The Riddle Answered

by DZ2

Rather than kill Harry in the graveyard, Tom reveals a startling secret: Harry is his son: Harry James Salazar Rasputin Riddle: son of Tom and Bellatrix. Dumbledore; beware: HARRY KNOWS THE TRUTH! Haphne (KEPT ON-SITE TO REMIND ME WHY I LOVE WRITING AND HOW, WHEN I GIVE MYSELF THE CHANCE AND PUT MY MIND TO IT, I CAN COME UP WITH SOMETHING TRULY GREAT!)

4. The Power Of One

The Riddle Answered: A Harry Potter Fanfic

Disclaimer: SEE FIRST CHAPTER: I do own this story and the OC name: Harry James Salazar Rasputin Riddle.

Any OC Spells will be explained at the end of each chapter;

Plot: Rather than kill Harry in the graveyard, Tom reveals a startling secret: Harry is his son and his real name is Harry James Salazar Rasputin Riddle: True Heir of Salazar Slytherin and son of Tom Riddle and Bellatrix Lestrange. However, tying up loose ends will be tough, can Harry Riddle cope with the trials and actions of 5th year Hogwarts and, if so, can he cope with Tom's BIGGER Revelation?

Tags: SEE FIRST CHAPTER

Pairings: Harry/Daphne; Draco/Ginny

DEDICATIONS: SEE FIRST CHAPTER

Normal Speech

(Thought)

{Parseltongue}

Tom and Harry's link

Last Time…

"Thank you Dad," Harry smiled, before he laughed as he felt Orochi slithering around his master's waistline, his tongue tickling the skin of Harry's belly, "I'm back."

"Yes you are," grinned Tom, before he looked past Harry and added, "And you have a guest Harry."

Harry turned, before he smiled coldly as he saw Draco Malfoy staring at him in shock, before the platinum-blonde Slytherin prostrated himself before the Dark Prince and didn't move.

"My Dark Prince," he said with authority, "It is an honour to see you again."

"Get in there," Harry commanded, opening the door with a flick of his wand, before, as he followed Draco, he turned back and added, "Those who have just eaten should stay out here."

"Harry," Tom warned him, "He's your cousin, don't be too hard on him."

"You know me Dad," Harry replied, smiling like a shark smelling blood in the water.

"I do," Tom smiled back, before, as soon as Harry closed the door, he turned and added to the others:

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Chapter 4: The Power of One

Riddle Manor

Harry stood opposite Draco, his eyes cold and dark as he looked to his enemy; for years, since their first encounter on the Hogwarts Express, and indeed before in Diagon Alley, Harry had always known there was something different about Draco and now, with his own family heritage revealed, the Dark Prince could only smile his shark-tooth smile as he looked to the platinum Slytherin.

"Well, well, well," he said in an almost sing-song voice, "What goes around comes around eh Draco?"

The young Malfoy gave a slow bow, keeping his eyes down, as he replied, "My Young Master, I had always known who you were and what you meant to Slytherin; when you shunned me, I felt broken and, even though I sent word to my Father claiming I had found you, I continued to stand against you because you were a Gryffindor. I offer no other excuse and await my punishment: your humble servant comes before you, my lord, to beg his forgiveness and pledge his allegiance."

Pulling out his Black Oak wand, Harry tested the balance once again, before he closed his eyes and mentally ran through the knowledge that had been given to him when his mental barricades had been broken. Now, he had a more in-depth knowledge over a majority of spells, charms, potions and curses and he wanted nothing more than to use them.

Yet, there was one big problem, his Father had said to go easy on Draco because he was family – a fact that made Harry's smile widen as he realised what he now held as the True Heir of Salazar Slytherin – and, even if Harry wanted to use the Cruciatus to harm Draco or the Imperious to harm him, the Ministry would find his magical signature in a heartbeat.

