Disclaimer:This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling. No money is being made.
Warnings: this story will have slash.
Chapter 4 – Gift
Harry was rather surprised that his meeting had gone so well. Voldemort had been quite civil, he was completely ignoring the fact that if he had been anyone else he would have been dead since Voldemort was the kind to curse first and ask questions later. But, all in all, the meeting had been a success.
Sighing he took another book from the restricted section. As a champion he had access to the whole library, something for which he was quite thankful. At least he could read something new, otherwise he would have lost his mind in his classes. He couldn't believe he hadn't taken full advantage of it in his first live. But he had come to terms with how he used to be. This time however there was no reason to not take advantage of it, specially because he had to go through fourth year again. Going through fourth year once was more than enough, thank you very much.
Deeming the books he had to be sufficient he sat down in a corner a little out of the way. He hadn't seen the other students' reactions yet and he wasn't really inclined to deal with it. He would postpone it for as long as he could.
The previous day he had been away most of the time and the time he had been in the castle he had managed to avoid practically everyone. Not that he was worried about their reactions; truthfully he had stopped caring about what others thought a very long time ago; however he didn't want to deal with all the looks. He hadn't been the Boy-Who-Lived for such a long time, he had forgotten just how frustrating the constant staring was.
Unfortunately his little heaven couldn't go undiscovered for long. Less than an hour after he sat down the proximity ward he had cast alerted him that someone was approaching. A few seconds later two people sat down in front of him.
Though he hid it, he was rather surprised. He had been expecting Hermione, or some other Gryffindor, but Zacharias Smith and Wayne Hopkins hadn't even crossed his mind. He had never been friends with these particular Hufflepuffs. As far as he remembered Smith hated him as much as Malfoy did. And Hopkins was never really on his radar, he got lost in the crowd.
He only remembered Hopkins because during the war he had been one of the few people who was able to save muggle-borns. Since he was a muggle-born as well, he used his muggle resources to find and help any children he could. He had no idea what had happened to him, but he had his suspicions. Hopkins wasn't the only one that simply disappeared; he just hoped that he had a fast death and that he hadn't ended up in a lab like hundreds of others.
"Yes?" he asked, looking at them curiously. He didn't even have to fake it; he had no idea what they wanted with him. Even in the previous life they had never confronted him.
"We came to offer our help for the tournament, if you need it." Smith told him. The incredulity he felt must have been plain on his face because Hopkins continued.
"Cedric told us what happened. It was agreed between all the Hufflepuffs to help you. We Hufflepuffs are loyal and none of us forgot what happened in second year. We accused you without any evidence and we were ready to do it again before Cedric told us what happened. Helga would have been ashamed of our behavior. You are the youngest, you are a Hogwarts student, the least we can do is help you in any way we can."
Harry was surprised. He knew that things would change, but he hadn't expected it to be such drastic changes.
"Thank you." what else could he say? They were giving him what he had wanted in his first life. Now it wasn't something that he craved as much, but he still appreciated it. Now he had Death, his father, he would never be alone again. Even so he was happy with the outcome; he needed wizards and witches that would follow him. Voldemort had his Death Eaters, but to fight against the muggles it wasn't enough, it was nowhere near enough.
They had to convince as many wizards as they could. They couldn't afford to be divided. They couldn't fight against muggles and wizards. They had to take control of the Wizarding World first. With Voldemort in power it would become much easier to deal with the muggles. Now they had to figure out how they would go about achieving it. Dumbledore wouldn't just let them do whatever they wanted.
"So, what are you doing?" asked Hopkins, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Since we don't know what the first task is, I opted to study some more obscure spells. I've been raiding the restricted section since all the champions have a free pass for it. Never know what might pop up in those books."
"Cedric opted to do the same. He asked his father to send him some books from their family library. Why don't you use the Potter library? It must have a lot of information, the Potters are a rather old family." Smith suggested.
"I can't access the family vault yet, I have to be off age in the eyes of the Ministry."
