Disclaimer- I do not own Harry flipping Potter. Happy, potential lawsuits?
Previously- "How would you feel about killing a Muggle?"
...
Harry was at war with himself. On one hand, he really needed to get out of here. He wanted to be here about as much as Ron wanted to be in Slytherin. What was one pathetic Muggle's life compared to the life of him, the Boy-Who-Lived?
Plus, he really needed to get out of here.
On the other hand... He was supposed to be the good guy! Heroes don't kill innocent people, they try to save their lives. Who was he, to play God? He didn't get to decide who lived or died.
Unless, of course, he had intimate knowledge of that person... His gaunt, waxy features settled into a smirk.
"Can I choose the Muggle?" The man's eyes widened in surprise.
"Is that a yes, then?"
"Quite."
...
Harry stared down at the prone form of his hideously obese Aunt Marge. Something flickered inside his at the thought of finally being able to thank her for all those years of setting Ripper on him. A sneer flickered across his features. Who's worthless now, woman?
Almost as if she heard his thoughts, her eyes flickered open. "Wha-? Potter! Bring me back immediately! You worthless little-"
"But Auntie, I haven't had a chance to thank you yet!" He hid his fury behind a mask of childish excitement. The sarcasm didn'y seem to puncture her thick skull, as she responded,
"Thank me for what?"
"All those speed and algility lessons! And those life lessons you would give me at dinner! All those insults and negative remarks... It all really helped me become who I am today." He pointed his wand straight between her eyes. "Avada kedavra." As she dropped dead, eyes glassy, he put the wand down to his side. "You know, such a kind, forgiving person."
He heard the wizard walk up behind him. He simply held out the wand for the man to take. "Thank you!" The man accepted the wand carefully. "So, I'm assuming you want to leave." Harry just nodded. "Just stay here for one more day, then we'll figure out how to make your escape more genuine.
"Kay."
"There is one more thing to the deal, however. I couldn't tell you until after you did the first part." Harry groaned. "No, no, this one is easier. I just need you to press this piece of metal right there on your left arm- what an odd phrase!- when I finish heating it up. This has to be perfect."
Harry bit his bottom lip and nodded.
...
"Hello again, Harry." Harry climbed to his feet as he stared at Riddle. He swallowed and began searching around for his wand nervously. Riddle laughed.
"I don't wish you any harm, Harry! I'm actually here to call a truce, if you want to agree to it." Harry narrowed his eyes and glared.
"Why would I ever call a truce with you? You killed my parents!" Riddle dropped his gaze and sighed.
"That wasn't me. While I am indeed a part of Voldemort, I am not him. I admit that I'm not exactly a light wizard, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm entirely Dark." Harry raised an eyebrow.
"And why are you asking me for a truce now, of all times?" Riddle looked exasperated.
"Because this is the first time in thirteen years that our powers and personalities are similar enough that we could combine into one being. You would still be mostly you, since you are the original person, but you would gain the memories and powers of myself."
"Oh, yay. I could become part Dark Lord. How could I ever refuse?" Riddle scowled at Harry's sarcasm.
"Well, if you would prefer to have that scar for your entire life or until you kill someone again..." Harry gaped.
"You mean no more scar? No more headaches?" Riddle smirked.
"And you would be able to tune in to Voldie when you want to, not when he's already killing someone." Harry laughed at the nickname, but became serious.
"I'd like that. How..." Riddle sighed.
"Walk straight into me."
"Okie dokie. But what if, by odd coincidence, physics actually hold true at the same time we make contact, and all we both get is a concussion?"
"You worry too much, Potter."
"Brilliant."
...
Harry woke up the exact moment he and Riddle made contact. Oh, brilliant. He sighed as he climbed off of the cot. Definitely better than the ground. He sighed as he reached over to the table for his glasses and-
Realized that he could see fine. Just to be sure, he put on his glasses and squinted through them. Everything was blurry and out of focus. He grinned as he pocketed the glasses for later and glanced in the mirror.
"Bloody hell!" His hair, instead of the messy James Potter-esque hair, was straight, black, and grew all the way down to his jawbone, bangs sweeping over to cover half of one eye. And his eyes! One had remained the same bright shade of green, while the other was dark brown. His jawbone had widened slightly, nothing noticable by anyone unfamiliar with his normal face but still slightly. And his muscle tone had slightly improved, not that you could notice it with the malnourishment of the past few weeks.
"Potter!"
Harry mussed up his hair and swooped it so that it covered his odd eye just as the wizard walked in.
"Ready to start? This should just take a second..." He concentrated on harry and muttered a couple quick spells. "There! I just undid all of the minor healing. They shouldn't notice a thing." Indeed, Harry felt like crap. "One more thing... CRUCIO!" Harry screamed and writhed under the curse. After ten minutes of screaming and begging, the wizard Apparated an unconscious Harry to right outside the Hogwarts gates in Hogsmeade. He then Disapparated, leaving Harry behind.
...
Severus Snape was striding back to the castle when he noticed the pathetic lump of clothing near the gates. Assuming it was a hopelessly drunk traveler, he walked over to get him to move. Only close up did he realize that it was Potter, beaten to a bloody pulp and twitching badly.
As he grabbed the boy and ran towards the castle, One thought repeated itself over and over in his mind. What happened to Potter?
...
When Harry awoke, he found himself in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts surrounded by a group of nervous teachers. He groaned.
"Are you alright, Mister Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked quietly. Harry carefully brushed his hair back into place over his brown eye before fully opening his eyes and responding.
