Chapter Ten:

Young Tom

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I started a new story called Polishing the Golden Boy.

Savoren.

Rest in sweet peace, Alan Rickman. You will ALWAYS be in our hearts 3

When they arrived all Hell broke loose. . .

Ginny reeled her fist back and let it fly, smashing straight into Ron's jaw. "I HATE YOU! You need to get out of my life! You have NO right to act this way!"

Before Ron could hit her back, Arthur grabbed both of his hands and pulled him away just as Molly captured their daughter.

Screaming, Ginny fought to get free of her mother's strong arms. "LEAVE ME GO! I'M SICK OF YOU ALL! I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

Harry and Hermione exchanged horrified looks and took a few steps away from the scene.

"We should go," Harry whispered to Hermione.

Hermione gave a quick nod of her head, eyes locked on the crazed red-head. "Good plan."

Taking her hand in his, Harry quietly led their escape. Once outside he gave a shake of his head and started down the path, knowing she would follow him. "I don't understand why Ginny keeps doing this."

Hermione hurried to catch up with him and grabbed his hand again. "She's in love."

Harry rolled his eyes, "If you love someone then you don't hurt them. She's being stupid, that's what she is!"

Hermione sighed softly. She could see where Harry is coming but she also realizes that he might be struggling with empathy. "Love can blind a person and make them do and say some things they usually wouldn't." Knowing Harry wasn't going to agree and he was only getting more frustrated, she changed the subject. "The potions are ready to drink."

Harry halted, "What? Really?!" Excitement sparkled in his emerald eyes. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to your house and take it! After we drink it we can feel the first changes, right?"

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Harry's excitement is too cute. She nodded, "Yeah, after we drink the potion we will be able to feel the first signs of the change. Have you been practicing meditation?"

Harry nodded, "Of course!" Grabbing her hand, he started pulling her toward her home, way too excited for his own good.

Laughing, Hermione allowed him to drag her along.

When they got to her bedroom she opened her closet and went to the far back, grabbing the small cauldron. "I took it off the burner last night and let it sit over night." Grabbing two cups out of her potions kit, she measured out the potion and filled the two cups to the measured amount. She handed Harry the one and raised it, "Cheers!"

Smirking, Harry gently tapped his glass against hers and with only a slight hesitation, he closed his eyes and downed the thick, blue potion. Gagging, he forced it all down and took in a few deep breaths. Opening his eyes, he looked over to Hermione, eyeing her closely. "Do you feel any different?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Of course not. We need to meditate, remember? Honestly, Harry, sometimes I feel like what I say goes in one ear and out the other."

Sheepishly, Harry handed her back the empty cup. "I need to visit my mum sometime today." Harry felt his heart drop a little at the thought, "Come to think of it, I haven't seen dad since they left earlier."

Pulling him into a tight hug, Hermione laid her head on his shoulder and let out a deep sigh. "Everything will be alright, Harry. Your dad is probably looking for the potion."

Harry relaxed a little in her arms, "It's my fault though, Herm. The virus was meant for me, not her."

Hermione roughly pushed him away and leveled him with a dangerous glare, "Don't you dare start that crap, Harry James! You know just as well as I that no one would have allowed you to open that letter by yourself." Seeing Harry's eyes drop, she sighed and gave him another hug, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. Honestly though, blaming yourself is not going to make your mother feel better. Alright?"

Harry gave a small nod, "Alright."

Changing the subject, Hermione gently took Harry's hand and led him out of the house. "Come on, let's go meditate on the boulder by the Black Lake."

Harry stayed silent and followed her.

After trying for a half an hour, Harry was finally able to clear his mind enough to focus on his breathing and let his mind drift into an empty world.

He floated, unable to reach the invisible ground. Everywhere he turned his eyes burned from the white that surrounded him.

His pulse echoed around him, thumping painfully against his eardrums. He tried closing his eyes but the sight of black felt worse than white.

The thumping of his pulse started to make a headache grow in his skull and just when he thought he would pass out from the pain, he felt the first sign of changing. Suddenly the whiteness disappeared and he was running through a set of woods. His body small, his nose pointed. The air disrupted his coat of red and white and his long tail twitched with excitement. He sprinted, he jumped, he tumbled. He felt as light as can be - free from the troubles of the world.