And hadn't that been a surprise in his previous life? He was completely astonished when they took him to his family vault the first time he visited the bank after the war. That was also when he found out his true name. He learned about the tradition the Potters had about giving their children two names. A formal name, used in contracts and other similar situations. And an informal name, used in every-day life. Hadrian was his formal name, Harry informal. His father's formal name was Jameson and his grandfather's Charlus.
Technically Harry could quit the tournament because they hadn't used his formal name. However he didn't want to. The tournament was the only entertainment he would have throughout the year, of course only if Barty didn't interfere. Maybe he should talk with him, he couldn't dedicate himself only to killing muggles, he had to find some sort of fun and Barty could be that fun. He was sure that Tom wouldn't mind sharing his Death Eater.
"You had to be an adult to participate in the tournament, right?" Smith asked and Harry nodded.
"The Ministry is making you participate, so is Dumbledore and he is the Headmaster and the Head of the Wizengamot. Technically that's three government branches that declared you an adult, it's enough for the goblins."
Harry looked at him incredulously. How hadn't he thought about that? The smile that appeared on his face was pure mischievousness.
"You know what? I think I have to go..."
Hopkins and Smith nodded.
"If anyone asks you were with us the whole time. Try not to take to long."
Harry laughed and nodded, packing his books.
"I'll be back as soon as possible. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Do you know where the kitchens are?" asked Hopkins, getting up as well. Harry nodded, looking at him curiously.
"Go there as soon as you're back, then we'll take you to our common room. So people see you with us."
Harry nodded and said goodbye. Having the support of the Hufflepuffs was turning out to be quite useful.
Getting access to the Potter family vaults was much easier the second time around. Smith had been right, the tournament was for overage wizards, he was participating with the Ministry's permission so to speak, so he must be overage. The goblins didn't even sneer at him when he told them. Though he admitted that the last time they may have sneered because he had robed them. They didn't really care that it had been for a good cause. The only reason why they didn't accuse him of anything was because he had been the nation's hero. They had been afraid of being accused of supporting Voldemort if they did anything against the person who killed him. Though he was certain that the only reason why he hadn't suffered an accident once he was in the bank was because he gave them good publicity, when in an interview he mentioned that the only reason he was able to kill Voldemort was because he had the help of a goblin. He hadn't lied, even if the little sneak ended up double crossing them. People took that as to mean that the goblins had been working against Voldemort all along and they became far more polite and even the laws about goblin restrictions became much milder. Either way Harry had just been happy that they weren't out for his blood.
Still, what mattered now was that he had access to the family vault. The gold that was in there didn't even interest him that much, but the books... the books were a completely different matter.
Those books, more than anything else, showed the history of his family. Books as old as Hogwarts, autobiographies of the founders, diaries of the Heads of the Potter family, curses and charms that no one but a Potter had ever used. The first time that he had access to all of it had been a rather emotional moment. For someone who never had family, who never knew more about his family than the fact that he looked like his father and had his mother's eyes, finding all of that had been more than he had ever dreamed of.
Remembering that the Hufflepuffs were waiting for him he headed towards the kitchens. It would be the first time that he went to the Hufflepuff common room, it was the only one he had never seen.
Hopkins and Smith were seated by a small round table that was a little away from the organized chaos that filled the kitchen. There was a plate with sandwiches in the middle but aside from that the table was filled with parchments and books. It looked like their homework.
Hopkins was the first to notice him and he waved, pointing at a vacant chair.
"That was fast." Smith remarked looking up.
"The goblins didn't complicate matters. The tournament is for overage wizards, I'm participating so that must mean I'm overage. Simple and effective. What are you doing?"
"Potions homework," Hopkins replied, not hiding his distaste, "If the work isn't practically perfect he will fail us, and even when it is perfect he doesn't give us more than an Acceptable."
Harry understood his bitterness. Snape had always given him Poor and Dreadful in his potions, however in his O.W.L's he had obtained an Exceeded Expectations, which showed that he couldn't be as bad as Snape made him out to be.