"I think so, Professor, but I may have to give Madam Pomfrey the final say in that." He motioned towards the Healer, grinning.
Madam Ponfrey asked, "Can you see all right, Mr. Potter?"
"Perfectly, why?"
"You're not wearing your glasses. I also noticed that a certain famous scar also appears to be missing." The teachers gaped at him. Snape growled and moved closer to the bed.
"What were the answers to the three questions I asked Harry Potter in my first class with him?" Harry thought for a moment.
"Draught of Living Death, inside the stomach of a goat, and they are the same plant." Snape wasn't satisfied.
"What book did I confiscate from Potter in the first year he was at Howarts?"
"Quiddich Through the Ages." Snape looked relieved.
"It's Potter." Harry sighed.
"No, really? I thought I was just an extremely unlucky Death Eater! Thanks, Professor!" Professor Flitwick snorted, earning himself a glare from the irate Potions professor.
All of a sudden, Dumblebore walked in. "Hello, Harry."
Harry stiffened, all joking gone from his face. "Good morning, Professor." Dumbledore stood next to the bed.
"Harry, can you remember what happened? Anything at all?" Harry slowly nodded. "Can you tell us?" He shook his head rapidly.
Dumbledore shot a meaningful glance at the other teachers, and they filed out. Soon Dumbledore, Snape, and Harry were alone. "Now can you tell us?"
"No."
Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, would you allow us to see your memory? We need to know what happened in order to help you." He removed his wand from his robes. "This won't hurt, Harry. Just think about what happened. Tell me when you're ready."
Harry, allow me. I just need to alter a few parts of the memory. He felt Riddle doing something. After a few seconds, he stopped. Finished.
"All right, Professor. Now." Harry winced as the wand pressed against his temple, and withdrew a long, silvery thread. With this achieved, Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out a smooth basin, no larger than a dinner plate.
"Finite Incantatem." The bowl expanded as the shrinking charm on it was canceled. Dumbledore poured in the memory, stirring it with his wand. "Severus?" The two men leaned into the bowl.
What did you do to the memory, Riddle?
I just 'edited out' a few little things.
You had no right!
I just thought that you didn't want to be known as a Muggle killer.
...Oh. That actually made a lot of sense. Before he could come up with a better response, the professors leaned back up out of the memory, looking startled.
"...Potter?" Snape's hesitant voice made him wince. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I've been better, though." Snape snorted.
"I wonder why. You were only tortured for three weeks at the hands of an insane Death Eater. Can't understand why that would be detrimental to your health, though."
"Severus!"
"Sorry, Albus."
Harry chortled. At the glare Snape was sending him, however, self preservation kicked in and he stopped.
"Albus, we need to have a talk outside." Dumbledore inclined his head, and they left Madam Pomfrey to tend to Harry. Even through the door, he heard the shouts.
"Albus! He was tortured for Merlin's sake! This isn't normal for someone his age!" Their conversation turned to a mumble. "You saw some of the things done to him! He's too calm!"
"Here, drink this, dear. It's a Nutritive Elixir." Harry quietly accepted the round bottle the Healer held out and chugged it. It didn't taste bad, really. Just really thick, like drinking concentrated juice or syrup. After a minute, she handed him another, smaller bottle.
"Blood Replenishing Potion. This one tastes a bit worse." He took a small sip and made a face before chugging it down as well. The metallic taste lingered in his mouth after he finished.
"One last one. This one is definitely the worst." She poured out a glass of an unidentified purple liquid and offered it to him. He held his breath and poured it down his throat. Unfortunately for him, this set off his gag reflex and the fluid tried to eject itself. He rapidly swallowed to make it go down.
"Mr. Potter, you need to rest." Harry nodded and curled up under the covers, letting himself drift into tiredness.
...
Riddle sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at the tiny snake.
"You can talk?" The snake almost seemed to laugh.
:Of courssse. It'sss jussst that not everyone knowsss how to lisssten.:
Yeah, he knew how that felt. "I'm sorry."
:Don't be sssorry, boy. You've done nothing wrong. It's the Mugglesss who are alwaysss to fault.: Riddle blinked.
"Muggles?" Before the snake could explain, Miss Cole burst in, screeching.
"MISTER RIDDLE! I have heard reports of you talking to a snake! This is unacceptable behavior!" She ran over to where is newfound friend was curled up on the ground and, to Riddle's stunned expression, smashed the reptile's skull with her heel. "I will not stand for any strangeness in this orphanage! Let this be a lesson to you!" The she-devil spun around and stomped out of the room.
As soon as she was out of sight, he shut the door and picked up his friend. "No..." He whispered hoarsely, before a lone tear trickled down his face.
...
When Harry awoke, he immediately reached for his glasses on the nightstand. Then he realized two things. One, he didn't need his glasses, and two, he couldn't move his arm.
"What-" He was cut off as he realized who was standing behind him, glaring with murderous rage at his upper left arm.
"Why did you not think to mention that sooner?" Hissed Snape, who hadn't moved his gaze from Harry's arm yet. Harry was startled.
"Mention what?" He followed Snape's gaze, until he saw exactly what the man meant. Branded against the pale white of his upper arm was the image of a human skull with a snake for a tongue.
A/N: Hey, I've got chapter 3 coming soon. I was sitting in my kitchen today, when my sister grabbed the back of my neck. I screamed "VOLDEMORT!" and whacked her with a bunch of bananas.
My life is very interesting.