Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; it's J.K. Rowling's. I do however, own THIS HERE WRITTEN story's plot. Enjoy! (:

Chapter 3

Step One

"Harry Potter…"

"Who are you? Where are you?" Harry called out, looking around in the darkness surrounding him.

A bright light appeared somewhere in front of him and Harry headed towards it, curiosity leading the way. But something in him was screaming at him to back away from the light. Then remembering the times he was stuck at his relatives' house in the dark cupboard under the stairs with only a small and dull light bulb to brighten up his "room", Harry forced the feeling of anxiety down and cautiously stepped forward.

As he drew closer and closer towards the light, the world around him seem to become more visible. With that, Harry took his time looking around the area. Black marbled walls surrounded him and it seemed that he was being led down the hallway and into a room. Once close to the light, it enveloped him before he stepped foot into the room.

Blinking his eyes rapidly from the blinding light, Harry finally took notice of the colors in the room. Although a bit darker than he would've liked, soft candle light were lit all around. Walls were plastered with green and black paint, and floors were filled with a silver carpet. He drew closer to the armchairs in the middle of the room before his head started hurting, but more importantly, the lightning bolt scar on his head.

Wincing in pain, Harry pushed the heel of his hand upon it in hopes to keep the pain away and when it finally did, Harry heard the voice that had called out to him just moments ago in the darkness.

"Harry Potter, what a pleasant surprise. Welcome to my humble abode."

"I'm sorry sir, but do I know you?"

A chuckle came from the hooded man that sat in the darkness. Standing, the man walked towards Harry and pulled off his hood, revealing a tall and dark handsome man. Brown hair swept to the side, eyes twinkling in the candle light and a smirk on his face, the man seemed to be around Harry's age, if not a couple of years older than he.

"My name is Tom Riddle, but you can call me Tom." The youth murmured, giving Harry's hand a firm handshake.

Tom received a blinding smile in return, eyes twinkling in eagerness. "I'm sorry to have forgotten you, but I seem to have lost my memory." Harry replied, his eyes filling with guilt.

"It's alright. With my help, I'm sure we can get those memories back."

"Oh! Draco and Severus and this other girl.. hm.. what was her name again..? Oh, it doesn't matter." Harry said, shaking his head. "They told me they'd help me regain my memories as well." Harry continued, smiling brightly up at the brunet.

Oh? What a surprise. Lucius's heir and Severus? I shall have a talk with them. Voldemort thought as he kept a smile on his face.

"Well, I shall be of assistance as well. The more people the merrier I say."

Harry grinned before thanking Tom for the help. "I'm sure I'll remember soon. My birthday will be in a couple of weeks and since I've found out that I'm a wizard, maybe something good will happen!" he said enthusiastically.

"But of course. Magic is a wondrous thing. Anything can happen."

Nodding his head in agreement, Harry saw that Tom's body seemed to become a bit hazy.

"Tom, are you alright?!" he asked frightened. He watched as Tom looked down at his body and back up at him.

"Oh don't worry. You're waking up. I'll be here whenever you sleep. I'll see you next time." He said, taking a step back and bowing towards Harry. "I'll be taking my leave." Turning around, Tom walked back into the darkness and the candle lights dimmed, following in the direction that Tom had gone. And within moments, Harry was surrounded by complete darkness once more.

The sun had set, illuminating the room with orange red rays of color. The sleeping blonde's eyebrows wrinkled, followed by his body twitching. Before he opened his eyes, Draco drew in a long and deep breath before letting it out. Staring at a head full of black hair, he blinked his eyes a couple of times before he shot up into a sitting position.

Who the hell is this?! He thought, body frozen still when the other body shifted from its position to face him. His mind raced through the past few hour's worth of memory in order to update him. Noticing the lightning bolt scar with the help of the last ray of sunlight for the day, Draco's eyes softened when he saw the sleeping boy's smiling face.

Letting out the breath he didn't know he held onto, Draco slowly lifted his hand to brush the hair out of the boy's eyes. The action caused the boy to furrow his eyebrows and his lips to form a frown. A pang in his heart brought Draco's hand towards his chest. Frowning, Draco realized that he did not like seeing a frown marring the boy's face. Noticing the lack of warmth in the room as the day turned to evening, Draco faced the empty fireplace in the room and shot a small flame towards the fireplace. Draco heard the crackling of the fire as the wood burst into flames. Seeing the dark haired boy shiver at the corner of his eye, Draco pulled up the comforter before Harry settled back down into sleep.