It felt like as soon as it started, it ended. He opened his eyes and looked out across the Black Lake. He could hear Hermione panting beside him and then he realized he too was out of breath.

"I'm a tabby cat," Hermione breathed, a small smile gracing her beautiful face.

Harry looked over at her, "Seriously? That's awesome, Herm."

She nodded, "Isn't your mum a tabby cat?" At Harry's nod, she asked, "Did you see your animagus form?"

Harry gave a tiny nod, "I think I'm a fox."

Hermione laughed softly, "You think?"

He nodded again, "I know one thing for sure. I had way too much energy." He laughed and gave a small shake of his head, "Now we just have to meditate and focus on creating our form, right?"

Hermione nodded, "Remember though, it will take time. You can't expect to transform after your first session of meditation."

Before Harry could respond, he sensed a presence coming up behind them. Turning, he saw his "grandfather" coming toward them.

With twinkling blue eyes, he eyed the two closely. "I assume you are out of breath from playing tag?"

Harry blushed a deep red, "Um, yes sir?"

Chuckling, Albus gave a small shake of his head and muttered, "Whatever you say, Harry." Before the two could get embarrassed any more, Albus changed the subject. "Harry, dear boy, I want you to come to my office. I have some things I need to discuss with you and something I need to show you." Seeing Harry's curious look, he continued, "Come to my office after visiting your mother. I also know that your Aunt Poppy has something she needs to talk to you about."

Harry sighed, hoping he wasn't in any kind of trouble. "Yes sir."

Turning to walk away, Albus added, "Also, I would avoid the Weasley abode for the rest of the day. I heard from two frightened aurors that Molly is in quite the mood." He chuckled and walked away.

Harry shivered, "I love how she can put the fear of God into badass aurors. . ."

Laughing, Hermione nodded in agreement, "She'd make the Dark Lord eat his vegetables." They both burst out into laughter, enjoying their small, harmless jokes.

After a few minutes, they calmed down and Harry jumped off the boulder, "Do you want to come with me?"

Hermione sighed softly, "Nah. I need to go home and clean my room before mum comes home later. It was supposed to be done before we even left for shopping but you distracted her enough that she forgot."

Harry laughed, "Glad I could help."

Kissing his cheek goodbye, Hermione hurried off.

Harry watched her go and then made his slow walk up to the castle. When he reached the Infirmary he found it empty all except the cot his mother was sleeping on. Walking over to her, he sat down on the seat beside her and reached out to touch her only to find an invisible barrier between himself and his mother.

"I'm keeping her in the bubble until the virus is taken care of," Poppy said as she came out of her office. She walked over and sat in the chair beside her nephew.

"How is she holding up?" Harry asked, his voice timid. "Is she. . . Is she going to be alright?"

Poppy gave a firm nod of her head and gently took his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "She will be just fine, Harry. No worries, dear. Your father found the potion while you were out with the Weasleys. He left to retrieve the ingredients."

Harry gave a small nod of his head, "I figured he had left."

"I'm not sure when he will be back. It could take him a little while to find the one ingredient. Until he gets back and brews the potion you will be sleeping in my guest room, alright?"

Harry sighed, "Okay."

She eyed him closely, "What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry gave a hard shrug, "I just feel guilty. She got sick from MY birthday card."

Poppy shook her head, "That is an unfortunate occurrence, dear. You did not send the card to yourself. You have done nothing to feel guilty about."

"It should be me sick, not mum," Harry whispered.

Sighing, she gently moved Harry's chin so he was looking at her. "Don't say that, Harry."

Harry pulled out of her grip, "It's true though."

"No. This was an unfortunate accident. Being an adult, your mother's chances of fighting this virus off is a lot better than if you had been the one sick."

Harry gave her a glare, "I thought you said she will be alright?"

Poppy sighed, "Yes. She will be fine once your father gives her the antidote. If you had been the one infected though, I'm not so sure how it would have turned out."

Harry sighed, "Fine! But he better find that cure fast. Voldemort is going to pay for this. . ." Before she had time to say anything, Harry jumped to his feet and left, "I need to go."

