Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter.

Warnings- AU, horror, non magic, Violence, supernatural, Grammar and spelling.

Protecting Yours Truly

Chapter ten ~ A walk in the Dark

He stood on the porch he had heard the sirens; they had drawn him to the front of the house. He had watched as the EMT's rushed into his home no one bothering with him, in their rush to get to where they needed to.

Tom stood in hushed silence. He knew what was going on, he had been there, and now he was here. Off to the side sitting down on the wooden porch listening to people ask question he knew the answer to, but had no way to answer them.

Dumbledore –their neighbor- had been the one to call the emergency number, he had heard loud screaming coming from the house. The screaming had stopped now; all that was left was rushed voices and a sobbing woman. Tom drew in a clamming breath his fingers idly drawing loops and lines on the wood beneath him.

Glancing up Tom saw the EMT's rushing by with a stretcher. He drew in a deep breath as he saw himself lying there, lifeless, lips blue and eyes closed, his skin riddled in bruises. Merope rushed by and Tom looked away as they all jumped in the ambulance.

He had won.

Tom was dead.

It was mid day by the time James stopped, Lily had found some extra clothes in the duffel bag in the back, from when they had gone to the beach. They were not dress for the nippy weather but it was better then wearing PJ's.

James had told her what he had seen down in the basement, how close their child had come to death, and the dark shadow looming over him. Boxes flying at them as they made their escape from the basement. Lily was trying to process what she had been told. She looked over to the back seat where Harry was sleeping restlessly; she looked back to James, his eyes wide behind his glasses pleading with her to believe him.

"Alright, if -" Lily started.

"It is!" James grabbed Lily's hands his grip tight but sure.

"Ok, this happened, what do we do now?"

"I- I don't know." James fidgeted his agitation showing as he looked around them, staring at the sparse people walking around the area. Lily frowned her hand reaching out and twining with James.

"I think we need answers James." Her husband frowned at her. "And I think we can only get that from one place. We have to go back." A dark look flitted threw James eyes.

"I'm not going back to that house." James bellowed his hand gripping Lily's.

"No. God no But I was thinking. Well hasn't Dumbledore lived there for a long time?" she placed the palm of her hand to James face. "He may have answers to what happened in our house, and what, or who, whatever it is that attacked our son." Her green eyes pleaded with James.

"Alright, but we can't go back to that house." Lily smiled sadly at her husband.

"I know."

Harry woke just as they pulled up to the curb and parked in front of Dumbledore's home, his wide green eyes peering out to see the house. Their house, it was dark and daunting. Just turning dusk, the red and orange's cast shadow's against the homes exterior.

"Are we going home?" Both Lily and James turned to look at their son, wide green eyes looking at them.

"No Harry, we are here to talk with Dumbledore." Lily answered her voice soft and comforting.

"Oh, what do you need to talk about?" James ruffled Harry's hair his smile strained.

"We were hoping to lean more about whoever lived in the house before us, to get answers to what happened to you in the basement." Harry tilted his head a questioning frown marring his features.

"But-" the sound of a door screen slamming shut startled Harry, and both he and his parents looked to the front seeing Dumbledore making his way towards them his smile bright and cheery.

"James, my boy I think you have miss-parked your car." James sighed and got out of the car.

"No, no Albus. Lily and I came here to ask you for some help." Lily stepped out of the car as well, motioning for Harry to do the same.

"Help?" Dumbledore questioned. "Dose this help have something to do with the way you peeled out of the neighborhood like the devil was at your heels this morning?" Harry peered up at the Dumbledore who looked down at him; the older mans lingering smile twitching downwards as he saw the weariness in green eyes.

Looking up Dumbledore took in Lily and James once more. "Ah, I see, do come in." He turned leading them all into his home. "Would you like some tea?" he lead them into the sitting room, it was filled to the brim with old antiques, and odd knickknacks. Any other day Harry would have loved to spend a day looking and touching the unique objects, but as it was today he just felt drained.

"No thank you Albus we really just need to get information from you." Strained James ran a hand threw Harry's hair, and then rested it on a small shoulder his other hand twined with one of Lily's.

"Of course my boy, of course, come sit." The older man sat in a chair pointing towards the love set for the couple. Making their way over to the seat both Lily and James sat, Harry stood awkwardly by his dad. "Oh yes, child there is a desk just there, I have some pens and paper you can use to draw with."

"Oh no, he's fine right here." Lily objected, her hands reaching out for Harry to bring him close.

"Nonsense, there is no harm in him drawing just a little away, what kind of mischief could the boy get into with his parents in the same room as him." He gave them a reassuring smile, Lily's hands slid from Harry and she nodded to him. Making his way to the desk Harry pulled the wooden chair out and sat down, looking at the messed papers sitting on the desk, then looked for a pen, when not finding one he turned looking at Dumbledore.

"Sir?" Harry's soft voice questioned.

"In the drawers my boy." He pointed to the top drawer. Harry turned around and pulled it out seeing every color pen imaginable; he picked out one and began doodling. All the adults watched him for a moment, Albus enjoying having a small child in his home; as it had been a long time since one had entered, and Lily and James were making sure their son was all right. "Right then, now what is it you two are wanting to know?" Coughing James started.