"No they wouldn't," the cold voice of his Father explained, his sudden intrusion into this scenario making Harry jump back slightly, "That wand, my little snake, was forged by those of darker magicks than the Ministry could handle; I, personally, helped infuse the wand with our family bloodline and Slytherin's signature, so the Ministry wouldn't dare trace the wand of a Founder's Heir. So go on," he seemed amused as he added, "Use the curses you want to Harry, but remember, he is family."

"Of course Dad," grinned Harry coldly, before he raised the wand and pointed it at Draco, his voice like ice as he continued, "Let's start with something small, shall we Malfoy? Imperio!"

As the Unforgivable flew from Harry's wand, he saw Draco tense up, before the young Malfoy's face relaxed and he stood, in a less than perfect stance, before the young prince.

(I am going to enjoy this,) thought Harry, before he commanded, "Draco Malfoy, bark like a dog!"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" barked Draco and, when Harry had stopped laughing, he saw that the bark sounded like a real dog – a Chihuahua!

"Turn around," Harry then commanded and Draco, unable to resist, did as he was bidden, before Harry added, "Get down on your knees!"

Draco lowered himself to the ground before Harry then added, "Now act like a Weasley!" Even as he said the words, Harry felt his anger rise within him: it was Ron's fault that he hadn't been friends with Draco; it had been Ron and Hermione who had told him about the quote-unquote dangers of Slytherin and, at a greater length, it had been the Weasleys who had kept him running to Dumbledore whenever he had discovered something about that year's mystery.

(Well,) thought Harry, watching as Draco began bowing with his hands and crying for money, (Not all the Weasleys…)

"Enough!" he commanded finally, allowing Draco to rise before Harry then added, "Now for the good stuff: Crucio!"

Draco's mind-warp faded away and the young Malfoy screamed in pain and frenzied torture as he scrabbled about on the floor, flailing his arms and legs like he was having some kind of fit: as Harry increased the pressure, he found that, unlike what he had first believed, torturing Draco was no fun at all: had those thoughts only been one side of him? His last act of mercy towards his enemy as a Gryffindor?

Harry certainly hoped so: cancelling the Cruciatus, Harry then added, "Like your Father, Draco, you are now my right-hand and you will be my eyes and ears at Hogwarts: understand that you, and a few others, know the real truth and know that, if you break my trust, I will not hesitate in punishing you, do I make myself clear?"

"I hear and obey, my lord," Draco replied, gasping for air after the fury of the Cruciatus, his cheeks suddenly flushing with embarrassment as he recollected the effects Harry had put him under with the Imperious.

"And that's another thing," added Harry, "You will only ever address me as lord or master in the presence of my Father; at all other times, you can call me Harry: you offered me your friendship once before Draco Malfoy; well, now I am accepting it."

"I am honoured to be your friend and ally, my Young Prince Harry Riddle." Draco bowed as Harry shook his head in amusement.

"Besides," added Harry, "There's another reason I went easy on you: it's because I'm saving my true rage for those who dared to call me their nephew: when I next see those damn Dursleys, they will rue the day they ever heard of the word magic."

Draco just gulped with fear and understanding as he watched Harry leave the room and return to his father's side.

(Mental note,) thought the Young Malfoy, (Don't EVER piss Harry off.)

HJSRR

The Burrow

Ginny Weasley felt like she had nothing left in the world: her one true friend, Harry James Potter, was dead and the rest of the family had suddenly been divided by loyalties and plans: Percy had left the family, taking only his share of the inheritance, saying that he was no ally of a rumour-mongering old fool like Dumbledore; Fred and George were busy planning their own futures, with them coming into their last year at Hogwarts and worst of all was Ron, who seemed to spend no time at all at home; instead, he spent it with that Muggleborn harlot Hermione doing secret things for Professor Dumbledore.

(Harry,) thought Ginny, looking at a picture of them the previous year at the Yule Ball, (I never actually thanked you; you saved me and I never told you; now you're gone and my family are broken…oh Harry…we need you.)