"The only exams that matter are the O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's. As long as you have good marks there, it's the only thing that matters. I'll do my best to get an Outstanding just to see Snape's face."
Smith snorted and smirked at him.
"Who would have thought that you could be so vindictive." he remarked and Harry smirked back.
"I think you will see that I am not quite what people think."
Smith and Hopkins looked at him curiously, Smith with a slightly more calculating edge to his curiosity, then he smiled.
"I can hardly wait to see it."
Ignore me. I'm a line.
The following morning Hermione was waiting for him in the common room. Harry wasn't surprised, honestly she had stayed away longer than he thought she would.
"Where were you?" she asked, looking worried, "I didn't see you anywhere yesterday."
"I was with Smith and Hopkins."
"The Hufflepuffs?"
"Yes, they offered to help me with the tournament. Considering the situation it seemed stupid to refuse." he wasn't even lying. True he was thinking about a completely different situation than the one Hermione was probably thinking about, but that was hardly his fault.
"I knew they didn't blame you, but I wasn't expecting them to actually help you." she looked surprised, though the relief she felt about it was palpable. He guessed that she was happy that he wasn't alone.
"Well, apparently they were ready to crucify me before Cedric told them what had happened. They were rather ashamed. That's when they decided to help me in any way they could."
"At least there's that. I don't even want to know how the rest of the year would have been if you hadn't remembered to make an Oath."
Harry nodded. His fourth year had been one of the worst at Hogwarts, the only one that had been worse had been his fifth. Speaking about his fifth year... he had a certain someone to visit. He hadn't planed on killing a lot of magical people but for her... for her he could make an exception.
As they entered the Great Hall Harry saw the look Ron threw him and contained a sigh.
"You should sit with him."
"But Harry..."
"Go Hermione. I'll be with Neville, Deana and Seamus. It looks like most of Gryffindor is ignoring him and I don't want things to get worse."
Hermione sighed and nodded, leaving Harry with the other fourth year boys.
Harry smiled at his roommates and sat down. He had more important things to think about than Ron and his jealousy.
For what seemed like the hundredth time he looked at his hands. He knew it didn't make any sense but it helped him remember that it was real. And even though he had his body back, part of him truly wished it wasn't. Because if this wasn't real, then everything that Potter had told him wasn't real either.
He wasn't even thinking about the fact that Potter was basically indestructible, though that hadn't been a pleasant surprise either. It was strange to think that by acting on the prophecy he had made Potter what he was. He had only himself to blame. Even so, that wasn't why a part of him wished it wasn't real.
No, what made him wish it was the war against the muggles.
The war they lost.
A cowardly part of him was glad that he had been dead when it happened. He didn't think he would have been able to handle to see the destruction of the Wizarding World. That was something he admired about Potter. After everything that happened, after everything that he went through he was still strong enough to fight. That was something that deserved his respect.
He sighed and leaned back on his armchair. The question now was; what to do? What path should he take?
Killing Potter was out of the question. Firstly it seemed to be impossible to do it, secondly he was his horcrux. He still found that incredibly ironic. An immortal being was his horcrux.
Still, Potter being immortal didn't leave him with many choices. He knew, though he didn't like it, that he would have to share.
Potter would never be a simple Death Eater. So the only place he could have would be one at his side. A second Dark Lord.
Could they have interpreted the prophecy wrong? Could it have meant that Potter would become a Dark Lord all along? A Dark Lord's true equal could only be another Dark Lord, correct?
Though, now that he thought about it, he may have marked Potter as his equal, but Potter was the one who made him his equal. It was rather ironic.
Now the question was; was he willing to share with Potter?
He had never even thought about sharing his power and now it seemed that he would have to do it with the one person who could destroy him.
"Wormtail!" he shouted, really, there was no use in delaying.
Harry sighed in relief when Barty entered the classroom. As soon as Barty entered the students took his eyes from him and looked at the professor, something for which he was quite thankful. He had to constantly remember that he couldn't curse the students, no matter how much the constant staring got on his nerves.