Sighing, Poppy watched the doors swing shut behind him. Giving her head a small shake, she returned to her office to finish getting her documents ready for the upcoming school year.

Quietly, Harry knocked on the office door. He couldn't help but feel surprised that the doors hadn't opened for him - Albus has the weird ability to know who is coming and when. When he heard the strong voice of Albus Dumbledore telling him to enter, he opened the doors and walked to stand in front of the mahogany desk. "You wanted to see me?"

Albus steeped his fingers and eyed the boy in front of him closely. "Please take a seat, Harry." Once he was seated, Albus continued. "Harry, to be able to successfully beat Voldemort you need to first know about his past. By knowing his past you can find any weaknesses. The power of knowledge is far more dangerous than the power of strength."

Harry sat up straighter, he had been waiting for this for a while. It's about time I'm allowed to help!

Seeing the curious glint in Harry's eyes, Albus continued speaking. "Your father does not want you to be a part of this, Harry, but I do not want you in the dark. I don't want you blindsided some day simply because your father wants to save your innocence. We all know your innocence has been long destroyed. If you are willing to keep this a secret then we will proceed."

Harry didn't have to think about it. It's about time someone understands that I need to be kept informed. "I won't tell him, I promise."

Albus eyed him closely and then nodded his head. Snapping his fingers, he looked over and watched as a basin floated over to him. Once it was sitting on his desk, he stood and looked into it. "Do you know what this is, Harry?"

Harry eyed it, "It's a pensieve."

Albus nodded. Reaching into his desk drawer he pulled out a container filled with vials. "And these contain memories. I have been collecting memories that I think might be of importance to the fight." He pulled the first one out and stared at the label.

Harry watched as his grandfather's eyes glistened over, almost as if he lost himself in his own memories. "Sir?"

Snapping out of it, Albus uncorked the vial and poured the memory into the vial. "Put your head in the pensieve. It will feel like you are falling but the feeling will only last a few seconds. No one will be able to see or hear you in this memory. I will join you."

Standing, Harry watched as Albus bent over, put his head in the pensieve and then Harry followed in suit.

The feeling of falling made his stomach flip and flop. Once the feeling ended, he gripped his stomach, hoping to not lose his lunch. When he righted himself, he looked around and found himself looking at a pale, little boy with dark black hair. It didn't take long for Harry to realize this was the child-version of Tom Riddle.

Shivers ran down Harry's spine and he couldn't help but glare at him. His thoughts turned dark as he watched a young Albus Dumbledore enter the room. "Why didn't you wring his neck when he couldn't defend himself?"

Albus turned to look at Harry in shock, "You mean, like He tried to kill you?"

Harry kept his mouth closed but glared at the little boy anyway, "Did you know he would grow up to be an evil Dark Lord?"

Albus shook his head, "I sensed the power in him. No one can foresee a person's future except a Seer and even then, the person can change their future. Every choice we make has a consequence. The future is always changing, Harry." Turning back to the scene, Albus watched as the wardrobe caught on fire, "Now, be quiet and watch the memory."

Huffing, Harry did as he was told and turned back to the scene in front of him.

When he finally emerged from the memory, Harry kept his eyes down as he tried to organize and figure out his feelings. He hated the fact that he felt pity toward the little devil. "Why was he in the orphanage if he had a family?"

Knowing Harry knew about his relationship toward the man, Albus gave a small nod of understanding. "When he was a toddler he killed his parents dog. When he turned four, he put bleach in their fish tank. His parents had enough and placed him in the orphanage. They tried to wipe their hands free of him. When he came to Hogwarts, his grandmother took him in. She did her best to raise him right but the seed of evil had already taken root." He saw the scrunched look on Harry's face and could easily see every emotion Harry is feeling. "It's okay to feel pity toward something that could have been but it is not okay to linger on that feeling, Harry. He had his choices and he chose evil." When Harry stayed silent, Albus continued, "I want you to think this over and come back tomorrow to see a new memory. Remember, do not let your father know."

Harry nodded, staying silent and then left the office. He knew too well how important it is to keep this a secret from his father.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

Savoren.