Wandlessly casting a tempus charm, Draco saw that it was almost dinner time. I wonder how long we've slept. And where did Granger and Severus go? The blonde furrowed his brows in thought before a long stretched out grumbling sound filled the room. Looking down at Harry who shifted yet again in his sleep, Draco chuckled and watched an arm pull the comforter up past and over the head. Playing tug of war with the Chosen One, Draco finally managed to pull the comforter away and watched as Harry curled up into a ball, pulling the large pillow over to cover his body. Shaking his head at Harry's childish antics, Draco maneuvered his head underneath the pillow to face Harry, who he saw was blushing even though it was quite dark underneath the pillow.

He's probably hungry. Draco thought amused.

"Yes I am." Harry replied, his eyes opening to reveal those shocking green orbs. He's probably going to laugh at me now.

"Why would I?" Draco asked.

"Why would you what?"

"Laugh at you."

"Did I say that out loud?"

"No.. I heard you say it in my head." Draco said, slowly drawing out his answer once realization hit him. He had heard what Harry Potter was thinking, and Harry Potter had heard him.

"Think something." Draco said, wanting to confirm his suspicion.

Like what? What's for dinner? Harry cocked his head to the side – as much as he could with his head pressed on the mattress and underneath the pillow. Draco stared wide-eyed at him.

"Draco? What's wrong?" Harry asked, scooting over closer to the blonde. Shaking his head, Draco removed the pillow off of them and got off the bed.

"It's nothing. Come on, let's get you some food." He said, giving Harry his hand. Harry took a look at the blonde, before looking at the hand and gently placing his own upon it. Draco gave him a smile which Harry returned before he was pulled up and towards the blonde's chest. His eyes grew hazy as he smelt the blonde's scent all around him – consuming him. The vibration of Draco's chuckle sent Harry back to reality as his face flushed, realizing that he had been sniffing him. Pulling out of the blonde's grasp, Harry awkwardly motioned to the door.

"I guess we should head downstairs." He mumbled, face flushing at his own embarrassment. Draco only quirked an eyebrow before he walked over, tugged Harry's hand and led him out of the room.

"We'll be dining at the dining hall. I hope you don't mind anything that'll be served to us. You might have lost your memory, but you can eat the food the house elves serve." Draco said, to keep the awkward silence Harry was permeating from overcoming him.

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"Well, that depends on what the house elves are making I suppose. Either that or whatever Severus has asked of them to make for us. But don't worry, I'm positive you will be able to eat them – it's edible."

Nodding his head, Harry unconsciously gripped Draco's hand a bit tighter as they neared the top of the steps.

"I think I can walk on my own." Harry said, breaking the silence.

Nodding his head, Draco removed his hand from Harry's and allowed the green-eyed boy to walk ahead. Half way down the stairs, Harry missed a step and tilted forward. As he did, a flash of what seemed to be a furious, purple-faced Vernon appeared before he closed his eyes awaiting for the impeding impact.

Feeling something wrap around his waist, his body was quickly twisted around and held against a firm chest.

"If I knew you were going to fall so soon, I would've just kept my hand in yours." Draco muttered, feeling the rapid beating of Harry's heart.

"I'm sorry. I missed the step and I saw – I just.."

Draco looked questioningly at Harry. Shaking his head, Harry allowed Draco to lead him down the rest of the steps and finally closer towards the dining room. Making sure to place the information in the forefront of his mind, he told himself he would tell his godfather of what had occurred.

Hearing conversations within the room, Draco stopped Harry at the doorway. "Now don't be afraid to talk. Just get used to being around us, alright?" Nodding his head again, Harry followed Draco into the room before bumping into the blonde's unmoving figure.

"Draco?" Harry asked, body suddenly tense. He peered around the blonde's body before he eyed another blonde sitting down at the table. Comparing the stranger's facial structure with Draco's, Harry realized that that person must be some relative of Draco's.