A few minutes after the class started Harry felt eyes on him again. He almost twitched. Discreetly he looked around, trying to see who was looking at him. However every single one of the students seemed to be focused on the lesson. He frowned and looked back at his book. Maybe he had been imagining it. A few moments later he felt eyes on him again. He narrowed his eyes and looked around again. Only then did he notice. Moody's magical eye was locked on him. Though that wasn't he only thing he noticed. The shocked and incredulous look Barty had made him want to cackle with glee.
Apparently Tom had made a decision.
"Potter, stay for a moment." Barty told him at the end of the class.
Harry wasn't surprised by the request. He waited for all the students to leave, then felt the wards go up. He smirked and got up.
"Do you want anything Barty?" he asked when he reached Moody's desk.
He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him when Barty froze, wide eyes locking on him.
"Ah," he said, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, "He didn't tell you that I knew who you were, did he? It doesn't really surprise me, he always had a rather dark and sadistic sense of humor." Barty was looking at him in horror. Harry guessed that it had been his insinuation that he was well enough acquainted with Voldemort to know just what his humor was like. He didn't blame Barty, it would shock anyone to know just how much two supposed enemies knew about each other. As strange as it was Tom was probably the person who knew him best, and he was the one who knew Tom best. Well, at least the one who know Voldemort better. He couldn't help but wonder how similar this Ton and his Voldemort were. "I suppose that you have a message for me?"
Barty pulled himself together. He stood straighter and his expression became much more serious.
"He," it seemed to almost pain him to refer to Tom without an honorific, "requested that you meet him as soon as you can."
Well, that wasn't something he had been expecting. Not about the invitation itself, that had been expected. What he hadn't expected was the request.
Tom didn't request, he demanded. It was a pleasant surprise. He had expected to be treated as a Death Eater, a more powerful and useful Death Eater but a Death Eater all the same. It had never crossed his mind that Tom would treat him as an equal. Not that he would have been a obedient little servant, but he had expected to have to fight to be seen as something more.
"Alright, I think I will be able to see him tonight," Harry told Barty, turning around to leave. "Oh, that's right, I almost forgot." he said turning to Barty again, "Don't interfere with the tournament Barty. This tournament is one of the few things that will keep me entertained, though that will only happen if you don't interfere. Trust me, you won't like it at all if I lose my entertainment." with a small chuckle he left the classroom. Leaving a speechless Barty behind.
Well, at least now he knew that he could go play with Barty whenever he was bored. He just hoped that Barty got over his shock quickly. It would be no fun at all if Barty didn't get back that spark he had seen in his first life.
"You called me faster than I thought you would," Harry said, entering Tom's office as if he owned it, and dodging an Avada Kedavra just in the nick of time, "We have to talk about this habit of yours..." Harry muttered, sitting in one of the free armchairs in front of the fireplace.
"If you didn't appear unannounced..." snapped Tom, taking the other armchair beside Harry.
"I received an invitation." Harry reminded him, slouching a little in his seat.
Tom opted not to argue and studied the teenager in front of him. Now that he knew what to look for it became quite obvious. The way he held himself, the grace he had even slouching on his armchair... he was a Lord. It shouldn't surprise him, he was Death's son, but it did. In some way he was still seeing the little eleven year old who fought him for the Philosopher's stone. The boy that was so light that it outshone everyone else. But Potter wasn't that child anymore. He had lost that innocence, that overwhelming light. He was far too broken to be that boy.
"I have been thinking about our conversation," Tom said when it became obvious that Potter was quite happy to remain silent, "Naturally I won't continue to try to kill you. Completely ignoring the fact that you are immortal, you are my horcrux. And as you no doubt must know, I am in no hurry to know your father."
Harry couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him. For a few moments he had forgotten that what Tom feared most was Death, his father. Tom should be thankful that he wasn't like Draco. He could see it know; 'When my father hears about this...'. Poor Tom, he would never survive something like that.
"I know that you would never accept being a Death Eater." Tom couldn't quite hide his displeasure about that fact, "So, I suppose that the only place for you is at my side. Ruling at my side as a second Dark Lord."