{Ginny,} hissed a voice in Parseltongue and Ginny gasped in shock: the last time she had heard that voice was three years before, but surely Dumbledore was wrong, wasn't he?

Nevertheless, Ginny had to reply, "Tom?" she asked, actually hoping to hear the voice of her possessor once again.

{Yes Ginny,} replied the youthful voice, {It's me, but if you can hear and understand me, then what do you suppose it means?}

"The failsafe," whispered Ginny, "He's back, isn't he? I mean, aren't you?"

{Indeed I am Ginny,} Tom answered, {And I need your help; Harry needs your help.}

"But Harry's dead," Ginny sobbed, "You killed him!"

{Why would I kill my heir?} asked Tom, {You were smart Ginny, so please use that brain of yours; I gave you a failsafe for what reason?}

"Your son," Ginny nodded, "But you tried to kill me."

{I did,} admitted Tom, {But now, I am back and we both need your help; are you prepared to answer the call to my son? You gave your word to him, after all.}

Ginny then pieced the puzzle together:

"Harry!" she whispered, "Harry's your son!"

HJSRR

Riddle Manor: 48 Hours Later

Harry sat on his black dragon throne, looking out over the sea of Death Eater heads; to the side of the gathering stood Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Draco and Crouch while next to Harry sat the Dark Lord himself.

"I'm nervous Dad," said Harry, his voice speaking through their bond, "What if I'm not ready?"

"You are ready little snake," answered Tom, "And, as such, I have a surprise for you, if you believe in yourself; now, do you remember what you must say?"

"Yes Dad," Harry answered, his eyes forwards, his stomach feeling twisted as he memorised his words: for this was the day that Harry Riddle would, officially, become anointed as the Prince of the Dark Forces and Heir to Voldemort's Throne.

"Then follow my lead, my brave little snake," advised Tom, before he rose and, looking out over the gathered assembly, spoke in his clear, hissing tone.

"My loyal friends," he declared, each of the Death Eaters hanging on his every word, "It has been years since we last gathered like this and now, here we are: and I do mean we as, sat right here, right now, is my son and heir and today, I welcome him back into my family; Harry, rise!"

Harry stood on command, feeling his mind and body fill with excitement: today, he said goodbye to Harry Potter once and for all and that was in more ways than one, and in his place would be the reborn form of Harry James Salazar Rasputin Riddle, rising like a phoenix from the ashes.

"Here stands my son," Voldemort announced, "After nearly fifteen years of being apart, we are once again reunited and soon, the Mother of my child and Queen of my forces, Lady Bellatrix Lestrange-Riddle, will join us and she will be standing at my son's side as I am right now. Harry, on your knees!"

Harry kneeled before his Father, his eyes lowered, almost closed, as he felt someone removing the black robe he always wore, before Voldemort spoke again, "Do you, Harry James Salazar Rasputin Riddle hereby relinquish any and all knowledge, association or memory of your past life?"

"I do," Harry replied, and, as he kneeled there, he felt something powerful slice itself across his back, but Harry didn't flinch: this wasn't just a coronation; it was a ritual to anoint him as the True Heir of Salazar Slytherin.

"Do you promise to only follow the path of your family and ignore any relation to your past?"

"I do," Harry answered, feeling another slash, this time across his chest.

"And do you agree to lead this army of dark witches and wizards with the same authority, potential, power and sense of mercy that I, your Father, Tom Marvolo Riddle, have shown in my life?"

"I, Harry James Salazar Rasputin Riddle, son of Tom Marvolo Riddle and Bellatrix Lestrange-Riddle, so solemnly swear that I shall never again taste the lies and deceit handed to me by those from my past; furthermore, I pledge myself, in blood…" A pool of crimson was suddenly formed before him as he continued, "…in magic…" he placed his wand in the crimson pool as he finished, "And in mind, body and soul to the traditions, powers, teachings and responsibilities of being the True Heir of our noble ancestor Salazar Slytherin and the Heir of Darkness to Lord Voldemort; upon my blood and magic, so mote it be!"