"Ah, Draco. It's good to see you. I apologize for my sudden appearance but I had something to talk about with Severus."

"Father." Draco greeted stiffly. Draco's gaze traveled down the dining table before he landed on Granger, noticing that she was sitting a far greater distance away from the two men at the head of the table.

Draco led Harry down towards Snape, sitting Harry down first before he sat down himself. Lucius only raised an eyebrow at his son's behavior. "Draco, I see you've brought a guest down. Harry Potter, what a pleasant surprise."

Bowing his head, Harry greeted the older blonde. "Good evening sir. I apologize, but do I know you?" Lucius was taken aback at Harry's lack of coldness to him. Looking to Severus for an answer, the potions master only replied, "Amnesia" before he ordered one of the Malfoy's house elves to place the dinner onto the dining table.

"Ah, my dear boy. I'm sorry to hear you've forgotten me."

"So I did know you." Harry replied sullenly, now guilty for forgetting the elder blonde. "Draco, could you introduce us?" he asked, turning to the blonde sitting on his right hand side.

"Harry, this is my father, Lucius Malfoy. Father, as you know, Harry Potter."

Smiling up at the blonde, Harry lifted a hand towards Lucius, waiting for him to return the handshake. Lucius gripped the small hand in his before giving it a sharp shake. "It's nice to meet you. Once again, I apologize for forgetting you. I'm sure I'll remember once I get my memories back."

"Yes, I hope you do as well." Lucius said, before retracting his hand.

As they continued with dinner and made small talk, Harry suddenly cried out, remembering that he wanted to tell Draco something. The others looked up at him shocked at the sudden cry. Motioning for the boy to continue, Harry gave a small grin at all three males before looking warily at the female down the dining table.

The three Slytherins noticed a sense of wariness around the dark haired boy before they turned to see that he was looking straight at the girl sitting a couple of seats away from them.

"Granger, do you mind?" Lucius drawled, holding his head up high.

Shaking her head, Hermione walked out of the dining hall. Lucius then put up several silencing spells and erected a privacy bubble around them.

"I saw someone in my dream." Harry said, giddy. Even if there was a total stranger that he had not seen before, he seemed quite content with revealing the news to them. After all, it wasn't as if Tom had told and made him promise to refrain from talking about what had happened.

"I met this guy – Tom Riddle, and he was so nice! He said he was going to help me regain my memories as well!" Harry said, gushing in happiness. He didn't notice the three other occupants stiffen at the mention of Tom Riddle's name.

"Harry, did he do anything to you?" Draco asked, turning to face his companion, crush, acquaintance? Draco wasn't sure what to call him. Lucius shot Severus a look before they both nodded. The Dark Lord will surely be calling for them soon.

Noticing the lack of congratulations, Harry seemed to frown. "Isn't that great news? Why aren't you guys glad that someone else will also be helping me out?"

After his question, the two older Slytherins felt the Dark Mark burning up on their forearm. The Holding back a wince, Severus and Lucius schooled their face and stood up from the dining table.

"What's the matter? Is everything alright?" he asked worriedly.

"No, no. Everything's fine. It seems we had some forgotten business to attend to." Lucius said. "Thank you for the meal, but I really must be going. Draco, I trust that you'll take care of Mr. Potter?"

"Of course Father."

"Well then. Severus, we must go."

"Tippy!" With a loud pop, a house elf appeared besides Snape. Harry pushed back against his chair in fright and tipped it over.

"W-What?! What is that? Wh-Where did that come from?!" he shouted, eyes wide-eyed.

Rolling his eyes in a way unbefitting of a Malfoy, Draco pulled Harry's chair up before settling him back down into his seat.

"That is a house elf. They are here to serve the masters of the estate. However, Tippy belongs to us, to the Malfoys. Occassionally we call her when Sev needs her. Don't worry and don't be afraid." Harry turned to look at Draco. Seeing the truth in those silver orbs, Harry finally calmed down.

"O-Oh.. okay. Sorry about the chair Severus."

Raising his hand to acknowledge his apology, Severus told Tippy to clean up the plates and left Draco in charge while he and Lucius were away on business. Nodding its head and with a snap of its fingers, the plates disappeared followed by a small pop as the elf disappeared.