Harry's eyes widened slightly. He had never thought that Tom would propose something like that. Tom didn't share.
"Are you surprised?" Tom asked. Harry only detected curiosity so he answered.
"A little," if Tom was willing to share, the least he could do would be to be honest with him, "I admit that I don't know you as well as I'd like, but from what I do know about you it is clear that you don't share. Though my Tom, the one I dealt with had lost all traces of sanity, so I have to assume that your actions won't mirror his."
"I confess that the idea of sharing with anyone doesn't please me at all. But... you aren't just anyone, are you?"
"No, I'm not."
"Did you have any plans?" Tom asked after a few moments of silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, quite the contrary actually. He felt rather at ease with Potter. Still, he knew that Potter couldn't be away for long, people would miss him.
"Not really. Honestly I didn't have all that much time to think about everything. I know about a few things that have to be changed, but I don't have anything specific outlined."
"Can you find time to come here and make some plans? I would rather have a plan or two than to learn about something you do after you did it."
"If I can use Barty then I think it won't be a problem. I could come almost every day."
"Then I'll tell him to obey you."
Harry lifted an eyebrow and Tom narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing. I'm just surprised that you are willing to let me boss around your Death Eater."
Tom sighed, his posture changing slightly.
"You are going to rule with me. Control over the Death Eaters is part of that package."
"Do you think that the Death Eaters will accept that their new Lord is a fourteen year old half-blood?"
"You aren't fourteen."
"But they don't know that. They will never know that."
"I'm sure you will be able to handle it."
Harry snorted. Yes, he was sure that he would be able to deal with it, he just hopped that he didn't lose control. The objective was to preserve magical life, not slaughter them because they had angered him.
"Yeah... I'll be able to handle them. I just hope you don't end with a few less Death Eaters."
Tom actually snorted. He would rather enjoy seeing Potter lose it with his... no, their Death Eaters.
"I'm sure you will be able to control yourself." a little smirk appeared on his lips and Potter smiled mischievously. "I have something for you."
Harry raised an eyebrow when he saw Tom getting up and opening a drawer in his desk. He took out a little box and gave it to him.
Curious Harry opened it. He gasped when he saw what was inside.
The Resurrection Stone lay innocently inside the box and Harry was almost overwhelmed with longing.
"Why are you giving this to me?" Harry knew that it was still a horcrux. He could feel it.
"It is yours, isn't it?" Tom asked him rhetorically, "Though if you are wondering why I'm giving my horcrux to you... Consider it a gift to show you that I truly wish for our partnership to work. That I'm not doing it to try and trick you but because I truly wish for us to save our world. I... I trust you."
Harry was stunned. Those were words he had never thought he would hear coming from Tom. Not after he had admitted that he had killed the man in his previous life. Though a part of him was touched. He knew how difficult it was for Tom to admit that out loud. And he knew that Tom wasn't lying, he could feel it. Their connection, now that he had the horcrux in him again, was stronger than ever.
"Thank you." he replied, trying to convey everything with those simple words.
Tom nodded, showing that he understood and Harry smiled. It looked like coming to Tom was one of the best decision he could have made. At least he wasn't alone in trying to save their world.
He picked the ring up, holding it with care. He remembered the last time he had the stone in his hands, that fateful night of Life and Death. The night he had chosen a path that he had later regretted, though he never told anyone about it. People were happy, the Dark Lord was dead. That was all that mattered. No one would have cared that he regretted the death of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the most brilliant wizard to have been born. No one knew he wondered how things would have turned out if Tom hadn't lost his mind. No one would understood if he told them that he wished that things had turned out differently.
Not that hadn't loved his life. He had. He had loved Ginny. Their children had been everything to him. Even so that didn't stop him from wondering.
What would they have said if they knew the choices he was making now? If they knew that he had joined Voldemort.
What about this parents? What would they say if they saw him now? A part of him truly wished to know.
"What in Merlin's..." Tom's exclamation made him look up. He gaped for what felt like an eternity.
