"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
~Lao Tzu

Harry never knew what to make of it. Ever since the 'incident' Tom had been distant, their lessons continuing as normal however lacking the closeness and, dare he say it, camaraderie they had had before. He had thought that they were going to talk about what had happened, work things out and maybe, just maybe, go further. The electricity between them had startled him at first but now he found that he craved it. He had guessed that this came from the fact that he had never felt this intensely about anyone before, his crush on Cho seemed almost juvenile compared to this. His heart still sped up just thinking about the way Tom had looked at him, for once the normally stoic man had been unmasked, his barriers had fell and, as clichéd as it sounded, the sight had been breathtaking. He knew that Tom Riddle was meant to have been attractive whilst he had been at Hogwarts but, until that moment, it had been hard to associate the young man with the strict mentor. Gazing out at the darkened courtyard he shivered slightly as the aged window let in the cold wind that battered the castle walls. He was meant to go to a lesson with Tom now, in fact, judging by the darkened sky, he was now late. He knew that Tom would be angry with him but after days of avoiding the matter he was tired of it, he was going back to Hogwarts the next day anyway and what was one missed lesson?

"Harry?" came Lysander's voice.

"What?" asked Harry, turning his back on the frosted window and looking at his friend.

"I was just wondering what you were doing, shouldn't you be at your lesson?" asked Lysander, his blue eyes unnaturally serious.

"I decided to skip" shrugged off Harry, moving along as Lysander made to sit next to him.

"You know he cares about you" said Lysander gently.

"Who?" asked Harry, feigning ignorance, it appeared he hadn't done a good enough impresison as Lysander's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You know who I'm talking about and I can tell you he cares about you deeply as you do him, you are both just too stubborn to approach the matter!"

"What makes you suspect this?"

"I don't suspect, I know. My gift is seeing the connections people have to each other. It is almost like threads exuding from the person, the colour indicating the strength of the relationship."

"I guess that explains why every time Tom was mentioned around me you would crack up" sighed Harry.

"Well it was funny watching you dance around each other, however I suspect Alderan has been trying to get you together for some time, there was no way Tom could have orchestrated the incidents that got you closer together," the amused glint had entered Lysander's eyes again, "Also I felt like I owed you since you technically got me into Hogwarts which is why I'm telling you all this, normally I just like to watch people squirm. I still wonder what Tom said to my parents to make them relent" chuckled the blonde.

Harry would never forget how happy Lysander had been when he bounded up to him holding his acceptance letter. Blaise too looked a little overwhelmed and Harry had been glad that he could help them out, also the number of times he caught them in compromising positions dwindled dramatically and so saved him the trouble of pouring bleach into his eyes.

"It was no problem, but I don't really understand why you are telling me this?"

"Really, for the achievements you have made you are rather oblivious. What I'm trying to tell you is go for it no matter how much it will scar me in the future" said Lysander, pretending to shudder.

"Maybe I will copy you and Blaise and see how you like walking in on someone" threatened Harry, a grin playing at the corner of his lips. Lysander's face blanched and Harry couldn't suppress the laugh he felt bubbling up inside his chest.

"Oh shut up, if you ever do that I swear I will have my revenge," Lysander threatened back and, for a moment Harry thought that he was serious, "Just go before I wish I hadn't said anything."

Still chuckling slightly, Harry got up from the alcove, leaving behind his friend as he headed for the arena. As much as Lysander could annoy him at times, the man really did have knack for telling him exactly what he needed. Leaning his head on the cool wood of the door he couldn't help but wonder if he was really going to do this. What would Ron and Hermione think of him trying to seduce the Dark Lord? No, they could choose their sides, he would tell them as much as they needed to know and then it was up to them. A part of him felt sad at this but he felt by far closer to Lysander and Blaise, heck even Luna, Hannah and Zach than he did to his two best friends at the moment, of course it would probably tip the balance when he saw them again but right now he couldn't care less, there were more pressing matters to attend to. Steeling his resolve he opened the door and entered the arena.

Tom was in the middle of the arena, his hands holding onto a sword of some sort. Harry could hear the blade swishing through the air as Tom whirled about the room, his feet moving so quickly that Harry could barely see them despite his heightened senses. It, like the duelling, seemed almost like a dance, the way he leapt and meandered around the arena, as if along to some music that only he could hear and make sense of. Mesmerised Harry closed the door but moved no closer. He knew that Tom knew he was there, and he never wanted to distract the man when he was wielding a weapon that looked that lethal. Seeing Tom start to slow down, Harry's thoughts came back into focus.