"So mote it be," Voldemort repeated, and, as everyone watched, Harry's blood seemed to glow with an even brighter shade of crimson before his wand ignited a set of sparks into the air, the sparks taking the shape of a King Cobra that coiled around itself before, as Harry looked up, the snake apparition struck him, sinking its fangs into his face, right where his lightning bolt scar had been.

Harry still didn't flinch; instead, he spoke in Parselenic, {I am the Heir of Salazar Slytherin through blood and magic; my Father, Tom Marvolo Riddle, is the magical heir and my Mother, Bellatrix Kassandra Lestrange-Black-Riddle is the family heir; their union anoints me, on this day, as Prince Slytherin, True, Spiritual Heir of Salazar Slytherin, and I will use my power to bring those who oppose me to their knees!}

As everyone watched, the snake suddenly seemed to burrow into Harry's forehead, before, with a gasp of relief; Harry stood and turned to the assembly, each one of them gasping at his change:

Where his ice-blue eyes had once been were now a pair of crimson eyes just like the Dark Lord, but there, in the centre of Harry's pupil was a silvery spark that shone all over the room before, as Harry allowed himself to relax, his eyes became ice-blue once again.

"It is done," Voldemort announced, before he pointed his wand and commanded, "Finite Retrorsum!"

A white veil covered Harry's body as the spell took its effect, completely healing the wounds Harry had obtained from the ritual; the one thing that made everyone gasp was what Harry now had on his back when he turned to his Father: a long, emerald, black and gold King Cobra that coiled around a bloody sword, the head of the sword resembling a dragon's skull. Branded under his neckline were a set of Latin words that made everyone take notice:

Vox Of Obscurum Est Eternus

"The Power Of Darkness Is Eternal," translated the Dark Lord, before he looked to Harry and added, "My son, Prince Harry James Salazar Rasputin Slytherin-Riddle has been chosen by the spiritual magic to become something more than True Lord to the power of Slytherin; as of today, your Prince has become the Lord of Darkness itself!"

"It is more than that," said Harry suddenly, his cold voice making every Death Eater and member of the Dark Forces take notice, "There's something else Father…I…I've never felt such power and its like darkness itself is flowing through my veins."

(This is interesting,) thought Tom as a Death Eater placed Harry's robe back on his young prince, (Harry describes the darkness like it is alive; but in history, there has only been one power that…) his eyes fell on the tattoo on Harry's back before his eyes widened, (Could my little snake really be his heir?)

Taking his seat, Harry then looked to Tom as the Dark Lord explained, "In blood and in magic, my son has pledged his new life to the darkness and now, we seal that pledge as only a Dark Wizard can!"

He snapped his fingers and Harry watched as three familiar figures were brought into the room, their bodies held by magical bindings; as the three were dropped before Harry, the young Prince heard his Father's voice through the bond, "My gift to you, my son, for everything you have done and the pain you were forced to endure. Hold…nothing…back!"

"Thank you Dad," replied Harry, before he rose as the bonds were released and Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley seemed to break from whatever trance had kept them quiet.

"YOU!" Roared Uncle Vernon, "What have you done to us you little bastard? We were happy without you for once and now you return to plague our lives; this time, I am going to hurt you more than I ever did…"

"Crucio!" yelled Harry and a smile crossed his face as he watched Vernon flail under the influence of the Unforgivable; when he heard the fat man scream, it was like music to Harry's ears: breaking the link, Harry then hissed, "Take notice you fat bastard, I can now do as much magic as I want and I am now and forever free of you, but the Cruciatus, I am sad to say, is not enough for you."

"W-What do you mean?" asked Petunia, before she then lay eyes on Lily, the horse-faced Muggleborn gasping in shock, "NO! You're supposed to be dead: this can't be happening now…he promised me…he promised…"

"Allow me Harry," Voldemort cut in, before he raised his wand and commanded, "Spiri-Retrorsum Maxima!"

