A/N: To commemorate 'Replace My Life's 200th review, I give you a brand new chapter. It's not long, but trust me, it's worth the read. (Or at least I hope it is…)

Chapter 42: The Plan

"Harry, m'boy!" Dumbledore exclaimed in surprise, "What brings you here?"

"I did what you asked. Now, you have to do me a favor."

The old man sat back in his chair, the twinkle sucked out of him by the knowledge that he owed me a favor. "Yes… I suppose I do. What is it you wish of me?"

I settled myself into the chair across from him and pulled out a sheet of parchment and a quill. "I need to know everything you do about Tom Riddle. I have a device that will allow for Professor Snape to leave school grounds and retrieve the Horcrux, but it's not fool-proof. If old Voldy is anywhere near, the talisman will take Snape to him instead. That would look suspicious."

"Indeed. Well, I see you came prepared." He murmured, gesturing towards my writing utensils. "Can I offer you any refreshments? This is going to take a while."

Xxx

It was nearly dinner time when I stumbled out of the Headmaster's office, mind whirring with the knowledge that I'd gained. There were so many similarities… so many parallels drawn between us… If we'd written autobiographies, they'd read like the lives of a set twins separated not by distance, but by time. I was an orphan; he was an orphan. I was unwanted by my caretakers, he was unwanted by his caretakers. I wanted the kind of life that I'd only dreamed of, and Tom had wanted the same. We both wanted to be accepted, and we both wanted power. For me, gaining power meant that I would never have to live with the Dursleys or wear Dudley's hand-me-downs again. For Tom, the attainment of power meant that he would never be scorned or looked down upon again. We wanted the same thing, for very nearly the same reason, but my definition of power was different from his. In the end, his quest for power gave me what he'd always craved: fame and reverence. All his life, the only thing he'd really wanted was for someone to look up to him – to respect him. People had loved Tom Riddle, and his fall in 1981 gave me the fame he'd fought so hard for, all the while depriving me of the one thing that I'd come to wish for more than anything else: love. If I could trade places with him… if I could give him my fame in exchange for the devotion of his followers, I would do it. In a heartbeat, I would do it. In reality, as warped as it seems, the one thing I want is what he has, and the thing he wants is what I've got.

The irony was nearly too much to bear.

"I know how to beat him." I said as I joined Ron and Luna after dinner in what had become our new hideaway. "I know how to beat Voldemort."

"Well?" Ron asked impatiently after several moments of silence. "Are you going to tell us or not?"

"We can't stand each other," I said, still half-dazed at the revelation. "We can't stand each other, and it's not because of our differences. It's because of our similarities. We both have the same sort of history, and the same person is to blame. Well, not the same person – not exactly – but the Minister and Headmaster of his time are to blame for his suffering the same way that Dumbledore and Fudge are to blame for mine. He wanted fame, and he gave me that. I wanted to be loved, and never had it at home because of what made me famous. Neither of us wanted to be a burden; neither of us wanted to be shunned for being different. But we both were. And we both can have what we want… All I have to do is find a way to make it happen. We both needed a loving, Wizarding home to grow up in. We both needed good friends… we both needed to be recognized for what we did… We look enough alike. It could work…"

The feel of Luna's hand on my arm startled me out of my thoughts. "What could work Harry?"

"Going back. No, really just… just listen for a second Ron." I pled, hoping to explain myself.

"Alright," he said, "I'm listening, but it better be good."

"If I go back in time and kidnap Tom Riddle from the orphanage, then go forward in time and leave him on my parent's doorstep, the they would take him in and raise him as their own. They'd raise us as brothers. There never would have been a Tom Riddle in the thirties to go evil, and so there would have never been a Voldemort to kill my parents, and we'd both get what we wanted. I would get a loving family, and Tom would be raised in a prestigious, pureblooded household. His status would be upgraded, and he would have the respect that he'd craved so desperately when he was a child. Instead of trying to fix the problem, I'll just go back in time and make sure it never happens!"

"That's brilliant Harry!" Ron exclaimed, slapping me on the back. "There's just one problem: where are you going to get a Time-Turner? The ones at the Ministry were destroyed last summer, remember?"

I stared at Ron, and in my mind's eye I saw my shiny new plan get viciously sucked down the drain. That would be a problem, wouldn't it?

"Well..." Luna gathered,"I suppose we could try to make one..."