Chapter 15:
"And therein lies the differences in our opinion," Harry replied, tersely. "I have no desire to talk to you, and certainly no desire to help you 'catch up.' You know too much already."
He felt utterly uncomfortable this close to the Slytherin Heir, yet, strangely drawn. Tom undoubtedly had a pull around him, like a black hole, he just dragged people in for the sole purpose of destroying them, drowning them in the darkness. Tom smirked back at him, but there was nothing but seriousness in his piercing eyes.
"Too much?" the Slytherin Heir enquired delicately. "There's no such thing as too much knowledge, and if there was, it would not apply to you and your extraordinary circumstances."
"Butterfly effect," Harry growled. "You're stepping on butterflies. It's called the future for a reason, Riddle, you are not supposed to know it."
"I never did like butterflies," Tom returned calmly. "And you owe me. The damage is done, and the world hasn't gone up in smoke. So you will elaborate your claims."
Not bloody likely! Harry moved to stand up, wordlessly, infuriated, only for a hand to clamp down fiercely on his thigh again, painful in its grip, holding him in place. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
Tom smiled, sweetly in response, his nails digging in. Harry refused to react to that, despite the stinging sensation. Tom's eyebrows arched after a few seconds, demandingly, in repeat of his question. Harry merely raised his own in response, unyielding. To his satisfaction, Tom broke from the staring competition first.
"Tell me," the Slytherin repeated, once more, with a sharp edge of coldness and command in his voice now. Harry snorted.
"If I didn't tell you the first times you asked, what makes you think I will now? I thought you were supposed to be a genius!"
Tom studied him for a moment, expression unreadable. He seemed to switch tactics from blunt, if not more charmingly woven, intimidation.
"To clarify: your name is actually Harry Potter, I grew up to kill your parents Lily and James Potter on Halloween. You were born in 1980. Presumably on the night your parents died, I also cast the killing curse at you, which rebounded, destroying me, Lord Voldemort.." Tom's eyes took on a slight, almost unnoticeable gleam. "I returned in your fourth year...which would have been just before you arrived here."
Harry said nothing, studying the other with as neutral an expression as possible for him. The other's head tilted.
"It was a traumatic experience for you, as exemplified by the fact you have nightmares - every night." Here, Harry stiffened, as Tom was straying into things Harry himself had never made mention of, and so far doing so with an alarming accuracy. "You've also had numerous encounters with my future self, as you don't simply hate the idea of him, and you knew me on sight suggesting an awareness of my past... you're also not a coward, so nightmares this severe without any experiential basis seem implausible for you. The curse created a connection between us, which furthers your dislike and apparent desire to distance yourself from me, but it also draws you closer, exacerbating your fear that I will find out more about the future and thus jeopardize the existence of everyone you care about."
"And if I do? What's your point?" Harry returned.
"Oh, so that's all true then, thank you for the clarification," Tom returned pleasantly. Harry nearly growled with annoyance, his eyes closing briefly, his jaw tight. Tom leaned forwards, ever closer, seeming to read everything about him even closer. "I'm curious, Harry. Do you not find it fascinating that out of all the days in the history of the world that you should fall into mine?"
Harry swallowed, thickly.
"Coincidence," he dismissed.
Tom's eyes flared with a brighter gleam, his lips twisting into a vibrant spark, lit by a strange excitement.
"I don't believe in coincidences," he replied, smirking, before seeming to suddenly change the subject. "Now, about your tutoring," he began. Harry blinked at the abruptness, suspicious.
"What?" he demanded. "Back up, tutoring? You're not tutoring me! I thought that was a joke!"
Tom widened his eyes, mockingly, in response, placing a hand on his own chest.
"A joke? Harry, your education is not a joke...I would hardly deserve my position as prefect if I didn't take the learning of my fellow students seriously."
Harry resisted the urge to laugh at that, and Tom's utterly solemn delivery, which so contrasted with the almost playful glow in his eyes. He then wondered how badly someone was going to get tortured, or how screwed up the world was, and who'd died to make Tom seem so...happy suddenly. It was still suspicious. Well, perhaps not happy, but in so good a mood.