"Wh-? How? Why are you here?" he stuttered looking at Lily and James Potter. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tom gripping his wand tightly, looking a little too pale. He was staring at the Potters with wide eyes, not really knowing what to do.
Harry focused on his parents. If he had to guess he would say that he looked somewhat the same as Tom. Though he believed that Tom had far more reasons to look as he did, after all it wasn't every day that people you had killed suddenly appeared in your office.
"Oh... my baby." his mom whispered, not even looking at the man who had killed them. Though his dad glared briefly at the Dark Lord before he looked at Harry and smiled brightly at him.
"I... I don't understand." Harry muttered, "How are you here? I didn't call you..."
"Sweetheart your connection to your father gives you complete control over the Hallows, you don't have to call us. Thinking about us is enough." his mom told him with a kind smile.
A wave of guilt hit him unexpectedly.
"Don't." his dad's voice was hard and serious. Harry looked at him in surprise, "Don't you dare feel guilty." his eyes softened, "All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, for you to be loved. I died so that you could have all of that. Death... He gave you what I couldn't. He loves you so much. I'm glad that you have him in your life."
"You're not angry? You know what I want to do?"
"No, love. We aren't angry." his mother told him, "We know you suffered a lot. We know what happened. We agree with you."
"You do? Even me joining Tom?" he couldn't help but sound skeptical.
His dad glared at Tom again and if Harry didn't know better he would say that Tom actually looked sheepish. Then his dad sighed and a smile appeared on his lips.
"You have already forgiven him." he stated with conviction, "I can't say that I'm happy with it, but if you are then that's all that matters. However," he turned to glare at Tom, "if you hurt my Prongslet I'll find a way to kill you." he stated with such conviction that Tom stood straighter.
"You have my word that I have no intention of harming Harry. He will rule the world with me, as my equal." Tom stated and Harry almost gaped.
James looked at Tom for a few seconds. Seconds that were filled with tension. Then he nodded and the air relaxed. Harry hadn't even realized that he had been holding his breath. It strangely reminded him of the day that James introduced his first boyfriend to him and he really wasn't sure what to make of the comparison.
His mother threw him a knowing smile and he felt like groaning, why had he a sudden feeling of foreboding?
"We have to go sweetheart," his mother said with a sad smile, "But now you can call on us whenever you want to."
"Wait! I have a question."
"What is it, son?" his dad asked, and he felt his heart fill with warmth at being called son.
"How can Tom see you?"
"You are Death's son," his dad said, "Your powers are different from what they were before. As long as it is you who calls the spirits of the dead, everyone else will be able to see them."
"Oh... I see." that did make sense, "I... Thank you. For everything you did for me and for supporting me, even now that I'm walking a path that you hadn't envisioned for me."
"You are our son." his mother said, "We will always support and love you, even if we don't understand all of your decisions."
"We understand this one. We support it. I just wish you would talk with Sirius and Remus. They love you just as much as we do, they will stand with you." his dad told him.
"Even though I'm with Tom?"
"Yes. They may not understand but they won't betray you." James assured him, "Though I would like it better if you told them why you decided to join Voldemort."
"I..." truthfully it hadn't even crossed his mind. He didn't want to drag them into his mess. But the idea of having them with him, it was rather tempting, "I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask." his dad smiled. "We really have to go now, we can feel the pull already. Bye, baby." his dad whispered and his mother had tears in her eyes.
"Bye, sweetheart." his mom murmured, then they were gone.
His eyes fell on Tom who was studying him with interest. There were so many emotions in his eyes that Harry was momentarily stunned. He could swear that there was regret in Tom's eyes. Regret for what he didn't know but he was sure that it was there.
"Well," Tom said breaking the moment, "I get the feeling that things are going to be really interesting with you around."
Harry couldn't help it, he laughed.
A.N.: A little shorter than the previous one, though after this things start to really happen. Tom and Harry will start making plans, Harry will finally decide what to do with Sirius, and Barty gets over the shock of Harry being dark. Bart will be back to his crazy, adorable self :)