues. He remembered the feeling of being dirty…so dirty that you are sure it would never come off…that everyone would take one look and see what others had taken. Tom remembered what it was like to be a broken thing, broken in a way that you cannot name but only feel. Like a layer of filth on the skin that couldn't be scrubbed off.

Tom felt pity.

He felt it because this man had been destroyed so utterly he had become a dead thing that had not the decency to lie down to be buried. If that man had killed himself Tom would not have hated him as much as he did in this moment because at least then there was a reason he had not come. At least then Tom would know that those moments, moments in the dark cold of the night when all others were sleeping and he was sure not even god would hear him when he cried…cried for this man to come. When he had wanted someone to come for him, and for those times he had those foolish thoughts as he looked out the window as if he would see that man walking down the street.

Those moments that Tom had looked at a stranger's face and wondered if they might be the one…if they might be there for him. All those weak instances when all he had yearned for was someone to acknowledge him…to be his family. It would have been alright if he had killed himself because then it all would have been fruitless and meaningless. Here and now staring at the man that had his face Tom wondered if he would ever again hate a person as deeply as he hates this man.

That man's face was full of crushed dreams and half hopes.

He hated him and he pitied him.

Tom felt arms encircle him from behind and sighed, "I thought you were sleeping?"

"Not without you," Harry murmured into the back of his neck.

"So you came for me then?" Tom sneered.

"Always," Harry said sincerely smiling into his neck.

Tom didn't respond to that and turned to leave the room that man was sleeping in making sure to lock it on the way out. None of their house guests were allowed in the east wing but that didn't mean some snot nosed brat wouldn't get curious. There were a lot staying here, a few more than even Tom had anticipated but there were plenty of supplies. He was having some of the parents working the land and the squibs were minding the green houses. They would be able to restock from their own land before they would run out of food or potion supplies.

It was a stroke of genius that Harry had…inviting the squibs. And that he had found a competent enough steward among them had only been a bonus. Soon, once the bombs hit, there would be panic and at the end of the year when it was all over Tom estimated they would receive a lot of praise. It was all going according to plan and Tom knew that the coming years would need to be packed as tightly as possible. It was lucky enough that both Harry and Tom had signed up to take all courses offered by Hogwarts. The minister had granted them the use of two time turners and Tom was certain that the extra time would be invaluable.

After all Dumbledore could only keep track of one pair of them at a time and every day…there would be two versions of themselves.

This was going to be the year that set the tone for the next three at Hogwarts and would see them ready to take down Grindelwald by their fifth. There was so much to do; Tom smirked as he pulled Harry into his arms in their bed. Life was certainly getting very interesting.

A.N: lol cookies for the ones that can spot the nod at George RR Martin, Jk Rowling and Tim Burton. People I know where we're going now and I have to say…this is gonna be epic. Lol I wonder if this is how Martin feels 'cause I can't wait for you guys to read this! I would like to thank all the ones who reviewed and PMed me, you really were an inspiration. I know how this is going to end now, gahh, just so you know expect a time skip next chapter there is just too much I will need to get to so I can't be as detailed with their years in Hogwarts so the story doesn't drag. I'll give you a recap so you won't be lost though lol guys the next few chapters are gonna be big…so buckle up you're in for a roller coaster lol. I also realize these last few chapters have been very limited in scope but that will change soon. Once Tom and Harry leave Hogwarts the world will open up and I will introduce lost of characters and things will speed up in some things and slow down in others. AS always thanks for reading.