"We'll be back soon." Severus said, eyeing Draco and Harry. With that, he turned, billowing his robes, and left the dining hall with Lucius.

"What do they do?" Harry asked after a few moments of staring after the men that left.

"Oh. Father is part of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. He is also a part of the Ministry of Magic - of high standing. And Severus, well, you know he's a potions master. Besides those jobs, they also have a job that sends them off at unsuspecting times, so don't worry when they leave suddenly or aren't here with us." Draco explained, gracefully removing himself from his seat and pulling Harry's chair out for him.

Satisfied with the answer, Harry took a hold of Draco's hand and begun to swing it back and forth as they walked out of the dining room.

"Wow, you must really look up to them huh? I mean, your father's an important figure and Severus is like a potions wiz. I wish I knew my parents.." Harry murmured.

"Hey, hey. Look at me." Draco said, placing a hand on Harry's cheek. Harry looked up and gazed into his silver orbs. Keeping his gaze locked onto Harry's emerald orbs, he continued speaking.

"Don't worry about anything alright? As long as you're here with us, everything will be alright. We'll find a way to get back your memories."

Nodding his head, the two continued out into the hallway.

"Oh!" Harry said, stopping in mid-step. "We forgot about – about.. erm… What was her name again?"

"Granger?"

"No no. Her first name Draco."

"…Hermione." The blonde grumbled out.

"Yea! We forgot about her! Oh, I hope she's had a full stomach before we sent her out." Harry said frowning.

"Don't worry about it. Tippy!"

A pop sounded before the same house elf appeared in front of the two boys.

"What can Tippy be doing for the Young Master?" it squeaked.

"Oh.. aren't you the cutest thing?" Harry gushed, bending down to look at the house elf at eye level.

"Harry.." Draco hissed through his teeth.

Ignoring the blonde, Harry pulled his hand from Draco's and placed it on his knees to keep him balanced. "My name's Harry Potter. Is yours Tippy?" Shaking his head at himself, Harry continued on. "Oh, of course it is. If it wasn't, you wouldn't be here. Well, anyway, I was wondering if you could ask Hermione," Harry looked up at Draco for confirmation before receiving a stiff nod and returning back to his conversation with the house elf. "Well, I was wondering if you could ask her if she's still hungry and if she is, then get her whatever it is that she needs."

The house elf looked at Harry with wide eyes before looking up at the blonde. Receiving a peeved look and a nod, the house elf squeaked and smiled. "Of course Master Potter. Tippy be doing so, yes she will!" With a snap of her fingers, the house elf disappeared from view and Harry stood up, dusting his clothes off.

"That went well." He said, slipping his hand into Draco's. He pulled the blonde along down the hallway and tried to remember how to get back to their room.

Our room… Harry thought, blood rushing up to his cheeks.

"Yes, our room Harry." Draco purred, hearing Harry's thoughts and seeing the blush on his face. Watching a stuttering Harry was like watching a boy confessing his love towards his crush for the first time.

So cute. Draco thought, a smile appearing on his face.

After being sent away from the dining room, the brunette frowned. Apparently Harry still didn't have much trust in her – seeing as how she had been sent away when all he had to do was look at her uncertainly. Wondering how in the world she would have to retrieve his memories all before the summer ended while keeping the fact that the Chosen One had gotten amnesia a secret away from the Headmaster – even though he had requested she keep tabs on him- Hermione returned to her room.

Might as well brush up on last year's spells. She thought opening her luggage case and removing several textbooks from within. Putting each book on a different spot on her bed, she flipped each textbook to page one and began to read. After what seemed like quite some time, she casts a tempus charm before noticing that it had been over twenty minutes already. Quickly stowing away her books, Hermione jumped in alarm when a loud and resounding pop came from behind her.

From her quarters, Hermione had sent the house elf away, saying she would find the kitchen and get food herself. Keeping the house elf from harming itself, Hermione came up with the excuse that it would be better for her to wander around to learn more about the estate seeing as she might be staying here for awhile. Watching the house elf ponder on her reason, she breathed a sigh of relief when it reluctantly agreed and popped away.