"Kind of you," he responded. "But unnecessary." Tom seemed content to ignore his protests on the matter, pulling something from his bag. Harry paused. "-Is that-is that my student file/ How the hell do you even have that?"
"Don't be absurd," Tom drawled, flicking through it. "Of course it's not your student file."
"Oh, okay," Harry said, feeling somewhat stupid.
"It's a copy of it," Tom added, with what looked like a smirk curling at his lips.
Harry figured it was a bad thing that he wasn't even surprised. Tom continued before he could speak.
"I will be testing your abilities for the next two weeks, to better grasp where you need help, and then we will come up with a revision scheme that is appropriate to that."
"That sounds like a lot of hours," Harry muttered, with mounting horror.
"I'm very dedicated," Tom replied. Harry dropped all pretenses.
"No," he stated flatly. "I'm not doing it. I'm not spending that much time with you, and we both know we'd be at each other's throats the whole time."
"I can deal with that," Tom winked. Harry sneered in response. "Besides," Tom added, in almost an afterthought, "you don't have a choice. Headmaster's orders. He thinks we should bond."
Harry nearly choked at the thought.
"I'd rather swallow acid," he said, sweetly. He paused...didn't they also have detention together? Tom patting his cheek, mockingly.
"We're going to be spending a lot of time together, golden boy. It'll be easier if you just cooperate."
"With you?" Harry questioned. "No thanks."
"All the more fun then," Tom replied, that gleam in his eyes only growing more pronounced. "I shall...very much...look forward to it."
"At least that makes one of us," Harry said tersely, before tilting his head. "Although..." he let his gaze drift to the bandages peeking from under the other's shirt. "Now I think about it, a valid, headmaster sponsored excuse to beat down your overwhelming ego does sound rather enjoyable."
Tom merely laughed at him, though his gaze darkened fractionally with menace.
"Careful, Harry," he murmured. "You took me by surprise last time, I will not be so kind again now I know your capabilities."
"And I yours," Harry returned, defiantly.
"Perhaps," Tom said. "So what type of encounters did you have with my future self to be so certain of this? A duel would be most likely, if you so claim to know my full duelling capabilities outside of the little tricks in class."
Harry gritted his teeth, shooting the other an irritated look. Did he just analyse constantly? Of course he did! As well as rapidly switching the conversation...except, he'd never switched his goals, had he? Note to self: Tom Riddle is fully aware of everything he does, and always has an ulterior motive towards a greater goal.
"Yes," he confirmed, finally. "We've duelled." Kind of. Priori Incantatem...he paused as a thought struck him. Wouldn't their wands just connect whenever they tried duelling?
"Problem?"
He glanced up at Tom's eyes, still fixed on his face, no doubt noting everything.
"You, for one," Harry stated. "But that's generally a universal problem, and unfortunately not one I can correct without destroying the timeline."
"Back at you," Tom replied lightly. Harry's brow furrowed.
"What?"
"Back. At. You," the Slytherin Heir repeated, smiling. "As much as I would like to kill you, extenuating circumstances would suggest that to be a foolish course of action."
That was a sudden switch...Harry stared at the other, his posture rigid. Tom's smile only broadened, pleasantly, and Harry felt a bit sick.
"Rebounding curses, I presume?"
Tom gave no answer, studying him for a moment.
"Everyone falls sooner or later, Harry Potter Evans, everyone. Off you go now, there's a good boy - tutoring tomorrow, don't be late or someone else will be."
Harry blinked. Late...late as in time...and late as in dead...he stood, fists white-knuckled.
"You're an arrogant bastard, Riddle."
"Love you too, pet..."
And then Tom had turned away from him, hailing over Cygnus Lestrange instead.
Harry strode out the common room, ignoring the eyes on his back.
A/N: Once again, not my best chapter...but it's something? It seems an unworthy prize for you guys being AMAZING enough to give me 1000 reviews, so sorry, but accept it as a token of my appreciate and affection anyway :) I should have revised today, but hey, tomorrow is another day in which to cram...who am I kidding? Anyway. I hope you enjoy the chapter, sorry if it's very One-POVy again...and short.
If I add to it, I'll let you know...
PS: The idea of Tom having Harry's student file scenario came from Loveless/Ex Student :) Thank you!