"Uh yes, right we were wondering if you knew the people that lived in the home before us." Albus nodded his eyes twinkling slightly.

"Ah yes, lovely people the Longbottom's were."

"Were? Did something happen to them?" Lily intoned her hands ringing, knuckles white. James reached out and held them, giving her silent support.

"Oh, no, no nothing happened to them. Frank and Alice were only here for a short amount of time, they barley even stayed a year." Puzzled Dumbledore watched the two in front of him trying to piece why they seemed so stressed.

"Why only a year, was something wrong?" James tone had an urgency to it.

"Wrong?" puzzled by the question Dumbledore continued. "No nothing was wrong, Frank was just here for a short time on business. They didn't want to live out of a suitcase for the year so they rented the place. Besides they had to get back to their home. Franks mother was watching their son." Interrupting Lily inched forward in her seat.

"They had a son? How old was he? Did something happen to him?"

"Not that I know of, I never met Neville. As I said Frank's mother was watching him, they didn't want to uproot the kid. Alice spent every weekend traveling back home to see him, Frank went whenever he could." Lily and James shoulders fell, their frowns deep, and their hands twined together.

Dumbledore mused for a short time. "Before Alice and Frank was Minerva McGonagall, lived there three years. Lovely women I still have tea with her on Sundays. She's a head mistress at a school near by. She was the one that rented the house to the Longbottom's, and then eventually sold it to you." Dumbledore folded his hands and placed them on his laps. "Just wondering what's this all about?"

"Well, you see, um" biting her lip Lily let out a cough.

"We wanted to know if anything tragic happened in the home." James confessed. Albus thought for a bit and let out humming.

"Oh, yes something did happen. But that was a long time ago, about 7 or so years."

"What happened!" James and Lily chimed in together, their hands gripping one another. Dumbledore stared at the two for a second his eyes wide at their out burst.

"Hum oh yes Merope Grant, and her son. Merope was going threw a divorce. She had moved here with her son in hopes to start over, after things did not work out with her husband. It's always hard for a single woman to raise a growing boy." Dumbledore hummed again, his one hand stroking his beard as he reminisced.

"What was the boys name?" Lily asked, snapping Albus back to attention.

"Tomas, Tomas Riddle." James and Lily gasped, their eyes wide in surprise. "Tom was such a bright boy, always reading very clever; why he knew every name to the plants in my garden."

"Was Tom troubled?" taking a look at James Dumbledore tilted his head in understanding to the question.

"No not in the way I think you are thinking. Tom was a very quiet child; he didn't get along with the other kids in the neighborhood. They disliked how smart he was. Not that Tom flaunted it. To be honest as soon as Tom realized what was happening he distances himself from the other children. I could see him reading often out on the porch or in the liven room window." A short pause. "I guess that's why Tom gained an imaginary friend."

"Imaginary friend?"

"Why yes, I was just telling Harry about this the other day, as it seemed your young one has one as well." He smiled pleasantly. "A child's mind is a wonderless place."

"James?" alarm flooded Lily's voice.

"I know. Albus did something happen to Tom?" James looked at Dumbledore, who nodded before he continued.

"Yes Tom Died." Lily gasped even if she knew what might have been coming it was always a shock when a child's life ended.

"How?" she whispered almost not wanting to know.

"He drowned." A frown stilled the room. "Forgive me, that was incorrect. No he was drowned." Whatever color they had, drained from their faces.

"He was drowned? By who? His mother?" James was teetering on his seat, his hands shooting out at his questions.

"That's what the authority's think happened."

"And you, what do you think Albus?" Lily tiled her head in question. Dumbledore took his time to think over his answer.

"I think that Merope would have given her life for Tom to live. He was all she had left, and when he was gone, she had nothing left to live for."

"Did she…" Lily trailed off not wanting to continue with the sentence.

"Yes, she did. She couldn't bare the world without her son." Sadness filled the room, an echoing dreariness.

"If she didn't… then who?" inquired James.

"That I do not know. And since everyone thought it Merope, well we may never know. It's all so tragic, a child's life gone, a mother world shattered, a family lost." Sighing sadly Dumbledore folded his hand on his lap. Everyone was mulling about the information they had just received. Trying to peace it all together. Looking the other way, Dumbledore looked out the window seeing hues of orange and reds flicking outside and on the street.

Standing the old man made his way to the window, pulling back the heavy curtain his blue eyes widening.

"James, Lily?" looking up both looked to Albus who was looking at them with worry. "Your house."

"What about the house?" James half stood as Dumbledore pulled the curtain back showing the couple their home.

"It's on fire." Both ran to the window their eyes wide seeing the red and orange flames engulfing their home. Lily gasped then a coldness filled her and she snapped her eyes to the side.

"No." James looked at her and then to the spot his wife was looking.

"Harry!" The desk was empty, Harry had taken off. Looking over to the window James pieced together what had happened. "No."

A/N uh... Hi guys O_o sorry I pretty much died on you for a year I think. I'm a very bad person. Even more so when I know the story is coming to an end. only 2 or 3 more chapters.

I would like to thank those of you who have stuck around, reviewed, faved, and most importantly brought it to my attention how long i have been gone, you know who you are. Without all of you I wouldn't know I could finish story's, and be happy when I do.