Stepping out of her room, Hermione set off down the hallway and stopped as she rounded the corner. She watched Malfoy and her best friend interact like a newly formed couple before realizing that deep down, she had already known Harry was crazy for Draco and the other vise versa. Watching her best friend, who was like a brother to her, stutter in the presence of the blonde made Hermione realize that she should be the better man, in this case, the better woman. She would push aside her differences and prejudice against the blonde and the Slytherin house to keep her best friend happy.

But now the question still stands, what should she do about the information concerning Professor Dumbledore?

"Why aren't you doing anything to help them?!"

"You think with the way we are – in our current predicament – that we are able to help him?"

"Aren't you supposed to be –"

"Don't question my power. He will rue the day when he turned against us. And to think, we were the ones who created him – gave him the power."

"To be precise. We really weren't the ones who created him. He was the pupil."

"Please, just let me help him. Just once."

"I allow you this once. But until then, you cannot interfere. I will know."

"Of course. Thank you."

With a rush of water, the figure disappeared from view, leaving behind the other eleven.

"Does he really think he can help him?"

"Water is the essence of life, my dear. You should know. You were born from it."

Shaking her head, the female returned to her seat and looked down into the water, watching it ripple.

"You know we're going to have to do something about those people."

"No, we will do no such thing until he has come into his inheritance."

"But, that's going to take another year!"

"He will be coming into his powers first. That will get him ready for his inheritance. You didn't think I'll allow for him to come into his inheritance first did you? Even a body like that will destroy itself."

Silence washed through the room once more as the individuals overlooked the rippling water.

"My Lord."

Severus and Lucius bowed before the hooded figure sitting on the dais. Raising a hand, Tom motioned them to stand before him.

"Severus, when were you planning on telling me the boy has lost his memories?" he asked calmly.

"My Lord, I assu-"

"Crucio."

Lucius kept his gaze forward as his comrade writhed in pain on the floor besides him. A moment's time passed before the Dark Lord removed the curse on the potions master. Snape shakily got onto his feet and stood firm besides Lucius once more, looking straight ahead at Voldemort.

"Well Lucius?"

"I assure you my Lord. I only heard of this news just moments ago from the boy himself. He was beside himself with injuries, therefore Snape had requested my assistance in healing him. But it turns out that was not needed."

Tom sat in silence, watching his most trusted Death Eaters, thinking. Finally, he got up from his seat and stepped off the dais to circle the two Slytherins.

"I plan to gain the boy's trust. To bring him over without the old fool to hinder our plan."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Severus, you can continue to spew whatever it is the fool wants to know. However, do not tell him of the boy's amnesia." After a moment's hesitation in his thinking, Voldemort smiled a cold smile. "No. I retract that. You can tell him of the amnesia. Then report back to me."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Lucius?"

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Have Draco to accompany him at all times. Understand?"

"Yes my Lord."

"Leave me be."

Waving his hand, he turned around to leave the private room. Two pops echoed before the door closed behind the Dark Lord.

"Harry, you have to tell Sev."

"When he comes back I'll tell him."

"You promise?"

"Yes I do. Now will you stop nagging at me about it?"

"How can I when you almost got injured right after we've healed you?" Draco asked annoyed.

"If you thought that it was my fault –"

Two pops sounded from a couple of doors down the hall, having the boys turn their attention away from each other. Cocking his head to the side, Harry walked past Draco and into the foyer, seeing Lucius bending over a pained Severus.

"Quickly Draco, bring him to his room."

Draco walked towards the two men and hefted Snape's right arm over his shoulder. With the help of his father, the both of them walked up the stairs towards Snape's private quarters – Harry following behind closely.

Lying the man down onto his bed, Lucius accio'ed a bottle of Dreamless Sleep and a pain reliever. Pouring the contents into the potion master's mouth, they watched as Snape swallowed it, before hearing his breathing slow down.

"Who did that?" Harry whispered, his gaze fixated on the potion master's body.

"Draco, take him away." Lucius ordered, and Harry was quickly ushered out of the room by the young blonde.

"Draco?"

The blonde seemed to grow pale with each passing second before he answered.

"It was the Dark Lord. He probably punished Sev for doing something wrong."

"Does this happen often?"

"Yes actually." Lucius answered, as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"So, Snape is inadequate at his job?" Harry asked, raising a brow. "And I thought he would be great. I mean, his potions helped heal me correct?"