Petunia Dursley fell silent and, as Harry watched, he saw the magic of his Father's spell take effect as Petunia then looked up and, as Harry watched, he saw a silver trail leave her body and disintegrate, before Petunia turned and asked, "Harry? Where are we?"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry replied, freezing his ex-aunt and cousin in place; turning to Sirius and Remus, Harry then added, "Take these two to a private room and perform any charm you can think of; they are not to leave until I have spoken to them: I have plans for those two, but this one – he pointed to Vernon who was still in shock over the fact that Harry could now use magic – I'm just getting started."

"Yes Prince," replied the Marauders, before they both levitated Petunia and Dudley out of the Council Hall; when they were gone, Harry rose and looked to his ex-uncle, his eyes cold and murderous.

"You took my childhood from me," he hissed, stepping down from his throne, each step like a clap of thunder filled with darkness, "Denied me my birthright; denied that I was a wizard; insulted my family; tortured me to the point of isolation…"

"And broke you," laughed Vernon; that was his big mistake, "Or did you not remember our little late night encounter? You were always a freak, now I know you're a whore too!"

"AVADA!"

"DAD!" Yelled Harry, silencing the Dark Lord's curse; shaking his head, Harry turned and added, "This one is mine: no-one speaks of what he just said…besides," he turned and Tom gasped as he saw his son now bearing blood-red eyes, "I need to test my new powers!"

He looked at Vernon, his eyes as red as blood, before he asked, "Did you think you broke me Vernon? Wrong, you just made me mad and believe me, you will…always…remember!"

He raised his right hand and, as he held it before him, Harry actually gasped to himself; the back of his hand was changing; in fact, as he watched, Harry saw the King Cobra from his tattoo sliding over the back of his flesh, its fangs bared in a ready-to-strike hiss.

Placing his hand on Vernon's forehead, Harry spoke in Parselenic, {He will always remember what he did to me, but this time, he will feel my pain!}

"Human nature," laughed Harry as he watched the snake sink its fangs into Vernon's skull, "Is so complex; you hide away the badness because you are scared to face the demons inside you: but now Vernon, you have a new demon in there: me! You will always remember and you will feel the pain!"

Removing his hand, Harry then watched as Vernon became a writhing mass of fat, blubbering cowardice as he cried, whimpered, cringed and wept for the memories running through his mind, memories planted there by the Prince of Darkness.

Turning, Harry held up five fingers and, as the screams from Uncle Vernon became murderous, he lowered each finger very slowly, before, with a cold smile and red-eyes glowing with malice, Harry turned once again and exclaimed, "Goodbye monster: Avada Kedavra!"

Vernon fell to the floor, stone dead and unmoving, before Harry turned and added, "Nagini can eat him if she wants to Father; for now, I have family to see to."

Before he could move, however, Harry turned once again and saw the door open, before a new figure walked in and looked him square in the eyes, before a voice spoke from under the mass of hair, "Hello Harry!"

Harry stared in shock and all he could say was:

"YOU?"

Chapter 4 AND I hope you like what I did to the Dursleys; the punishment isn't over yet though as those Muggles has a lot to answer for, but who is Harry's surprise guest?

Also, just what will Ginny do now that she, as a Gryffindor, knows the truth?

Keep Reading to Find Out…

In the Next Chapter: Harry's vengeance continues; the remaining Dursleys pay the ultimate price and there's a party for the Slytherins: how will they react to seeing the son of their Lord? And, its Back To Hogwarts where there is a BIG surprise for Harry and, guess what, Dumbledore's behind it:

Chapter 6: WHAT IS TOM DOING AT HOGWARTS? And he's teaching! What is he up to? Harry has a meeting with Professor Snape and his Father and Daphne Greengrass has an accident, but, when Harry saves her, something VERY interesting happens…

Please Read and Review…