"Why did you miss your lesson?" asked Tom, walking over to the side where Harry saw the sheath for the sword lay.

"Why have you been ignoring what happened?" asked Harry, his voice full of confidence as it rang through the chilly room.

"I have not been ignoring it, I have merely been focusing on other matters" answered Tom, straightening the wrinkles his practice had created in his shirt.

"We need to talk" said Harry bluntly.

"I agree" replied Tom, not bothering to expand anymore. Taking a deep breath Harry, mustered up whatever confidence Lysander's words had gave him, quickly realising that he would have to go first.

"I care about you a lot and I am interested in exploring further what happened at the ritual, that is if you want to?" Harry's voice wavered at the end.

Tom looked at him carefully, his blue eyes were smouldering and emotions flicked through them so rapidly that it was making Harry dizzy. He seemed to be having an inner battle with himself, the way this fists were clenched at his side was the only indication of the turmoil the older man was feeling. Apparently making up his mind he strode over to Harry, his walk as confident as ever. Seeing he wasn't going to stop Harry found himself pushed up against the wall, the cushioned surface preventing this from being uncomfortable.

Tom was right in front of him now, pressing against him, his breath ghosting over Harry's face and Harry suppressed a shudder of desire. Tom appeared to notice this however and, smirking he cupped Harry's face, drawing it to his own. The kiss wasn't gentle like last time, not by far. Tom grasped a fist of Harry's hair, pulling his head back while lips and teeth clashed in constant battle, and Harry couldn't suppress a moan escaping from his otherwise occupied mouth. Taking this to his advantage, Tom slipped his tongue in, gently massaging Harry's which stood in sharp contrast to how aggressive he'd been moments prior. The hand in his hair slid to his neck, holding it in a firm, but gentle grip. Their magic swirled around the room and just as it was the first time Harry felt wave after wave of pleasure assault him, making his nerves tingle and long for more.

Trembling, he reached up, swallowing nervously as he felt Tom's hard chest beneath the fabric. Glancing up to Tom's face, he saw desire swirl in the depths of blue eyes, and he continued his exploration, sliding his hands up and down, before finally unbuttoning Tom's crisp white shirt, exposing the pale expanse of toned muscle that were the rewards of their strenuous training sessions. Pulling back Tom surveyed him, an amused expression dancing in his eyes as he looked at Harry's form. Harry was sure that he looked like a complete moron, panting heavily with a blush adorning his cheeks but he couldn't bring himself to care. Running his hands up and down Tom's chest again, loving the feeling of the smooth surface, he felt the man shudder before he retaliated, latching onto Harry's neck, nibbling and sucking the sensitive skin. Arching into the touch, Harry tangled his fingers in Tom's hair, gasping as his neck was assaulted. Arms came around him, and Harry hooked one of his legs around Tom's, drawing them even closer. He bit Tom's shoulder trying to suppress a loud moan, every touch seemed to spread a barrage of sensation through him making him almost come undone right there, he could already feel how hard he was from just these simple ministrations. Tom, having reached Harry's shirt, muttered something and immediately Harry was standing there clad in only his boxers. Yelping slightly with the sudden cold he felt Tom snicker as he made his way down his chest with his mouth, his tongue sensually traced patterns on it. Reaching his nipples Harry gasped as Tom latched onto one, rolling it between his teeth before biting down while his tongue lapped at the perched bud. Moaning , Harry didn't know how much more he could take. It was too much for his sensitive nerves. Almost as if sensing this, hands snaked down and pulled down his boxers, with which Harry eagerly helped. Thin, long fingers wrapped around his weeping member and Harry lost all higher brain function. Thrusting wildly he shuddered and his knees buckled as the fire in his belly became hotter. Tom released it, drawing a desperate whine from Harry's lips, and, lost in desire, he grinded against Tom's body, feeling the bulge in the man's trousers twitch in response.

Searching for more friction, he backed against the wall again, and pulled Tom with him, frantically bucking his hips against Tom. He gasped when slender fingers kneaded his ass, and then slid down, feeling his balls. Not able to hold himself any longer, Harry came all over himself and Tom. Panting, he pulled himself up, leaning heavily against the wall. Tom was standing there looking as calm as ever whilst he probably looked like a trembling wreck. A little embarrassed his eyes were soon drawn to the bulge in the front of Tom's trousers.

"I've helped you so its only courteous to return the favour" said Tom, quirking an eyebrow when following the direction of Harry's eyes, a slight smirk on his lips. Gulping, Harry walked over to Tom and, reaching down, undid his belt before pulling the trousers down. It appeared that Tom never felt the need to wear underwear and his member sprung out proudly, the head already leaking pre-come. Running his hands down Tom's chest he knelt down unsure of what to do, and unable to tear his gaze away from the man's erection. Following his Gryffindor instinct, he poked out his tongue and lapped at the head. The pre-cum tasted salty, but hearing Tom gasp it was well worth the unpleasant taste. Enveloping him, Harry gagged a little and ran his hands up and down the base where he knew that there was no hope of him reaching without choking himself. Bobbing his head up and down the shaft he heard Tom moan a little. Moving his eyes upwards he saw that Tom's eyes were closed and a delicate flush had spread across his cheeks. Other than that however, Tom looked as he always did and Harry marvelled at his control, even though his breathing was slightly more ragged than usually. Sucking slightly, Harry felt Tom's fingers entwine in his hair, making him moan as they combed his scalp. Slowly Tom began to thrust gently into his mouth, the vibrations from Harry's moaning becoming too much for even his abnormal level of control. Looking up once more Harry saw that his mentors eyes were now open, veiled by a layer of undisguised lust, he was panting slightly and Harry could tell that he was getting closer to the edge with every thrust. Sucking hard, he hollowed his mouth and was rewarded when Tom came and, swallowing the bitter concoction, Harry glanced up. Tom looked as if all the weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, his features were relaxed and his barriers crumbled to dust giving him an unguarded look that filled Harry with warmth. Tom suited this expression and the fact that he had placed it on the otherwise impassive features made Harry feel a sliver of pride.

Feeling Tom slide down the wall next to him, Harry leaned into the man, nestling into his shoulder with a contented sigh. He felt exhausted and his jaw was sore but it was a good kind of pain, he had gotten it pleasing Tom and that alone made it worth it.

"Are you okay?" Tom's question broke through Harry's bliss filled bubble, bring him back to reality.

"Yeah I'm fine, sorry if I was a little forward before" mumbled Harry, blushing slightly at his audacity.

"No, I'm sorry. I am… unaccustomed to these situations and Alderan's interference was making it much harder to ignore than normal. I'm sure you noticed how he kept trying to put us together and I believe my annoyance at this affected you before we went to Diagon Alley and for that I apologise. However it appears it was in vain, in response to your earlier question I was merely ignoring this attraction because I needed time to process what was happening before I acted upon it."

"I will never understand how your mind works." sighed Harry, running his fingers through his hair. He honestly thought that the man was far too logical than was good for him, it seemed almost alien to him as he had always blundered his way through things, often relying on luck far too often.

"If you want I can show you" said Tom after a pause.

"How would that work?" asked Harry, curiosity lacing his words. It would be truly fascinating to see the other man's mind but he wasn't a legillimens and that was the only way he was familiar with.

"Once a connection is established it can act as a link to both the reader and the subject's minds, the subject just has to cross this bridge to the reader's mind" answered Tom simply.

"You would really allow me to see into your mind?" asked Harry, he had always imagined Tom to be as paranoid as Voldemort, this all went against the image he had constructed of the man.

"Yes, I want you to know me and there are some things that words cannot convey and so other methods are more effective."

"I always thought you were too paranoid to allow yourself to be that vulnerable" said Harry, voicing his previous thought.

"For some time I was, that is I am with those that I do not know as well as I know you. Over the years I have became knowledgeable of the inner workings of your mind and it is unfair for you not to hold the same knowledge about me. Even though you have only had a couple of months to get to know me, I have watched you since you were a child and I can honestly say I trust you with this information" Tom appeared so earnest that Harry couldn't help but believe him and so he uttered the words his mind was screaming at him to say-

"What do I have to do?"

A/N: Thank you for the feedback, I wasn't very confident with the last chapter and so it is nice to know you enjoyed it :)

I really don't know what it is about this story but I hadn't planned for Tom to allow Harry access into his mind either (before anyone says the Tom Riddle from the cannon wouldn't allow this, my Tom - referring to him like that is weird - isn't based totally on him, there are aspects of his personality that will most definitely be different due to the changes I have made) however I am beginning to think this story has a mind of its own! I hope this chapter made sense and a huge thank you to Elfinmyth who helped me with the lemon, without her help I shudder to think what it would have been.

Oh and before I forget, about Lysander, I couldn't fit in a scene where Harry asked Tom if he could go to Hogwarts after he had the initial thought but just imagine that that conversation took place the day after the ritual. Anyway I hope you liked it :)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

I apologise for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes contained within this chapter, it hasn't been beta'd and so there will probably be more than usual.

Please Review!