Draco snorted before his father sharply struck him on the head with the head of his cane. Wincing at the crack of the cane against Draco's head, Harry had the urge to comfort the blonde.

"Quite the opposite Mr. Potter."

"Harry please."

"Snape is quite known in our circle for his job for the Dark Lord. He seemed to be misinformed therefore punished Snape with the lack of information from his end. That is all."

"Oh but I have to tell him something." Harry said, remembering his promise to the younger blonde.

"Which is? I assure you. Whatever it is you need to tell him, I can also handle in his steed."

Nodding his head, Harry followed the two blondes into the sitting room. Once sitting on the settee, Draco motioned Harry to continue.

"Well, I sort of slipped on the steps." He began.

Draco snorted once more before placing a mask of indifference upon his face when he saw his father shoot him a look.

"I don't think slipping on the steps calls for Severus's attention Harry."

"No – the thing is.. well.." Harry struggled to form the words to his sentence before he felt a nudge against his side. Seeing Draco giving him some encouragement, he gathered up his wits and just blurted it out.

"I saw my uncle. He was quite angry. But, it was just a flash of his face. Was it a piece of my missing memories?"

Lucius looked surprised at the outburst if Draco were to go by his father's raised eyebrow.

"I'll be sure to tell him. On another note, I will be informing the Dark Lord of this."

"Why? Does he know me?"

"Oh, you've met him before."

"Where?"

Draco looked at his father from the corner of his eyes as his attention was focused on the boy sitting besides him on the settee. He wondered where his father was heading with all the blunt responses. Perhaps his father would explain when Harry wasn't around him. Then again if the Dark Lord ordered him to do something, his father and Severus wouldn't be informing him anytime soon.

"Well, his name is Tom Riddle. You've met him in your dreams Harry."

"Wait, so he's real?" Harry asked, stunned.

Draco watched several expressions dance across Harry's face. First confusion, then shock, and finally a burst of red shot to his cheeks.

I dreamed about a man?! But, wait. He entered my head first..

"I can hear you thinking, so might as well speak." Draco said.

Harry glanced at Draco before the blush on his face darkened. Slapping his cheeks lightly, he finally cooled down enough to face the blondes.

"I wish to talk to him." He declared, his gaze unwavering.

Both blondes were surprised at the declaration. The stubborn gaze in his eyes reminded Lucius of the glares he used to receive when he treated Severus wrongly in front of the boy's muggle born mother.

"Very well. I shall request an audience with him if that is what you wish."

Draco watched Harry's eyes light up in glee and with a big smile on his face, Harry thanked Lucius from the bottom of his heart. Lucius stood up, intending to return to the Dark Lord. But before he did that, he motioned to Draco to keep a schedule on Snape's health and to feed him the potions accordingly. With that, Lucius disapparated.

Lucius apparated into his home, strolling through several corridors before arriving at the door at the end of the hallway. Knocking three times before entering, Lucius entered without the need to announce his arrival.

"Lucius, what is it that you need? It had better be important."

Lucius had walked into the middle of a meeting that the Dark Lord was attending. He saw the Lestrange brothers, Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle and many other Death Eaters to name standing in a line in front of the Dark Lord.

"My Lord. The boy requests an audience with you. I have given him information about you when he asked. I assumed you wanted me to gain his trust as well."

"Crucio."

Lucius dropped onto the floor, gritting his teeth tightly together to keep from screaming out. Releasing the blonde from the curse, he waited for Lucius to regain his composure before allowing him to speak once more.

"My Lord, he wishes to speak with you. He looked quite pleased that he would be able to do so."

Tapping his fingers together in thought, Voldemort finally spoke.

"I will allow it. However, it shall be here and it must be within the next couple of days. Set it up Lucius. After all, we need the boy's trust. Send the order out that no one is to harm him. He is a welcomed guest here in your abode. Make sure everyone knows this order and this order only. Now go."

Ending the meeting halfway, Voldemort sent his Death Eaters away from the room.

"Oh you old fool. You'll regret messing with me."

After a month of not updating – due to classes, frequent and vicious studying – I HAVE REACHED A PAUSE IN BETWEEN MY FINALS. Reviews, comments, private messages are welcome! (: